The addition

A tiny sweet smelling, rosy bundle of joy will be arriving in a few hours in Whittier California. We have been waiting for 9 months. I was sure we would have her for a Christmas present but..... I guess that was just wishful thinking...I wanted Baby London to hurry up and get here! She will make her appearence at about 12:00 noon tomorrow morning, or should I say, today, since it is 2:00 am and I cannot sleep! I am so excited! We are all meeting at the hospital at about 10:00 am or so to await her delivery. Start looking for the pictures within the next couple of days.

Jimmy & Shelly are both awesome parents to their kids. I am so proud of them. Jimmy is the kid dad of dads if I ever saw one! I love to see him make his kids laugh in the mornings when they are tired and grumpy...he will kiss or tickle or smell up the room, or make faces or funny sounds just to make them laugh. It works every time! He has cooked their meals, combed their hair, taken them to church faithfully, and been MOM and DAD for the past 9 years on his own. Now....there's Shelly....she is the mommy of mommies too! She has very seldom left Morgan with sitter's, and then, with only Buster and I or her Mom. I would guess this has only been done a hand full of times since Morgan was born! She has taken on the responsibility of Brooklynn and Tristen as a new Step Mom like a pro. I appreciate that our grandchildren have a Godly example to look up to at home. She's a good cook, keeps a spotless house, and loves our son. Their first week of marriage included a camping trip with all the kids! If you knew Jimmy then you'll know she's the girl for him! I am happy for the addition of not only Shelly to our family but now....our new little bundle that I will call our JimmyShelly girl. Congradulations to you both! Love you tons, Mom

Our Anniversary Celebration

Buster and I just celebrated our 38th anniversary tonight at the Pantages Theater seeing the play "Wicked". It was sooo beautiful! The singing was fantastic and I love the Theater anyway...so it was a very special surprise from my husband. Since I do not really enjoy expensive dinners at fancy restaurants and I would rather have money than flowers....This was perfect! Thank you Babe! I enjoyed it more than anything you could have bought me. Thank you to all my kids for the beautiful card and all the phone calls...texts...and Mari's comments and pictures on her blog. Jeffrey wanted to take us to dinner the other night after church but it was late and we all just went to Denny's with the family and enjoyed each others company. Thank you to Jeffrey and Kristy for the yummy breakfast at 11:00pm! That's really all that it takes to make my day....being together with the our kids, making memories. This week-end is another memory making day among the Rowell clan....Baby Jared is being dedicated this Sunday morning. He looks so adorable in his little hats and he even got a tux to wear this week! Nicole found a really sweet song and her and Jared are singing at the dedication service. Several of Nicole's family are driving down from up north on Saturday to attend, and of course Auntie Jodi and Pappaw Great will be coming to church with us so....there will be a ton of us together this Sunday. Be sure and look for the pictures! :)

Well....I am finally going to try and add some pictures to this blogging deal and start actully blogging! I get caught up just reading everyone else's and never add anything to my own. So....after this week-end hopefully you'll see more from me. We had such a good time at Thanksgiving with all the kids. On Sunday we took family pictures at the park with Sis Marie. There were 22 of us so we'll see how that goes. All the kids looked adorable though so I am sure we'll get some good ones out of it. Sis Marie is pretty amazing with pictures and we were so happy she agreed to take the time with us.


My sweet girls and boys


The Boys and Me

This one I could not resist putting up. I love this pic of Justin & Baby Jared

This is just a snap shot of the picture day with Marie, Mari caught this one

Buster with the girls

Here we are...... "The Rowell Girls"

Thanksgiving Event

It starts several days before...sometimes the discussions starts a month or two in advance.

"What are we doing for thanksgiving this year Mom?"

"What's for dinner?"

"Who's coming?"

and most importantly...

"What time are we going to eat?"

As for me, all I care about is getting everything done and work on getting a clean up crew. Let me tell you about this year. I have 4 days off this week! One day for Christmas shopping, the 2nd for cleaning, 3rd-cooking, and the 4th for visiting. I shopped with Shelly, Jimmy, Meagan, & Morgan for groceries. I Christmas & birthday shopped with Shelly, Jimmy, my husband, & Morgan. Cleaned the house today with the "I can always count on" Mari...& "never to be counted on" Meagan. Meg actually cleaned her room, vaccumed the hall. (that is only 3 1/2 feet wide & MAYBE 20 feet long) I am VERY proud of her for doing that! lol Now here I am tonight waiting for Jared & Nicole + gang, Jimmy & Shelly + gang, & Jeffrey & Kristy, so that we can start cooking & undoing everything Mari, Meagan, & I worked all day on. This is one of my favorite nights in the whole year. All my kids here, playing games, cooking, laughing, & just having some fun. Hope your Thanksgiving is as fun filled as mine.

US STUFF!

Well...today we visited with the Sprinkles at their home for a couples get together. It was fun and we realize how Blessed we are to have such precious people of God in our lives. We're planning a trip together for a week-end in November. I am looking forward to it. Seems like we stay so busy we hardly take time to do anything for ourselves. We enjoy the time with our kids and grandkids so much we forget to do the "us stuff". Our kids are always telling us to take a trip or just go somewhere, so now you guys will be happy to know we finally are! Thank you Jesus for our new friends Jeff and Evelyn Sprinkle.

Thankful

I would like to start out this blog with a "Thankfulness " to the Lord for so many prayers answered this year. Wow....if you only knew! I think this year has been one of the most trying.... financially and emotionally that we as a family have been through.

I will spare you the details but the end result is....Jason & Mari our oldest children, have reconnected spiritually and are being used of the Lord in our church, and Mari just steps in and does whatever needs to be done. Mari...thank you, I always know I can depend on you!

Jared & Nicole have learned what it is to depend on the Lord totally and have made some life changing decisions that Buster & I are so proud of them for. J & N....God is so faithful. I can't wait to be in church with you!

Jimmy & Shelly are newly married this year and we are so happy for them! They have both faced some pretty rough roads in their lives over the past couple of years. The Lord has been good, and has blessed them. They are going to have another baby! Brooklynn & Tristen received the Holy Ghost this year and we expect little Morgan will follow soon. We can't wait for baby London in January.

Jeffrey & Kristy...you two are amazing. Right after they were married they were made youth pastor of Calvery Apostolic Tabernacle in Ontario where they are loved and respected and such a blessing not only to the church but to our entire family as well.


To my husband I say.....thank you for your love and support during this trying year....your getting up in the middle of the night to pray for our children and me this last year has been what brought us through. I am so grateful to you for the changes we have made in our lives and for the decisions we have made together to draw closer to the Lord in this day we are living in. Often we have spoken of the years when we were raising our boys and said, we just needed to go back to those days.....Well.....God has brought us back!

Most of all....I want to give honor to our Pastor Bro Clark, for his courage to stand up and preach the Word like our Elders did so many years ago. It may not be fashionable, or popular anymore but I'll tell you what. The kind of preaching we are hearing is what this world needs more than anything else. People are looking for something to change their lives. The Word does that! We just need someone we can depend on to preach it! Thank you Bro Clark for doing just that!

Bro & Sis Clark are the most loving and sincere people I think we have ever known. We are so happy to call them Pastor and now Family!

With all that said....I know our economy is probably the worst since I was born, and that depression is everywhere, I know we may still face some very hard times in the months and years to come if the Lord does not return, but.....we are the children of God! We are a chosen people, God has a plan for us, and....it's a good plan! Serve the Lord with Gladness! He is our Hope and our Salvation!

To God be the Glory

Marion