Saying Goodbye to 2016- November/December Review

November began with the maiden voyage of our new trailer! Cherry Valley Campground was the destination.:)

We arrived safe and sound! The first trip pulling the trailer was a success, praise the Lord!!:)

Joshua ready for the day!

What a blessing to find a trailer that sleeps the entire family!

Hannah slept in her playpen....

Lunchtime with the siblings...

We had a nice little setup for breakfast and dinner outside.:)

Enjoying a snack with big brother Daniel!

We enjoyed bike riding around the campground!

And of course, it wouldn't be a camping trip without some action!;)

A happy camper:)

A little music to liven up the trailer, please?:)

Breakfast....

Swimming! Always a fun past-time!

Evie learned some more about swimming on this trip. She's not quite there but she definitely gets an A for effort and enthusiasm.;)

On the way back home, we stopped by Oma's house to show her the trailer and had lunch.:)

 Having tea and cookies at the Brockmeier's home. We got to use real China!

 Evie was pretty excited to have tea and use tea in such fancy dishes!

Ryan's birthday was the day before Thanksgiving. This year it was Chinese food: Orange Chicken and Chow Mein!:) Happy 22nd Birthday, Ryan! We love you!!

Thanksgiving Day was very busy this year but everybody pitched in and helped making the work very light!:) It sure is a blessing to have so many willing workers around when one needs help!

The stuffing crew!

This one needed a little training....

The guys did an excellent job and were very organized!:)

 We had two tables this year to accommodate our family and guests!:) How thankful we are to have family.

 Dad carved the turkey....

 As we did last year, we were able to have our friends, Alma and Ellia over for the meal, as well as a friend from Alma's Bible college. We enjoyed getting to see them again and visit!

 The Tostada (Estrada) family came too, and here we girl cousins were taking a picture together.:)

 Uncle Victor and Aunt Kim retelling how the Lord brought them together. This was especially fun as Uncle Victor really knows how to keep his audience's attention and provide just the right amount of comic relief without compromising the truth!;)

 The next day the young people went to the beach for some exercise!:)

And of course no beach trip is complete without swimming.:)

Next was Evie's birthday! She requested a carrot cake with gummie bears.;) Needless to say it was a custom order.;)

Happy 5th Birthday, Evangeline Grace!!:) Our little girl is growing fast!;)

 This year we helped out with the Living Nativity!

 I helped in the sewing division with the wardrobe.

Here is the sewing crew: Mrs. Martin, Myself and Mrs. Garcell! It was really good to see them again and visit!

We saw many familiar faces! Here we grabbed a quick picture with Mrs. Martha Allen. She and the boys used to work on the bus ministry together.

Sidewalk Greeters in costume:)

Daniel in the wood shop with some friends...

Isaiah arresting Daniel for encouraging rebellion....

They had a petting zoo much to Evie's delight.....

The second night, Daniel and Isaiah switched places.....

Button making booth.....

Evie's favorite Bible characters!!:) "Jofes, Mary and Baby Jesus!"

We decided to make some dresses for conference.

 Caytlin working on a rounded collar for her dress....

 The week before conference, we were invited to help make cookies for the conference with the young people.

 We made chocolate chip, sugar, snickerdoodles, pecan coconut, hot chocolate, and sprinkle cookies to name a few!;)

 Dipping peanut butter balls and oreo balls in chocolate.....

Our cookie making crew! We had a great time together!

 The conference was held in Burbank, CA. This is an aerial view from our hotel room. We arrived at the Shadow Hills Meeting Friday night for dinner and prayer before heading over to check in for the night.

Some sleepy bundles-our rooms were very nice and comfy. Dad and Mom shared a suite with the five youngest and the five older ones were split amongst the other young people.

 Ready for the meetings!

 The breakfast crew. We helped set-up breakfast along with others each morning.:)

 In between meetings, this lobby was filled with activities, such as ping pong, piano playing, air hockey, and lots of fellowship!!:)

We all attended the meetings and the little ones did a great job sitting through them.

Evangeline and her friend Katie! Some families came as far as Mexico to attend the conference.

Hannah enjoying the slide during a break, in the playroom.

The dining room....

 The bookstore....

Each night, we had a young people's sing and short talk. The older brothers who shared really encouraged us to live for the Lord now, and make the most of the time that He has given us.

There were about 600+ people that attended the conference and it was a really good time of fellowship, encouragement, and exhortation!!

 After the conference we all went to Zuma Beach and had lunch, a sing, and a short talk before playing volleyball and swimming. We were then all invited to the Shadow Hills meeting for dinner and their weekly night meeting.

 The final event we attended was a young people's hike in Indio hosted by the Jacobson family. It was a wonderful time to enjoy God's creation as well as have fellowship with the others.:)

 It was a lot of fun as we got to go up through the canyons and climb ladders at certain points! We had lunch at the top before heading back down.

 Heading back down through the canyons on a different trail...

 Climbing those ladders was an adventure as they were a bit precarious...

 A sibling picture.:)

 A refreshing smoothie after a 5 mile hike! We had a great time!!:)

Analyzing the vitamin content of the smoothies.....:)

And after a lovely, tiring but fun day, the Jacobson's invited everybody to a spaghetti dinner at their home.:)

Many more have been the adventures of the Sebo family, but as you see the year is now gone. So we will now turn our attention to 2017....

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness. They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: and the little hills rejoice on every side. The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered over with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing.

                                                                                                                       Psalm 65:11-13