A "Catch up" on the happenin's at the Lain house...

Hello all,

I'm terribly sorry that I haven't been more faithful with updating my blog. As most of you know (who've looked at my Mom's blog) we haven't had a computer for a while because it's been broken with a virus. Those nasty things get ahold of your computer and you can pretty much kiss it goodbye for a while. But now we're back in business and that's all that matters :D!
I hope that all of you have been well and that God blessed you during this holiday season. We were sorry that we weren't able to come "home" for the holidays, but we have another engagement next week in Lakeland so we will be coming down then. Our Christmas was a good one even though we weren't with all the family and friends that we wished we could've been with. It was good to have a good, quiet Christmas though. I hope that all of your Christmas' were as good as ours.

We are still pretty busy most days. Dad is out of school until the middle of January(here we come hunting season), but he still works as the custodian at FBC here in G'ville. He is also pastoring a small church in Hartford, AL. It is good experience. We are all excited about his upcoming graduation in May! Please pray for us as he will be taking (I think that it is) 16 hours.
Mom is homeschooling and ministering to everyone she comes in contact with. I'd say that my Mom's and my biggest ministry is the Piggly Wiggly here in G'ville (Mrs. Stokes, You have to come up and go to the "Pig" with us :o). For Christmas we made a tray of goodies for the workers. They loved it!!! It felt good to give something so small but have so much appreciation for the act :o)!

I'm kinda slackin' on the studyin' right now...with the holiday who wants to study??? (Especially Math and Science! Blah!!! lol). Pretty soon I'll be able to start training my horse, Taco to ride. He'll be 2 yrs. old in April and that's when I'll jump on him :D.lol. Next month softball season starts and since this is my senior year, Mom and Dad decided I could play. I'm excited and hope that I can share Jesus with my team mates. Please pray for me as I'm sure all of you know it's hard to stand against the world's influences and be strong for Christ. Oh! By the way! Tim Tebow is GREAT! And I hope that the Gators will win the NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!!! GO GATORS!!!( Sorry! I'm a Gator FANATIC!) (and a TIM TEBOW NUT!!!)

Hunter is always up to some sort of project. He's still loving the woods. Just the other day he shot a nice little spike. Every oppurtunity we get, us kids go outside and play football. (To keep Hunter in shape. lol) Our whole family enjoyed the football season so much! Hunter did good. The G'ville Tigers football season ended and they were 10-2. They made it to the playoffs but we lost the first round by one touchdown. Heartbreaking, but God's will.

Jacob is now following in Dad and Hunter's footsteps trying to be the deer slayer of the family. Just the other day he also, killed a nice little buck. We are all proud of him. He still loves to read and makes sure he takes a book every time he goes to the woods. Now a big 13 year old..."He's the man." lol. He also enjoys football (which of us Lains doesn't :D).

Hope is growing up and has spunk. We share a bedroom and sometimes she resents "older sisters" authority, but for the most part we get along pretty good. Hope enjoys playing football outside just as much as the rest of us. She's now begging Dad for her first "real deer hunt". Dad took the kids on a camping/squirrel hunting trip and Hope bagged her first squirrel. She was one happy camper.

Jedidiah is one tough little kid. When you put him on a task, he doesn't stop. He's very strong willed and determined. Jed, Mal and Hope enjoy being "partners in crime" and love to have those "giggle sessions." You know...when you just CAN'T stop giggling :D. Jedidiah loves to do anything outside and also, loves the game of football and he loves hunting. Jed also bagged his first squirrel on the camping/squirrel hunting trip.

Malachi is definitely the baby of the family and gets jealous when other little kids want Mom to hold them. He enjoys the "normal Lain hobbies" (hunting, fishing and football). He just turned 7 on the 21st of Dec. Ever since his birthday he's been calling Mom, "Mother". It's so funny to listen to because he is the baby and always will be, but he's growing up.

We now also have two dogs. Henry and Mandie. We bought Henry in July and then we decided that Henry needed a "wife" so we bought Mandie about 2 weeks ago. She is our cutest Christmas present ever!!! They are both Boston Terriers and the kids love chasing them around the yard. Henry gets jealous every now and then but I think he's decided he'll just have to love Mandie. lol

I don't know how many of you heard that I was given the oppurtunity to go to New York City on a missions trip this summer. It was a wonderful experience and I'll post pics and such soon. It was totally a God thing. I'll tell you all about it next time! I love you and I pray that God blesses you during this New Year that we are approaching! Whoa! 2009 already!

~Ashley~

WHOA! Long time no write!

Well...I haven't written in a VERY long time but oh well....life happens! I hope everyone is doing well! Our family is good! We have been pretty busy lately. Dad is preaching at a small church in Hartford,AL. He's liking it alot.
Hunter, Dad and I now have a summer job working for our secratary from church. She has a nice house outside of town that needs some work done so that's our summer project:D!
Mom is busy with the kids and everthing else...Jacob is really getting into computers...Hope is...Hope:D!...Jedidiah and Malachi are just partners in crime! They are SO cute (when they're asleep:D! Just kidding)

Dad is still the custodian at FBC here in Graceville. I'm still playing in band and enjoying that. Every month at First Baptist two of the college girls have arranged a "Cookie Ministry". We package the cookies on a Wednesday after all the programs and then on Sunday afternoon we take the cookies out into the community and invite people to church. It's alot of fun and I'm praying that God will use this ministry mightily in our church!

Right now I'm trying to get into studying for the GED test so I'll be able to graduate. The only parts I'm going to have to study are the Math(YUCK!) and the Science(MORE YUCK!) I'm woefully behind in those subjects but I'm sure with a little bit of extra study this summer I'll be able to get caught up(hopefully and prayerfully)!
Well I'd better get to bed before I get in some trouble:D! Good Night all! God Bless! I love you!

~Ashley Marie~

Posting Again....

Hello All,
I'm sorry it's been so long since my last post....but I'm sure you understand with the passing of my cousin! We all miss him so much! It did'nt really hit me that he was gone until he wasn't there to celebrate Christmas with us! The only thing that I regret about Ryan's death is me not having a closer relationship with him!!!!! But anyways........My grandparents are coming up to hunt with us tomorrow! We are so excited to be able to see them again!!!! And we are also going to be having some friends come up to hunt too!
Well I don't have long and not much to say either:D! Love Y'all!!!

Love Always,
Ashley Marie

Still BUSY!!!!!

Hey Y'all,
We are still so busy!!! This week I was barely home at all!!!! I didn't realize how much I love staying at home until I haven't been home all week! I've been working for the Franklins again! :D:D!!! I love to work for them! They are so sweet and when they all come in from the fields (the "farm hands")to eat lunch we just sit around the table and talk while we're eating and it just feels so....homey....and "countryfied"!!!:D!!!! Anyways....On Tuesday night we went to a "Fall Festival" in downtown Graceville! It was so much fun! My family and I helped with the 4 booths that our church had set up! We had a "ring around the soda" booth, a basketball booth, a "fishing booth" and a hot dog stand! BTW:Everything is free! The town just closes about 4 blocks right in "downtown" Graceville and everyone just sets up their booth! All the booths are sponsored by Churches...and that is really neat to see! And they had a band from the college there and another band that played too! It was a night of food and fun and craziness!!!!!
On Wednesday I worked until 4:00 and then I came home and got ready to go to church! I have to be at church on Wed. nights at 5:15 so our band can practice for about 30 min before we play! The rest of my family comes at 5:30 for suppers! So I practiced and then ate (10 min to eat:D!) and then I played with the band and then I was supposed to practice a duet with one of the women at our church but she wasn't there! But I didn't know she wasn't there until I went to the "bell" room where I was supposed to meet her! Well she wasn't there so my piano teacher (she leads the bell group at church) talked me into staying to play the bells! So I did and NOW my piano teacher wants me to play the bells with the bell choir for Christmas!!!! And I'm already singing with the Youth Choir in that program and I'm playing a duet with Miss Mann and I'm probably going to play another song too!!!! Oh and about the duet...Mrs. Mann is going to play flute and I'm going to play the piano!:D! SO anyways...I've been getting really involved at church lately!
And this weekend we went to stay with some friends kids because the mom had heart surgery! Their family lives in Perry,Fl but they are moving to N.C. in January because they feel God calling them to go to the Seminary there for Missions! Thank the Lord the surgery went good and Mrs. Sandy is at home recovering!!!Their kids name's are: Summer 17, Scotty 14, Autumn 9, Gabriel 5, Spring 4 and Wynter is 2. So we had 14 people in that house and it was rather............interesting!!! It was fun though! Summer is getting married on Dec. 15 of this year so y'all be praying for her and her fiance'!!!! His name is Brian!
Well I gotta' go to bed!!!! I love y'all so much!!!!

Love Always,
Ashley

OH! P.S.:
One of our deacons at church, Bill Pitts, passed away this past week. Him and his wife have always been so very good to our family so as you can imagine it is hard for us to see him go but we know he is in a better place!!! He died of Brain cancer. Please be praying that God will comfort his wife, Joyce!!! Thank you! (the funeral is next Sat.)

Busy...Busy....BUSY!!!!

Hello All,
It seems like the past two weeks have been nothing but going...going...going!!!! At least for me! I have been working for a couple of people from church! I think I told y'all about the older couple I clean for every friday. But I have also been sitting with an elderly lady who has had a heart attache (spelling???) and a stroke this year. She is a very sweet lady and she is recovering nicely! Her daughter is taking care of her. They (the daughter and her husband) own about 600 acres here in Graceville and the plant different things on the property and they also have cattle. So right now they are harvesting and the husband needs his wifes help out in the fields so the call me when its not raining and I take my school work and go sit with Mrs. Whitfield:D:D:D!!!!
And this weekend my Uncle Mike and his father in law,(we call him Uncle Frank)came up to go hunting with us! My Uncle Mike shot a 4 point buck with his bow so he took the meat home to his wife:D:D:D! He said they were running low on deer meat so Aunt Jenny was happy that he brought it home!!!! And the rest of us just had a good time being out in the woods together!!! Hunter and I both saw deer out in the woods on out hunting trip but it was to dark to take a shot!!! And on Friday night, Saturday morning.....the 19th and 20th of October....My dad got lost out in Choctawhatchee!!!! It was SO scary! but now that it is over with we laugh when we talk about it! Thankfully my Uncle was here so he knew what to do!!! I'll write more later! But Dad's calling me!

Love,
Ashley Marie

Hey Y'all!!!!

Hey Everyone,
We are all doing pretty good up here in Graceville!!!We have a BIG praise report....On Saturday night Malachi told Mom his stomache was hurting ,so at around 4:00 pm he got "sick". We were all so scared that it was going to run through the whole family, but thank the Lord it didn't. I think a couple of the other kids had stomache cramps but no "getting sick"!!!! Malachi got sick quite a few times and then at 4:30 am on Sunday morning, he stopped!!! So anyhow...we are just grateful that it didn't run through the whole family!!! Well I have to go to bed! I sure do love y'all and miss you bunches!!!

Love Always,
Ashley Marie

Howdy!!!

First Baptist Church Praise Band.

Howdy Y'all,

Today has been going really good! A HUGE miracle happened today!!!! I got up at 6:30am!!!!!:D:D:D!!!LOL!!!! If y'all know me, you know that I'm not a morning person! (Unless it's hunting season:D!) Mom and I got up at 6:30 and went over to the gym to work out together with a friend! Then after we were done in the weight room we went on a walk around the block! It was fun!!!!

Like Mom said on her blog....Sunday was a blast! Our band led the Morning worship service at our church and I really had fun doing it!!! And then on Sunday night we did like a concert at Union Baptist Church in Slocomb, AL. That was alot of fun too!!!!

I hope that all of y'all are doing well down there! We love y'all!!!

Love Always,

Ashley Marie