Here is our 2009 Christmas picture!
What a blessed year 2009 has been.

Lanier picture day (56 photos), by Brandi Lanier

I'd like to share my Snapfish photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.
Click here to view photos

Too long!

My Computer doesn't seem to like my blog very much. Whenever I try to update my blog my computer either freezes or takes forever to load (and then I give up). Anyway, I figure it has been way to long so I need to try to update this thing before I completely give up on it forever.

Here is a few updates:

Trenton lost his 2 front teeth and tells me his really misses them. He usually says that at dinner time :)

Connor was born! He is so cute!

Our Thursday night Bible study is moving to Sunday Mornings! Refuge Sanger will now be an official church! We are starting Dec. 6th!

http://www.refugesanger.com/

Please pray for Daisy and her family

http://prayfordaisy.tumblr.com/

updates soon to come

Things are insane now that school is in full swing, but I hope to do some updates soon. So much to share - Moving into a house, Refuge Sanger AKA Calvary Chapel Sanger Outreach, School, family, Nieces dedication and so on :) oh and not to mention my Sister is coming to visit soon!!!!

Come let us worship and bow down

I have tried and tried to upload pictures from Worship Fest 1, but can't seem to make it happen. So try this....http://www.sangeronline.com/rsevent0809.html If your compy is anything like mine (SLOW!!!) than you may have to wait awhile for the slide show to upload.

This event was so amazing! Why? Because souls were saved! It was a night to share "THE GOOD NEWS" to many hurting and lost people. It was a night to worship the one true King...King Jesus! And it didn't stop there, many of the men that gave their hearts to Jesus joined us for church this past Thursday. I (along with many others) were so excited to see our new brothers come to learn more about Jesus. Please continue to pray for the lost and hurting people in Sanger.... and in your community also. May we not waste time, for the hour is drawing near!

Worship Fest 2 is coming!! Save Sept 26th to come worship the Lord with us. Bring you friends and family...all of them!! For more info. check out - http://www.sangeronline.com/rsevents.html

Camping/Beach Trip

Jacob & Daddy setting up camp

They did it! I love this picture (below)! My Love reading his Bible on the beach. It doesn't get better than that!
We had a great time on our 1st camping trip to the beach. We all agree that beach camping is a better fit for us than mountain camping...for many reasons. My #1 reason is less bugs. Plus visiting the beach during the day was a hit with the kids. I could do without the sand, but it was fun seeing them have so much fun. I can't wait for next summers camping trip to the beach.

Baptism July 2009

Two weeks ago our church group

here in Sanger had a baptism. 8 people were baptised in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It was a joyous event!

John had the privilege of baptising our two oldest kids, Jacob & Madison. What a wonderful day this was!

What is Christian Baptism?
Christian baptism is immersion in water as a public statement of one’s new identity in Christ, having received Him by faith as Savior and Lord. Baptism does not save a person. Rather, baptism is the first act of obedience for one who has been saved. The model given to us in the Bible is that baptism immediately follows conversion.
“Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.” (Acts 2:41)

To see a slide show of the baptism go to http://www.sangeronline.com/ccfsevent0709.html

1st Camping trip together

Their 1st Camping Experience. They loved it! Pro's -

* Camping together as a family for the 1st time * Spending time with Papa & Nana

* learning to roast the perfect Marshmallow

* Smores!!!!
* Roasting hot dogs on a stick

* Papa teaching the kids how to skip a rock
* Tether ball* climbing big rocks (the kids did)* getting to wear sweatshirts again

* Crisp Mountain air

* Cabins with Toilets!!!!!

Con's -

* Not bringing sleeping bags (I brought little blankets instead. Won't do that again!)

* Having the "borrowed" mattress pop before ever getting to lay on it :(

* sleeping on a metal bunk bed with a tiny mattress pad...

with Jacob on the top bunk. Never again..NEVER!!

* John having to sleep on the floor on a flimsy cushion (but at least there was a cushion)

* The drive (blorch!)

**Conclusion = WAY WORTH IT!

Gonna do it again real soon.

This time on the beach...

in tents...

with sleeping bags!!!!

Our Niece Serenity Rose turned 3!

3 years ago many of you got on your knees with us and prayed for this precious Itty Bitty gift from God (as she came into this world and many days following). Serenity Rose was born way to early and the odds were stacked up against her....BUT GOD.... in His Mercy, had other plans for her precious little life. Serenity Rose was born on Sunday July 9th 2006 at 8:22pm. Her due date was supposed to be Sept 26th, but Sara went into labor due to some complications with her pregnancy. Serenity weighed 2lbs 15oz. She lived the first 5 weeks of her life at Valley Children's Hospital. She was such a Champ! Those days were rough on all of us, especially Sara and Frank (Serenity's parents). As weeks and months went by Serenity became healthier with each passing day. Through her toddler years you would have never guessed that this child was ever a preemie.She was chunky and healthy just like other children her age. She continued to be that way until a few months ago when she was diagnosed with Diabetes. Thankfully modern medicine has made living with diabetes much easier these days. She is such a good girl when her Mommy or Daddy tell her it's time to check her blood and get a shot. She even tells them where she wants the shot. She is still such a Champ! My kids think she is so brave for not crying when she gets her shots. She is certainly an amazing little girl and we are so blessed to have her in our lives. Thank you Jesus for Miss Serenity's precious little life! And thank you to all those who prayed for her and our family 3 years ago.

Happy Birthday Serenity Rose! We love you!!!

"Cousins!"

My Sister and her Girls were here for about 10 days. The kids had a blast playing with their Cousins. As always it is so hard to say good bye, and yes I still cry every time they leave. Thankfully we now only live about 5-6 hours away from each other, instead of being states away from one another.
I look forward to our next time together. Hopefully that comes sooner than later. For now we have our cell phones, FB, our blogs and digital cameras/pictures to help us stay connected. That will have to do until next time. Sniffle... sniffle...

More pictures to come!

Fathers Day w/ Johns Dad Ken

Tonight we went to spent the evening with Johns Dad Ken for Fathers day. We had such a great time! Mama of coarse made a great meal, then we headed to the back yard to watch the kids swim. After that we headed in for some karaoke...yes karaoke. Johns parents bought a karaoke machine and we all had a blast singing (or in my case watching others sing). I have video to post as soon as I learn how to. It is a MUST SEE!

In this picture John is paying back his Dad for past chest pokes when he was a boy. Theses two were like little kids today...wrestling, singing and poking each other. Good times! Good times!

Of Coarse Our kids had to get in on the action. It was 3 against 1. No Fair!

Bath time may soon be extinct at my house

Last night we had the privilege of having some friends over for dinner. After they left, I cleaned my kitchen, made lunch for my Hubby and went to get ready for bed...so I thought. I went to brush my teeth, only to find that my bathroom was a mess from Trenton's bath. Jacob "helped" me out by bathing Trenton earlier that day. Now normally this scene would send me into my CraZy MaMa fit, but not this time. As I sat there and sighed the Lord so graciously drew my attention to the bathtub. As I looked down I saw this little action figure hanging from the tub spout. The sight of that made me laugh out loud. I could see that my baby boy enjoyed his bath time. I was no longer overwhelmed with the fact that I still had some more cleaning to do before bed, I was happy to clean up after him (this time). I realized then that my two oldest now take showers, and are pretty independent. Bath time may soon be extinct at my house. I just wished that I took more time to watch each of them enjoy playing in the bath, instead of worrying about how clean my bathroom or house was. Time is short, why do I waste so much of it fretting over my house or other unimportant things.

Lord, help me live my life like a child, where I enjoy the simple pleasures in life...like bath time :) Help me to see things threw your eyes (as you see them) and enjoy these special days as my children grow. Amen!

Zoe's Dedication

This past Sunday our Niece Zoe Grace was dedicated to the Lord at Bethel Christian Center. Zoe is a gift from the Lord, given to Johns little Sister Sara and her Hubby Frank. Zoe also has a Big Sister - Serenity (who absolutely adores her). Zoe is such a sweet baby and has brought so much joy to our family already. I look forward to seeing her grow. Please pray with us that she will one day turn her eyes to Jesus and make Him Lord of her life. May that be sooner than later. Amen!

Being a servant of God

Ministry takes place when divine resources meet human needs through loving channels to the glory of God.
On Being a Servant of God by Warren Wiersbe

Give me a Heart of Praise, Please!

Isn't it funny how sometimes we can do something with such a joyful heart, but then a few weeks down the road we are murmuring and complaining about that same chore we enjoyed a few weeks earlier? Well that has happened to me (again) this week. I recently was blessed with a washing machine. The place we live in only has a hook up and power for a Washer, not a dryer. So that left me with two options for drying...Laundromat  or clothes line. I chose the laundromat... until I realized (after my 1st two loads of laundry) that I had a lot of wet clothes lying around in baskets. How was I going to get 4-5 baskets of wet clothes into a car with my three kids. Not gonna work! So I opted for a clothes line. It's cheaper and good for the environment, right? Well, at first I love it. I even took pictures to blog about how much I loved it, but then the fun wore off and it became just another chore.

Now you know it doesn't just stop here. No, the Lord wouldn't allow that. Yesterday as I did my laundry I happened to get a call from my Sister Nina. As we were talking I must have grumbled or sighed while I was putting my wet clothes on the line. She laughed and said something like ~ "not as fun as it used to be?" When she said that I realized that at one point this was fun to me, but now I have lost my joy. After I hung up from that call the Lord gave me a Scripture about joy. I realized then that my prospective had changed, and this had become a chore instead of a blessing like it was at 1st. I was so convicted of my attitude so I repented and began to praise the Lord that my family had clothes to wash, and money to buy laundry soap. What a change it was to my heart. My complaining heart became a heart of Joy and praise. What an awesome God we serve! He doesn't just leave us in a pit of self pity and grumbling. He shows us a way out and gives us Joy! So I pray today that I can look to Him and praise Him as I clean my house, teach my children, make dinner, and even as I hang my laundry. May those things not be chores today, tomorrow or ever, but instead be a time of Praise and Thanksgiving!

*Philippians 2:14 -Do everything without complaining

*Psalm 71:23 - My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to You;And my soul, which You have redeemed.

*Psalm 98:4 - Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth; Break forth and sing for joy and sing praises.

Memorial Day

On Memorial Day John and I took our Kiddos to the Lake. Don't ask me where...cause I really don't know. All I know is we had a great time! We packed up the ice chest, fishing poles and chairs and headed for the hills. First we stopped at some camp ground by a lake and had lunch. Then we headed for the river. The boys had so much fun fishing with Daddy. Daddy on the other hand was untangling fishing wire and making sure the boys didn't fish hook one another... or him. I think he still had a good time though. Madi had a good ol' time getting her feet wet and throwing rocks in the river. While I captured it all threw the lens of my camera. It was a wonderful Memorial Day. God is so good!

I love my Crazy Family!

For Nina - Part 2/ Our Parents Fav. Mugs

A few blogs ago, I posted a picture of my fav. mug. I also explained about my Sisters challenge she posted on her blog. That blog it got me and Mom talking about the famous mug Nina STOLE! from our dear sweet Mother. Anyway, it made me think... our parents should have a post about their fav. mug too. Since they don't have a blog (well, our Mom has one but she doesn't remember how to get on it...so....) I figured I would help them out and do one for them. So here it goes - Mom has 4 favorites (well 5 if you count the 1 Nina STOLE! Hehe!). Mom doesn't like them for who gave them to her, or what they symbolize. She likes these four because of the lip on the mug... Yes the lip.

She even holds on to this cracked one... cause it has a good lip. I don't think I have ever held a mug to my mouth and said - wow this mug has a great lip. But hey what ever floats her boat!

Now on To Dad/Howard. He has two favorites. On his left hand he holds his favorite Monday-Friday mug. On his right hand he holds his favorite weekend mug. He likes his weekly mug because...well, look at it - It rocks (Scripture + Fishing + Coffee = priceless mug!) He likes his Saturday mug because it is bigger. He drinks more coffee on the weekends. So there you have it. Don't you feel your life is more complete now? I do!