Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

We are sending our Christmas wishes this year by way of the cyber world! 

If you know us at all, you would know that our lives are never dull, and always full of changes and revolving doors. Our year has been very full with life happening all around us.

We had 2 children join us this year in February. One was a 7 yr old boy, and the second was a 1 yr old girl. That was super fun having a boy in the home (definitely different) and also a real quick reminder that our home had become 'unchildproof'!! Our time was sweet with them, and they stayed with us until October. In July we added 2 more children (yes, totaling 8 children) one 6 yr old boy and a 3 yr old girl. That was fun, wild, busy, and a lot of mouths to feed! It was perfect timing with it being summertime and having the whole yard to use as a playland, along with learning about chores, insects, taking care of the animals, and having a routine. Our children ranged from 1 to 14 years old. Having older children to help with all of the younger kids was very appreciated, and a wonderful opportunity to teach them life skills that they will need one day, Lord willing. We for sure gained strength and knowledge regarding teamwork, and did it pretty OK. Oh yes, and have I mentioned that we only have 1 full bath, and then a half bath? Yes, it was quite the rotating 'stations' getting ready each morning and night! HAHA! Talk about efficiency! Things are going well, and it's very lively around here. For sure, never a dull moment!! 

Brad is doing well, still working for Almaco and just celebrated his five year anniversary. We just bought him a 'new to us' truck, a Ford F250 and he is in heaven! 

Courtney is doing well. She has her own apartment in Ames, and is working two jobs, and has a steady guy. She is living life and learning all sorts of life skills and how to manage them all at the same time. We are very proud of her.

Brooke is 14 and in 9th grade! CRAZY! We have our second teenager and a freshman! YIKES! When did this happen? She is great. Quite the young lady, and always happy. 

Taylor is 12 and in 7th grade. She is just about as tall as her mother, and is a work horse! She likes to get her schooling done so she can 'get to work' whether it be something that she is working on outside, or going to work with her daddy. She works with him often, and loves every minute of it! 

Ashley is 10 and in the 5th grade. I can't believe that either! Next year, she will be apart of the 'middle school' youth group, and that is just CRAZY to me!!! My babies are growing up so fast. She is having a great year this year in school, and is really enjoying reading. Yes, even when she isn't required to!

Katrina is 8 and in the 3rd grade. This girl loves math, loves to help, and wants to be a grown up already. She is currently NOT the baby, and I think that she is still adjusting to this! :) Because Katrina isn't the "baby" anymore, she likes that she can boss the two other ones around, AKA helping instructing them, but we are still working on those skills so that is more of a 'helping' tone, and not so much of a 'bossing' tone. This is quite the task, but we are tackling it one day at a time.

Our little guy is 6 and in kindergarten. He is the cutest ever, and talks non-stop! He is always happy, super creative, and really, he does talk more than any of the girls in the house! (Yes, spoiled being the only boy!)

Our little girl will be 4 on Christmas Eve! How special is that? She is going to preschool and is loving her friends, and all of the 'projects' she get to do there. Our refrigerator can't hold much more. I have to admit, with our 'baby' being 8, it's really fun to have a 3-4 year old girl in the house again.   

Me, well, I am a very blessed woman. I have an amazing husband (17 YRS IN JAN. WHOOT!!!) who loves me, loves his family, and provides for us all. He is one of the hardest working men I know, dedicated to his family. He always rolls with the new (weird/wild/crazy) ideas that I am always throwing at him, and he is often willing to go outside of his comfort zone, just to appease me! Our children are healthy and happy, and I am feeling truly blessed.

Praise God for whom all blessings flow 

Praise Him all creatures here below

Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!

May all of our dear friends and family celebrate this Christmas season rejoicing in the Hope that we have in Christ Jesus, our Savior who was born on Christmas day!  

  

  

   

Christmas at the Mehmen's 2012

Merry Christmas from the Mehmen Family!

As I try to find an unusual and creative way to write our Christmas letter, I'm just really falling short on ideas, so I'm just going to break it down for you! 

This is a year in the life of the Mehmen Family Homestead!
Pre-January:
As most of you know, Brad and I have become foster parents. We were licensed as of September 2011. In October, we got our first placement, a 3 month old boy. He stayed with us until the end of January and was such a joy to all of our lives! We are still involved in his life and have established a nice relationship with his parents.
January: The 2nd of January we received another call to take two boys in (brothers), which some of you have been able to meet. (What a difference it is to have two boys in the house!) They are 7 & 4. Brad & I celebrated 15 years of marriage, I turned another year older, and Courtney celebrated her 18th birthday! It's official; she's an 'adult' meaning she can vote! :)
February: February was a month of getting used to a new normal. We became a very busy family. (as if we weren't already before we added two new people to our home) We continue to school (now 5 children) and get through every day by Gods grace and mercy! We celebrated many birthdays this month! Taylor turned 11, Katrina turned 7, and one of the boys turned 4! That was fun to celebrate a "little ones" birthday again. Brad and I attended a marriage conference which was so very good for the both of us to brush up on loving one another the way that we were created to love one another, as well as get to spend some ALONE time together! You know that comes few and far between!
March: We had another birthday this month! One of the boys turned 7! This boy is such a sweet little guy. Such a people pleaser and a hard worker! He would be by Brad's side any time he could be helping him do whatever! I do love him!! Spring break; I was able to go see my family in CA! Yea! (just me by myself!  that was weird!) It was SHORT but sweet! I was only there for 3-4 days. Note to self: need more than 4 days to spend with family! :) Back in October, I had started my Mary Kay business, and was busy trying to build my business! How ironic, I know, with the timing and all. Little did I know I wasn't going to be able to work it too hard with 6 children! But let me tell you, I was sure trying! I even went to Chicago for a Career Conference. It was fun, but I also missed my family. 

April: It's another birthday month! Guess who this time? Yes, if you guessed Ashley, you guessed correctly. She turned 9. We also took Brooke & Taylor into the orthodontist for recommendations and you betcha, they both need braces! WOW, that's going to hurt the old pocket book! Oh, and last but not least, Courtney and a high school girlfriend got an apartment and our eldest moved out on her own! She's enjoying "real life" and learning all that comes along with being an "adult"! :)
May: This was a fun month! My mom came for a visit to see all of us Mehmens, and for Courtney's graduation ceremony. Remember she had graduated early back in December; but it was now time for the graduation ceremony. It was fun to get all of her things ready for that event, and to celebrate with her! Not only did SHE do it, but WE did it too! We made it! We are so thankful that we ALL made it! All alive and in one piece too! Hallelujah!
June: Let's see how much stuff we can pack in this month! Do you remember our amazing "trade" from last year? (The 'beast' of a motor home for the awesome trailer?) Well, we worked hard to get that remodeled and up and running for camping season! Brad's nephew got married in early June and after that we all (the whole Mehmen clan) went to Minnesota on a fishing trip for three days. It was really fun and relaxing. We rented like a 4 plex, so everyone had their own 'space', but we were all together, shared meals together and just hung out! His dad had rented a pontoon boat too, and so we fished and tooled about the lake.  The best part was that the first catch was made by Brad's niece Carly on the PADDLE BOAT!! Yes, you heard correctly! I think we all got a good laugh out of that one, except for Brad's dad I'm sure! That was the start of our "camping" season. The week after we got home from that trip, the kids had VBS all week, which they all loved, then once the weekend hit, we were off to our next stop. And, yes, in case you were wondering we all (2 adults and 6 kids and a dog) fit into our camper! Thankful for the picnic table outside and the lawn chairs but the trustee old camper did its thing, and for that we were thankful! Especially since that was our maiden voyage. Alrighty, last but not least the last weekend of the month, we went up north to go camping for Brooke's 13th birthday!
July: Happy birthday to our 2nd 13 year old, Brooke! We camped for almost a week up north, enjoying every minute of having no electronics, "floating" in the lake, exploring a cave (kinda), hiking trails, and just having fun together as a family. We swam every day, lounged, the girls rode their bikes, the park had different activities for them to do; it was very peaceful. And as soon as we parked the camper back at home, we showered and off to our dear friends, the Martens, house for their annual 4th of July party. (Are you exhausted yet?) Brooke and Taylor started piano in July. They are still at it, and doing a wonderful job, and most importantly, they are loving it. And I am so thankful for that! I love hearing them practice and play, unless of course it's a song that gets on your nerves! There hasn't been many of those though! HA HA
Oh yes, this month, we added two more children to our house. (Yes, bringing it to 8) They were sweet little babies. A 5 week old and a 2-3 year old. Don't worry; they only stayed for about a week before going back home. Wow, that was a dozzie, however, you have to keep in mind that I have 4 little mothers that LOVE taking care of people smaller than they are, so I do have a lot of helpers! They were precious! The children went to a weeklong musical workshop held at our church, and what a wonderful ministry that was. For them, for their parents, grandparents, and any other family that was able to watch them perform at the end of the week. It sure made us proud, and happy to be a part of a wonderful church!
August: Happy birthday to my handsome young Marine, whom I love so very much! Didn't get to take him away for the weekend this year, but he still felt loved. Who wouldn't with 7 different people yelling "DADDY!" when he walked in the door from work! Brooke had to get her tonsils taken out! It was fast! We went in on the 7th to the throat specialist, and she was in surgery on the 13th! Wow, it was fast, but Praise God that everything went smoothly, with no complications and she healed pretty quickly. I don't know that it felt all that fast for me, lol, but it was a pretty fast recovery. And we’re off camping again the weekend after that. Even though Iowa is flat, and very corn-y (get it???); it is also so very beautiful. We were able to stay at some campgrounds this summer that just allows you very easily to see all of the beauty that God created, and you're able to sit and just stare at it. After all, you are camping! Oh, yes, and by the way, when we got home that Sunday night, we had to bathe and get all cleaned up because school started the very next morning!!! EEEK! If you are asking if we could have shoved anything more in, I'm not sure, maybe, but it was pretty jam packed! I'm exhausted just reminiscing about it!
September: Earlier in the year we began to look at acreages (farms) off and on. Just wondering what was out there. We had looked at quite a few and there were some really good ones, however they were all an hour away if not more. I was game to move, but it wouldn't have been very realistic for Brad to commute all that way. So.... life went on. My Uncle Rick and Aunt Kathy came for a short but sweet visit. They were stopping by on their way to see other family members! We are so happy when we get on the "to see" list! Makes us feel very loved! We continued to look at some other properties.....
October: Well, we bought a farm!!! :) I know can you believe it? It's something that we've been dreaming about for YEARS, and God has blessed us with just the right one for us! It's so beautiful to us! Every day He shows me yet ANOTHER something that I have said in the past that I've always wanted, or have always loved.... He is so good.... so so good. Words can't express the blessings that He has poured out onto our family. It's been a little overwhelming, but we are of course so thankful. Alright, our time is slowing down a notch or two. We have now, after almost a year with the boys, transitioned them to a forever home, which of course by God's amazing grace, happens to be good friends of ours! We will get to be a part of their lives for many many many years to come! We are so thankful for Gods provision and plan in all of this and how He just worked out all of the details. Being able to still be an active part of their lives is such a blessing!

November: The big moving day! We moved this month, and we are TIRED!!! Brad was able to go the men's retreat where they shot guns and ate all day, meat of course. What a better way for my guy to just go out and have some fun? Was so glad that he was able (some may say forced) to go and enjoy that time with the guys. We spent Thanksgiving with some great friends, and were able to just sit back, relax, and eat; all the while giving thanks for all that Jesus has done for us. It was a really fun day! And to be able to share with one another what you are thankful for is special in itself. It's a true testimony of how God's great love for His children overflows into each of our lives so uniquely. The family did get the tree up and decorated the weekend after Thanksgiving, despite my feeling a little overwhelmed with the thought of it!
December: This month has actually been a very relaxing month. We finished up school for the year (our Christmas break) my mom was able to come back out for another visit to see the new homestead! I was so so so glad she was able to come. She also brought my niece with her, which is Taylor's age. It was so fun to have her out, and just be able to spend time with her. She schooled with us while we were finishing up, and I don't know what she thought about that! HA HA I hope she had fun anyhow! My mom got to just "be" here with us. We didn't do anything fancy or exciting, but just did life together. I can say that we definitely enjoyed our coffee time together every morning. It was sad for her to go home, and for me to have to drink alone!  It's hard to say goodbye when you don't know when the next visit will be. 

Aren't you glad that I have just shared our life with you? Well, that is the purpose of the Christmas letter, right? To fill you in.... catch you up with what's going on with our life? Well, it is the 20th of December, and just as of last night we had our first snowfall. Can you believe it? And not only did it just fall, it was like a blizzard! 30-40 mph winds and heavy snow. Wait, not just any old snow, but THUNDER SNOW. Yea, I know, I've never heard of it before either. It just means that the snow is really heavy and that you'll be getting 2-3 inches of snow in that hour. (whatever) But I think that we did get about 10-11 inches of snow! It's so funny, because this is our first winter in the country and we have snow drifts, and I expected that, but what I didn't expect was to have such large drifts in some areas, and then still see the grass in other areas!! Yes, we live in Iowa! :) 

One of the most special moments of this month has been our advent readings. Just being able to bring the focus right back to Jesus, which is the reason we celebrate Christmas, the celebration of His birth and His coming. As we all prepare our gifts, our food, our social activities, let us remember why we are celebrating. A sweet family that goes to our church is getting ready to relocate to a different country to be missionaries, and as I was reading their "update" they just used words that were fitting for us all, so I am going to leave you with their parting words.

"As thankful as we are to have received our visas, we are even more thankful for the coming of Jesus. As we move into this advent season we want to wish each and every one of you a merry Christmas! In my quiet time this morning I read Colossians 1, not a normal Christmas passage, but one that very clearly conveys the importance of the coming of Jesus:"

"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross."

May we all remember who He is and what He has done as we celebrate Him this Christmas" 

New Beginnings

Ah... A restful sigh as I type this post for you. As many of you already know, our family has been looking for a farm for quite some time, meaning YEARS, and have been patiently waiting for the right farm to come our way. By Gods grace, and His kind mercies, we have found one. I am so excited to share this news with all of you; our dearest friends and family. All I have to say is please come and help us warm our new home, and break her in! We have PLENTY of space, and a main floor guest room for all visitors! Love you all so much. I have posted pictures for you to take a peek! Will update photos after we're all settled in!

Dining Room

Front Door

Living/Family Room

That door leads you upstairs.

Guest Room!

Guest Room.

Landing looking down

Landing looking up.

Upstairs Landing/Hall

Bedroom 1

Bedroom 2 (with door to an outdoor patio)

This door is like 43 inches WIDE!!!

Bedroom 3

Upstairs Bathroom

Bedroom 4

Kitchen (with door that leads to porch)

Kitchen again (a 2nd door that leads upstairs)

Kitchen (LOVE the windows!!!)

Love the underneath of the roof (or whatever it's called!)

North side of house. Yes there is a 3rd floor. It's unfinished! We'll finish it to be a mater suite!

Morton building. Lots of possibilities! It's heated with electric!

Super cute barn, but will need to be replaced.

East side of house, back door, and porch.

Same shot. There is a cute little pond there by the back door.

Our monkeys!

This is the South side of the house with the porch on this side! 

The West side of the house, where the front door is.

Taylor in the barn of course exploring!

Land on the north side of the Morton building.

There is beautiful mature trees on the property, including two apple trees!

Merry Christmas 2011!

Merry Christmas to our Friends, Family and acquaintances in and through the world wide web…

Once again our Christmas letter will be making an appearance on our ‘not so often updated’ blog! However, our good intentions will remain intentions!

I’ve posted some pictures of our family, and our summer vacation to Roseville, CA, the ocean & the Redwoods! It was an amazing vacation that we are so thankful we were able to take.

Brad has celebrated his 3rd year with Almaco in Nevada, still doing maintenance and repair, and whatever else is asked of him. Brad & I will be celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary in January and can’t believe how the time has flown.

Courtney graduated high school TODAY 12/22/2011!!! She will walk across the stage and receive her diploma with her class come May. We are so proud of her! Her college classes start on January 10th, so her little ‘break’ won’t last very long! She’ll be taking a photography course and a marketing class. She’s excited and nervous all at the same time. We are so excited and proud of her! Brooke is half way through the 7th grade! It’s crazy how time flies! She has an amazing memory and is really blessed to be able to retain what she learns. Taylor is half way through 5th grade, and thoroughly enjoys being the teacher, or just the person in charge! She is a real ‘go-getter’ and a very hard worker! Ashley is in the 3rd grade and I just so happen to be her tutor in our Classical Conversations Homeschool group which meets once a week, and Katrina is in 1st grade and is loving learning! My ‘baby’ is getting so big and is not such a little baby anymore! It’s a little sad, but it’s also very fun!

I am still teaching the girls at home and have so much fun with them. What a blessing it is to be able to talk to them about how much Jesus loves them and come alongside them and instruct them in all different areas of their life, as well as really get to know them all individually. They are so similar and yet so very different! We are truly blessed.

My newest adventure since October has been becoming an Independent Mark Kay Consultant. I know some may laugh, however it’s a perfect fit since I am already in the ‘beauty’ business, it just makes perfect since! I’ve also already won prizes for being in the top 5 for the quarter sales! So, if you would like to know more about selling Mary Kay, or need any products, please ask me! I am having a lot of fun and making some extra cash is a very nice bonus as well!

Have a blessed Christmas celebrating Jesus’ birthday…
Much love, Stephanie for the Mehmen family

Butter

As many of you already have come to your own conclusion; Brad and I are not like "normal" people! HA HA HA No, we often are "weird" and think outside the box on many things.

Our desire has been to move out into the country for quite some while, and we are still pursuing this desire, however, now not only are we wanting to get out to the country, but are wanting to live as much off the land as possible. (yes, I know, why???) Well, because we want to! :-) We'd like to strive for as much self-sufficiency as we can to a) cut costs in the long run, b) know what we're eating, and c) be able to turn around and sell it to others, in the hopes of making profit. No, not to become wealthy & hit it rich, but enough that we could work our own land full time, and have that be our soul means of living. We're not sure if this is what God's plan is for us or not, but we are trusting that if it is, a place will come available in our area, and in our price range, and slowly but surely, we can incorporate one new thing at a time. Some things we can do now, and are doing, like having a garden and growing our own veggies, making our own breads, and now making our own butter. These things, if we produced enough, we could sell at the local Farmer's Market and start building a following... but we have not gone this far yet, because we are proceeding with caution! (lessons learned, you know) So, if you would come along side of us in prayer, we would sure appreciate it. We are patiently waiting on the Lord, and listening for His direction, while moving forward with what we can move forward with! When you're in the neighborhood, make sure to stop by to try some of our homemade butter! It's delicious!

Blessings

This is our "new to us" pull behind camper. It's an '89 26' Shasta.

Kitchen in the front right as you walk in the door. Nice U shaped kitchen. Most room I've had! Dinette table that folds down into a bed. Pull out couch that sleeps2 also. And another bed in the back that sleeps 2. (6 total)

Just incase anyone has to go! :-) There is also a tub shower in the front of the potty.

As you can see, we have been blessed again from the Lord. To make a long story somewhat short; last summer after camping season, we gutted our motorhome because there had been some leaks in the roof, and it needed new paneling put in. As most of you know, in the fall of last year, Brad got a part time job, and had no time to work on the motorhome. So, it sat all fall, winter, spring, and summer with us not having the time or energy to put the motorhome back together. I had tried to sell it on and off again on craigslist just to get rid of it. Ideally, we'd hoped to sell it and eventually buy a pull behind. Well, last weekend, I thought I had the motorhome sold, but the guy was WAY low on his offer, and I chewed on it, and chewed on it, but decided to decline because I knew that it was really too low, so I held out. I wondered if I should kick myself or not, but I just let it go, knowing that the Lord would bring the right buyer. So, on Friday of this past week, I had an email that said that they wanted to come look at the motorhome. They came and looked, and liked it, and asked if we'd be willing to trade our motorhome for their 26' pull behind! A little scared of what it would look like, knowing they wanted to just do a trade; I asked if they would email pictures. So that night they did, and Brad and I looked them over, and it looked cute enough to see in person, so we went and checked it out. We LOVED it! :-) It has some things that need to be fixed, but seriously, we were the winning party with this trade! To sum this story up, they came on Friday and looked at our motorhome, we went to their house on Saturday to look at their pull behind, and then all parties agreed on the trade, and we did the "trading" on Sunday and made it official! Praise the Lord for His blessings!! It's ready to go..... we could go camping this weekend if we wanted.... YEA!!! So, hoping that the weather won't get too crazy, we'll go on one last camping trip before winter gets here. Anyone want to join us? Anyhow, I just wanted to share this fun and exciting news with you all! Here are some pix of our new treasure!

Where did June go??

Hello friends & family,
I don't have too much to report except to say, "Where has June gone?" I swear, this year is FLYING by!! We have gone camping only twice (counting this weekend) and that's about it. Not too many warm/hot days to go to the pool with all the RAIN! Helps our garden though I suppose. Will have to take a picture of that soon to show you. This years garden is going much better than last years! (especially with the deer not eating it all gone!!)
Getting ready to go visit my old stomping grounds in Cali. Looking forward to seeing family, friends, and THE REDWOODS!! Can't wait. And of course, hitting the ocean on the way either there or on the way back..... oh the ocean.... how I miss thee.... I can smell the smells now! (yes, the good smells! Don't be gross!) Plan on being in town for about 2 weeks then head on back home, and begin to prepare for the school year to start back up again in just a few short weeks! CRAZINESS! And even crazier...... I have a SENIOR this year! I don't know how that is possible, because I know that I'm not getting OLD!! No! No! I am NOT!!!
So there, that's all I have to say. Short and sweet, yes? Will post about our trip when we get home and post some fun pix from our ventures! Looking forward to seeing some of you!

Trail Period & Mother's Day!

This past week has been so fun & exciting! We were able to watch our friends 11 month old son for almost a week. It was a little bit of an adjustment, but really not too much. More adjustments of things that you need to move out of reach or needing that baby gate that you don't have any more, and then remembering the diaper bag when we get up and go somewhere! Our schedule really didn't change any, for we are normally at home, but when we did go out, it was like getting right back on that bike. It really has been an enjoyable week. I think that we will all miss him greatly when he goes home! The girls were a great help, happily, and also enjoyed every minute! This is what I am calling our "trial period" or should I say "remembering period".

For those who don't know, we are planning on foster caring children with the intent of adoption, whether the adoption comes through the children we are fostering, or not, it just depends on what the Lord brings our way, and what His plan is for us. But, before we are able to foster children we have to jump through many hoops, and fill out lots of paperwork, and then attend a 10 week class in which you will learn how to care for children that are not yours, as well as how to parent and care for them knowing that the full intent is to reunite the children with their rightful parents if at all possible. During this 10 weeks, we will also be partaking in a home study where someone comes to your home, talks to your children, and pretty much investigates you and your home to see if you are "qualified" to take care of them.

This is pretty weird and intense. I mean no one did all of these things and asked all these questions when we were having our own children, so it is a little intimidating! (Your prayers would be greatly appreciated.) We have accomplished all that is required thus far, and now will begin our 10 week class this coming Tuesday! The class will end in July & the only thing left to do is wait for our "Approval" letter from the state confirming our worthiness. We have not been stressed nor frustrated, but I have to say that the closer we get, the more excited I become. It was such a joy to have our friends son here, and I can't wait to have a little one again in our family full time!

We will move forward with adoption while partaking in foster caring. Sometimes, an infant or young child becomes available for adoption and since the state knows of specific families that are ready (read: have done all the paperwork & attended classes required) they are sometimes offered the chance to adopt said child. Again, I don't know what the Lords plan is for us, but I have to say that we are all very excited to be growing our family and adopting a child(ren) that is without a loving family or home!

Brad and I began this journey in 2007 I think it was, and then decided to open up the coffee shop instead. (That was silly!) And so to say the least, it's taken a while to get back on track and here we finally are! God is so faithful and merciful to get us back to where we needed to be! Some friends of ours were going to be adopting from the Congo and we began to go down that path as well, but while at a meeting with their agency, we heard the Lord clearly say, "There are plenty of children right here abandoned on the streets, so why are you going all the way to the Congo to care for the abandoned child?" We left that meeting talking about the clear message that the Lord spoke to both of us and so we began down a different path, still adoption, but from the states and here we are! So your up to date for now anyhow! I can't wait for July to get here though! LOL As if time doesn't fly by fast enough! However I just can't help it. We will adopt as many as the Lord wills us to & are excited about the thought! I am thinking 2 more, but we will see. I pray that He indeed does want to grow our family and allow us to adopt little children just has He has adopted us as His little children!

Well this post is two days before Mother's Day, and I wish for all the mothers' out there a blessed day, knowing that it is us that are truly blessed, to have the beautiful gift of child(ren), not that we should expect "gifts" from them, because they ARE the gift and we should be ever grateful to the Creator who created (our childrens) inmost being; who knit (our children) together in their mothers womb! Be purposeful to train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward!

May you have a blessed Mother's Day with not only your children but also with your mothers telling them, and loving on them letting them know how much you do truly love and appreciate them, especially for putting up with you!!! No, just kidding, that was just for my mothers ears! LOL

Love to you all! Til next time~

Well, hello April!!! :-)

So it appears that I've slacked off just a little bit since the last time I wrote was in December! We've had a lot of activity since then, so I will blame it on that. January Brad & I celebrated 14 years of marriage! awe... it seems like it was just yesterday when we married! I have been so blessed to have Brad as my husband! And he loves me.... the good the BAD and the UGLY! What a guy. OK, so then Courtney and I both had birthdays in Jan, Taylor & Katrina had bdays in Feb, and then we had Grandma from CA come for a visit in March, which is always fun. I love my family and wish we could get together more often, but we can't, so we make the most of it~!

What else?????? Spring, spring, spring is ALMOST here. I was just telling a friend that we woke up to snow covered trees and cars this morning, just to have it all melted away again by 12-1pm the same day. Not a glimpse in sight that there had just been snow on the ground! That's Iowa for ya I guess. So, yes, spring, I am SO READY for spring. I would really like to be HOT for a change...... looking forward to summer too!

Have been reading some really great books with a group of friends over the past 6 months or so. I have the list at the bottom if you like to read. I would recommend them all!~

Even though we school all year round, our "school year" is wrapping up and I am really looking forward to the break. Not of school, but from deadlines! We'll wrap up the "school year" the middle of April, so just a couple more weeks left. We plan to do some really fun school this summer, learning as a family, taking a little bit of a different approach to what we've been doing thus far, so I'm really excited about that! I know you CAN'T WAIT to read all about it! HAHAHAHAHAHA Yes, that was a funny.

Well, that is it for now. Maybe I can/will write more if I just make them short and sweet? We'll soon see! Love you all!

The Mehmen's

MERRY CHRISTMAS

from the Mehmen's!

From left to right:

Katrina (5), Ashley (7), Taylor (9), Brooke (11), Courtney (16), Gunner (9)

Thinking over this past year, I cannot tell you every single detail that has taken place, but I can for sure tell you that our year has been filled with blessing after blessing.

January: Brad & I celebrated our 13th year of marriage, Courtney turned 16, and I also turned another year young! (I have decided that I do not need to divulge that information!) My mom was able to come for a visit from California for our birthdays, as she normally tires to do! It was a great visit and a good month. I LOVED last years winter, for we were dumped on heavily with the snow! I was a happy happy girl. I love snow!

February: Taylor turned 9 and we treated her to a pizza party with all of her friends. She had a great time, and loved every minute of it. Katrina turned 5 and we celebrated her special day at home with family. My baby is growing up & that makes me sad!

April: Ashely turned 7, and we moved back to Ames, and have felt right at home, as if we have never left! We are so blessed to have the home that we do, and it's perfect for our family! We also have room for visitors, so if you can, come for a visit! We'd love to have you! Although we hadn't even finished unpacking, the four younger girls and I packed up and took a trip out to CA to visit my family. It was a great time spending time with them. I do miss them all very much living 1800 miles away and all, but I don' t for see us moving back to CA, so the time spent with them is treasured and sweet and I look forward to the next time as soon as I leave. Of course it's never long enough to get in everything we'd like to do, but there's always next time, we'll see.

May: We officially finished our school year, well, our home school program anyhow. We do keep going through summer, just with a lighter, more flexible load. We took a camping trip with some friends, and it was a great time! Although, three specific female friends may not agree (since they were all 9 months pregnant! :-) What troops they were! Let me just clarify the numbers here. When I said, "some friends", that meant six couples plus one adult, so that was 13 adults, with 25 children! What a great time we had! Chaotic & fun! That was our only trip of the summer with the expectations of three births.

June: June was a time of sticking close to home to be of help to my dear friends that were expecting at any time. (As if I could help any! Emotional support maybe??) My first friend to have her baby was Kim, and she had a boy! This was on the 15th of June, followed by my dear friend Abby, which had her son at home on the 17th, and then last but not least, Laura Lynn, which also had a boy at home on the 20th! HA! None of them knew what they were having, and they all had boys! I was so blessed to be at two of the home births and witness new life coming into this world. It was so amazing & wonderful! This was the first time I was able to witness a birth, verses being the one giving the birth! LOL All three boys are growing big and strong & are just adorable. The Lord has blessed me by giving me my "boys" through my friends!

July: Brooke turned 11, and had a swimming party at the new aquatic center that happens to be right across the street from us. (Isn't that convenient?) Followed by pizza and a sleep over. We were all tired the next day!

August: My wonderful husband had his birthday and we celebrated by having a day out with out the kids. We ventured out to Des Moines (I know, we are so crazy!) and spent the day walking around downtown, had lunch, and came back to Ames to hit the dollar movies! Aren't we exciting? I don't know if this is a sign of getting older, but it's what we enjoy doing! Oh yes, and lest us not forget that this month is the month that our eldest daughter Courtney acquired her drivers licence! She is doing well, although, now with snow on the ground, it's a whole new ball game. More learning! Who ever thought that you stopped learning at any particular age or grade?

September: The official beginning of the school year. In our home school group, Classical Conversations, we have 21 families, totalling 65 children! I tutor the 4th grade girls, which is nine total, and it's a blast! It's good for me to be taught by them, as well as learning how to teach them! I really enjoy our group, community, and couldn't do it without their support, encouragement, and wisdom! I am truly blessed by the friends that the Lord has placed in my life. I am very thankful!

October: This was a fun & exciting month for us! Not only did my mom come for a visit, but she brought my dad along, and a dear family friend from Alabama with her son & granddaughter! I love having a full house. It was great to see mgf Crista, as well as meet her son & grand baby, and spend time with my dad as well as my mom. I don't get to see my dad as much as I see my mom, so the time was sweet and fun was had by all! I'm trying to get my dad to come out again in the spring when my mom comes again!

November: A time of giving thanks, and as you can see, nothing ever got posted on here for that, although, I did try! We hosted Thanksgiving at our home with Brad's side of the family. It was nice to have them over, and to be able to serve them. (If you didn't know this already about me, I love hosting!) Brad's folks stayed a couple days, and it was nice to visit with them, as we don't see them too terribly often either. Brad also celebrated his 2nd year anniversary with working for Almaco. He really enjoys his job and is blessed to work for Gary Clem, his boss.

December: On December 9th, my grandmother Jennie passed away, after 87 years of life. I was saddened that I could not be there for my family during that time, but my heart was with them. So, this brings us right back to December; where we all wonder "Where did the time go?" Time just flies by each and every year! I wanted to purposefully begin this "Christmas update"with the reminder of why we celebrate Christmas each & every year. The birth of Jesus, the Christ, our Savior. It's not a "holiday", it's not a "winter celebration" as some may call it. It is Christmas, a time in which our Savior was born. May you all wish others this Christmas season a Merry Christmas, and not a happy holiday. May you all remember what the purpose of this celebration is this Christmas Day, and rejoice in it.

What kind of King would leave his throne in Heaven to make this earth His home?

While men seek fame and great renown, in lowliness our King comes down.

You left the sound of angels praise to come for men with unkind ways,

and by this Baby's helplessness, the power of nations is laid to rest.

What kind of King would come so small from glory to a humble stall?

That dirty manger is my heart too, I'll make it a royal throne for You.

Jesus, Jesus, precious One, how we thank You that You've come!

Jesus, Jesus, precious One, a manger throne for Gods own Son!

Merry Christmas,

Love the Mehmen's

Backyard Pets

So this is our family groundhog. We have been negligent in picking a name for him. Maybe you can give your input as to what his name should be. Don't let his size fool you, this boy can hustle! Just ask Gunner!!

Mommy & baby. Heading out. I think mommy smells Gunner.

Pix #3 Mommy loving baby (my garden behind them)

Pix #2 Baby running to mommy. "Wait mommy!"

Pix #1 Mommy checking to see if the coast is clear. "Come on kid."

Mommy eating right along side her friend the squirrel.

Just a quick note to show off our backyard pets. We love them all, except when they eat all of our food from the garden! This is living in Iowa!

Change

Change is happening. God is on the move and working. Always working I know, but specifically in our lives. A while ago, I posted something about "Searching". If it wasn't on here, it was on my face book page under notes. So, if you haven't read it, you should read that first, and then continue on with this. (It will just make more since I think.) Or not, it doesn't matter.

God has continually been working in Brad & I's marriage, in our family unit, as well as in our individual hearts for quite some time. Over this past year, things have changed quite drastically. For the better of course! Once we "woke from our sleep", our walk with the Lord has been like a revival! It's been awesome, amazing, life changing, and has really cleared our vision. It's like a new prescription in your glasses, or getting glasses for the first time. Amazing, right? Well, that is how I can best describe our spiritual walk with the Lord.

As you all know, we started homeschooling last year, for the second time. (I was homeschooling, sent them to public school while the cafe was open, and then pulled them back out when we closed the cafe.) It has been amazing. A wonderful blessing that I give thanks for often 1) to my husband that allows me to stay home, so therefor takes on the longer hours to provide for his family, 2) to the Lord for also allowing me to stay home with our children, providing a job for my husband so that I can stay at home, 3) for the wisdom, guidance, and knowledge that He has given to both Brad and I. With such changes, there is always a cause and effect type of situation. With our minds thinking differently on things, then that means that our actions will be different, our needs will be different, our 'wants/desires' will be different, and our vision will be different as well. So, cause and effect. I hope that this makes since, because it's hard to describe.

With the different vision in which we have been given, we are seeing some things that need to be changed. It has caused us to be unsettled in some areas of our life. One of those areas is our place of worship, where we have called home for 8 years now. This church is where both Brad & I received the Lords invitation of Salvation through his Son Jesus Christ, and believed. This church is where we have grown in our spiritual walk. This church is where we were both baptized in the name of Jesus Christ; for the forgiveness of our sins; and where we received the gift of the Holy Spirit. We've added 2 children to our family since being a part of this church. We have loved this church dearly, and for all of these things, we are very thankful.

The change is that it is time to move on. With the Lord growing our family spiritually, there are some things that we are not on the same page with any more. Our world view is different, our need of encouragement is different, our vision of family worship is different, our vision of discipleship is different. These changes are all good. We definitely feel encouraged by these changes within our family, and have peace about it, but it's also a time of grieving since this causes us to leave the only family we've known for the past eight years. God is still at work there, don't get me wrong, and He is definitely changing lives there, it's just time for something more. Something that will be more like-minded as we are. Encouraging us in the areas of family worship, family education, family discipleship, and so forth.

We would appreciate any and all prayers for our family and our new journey. Prayers that we would trust Him, and that we would walk in faith, be faithful, steadfast and diligent to the Lord who leads our path, and guides our steps.

Summer Floodin'

Tuesday evening we had a wonderful time celebrating Brads birthday, filled with fun gifts, fun decorations and a delicious dessert! Who would want a boring old cake if you could have this, right? Well, that is what I told myself, but it was a hit!

Even though my hard working husband worked a full day with out getting off early, he was able to have a day off today! Not for the best of reasons though. We had a 'little' flooding last night/this morning. There was literately no way in or out of town for there was flooding on all sides of us. The news has said we were like a little "island". And as of 2pm, the water plant has been closed. There is a break in the water line, and with the flooding they cannot find where the break is, so no tap water. Boiling order in effect, and just about all the stores out of bottled water. We were able to get a bunch before the ciaos began! Praise the Lord! Here are some pix for my far away family and friends. Will keep you updated. I do have a post on face book with excellent aerial pictures of the whole town. (look for des moines register) It's really awesome to see.

Our home wasn't affected at all though. We are so very thankful!

This is Hilton Coliseum, where our basketball games are held, as well as concerts and such. They are calling it a "water hole" for all of the water inside. It's really unfortunate.

Oh yes, this would be the parking lot to our brand new aquatic center (to the right). No-one will be swimming today!

I also have two little videos for your entertainment.