February Rewind

We're back from a wonderful visit with Laura and Ben and Amelia in Pasadena! It was Bill's first trip there and it was great for him to see where they live and some of their favorite places.

We were able to spend time with several friends - lunch with Anna's sister Martha and her children on Friday followed by a trip to the zoo. On Saturday our friend Tricia invited us to her beautiful home for tea and on Sunday we had supper with Ben's brother Dan and his wife Elissa and their two boys. It was great to see so many friends over the short weekend we were there.

Ben ran in the Pasadena Marathon and impressed all of us with a time of 3:14 for the 26 mile race! We were able to see him pass by at several locations and he was going strong to the end. Amazing.

The pictures will give you an idea of all the fun we had. Amelia is growing and learning so quickly! We're thankful for another opportunity to spend time with her and Laura & Ben, of course.

These short video clips will show what a delightful and fun-loving girl Amelia is - this first clip is for Grandma Jo L. :)

We enjoyed spending time with many other friends and family since my last post. This first picture is of one of our small groups out for dinner on the 13th.

It was great to have Ron & Bonnie join us - it had been too long since we'd seen them.


We enjoyed lunch with friends Steve and Michele on the 14th :)


This is not a great picture, but Tori is a great dancer!


This is a shot of our friends John & Jo as we 'toast' Amelia, our shared granddaughter, with the 'world's smallest sundaes' - February 15


Abby and Sophie had lots of fun in the snow - Tuesday, the 16th.

Sophie (I think :) at soccer

This last picture is of Amelia's shoes....

May your feet take you to many fun and exciting places!

Sweet and Nutty

Last Saturday evening we celebrated the birthdays of both Dick (Jan. 22) and Bill (Feb. 25). Jacque offered the traditional toast, which is always done with dessert, not champagne. As always, we cherish the time we have with them.


A stop to check on brother-in-law Dave was extra nice with an opportunity to see two of our beautiful nieces, Emily and Laiya.


Sunday noon we celebrated the birthday of Abby, Sophie, and Noah with a family dinner.

Sunday night Super Bowl party at church....


Tuesday afternoon was great fun with our grandkids in Holland.

Sophie with her doll
dressed in her birthday gift from Aunt Lynn and Uncle Steve

Abby & Sophie

Silly Noah

Dinner out with Steve & Lynn's family....

Bill & Deven

Deven & Ty

Tori (and Bill!) had a snow day on Wednesday, so we had some unexpected fun with Tori. She made a great bunk bed for her little stuffed animals.

Tori and I had a fun 'visit' with Laura and Amelia via computer. Amelia managed to entertain us the whole time :)


On Friday I went to Rick & Beckie's for coffee and got to meet their new puppy.....

Rickilyn gets lots of kisses

Bill and I spent Friday evening with our grandkids in Holland. We had a special Raclette dinner, a tradition introduced by my German friends. It was yummy!

The kids love Grandpa!

Sophie with the cookies the kids decorated

Hugs for Grandpa

Rickilyn made this placque for Rick & Beckie for Christmas. It says it all....

....a few nuts in every family
but I love both the sweet and nutty ones in our clan!

Three Grandkids Turn Six and Other Joys

Six years ago today we were blessed by the birth of three grandchildren - Abby, Sophie, and Noah. The weeks following their births were filled with ups and downs, progress and setbacks. It would have been much easier for all of us if we knew then that they would be such healthy, bright, and energetic kids today (as Anna always knew deep in her heart). They are miracles and a source of great joy, as are all of our grandkids. We thank God for each of them!

The pictures give you an idea of their fragility back on Feb. 5, 2004 and their vitality today. We will forever be grateful to the incredible staff in the NICU and especially to our gracious God, the Giver of Life.

Abby Jane

Sophie Grace

Noah Robert

The family is together at home at last - March 18, 2004


This is a shot of dress-up on Tuesday when they opened gifts from Aunt Laura and Uncle Ben :)

The slides are other pics taken of them this week....they are so full of energy, imagination, and joy!

Anna gave a presentation at Hope College on Thursday. Her mother was in the audience and gave an unbiased critique that she did an EXCELLENT job! Lots of preparation, time, and prayer went into her speech and the accompanying visuals. Way to go, Anna!


Bill and I chatted with Laura and Amelia via computer - that little girl is growing up SO fast! In the first pic, she is getting some 'puffs' to share with Grandpa and in the second pic she is hugging the bear that she was given by her cousins in Holland :)



There are others who blessed my life this week - Steve & Lynn's family, Tom & Anna, Nancy, Tom & Kathy, Sarah, and my Joy Club friends. It's never good when I leave my camera in Holland......I left it in the restaurant after taking this picture of Tom's sandwich on Tuesday.

May your life
be stuffed with
family and friends!

January 26 - 29, 2010

Posting just a few pictures from the last week....

Abby, Sophie, and Noah spent a lot of time out in the snow on Tuesday afternoon before coming inside to sort through and put their pictures of our Chicago trip in their photo albums. They've had lots of adventures in their six years! Their birthday is this week and Tom & Anna have a special, surprise weekend planned for them.


Part of the girls' Chrismas present was a session at a soccer clinic. This is Abby practicing kicking footwork....

....and Sophie running through the course.


Got this shot of Laura and Amelia on Skype - precious and pretty girls!


I stopped in to see brother-in-law Dave - those skewers through his leg gave me the eewie-jeebies. Surgery to set his broken bone is finally scheduled for tomorrow. Thanks for your prayers for him!



We were treated to a YUMMY cake at a meeting a church on Thursday night. The cake was made the night before by the daughter of one of our Elders and was decorated by the two of them. (Most of the sprinkles from the 'mountains' are on the floor of his vehicle :) Thanks,
Rick & Peyton, for the great treat!


Friday lunch - perfect with Beckie and Rick! As you can see, the sun was bright :) It was so wonderful, Beckie and I sat in the sunshine a long time after Rick left.


I'm sorting through boxes of belongings from Bill's parents, grandparents, and brothers. Tori found these ears in a box of brother Tom's things - fun!

This is a picture inside the library at the seminary where Ben studies in Pasadena. I'm trying to figure out why I like it so much. Maybe it's because the picture is so orderly and organized....

There's great satisfaction in having everything in order.
But I hope it never becomes more important
than spending time with family and friends.