Wednesday, December 17, 2008

october & november 339


october & november 339
Originally uploaded by MiminPappy
Me and part of my tribe ;-)

october & november 363


october & november 363
Originally uploaded by MiminPappy
Judah and mom hangin' out

october & november 215


october & november 215
Originally uploaded by MiminPappy
so sweet , too!

october & november 235


october & november 235
Originally uploaded by MiminPappy
They must take after their mother, right? hehehe

october & november 210


october & november 210
Originally uploaded by MiminPappy
Very beautiful ;-)

october & november 206


october & november 206
Originally uploaded by MiminPappy
Aren't these some good lookin' girls??

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Long time :-(






Wow, it has been a while since my last post... but with good reason. We have been super busy this November!
Jonah had hernia surgery, Piper had her 8th birthday, and then there was Thanksgiving. All of this and we are still trying to get things together for the company that we hope to go overseas with! I feel like it is nonstop at the Tieman house here lately...did I mention that James has finals this week, whew! Judah has also been quite a handful lately, we have been trying to prepare the house to be listed in December. So, part of this preparation involves painting..uh huh, you guessed it, Judah found that he really liked painting(the wall, toilette, and floor) everything that he should not have painted ;-). He also discovered that it is a lot of fun to find the salt shaker all alone on top of the dining room table... with no one around to guard it ;-) hehe. He loved that day! And we all felt as if we would not make it through another!! I think Josiah's favorite new phrase is " Can't you do something with that baby!?" Yes, at times we all feel that way! He is cute though and they say that cuteness is what gets parents through quite a few turbulent times... I wonder if it will work on siblings?

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Pics






Okay, so I'm a little late in posting the pics that I promised, but you know what they say...."Better late than never!". This , I believe, should be my life motto! I am pretty sure that those who know me pretty well would agree;-). Anyway, here they are and if ever you get tired of waiting for me to post them on the blog then jog on over to flickr and see them!

Thursday, November 6, 2008

It's breathtaking!


It's breathtaking!
Originally uploaded by Michelle Brea
Carribean anyone??

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

More...

Anyone reading this should also stop by our friends the Abraham's and the Willem's blogs to see what they said, sentiments that I also completely agree with;-).

The Day After

As I sat here reading the comments and watching the videos of last night, I am not surprised. Disappointed, but not surprised. I struggle to even know what to write, but I think Dr. Mohler summed it all up quite nicely...please read on.




America Has Chosen a President

Posted: Wednesday, November 05, 2008 at 5:04 am ET



The election of Sen. Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States came as a bang, not a whimper. The tremors had been perceptible for days, maybe even weeks. On Tuesday, America experienced nothing less than a political and cultural earthquake.

The margin of victory for the Democratic ticket was clear. Americans voted in record numbers and with tangible enthusiasm. By the end of the day, it was clear that Barack Obama would be elected with a majority of the popular vote and a near landslide in the Electoral Colllege. When President-Elect Obama greeted the throngs of his supporters in Chicago's Grant Park, he basked in the glory of electoral energy.

For many of us, the end of the night brought disappointment. In this case, the disappointment is compounded by the sense that the issues that did not allow us to support Sen. Obama are matters of life and death -- not just political issues of heated debate. Furthermore, the margin of victory and sense of a shift in the political landscape point to greater disappointments ahead. We all knew that so much was at stake.

For others, the night was magical and momentous. Young and old cried tears of amazement and victory as America elected its first African-American President -- and elected him overwhelmingly. Just forty years after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, an African-American stood to claim victory as President-Elect of the nation. As Sen. Obama assured the crowd in Chicago and the watching nation, "We will get there. We will get there." No one hearing those words could fail to hear the refrain of plaintive words spoken in Memphis four decades ago. President-Elect Obama would stand upon the mountaintop that Dr. King had forseen.

That victory is a hallmark moment in history for all Americans -- not just for those who voted for Sen. Obama. As a nation, we will never think of ourselves the same way again. Americans rich and poor, black and white, old and young, will look to an African-American man and know him as President of the United States. The President. The only President. The elected President. Our President.

Every American should be moved by the sight of young African-Americans who -- for the first time -- now believe that they have a purchase in American democracy. Old men and old women, grandsons and granddaughters of slaves and slaveholders, will look to an African-American as President.

Regardless of politics, could anyone remain unmoved by the sight of Jesse Jackson crying alone amidst the crowd in Chicago? This dimension of Election Day transcends politics and touches the heart of the American people.

Yet, the issues and the politics remain. Given the scale of the Democratic victory, the political landscape will be completely reshaped. The fight for the dignity and sanctity of unborn human beings has been set back by a great loss, and by the election of a President who has announced his intention to sign the Freedom of Choice Act into law. The struggle to protect marriage against its destruction by redefinition is now complicated by the election of a President who has declared his aim to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. On issue after issue, we face a longer, harder, and more protracted struggle than ever before.

Still, we must press on as advocates for the unborn, for the elderly, for the infirm, and for the vulnerable. We must redouble our efforts to defend marriage and the integrity of the family. We must be vigilant to protect religious liberty and the freedom of the pulpit. We face awesome battles ahead.

At the same time, we must be honest and recognize that the political maps are being redrawn before our eyes. Will the Republican Party decide that conservative Christians are just too troublesome for the party and see the pro-life movement as a liabililty? There is the real danger that the Republicans, stung by this defeat, will adopt a libertarian approach to divisive moral issues and show conservative Christians the door.

Others will declare these struggles over, arguing that the election of Sen. Obama means that Americans in general -- and many younger Evangelicals in particular -- are ready to "move on" to other issues. This is no time for surrender or the abandonment of our core principles. We face a much harder struggle ahead, but we have no right to abandon the struggle.

We should look for opportunities to work with the new President and his administration where we can. We must hope that he will lead and govern as the bridge-builder he claimed to be in his campaign. We must confront and oppose the Obama administration where conscience demands, but work together where conscience allows.

Evangelical Christians face another challenge with the election of Sen. Obama, and a failure to rise to this challenge will bring disrepute upon the Gospel, as well as upon ourselves. There must be absolutely no denial of the legitimacy of President-Elect Obama's election and no failure to accord this new President the respect and honor due to anyone elected to that high office. Failure in this responsibility is disobedience to a clear biblical command.

Beyond this, we must commit ourselves to pray for this new President, for his wife and family, for his administration, and for the nation. We are commanded to pray for rulers, and this new President faces challenges that are not only daunting but potentially disastrous. May God grant him wisdom. He and his family will face new challenges and the pressures of this office. May God protect them, give them joy in their family life, and hold them close together.

We must pray that God will protect this nation even as the new President settles into his role as Commander in Chief, and that God will grant peace as he leads the nation through times of trial and international conflict and tension.

We must pray that God would change President-Elect Obama's mind and heart on issues of our crucial concern. May God change his heart and open his eyes to see abortion as the murder of the innocent unborn, to see marriage as an institution to be defended, and to see a host of issues in a new light. We must pray this from this day until the day he leaves office. God is sovereign, after all.

Without doubt, we face hard days ahead. Realistically, we must expect to be frustrated and disappointed. We may find ourselves to be defeated and discouraged. We must keep ever in mind that it is God who raises up nations and pulls them down, and who judges both nations and rulers. We must not act or think as unbelievers, or as those who do not trust God.

America has chosen a President. President-Elect Barack Obama is that choice, and he faces a breathtaking array of challenges and choices in days ahead. This is the time for Christians to begin praying in earnest for our new President. There is no time to lose.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Maybe it's his...independence??

This is what Piper said at dinner this afternoon when Jonah came to us complaining of a stomach ache;-). We all laughed hysterically, of course(including Piper)! She said this, meaning , maybe it is his appendix, because when Zoe' was 5 she had her's out and now every time there is a tummy ache this is the first conclusion Zoe' comes to! The joys of being the oldest...and with so much life experience ,too! Well, it is obviously not his appendix nor his independence, both were thoroughly excercised after dinner;-).

In other news, we went to Huber's farm a few weeks ago and picked apples and a few pumpkins.We went to the Balloon Glow(hot air balloons) that we've gone to every year since moving here and we also had two birthdays, Zoe' turned 12 and Josiah turned 6! Hard to believe everybody is growing up soooo fast! I'll post pictures of these things soon. I'll also include a few of the pup...he is actually beginning to look like a dog now! Very cute;-).

Friday, October 3, 2008

ooh lala! Italy



Originally uploaded by mrlemonjelly
Mom, would you sail here??? You should hint so to Dad;-).

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

...




Well, Levi had to be put down today;-(. When we brought him home on Saturday he weighed around 4.8 ozs. and today he weighed in at 3.9...not good. We were still feeding him every two hours and he was still fighting to live but loosing significant amounts of weight, so we decided to let him go peacefully rather than watch him suffer to the end. It was a sad time;-(. So, I am not going to post a picture of Levi...I actually never had the heart to take one of him (he was very tiny, no joke, he was only about 1/4 of the size of Brody).
On the other hand, Brody is doing fine. He is a whopping 1lb?ozs. Lucy is still loving on him and spending almost her every waking moment doting on him! He is very cute;-). I am not going to hold back the picture of Brody though...isn't he cute!

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Puppies!!

Wow! What a week this has been.
Our Lucy had puppies;-). They are very cute, unfortunately though, one of them has a cleft palate;-(. He is currently at the vet being overseen and cared for by a wonderful lady who volunteered for this task! What a blessing! He has to be hand fed every two hours and then there are other things that have to be done to insure he is functioning correctly;-). He is very cute, though extremely tiny compared to his brother! If he makes it , I think he will be black and silver like Lucy. The kids have named him Levi.
I will update as things move along. And will post pics of the healthy one tomorrow;-). BTW, he has been dubbed Brody the Fat by the kids.
Will the excitement ever stop at the Tieman household?? I certainly hope not! I didn't have these six children to be able to sit around quietly all day! (Though I would take a bit of peace and quiet every now and then;-) Lucy having puppies was like a flashback to my childhood. We had a yellow lab that had 11 pups(the first time around)! I remember coming home from school and ,everyday,sitting IN the doghouse with her and the puppies! I am sure my mother wondered if I would ever let them go, but I did! After 6 or 8 weeks of sitting in that doghouse with those pups I was pretty attached and I probably did try to talk my folks into letting me keep a few! I have always been a dog lover..I guess I just can't help myself! Ah well, those days are over but not far from me...I did tend to hover around the whelping box even after Lucy had the pups... which is how I caught the small one trying to suck but not quite making it. So, I guess we'll wait and see what happens. Oh yes, and Lucy is doing fine. She is a terrific mother;-).

Thursday, August 28, 2008

There's a rhinoceros in my refrigerator...

Now doesn't that sound like a great name for a Dr. Suess book? I thought so,too! I have always really liked Dr. Suess books and now I think I must be able to identify with his way of thinking...the longer I am raising my boys the more I am convinced that Dr. Suess must have had at least 3;-). Really, it is the only way he could come up with such crazy stories! My boys do the most outrageous things, but this was probably one of the most comical. Truly, I was surprised to open my fridge to see a rhino guarding the garlic and the hershey's chocolate! I had to take a picture;-).
To all those parents of boys...

Friday, August 22, 2008

Birthday ending






Okay, last post for the day...and maybe for a while;-). The girls got to come back to the house to have pizza,cake,and ice cream. We all had a great time!

The whirlwind...continued

The baptism service was amazing , Mimi was able to come and all of the kids came in to see Zoe' be baptized. This , of course, produced many questions about why one is batized and whether or not they could do it;-). An excellent oppurtunity for James and I to share the Gospel with them again.
We also had quite a few friends over and we've been visiting others...yes, other people are actually brave/crazy enough to invite a family of 8 into their home;-). They actually have 6 children as well and we had a wonderful time with them!Unfortunately, we got no pics of the twelve kids running around...maybe next time!
We began school at the beginning of August and have been busy trying to get in the "groove" of things around here again.
Last night we were able to celebrate Gabi's 10th(I know, I can't believe it either!) birthday with her best friend. They have birthdays only 4 days apart, very handy when you are best friends! So, the moms got to take the girls out to Build A Bear...it was very cool! I think we had as much fun as they did. It was a bitter sweet time though, we found out yesterday that they will be moving;-(. We know that the Lord has something great for them though...they are such a wonderful family, we will miss them. Here are the pictures from the Build A Bear adventure. Enjoy!!!


















August...the month of whirlwinds

The entire month is almost passed and yet I feel as if I've hardly stepped foot in the first day of August!! Where has it gone? Well, here is a small clue ...

Swimming...of course!










...and soccer try outs;-)





...Zoe' was baptized...