Parent and Children

Jacob took a picture of me with each of my girls. :)

Alana and Mom


Moriah and Mom. I was so sad that my eyes were closed for the one pic that I had of Moriah and me. Oh well, next year we will try again for a better one.


Tabitha and Mom.


I took one of Jacob and the girls.


Mom and the boys. They for some reason didn't care too much to have their picture taken with the tulips. lol

Just Tulips

Click on this next picture to see a bigger and better version of it. It one is my favorite "just tulips" picture. Hard to beat the color purple. :)

I though that the red with yellow trim were so pretty!

Marshall's Syndrome - A Rare Childhood Disease

Every since Dec. Moriah has had a monthly, high fever (104-105) that none of the other kids ever got. I found it strange that she seemed to get it close to the beginning of every month. Last month we took her to a doctor to see if they would have any ides what was going on. The doctor said that it sounded like Marshall's Syndrome and set her up with an Eyes, Ears and Nose specialist who had a few other cases of this disease. Thankfully, it is not life threatening or contagious. In fact they have no idea what causes it. It is a childhood disease that one eventually grows out of, but it may go on for years. The most common treatment is tonsillectomy. The specialist said that with the 3 or 4 cases he has had in the many years of his practice that it has worked everytime.

The thought of surgery on my 4 yr old is a little frightening to me. I would rather God just heal her. If you, who are reading, can help us pray for God to reach down and heal her little body from this Syndrome, Jacob and I would be very grateful. We had our church people, family and I'm not sure who all else knew pray for her this last month and she actually went 6 wks and 2 days instead of the normal 4 - 5 wks, before having another fever. I know God is able to both heal her body and give me complete peace through it all. It is hard for me to see her so hot and in pain (joint pain, head pain and stomach pain sometimes even throwing up.) She is not a "quiet" person and we all know when she is suffering. (Takes after her dad.) *grin* I love them both though and would not trade them for the world. What you see, is what you get with those two. :)

If you would like more info on the disease itself just follow the below link.

http://www.orpha.net/data/patho/GB/uk-PFAPA.pdf

Loving the Early Spring

Having always lived in colder places, we have never had flowers in March. Much to our surprise the flowers started coming out in March. It was great. I'm not going to complain! These flowers were a few that I picked from our back yard for a center piece on our table.


The kids have been enjoying the nicer weather to play outside in. It is nice having the hard classes in school done (Math and Grammar or Phonics). Reading History and Science doesn't take quite as much time and is not near so hard on the brain (mine and the kids). I really have been enjoying reading with Elijah. I'm learning so much! I have never been to fond of history, but I really have enjoyed reading it with Elijah. I wonder if it has anything to do with me not being the student!? Ha! His science class is real interesting too. The best part is that Elijah is enjoying them both and is getting very good grades in them.

We didn't get a family picture on Easter Sunday, not even a picture of the kids. (We had a missing SD card.) So sometime I'll have to dress them all up again and try it again. We did have this one taken last Sunday though.

Jacob hrs at Best Buy have slowed down this last couple weeks. So he has been working on figuring out a web site for our region. I believe he has one up for our local church right now. (which is why he wanted this family pic taken. I think he originally was going to put it up on it.) Jacob tried one web host this week, but quickly found out it was too advanced for him or anyone else in our region to figure out. So he switched to one that does not require any past experience with web designing. When he has them done I will post the web addy.

Other news, I have been teaching the littlest kids Sunday school class. I haven't taught a little kids class for a few years now. It took a little adjusting, but I am enjoying it now. This week is my first with off. I am looking forward to sitting in the Adult Sunday school class. Jacob has been recording it for me, so I could still hear them. I've been listening to them while folding laundry. It is a great way to fold laundry! :)

This week we got to go to the tulip fields twice! Once with Kalena and her family and once (today) with the Sweeneys. Two different fields, so many beautiful tulips. I'm sure pictures of them will be coming soon. This has been a great week, not just because of the outings, but things have just gone smoothly this week. It is nice to have a week like that. :)

Jacob has been preaching some thought provocting, good messages. I can see God working in him and his heart. It is exciting to see. I know God is working in my heart too. My desire for God and serving Him is getting stronger. I just want to be everything God would have me to be.

Magnetics and Dead Mice

Grandma Peter got the kids some magnetics for Christmas this year. They love them. I love how it will keep them entertained for hours. :) I don't let the two younger ones play with them just yet, but they will still be around when they get older. So no worries. Thought Mom might would like to see some of what the kids make with them.

Elijah and his star tower.





Alana and her tower.


Josiah's inventions.

Another one of Elijah's towers.


They haven't gotten to play with them a whole lot since we are still working on school, but this summer I'm sure that they will spend many hours with them, especially on rainy days.

Seeing Elijah in this last picture reminded me of what he said the other day. The kids all ran in the house all excited about a dead mouse they found out in the yard. Daddy went out with them to take care of it. I guess after Jacob got it picked up off the ground and into a bag to be thrown away, Elijah said "Dad, it wouldn't be a very good idea for us to lick the grass there would it?" "No son, it wouldn't be." Where do boys get thoughts like this??? Another valid question would be "Do my kids lick grass?" lol

New Couches

We got a couple of "new" couches in the last month. One we bought at a yard sale and the other was given to us. We are very happy with them and happy to have more places for people to sit when they come over. Alana is standing in front of my favorite one. I love the color and it is supper comfy. This is where the kids and I do I reading of history, science and the normal reading. It is perfect for reading with the big window behind it, letting in all the sunlight.

This is the way I use to beg my Mom to fix my hair. I always thought that it felt neat. Alana loves it too.

What about the Holy Ghost?

Last month sometime, Moriah was scared of going to bed, even to the point of tears. When I questioned her as to why, she asked me if there was such a thing as ghosts. I told her that there wasn't, it just was something that is made up in stories etc. She then asked "What about the Holy Ghost?" Slightly surprised that she had a valid question, I told her that we didn't have to be scared of the Holy Ghost. He was there to protect us. "Even from T-Rexes?" "Yes, even from T-Rexes." I said. "Oh." was all she said. After that she was all fine and ready to go back to bed. We haven't had anymore problems with going to bed since.

Here is a picture I took right after taking Alana's picture (above). This is Moriah, showing her lively, go get em personality full force. "Moriah, stand over there so I can take a picture." This is how she stands. lol It amazes me how different Moriah is from Alana. We love her to pieces though. She is alot of fun.

We found her a bigger princess bike at a yard sale for $3. She is enjoying getting to ride a two-wheeler with big brother and sister.

Just Tabitha

Tabitha Jeanne Doran - 32 months

The Girls Bathroom

I finally got to do some decorating to a part of our house today. I got some inspiration and decided I better go with it before I lost it. :) This is the end result of it all. Nothing fancy, but at lest my walls and windows aren't bare anymore. My girls and I are happy with it, the boys said that it was "girly", but it is suppose to be since it is the GIRLS bathroom. lol

Close up.





My girls and I are cat lovers and so this was perfect for us.

All of the stuff together cost $35. I think I can handle that. :)

Teaching Them At a Young Age

Yesterday I was reading science with Elijah. We had to stop for a minute while I went to take care of something (I don't even remember what.). When I came back Elijah had Tabitha all cuddled up by him, going through the book and tell her what the pictures were about. Tabitha was just throughly enjoying herself. I couldn't help but take a picture. Warms my heart to see brotherly love like that. :)

Girlie Sheets

Right before we moved here to Washington, I found another bunk bed for the girls. It was exactly like the boys with a double bed on the bottom and a twin on top, made out of metal and painted white. Perfect! We got here and got it set up, only problem was I had NO girlie sheets for a double bed. On Monday I took the girls with me into town to do some girl shopping. (Finding a Dress for Next Sunday. Which by the way is very hard to find a modest one WITH sleeves! We did finally find one. ) While at one thrift store I happen to find a double sheet set WITH matching pillow cases!!! The girls and I checked and there were no holes or stains on the set! So now we have a girl set of sheets for just over $10. We were and still are very happy about the find. *all smiles*

A Sleep Walker in Our Midst

I remember my Mom telling me about my brother, Isaiah, sleep walking. It seemed very strange that one would walk around with their eyes open but not remember a thing about it the next day. Well, Alana has decided to take after her Uncle I guess. She has only done it a handful of times so far. It is a little weird to see Alana walk around with this weird look in her eyes. You talk to her and she doesn't respond in a "normal" way. When asked about it in the morning, she just looks at you in complete surprise, not remembering a thing. So far she has just walked to our room while sleep walking and I'm hoping it stays that way.

Floss Won't Work on This One

A few nights ago Jacob and I were talking just after we had put the kids down for the night. When we hear a scared, little, 2 yr old, Tabitha crying in her bed. It wasn't a normal cry, so we both headed back to the girl's room to find out what was going on. We found she had this little hair clip in between her two bottom front teeth.


Jacob isn't the type of parent who "fixes" things that get stuck in the body of his kids (ie. splinters, screws up the nose, that sort of thing) so it was Mommy to the rescue. *smile* Thankfully it was a very simple and quick "fix". Tabitha agreed that she wouldn't do that again and all was once again well in the Doran home. *laughing while shaking head* What was she doing with that, in bed, in the first place? I have no idea and "no" it wasn't in her hair that day. And WHY did she decide to stick it in between her teeth, I'll never know. Where do kids get these ideas? All you new parents out there, be prepared for the unexpected. It will happen, sooner or later... But that is what makes life so interesting and fun, all the bizarre things that happen that you can't help but look back on and laugh about... I just love this life and kids He has blessed Jacob and I with... Can't imagine our life otherwise...

The End Is In Sight

With schooling that is. Elijah has finished up his math book and Alana will be finished with her math book on Monday. They both have done very well in Math this year. Sometime I will figure out their grade, but it might not be until all the other schooling is done and then I'll just grade them all at the same time. It has been very nice having one less class to deal with. We still stay busy, but we don't feel as stressed now. It is nice. One more week and Elijah will have his Grammar book finished. That is going to be so nice. :) Jacob and I were talking about looking for a different type of schooling for Elijah next year, one that he could do more on his own since this fall both Josiah and Moriah start kindergarden. It looks as if we are going to try the Alpha and Omega one that is done on the computer or laptop. Of course when Jacob hear "computer", he was all for it. *grin* I'm really liking the sounds of it planning for you and grading for you. That sounds SUPER nice. :) I know that Elijah is going to enjoy getting to work on a computer. Up until now the kids are not allowed to touch them, so he is going to feel so "special". I will keep doing ABeka with the other kids, since that I what I am familiar with in teaching thebasics of reading and math. Now that I have done it for a few years, I'm going to be able to tailor it to fit what the kids need. Anyway, that is what we are thinking for now.

The New Church Treasurer

That is what I became the last part of Jan. So a big part of Feb. was spent with me getting everything all sorted out and finding my new groove in working on them etc. All that took a few weeks in Feb. But now that I have gotten the hang of it again, it goes very smoothy and the time I spend on them is not near so much as in the beginning. In fact I'm really enjoying working on them. I just get such a blessing when I do. Listening to music and working, happy to be of service to the Lord and His church in a way that I really enjoy. I suppose that it is easier with our church being a smaller church, but I wouldn't complain none if we grew. :)

My Birthday and a FULL TIME job on the Geek Squad (Kinda)

Yep, Jacob has got a temp FULL TIME job now with Best Buy. Praise the Lord! An opening in the Geek Squad came up in January. They asked everyone on the Geek Squad if they had their choice of anyone in the store to come and work with them, who would it be? They all, hands down, said Jacob. Even the one that is known for being a grump wanted Jacob. :) So it was strongly suggested to Jacob to apply for the job, which Jacob was more then happy to do. He has always been into computers and fixing them so this is right up his alley. What do I mean by Kinda? Well, he is working 40 hrs a week, for now, since they are so short handed but he is not technically a "full time" employ. His hours can go down in the future, but for now, he will have 40 a week. We will take what we can get. I'm looking forward to having all the moving expenses paid off with these extra hours. :)

My birthday was a good one. It was great how many Birthday wishes I received on Facebook. :) Jacob was off that day and so he cooked supper for me and even cleaned the kitchen and took care of the kids most of the day so I could do other things I was needing to get done. It was nice. He even bought me a chocolate cake. :) Mmmm, so good. I told Jacob for my birthday that I wanted to go and see my childhood friend who lives in the Seattle Area, who's birthday is the day before mine. So on Friday, the day after my birthday, we made the drive down to Redmond. Her sister was in town too that day, so I was blessed to get to see them both! Lisa, her son and our family went out to eat at a Chinese buffet. Yummy. Then back to Lisa's for a game of Sorry before heading back home. The kids all got alonge well and had a good day. It was such a nice enjoyable day. I loved it. Thanks Jacob for that great Birthday gift! I love you. :)

Back in Montana

Jacob is, that is. When we moved back in Dec. we ended up having to leave our car in Montana. My cousin was nice enough to keep it at her house for us. We had planned on getting the car back sooner but the prices on the AmTrack went up quiet a bit for the Christmas season and New Years following, so we decided to wait until the prices went back down to retrieve our little car. Jacob ended up getting a ticket for even cheaper then what we were expecting. That was a nice surprise. So yesterday afternoon, Derek, (a college student member of the church) picked up Jacob and brought him to the bus station that would bring him to the train station etc. It was so nice not to have to bring Jacob there myself for one main reason, I still don't know my way around Mt. Vernon, which is where the bus station is at. (Sedro-Woolley and Mt. Vernon are like 20 min apart.) That was a big blessing and relief for me. :-) I'm sure I'll get the towns more figured out in this next yr though.

While Jacob is in Montana, he will go by and meet the people who are renting our house. Yes, the Lord provided a nice family, from the sounds of things, to rent our house. They moved in the 1st of Jan. It is a big weight lifted off of us not to have to make TWO housing payments. The Lord is right on time, everytime.

The Lord has provided good weather on the roads so that Jacob is getting to spend all day in Montana before having to head back here early Friday morning (tomorrow). I'm sure he is enjoying getting to visit with everyone there in the Valley. The kids sent pictures for him to give to all their cousins.

As for the rest of us left in Washington, we are surviving without Jacob. Thankfully nothing out of the normal has happen in his absence. We have gotten more settled in this month and have finally gotten the kid's math and Phonics/Grammar workbooks all caught up to date this week. Wahoo!!! Hopefully there will be no more getting behind again this year. That would be great.

We had a visit from our Regional Overseer and his wife this month. They are so nice and a big blessing. The kids enjoyed them drawing and coloring with them. I enjoyed getting to visit and talk with them. Hearing stories of what God has done for them in the past is always so interesting and encouraging to hear.

Jacob's job at Best Buy is going well. He is hired on now as a permanent employee. When Jacob got his review, the person giving him the review told him that she had never seen anyone so well liked by everyone, especially the managers. That was encouraging and nice to hear. :) They want to start training him in the other departments so he can work in more then just one area of the store. I guess Jan. is the slow month there at Best Buy and we thought at first that Jacob was just going to be working on day a week this month. We prayed and put it in God's hands and so far he has worked 3-4 days a week - enough to provide for what we need. Isn't God good?

We had three bible studies here at our house. We thought that we would get some visitors to come to them, but things kept coming up and so far none of the visitors have been able to make it. But I know I have enjoyed the bible studies myself. We will keep trying. One lady is really interested in coming to one. We might have to have one just for her, when it is a good time for her etc. Just pray that God will work it all out. Church is going well. I so love getting to BE IN a Sunday school class as a student. Our adult teacher is such a blessing and is VERY good at teaching. She blesses me.

Alright, I think it is time to get off this computer and get into bed. Goodnight!

House Picture

This is a picture of the house that we are renting. We only rent the top part of the house. I couldn't imagine living in the whole house and having to clean it all! The top part is 2,000 sq. ft. We are enjoying all the room.


A couple of REALLY Tall trees in front of the house. The house you see here is our neighbors house. That Suburban is ours.


The yard that the kids have to play in. That is where the fruit trees are also. The barn belongs to our landlord.

Here is the view from the girl's window. The kid's yard is on the right. The horses are the landlords. The kids enjoy watching them.

Someday I will put up pictures of the inside. Nothing to "Wow" over. I haven't hung any pictures up or done any decorating yet.

It was a WONDERFUL Christmas.

This Christmas was the most perfect Christmas we have had. It was truly grand. I think that having been separated so much from each other this year has had a hand in us truly enjoying and appreciating time spent together.

This was our first year that we did not spend a holiday with family. We have always either been with Jacob's family or mine but this year we were on our own. It was a great day though and I wouldn't trade it for anything. The day was so relaxing and easy going. We would open some presents and then let the kids play with them for a bit before opening more. It was a fun way to open presents, just taking our time and enjoying them. We had more presents then I was expecting us to have after a move. Just one more way of God blessing and providing for us I guess. I was truly contented that day. Have I mentioned how wonderful of a day it was? :)

This meal was my very first holiday meal ever to fix all by myself. Is that a little sad or what? lol It all turned out great though and we have all been so enjoying all the leftovers. :D Every time I've serve the leftovers, the kids just keep on telling me how good it is and how much they love it. I also made my first sweet potato casserole. I've never been one to like sweet potatos, but I made it for Jacob because he just LOVES those things. I tried the casserole and to my surprise I actually liked it and took more! Even Elijah liked it. *thumbs up*

I have been so happy since finally getting here to WA. Not just me, but the kids too. (And of course Jacob!) Everyday they can't wait until Daddy gets home and count the days until Jacob has his days off. It was rough go of things for a few months there, trying to get things all figured out with the house and what one had to do to really be ready to move a family of 7 to another state, but it has been worth it all to follow God's leading. Hopefully, if we ever have to move again, we will have learned a few things and it will not be so hard or take so long. All the same, I'm hoping that God will let us stay put for a LONG while. :) But He knows best, so we will just take it as it comes.

The house here is HUGE. It is the by far the biggest that we have ever lived in. It is 2,000 sq ft as oppose to our 1,400 sq ft house in MT. The rooms are nice and big with lots of play room. I have, for the first time, an actual linen closet with lots of room. My kitchen has TONS of cupboard space that I'm able to fit everything in that was in four different rooms at my old house. It is great! Alana has been asking for a cat for a while now. Well, one of our neighbors has TWO that just run up to you when you go out. My girls and I are just love that. (I've always loved cats.) We have a couple of apple trees in the front yard and a stream that kids can play in in the summer in the back yard. Our landlord is a very nice and friendly guy. All our neighbors seem excited to have little kids around. That is too is a relief.

The church people have been such a blessing. They have made up feel very welcome and at home. The kids and I haven't got to spend much time with them, with us just moving followed by Christmas, but I'm hoping that soon we will get to visit with them and get to know them more. We are all very excited and looking forward to seeing what all God is going to do here. We are planning to start up a bible study or two next month with some couples that are interested in learning more about the Bible but are shy about actually coming to a church service. I also have a couple of old friends that I'm looking forward to getting to spend time with again. One I haven't seen for around 12 yrs, but when she heard that we had moved here she came to the house with a welcoming gift. We will soon have to have tea and do some catching up. The other is a childhood friend from AK. We were very close growing up and are so excited to be living within driving distance again.

Life in service to the King of Kings is simply the best! My prayer is to only serve Him better. I can see where He has changed me through all this and I am thankful. I'm still far from what I would like to be, but it is nice to know that "He's still working on me, to make me what I ought to be..."

A Few Thankgiving Pictures

Hope and Alana having fun with the dress up hats from Granny Cathy.


Beth, Alana, Moriah
Tabitha and Hope


Moriah and Beth all dressed up and no where to go.


Who's under this hat?


It's Tabitha!


Boys enjoy some yummy pie outside.

Nathan, Andy, Dan (in the back) Tim, Elijah and Gabe.


Josiah, Faith, Arron and Andrew


We had a great Thanksgiving full of fun with the cousins. I am very thankful for this last holiday that we got to spend with our family before leaving in 5 days. Kids had a blast today. So much so that I put them to bed 1/2 hour early and they were out like a light. :) I missed Jacob, but was glad to know that he wasn't alone today.

Hope that Everyone had a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!