Eleven Little Monkeys

We had 11 little monkeys--all 10 years old and under--here for a couple of days.


That's enough for a parade, isn't it?


The girls.


Alternative transportation.


Getting creative.


Being different.


Taking it all in...


The whole crew.


Some of us were getting a little loopy.


Now we're down to just 8 little monkeys for the rest of the week, so we're slacking off a bit now!

Greg and Julie Alexander's marriage ministry was featured on San Antonio's FOX News the other day. What a great opportunity to have this broadcast on mainstream television.

Check it out with this link. Scroll down to click on "Discovering the Covenant of Love" (from 01-28-09).

Also check out their websites: The Alexander House and Covenant of Love Marriage Ministry

Julie is recovering well from her heart attack (bisected artery) last November. She didn't undergo surgery since tests showed that her heart was repairing itself! Thanks for your prayers.

Julie Alexander Update

We just got a call from Greg late last night saying that they are seeing good signs of improvement for Julie after her heart attack but are remaining cautiously optimistic. Further tests showed that new capillary growth is trying to repair the area of artery that was dissected.

If you'd like to stay updated on Julie's status, you can go to the CaringBridge site, and in the "Enter website name" box, enter 'juliealexander' (no spaces).

We may be having their little children stay with us sometime after Julie is discharged from the hospital. Her doctor said that she'll have to be in bed resting much of the time. As you can imagine, having the four little ones--all 7 and under--running around the home is not the restful environment she'll need!

Already, both Greg and Julie have witnessed silver linings to this traumatic event. I'm certain there will be more!

Please keep praying for Julie, Greg and their family.

"Because the marriage bond is a sacrament, it is a source of grace and strength."
--a quote from today's Covenant of Love message from Greg and Julie's ministry, the Alexander House.

Please keep this family in your prayers

Julie Alexander, a good friend of ours and the mother of six children, just suffered a heart attack and is in the hospital. She is only in her early 40s.

From what Greg (her husband) has been told, she is suffering from spontaneous coronary artery dissection, which can occur during postpartum. Their youngest child, Javan (our godchild), is 2-1/2 months old. They are a faith-filled couple, have a beautiful family, and run their own marriage ministry--the Alexander House.

Please keep Julie and her family in your prayers. They are running more tests today to find out the extent of damage to her heart so they can assess the need for surgery.

Didn't you know we were expecting..?

...to be Godparents?

We were honored last night at our new Godson's baptism.

This beautiful baby boy's parents are founders of a multi-faceted Catholic marriage ministry, The Alexander House, and will be hosting an upcoming EWTN series, Marriage Works in Christ: Broken & Blessed, expected to air in the spring. (Greg is 6' 7" so he makes us all look shorter!)

We had a fabulous time extending the celebration afterwards at a friend's home.

Since a diving board at a pool is a rarity these days, the kids made the most of it last night!
Again, the kids didn't get out of the pool until they were beyond shriveled!

Our lovely and generous hostess is on the left.

Baby Faces

There's been quite a bit of this going on in the house.All of the kids want their fair share of feeding time with our little visitor.

There have also been a lot of these faces to enjoy!

There's a baby in the house!

We're taking care of this sweet boy for a few days. He's keeping us busy, so I'll just leave you with a few pictures.



Mikey is the only one who has actually completed some school work around here (unlike the others who are too busy doting over the baby!). Mikey also made an aluminum kayake for his Biblical Joseph Playmobil guy!

After Kathleen saw his kayak, she had to go and "one up" him and make a full-sized canoe with MORE Playmobil guys.
Wow, after I took a good look at everyone in these pictures, I realized that the boys need hair cuts...and everyone looks tired. I think it's time for a nap!

Friends...

We have four little friends visiting for the weekend. See you next week!

Friends...

We're taking care of our friends' 3 children for a few days so their parents can do some fantastic marriage ministry work.So, our home has been full of 7 lively kids (9 and under) and all the fun that comes with it! We've done a little of this...

















and a little of this...and of course, some of this...And to round out the day, we played our usual "bikes and trikes...and more" in our front yard with our neighbor friends! Did I mention that we have 17 children on our street--in 8 adjacent homes--all 9 years old and under? Well, we're going to pick up the fun a bit more tomorrow as I hear from another neighbor that she and her husband will be taking care of a couple of friends' kids as well! I'll be back with more later...