Much To Be Thankful For!:)

 These past few weeks, as we have been preparing for Thanksgiving, we have been busy! We enjoyed having a visit from the Estradas! (We always enjoy getting to see the cousins, Uncle Victor and Aunt Kim!:)) Here Mom was teaching the kids how to write Haiku (Japenese Poetry) and Uncle Victor was trying it out!

 Trampoline time!

 Rachel (standing), Emily (kneeling), Josh and Evie enjoying the rabbits!

 Looking at pictures from Alaska....

 A yummy snack of banana bread....

 Natey keeping an eye on Evie and having fun at the same time!:)

 The day before Thanksgiving was VERY busy! We had alot of errands to run, cleaning to do, cooking, baking and other extra chores that come with preparing for family coming!

 Sleeping away...

 Joshua was a big help! He worked hard to cut sausage, celery, and other things in preparation for the stuffing! This year we made it with sourdough bread and it turned out very well!

 We got a nice canopy for outside on the patio where we were going to be eating. Everyone had to help put it together! We had quite the adventure with the poles popping out here, then there, but we finally got the frame securely set up.

 We had moved our dining table out on the patio so Momma decided we could eat on the floor! This worked out well, as we were also celebrating 15 years in this house that day! When we first moved in we did not have much furniture, so we ate our first meal on the floor! Now 15 years later we are blessed with many wonderful pieces of furniture and more than one table! God is so good!:)

 Enjoying some homemade, hot, clam chowder, before heading out the door to church!

 Back when we older ones were in Alaska, the Lord led our parents to start attending a new fellowship, in Orange-Faith Baptist Church. We have really been enjoying the fellowship there and find the Lord has really opened doors and opportunities for us in the short time we've been there! Instead of having a Thanksgiving Day service, they have a Praise Service the night before, with refreshments afterwards. Everyone sat in a square, we sang and then people shared what they were grateful to the Lord for and how faithful He had been over the past year. It was a really special time!:)

 Timmy and Joshua sitting with their special friend, Amy.:)

 Visiting after the service was over....

 Daddy, Pastor Fox and Daniel bouncing around Christmas ideas....

 Daniel and Mr. Smith (who leads the singing and young people's choir) having fun near the dessert table....;)

 The kiddos love swinging outside once the service is over....

 Mom and Mrs. Smith visiting.....

 After a good, warm night's sleep, Thanksgiving Day had arrived! Since we had no service that morning, the day seemed a little on the slow side until the relatives started arriving and that meant we would be eating soon!!:)

 The kiddos enjoying some french onion dip and Doritos. This is a snack we all really enjoy, but only eat on Thanksgiving usually.:)

 The turkey is ready!! Momma was pretty excited here!

 The patio prepared and ready for the meal! Momma picked out the table cloths and candles, and Daddy brought home some Christmas lights to hang up!

 The colors were simple, but lovely....

 The guys enjoyed playing football while waiting! Victor at one end of the yard.....

 ....Isaiah and Miguel (our cousin Christina's new husband) on the other end.

 Aunt Drana being enthusiastically greeted, just after her arrival..:)

 More players joined the football toss here....

 playing with the bunnies.....

 A rousing and fun game of "circle tag" ( a game we invented) on the trampoline! No one in this group was too "old" to enjoy or use the trampoline!;)

 Gathered to thank the Lord for the meal...

 Our buffet line....

 Everyone was very excited to eat! The food was delicious and it was yet another thing to be really grateful for! Praise the Lord for family, good food, tables and chairs, silverware, plates, cups and fellowship together!

 Ryan manning the drink table. In the busyness of the past weeks, Ryan turned 19!!:) We enjoyed going to San Diego that weekend, where we celebrated, which will, Lord willing be posted about soon!:)

 Our little outdoor dining hall...

 Daddy got a special call from Texas....;)

 We really enjoyed having most of Momma's side over to celebrate Thanksgiving, minus the Chrispens family! We are so grateful for all that He has done for us these past years! As our family continues to grow we remember how none of us would have been here, had God not brought Grandma Chrispens here from Mexico safely, many years ago. She would eventually give birth to her children: Momma, Aunt Adriana, Uncle John, Uncle Victor and Aunt Rocio. Now more than 40 years later God has blessed them with their own spouses and families, and we continue to grow, only in His gracious blessing!

 Grandma (seated in the center) with (left to right): Momma, Aunt Kim, Aunt Rocio and Aunt Adriana.....

 Saying goodbye to Aunt Rocio and Sophia....

 Relaxing on the couch after the filling meal....

 Later that evening, the Chrispens surprised us with a visit! It was really good to be able to have some time to visit with them! Here we were reminiscing about the past.:) There was a lot of laughing as we remembered things!

This family get together was yet another reminder of God's many gifts and blessings. While these are some of the more obvious ones, recognizing that, pain, trials and hardships are actually blessings in disguise from God to us, is not so easy. Yet God has promised us in the Scriptures, that He will not withhold any good thing from us, and is in control of our lives and circumstances. While this may be hard to see from a human perspective, (knowing God does not lie) we have to trust Him even when it doesn't make sense. When circumstances bring us low, let us remember that God will be faithful to see us through, and that He will never give us anything but good!

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures."

                                                                                                James 1:17-18

Happy 19th Birthday, Ryan!

Ryan Michael Sebo

Born: November 23, 1994

Ryan: (Irish origin) " little king"

Michael: (Hebrew origin) "One who is like the Lord"

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.”

                                                                     Matthew 28:19-20

San Diego Weekend

Two weeks ago, Daddy took us all out for the weekend to the San Diego area! We got to stay in the  same hotel where he and Mommy spent their anniversary back in September of this year.:)   We enjoyed visiting Old Town San Diego, Seaport Village and spending time together as a family!

Mommy, Daniel the kids and I drove up earlier to get the hotel rooms and settle in. Dad and the others would be joining us later!

 The hotel rooms were really nice and very accommodating for our family size.

It was a chore to keep Evie from the phone! It seemed like everytime we turned around she was back at it!:P

Once everything was in order, we went down to the hotel pool to go swimming!!

Evie saw that the boys had to wear flip-flops down to the pool, so she went to get a pair herself.;)

While waiting for the others to come with Daddy, after he got off work, we enjoyed playing in the pool!

Joshua and Timmy are still learning to swim so they like to hang out near the steps!:)

Momma and the kiddos warming up in the jacuzzi.....

An elevator ride back up to change and get some dinner!

We were all very hungry and Mommy saw a small restaurant that served Greek food, so we had dinner there! The food was delicious, but it was cold and the little ones were ready for bed! So we hurried back to the hotel and the little ones were soon in their warm pajamas and playing in the hotel room, before heading to bed.

"Fort Hotel...."

Playing cards, solo....;)

The others got in about 8:30 pm and got everything unpacked and set up in the other room! After that they went swimming!!  (The boys slept in one room, while we girls and Timmy were with Daddy and Mommy in the other one! )

To end the month of October, we watched "October Baby"....

Evie and Timmy's bed..:)

Going down for breakfast....

They had a very nice dining hall and yummy breakfast....

Going out for the day....

Bible reading in the car....

Dad recently started making survival bracelets with the gospel colors in beads across the middle. He got the idea while making one from a video on the internet and implemented the gospel colors in.

First we visited Old Town.....

We got there nice and early.....

Having fun in an old wagon.....

We enjoyed visiting the general store, buying some drinks and treats to enjoy....

The boys really enjoyed seeing the canons they had...

A little backwards....:P Daddy recently hurt his leg and uses the wheelchair for when we are doing a lot of walking.

Stopping to enjoy our drinks and candy.....

We enjoyed drinking out of the old fashioned bottles.....

Here we decided to pose like the stickers are posed on the back of our van!

From there the boys wanted to build a pyramid, something they first did in Alaska with some friends. We took several pictures here as Timothy was pretty nervous to be on the top and kept hunching down!

There we go....

Everyone was a little mixed up here....

This was Timothy's preferred spot on the pyramid!;)

We girls did our own....

Mommy took Caytlin and I to a little shop where they sold all sorts of fancy hats, shawls and Victorian era clothes. She bought all three of us girls music boxes that played hymns.:)

Walking through the shops.....

Inside one of the stores they had a big model of what San Diego would have looked like back in the day....

Looking around the stagecoach museum....

After that we drove to Seaport Village and saw some neat ships on the way....

Passing the famous ship the USS Midaway, we saw this memorial....

A fun hat shop in Seaport Village.....if you like hats, this is the place to go!

The waterside...

Having lunch by the water....

Daddy and his baby girl!:)

The view the boys had while they ate. It reminded some of us of the city of Homer in Alaska....

After lunch and some more walking around, Daddy and Mommy rented a boat!! They had rented one while we were in Alaska and wanted to take us once we got back!

The boat we rented only held eleven people, so we took turns....

Leaving the harbor...

We were able to get a lot closer to the USS Midway here....

Ryan really enjoyed driving!

Keeping Evie seated was an adventure, but she still really enjoyed the ride.

Going under the Coronado Bridge....

Holding on to the little ones....;)

After enjoying the boat for a few hours we drove to the Coronado bridge and crossed over onto the island...

It was late by then, so we drove around a bit, enjoyed seeing the sights and scenery, then headed back for our hotel.

We stopped at a restaurant where Daddy had taken Mommy on their anniversary trip....

Daniel getting ready to eat his HUGE burrito! This was part of the reason Daddy took us to this particular restaurant-we had heard about the GIANT burritos.:p

Going for his first bite-I think Daniel actually ate the whole thing!

Back at the hotel, warm and ready for bed.....

Dad and the guys went down to enjoy the hot Jacuzzi and they had a wonderful time!

Daniel's shirt kept filling with air!!:)

Having fun with Daddy...:)

 Saturday, us ladies and the little ones headed home to prepare for church the next day. Daddy took the boys to SeaWorld for the first time! They all had a really good time!

 Riding the skyride!

 Trying out another ride called Manta...

The guys really enjoyed themselves and are hoping to go again soon, as the admission they paid for the day gave them a year's pass!!:)

We were glad to have time together as a family, giving us a break from work and school. With Thanksgiving and Christmas just around the corner, things will be getting even busier! During this time of year there are lots of opportunities to share the Gospel and remind people of God's faithfulness and forgiveness! By God's grace, let's be faithful to do this.

Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord! And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

                                                                                              Joshua 14-15