Christmas Programs!

Click on this link to watch the live stream Christmas Program of God's Bible School and College where Daryl attends. Daryl will be singing in the choir. The program can be viewed live on:

Friday (December 9) @ 7:00 p.m.

Saturday (December 10 @ 3:00 p.m.

Sunday (December 11 @ 6:00 p.m.

You may click the link below to view the live streaming if you happen to log onto the blog during any of the above times.

I promise it will be a worth while watch!!

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ustream.tv%2Fchannel%2Fchristmas-program&h=6AQHo_6YQ

"When I Cry"

Daryl is an incredible big brother and as you can see, Nevaeh believes this to be so too!

While home on break from college, Daryl sang by request in our church.
He shared "When I Cry."

This song characterizes the true empathy of Jesus Christ.
We are never alone in our pain. Jesus knows where we are in any suffering. And like us, he suffered loss. In the shortest verse of the Bible, we are reminded that
"Jesus wept." (John 11:35)
Use the link below to listen to Daryl sing.
And be encouraged...God is on YOUR side!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZQzXze19Qw

Blessings: God's Mercies Disguised

Our 14 year old son, Robert, was asked to sing Laura Story's song "Blessings" for a couple Thanksgiving services. Our son Daryl, now 18, and I added background vocals. In the photo above we are practicing from home. I have attached a link below where you can view our live church performance. Enjoy and remember to take time to consider YOUR BLESSINGS!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daPAuMfOwH4

Happiness Is....

....being with the one you love!
Nevaeh and her big brother Daryl who came home from college

Blessings

Mama & Her Boys

Was privileged to sing with my two boys for our town's community Thanksgiving service. Rob sang lead and Daryl and Mama sang the background vocals. We shared Laura Story's song entitled
"Blessings."

We pray for blessings - We pray for peace
Comfort for family, protection while we sleep
We pray for healing, for prosperity
We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
And all the while, You hear each spoken need
Yet love us way too much to give us lesser things
***
Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise
***
We pray for wisdom - Your voice to hear
And we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
We doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
As if every promise from Your Word is not enough
And all the while, You hear each desperate plea
And long that we'd have faith to believe
***
Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise
***
When friends betray us - When darkness seems to win
We know the pain reminds this heart
That this is not, this is not our home
THIS IS NOT OUR HOME
***
Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
And what if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near
***
What if my greatest disappointments
Or the aching of this life
Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy
And what if trials of this life
The rain, the storms, the hardest nights
Are Your mercies in disguise

BE BLESSED THIS THANKSGIVING!

"Blessed is he who watches...."

In just six short days, this little girl's hero and big brother will return home for the first time since leaving in August to attend college. Little Nevaeh can hardly wait! She is making plans regarding how she will greet Daryl, what he will say, what he will do, and what she will do. She is......ANTICIPATING!

I am enjoying watching her "little girl" preparations for Daryl's arrival. She wants to assist making of his bed with fresh sheets. She wants to help clean his room. She sits on a blanket on the floor of Daryl's room in front of his closet. She has her music and a stack of books and she is waiting patiently.

This reminds me of how we are to anticipate the return of our Savior.

We get everything ready with excitement and then "....occupy till I come." Luke 19:13

Keep busy! Stay involved in the lives of those around you. Be the Hand of Jesus extended. Share the love of Christ with those you come in contact with even if it is simply just being gracious and kind.

Live with anticipation! It will affect HOW you occupy!

And your joy will have a valuable impact on the lives that you touch!

Watch! Be Ready! Occupy!

We're counting the days!!

And it won't be long!

Time Flies!

WHAT have these guys gone and done with my babies??!!

Movin' On!

Posing with Dad very early on moving day morning...Daryl is very excited and ready to begin his college career.

Daryl is a freshman at God's Bible School and College in Cincinnati, Ohio where he is working on an Associate of Arts Degree in General Studies. He is also enrolled simultaneously at the University of Cincinnati where he is working on a Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice.

Mama and her baby all grown up! I can't believe that we are here at this juncture of life so soon!

Daryl is participating in the work study program as well which assists in the payment of his tuition. He is working as a security guard right on the college campus. We are very pleased that his job experience compliments his major.

This is Jeffrey Paulus Jr.

Jeffrey is a childhood friend of Daryl's. We were very excited to learn that Jeffrey was planning to attend the same college AND even more excited when Jeffrey and Daryl were assigned room mates!

Jeffrey Paulus, Daryl Fultz, and Dustin Covert

These three live together as room mates. So far, they are doing very well and getting along great.

Daryl's room is next to the top floor, four windows in from the right side.

When I zoomed in on Daryl's window, I discovered he left his mark! lol

This is Daryl's desk and study corner.

The bottom bunk is Daryl's and Jeffrey's is the top bunk.

This is their little lounge area. The truck box/coffee table is Daryl's stash of food! And yes, it has been restocked multiple times since he moved into the dorm.

We have missed Daryl terribly but get to use Skype and chat with him. I wish you could have seen little Nevaeh when Daryl's face first popped up on the computer screen! She couldn't get up on the chair fast enough to suit her!

Daryl is very busy and doing quite well in school. Here is a photo of the college choir of which Daryl is a part. You will find him in the back row with his hand raised!

Though we miss him greatly, we LOVE what God is doing in Daryl's life!

Life just has a way of movin' on.

Update! And Apologies!

Yes! Just like all of you, summer has come and gone for us! School has started one more time and it's time to get back to the routine. Life has twisted a new direction for us as this past month, we moved our first child into the dormitory of a college. I attempted to post some photos and share Daryl's move with you, but I agreed to try a new interface on my blog dashboard. Somehow, something froze up on my computer and I could not post, upload any pictures, couldn't switch back to my old interface OR communicate with anyone regarding my problem. Today, I have attempted to access my blog by logging into another party's computer. I DID attempt to switch back to my old interface, AND I am going to try posting this message to my blog! I apologize for any annoyance and we want you to know that we appreciate your faithful reading. Please be patient just a little longer and be assured that we are doing our best to have this situation resolved! I hope that your day has been beautiful!

Another Concert

Our family had the opportunity to participate in our community's outreach by giving a concert at the fairgrounds here in our town. This was our last scheduled singing date as an entire family before Daryl leaves for college. We shared a variety of selections using trio, quartet and solo arrangements. Daryl has been singing bass for us this year and doing a great job.

Daryl is singing the song that he composed entitled "Independence Day." He accompanied himself on the acoustic guitar.

Nevaeh was excited to have her face painted!

Her completed Bob the Tomato from Big Idea's Veggie Tales series.

The evening ended with another round of fireworks!
It was a blessed day.

Planting Seed

Yet again.....life is ever changing!
We planted, and we watered. Now another will nurture. And by the mercy of God, growth and increase will one day be realized.
C, our latest foster son, has been moved to a different situation and so one more time, it is just us here in the ole' homestead!
We find ourselves dealing with mixed emotions, yet we feel that we gave this little boy everything we had to give while he was here with us.
Still, it's always sad to see the little ones go and know that likely you will never witness the blossoming of their flower.
When permitted again, we will keep planting seed. We will water. As God allows, we will nurture and cultivate. Perhaps one day again, we will watch a flower bloom.
In the meantime, we never forget the precious gift of our rare flower in little Nevaeh.
She's our reminder that what we do no matter how little or much, is of great value.
And one more time, we thank God that she is a vibrant part of our family bouquet!

Take time to smell YOUR flowers today!

INDEPENDENCE DAY!

Our youngest son, Rob, is really getting involved in photography. This is one of his shots.

"INDEPENDENCE DAY"

Song composed by our oldest son, Daryl.

There were no fireworks - There was no celebration - Only the tears of a sorrowful mom - The crowds had all left Him as He hung there on that tree - To pay sin's price so you and I could finally be free.

On that Independence Day when our wrongs were made right - And we didn't have to fight to secure our life - On that Independence Day when He died on that tree - When He chose to set free evil man like you and me - On that Independence Day.

There'll finally be one day when we will have the chance - To celebrate our freedom that Christ bought for us that day - We will rejoice with loud singing and choruses of praise - thanking Him for what He did on that special day.

On that Independence Day when our wrongs were made right - And we didn't have to fight to secure our life - On that Independence Day when He died on that tree - When He chose to set free evil man like you and me - On that Independence Day. When He chose to set free evil man like you and me - On that Independence Day.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

DD....Is that........DUDLEY DORIGHT?!

Doris Day.....Dumb Dellaweese.....Snoop Doggy Dog......Daniel Daylewis.......David Ducovning.....Daphne Doowarray......Deloris Delreyo..... Dudley Doright?!????
Nope! That is definitely Dude Daryl!! Or maybe Daring Daryl!!!


As you can see, he is dressed for the "part." And that has ALWAYS been Daryl. From the time he was a little boy, if he was going to play baseball, he had to wear a baseball shirt and sneakers. If he was going to play hockey, out came the Philadelphia Flyers uniform and skates.
Switching to soccer guaranteed another clothing change.

One day, I pulled into the drive to discover Daryl in the parking lot....flying his remote controlled airplane. He was dressed to the nines in a suit and tie. Man! He looked sharp! Didn't you know that pilots dress the part?!

While Daryl, to this day, can accumulate MORE laundry than a girl, I have discovered something about him that I wouldn't change. Whatever the boy does, he does with EVERYTHING in him and more! It makes the laundry more bearable. Just think. If everybody in our world would apply themselves in this manner, what truly could we as mere mortals accomplish?


Daryl is our oldest son. He's almost 18 now. He is scheduled to leave home in August to move into the dormitory of God's Bible School and College in Cincinatti, Ohio. He is stepping out into the next phase of his life and I want you to know how proud we are of the man he has become!

Daryl turned four and started Kindergarten many years ago. When he completed his required years of education, he was still 16. He had already been working a part time job, but following graduation, he turned in a copy of his diploma and began working full time. This past year, Daryl has been holding down a mans job. Throughout the winter, he rose from sleep between 4 and 4:30 AM and his boss would pick him up before 5:00 AM. Daryl still has a Jr license so his driving times are still restricted. Many days, he would not return home until 5 to 5:30 PM.

Daryl has participated in youth camps and church functions, been sports director for summer VBS programs and has been a vital part of our family ministries. Daryl plays an acoustic guitar well and has become a wonderful song writer.

Daryl is an amazing big brother and is also an involved supporter of our foster care ministry.

Also, in the past couple years, Daryl has been involved in the Civil Air Patrol which is an auxillary of the United States Air Force. He has been permitted to fly a small plane, participated in Basic Encampment and gone through Survival Training as well as Search and Rescue phase 1. He has continued to receive training and maintained physical drills. He has gone through testing and as the testing is passed, he qualifies for ranking promotions. Currently, Daryl carries the rank of Master Seargent. Very recently, Daryl was placed in a position of much stress and discomfort.....a place where his character was "under fire." And we watched as he behaved as a real man should and was cleared. We were proud of the way that he handled himself in a real life situation.

Daryl, I hope that you know just how much we love you and that we are so proud of who you have become. We are going to miss you more than you could ever dream, but we are thrilled with your decision to seek preparation through college and we support you in any way that we can. So, dress the part and give this all you've got and more, Baby! We'll get through the laundry! We always have!!

Just in case you wondered.....

......Miss Personality and the Princess of our domain is alive and well!

Swinging with Daryl

Playing ball with Daryl

Wearing Rob's flip flops!

Learning how to set the table for dinner!

Got herself ready to step outside and "re-catch" Daryl's trout!

Pajamas, NONmatching headband, & black buckled shoes!

What a prize catch!

Helping Dad by getting in his way!

Ready for Sunday evening church!

She just LOVES her purple "rove."

"Helping" to plant the garden!

She's got enough personality for 5 little girls!

Eskimo kissing with Bubba!

Trying to make an ugly face. It's the cutest one I'VE ever seen!

Here's hoping you feel caught up for the past several weeks that we were unable to post!

GOD BLESS YOU TODAY!

His Hand In Mine

Laws are always changing and they affect the way that we live. Another time, change has taken place in our family and we have added for an indefinite time, a little fella who needs structure, care and the love of a good family! The aforementioned laws will no longer allow for us to post pictures that show the identity of the little people who live with us as well, we can no longer use any form of his/her name. So, we will refer to this new little guy as C.

A very neat discovery is that C loves music almost as much as we do!! And I believe that God brought him here for some measure of healing. He is presently five years of age and quite active. He's bright and quick learned. After a few short and jam packed full days, C discovered that Jesus loves him very much and C now insists that HE be permitted to pray for his own meals!

If you happen to be in the right place at the right time, you will have the privilege to meet this little boy. He's a sweetheart and needs your prayers as do we in our responsibility of ministering and caring for him.

"C - one more little hand in MINE!"

TWENTY YEARS!

Twenty years is a long time to be married these days and yet, in many ways, it seems as if we just got married not so long ago! To celebrate our incredible milestone, we decided to take a trip back to the place where we honeymooned as newlyweds...in the Poconoes where our favorite place we visited was Bushkill Falls, the Niagra of Pennsylvania. Twenty years ago, we hiked all the trails and enjoyed the peace of God's nature. As I am not yet fully recovered from an earlier surgery on my foot, I could only make it down to the main falls. We still enjoyed this place.

Thankful to God for the gift of togetherness, companionship, friendship and LOVE!