Saturday, December 10, 2016

How I spell "Happiness"

If I could use only one word to describe "happiness," that word for me would have to be:
FAMILY
So when two of our four children traveled across the country with their families to join my husband and me and the other two of our children who live in our town so we could be all together in one place for Thanksgiving, I was filled to the brim with "happiness"!
And a line from my singer-songwriter daughter Brittany Jean's song, "Satellites," came to mind:
"There were only six of us then.... how we've grown!"
We began to "grow" in 2004 when our eldest got married... and then had their first child in 2008...
then her two brothers followed that marriage path several years later...
then... more children came along, whom I like to refer to as our "grand-loves," so that now our family members' magic number is fifteen!
Next year, in the year 2017, we shall grow by three more as each of our married children will welcome babies, and Lord willing, our tribe will reach the eighteen mark!
I am so grateful to the Lord for each one of these people! What a blessing they are!
"Bless the Lord, O my soul!"

How do you  spell happiness?


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Wednesday, August 3, 2016

The Blessing of Family: Priceless!

I think there were a total of 44 of us gathered together to surprise my mom with an early birthday party on Tuesday, July 26, 2016. We pulled off the surprise, so that was a lot of fun.
Amongst our family members is one professional photographer and she captured a few good shots of all of us together. That is quite a feat, especially with some little boys that insist on making every shot a "goofy shot."  :)
I must say, though: I.Love.My.Family!
They are a "good and perfect gift" from the Lord above!



Yay! It worked! The photo showed up!  :-)
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Summer 2007 Collage

Summer 2007 Collage
Brittany mails her deposit for puppy; Piano recital with supporting "fans"; making music in our home; Family get togethers; baseball; new fence.

Family dinner in Chicago, 9JUL07

Family dinner in Chicago, 9JUL07
Brittany, Nan, Jim, Jenelle, Derek, Grant, & Evan celebrating Jenelle and Derek's 3rd anniversary (early) at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in Chicago. Yummy!!!

Jenelle and Derek

Jenelle and Derek
It's always fun to have them come home for a visit! They got to spend a week with us over the 4th of July holiday. We celebrated their 3rd anniversary early by going to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in Chicago.

New Patio Furniture to enjoy

New Patio Furniture to enjoy
Brittany, Evan, Claire, Jenelle, Derek, Grant, & Jim trying out our new patio furniture. Sadly, the new umbrella got destroyed in our Aug. 24 tornado!!! :-(

Coach Jim (and nephew Austin)

Coach Jim (and nephew Austin)
Jim coached our boys' baseball team, the Chicago Titans, in the Skyscraper League, Chicago. This was a lot of work, but Jim and the boys had some fun with it.

Chicago Skyline

Chicago Skyline
This was the baseball field near UIC where the boys played all their games this summer. It was quite a spectacular backdrop to view!

Our cute puppy, Sadie

Our cute puppy, Sadie
Grant liked this little puppy! Jim, Brittany, Grant, and Nan drove up to northern WI to get her (Golden Retriever) on July 22. She was fantastic for the 6 hour trip home!

Evan and "Sadie"

Evan and "Sadie"
This golden retriever puppy was such a cute 6 1/2 week old puppy. Evan worked at a private golf resort all summer, so he did not have too much free time, but in his few spare moments he would enjoy playing with Sadie.

Brittany and "Sadie"

Brittany and "Sadie"
And of course, Brittany loved Sadie! It was HER puppy. She had counted the days after Sadie was born in June until the day we could go pick her up! Nan loved Sadie, too, but caring for such a young pup combined with all the kids soon heading back to full-time at schools...was too much for Nan...and the decision was made to take Sadie back to her home in WI...where she was placed in a very good home with folks who raised golden retrievers! We had fun with Sadie for 6 days and we miss her! (You can see the new fence we put up in our back yard...for our doggie.)

Jim and "Sadie"

Jim and "Sadie"
Jim and Brittany drove Sadie back to WI after we had her 6 days. Sadly, Nan was the one who could not "cope" with all that would be involved in raising a dog. It has been one of the hardest things in Nan's life...to bring to an end the dream of her daughter to have a dog!

Grandpa turned 80!

Grandpa turned 80!
Grandkids: Brittany, Brandon, Grant, Austin, Jalen, Connor, LeAnn, Ethan, Garrett~think "Grandpa Wonderful"...

Grandma's turn was coming...

Grandma's turn was coming...
she also would turn 80 this year, so her grandkids helped her celebrate early. LeAnn, Brittany, Austin, Brandon, Grant Ethan, Connor, Jalen, Garrett

Happy 80th Birthday, Mom!

Happy 80th Birthday, Mom!
Randy(50), Nan (52), Mom(80), Anne (44), poolside in Morenci

Angelina, Grant, Evan, Claire

Angelina, Grant, Evan, Claire
Making summer memories...ready to drive to Cleveland, OH for a Kenny Chesney concert, with a stop in Morenci to introduce the girls to G'ma & G'pa; and enjoy the Randy Porter Family and their 4-wheelers! :-)

Grant-man leaving for Biola

Grant-man leaving for Biola
It was an early morning departure for Grant as he and Jim would drive the Ford Pickup Truck back to La Mirada, CA, where Grant began his 3rd year.

Sunrise Departure

Sunrise Departure
Nan and Grant take a "self-portrait"...photo booth style! Grant and Jim were leaving early in the morning to drive cross-country to California! Nan is smiling, but she is NEVER happy to see her boys leave home...again!

Evan-man heading back to Biola, 20OCT07

Evan-man heading back to Biola, 20OCT07
Mom says yet another "good bye" :-( We brought Evan home for a "mini fall break" so he could surprise Claire with an in-between-visit before Thanksgiving.

My Girls 9Sep07

My Girls 9Sep07
Jenelle (25 in photo, now 26) and Brittany (15 here, but now she's "sweet 16") are pure delights to my heart! They are truly "treasures" from the Lord! We enjoyed a Labor Day week visit from Jenelle and Derek. We LOVE having them visit!!!

Hello, Snow!

Hello, Snow!
First snow of December, day 1

Busy, Hungry Squirrel

Busy, Hungry Squirrel
Here's one of many squirrels we enjoy watching as they scamper and play in the snow. This one found a cob of corn and seemed to enjoy nibbling at it!

Squirrel eating his lunch...

Squirrel eating his lunch...
This squirrel was a lot of fun to watch as he dragged this cob of corn around our yard! I wonder if he carried it up into his hole in the tree!

One more squirrel photo

One more squirrel photo
I enjoyed looking out my kitchen window to watch this busy squirrel as he ate his corn. It is so marvelous how the Lord cares for meeting the needs of the wild animals! How much more He cares for us!!!