Caleb Cam- Doggie Boy!

Uncle Andy and Casey gave Caleb this super cute doggie hooded towel. It is a large towel, so I saved it for when he got a little bigger. He is finally growing into it and thinks it is so fun. I need to get video of him shaking his head around and the ears flopping like crazy. It's SO funny!

So, to Andy and Casey--- thanks for the laughs! And, thanks for the photography inspiration. These are for you two---taken with my NEW CAMERA and touched up on PhotoShop (my first baby steps with PhotoShop---don't laugh, Casey :-)

Blane turns 9!

On the 21st, Blane turned 9 years old! Boy, time flies! The Saturday before, we had a little party for him. The Brownes came down to celebrate. What a fun time! Blane's party theme was LEGOS. We had a Lego style cake, friends, and my parents. It was a great party. We are thankful to Grammy and Big Daddy and the Brownes for making the trek to Salado! On Wednesday (his actual birthday), Grandma and Doh-doh took him out to eat lunch and gave him a metal detector, with which he is frantically searching for buried treasure that has been "lost for 20 centuries...." We'll let you know when he hits pay dirt!

Lydia Browne and Caleb enjoyed playing together while the big kids partied.

Jessica and Drew gave Blane a slingshot...and he is LOVING it!

Happy Birthday, Blane!

Ally Beth's Make Over

Ally Beth is growing up so fast, too! We discovered this month that she needed glasses. Then, a week or so later, she lost her first top tooth. Her glasses make her look different, but so does the window in her mouth--- and because of her missing tooth, she is talking different, too! So, I feel like she's had a tmake over! This just reminds me how fast kids change and grow. I want to savor every moment with my kiddos!

Here's Ally Beth in her glasses, before losing the tooth:

And here's Ally Beth after losing her tooth...

Caleb Cam: almost 8 months!

All of the clicking sounds you hear are him making his favorite new noise!

Busti Family 2008 Year in Pictures

A recap of our December is two posts below complete with plenty of pics, so skip ahead if you want to see those.

This post contains a video I put together for our family's New Year time of prayer and dedication that we have with the kids each New Year. This time is kind of like Israel's "Stones of Remembrance" when Israel (led by Joshua) gathered stones from the middle of the Jordan to remind them of God's faithfulness to His People.

Every year, some time around the New Year, Tony and the kids and I look back at our photos of the past year and remember God's faithfulness. In light of His faithfulness to our family, we look forward to the year ahead, complete with its unknowns and surprises. God will be faithful, no matter what 2009 holds! He is Sovereign! Hallelujah!

Usually, we just pull out our photo albums, but this year, I haven't printed any pictures since August (oops!), so I went digital with our 2008 photo remembrance. Gina wanted to see this video program in action, so I'm really posting it for her, but it is here for you to enjoy it as well, if you'd like!

To explain some happenings- we went to Florida in Jan to visit the McGees, the kids each got new bikes, we moved to Salado, we endured a tornado in Salado and were protected (though there was much damage outside), Blane and Ally Beth both accepted the Lord this summer, we watched a lot of Olympics, and Tony started med school.

Hello, 2009!

Happy New Year to all! We had a great New Year celebration in Killeen. Tony's brother, Andy, and girlfriend, Casey, were in from Colorado (via Vermont, where they spent Christmas). We had a fun celebration New Year's Eve around the fire pit. The kids LOVED playing with their cousins, including the girls staying at our house for two nights and Blane staying at Grandma's with the boy cousins.

On New Year's Day, we gathered at Tony's parents and had our annual gift exchange (Secret Santa Style). The kids love doing this! Then, we played Bunco. We had such a nice time together-----Andy, that was the BEST turkey I've ever eaten! Yum!

The worst part is.....I DIDN'T TAKE A SINGLE PICTURE! UGH!!! So, any of you Bustis that have pictures of our great time together, e-mail them to me so I can put them on the blog!

Anyway, HAPPY NEW YEAR, friends!