Just a quick update...

I can't believe it's almost Valentines Day! It seems like I just took my tree down. January has flown by. Elijah came home from school yesterday and he had taken a unit test in Social Studies and made a 97 on it. He had the second highest grade in the class. It was a hard unit too. He always does well in school but he knew that test would be hard. We were really proud of him. 5th grade has definitely been a lot harder than any other year. He has never had to really study, study, study, to make good grades but this year he has studied a lot more. The curriculum is definitely harder than the other years. We are still potty training Zane. It is a long process! He's doing fine. God has blessed Brian's work even in the middle of this economic uneasiness. They are still doing jobs , a lot less than normal, but enough to keep going. Brian and I pray, believe, and say every day that God meets our needs, not man, and he will provide jobs for Brian's company to do. (And he has and will continue to do so) I am reading a book right now by a Pastor that I respect a lot and he says "What you say and believe in the midst of your difficulties will have a great impact on how long you stay in those situations." We know that to be true by watching people that continue to stay in negative frame of mind and speak constant gloom and doom. Their lives continue to move in that direction. (Life and Death is in the power of the tongue. Prov 18:21) We pray every evening for God to bless Brian's business and the families of those that work with him. With all of the gloom and doom in the world right now we try real hard to be an encouragement to those around us and not let it come into our home as much as possible. It definitely can test your faith and your fortitude.