Quite a Week!

Last Sunday we arrived at Brookcrest to find out the staff had been trying to contact us while we were at church. Bill's mom was critically ill and x-rays proved both pneumonia and congestive heart failure. Mom refused to be hospitalized but agreed to be treated with oral antibiotics. We were told early in the week that she was near death. She was nearly unresponsive on both Monday and Tuesday, but on Wednesday we began to see small improvements. By the end of the week it became clear that she was going to recover - a miracle, to be sure.

When we visited Mom tonight, we talked about the week she'd just been through. I told her that Anna said that God still had a purpose for her life and that her 'work' on earth must not be over. She smiled and agreed, seeming to be pleased that her life still has meaning and purpose in spite of her impairments. She continues to amaze us with her complete trust in God's will for her life.

The first two pictures are of Noah and Sophie reading to Mom. They were two of MANY visitors throughout the week!



On Thursday we took a nice break to see our niece Laiya perform in South Christian's musical. It was great fun to watch her!

Marva and Laiya

Marva and Beckie came on Friday to clean my house in preparation for a bridal shower we hosted for our niece Betsy on Sunday. My sisters are the BEST!

Tori competed in a dance competition on Saturday morning. She earned a first place medal in her division of the 8 and 9 year-olds. Great job, Tori!

Tori gets her medal :)

A short video clip of Tori dancing...

Saturday evening we went for dinner with some of my family. John and Denise could not join us because Betsy was in town for the shower and they didn't want her to know that my Mom flew in from Florida to be there. It was a wonderful surprise for Betsy when her Grandma walked in on Sunday!


We chatted with Laura and Ben on Saturday evening while watching Amelia play with her can of art supplies :)


It was an honor to host Betsy's shower at our home. She and Nick will be married in July and she is in town to make plans. She and Denise will have a busy week! Blessings to you, precious Betsy!

Betsy and Denise

Betsy with her aunts - Beckie, Marva, me

Betsy with her Mom and Grandma

This pictures is of a tree at the L.A. zoo. That tree must have quite a history!

Through the twists and turns of life,
our security is rooted
in God's goodness
and we receive our nourishment
from the Giver of Life.

Spring? It's snowing!

The weeks fly by... did we have a February this year? Spring break is almost here - Bill's 40th and final one. Until then, we're enjoying time with friends and family. The first two pictures were taken at lunch with friends Carrie and Carole....
...and Bart and Stan.


Tuesday included time in Holland with our grandkids. Noah is so proud of his new hat from the monster truck show :)


We spent a lot of time outdoors playing soccer and creating homes for worms :) Not that they needed new homes, but they sure got some deluxe accommodations. Can't beat good ol' mud and little water!

Sophie's favorite worm

Noah, Abby, Sophie

Keeping in touch with our family in Pasadena - thankful for technology!

Laura and Amelia

Our niece Emily had her fourth baby - a beautiful, healthy little boy named Ezekiel David.

Elijah and his crab picture made with his handprints

We had supper Friday night at Dave & Marva's :)

Marva and Laiya

I took this picture in Chicago in December....

May your life be decorated
with beloved friends and family!

Moments in March

It has been a fun week, with lots of time in Holland with our grandkids. Anna was in Massachusetts checking out some college mentoring programs for her job at Hope College. Before she left, the she and the kids and I made a special visit to Captain Sundae which opened on Tuesday. It's a day the kids look forward to and it's their tradition to celebrate the opening with a trip for ice cream.

Sophie and Abby took turns being sick and home from school - a bug that Noah had last weekend. Everyone was well on Thursday and they loved playing outside in the warm rain shower. Bill took Sophie and Noah to their school carnival on Friday evening while Abby enjoyed some quiet time at home with Tom.

There are also two pictures of Amelia (via computer); it was fun to talk to Laura and Ben and watch Amelia's bedtime routine.

I posted these pictures on facebook, but am adding them here once again. They were taken by our talented niece, Katie, when our family was all together at Christmas.

During this season of Lent, I'm reminded once again that Jesus is the Bread of Life.

Enjoy the feast!

Sisters' Weekend!

What a wonderful weekend I had with my sisters! We traveled all the way to Holland for a Girls' Getaway that included mining for gems, getting 'tattoos', winning door prizes, making diva dolls, sewing purses, shopping, and making appetizers - plus dot painting, an Improv show, wine tasting, and fabulous meals. We literally ran at times in order to get to the next event. We packed a lot in our three days together - we had lots of laughs and SO much fun! The dates are already on our 2011 calendars :)

One of the stops we made was to the Holland Arts Council where Abby's ceramic snowman is on display for the month of March. The snowman was an art project at school and it was selected a few weeks ago for the display. Tom and Anna took the kids to see it and Abby was all dressed up for the special unveiling - precious. It was wonderful meeting up with them for a few minutes :)

Pretty creative for a kindergartner!

This is a photo of gift Denise gave us on our sisters' trip to Chicago in December. It says it all....

Bill's Birthday and Other Blessings

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BILL!

It's time for an update and lots of pictures of Bill's birthday celebrations. This will be a year of transition for him as he complete his final year (40!) in the classroom. We're looking forward to his retirement and this new season of life.

Our first celebration was with my family, which even included my Mom and Rich. It was a bittersweet trip north for them to attend the funeral of my Aunt Bea, but an opportunity to meet for dinner.

John's heartfelt toast for Bill :)

My wonderful family
(minus Ron & Rose, our other wonderful family members in Tennessee)

A birthday 'visit' with Ben and Amelia

Our kids and grandkids came on Sunday for dinner - minus Anna and her girls who were home with fevers, the sniffles, and coughs.

Bill's favorite bars - compliments of Anna :)

Gift from Steve & Lynn - which we enjoyed at dinner tonight!

Gift from Tom & Anna - with a handmade card from Tom :)

Gift sent from Laura & Ben :)

Tori had great fun with a pillow and I'm risking the 'wrath' of my kids, but I couldn't resist. If these pictures are missing in the next few days, you'll know why....

Noah and Grandpa

Bill with our boys - so proud!


Noah collided with a classmate at school and ended up with a black eye....

I spent Bill's birthday with some time with my friend Marcia. She is expecting a baby, which made for great conversation. She also makes incredible chocolate biscotti!

Bill's birthday ended with Deven's choir concert at school. He's the blond in the middle of the back row.


These next two pictures are of Tom & Anna's kids doing homework on Tuesday afternoon.

Noah and Sophie

A little blurry, but you can't miss Abby's smile :)

Tonight we enjoyed supper out with our friends Tom and Kathy. We always appreciate time with them and time goes so quickly.


This last picture is of names carved in bamboo, taken at the L.A. zoo on our recent visit to Laura & Ben and Amelia.

May you have many folks
whose names are permanently carved into your life.