The Hiester Family in a nutshell - a big one, like a coconut or something

We are a family of a whole bunch of random people, thrown together in one small house, who all happen to look alike. Each member of our family was hand-picked by God... that's the only explanation for the saga that is our family. Here's the story from the beginning... My husband, Todd, was married before me. His wife's name was Carrie, and together they had 3 kids: Tyler, Kurstin & Elissa. Todd's parents were divorced and his mother remarried. Her new husband, Don, had 2 small children: Ally & Wesley. Their natural mother was killed in a car accident when they were 8 & 11. One year later, they lost their dad and Todd and Carrie took them into their home. 6 months after Ally & Wesley were added to the household, Carrie died of cancer at age 26. Her own children were 3, 6 & 9 and Ally & Wesley were 10 & 13. And Todd was alone with them. Think Lord of the Flies. So when I fell in love with Todd, I got these 5 kids as a bonus. We married about a year and a half into our relationship, with the kids as our wedding party. We made it all official with an adoption lawyer and lots of money, ensuring that we are LEGALLY their parents. They even had to take oaths saying they would perform the duties of sons and daughters, which I think means I have someone to change my diapers when the time comes! After 2 years of marriage we added Robben Carey to the mix. And now we've welcomed Livi Claire...the seventh, and final, Hiester kid (unless, of course, God has other plans). Todd and I are 37 and 35, respectively, and our kids range in age from 1 to 21. It's great because we're cool and always the youngest in a crowd of high school parents.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Praises!

I have to take a moment to publicly praise God for some of the amazing changes/ growth in my pupils:
  1. Elissa told me this morning that when Satan tempts her she wants to "just punch him in the face".
  2. Kurstin has a strong desire to positively influence the people around her. She is especially concerned with her friends at Fairmont (her old school).
  3. Kurstin's self-evaluation skills are impressive.
  4. Both of the girls have grown by leaps and bounds in math, which has always been a source of confusion and frustration.
  5. Elissa has realized that she has the ability to figure things out... just because she doesn't know something doesn't mean she can't know it.
  6. Both girls have learned to think more deeply.
  7. Robben said the full alphabet this morning :)

The following is an example of Elissa's writing. She learned about the state of Pennsylvania, and wrote a letter to the Chamber of Commerce of Hershey.

The following is an exerpt from Kurstin's Scripture Journal. We start each day with a devotional and 5 minutes of journaling...

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1 comment:

  1. Tara Lyn HiesterFebruary 19, 2010 at 11:12 AM

    I love Kurstin's personal insight!! What a great personality trait for someone her age! :) Elissa, you are adorable, I think you have a talent for drawing :)
    Marianne, love,love,love the new blog layout!! Green being my favorite color and all! Um, do you think I could use any more exclamation points?! =)
    Tara

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