Where to start...oh, the beginning! 2010 began with a brand new baby, Averie Grace Mauck, born January 6! What a miracle she is, from the start. As you may remember, she was diagnosed inutero with a very serious heart condition and most doctors did not expect her to survive to birth. We had so many praying for us, and she was born and got to come home for almost 6 months before her heart surgery. Our pastor and his wife were at the hospital for her birth, it made the wait so much easier, what a special blessing it was to have them there to cry and rejoice with. We did not know at that point that she would do so well, just that she was alive and she cried and did not need any help! She is doing great and is just about to walk, what a blessing she has been to our family. Her brothers and sisters just love her to pieces!
Another beginning for 2010 is that our church family at Grace Baptist got the awesome privilege of moving into our new building, built by our pastor and church members with the help of some builders sent to share their ministry. The building is beautiful and has been the place where many have received Christ and or gotten baptized, including our daughter, Aubrey Shae! She asked Jesus to save her this year at 4 years old and is already very concerned that others she knows does the same. If you have not had the opportunity to see this building, please come by. (5000 Leo Kerner/Lafitte Larose Hwy, Marrero, LA 70072-www.gracebaptistofmarrero.com)
One ending in 2010 was Matthew graduating kindergarten! He is such a joy to teach at home, and is reading well, adding, subtracting, learning money and much more. Very smart kiddo, his latest amazement with school is learning cursive, so proud of himself. He turned 6 in August. With that ending, another beginning, Aubrey started kindergarten! Aubrey will be 5 on November 29. She is so much fun to teach as well. She is about half way through and already the basic sounds for each letter. She thought after she got to "Z" that she did not have to go to school anymore! She does enjoy it and often asks if we can do more. (I know, that will change!)
Andrew turned 3 this year. What a sarcastic, charming, outgoing kid. He never stops and many times gives us a scare or two with his climbing and jumping. He is the official "middle child", as we are stopping at 5! I wasn't sure I would ever get to the point where I felt like we had enough and I did not want to have another baby, sounds silly to some, I am sure. Besides our unique circumstances of two serious heart conditions which will require future surgeries until they are adults, we are so content with five. I have never been so happy to get rid of items which Averie outgrows, be it bouncy seats, walkers, clothes, it just feels great! I am so excited about getting to do big kid things like camping, boating, fishing, etc. without being pregnant or nursing a baby! I know know what it is like to have a 10 month old without being pregnant again, I never got passed 7 months before. (Which is how the 5 kids, 5 and under happened!) I feel incredibly blessed to have been able to have 5, wow, but no more, Lord willing!
Maci is a very sassy and cute 2 year old now, potty-trained and all! She is a handful and often wants to be the baby, and we let her a lot. She gets away with a lot more than the others did at this age, just feel bad that the entire second half of my pregnancy(with Averie) when she (Maci)was still a baby, I was gone so much for appointments almost daily and worried the remainder of the time, I guess I am trying to make it up to her! All of my children have learned to be pretty well behaved, so I really cannot complain.
Don is still working at the same machine shop. His employers seem to like him a lot, he gets raises and they tend to give him busy work when they are slow just to keep him on the clock! (which only happened for a couple of months here and there) He got to go deer hunting for the first time this year, actually, is there right now, still waiting to hear about poor Bambi!
I do not take it for granted that God has given more grace this year, Averie recovered from 2 surgeries well, one for her ovary at one day old, and the other open heart at 6 months. She came home from each one in less than 2 weeks! And, our Andrew had a bad case of pneumonia, which he had to stay over a few nights at Children's for, but also recovered very fast! We just never know what each day will hold, as anyone else, take one day at a time.
All said, what a year, beginning to end! (of course, December could bring many surprises!)
Another beginning for 2010 is that our church family at Grace Baptist got the awesome privilege of moving into our new building, built by our pastor and church members with the help of some builders sent to share their ministry. The building is beautiful and has been the place where many have received Christ and or gotten baptized, including our daughter, Aubrey Shae! She asked Jesus to save her this year at 4 years old and is already very concerned that others she knows does the same. If you have not had the opportunity to see this building, please come by. (5000 Leo Kerner/Lafitte Larose Hwy, Marrero, LA 70072-www.gracebaptistofmarrero.com)
One ending in 2010 was Matthew graduating kindergarten! He is such a joy to teach at home, and is reading well, adding, subtracting, learning money and much more. Very smart kiddo, his latest amazement with school is learning cursive, so proud of himself. He turned 6 in August. With that ending, another beginning, Aubrey started kindergarten! Aubrey will be 5 on November 29. She is so much fun to teach as well. She is about half way through and already the basic sounds for each letter. She thought after she got to "Z" that she did not have to go to school anymore! She does enjoy it and often asks if we can do more. (I know, that will change!)
Andrew turned 3 this year. What a sarcastic, charming, outgoing kid. He never stops and many times gives us a scare or two with his climbing and jumping. He is the official "middle child", as we are stopping at 5! I wasn't sure I would ever get to the point where I felt like we had enough and I did not want to have another baby, sounds silly to some, I am sure. Besides our unique circumstances of two serious heart conditions which will require future surgeries until they are adults, we are so content with five. I have never been so happy to get rid of items which Averie outgrows, be it bouncy seats, walkers, clothes, it just feels great! I am so excited about getting to do big kid things like camping, boating, fishing, etc. without being pregnant or nursing a baby! I know know what it is like to have a 10 month old without being pregnant again, I never got passed 7 months before. (Which is how the 5 kids, 5 and under happened!) I feel incredibly blessed to have been able to have 5, wow, but no more, Lord willing!
Maci is a very sassy and cute 2 year old now, potty-trained and all! She is a handful and often wants to be the baby, and we let her a lot. She gets away with a lot more than the others did at this age, just feel bad that the entire second half of my pregnancy(with Averie) when she (Maci)was still a baby, I was gone so much for appointments almost daily and worried the remainder of the time, I guess I am trying to make it up to her! All of my children have learned to be pretty well behaved, so I really cannot complain.
Don is still working at the same machine shop. His employers seem to like him a lot, he gets raises and they tend to give him busy work when they are slow just to keep him on the clock! (which only happened for a couple of months here and there) He got to go deer hunting for the first time this year, actually, is there right now, still waiting to hear about poor Bambi!
I do not take it for granted that God has given more grace this year, Averie recovered from 2 surgeries well, one for her ovary at one day old, and the other open heart at 6 months. She came home from each one in less than 2 weeks! And, our Andrew had a bad case of pneumonia, which he had to stay over a few nights at Children's for, but also recovered very fast! We just never know what each day will hold, as anyone else, take one day at a time.
All said, what a year, beginning to end! (of course, December could bring many surprises!)
