So these are Rachel's braces. She has red and pink rubber bands for Valentines

Day. She has 8 brackets. Her back molars have a band around them that hold the wires. Around Christmas this wire cut through her inner cheek and skin grew over the wire. There was so much commotion at Christmas with 9 people in the house, the hustle and bustle of Christmas and Rachel's birthday that this was undetected. I knew her teeth were hurting her. I gave her almost an entire bottle of Motrin. She didn't smile or talk and barely ate for an entire week. One night I discovered what happened and I was so so angry. Poor girl. She didn't understand that the pain she had was not normal. She thought it hurt because they just tightened her braces and didn't realize the wire had cut her. Now she has this little rubber tubes that go over the wire to prevent cutting. I still feel bad that she had to suffer so especially with her grandparents visit and her birthday party.

YEAH!!!! It happened. I was commissioned into Stephens Ministry!!!! It is so exciting! I am second from the left. I did my training at Monument Presbyterian Church. I met with my pastor and his wife (I attend River of Life Missionary Alliance church) yesterday. He is so excited about starting Stephens Ministry at our church. I was praying and God put it on my heart to contact a former Stephens Minister in our church congregation to inquire information about where god was leading her. She has been inactive with Stephen's Ministry for 12 years and has been waiting on the Lord to move her back into Stephens Ministry and bring it to our church. When I called her she was so excited and grateful that God was moving her back in this direction. We are meeting with the elders soon to discuss leadership training this year. The pastor may attend also. How good is God!!! It is so exciting!!!

This is Rachel in her cowgirl boots pink gun and holster...she is fitting right in with the locals. Everyone hunts and eats elk and ......

This is our backyard. What we own is very small. It is great to take care of though. Those two tiered levels of brick is where I garden. There are lots of wildlife that discovered most of my garden efforts as well....oh well. I bought a large owl whose head spins and that seemed to help. Where the brick ends is the end of backyard. It is hard to see but that hill is very steep. It is so much fun to climb and it goes on and on. There are lots of hiking paths and various things to climb too. This backyard is the main reason we bought this house. After living in flat Illinois this backyard is a great change.

This is Cody and his friend Christian on Halloween 2008.

They did not want to dress up! :)

This is Halloween 2008.

Rachel and Ben were both Superman and the little girl is Cierra. She lives across the street. She moved in the neighborhood in the fall and is from Chicago. Our next door neighbors both went to Loyal Medical School and we all reminisce about the food in IL....Portillos, Panera, Pizza.....yum

This was impressive to us. This is Mount Garfield. Everyday we look out we are surrounded by mountains. Behind our home is the Colorado National Mounument. South of us is

Glade Park. Directly across from us the Grand Mesa that has the worlds largest flattop mesa in the world with Powderhorn, a big ski place and many lakes and hiking trails. Next to the Mesa is Mount Garfield. Next to Mount Garfield is the Bookcliffs. The Bookcliff mountains have wild mustangs(horses) on them and this picture is taken on Mount Garfield, it is next to the bookcliffs. What is so amazing about this is that Rachel, then 7, and Scott climbed to the top of this mountain. It is super steep and took near 3 hours. You can see the road that is where the car is parked. I can't believe they did this ambitious climb.