The Man of the House is HOME!

And we are so happy to have him back! Danny has brought back LOTS of pics and just as many stories! I am going to try to post them as a slideshow if I can figure out how? I don't have time for a very long post because we are heading to Tenn. for a much-needed family vacation tomorrow! As you can imagine, I have a TON of packing, cleaning and last-minute errands to accomplish today. Danny is busy getting his properties mowed and etc. Life goes on....;o) We plan to return Thurs. or Fri. We are also planning on attending Easley Bible Methodist Church Wed. night so Danny can share about his trip for the churchfolk there. Please pray for him as he tells about the devastation there and tries to raise money for H.I.M. as well as letting other men know of the need to join work teams to help out for a week. Pray that God will continue to work thru Danny.

Have a great weekend! I will many more pics to post when we return of our vacation! G-pa and G-ma Dunn are meeting us and staying with us in Tenn. We have not seen them in almost 4 years and we are all excited to spend time with them! And I know they just cannot wait to meet Caleb!

I tried to put it as a slideshow and was unable to get it to work. If someone wants to tell me how, I would appreciate it..thanks! In the meantime, here are just a FEW pics:

Here they are loading the plane with supplies

to drop off to the Islands.

This is looking out of the plane at the ocean and

some Islands below.

Here they are coming into Haiti-one of the worst

poverty-stricken Countries in the world!

More of Haiti. They were majorly flooded and

still have standing water everywhere. Pray for

Haiti-H.I.M. does not have any missionaries there.

They have a 3 bedroom home just waiting for a

missionary family to live in.

Coming into the Islands, the water is so blue

and beautiful!

This is the church on South Caicos. You can see

all the debri and branches around it. They lost

a large part of the ceiling that Danny was able

to help fix.

This is Sis. Marilyn Marchant's house that they

stayed in and helped repair.

This is what is left of the house of one of their

church ladies. As you can see, she lost it all!

There are sooo many more pics to post, but I just do NOT have the time right now! It was hard enough to pick and choose these ones! I will try to post more when we get back or maybe I will have figured out how to do the slideshow?

My God is awesome!

I have a HUGE praise report! Remember my last post and how we un-knowingly ran up a large bill talking to Danny in the Islands? Well, my mom told me that she was planning on calling Verizon and explaining my innocence and asking if anything could be done to erase or lower the bill. Now, you are probably thinking, " Yeah, right! Like Verizon is going to even care or think about giving you a break!" And I confess that same thought did enter my mind as well; however, God is working on increasing my faith and I am trying to cooperate! So, I prayed the other night and asked God that if ANYTHING could be done to please forgive my stupidity and help us out and to prepare the Verizon operater' s heart that mom was fixing to talk to! Mom had a busy day, which I can not imagine WHY that would be?! HAHA! LOL! She only had the kids to help homeschool, a continuously messy house despite her BEST efforts to keep it clean, meals to fix, baths to be given to 2 dogs that keep getting fleas and etc...! I was not feeling well and mom allowed me to take a nice, long nap on the couch while she tended to all that! WOW! Thanks, mom! I love you! So, she was finally able to call Verizon last night and God definitely went before her! She talked to a very nice man named, Matt. Mom explained the situation to him and he went on to her cell record and was surprised to see that .....are you ready.....NONE of the calls were showing yet! Is that GOD or what!? Because of this , he was able to sell mom a special feature that is cheap and enables her phone to call outside the USA for .33 a minute to a land line or .44 a minute to a cell! Major improvement over 1.45 a minute as it was before! Our bill has been cut in half!! I give God ALL the praise and thank HIM for watching out for us even though it was pure innocence and a little stupidity on our part! That is the GOD I serve!
One day and a half and my sweetheart will be back in my arms! :o)

Sick to my stomach!

That is how I felt when I discovered yesterday that it has not been free to call Danny like we thought! We have run up a $158 bill! We have talked a total of 109 minutes in the last few days. It was always after 9 pm and on weekends..so we THOUGHT it was going to be FREE! HAH! Because of him being outside of the USA it cost us $1.45 a MINUTE!!! Wowsers!! I AM thankful that we found this out before we talked even longer! Live and learn, right!??

Counting the days.....

We are down to 3 days until Danny gets home! Because of FREE calling on week-ends and after 9 pm with our cell phone plans, we have been able to talk to Danny much more than we originally thought possible! They have accomplished a LOT while there and their team leader has been impressed with how well the guys have gotten the mission house and some of the church repaired. Saturday, Danny and some of the others got dehydrated and were down all day from not feeling well. I talked to him Sat. and he was feeling rotten and was ready to rest. Thank the Lord he was feeling much better today! They have one more work day left and then will be flying to Flor. Tues afternoon. He should arrive in good ole' Indiana around 6pm Wed. He can not get here soon enough for us! ;o) Please pray that his flights on Tues. and Wed. will go smoothly....thank-you!

NEW Update on Missions Trip!

We have been blessed to be able to hear from Danny twice from the Islands! He is on South Cacous and his team is staying in one of the missions houses there. They have been repairing the house all week and sleeping on the kitchen floor. I was so proud of my husband when he told me that not only is he taking LOTS of pictures but he is writing down what he is doing and seeing everyday! For those of you who know Danny, you understand why I am so amazed and proud of him! Danny is not the type to do any kind of writing or reading unless he absolutely has too! WoW! I am so glad that he is keeping notes because I was afraid that he would not be able to remember to tell me everything that happened. Danny said that the Island is majorly devastated from the 4 major storms they have endured. When they flew in to South Cacous on Tues. evening his team had already landed at 6 airports on different Islands! Mission Flight had dropped off supplies to most of the Turks and Cacous Islands and 1 Island in the Bahamas. I asked him how it was flying over the Ocean all day and he said,"It was Great!" Go figure! Here I was worried about him all day and he was having a blast! Seriously, I am very thankful for God's protection on them! We did not think he would be able to call us at all but he was able to get a new SIM card for his phone that cost him NOTHING! And then all he had to do was purchase minutes over there and he was able to call clear to Indiana! It has been wonderful to talk to him but we can only talk for a short time because he wants to save minutes to call us more than 1 day. We are all counting the days until he returns and Abby asks everyday when Daddy will be back? Not soon enough for any of us! We WILL survive by God's grace!
I have deep respect for those wives whose husbands are in the service and gone for months and even years at a time...God bless you for your sacrifice!
In the meantime, those of us that remain back in the flatlands of Indiana, are carrying on as usual. My mom is helping with homeschooling and it has been very nice to have her experience since she homeschooled all of us for years. Thanks mom!
We baked 3 batches or around 12 doz cookies last night! Butterscotch, Choc-PB and White choc. chip with Macadamia nuts! We have a fundraiser going on for our church that needed homemade cookies so we helped out. Sorry, no pics! We have misplaced Becca's camera....
Please keep Danny and his team in your continued prayers..thank-you!

Happy Birthday to my Best Friend!

I would like to wish my Best Friend, Tasha, a very Happy Birthday! They do not have internet hooked up yet in Florida and may not be able to for quite a while :o( We are praying that something will change so they can be more connected with us back here in IN. I am very thankful for cell phones! They have a plan where they can call anywhere for FREE after 7 pm! yay! So we have been able to talk LOTS since they moved AND I was able to talk to my sweetheart before he left for the Islands! Tasha and I have been Best Friends for 9 1/2 yrs. and we have always been there for each other thru thick and thin! We have been pregnant together 2 times and for our last pregnancies, she was 36 weeks when I found out I was 6 weeks with Caleb. Our families have been on a really Looong vacation to Missouri together and we have shared many campfires with S'mores! Tasha is someone that I can pretty much tell her ANYTHING and she understands. She is a once in a lifetime friend that I feel very blessed to have!

Tasha,

I celebrate YOU today! Thank-you for being such an awesome friend! I miss you loads and pray for you everyday. I am so thankful that God introduced us and has given us such a beautiful friendship! I hope you have a fantastic birthday! As our friend, Lynne would say, "Do something for YOU today"!

Your BFF,

Liz

Tasha holding baby Wesley this past winter.

Reading instructions for a game at a Valentines

Banquet that Danny and I and Greg & Tasha

hosted for our church last Feb.

Tasha and I just a few weeks ago at the park.

Update on Missions Trip

I talked to Danny last night for what will be the last time for several days! He flew out this morning at 5 am. The plane was going to Haiti and other Bahamas' Islands to drop off much-needed supplies and then they are to arrive on the Island that they will be staying on all week sometime this evening. When he told me that he will be flying all day between islands, I told him that he could have waited until he returned to tell me that little detail! The thought of him flying between islands all day over the ocean is a scary thought! Please join me in praying for God's protecting hand over the plane and its occupants! Thank-you! Once they arrive on the Island, Danny will pretty much be in charge of his group and they will be working on an older, single missionary ladies house. She has gas hook-up so she will be able to cook for them and they will be sleeping in a church nearby..cold concrete! Although, it may be HOT concrete because Danny was telling me that the average temp there is 130 degrees! And it may get into the 80's at night..wow!! Danny did buy an air mattress to take over with him and he has his sleeping bag, which he plans to leave there for someone else to use later. I know that God lead Danny on this trip and he is in God's more than capable hands and I am CLINGING to that fact alone! It does not mean that I do not miss my husband desperately, because I do! He also told me that they have little electricity there and no type of outside communication available. One guy does have a special type of satelite phone that is only to be used for emergencies so I will not be able to talk to him until next Tues.:o( I am very proud of him for being obedient to God's leading and I know that God has great plans in store for him while he is over there.:o) My husband is very skilled in doing handy-man type work and he will be able to help them a lot plus I know he will enjoy it! In the meantime I am praying for his safe return and everytime he flies for angels to guide the wings of the plane! I am so thankful that God's grace is sufficient and abundant for me during this time! Thank-you for your prayers..they are much needed and appreciated!
I don't have any pics for this post because my hubby took our camera with him. I do have our daughter's camera that we have been taking pics with but do not have it here with me now..pics will have to come later. Caleb is finally smiling for us! And what a sweet smile it is! He is becoming more alert everyday and is so fun to talk and play with..I love these days! When his daddy gets back he will be amazed how big he is getting! I held the phone up to his ear and daddy talked to him and he just got so excited to hear daddy's voice..it was so cute!

Exciting Missions Opportunity!

We wanted to share with everyone how God has been working! Danny is flying to Florida this weekend to go to the Turks and Cakous Islands to help repair mission houses and churches that have recently been devastated by 4 major storms to that area! Here is how this amazing and seemingly impossible trip has came about.

Danny mowed all day this past Wed. and his allergies were acting up really bad so he stayed home from church while I took the kids. He decided to watch Hobe Sound Bible College's service. During the opening announcements a man from the missions organization, HIM, talked about the damage to the Islands and asked for help. They were trying to get teams of 4 men to go over for a week's time to repair buildings and etc. Danny thought that he would love to go but since we live in IN it just did not seem possible. (See how we limit God?) All night he could not sleep and God would NOT let him stop thinking about it! We talked it over and did not see anyway that it would work out. He decided to call HIM and see if they had enough men for the first team. When he called and talked to the man who made the ann., he was asked when he could get there? Danny told him that we could cover the plane ticket there but we would not be able to pay for his air fare to go the Islands. He was told not to worry about that expense because they were trusting God to fund it and just to get down there and they would take care of the rest. The man began to go over what Danny would need and among the list was an up-to-date passport. Now, Danny went on a T.L.C. trip 10 years ago and still has a passport. He looked for it and saw it expired May of this yr! He called him back and was told to see what he could find out and Danny said that he would let him know. At that point, we began to question if this was God closing the door? We decided to keep checking until we could go no more and the door was firmly shut. We found out that in order to re-new his passport in time to go this week-end that he needed to go to Chicago. Chicago is an almost 4 hrs drive one way and he would have to pay $135 as well as parking and toll fees along the way. Once again, we looked at our finances and this looked impossible! Danny called the passport office and found out that if he printed and filled out an application and had a schedule showing when he was flying and that it was going to be within a few days that he might get his passport with- in 48 hrs. He did that late last night and got all the papers he needed in order. In the meantime we got to talk to the Quakenbushes and they had just heard about the teams that were going to be going out and that Danny was trying to go. Well, guess who their next-door neighbor is? The same man that Danny needed to talk to but did not have his #! Greg was so gracious to put a note on the man's car to call Danny asap this morning. (Thanks Greg!) When this man called Danny he told him that he had 4 men signed up and that one of the men had just backed out! He had been praying this morning asking God to send a replacement! (Gives you chills doesn't it!)Thru God-ordered events everything is working out! Minutes before he walked out the door for Chicago, a good Christian friend handed him $150! Enough to cover passport and expenses! His appt. was at 2 pm and he arrived early and got in at 1:30. He had a 2 hr. wait and had his passport in hand a little after 3:30.The place closed at 4!( See how perfect God's timing is!) I just talked to him and he is on his way home. We will be booking his flight tonight! We are just in awe of the way God has and is working this out! There are some more expenses to be covered but we are completely confident of God providing! We do not know why, but Danny is obviously supposed to go this week! They will be sending out teams for a month and we thought that he may have to go at a later date but that is not God's plan! What an amazing, awesome God we serve!! One other thing I have to tell you is that once I came to terms with my man being gone for a week in another country, I had a peace about this the whole time and even when it looked impossible I still felt that he was going to go. That is help from God because I do NOT like when Danny has to be gone overnight and I just don't do the 'single parent thing' very well! As it is, we will be staying with my parents while he is gone and mom will be helping with the kids schooling..thanks dad and mom! Hope we don't get on your nerves too much! ;o) Danny will be taking the camera and bringing back lots of pics and I will post them asap. Pray for his nerves! He has only flew once and that was to Guatemala on the TLC trip. He will be flying 4 times within a weeks time for only the second time in his life! Pray that God will continue to orchestrate this amazing journey and use Danny how HE sees fit!

Other news: Caleb had his 2 month check-up and shots today. He is doing okay, just a little crabby! He weighs 10lbs 8 oz. He is healthy and growing nicely.

Thank-you for your prayers! We appreciate it!

Happy 9th Birthday to our 1st born!

Rebecca Grace turned 9 today! How time flies! It seemed just yesterday that we brought her home from the hospital as a newborn! She is growing up so fast and has been a BIG help lately with her siblings.

Rebecca,

On your 9th birthday I wanted to take the time to say how very much we love you and how proud we are of the thoughtful young lady that you are becoming! God has given you the gift of playing the piano and a creative mind that comes up with things I never would have thought of! When you were just a baby Daddy and I dedicated you to Jesus and we pray that you will let Him have your heart and life and follow His will. Always remember that Jesus loves you and so do we! Have a wonderful birthday Honey!

Love Your Daddy and Mommy

Rebecca's first picture at 9 years old!

Even though it was her birthday, she still had

to do schoolwork...aren't I mean!?

Here is her Birthday balloon from Daddy.

She loves horses!

Fall is in the air and the kids have been having a blast playing in the leaves. I caught them throwing the leaves down and running through them and had to capture their childish delight!

This pic is a little blurred but I love the look

on Becca's face!

Ben is about to get dumped on!

Three piles of leaves about to go airborne...

yes, they were an absolute mess! LOL!

Taking a breather and posing for Mommy.

Fall is so fun!

And last, but not least, a few pics of the little guy..

Caleb spends much of his time doing this while

we homeschool...thank goodness! He wore

this sleeper home from the hospital and swam

in it.....only two months ago! It fits just fine now.

He spends the other part of his time in his crib

watching the always-exciting mobile!

I will close with Abbies tribute to Becca. Awww!

Saying Goodbye is so hard to do!

Whoever coined that phrase sure knew what they were talking about! Just hours ago we saw off our best friends, the Quakenbushes, to their new life waiting for them in Florida. There were many tears, pictures and hugs. Our family has been blessed to have the Quakenbushes as our best friends for several years. Our 2 families have attended church, vacationed together and lived close by each other many times. We have shared happy and sad times together and we thank God for bringing them into our lives.

All day long Greg,Tasha, their boys and Danny loaded the moving truck. I babysat Elli and Wesley with the much-appreciated help of Becca.They finished about 3:30 and came here to relax and eat pulled pork sandwiches. We watched home videos of our past times together and enjoyed one last visit. We joined hands and prayed for God's protection and continued guidance for them. Then we went outside and took pics and sent them on their way. I, of course, took bunches of pics and will post some of them for you to enjoy. We will miss them very much, yet we are happy that they are following God's leading.

Wesley cheesin' ....he knows to smile when a

camera comes out! He turned 8 months today!

Becca and Ben enjoyed entertaining Wes

Wesley did not care for this hat that Ben kept

trying to put on him.

He did LOVE playing Becca's keyboard!

Elliana and Abigail were in their own little

world.

But they stopped 'reading' long enough to mug

for the camera.

Elli and Abby have been the best of friends

since they were toddlers. They are 9 days apart.

I tried to get a shot of the two babies but

neither one wanted to cooperate...oh well!

One last pic of 5 of our 'monkeys' together!

Danny and Greg figuring out the best route to Florida

Here they are as a family of 7.

Greg, Skyler and Elli in the moving truck.

Tasha, Tanner, Cory and Wes in their van.

We wish them well!

Birthday party and a NEW swing

Rebecca turns 9 this coming Wed. the 10th. We celebrated her birthday last night because she wanted the Quakenbushes to be able to come since they are moving this week to Florida. Rebecca chose horses as her theme so I made her a horse-shoe shaped cake with cupcakes and a circle of green grass with toy horses on it. She loved it! She got some great gifts and the kids played a fun game involving balloons. My camera decided to go dead on me and so I did not get a pic of the game :o( They each had a partner and had a blowed up balloon in between their backs. They than raced to see who could keep their balloon from falling and get to the finish line first! Tanner and Skyler won....good job boys! I have pics of the party below:

Here they are ready for cake and icecream.

Ben, Jaelyn Biberstein, Becca and Cory Q.

Here is Cory again and Tanner Q.

I tried to get a good pic of Becca and her good friend

Jaelyn. The balloon string got in the way of Jaelyn's

face so I tried again....

and Miss Jaelyn looked away! ;o) LOL!

They have been good friends since they were

pre-schoolers. Jaelyn's birthday is on the 22nd

of this month so they are close in age.

Here is the Horse-shoe cake...you have to use

your imagination a little! :o)

Rebecca LOVED it as you can see!

Take the picture, mom! I am trying to eat here...

Becca was thrilled with the cool stuff she got from her friends!

-A wooden sign for the tree house at their grandparents

-a special keepsake box to keep all her treasures in ;o)

-pretty flip-flops, pink visor hat,My Little Pet shop, hair pretties.

-teddy bear, pink purse,Faithgirlz Diary.

My Best Friend, Tasha, helped out with the

party and held Caleb so I could scoop icecream

and etc. Thanks Tasha! I am going to miss you!

After church we went to my parents's house for dinner and my dad had bought the kids a NEW swing for their clubhouse called a 'Red Rider". They had a blast on it and all 3 can fit at the same time.

They loved it!

This is Caleb's favorite activity these days! He

will coo and wave his little arms and legs. And

if his mobile stops playing music he will cry until we wind

it up again and then it is brand-new all over again ;o)

More Pics from Vacation

A sweet moment of sibling togetherness.

Getting cozy with my honey!

Abby and Caleb chillin' on the couch.

Uncle Matt came over Sunday and took the kids

for a walk. They got as far as this shady porch with

these amazingly comfortable chairs. Danny and I

found them relaxing on this gazebo much to the kids

dismay. They wanted to constantly do something

all weekend while the rest of us wanted to rest!

Two cool dudes hangin' with the kids.

The kids enjoyed playing on this cool wooden train.

Waving from the caboose...bye for now!