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Monday, December 31, 2012

New Year's Eve 2012

Tonight the Hudnall's invites us to dinner and a movie with the kids for something to do locally. We ate at El Meson and then saw Monsters Inc. in 3D. It was fun!





2012 Year End Rutherford Review

As today is 12.31.12, I have decided to reflect on our 2012.

Over all I would say it was an okay year. We had lots of financial struggle with several big things breaking or needing replaced at once, but we have each other and we have our health which is more than any of us need anyways, so I would say we are very blessed.

Larry: Larry is great. He is still working in an economy where many are not. He is healthy as a horse...as always--he never gets sick, Thank Sweet Jesus! This Spring and Summer he helped coach Bayleigh's Little League team and loved that! He got to go on a hunting trip with his friends and even though they didn't even see a thing he still had a good time. He did lose his grandmother in September. She was shot and murdered while on vacation and that was tough. They did however catch the 3 involved so SOME closure will come from that, but the loss is still a tough one for him.

Jennifer: I am wonderful! I too have my health. I pour my everything into my family and friends and feel very blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life. I have come to terms with certain relationships in my life or rather not in my life and have found peace. On palm Sunday, I came forward at church with Bayleigh and asked for church membership. That was a very proud day for me! I always knew I had a good relationship with God. Being part of the church makes me now realize I have a GREAT relationship with God! Church and God have filled my heart with so much joy and love that I didn't even realize I was missing until I got it.

Bayleigh: Well, Bayleigh has kept her daddy and mommy VERY busy! She finished first grade and started second. She played Softball, Gymnastics, Basketball, and Volleyball and did some camps this summer too--Cheerleading camp was a part of that too. The busy schedule seems to do best for her. She is very routine and needs that structure. We did The Elf on the Shelf this December. Roger our Elf did not last the season. She was terrified of him! It even effected how she behaved in school and that doesn't work for us. SO, off he went, back to the North Pole, to help Santa prepare for Christmas.
Bayleigh is very loving and very smart. This year though we have gotten a touch of her attitude side and especially later this year it has been exhausting. We pray that this attitude hits the road with 2012.

Our prayers for 2013 are simply that we have enough. Enough health to keep us living. Enough money to provide the things we NEED.

We've already made arrangements to take the extras and to be more giving to those less fortunate. We will buy Christmas next year for Mom, Tony, Bayleigh, Max, and my other kids and their moms, but as a family we are going to provide Christmas with the money that we would have spent on each other and help others out that are unable to do much for themselves. I am SO looking forward to that. I am torn as to whether or not I want it done on the DL or if I want us to go as a family to see the look on their faces. I think it will be a great opportunity for Bayleigh to see just exactly how much she has. All of us really. I think it will be a great life lesson, but I'd like to do it without getting any credit for it. I just want to do it because it is what is right.

I pray that our relationships with our family, friends, and especially God continue to grow. Without making resolutions, because resolutions only set us up to fail, I hope to be more organized, get some things done around the house, and maybe lose a little weight--not a resolution though! I pray to let go of the past even more than I already have to be even more at peace. I pray to be a better and kinder person all the way around. I want to not be so quick to judge and I want to be more forgiving and less easily triggered. I pray to find the best in all circumstances and find the positive no matter how bad things might get. I pray to make better decisions in life and I pray I am able to cut back on so much of the wants and save for more of the needs that might come up. I am going to work on being a better wife, mother, daughter, cousin, friend, and person all the way around. I want to cook more too. I am a terrible cook, but I want to try to do more of it. Maybe Pinterest will help with that. I pray to smile and laugh more and to be happy. Just happy. It makes me happy just thinking about it already. :)

I hope 2012 has been great for you. I pray your 2013 brings you everything you hope it to! Until next year my friends!

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Blizzard 2012

A blizzard hit Indiana early this morning and into the afternoon. Larry said we got about 10 inches of snow and he got to come home around 9:40. We've been outside playing and we've taken advantage of the snow! It's not snowed a good snow for two years! Here's some pics! If the pics are cut off some just click on that pic and you can see it all. I don't know why it keeps doing that.















Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Blog below

Some of the pics didn't load right so if you see a partial pic, click on it and you can see it all. ;)

More Christmas Pics

Slide show didn't work. LOL! See posts below this for explaination!
 

















Christmas 2012 Pics

(see blog below this for Christmas details)



 Our most cherished gifts from Christmas Eve. Amber and Cheryl made all of the women, including Bayleigh (purple eyes), these snow men. What makes them so special is this fall, Larry's grandmother was murdered while on vacation in N.C. I didn't blog about it because, while the 3 murderers are in custody, the case is still open. These are made from Nanny's things. The buttons were hers. Each year, when we set them out, we will have her right here with us. Very special.









 
 
I'll upload more later. I have about 19 more, but this is taking forever so I am going to attempt to make a slide show of pics to put in a separate post. If I am unable then I will upload them individually. :)
 

Christmas 2012

Our Christmas has been absolutely WONDERFUL! This year, Bayleigh wanted a Flash Pad that she saw on QVC from Santa. It is basically a touch screen, hand held game, that has lights that you touch and follow. Every time Bayleigh goes to her BFF Cendall's house, she always goes straight for the Legos. We decided to buy her some of her own and it seemed to be the favorite of all of her gifts. She was spoiled with DVD's, Blu Rays, Lego's, a Blu Ray player for her room, a few shirts, an owl apron, games, an owl puppet, owl lunch box, and many other gifts. She was very thrilled and it was fun to watch her excitement as she opened each one.

Christmas in our home is more than gifts though. It is about Jesus and Family and just being together. We live such blessed lives and often take all we have for granted so we took the time to discuss Jesus and those less fortunate than ourselves.

Next year, instead of exchanging Christmas gifts with extended family we are all pulling together to provide Christmas to a local family or two and I have to tell you, I couldn't be more excited about it. The idea was Larry's and I LOVE it!

This morning, mom called around 8:30 to wake me up and to my surprise, Bayleigh was awake in her bed! I said, why didn't you wake me? She said, I knew you were tired and wanted to let you sleep. HOW SWEET! I was tired because I was SO excited for Christmas morning I couldn't sleep! I didn't mean to sleep that late. :) The anticipation had to be rough on our 8 year old! After opening gifts we fixed biscuits and gravy and then mom and Tony left.

This afternoon and evening we have been preparing for Blizzard 2012. We are under a Blizzard Warning as I type. I have to say, I am very excited about it. I pray that Larry gets off work and that I too will be off. I also pray that we don't lose power. I follow some weather people on Twitter out of Greenwood and they have predicted this storm for over a week. The news channels are too conservative and don't warn that far in advance. I hit the grocery store last week in anticipation for it. Bought foods that don't require electricity. This afternoon we brought wood into the garage and moved the cars into the drive off of the street. Larry went to town and bought kerosene and gas for the 4 wheeler as well. We are ready and waiting at this point.

This evening we cooked a ham and started the movie Arthur Christmas. As it plays I decided to blog our day and Larry and Bayleigh have fallen asleep together on the couch. As I look over at them I can't help but fall more in love with the two of them. I am one of the luckiest girls in the world. I have a wonderful family. The bestest friends in the whole wide world. I have a loving and forgiving God and for all of this--I couldn't be more thankful.

I hope that your Christmas has been as wonderful as ours. I hope that you have felt the love of Jesus Christ as much as the Rutherford home has felt it as well!

I don't have the pictures on the computer yet, but I am getting ready to do that so they will be in the post above this. I keep losing Internet connection and want to get this post made before the picture post.

Merry Christmas!

Cabin 2012

We made our annual trip to the cabin with the Burris family on December 14, 15 and 16th this year. It was, again, a GREAT trip! Santa came on Saturday night again and it was fun to see the look on Bayleigh's face when he showed up. She is the one that believes. Mason, Whitney's son, is still too young to get it.
Sunday, after the cabin, we rushed home to make it to church. Bayleigh sang a solo and had a speaking part in the play. It was fun! Here are some pics and a video of Bayleigh singing as well.