Snow in South Carolina????

Yes, it's true - We had about 5-6 inches of snow this month! It was so exciting to see it again. Yes, I have been a little envious of all the wonderful snow that my parents and family have had this year though I truly don't miss the shoveling or the danger that comes with it. That is what is so perfect about it here - It came, it laid, we played, and then it melted - truly we had no shoveling to do! Also, the snow on the trees here is beautiful - It is unlike back home since the trees are different here.
Kira was in her glory since the same weekend Andrew had been invited to go with our friends and their son to North Carolina to sled, go tubing, and ski. I think she was kinda bummed that Andrew was going to get to play in the snow and she wasn't. You should have seen her face the evening it started - you would have thought it was the most wonderful surprise anyone could have given her. Even though we have many pictures of her in the snow when we lived back in Pa., I truly don't think she remembers it much. She was only 3-1/2 when we moved here so I am sure her memory of snow is pretty shaded.
The pictures are truly a treasure of her priceless expressions and the true joy on her face. How much I love this incredible daughter of mine - she is a treasure and a joy!!
Even though Samson was shivering, he did not want to come inside - he grew up on this stuff :)

Dave had a great time playing with the kids and having snowball fights - some of the kids here have never seen snow before, made me a little sad. And this is what I get for trying to take some memorable photos of this wonderful day :P
This is how a snowman is supposed to look like - only someone from Cleveland, OH could make a snowman this big :) For those that do not know, Dave is 6'4" -- Our snowman was like 8 or 9 feet!!

Oh and poor Andrew had so much snow, that he could not even go skiing since the windchill was -4 degrees. He had a ball tubing and sledding though and even more fun checking out the indoor pool and yummy food that the Poor family had given him all weekend - Thank you Tim, Tammy, and Tyler for taking Andrew on a wonderful snow-filled adventure! He loved it and I just love him more than words can express :) I'll have to post some pics of him later!

The Old Exchange Building and the Dungeon......

It is always a privilege for me to go on the kids field trips. This time it was Andrew's turn on Wednesday, the 10th. He is learning history and what was neat is that this trip was all about the history of Charleston, South Carolina. It was cool for me since we did not grow up here to learn about the city that we have called home for the past 3-1/2 years. Now, with that said, the day of the field trip was an absolutely freezing cold day and we went on a walking scavenger hunt all around the city. By the end of the day, the kids (and the parent chaperones) were freezing - good thing the last part of the trip was to go to CiCi's for warm pizza and brownies for lunch. It is always a fun time for me because I have made some really great friends with some of the mom's in the 3rd grade class. They are always fun and uplifting and I will truly miss them when we move - (Lord-willing, that will be very soon)!! Thank you to Tammy, Kathy, and Shannon for always making field trips even better -- I love you guys!
Here are Kathy and Shannon and me at the Christmas party for the 3rd grade -- unfortunately I don't have any pics of me and Tammy - I will work on that :)

Another joyous birthday at the Bernetich home...

Yes, another one!!! This time it was Andrew's turn. This amazing little boy of ours turned 9 on Feb 4th. What a blessing he is to us. He makes us laugh (and cry sometimes), gives me the world's best (and tightest) hugs, and is very smart!! We are so blessed God gave him to us to be his parents. For his birthday, we decided to wake him up early with a very pretty rendition of the "happy birthday" song - If you would ever like to hear this beautiful rendition, just ask us - we will be happy to sing it to you - lol :). He had breakfast with lots of kisses from his mommy, and then went off to school. I was able to meet him at school and bring him McDonald's which is a huge treat since we really are not very into fast food or McD's. I also brought him some yummy cupcakes to share with his class as well as some goody bags for them. We decided not to do a big birthday party for Andrew this year since we are trying to stay focused on the mission God has called us to - to raise support to go to Texas with Gospel for Asia. I think he was a bit disappointed but he got very spoiled the day of his birthday, so I think it was ok ;) We took him to CiCi's for pizza that night for dinner which is always a treat!
We came home, opened his gifts and just enjoyed each other as a family!



What was pretty neat is since we all were completely stuffed from CiCi's, we extended his birthday to the next day and had his cake then. Soo yummy!

What an awesome blessing it was to make our son feel like a king -- he is so special to us and we pray he always knows that!!! Happy Birthday to our son!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Dave!!!

January 30, 1971 is a date that I will never forget for it is the date that God chose as the birthday of the man made just for me!! My Dave!! He is so strong, so handsome, he is my best friend, my lover, my soul-mate. I cannot begin to even share what this amazing man means to me. He is the spiritual leader of our home, my encourager, my teacher, the best daddy ever, and the one that makes me laugh like no other - He is my husband and I adore him. I am so grateful that God made Dave for me.
This past Saturday we were able to celebrate Dave for his birthday. I got up, and the kids and I made him breakfast. He opened his cards and gifts - unfortunately one of my gifts was not done right now - I am planning to frame a print for him. We played the Wii (hmmm, is there a common theme for birthdays in our house?) and went to church that night. Of course, we had an amazing yummy dinner at Santi's Mexican restaurant after church - did I mention they have the best dish of shrimp and garlic with an avocado spicy salad dip -- wow, was it my birthday - haha - I digress, and we finished up the day with a wonderful and very yummy ice cream cake.
Again, I truly love birthdays and believe the person whose birthday it is should be able to feel like a king or queen on that day!! I sure do hope Dave had a wonderful day (it was a bummer b/c I have been battling sinus issues and did not feel all that great that day!) because we all think he surely deserves it!!
We love you hunny!!!!!! Happy Birthday to you! And in true Bernetich family fashion, a silly face picture to start the day - :P

Train up a child

Proverbs 22:6 - Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.
This is a verse I am clinging to this week. Our hearts were broken this week when our son chose to sin and with sinning he tried to get others to do it too. It was a tough week but we are so grateful for teachers and aides that love us and love our children. It has been a tough lesson for Andrew to learn what is right in the sight of God but we are grateful for his heart and his sincere remorse. As a parent it is tough to discipline and see your child disciplined, but God promises in His Word that if we are faithful, He will be faithful to lead and guide our children. It is our complete prayer that Andrew grows into a man of faith who first and foremost loves Jesus with all his heart. Until that time that he is old enough to choose right decisions on his own, we will be there to lovingly guide and discipline him as needed.
I am trying to remember as parents, we are learning everyday too. We are certainly not perfect but praise God each day brings a new and restored day of learning for us and loving our children more deeply and bringing them to a point of love and loving Jesus!!

Happy Birthday to Me :)

I love birthdays - I think everyone should be made to feel extra special on their birthday since it does only come around once a year :D God is so good to me - 35 years - where does the time go? All in all I have to say that getting older does not make me sad - it actually makes me joyful especially in knowing that God has something awesome prepared for those who love Him (1 Corinthians 2:9). I am so grateful for 35 years of love and the most amazing family and friends one could ask for!!
The day of my birthday was lovely!! Dave and the kids woke me up early for a very yummy breakfast and then they let me take a nap (for those that know me, know I love to sleep - part of that I think is because I work nights), I got up, we played the Wii together, and went out for a very nice dinner. It was a wonderful day -- oh and did I mention I got the best gift ever!!!!! A SNUGGIE!!!!!! I love it - I am always cold and this gift truly was a wonderful gift that was just for me!! Here I am in all my glory (in the early morning - forgive the pics - haha) modeling my beloved snuggie :)

Happy New Year!!!

2010 - Wow, where does the time go? Wasn't it just yesterday that I was standing at the front door waiting to go to my first day of kindergarten? Wasn't it just yesterday that I was 10 years old and so excited that I was finally 2-digits (my dad's rule) so I could get my ears pierced? Wasn't it just yesterday, I had all the excitement and nervousness of a young lady who was getting ready to make the big move and attend high school? Wasn't it just yesterday that I was picking out colleges and hanging with my friends just being silly? Wasn't it just yesterday that I met the man of my dreams and married him? Wasn't it just yesterday that I gave birth to our first amazing child, a boy? Wasn't it just yesterday that I was enthralled to be delivering a baby girl? Wasn't it just yesterday...
As I look back at all the years of our lives, truly God has been so faithful to me and our family - He has carried us through so much and continues to love us and mold us to what He wants us to be! It is my prayer that for 2010, we fall so much more in love with our Savior, Jesus, and that we would have the desire to boldly speak His name to those who don't know Him.
Life is truly a gift and each new day and year is a blessing from God. Not one of us is guaranteed another minute to live. It is my prayer that when I have finished the race that has been set before me by God, that He will say "Well done, thou good and faithful servant"
Here's to an amazing new year of loving more, organizing more, cleaning more, living more healthy, and loving our Savior more deeply than we have ever known possible for it is by Him each new year is a possibility!!