Greetings friends, I am writing to my family and friends to tell you about a unique missions trip opportunity I am a part of. I will be boarding a Missionary Flights International (M.F.I.) flight August 17th. with a group of other short term workers, to fly down to Grande-Rivière Haiti. I will be working, with the rest of the team, for a week to build new bunk beds for the boys who live at the Hope International Missions (H.I.M.) orphanage. I am very excited about the trip and have been busy preparing to go. Tasha and I have been sorting donations for the past two months that have come into H.I.M. for Haiti, and it is a very special privilege for me, that I now have the chance to be a part of the team taking the supplies to Haiti. Tasha and I are leaving bright and early Monday morning to go to Miami to finalize my passport. Pray for us we have a lot of paperwork to finish. You can be an arm extended by helping me to finance this trip, I need to raise about $500.00 to $700.00 for this trip. I am trusting that God will supply this need through your generosity and continued prayer. I look forward to seeing what God has in store. God Bless.

Donations can be sent directly to:
Greg Quakenbush
P.O. Box 1065
Hobe Sound, Fl 33475

Please e-mail any questions to:
gregq122@gmail.com

So Much to Catch Up On....

I have so many things to catch you up on. Our going away party, our trip here, Skyler's birthday party, pictures of life here, etc.... Hopefully I can do that soon. Right now the biggest news is that Greg is going on a work trip to Haiti to build bunk beds for the orphans. We will be getting his passport, Lord willing, on Monday. He still needs to raise the funds to go, but God knows that, and He will supply! Please pray for us as we have lots of things to do between now and the time he leaves. I will post more soon! Thank you!

Happy Father's Day to One Great Papa!!!! :-)

( This picture was taken before we left on our trip to FL)

Happy Father's Day Gregory Daniel! You are an awesome dad. Very involved, loving, caring, tender, not afraid to cut-up.... You are the spiritual leader of our home, and I thank you for that! We truly are blessed to have you in our lives! I hope that your day is very special. We love you VERY much!

F- for all the love you show each child.
A- awesome, you are one of a kind.
T- thank you for not just saying that you care, but showing it too!
H- head of our home, not just a title, but something that you take seriously!!
E- eternity, you want your life to matter for eternity.
R- role model, a Godly role model you strive to be!

~We love you very much, and I am thankful that you are the Father of my children.

All My Love,
Tasha

Emma's Dedication

We had Emma dedicated in May at our home church. We wanted it to be done by our pastor (Dan York) before we moved to Florida.


Standing in front of the church.


Pastor York holding Emma Jane.


Presenting us with Emma's first bible. It is a pink New Testament.


The dress that Emma wore is the same one that Elliana wore on her dedication.






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Here are a couple extra shots- just for fun!! :-)






I will try to put more posts as soon as I can. We are hoping to head out to Florida either on Sunday or Monday, so we will see! Please pray for our family, for safety on the highway, if God brings us to your mind! Thank you!

New Header....

I was playing around with "print shop" tonight and came up with this new header for the blog, let me know what you think.... I like it, (even if I do say so myself...) lol..

~ Emma, not quite 2 months old

Please Pray

We are asking all of our blogger friends and family to please pray for our family as we have some really important decisions to make. God is in control, this much we are sure of. Thank you for taking the time to pray for us!!!!
*******
On a lighter note, Emma went for her 2 month check-up today and weighed in at 12 lbs. 5 ozs. and 24 in. long. ( She won't actually be 2 mos. until the 18th.) She is growing waaay too fast, but very glad that she is a healthy girl. :-)

This and That....

My best friend Elizabeth got this cute little jumper for Emma.




Daddy and Emma's sweet little hand.



I love this little jean dress of Emma's.



We were privileged to celebrate Greg's 39th Birthday in April.




Elliana was sick for close to a week, and spent most of it on the couch.




Wes is a very happy, busy two year old!! :-)



Daddy "playing" with Emma!!




This is an outfit that a couple from our church got baby Emma.




My Mama got this cute outfit for Emma. It says "Kiss Me" on the bottom of the feet.



All three of the older boys on a hike with Daddy for school to collect things for their diorama. Cory is hidden behind the the greenery. ;-)




Tanner and Cory celebrated their birthday in April as well. Tanner is now 12, and Cory is 9.


~Emma is now 7 wks. old, and weighed in at the Dr. yesterday at 11 lbs. 12 ozs. Time is already going waaay to fast. We are just eating her up. Our family already wouldn't be the same without her. ~

Tanner Joe!! Now 12.



Skyler Morgan, 10 years old.



Cory Jean. 9 years old.



Elliana and Emma Jane.



What a smile!!



Our Handsome little two year old. "Alfred Wesley"

Mommy spending some time with Baby Emma.



Welcome to ~Emma Jane Quakenbush~ Born at 3:29 P.M. 9 lbs. 2 1/2 oz. 22 1/2 inches long.



Daddy and Emma.

I will post more later, we have visiters. LOL ;~)

9:40a.m. ~ They just turned Tasha's IV up as high as it can go to prepare her for an epidural. Then they are ready to break her water. She's getting a little bit frustrated at this point. We were hoping to be further along, but once her water is broke, she always progresses quickly. We value your prayers.

Maybe a little after lunch????????????????????????

Tasha is doing okay, we finally fished all the paperwork about 2:00 A.M. and by 4:00 Am she was having heavy contractions every 2 to 3 minutes. So much for getting any sleep, Poor thing, she is SOOO tired. Things are progressing, not as fast as we would like, but at least we are moving in the right direction.

It was a fun night having family prayer time before bed.



The four older kids wanted to lay hands on Mommy and Baby and pray for safety. It was a very special time.



Elliana praying for Baby sister,,,, she is SOOO excited to see her.



We are finally ready to go. It might be a long night, but I think we are ready for it.



Needles! Tasha really doesn't like those things, but it is a necessary evil.
I will try to post more as time permits.

Tasha says I will have to learn to share the part of my heart reserved for baby girls with the new baby. Right now it seems pretty full.



That being said, about one nanosecond after new baby arrives, Daddies heart will grow again. Then I will have plenty of room.



Daddy and Elliana, we are the best of buddies! ;~)



Our new blessing (otherwise known as a ford 15 passenger van.) We were out enjoying the warmer weather, ready to take a walk down to the Flowers for an impromptu cookout.

Mommy and baby number six, **** **** Quakenbush, (sorry, you have to wait till she is born to find out her name.) LOL.



Mommy looking very beautiful, pregnant! We are getting ready to bring baby home.
We are excited to welcome our new little girl home.

Happy Valentine's Day, Love!!!

I am extremely greatful for God allowing my path to cross Gregory Daniel's. He truly is a blessing to me in soooo many ways. We met 13 years ago at my cousin Monica and her soon to be husband's (John Myers) wedding. Greg walked me down the aisle in their wedding, and little did WE know, we would be doing the same thing ourselves 2 years later, in the same church!!! God, however, had a plan for our lives. For that, I am thankful. Greg is a man of God first and foremost. He loves the Lord, and strives to do God's will and share the love of God with others. He is a wonderful father. He is very involved in our children's lives, and teaches them the love of God every day in one way or another. (I 'm sure as our new little one makes her arrival, and we have our even "half a dozen", you will be just as wonderful with her too!!!) :-) God knew that Greg was exactly what I needed as a husband. He not only loves me for who I am, but he excepts me just as I am. God has helped us through the difficult times to draw closer to Him, and to one another. We are committed to one another come what may, for God is the Head of our home. I am VERY excited to see what God has in store for our family as we strive to serve Him!! Thank you Gregory for choosing me to spend forever with!! I love you dearly!!!!!

I Love Brownies!!

My wife made these wonderful brownies the other day. Very tasty!
She used her mini loaf pampered chef stone (pan) anyway, they turned out very good. Thanks Sweety!

Long list for the New Year....

The New Year holds lots of things for our family this year....
We start back to school (homeschooling) on January 4th.
We get to celebrate Wesley's 2nd birthday on January 8th.
Greg starts his new class on January 12th.
In the midst of all of this going on we are trying to prepare for our new little one's arrival in March.
We have also, as a family, signed up to be the team leader's on a TLC (Touching Lives for Christ) short-term missions trip this summer. We are super excited about this possible opportunity. (More to come later on that subject.)

God has given us soooo many blessings this year it would be hard to recall each and every one. We found out that my dad had lung cancer this year, and it would seem that after surgery he is doing really well physically. Wesley was badly burned by the iron, 1st and 2nd degree burns in June, and the only sign that it ever happened is a couple of light scars. We are extremely greatful. We had the priviledge of another Quakenbush Family Reunion this summer, where I was able to meet some of Greg's family for the first time. My cousin Bud passed away this year, and while our hearts grieve here on earth for his absence, I am sooo thankful that just six weeks before he died he accepted Christ into his heart. God has been present in every situation, even those times when it seemed hard to feel His presence. He never leaves nor forsakes, and for that I TRULY am thankful.

This new year will bring challenges I am sure. For as long as we serve Christ, the enemy will be sure to throw obstacles our way. But I know that through the tough times, the hard and difficult trying times, that this is when Christ shines through us if we allow Him to. I want to make Jesus look so attractive to a hurting and dying world that they know exactly where to turn during these difficult times. By God's grace this will be another year of reflection on His undying love and mercy, come what may. May each of you have a blessed New Year!!!