Happy New Year from our family to yours!

The Lord blessed us all through the year of 2012. 

The Lord gave us a special blessing to ring in the new year.  

Susanna gave birth to a little boy, Kamran Scott on January 6th! 

In February, Christianna, turned 21 years old....it seems like just yesterday that I remember her and Nathanael standing side by side looking UP at me.  She has grown into a fine industrious young lady. Christianna helps her Dad at the office and with all the insurance and patient billing.  She has served our family well in this capacity these last 5 years.  She loves the Lord and she shows her love to others.

In March, Moriah turned 15 years old.  She also has helped in the office with the mountains of paperwork we always seem to  have.  She also enjoys serving our family by baking cookies, cakes, and muffins.  Hmmm, the house always seems to smell so inviting.  Moriah, along with her sisters, Deborah, and Keziah have been able to participate in both the science and geography fairs at a local homeschool event.  She started taking piano lessons this year and is becoming quite accomplished pianist.

March also brought seminars for both chiropractic and Bible, 

trips to Connecticut to the Galla family,  

and time with special friends.

In April the Lord brought both joy and sadness. 

Judah Wilberforce was born to Rebecca and Chris.  

Although his life was but only 2 days...his memory will stay with us a lifetime. 

May was filled with activity.  Birthdays were celebrated for Ashlyn MacPhail (4) and Nathanael-- who would soon become a dad!!  We made a family trip to Lost River up in the mountains of New Hampshire and then a trip to the flat lands of Connecticut to visit the Galla's.  

June was a time for family gatherings.  We praise the Lord for work in the heart of Keziah.  Steve baptized her on Father's Day.

July was an event all to itself. Stephen Galla, our birthday boy turned 2!

We traveled to Texas to attend the Vision Forum Food and Family Reformation Conference...but we saw a few things along the way...Ruby Falls caverns in Tennessee, Vicksburg Military field in Mississippi, the JFK 7th Floor Museum in Dallas, the Bracken Bat flight in San Antonio.  We toured San Antonio visiting many of the Missions, Cathedrals and of course the Alamo.  One of our fondest memories in San Antonio was the 2 days we were able to spend with my dear Aunt Merle.  

From Texas we dropped Steve off at the airport in Barton Rouge...and the girls and I traveled the next 2800 miles together. 

We first stopped in Tampa to visit with Grandparent Penas...then traveled over to the other side of the state of Florida to stay with my parents and spend time with my brother's family.   We visited  The Holy   Land Experience in Orlando, the Enchanted Forest in Titusville and the beautiful National Seashore, Playalinda, at the Atlanta Ocean.  

The best times, of course  were playing with my brother's 3 little children and being together once again as family...talking and playing games.  Very Special Memories.

Then northward we would go, spending the night with my Aunt Janice and Uncle Buck near Charlestown, SC.  Traveling once again northward we lunched with another Aunt Marlene and Uncle Don in Rock Hill, SC.  Still north we would go...traveling along the Blue Ridge Mountains until finally we were in Pennsylvania, where we would spend some time with some very dear friends before heading to 

New England.  

After a stop over to visit with the Galla Family...it was home again.  

Although our 27 day trip was really wonderful, we were so blessed to be back where we belonged! 

HOME in New Hampshire!

August brought more birthdays:  Abigail Galla turned 4 years old and  Deborah turned 17 years old.  Deborah is enjoying piano lessons and also driving lessons. Hmmm.  She is a major help to me at home in that she is a wonderful organizer both with paper piles and stuffed closets! 

Then on August 25th our 6th grandchild arrived.  

The Lord blessed Jesharelah and Nathanael  with a precious little girl, Meleia Grace.

September started with a visit from Steve's sister and husband from Texas--first visit to us here in New England.  Then later in the month my Mom and Dad arrived from Florida and spent a couple weeks with us.  In the midst of this we had a birthday -- Lydia turned 20!1  She has been busy sewing for Rebecca along with a few other side projects for others.  She likes sewing for little people even ones all the way in Japan!  She was a master gardener this summer-- getting her dad to plow my ground and build more raised beds.  She also enjoys baking and cooking and does have a few unique specialties:  one being Kombucha!

 October started with birthdays for Steve and Susanna.  Soon after we said good-bye to my parents as they traveled back to Florida.   Being industrious in the fall clean up and firewood gathering, Steve herniated a disc in his neck.  This proved not only to be a very painful time for him, but a totally re-grouping time for all of us.  Therapy at two different chiropractors 5 days a week in two opposite directions. Driving him to and from chiropractors and the office.  Doing the physical jobs he would have done himself...the girls jumped in and helped in every aspect. 

All  of our Nine Children

November brought family together.  Nathanael's family flew in from South Dakota, Rebecca's family drove up from Connecticut, Susanna's family drove up and Tabitha stopped in for Thanksgiving.  

Susanna's family

Rebecca's family

 

Nathanael's family

Grandsons:  Kamran, Susanna's boy and Stephen, Rebecca's boy                        

Abigail, Rebecca's girl and Ashlyn, Susanna's girl

 

Grand-daughters 3:  Ashlyn MacPhail, Abigail Galla, and Meleia Pena!!

In December we celebrated Keziah's 14th birthday.  She also has been progressing on piano, learning to crochet, cooking raw treats and studying diligently on her school lessons.

On the 25th we drove to Harrisburg, PA to pick up Nathanael and Jesharelah to take them to the Winter conference at Greenwood Hills....
Mike Attwood and Scott DeGroff were the main speakers.
Mark Swaim was the speaker for the children's ministry.
A time to listen and learn.
A time to renew friendships.
A time to make new friends.
The Lord did Bless us.

We ended our year with a stop at the Galla Family's house, before traveling back to our New Hampshire home.   

I tried to make this 2012 up-date short, but... 

Well, I hope our friends and family in Japan, Texas, South Dakota, Florida, South Carolina, Missouri, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and many more locations find this overview a bit helpful in 

the little details of our family.   

I will once again try to share the blessings that the Lord God has bestowed on us 

on a more regular basis.  

Possibly weekly?  monthly?! We will see!

  Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: 

for thou hast created all things, 

and for thy pleasure they are and were created.  

Revelation 4:11