November '09

Well, believe it or not, we haven't fallen off the face

of the earth! ;) Here is a post full of some of the

stuff we have been up to this month. There's

more to come, but this was all I could post

tonight. Enjoy! :)

pictionary champs!

elijah decided to have some cereal...on a plate :)

grandma and grandpa came for Thanksgiving

andrew, ryan, amy, and me

adam and catie

nice hair ;)

snowflake making with catie!

Thanksgiving Dinner

braydon and grandma

ryan, taylor, adam

aaron and grandma

adam and catie

random~

ian looooovesss dancing!!

fall get-together

egg toss

bb guns

pumpkin carving

adam's basketball game at Bryan

aaron and andrew's basketball game

Girls' Night Out~

So, we decided that we all needed a true girl

night out! We went out to eat, shopped,

ate, shopped, laughed, shopped, and

laughed until our stomachs were hurting. ;)

We all had a great time! Can't wait

until the next one, omitted the spending

part, though :)

Beth, Bailey, and me

..inside joke

Mom and Jan:)

L-R Beth, me, mom, Bailey, Jan, and Lauren

Beth

October '09

"Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything

you say be good and helpful, so that your words

will be an encouragement to those who hear them."

Ephesians 4:29

**random photos from this month*

*learning to read* ;)

*visit with the scott's*

*learning to change a diaper*

Our E-Baby~

"Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters:
You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak,
and slow to get angry."
James 1:19

FuN rAnDoM pHoToS from the last month.....Coolidge Park and other.

Bob playing in the water fountain.....
Amy and Braydon pausing for a smile...
amy and ryry....
bob is waiting for the water to risssseeee....
aaron, andrew and ali....drenched!!!
a water break for a little "football!" go amyyyyyy
ryan is going long, can amy get him the pass???
andrew and aaron are a bit close....
braydon is crazy about amy....
grandma is giving hair cuts. ok adam, don't go with the part, its a bit weird! Ryan, what R U doing?
back to the water fountain for bob and his new found friends =)
yIkEs....look out.....she's gonna blow....

ali was on the Merry Go Round... at the park, right outside the water fountain. but NO photo was allowed.........
bob enjoyed the "fish" he was riding. hey, where is andrew????
Below...Bob dancing...on computer....

aDaM came home for the weekend!!!!

Seriously......

Group photo for mommy...

"Hey, we want in the picture too..."

aaron will go to great lengths to avoid getting his picture taken....

Red-Headed boyyyy...

Look out behind you buddy...

striking a pose!!!

and another!!!

and yet another!!!

a back side of aaron..

bob was having a bit of an attitude...

laughing laughing laughing, just like old times with AMO....

FOOTBALL is a MUST around here.....

look out ALI.. a tackle is coming.

Ali, Andrew and Braydon (upside down!)

hey, when is it my turn???

Spin us Daddy.....

hey...this isn't round...and its not orange...."I am only familiar with Basketballs"

I'm not sure who was dizzier...daddy or bob... Ali is taking her toll at passing the football...

hope someone on the other end can catch that rocket!!

GO IAN...

We've been bussssssyyyyyyy!!!! with school =)

Ian's favorite part of school..... well, he likes reading too....

Braydon and Bob can't get enough of their "new best friend," Andrew!!

Andrew is really starting to like Dr. Seuss

headphones, so he can concentrate????? at least thats what he says.....it is rather noisy around here, as you can imagine.

Ali...smile for me!!!!!!!!!

Ian is always eager for his picture to be taken. he is playing with his colored bears.

Braydon is in heaven using Ali's laptop.....

See what I mean... he always is ready for a photo....and he is studying how to tell time, but the book is upside down..

Bob and Braydon love their BIG ABC puzzle...

I know...Aaron is not in any pictures...he does school up in his room and DOES NOT like to have his picture taken... I'll try to sneeeeekkkkk one in before too long.

addition to Andrew's birthday evening....

this photo is actually from dinner the first night Andrew arrived.
Andrew, Adam, Taylor and Ryan at Buffalo Wild Wings...

FIREWORKS...........need I say more =)
well, fireworks are illegal in Australia, so Andrew was "heaps" excited we could do them here.

Ali, Braydon, Andrew, Aaron, Amy and Ryan.. after a wonderful dinner! lol

well, we went shopping today, for Ali not Andrew..sorry!

Mommy and Ali

The kiddos love Andrew, he can hardly get away from them =)

early afternoon nap, it only lasted a short time, because Ian started climbing on him..

Ali, Mommy and Ryan..someone cut the little kiddos heads off....ames???

Aaron trying to keep Ian off the table, he is searching for chocolate ice cream..

Ali and Ryan

Ian really liked Andrew's choice of ice cream, Nutty Chocolate, Blue Bell

interesting look, Ryan!

Happy 19th Birthday, Andrew!!!

brownies with chocolate ice cream.. and one shining candle..

Andrew, Ali, Amy and Ryan

Hi Mum

last weekend~with the bros

EXCITING NEWS!!!!!!!!!! We have a special guest coming..

Remember "AJ" from Australia (Duke shirt), he is going to be staying with us and playing basketball for the Chattanooga Patriots...

He will be arriving August 3rd. We are all very excited!!

And we thought Ryan was tall...til we met Andrew... this picture is from January, and i have to say, Aaron is taller than Adam and almost as tall as Ryan.

We have been getting to know Andrew and his family the past several months and decided we would host him as an exchange student this upcoming year and beyond...The Lord is good and has brought our two families together!! I Thess 5:18

angie

Oh, and he offered to help me with the little boys when he gets here...he doesn't know what he's in for...shhhh, don't tell him =) they ask me everyday, "are we picking up Andrew today?"

a massively big post :)

reguardless of the lack of posting, i have not forgotten

to take photos! :) please enjoy the pictures

of our last few weeks~

~Bob's 4th Birthday~

..ian has found a new hobby..taking all his clothes out

of his drawers and toys out of his closet! :)

oh, what a lovely morning :)

poor bob didn't have a great morning.

he was sitting eating his breakfast when

he fell off his chair, so off he went

along with his cherrios.

and he wasn't too happy about being wet,

that is for sure :)

Today's Update on BOB

David and I took Bob to the neurosurgeon yesterday for a check up. They said "he looks great!" We were so happy to hear that news... of course he seems great to us, but doctor knows best in a case like this. Bobs wounds are healing up very nice and he is back to his CrAzY self.... although he does have to wear his helmet. We will go back to the doctor in 4 weeks for a final CT scan. Please continue to pray that no infection will be present and that bob stays safe.
I caught him climbing up onto the kitchen cabinets today and that is mild.. he has always been a climber and there is no need to think this little accident will slow him down. He is a man on a mission everyday.
Thank you so very much for all your prayers and support as well as a special thanks to all those families that have been bringing us meals. It has all been very helpful and very much appreciated.

God is sooooo good......

Continue to pray for Little Faith that is still in the hospital undergoing all these surgeries from the dog attack. She and her family need all our prayers. She is from Lookout Mountain, GA and she is 8 years old.

all our love and thanks,
angie & david for the family

home, james! and then off to chuck-e-cheese!

"He gives power to the weak and strength

to the powerless."

Isaiah 40:29

our sweet angel :)
"..His brilliant splendor fills the heavens, and
the earth is filled with HIS praise!"
Habakkuk 3:3

bob and chuck-e

beth bontekoe, ian, me, & kirsten simons

paige simons

aaron and jesse gassner

ashlee and anna

k.c. simons and ian

"I waited patiently for the Lord to hear me,

and He turned to me and heard my cry."

Psalm 40:1

hospital photos~

~We Serve A Big God~

he had many bowls of ice cream :)

:)

bob, grandma

trooper

sam, adam, taylor, bob

adam, taylor, bob

An Update on BOB =)

"O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me" Psalm 30:2

Just to give you a quick update......The Surgeon came into Bobs room tonight and said "We are amazed at how well he is doing....do you want to take him home?"'.......Of course we were amazed as well, and brought him home at around 5:30....He has to wear a rubber helmet for a while but who cares.
He is doing great!!!!!!!!! God is amazing!

On a personal note, I have felt a special responsibility for my three little guys, and have said to them many times " I will never let anything bad happen to you!" when they were afraid of something or someone. I felt that I needed to be their protector, and would do so no matter what!
When I saw Bob laying in that field, lifeless and covered with blood, The worst feeling I have ever had hit me in the deepest part of my soul I did not know existed. I knew instantly he was in trouble, and I knew that I had failed to protect him. I cried out to God "Not him, Not Now!" I prayed " We will deal with the injuries no matter how severe, just don't let him go!" I know that my prayer was the first to be cried out to the Lord, but I know that there were hundreds just minutes after. I have prayed to God since that I don't know if my prayer deserved any merit from God, but I do know that someones did! The family that was with me when this happened called today and said they have witnessed a miracle, and I I agreed. I have seen many on my journey with the Lord.
Most of all though, God has shown me that He was the protector of these little guys, not me!!!!!! He was with little Bob before I even got to him!!!! As a matter of fact, He has been with these boys since He formed them in the womb! Praise God!!!!

Thank you all for your earnest prayers for our family, we love ALL OF YOU!
Sincerely,
Coach David Ambrosetti

update on our little guy~

Here is our angel!!

He finally is out of ICU and in a regular room. His little face is swollen, but it is going down little by little. His eyes are the worst, but he can see enough to watch cartoons, which is important.

Hopefully, we will be going home by the weekend. Doctors say we must be very careful not to let him have any head injuries over the next 6-8 weeks. Obviously, they don't know BOB very well. He is an animal...

Thank you for your prayers and concerns. We certainly have felt the Lord's hand on our family through this difficult time. God continues to remind us to keep in perspective our daily lives. He is so good and we are so desperate for His love in our lives.

Love David & Angie for the family.

at the hospital

a few photos of bob

Update on Bob

It is Wednesday morning.. Bob is improving... he hasn't been sleeping very well, but that is not unusual. He is hooked up to so many monitors and wires he can't be his usual "all over the place 3 year old self." And he sleeps with Ali at home so he really misses her right now.
His little face is all swollen and his eyes are swollen shut with bruises... he really looks worse today than he has since the accident, removing all the blood.
The CT Scan showed a small contusion on the brain, which can cause seizures. so please be praying the Lord will heal that quickly and no seizure activity will take place.
He can't keep any liquids down at this point, but it could be worse. We are hoping to get moved out of ICU today and into a regular room.
He keeps saying he wants to go to Chuck E Cheese. so guess where we are going??????
Also, please pray for Faith, she is 8 years old and was attacked by a pit bull. She is in bad shape. All of the flesh and muscles are gone from both her shoulders and arms. She is lucky to be alive.
God is giving us opportunity to witness and reminding us He is in control and our situation could always be worse. gtg

Pray for BOB

Elijah-Bob was out playing at the neighbors house yesterday with his dad, when he slipped away, only to crawl under the fence into the horse pasture. Somehow, he received a severe kick to the right side of his forehead and ended up on the ground, unconscious! When Daddy found him a few minutes later, he was covered in blood and non responsive.
Ended up at Childrens Hospital in the trauma unit, only to be rushed into emergency surgery.
He had a slight tear on the lining of the brain that was repaired as well as a skull fracture that was putting pressure on the brain. The surgeons had to lift the bone and put it back into place, before stitching him up.
He is in the ICU Unit at TC Thompsons Childrens Hospital and they will be monitoring him for a minimum of 72 hours, watching for brain swelling and seizure activity.
God is so good to have "softened the blow," that could have been fatal....
We do serve an awesome God......
We will keep you posted....
angie & david

Graduation Party~

Taylor and Adam

Beth Bontekoe saying a few words about Adam.. all good!

Grandpa and Grandma Goody, all the way from the Sunshine State.

Grandma Thada, Adam, and Mom!

Annie Bell and Ali gator....

Grandpa Goody, Uncle Ronnie, Cousin Brad

Paddy Cake with Ian and Granny and Matthew

Pam, Greg and Daniel Klapp, our dear friends and neighbors

Lauren, Beth, Ali, Kiersten, & Katy

Josh, Joseph, Marshall, & Trenton, hammin it up for a quick photo!

thoughts~

"We can rejoice, too when we run into

problems and trials, for we know

that they help us develop endurance."

Romans 5:3

Happy "14" Birthday, Aaron!!

Someone's gotten tall this year!

Aaron is such a fun person, he is great

with the little kiddos, is quite the chef,

loves keeping things clean, and is doing

well in school. He loves to laugh, but

hates taking pictures, hence, why

there are so few posted. :)

Happy B-Day, Aaron(aka "Birdman")

we love you soooo much!!

up in adam's room..

adam is getting ready for his graduation

party next week, and so he had his friend dan

come over and they had rehearsals for

the big day....lol :)

so here are pics of adam and

dan rizzo(who is amazing at the guitar).

the song on our playlist is the song he played.

enjoy, lol

recordings coming soon! :)

pictures after church....

Ali girl...............
double click on this pic of ali and check out the three little boys in the overalls in background.
better yet, check out the two boys and little girl with pigtails.....

"curly 18, mo 14 & larry 20" :)

and again, the three .........

a rose in the midst of thorns.....

"the whole bunch"

"amo"


LOVE MOMMY =)

God's Chisel

Matthew 18: 5&6

"Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea."


Yours Truly,
GOD!

Lake Winnepesaukah~

yeah, just try sounding it out..

we had so much fun yesterday!

we saw sooo many people we knew :)

a few of us got sick, lol(too many rides that spun),

but we still had fun! and i think we

rode just about every kid ride there, lol

multiple times... they just wanted to go

one more time :)

enjoy the pics

mom and ian

adam and micah schreiner (schrein-dog,lol)

bob, grandma, ashlee, aunt natalie, matt, mom, and ian

braydon and anna

bob

check out elijah's face, lol

braydon

grandma and me

elijah

matt and elijah

grandma and ian

anna

matthew, myself, and bob

e-baby

miss jan and mom

jonathan and joshua

joshua, me, and bobby

Swimming~

Our pool is finally ready for swimming!!!

Here are some pictures of the little

boys taking a dip.

don't you love elijah's sense of attire?

Fun at the Park!!

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:1&2
Elijah-Bob and Ian sitting on a statue of a horse..

Ian running around outside the carousel, Megan is following him in the background....

"Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil."

Ryan and Ali stopping for a smile......

Ali and Amy, say "cheese!"

Posted by: mommy

Fun Downtown~

We are so blessed!

Psalm 127:

Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it build in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for He gives to his beloved sleep.
behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like ARROWS in the hand of a mighty warrior are the children of one's youth.
Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them!
He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

~God.

Interesting thought!!

I must be really aging quickly! Yesterday, Ryan's new boss
at the Ice Cream Show, ask me if BOB was my grandson....
He thought BOB was Ryan's. Ali said, "it's time to color the gray, mom!
I guess that is what I will be doing today..coloring the gray!

Honestly, I am just thrilled to be "Known by God!" I am greatful that the King knows me...
Galatians 4:9 - but now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God!

Grandma is back & she came to visit us! =)

bob is a cheek kisser!!!!!!!!!

braydon however, is a lip kisser....if he can keep from laughing

what is so funny?????

"CHEESE"

posted by: mommy

SMILEY FACES =)

braydon was very happy to see grandma, she just returned
home from being gone 2-3 weeks!

Ali & bob sharing a cute smile!!!

bob's is a little cheezy......

hey- we finally got aaron to "smile"
he is sooo cute, he doesn't like to blow

people away with his awesome smile!

OK. it is evident who is the tallest, yet the youngest!

but Ali is still the cutest, who's the gangster with the hat??

last one... say "cheese"

Mommys fluffy bed!

Bob is not sure he wants his picture taken so early!

Well.. maybe I will look up, just for a moment

OK!! One smile and then it's back to playing....

thoughts~

"The Lord doesn't see things the
way you see them. People judge
by the outward appearance,
but the Lord looks at the heart."

I Samuel 16:7

update.

believe it or not we have not fallen

off the face of the earth. =)

here is one post with all the

things we have been up to lately....

ryan is back from his cruise,

the scott's have visited us,

we have been doing lots of school,

etc. etc.

the best of friends

to make you feel special miss tammy.. =)

strawberries galore! we made jams, jellies, and shortcake..

me and my best bud before my driver's test

Warm Days...

Wow! It's been in the 80's this week!

We are so excited about it being so warm.

Our pool is just about ready..

anniversary of our 501st post!

is this worth getting excited about??

we have had this blog for 3 years...

approximately how many posts

have we done per year?

Random~

Thank you Lord...

..for the sunshine!

..for my sweet brothers!

..for bubbles!

..for your unfailing love!

Laughter~

"God has made laughter for me;

everyone who hears will laugh with me."

Genesis 21:6

thanks Caroline for the inspiration.. =D

Celebrating 7 years!!

thoughts~

"..walk by faith, not by sight."

2 Corinthians 5:7

just them and me...and the sun shining!

Puppy Love~

Happy 20th Birthday Ryan!!!

WOW! Look who's getting old!

Ryan is studying extremely hard at UTC,

and hopes to attend medical school.

He has all A's and is doing wonderful!

He's a very fun person to be around

and we miss him all the time..

~Happy Birthday Ryan!~

We love you SO much!!!!