Christmas Joy

I posted pictures of Amelia Josephine earlier today, but am including them again in this post because she is such a beautiful and precious gift to our family. She was born at 11:19 p.m. on December 22, less than an hour before her Daddy's birthday. Another miracle baby joins our family and we are blessed beyond our understanding!

Amelia - fresh from heaven

Laura and her new daughter

Happy Dad!

Bill's mom was back at the hospital today for a short surgical procedure. I was able to show her a picture of Amelia - first time I've seen her get teary in the last six weeks! She was beaming and wrote 'feel her' on a pad of paper. I asked if she meant 'hold her' and she pointed to 'feel her' three times. It was a precious moment.

I enjoyed supper out with 'sister' Beckie - hadn't seen her since before her trip to CA. It's always great to spend time with her!


Kenny loved his new sweatshirt....it's a joke that started with Ty :)


We celebrated Christmas with our family last night - minus Laura & Ben who were busy at the hospital birthing their daughter :). We began by spending some time with Grandma before heading back to our house for snacks, gifts, and dinner. It's one of our favorite days of the year!



Steve and Lynn invited us for supper Sunday night - yummy!! Had a wonderful, relaxing evening with them and their kids.

Ty - getting a little more forgiving of his grandma with her camera....

Tori's collection of webkinz

Bill loves his blanket from Tori!

Lynn's new vehicle - nice!

We spent Saturday evening with lots of friends, thanks to the hospitality of Jim and Nan. Special time!

Gail liked the punch!

Karen, Nels, me

Jim is an excellent pianist

One final note - a week ago a wonderful friend named Cheryl called to say she'd like to bring over a meal. She sent a BOX FULL of food that fed us for a week! Her gift allowed us more time to spend with Bill's mom, our family, and our friends. It's amazing how kind folks can be. Thank you, Cheryl - and all the others who have shown us great care and concern. We are incredibly blessed.

This picture gives you a good idea of the amount of snow we've had - beautiful!

May you always find a path to the home of a friend!


Christ-mas Blessings !

Amelia !!

Amelia Josephine was born healthy and well at 11:19 Seattle time last night! She weighs 7 # and 8 oz. and is 20 inches long. What a blessing to Laura and Ben and our family!

She is a beautiful gift from God!

Trust me....more pictures will be posted soon - Just wanted to share our joy!

Quick Update

Just posting a few pictures taken this week.....

Tori's Christmas program at church was last Sunday evening. That's her on the top row - two people in from the three 'sheep' on the right :)

My beloved sister Denise came on Monday and cleaned my entire house! What a tremendous gift to me during this busy season. She's amazing!


Tuesday afternoons are spent with Abby, Sophie, and Noah. I stayed on a bit this week and Bill joined us all for supper. It was wonderful to have some added time with them!

Sophie, Abby, and Noah coloring dinosaurs

Sophie decorating Christmas cookies

Abby busy decorating

Noah loves to help in the kitchen :)

Grandpa reads a story - that's Abby on the left, Noah up top (of course), and Sophie on the right.

Tom and Sophie

Bedtime stories after bath time

One final story from Dad before bed

I love my 'Tori time' on Wednesdays! I have a two-week winning streak in beating her in Uno - that's unusual, as she has been the Uno Queen since she was about three years old!

I enjoyed lunch with Margie and Rick on Thursday. Beckie and Ricki are now safely back from their trip to California to visit family and friends.


Then it was over to Byron Christian for the 6th - 8th grade Christmas program. Deven is just left of center in the top row - the blond not looking at the choir director :)


Thursday night was supper at Pete's here in town. I missed a picture of the gang, but here's a nice on of friend Bob and Bill.....

We had a massive snow storm overnight on Thursday, causing the cancellation of all schools - including the pre-school where Abby, Sophie, and Noah were to present their Christmas program :( But the snow is beautiful!

Bill's tracks in our driveway Friday morning

Love it!!!!

One final note - Ice and snow have nearly paralyzed the city of Seattle! Laura sent these pictures that Ben took from their apartment - can't even see the water which is right out front!

Seattle has very few snow plows and sand trucks, and the snow and ice keep most of the folks indoors and off the streets. Laura is 39 weeks pregnant - it could be an interesting trip to the hospital if she goes into labor and the predicted storm arrives over the weekend. . . . But all is well - God is there.

Enjoy your festivities as we celebrate the birth of Jesus!

GRAND Kids!

We have such wonderful grandkids! This post is all about them and some precious moments with them during the past week.

The first is sweet Tori. She loves horses and she had a great time looking at all the stuff in the western store we went to on Wednesday. Sure love my bit of time with her each week!

I web chatted with Laura and Ben on Wednesday night and took this shot of my computer screen showing Laura's belly that is holding grandbaby # 8:) Won't be long now!


Anna took the kids to see Great-Grandma on Thursday. Noah decided he wanted to give the wrapping paper he painted to her instead of using it for gifts. Anna had it laminated and he presented it to Great-Grandma. He was really proud of it and the painting is decorating her wall.
The kids sang to her and took turns holding her hand.

Sweet Abby

Sweet Sophie

Bill's mom was moved from the hospital to a nursing home on Friday afternoon. It was a short but tiring trip for her. Your prayers for her are deeply appreciated.

Prior to getting Mom moved, I had lots of fun with Abby, Sophie, and Noah in downtown Holland while Anna enjoyed a Christmas lunch with colleagues from Hope College. I picked the kids up from pre-school and they had some time to play in the snow before we headed for lunch.

Sophie

Abby

Sophie

Our favorite dessert - hand dipped ice cream bars!

And of course, we couldn't be in downtown without a stop at our favorite candy store :)

Sunday night Tori was in the Christmas program at their church. That's her - top row, second from the right.


The program was packed with upbeat music. Tori is in the top row, fifth from the right. The audio is better than the video, but you'll get the idea.

Tori has a great giggle! Here she is having fun with Lynn. The guys are a little more camera-weary and it's hard to get shots of them. Maybe next time........


It's Steve and Lynn's anniversary tomorrow - 19 years! What a great couple - we love and appreciated them both so much. They are wonderful in every way!


This last picture was taken of Anna and the kids all holding Great-Grandma's hand. Precious.

If Mom could speak, I think she'd sing this song:

Precious Lord, take my hand,
Lead me on, help me stand,
I am tired, I am weak, I am worn.
Through the storm, through the night,
Lead me on to the light.
Take my hand, precious Lord,
Lead me home.

Christmas Cheer

Because Bill's mom is in the hospital and we like to spend time with her, we have chosen to eliminate the usual decorating and hoopla that usually takes up so much of our time during the Christmas season. Instead, we are spending our time with family and friends as much as possible.

The Christmas season was ushered in with the arrival of Sinterklaas in Holland. Tori went with us to have supper with Tom and Anna and the kids, followed by a trip to the Peanut Store, the Sinterklaas procession, and yummy hot chocolate. It was a wonderful evening!

The Bonnema family gathered on Saturday evening. Ron and Mary and kids transformed their garage into a beautiful setting for a great meal, lots of laughter, and room for the kids to play. We could hardly believe all the work they put into making the evening so special!

Ron and Mary

Mary's men :)

Brianna, Tori, Mya, Kendra

Lots of time was given to making the place look beautiful :)

Tony made me promise to post this picture of him with the infamous rice pudding :)

We went from the Bonnema party to Chuck and Gail's to spend a bit of time with great friends.

The gals

The guys

Chuck was my very best friend in high school - he was always caring, honest, and a reliable sounding-board. Wish everyone could have such a great friend to walk with them through the rough years of high school......

Still buddies after all these years :)

Sunday night was at Steve and Lynn's for coffee. This is a random shot of Deven after youth group.


On Monday I treated myself to a visit with my friends Grady and Gerry. They are members of Joy Club, but have not been able to join us lately. They are such great folks and I had a wonderful hour with them - they inspire and encourage me!


Monday evening we brought flowers to some friends from church. It turned into a songfest of traditional Burundi Christmas and folk songs - upbeat and joy-filled! There were several songs we sang together - we in English and they in Kirundi.

Adelfine and Anastasia are members of our church

Selestine, Nestor, Theogin, Annamarie

This short video will give you an idea of the festive atmosphere....

Kellie is the coordinator from church who has helped them adjust to American culture and language, drives them to appointments, and handles their paperwork. She is amazing!

Learning to dance Burundi style :)

Tuesday Time with Triplets is always fun! The first pictures are of the wrapping paper the kids decorated for the gifts they'll be giving.
Noah - silly picture of him, but he was sure proud of his Christmas tree!

Sweet Abby

Sweet Sophie

Silliness and giggles :)

This disco ball added to the decorations at the Bonnema Christmas party.....

May your Christmas season be colorful and bright -
may it be filled with wonder and anticipation,
family and friends,
joy and celebration.


The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God,
Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:2 & 6