This Past Year...

So, it’s been well over a year since my last post! I will try now to give a brief account of what this past year has held for our family. This past January, we purchased our first home! We are thoroughly enjoying all the extra space, huge yard, and just having a place we can call our own. A tremendous blessing came in the form of a super-low interest rate, and a great price on the house due to the housing market being what it is. Since we think we’ll be here at least a while for Ethan to continue schooling, we decided it would make more sense to invest in a home rather than rent for such an extended period. And we are all glad with that decision!

Big Driveway for Riding Bikes!

Living Room (laundry and all!)

Wonderfully Open Kitchen/Dining Area

Shortly after that, in February, we learned that Jeff’s military unit where he serves as an Army chaplain would be deploying in September for a year to the Middle East. Since Jeff had training to complete beforehand, he has been away from us since early July (with a couple quick visits before shipping out in September). He is missed immensely, especially during this holiday season when it just doesn’t feel right to be apart. But we are thankful for the many opportunities this time is providing him to minister to the soldiers’ needs, evangelize the lost, and to serve our country. Here we are saying our last goodbyes early one morning:

Not long after learning the deployment news, we received a sweet surprise of another baby on the way! We plan to welcome baby BOY #4 very soon (Leap Day is the actual due date)! The other 3 boys are very excited about this addition, and Ethan especially grows impatient for the baby to “pop out” as he calls it. They love to feel their little brother moving and have so many questions surrounding the event…it’s been fun experiencing this with them since they are now old enough to understand a little and appreciate the wonder of a new life.

Jeff finished his interim pastorate in May, and then spent June doing military work and getting ready for his many travels. During that time, we started attending a wonderful Word-focused church where the pastor and wife as well as the entire church family have shown us such support and love that is rare to find. We are so thankful for the Lord’s providence in bringing us to this church and hope that we can be half the blessing to the body as they are to us.

Ethan continues to progress in the school for the deaf with his language, speech, and auditory skills. We still have hope that he will become more intelligible in his speech since he has taken significant steps in that direction. Levi is my inquisitive little helper around the house and is so proud when he can assist Mommy in all his little ways. Judah just tries to keep up with his big brothers, which has led to many a boo-boo along the way I’m afraid. He is one tough little guy, and yet he’s still our cuddly one, constantly coming up to give kisses and hugs.

Ethan's Contagious Smile

Levi at IHOP Outing from Grandma Sue

Judah Playing in the Dirt (Thanksgiving Visit to Arkansas)

My sister, Sarah, came to stay with us for a couple of months and ministered greatly to me in caring for the boys, cleaning the house, doing laundry, and a great many other details of life. My other sister, Talitha, plans to come for a few weeks to help out when the new baby arrives. So, between their stays here and also our most recent few trips to Arkansas, it has helped to break up the time for the boys and me while Jeff is away. Also, Jeff should be able to take 2 weeks leave around the time of the birth, after which we will have to say bye for a while longer then see where the Lord’s providence takes us.

Pumpkin Patch Visit with Aunt Sarah

The Boys "Elf'd"

Quick Peek at Plair Life

Since my last update (way too long ago!), we've had some changes on the homefront to post about. God has truly been gracious to us in our new life here in St. Louis where we moved over a year ago so that Ethan could receive better medical care for his deafness and learn how to talk in a school that specializes in such. In spite of ourselves, the Lord has smiled upon us constantly, blessing us with new friends who encourage us in the faith, and showing us that His grace is sufficient no matter what life holds.

Ethan is one bright, dear boy who has been loving and affectionate from birth! He loves to make people laugh and is always saying "you're so funny" while he waves his hand forward at you (mimicking the grown-ups). He's doing well in school and seems to really enjoy how fun his teachers make it for him. He actually works VERY hard for a 4 year old from 8:30-3 every weekday, but his school is great at making him think he's just playing most of the time. He continues to be very motivated and it is obvious to everyone that he really wants to talk, so this is a good thing! The cochlear implant in his left ear is working well, but the jury's still out on how quality the sound is that he's receiving. Only time will tell as he progresses in speech and auditory skills. Since his right ear is completely deaf, we are hopeful his left ear will provide enough clarity for him to communicate verbally. It's a long, hard road, so we are learning patience in the process.



Levi is now 3, and likes to tell everyone so! He's my big boy helper and is always telling me his aspirations for when he's "big like Papa"... things like flying to the moon, riding in a hot air balloon, and drinking coffee. His goals in life are either grandiose or menial which I find very amusing! When he finds stickers around with words on them (like on bananas at the store) or opens fortune cookies, he informs me that it says we're going to the park that day, or that we're going to eat fruit snacks and go to the library. Funny little guy...he came up with this idea of event planning all on his own.




Judah is a strong little 20-month old in every way. Very tough when it comes to boos boos, and determined to get his way in all things (which has called for a lot of training for a boy his age!). He is too cute and has somehow learned to use that quality to his advantage, so I often have to hide my smile from him when his stubborness comes across as cute. He has achieved his goal of keeping up with his big brothers pretty well. People are always surprised how well he gets around the playground at his age!



In May, Jeff became interim pastor at a small Baptist church nearby, and he also joined the Army National Guard as a chaplain. He just finished up his month-long "boot camp" and accomplished things he hasn't done since his early twenties... 65 push-ups immediately followed by 46 sit-ups and a 15 minute 2-mile run!! Since I can barely do one push-up and am gasping for air after jogging about 20 feet, I am impressed to say the least! I am so proud of him for pushing himself as hard as he's had to in order to do so well on the physical side of things. He also went to Haiti this past summer with his unit for a few weeks, which gave him unique opportunities for ministry. So, we are thankful for these ministries the Lord has provided and for the church's support of his chaplaincy.



I am staying busy learning how to love and serve my husband (who I am learning is God's greatest gift to me besides salvation) and my children. I am not naturally self-disciplined, organized, or a lot of other things I would like to be as a homemaker, so I am thankful for grace and sanctification to become...better. I enjoy serving in our church by helping with nursery, singing, helping Jeff administratively, and also participating in the ladies' ministry. I am hoping to start a study with the ladies on the book called Becoming God's True Woman edited by Nancy Leigh de Moss. I am excited for the challenges this will pose to us all to become more like Christ.

We are still renting a small apartment, so would love to find a place we can call home for a while during our time here. We are dreaming of a bit larger place with the main qualification being that it has a large backyard for the boys to play in! And a garage without 2 flights of stairs to get to it (with 3 little boys and gear in tow) would be a nice perk as well! So, we'll see...

Overdue Updates...a few photos for starters!

These attempts at a photo shoot show uncanny insight into our boys' personalities:

Ethan - must be moving at ALL times, a bit bossy with his brothers, and a natural comedian and camera ham

Levi - compliant, patient, and determined amidst the chaos

Judah - whiney...err, maybe a little more positive description is needed; let's try "loves his mommy...a LOT!"

We LOVE our little rascals!

Ethan's Activation - Good News!

Here's Levi and Ethan with their cochear implants (Levi's fake of course)

Just a quick post to let everyone know that Ethan's cochlear implant activation last Monday (12/28) went well. With his particular hearing condition, it was not even certain that the implant would stimulate his hearing nerve...but it did! This was a huge answer to prayer, and the first big hurdle of a long journey.

He started back to school 2 days ago, and now we'll have to wait and see over the next several months just how well the implant is providing him access to sound. This will be monitored by his overall progress, including speech recognition and production. His audiologist did say 2 days ago that Ethan was doing quite a bit better than he had expected after only 1 week with the implant activated, so that was encouraging!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Ethan's Cochlear Implant Surgery

Thank you all for your support toward us over the past few weeks and prayers for Ethan. The Lord was gracious first of all in keeping Ethan healthy for his cochlear implant surgery two days ago on December 8th. Thank you for your faithful prayers for this.

The surgery did go well according to the doctor. Only a little fluid leaked from Ethan's cochlea when the hole was made for the implant, which means there is a possiblity Ethan could retain some of his residual or natural hearing that he had in his ear, which is usually not the case when implanted. As far as the overall success of the implant, we will begin to know that when they actually turn on or activate the implant on Dec 28th. There is reason to be hopeful.

We got home from the hosptial yesterday about 2pm. Ethan is beginning to get back to his normal self now that the initial heavy medicines have worn off. He is communicating, remembers well, and eating a little.

Two prayer requests for him during this intervening time are: 1) that he would not develop or maintain a fever over the next few days which could indicate infection (he has had a fever yesterday and today but that is likely normal), and 2) that the swelling from his incision would go down (he has had a little more than normal swelling at this point).

Other than that, he is in good spirits, and we are praising God that things have gone well.

Thanks for your love to us in Christ,
Jeff and Lisa

Last Post for Awhile...More Pics

Ethan's Crooked Camera Smile

The Butterfly House in St. Louis

Ethan and Levi playing in the beautiful fall leaves

More Plair Pics!

Glow-in-the-Dark Pajamas

Levi & Covey, Watching Bolt with the Woodell Family

Fruit Puff Misplaced!

A visit from our dear friends, the Woodells

More Fall Fotos

Balloon Parrot and Fishing Pole

"Jeff Jr." Getting Big!

Tony (dog-trainer) from America's Got Talent

Homemade Train with 55-gallon drums and a 4-wheeler

Levi LOVES blueberries!