2008 was Great!!!!

I figured I should take advantage of this time that I have and make a post on our blog. All the boys are in bed taking a nap including my hubby! So I thought hey I should have a little free time as well. : ) I have been thinking a lot of what has taken place this past year. I wasn't able to do a newsletter so I thought hey why not now before the new year starts. This year started out with an Awesome party! A very memorable one. It was at Grandma's house and we had a posh New Years Party with Mom, Aunt Clary, Jeanette, Lisa and Kate and myself.(I had put the boys to bed before our party started hehehe) We made all sorts of yummy food and dressed up in our best and had fancy new years hats type things. Anyway it was just great! We played games and just hung out and talked a lot. It really meant a lot to me because I knew that I wouldn't be able to do that this year! It was what I was needing since Lim was in Iraq. The funny thing is there was no men (other then my three little men in bed sleeping) there. Just us girls. I will start with Lim. Lim was in Iraq and just came back right before Thanksgiving on a 15 month deployment. I am still working on getting some pictures from him that he took while he was there. He was promoted to SGT E-5 and before he came home he was made E-5 promotable. We are praying that the point system goes down so that he will make his SSGT. I can't wait!! He is looking into becoming a Warrant Officer and getting a degree in Criminal Justice. He is a Great NCO and takes his leadership over his soldiers very seriously. I am very proud of him. Lim was given a calling two weeks after being back. He is now a Ward Mission Leader. He is loving being home with us and enjoying every moment! I will go next. I moved myself and the boys back to Kansas in March. They didn't have a house ready for us by the time I was there to sign for one, so I ended up going to a couple of different friends houses. One of which was Tamara and Jorge's house in Iowa! We had a blast there. Then our house was ready for us so I went back to Kansas and signed for a four bedroom house! I Love it! I have been called to serve in the Relief Society Presidency three times now in less then six months! I know it is hard to believe but yes we have had three new Relief Society Presidencies. Shortly after coming back to Kansas they asked me to be the 1st councilor then when the President moved they called a new one and asked me to be the secretary which was the longest calling that I had in the Relief Society, well her and her family have been moved to South Korea. We just had a new Relief Society President called and I have been asked to be the first councilor again. I have learned a lot about the Relief Society and how much prayer,work,and love goes into running the Relief Society. I have learned something new with each President no matter how small of the time I served with them and I have had a new found love for each sister I have served with. It has taught me a lot and is helping me to become the daughter of our Heavenly Father that he would want me to be. I haven't always made the best choices but the lessons that I have learned from them have really helped me grow closer to my Heavenly Father and my Savior. I still have a lot to learn and I think that is why he keeps having me be in the Presidency. I have a great love for the gospel and the sister's in the Junction City Ward. I love serving them. We have made some great friends here which makes this feel like home. I miss being around our families. I miss the games and fun that we would have, but I am grateful for the friendships that we have made here. I am grateful for the ward that we are in for it really is our home away from home. I am now watching my friends daughter and enjoying being home with the boys. To answer questions you may all be having no I am not pregnant. This year I had faced a lot of medical issues. It was a struggle for me and taught me to lean on others. My prayers were answered as my dear friend Kristina and her husband Robert moved into our ward. She is now my doctor and has helped me through this as well as many other friends by watching my boys when I needed to go to my doctors appointments or as I needed to fulfill my calling, while my hubby was away. My husband surprised me by calling me saying that he would be home the next day from Iraq!!! I was so thrilled!! I am in the middle of making an Asian style table which is low to the ground and you sit on cushions instead of chairs. I am so excited it is coming along. I wanted it done before my hubby came home but I am so glad he came home before Thanksgiving. It is too cold for me to finish so I am trying to come up with a plan so that I can finish the table soon. I will post pictures when I am done. I just can't wait!!! On to Malachi. He is loving being in Kindergarten and loves his teacher Mrs. Fine. She has been teaching kindergarten for 28 years and loves it. She is great with the kids. She doesn't let them get away with things but she is gentle and kind. Malachi has lots of friends at school. There has been many firsts that we have been faced with since Malachi has gone to school. One example is one of the girls in Malachi's class has a crush on him and was giving him things from a necklace which always stayed in his backpack to candy. I had to tell him not to accept gifts from girls and to say thanks but no thanks. I am very grateful that we have the gospel in our lives. I am very proud of Malachi because he will listen when the other children are up running around or misbehaving. He makes his mistakes but he is good about listening and standing up for what is right. He loves being a big brother and wants a baby sister. I told him to tell Heavenly Father that when he says his prayers. hehehe Malachi is growing so much that I am afraid that I will be passed up with in two years if I am lucky! Isaac is loving going to play group and having Mrs. Rachel come over and work with him. We are in a program called Parents as Teachers and someone will come over and do fun games that teaches the kids their numbers, letters, words, and helps show the parents how they can make everyday life a fun learning experience for the kids. I Love it! They test the children to see where they are and Isaac is doing very well. He is a very active boy. Bouncing off the walls. He misses Malachi while he is at school but has now taken the place of the Big Brother when Malachi is at school. It is funny to watch how different he is with Alma when Malachi is gone. Isaac is going to be a sunbeam starting in January! He is so excited!! I just can't believe he is going to be a Sunbeam! Where has the time gone! Alma is growing faster then a weed! He is catching up to Isaac! There is only a head length difference in between them. He makes the funniest faces and is talking like no other! I am not kidding. Our friends came over who haven't been here since October and could totally understand him. People who we have met for the first time understand him and are surprised when we tell them that he is two! I guess it helps that he has two older brothers who love to talk and sing! hahaha They are so funny together! My three musketeers! I am very grateful for them, for the lessons they teach us and the Joy they bring into our lives!!! All three boys want a baby sister. Alma was a little hesitant at first but has joined with his brothers in wanting a baby sister. They ask me Mom why can't we have a baby sister now? I said well it takes some time and effort and I can't promise you that we will have a little sister when I do get pregnant. I asked them if they will be happy if they have a baby brother. Malachi said that he has enough brothers already, Isaac said that he wants a baby sister and a baby brother, Alma is pretty easy going right now. Well my boys are awake now so I better go. We have all been blessed this year! The biggest blessing that we have received is that Malachi is adopted and will be sealed to us on the 5th of February at the 11 O'clock session for anyone who can make it. We will be at the Seattle Temple! All of us are so excited to go! Malachi's favorite song is I Love to See the Temple. He is looking forward to go inside the Temple. We have been talking a lot about the temple and how we have to be reverent and that we need to respect the Lord's house. I want to thank all of you who have taken the time to read this really long post. I hope that you have had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Love the Horn Family : )