The Good Times

Praising the Lord!

2010-07-15T10:10:00.000-07:00

Today we are praising the Lord for the results of Graham's surgery. The doctor's discovered that the supposed tumor actually did not have tumor qualities and instead was a vascular malformation. They were able to remove it. The tissue will be sent in for precautionary testing, but the doctors do not believe it is cancerous.

We rejoice in knowing that Graham will most likely have a quick recovery.

Graham

2010-07-14T06:38:00.000-07:00

This is our sweet cousin, Graham. He is 12 years old.

On Monday this week he was diagnosed with a brain tumor and admitted to the hospital. He will undergo surgery today at noon. Please pray for him and for the physicians as they perform the surgery.

Life takes unexpected turns, however, at those turns God is already there. Last night as I talked with Graham's Dad, Todd, he said, "God gives us what we need for today and as for tomorrow, He is already there waiting to help us through that."

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Isaiah 40:31

Please pray for Graham today.

One Year

2010-02-08T06:03:00.001-08:00

Cora,

A year ago today you went to see Jesus. It is hard to believe that much time has passed. We have missed you so much since then. Ellie talks about you so much, especially the last few weeks. When you went to see Jesus I was worried she would not remember you, but instead she remembers you well. Everyday she talks about you and how she gets to see you in Heaven someday. She asks what you are doing and we talk about how you are playing with Jesus. Although we still wish you were here with us, we are thankful we can live with the confidence of seeing you again someday when our Savior takes us home too. Your life and your parent's testimony have made us all different people. We love you and dearly miss you.

Love,

Uncle Bill, Aunt Olivia, Ellie and Esther

Isaiah 40:29-31

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Blessings...

2009-11-04T12:28:00.000-08:00

Check this out...

2009-11-03T20:41:00.000-08:00

Our friend is beginning her photography business...she does great work! Check out her blog!! Thanks a ton Amy!!

http://www.amyjdelightful.blogspot.com/

A Pumpkin and A Princess

2009-10-31T12:34:00.001-07:00

Our Little Pumpkin.

Our Little Princess: Snow White

The Cousins: A Fireman, A Builder, 2 Pumpkins, and Snow White.

Friday was Main Street Trick or Treat. Bammy and Papa handed out candy at the clinic and we took the kiddos to gather their loads of candy...there was LOTS more chocolate this year! Big bonus!! :-) The Pumpkins didn't venture outside either because it was so chilly!! Tonight looks a little nicer and we are headed out again to Trick or Treat! Fun times! I love Halloween when you have little kids to dress up. I love their excitement over little things.

Ellie wore this costume three years ago! Hard to believe it was that long ago.

Please do my hair like this....

2009-10-27T08:03:00.001-07:00

Nice!

1/2!

2009-10-23T08:53:00.000-07:00

1/2 a year old!

I sit up!

I holler and talk a lot. I have to try to keep up with my sister. :-)
I love to talk to my big sister! She is my favorite person...especially when she sings me songs and says, "Hi Esther, Hi Esther, Hi Esther, Hi big girl!" in a funny voice.

I love my walker.

I sleep great.

Rolling over...well I can from my tummy to my back, and finally yesterday I rolled from my back to my tummy. I am just so content to watch Ellie...why roll over? :-)

My hair stands straight up...it needs a little body. :-) It is still dark...we will see if it stays that way.

I do take a bottle...ONLY a Nuk! Don't try anything else or I will throw a fit! I haven't had rice cereal yet. Mom is lazy. We have it in the cupboard...just waiting for me. I am still content with just milk so Mom isn't in a rush.

She Moved Out!

2009-10-21T12:41:00.000-07:00

This morning Ellie informed me she had moved out of her bedroom. She had a new home. It isn't far and she didn't move out because she was mad at us. :-)

After unloading her bookshelf she discovered she fit inside. What a great little place to "live". :-)

She took "naps" all morning, had me tuck her in a few times and made sure she had "clean ice" (a sippy cup with ice water-her nightly ritual). She also wanted to shut Esther in her new room, but I told her she was so little that is might scare her so she just got to try it out with the doors open. She seemed to enjoy the bookshelf, we even gave her a little pillow. :-)

Sisters

2009-10-21T12:13:00.000-07:00

In the cookies of life, sisters are the chocolate chips. ~Author Unknown

The Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-21T10:10:00.000-07:00

Last year we took Ellie to Walter's Pumpkin Patch. She has been talking about it ever since and Bill told her once the weather got colder we would go again. We made the trip this last Saturday. Aunt Ivy was home so she went with us! It was so great to see her.

Here was our effort to get a great family picture! :-) Esther really is under the blanket. Ellie was exhausted...so here it is. :-)

8 seconds! She may be a natural. :-) Haha.
Hay bale slide. Great fun.

Pumpkin trampoline. Ellie is not exactly adventurous, so Bill had to hold her.

Ellie and her favorite person, Aunt Ivy.

I absolutely want one of these. They are so much fun. I just didn't get to ride because I had Esther in the snugli and she was sleeping...bummer!

Sisters

Esther enjoyed being outside even though it was a little chilly.

The corn maze...just a little muddy, but we made it out!

We Are Thankful

2009-10-11T17:08:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for your prayers. Devan is doing much better. He is off his morphine and has had a bowel movement and his urine has cleared up so now he can begin eating and drinking again. He is recovering well.

Friday night we arrived in Kansas City about 8:30. They had just taken Devan for exploratory surgery. When they got a look inside his little body they found he had a Meckel's Diverticulum, a congenital disorder of the intestine. It had become infected and burst. They were able to clean him out and take care of the problem. He is supposed to be in the hospital until Wednesday on IV antibiotics.

We are thankful they caught this and were able to take care of it quickly. Thanks for your prayers.

Please Pray

2009-10-09T08:46:00.000-07:00

Our nephew, Devan, was admitted to the hospital this morning after having stomach pain. After some diagnostic studies they found his right kidney is not working. He is being transferred to Children's Mercy in Kansas City today. Please pray for him and his parents, Chuck and Jennifer, and siblings, Valerie, Jared and Andrew. He turns 2 in a couple weeks.

Pray for the doctor's that will treat him and that he will recover quickly from whatever is causing this problem. We know this is in the Lord's hands and trust that His will is done. Pray for us as we travel up to be with them and pray for us as we go to the hospital with lots of sick kids. It will be hard. Thankfully our girls will be able to stay with some friends there while we go up to the hospital...thanks Brent and Whitney.

Thank you for your prayers.

Colorado

2009-09-16T14:40:00.000-07:00

A Brush With The Law

2009-09-15T11:32:00.000-07:00

Last Friday my sister and I loaded our 5 kids up in the van and traveled to meet two of our cousins and their kids for lunch. We both had to drive a little distance, but we decided it would be a fun little day trip. After a gourmet lunch at Sonic we went to the park and the kids played for a couple hours until they were all hot, sweaty and stinky and the littlest ones were laying in the dirt nearly falling asleep from exhaustion. At this point we decided we should load up the vans and part ways.

On our trek home we stopped in Manhattan to do a little shopping and then headed back to my sister's house. When we went through Council Grove we noticed that there was a nursery/greenhouse distribution center that had loads of mums and other beautiful fall flowers. My garden-savy sister also noticed a heap of mums that had been dumped out in front of the greenhouse. Other than the fact that they had been dumped in a huge heap, they looked great! We drove past and then decided maybe we should go back and get some. Leah got out and went up to the front door of the office. Knock, knock...no one answered. We looked around, but we saw no one to ask if we could have some. We thought...is taking trash stealing?? Should we just take a few?? Afterall, they are just trash. Some of them are dying. They are obviously not going to be used. So...we talked ourselves into taking some.

After we loaded up some grocery bags with several mums we started to get back in the van, which housed two SCREAMING babies and 3 kids in the back seat watching Cars. As we opened the side doors we noticed an unwanted visitor entering the parking lot...WHAT??? The POLICE? You have got to be kidding me! I told Leah to get in...dumb idea...drive away from the police...not sure how to Honda Odyssey would do. :-) Ok, I wasn't thinking straight and we were freaked out! My first misdemeanor. It would be in the paper! AHH!

Leah, being the older and more mature sister, walked up to the police car with her bag full of STOLEN MUMS! He said, "Caught ya!" and sort of laughed. She said, "If we aren't supposed to take them we can put them back." He just laughed...mean cop! Trying to scare us! :-) He told us we weren't the first people to stop and take some and that his wife had actually sent him to get some too! Whew!!!

Nothing like a little adrenaline! Makes something fun to laugh about, but I don't think I will hunt for free things in trash piles anymore! :-)

3 Years!

2009-08-26T14:57:00.000-07:00

Ellie's 3rd Birthday was this week! It is hard to believe that 3 years ago we first became parents. In some ways time has flown, but in other ways it seems like she has been a part of our lives forever. We are thankful for each day the Lord gives us with her and for the opportunity to be her parents. She has taught us so much about our relationship, our personal relationship with our Heavenly Father and many other things. Our most joyful moment with her was about a month ago one evening before bed. She had been having a really hard time with Cora being in Heaven and missing her. Her emotions were crazy. I was completely unsure what to do with her. I knew girls were emotional in middle and high school, but now already??? AHH! On this day she had been very sad about Cora. We had been reading Bible stories from one of her favorite Bible story books and at then end is a picture of a silhouette of Jesus in Heaven holding the hands of two children. Since Cora went to see Jesus Ellie has always said, "There is Cora with Jesus. She doesn't feel sick anymore." That night when she saw that picture she said, "Can God be my Savior too?" I was so excited! My heart jumped. I told her He could and He WANTS to be her Savior. She asked Him to forgive her sins and be her Savior right there. I wasn't completely sure if she knew what she was doing, but the next day she said, "Did you know Jesus is my Savior and someday I can go to Heaven." Then she asked our nephews, "Is Jesus your Savior? He is mine and I am going to Heaven someday." We pray she continues to grow in her relationship with Jesus and praise the Lord for "child-like faith."

Three years flies by!

Three days old...Three years old

We started out the day with Addison and Bammy (grandma) at Drubers for donuts! :-) They both had donut holes.

Then we made our way to Dillons to get a few last-minute things for her party that night. She told me since she was 3 that she needed to drive the car cart with Esther "sitting in the back area". It was such a peaceful and easy trip to the store with her driving the cart. :-)

We got home the night before her birthday at 10 pm from vaction. I decided it that it would be easier to assemble and decorate the cake without help. I had visions of it being much more decorated, but at 2 am I decided this would do. She loved it. :-)

Here is our little princess with her cousins. We had our whole family over. It was a wild and crazy time. Ellie requested corn dogs and mac and cheese for the menu! Nice and easy...of course we added to it to suit grown up tastes as well.

The kids table. :-)

So excited! I just love her personality.

Eating frosting is more fun than blowing out candles! :-)

She got to eat the top of the cake and then it was present time! She made a haul! Thanks for all the gifts everyone! She is LOVING them.

The princess dress was a huge hit! She has had it on all week...when she isn't wearing her princess jammies.

I failed to take any pictures of Ellie and Esther together on her birthday so here is one of their "morning rock" together the next morning. Ellie always goes and checks to see if Esther is awake and then asks me to put her in the rocking chair with her. So fun! :-)

We love you Ellie and pray for you many times each day. We pray that you follow the Lord with all your heart all your days!

An Early Birthday Celebration

2009-08-14T14:08:00.000-07:00

Aunt Ivy (my younger sister) headed to college this week! Ellie's birthday is just around the corner so Ellie invited her over for an Early Birthday Sleepover! We made princess cupcakes to celebrate.

Ellie helped "read the gredients" and tell me how to make the cupcakes. She even cracked the eggs...with only one ending up on the floor. :-)

Ivy gave Ellie a Princess package with folders, a spiral notebook (which Ellie calls her Princess Bible Study Book), pencils, a pencil sharpener and "wallet" (aka pencil holder). Ellie loves it! Thanks Ivy!

Ivy helped us decorate the cupcakes. Ellie thought they were beautiful! (I love the big open-mouth pictures! Ellie tries to be like Ivy in every way...including big smiles in pictures.)

Bedtime...Ivy read Bible stories to Ellie. Ellie loved it! She is going to miss Ivy SO MUCH!

Esther slept through the birthday celebration so she got to see Ivy the next morning.
I can't believe how fast she is growing. As Ellie says, "She isn't as big as me yet, Mom, and I am not as huge as you yet." :-)

Great Neighbors

2009-07-24T07:22:00.000-07:00

When we lived in Kansas City we had the sweetest couple that lived next door to us, George and Doris. They always watched out for us, making sure we got home. They were always there for a visit. Ellie loved to go over there and play...of course they always gave her cookies and candy. :-) A couple weeks ago Doris called and told us she has lung cancer. Please pray for her. This past weekend we went to visit them so they could meet Esther and so we could let them know we loved them and were praying for them. Ellie loved seeing them and riding their electric chair up the stairs. :-)

Three Months Old!

2009-07-22T07:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Esther was 3 months old!
Ellie loves playing with her!
We love all her smiles and her laid back personality.

Our girls

Playing outside

Yesterday Esther was 3 months old!
Ellie loves playing with her!
We love all her smiles and her laid back personality.

Two Months

2009-06-25T18:26:00.001-07:00

Esther Marie turned 2 months old this week! She is such a precious little girl and we are so thankful the Lord has entrusted her to us. She is growing so fast...she weighed 12 lbs 11 oz at her 2 month check and was 24.5 inches long. Ellie loves playing with her little sister, but has started experimenting with her...catapulting her in her bouncy seat, laying on top of her, setting her up in the bouncy seat, trying to feed her Ritz crackers. Thankfully, Esther has survived and is doing great. Actually, several times Ellie has been doing dangerous things Esther just smiles really big at her. Guess kids are more resilient than we think!

Esther also got to meet Uncle James this week. We went to the airport late Tuesday night...well actually Wednesday morning...and met him there. Ellie ran to meet him. She has been looking forward to him coming home for a long time. Welcome home, James!

Slumber Party

2009-06-25T15:51:00.000-07:00

Last Friday night Ellie, Henry and Harrison had their first ever Birthday Slumber Party for Henry's 4th birthday. When we arrived at Leah and Ben's Ellie ran inside, beside herself with excitement and asked Henry if this was "The Slumber Party." He replied, "Yeah, we get popcorn and everything." :-) I love how little things always amuse them.

The evening started with playing outside. It was so funny to watch the kids run and chase each other and Henry and Harrison wrestle. Ellie isn't too sure about wrestling...at least when she is the one being tackled. :-) Aunt Ivy came too and made brownies with them and even brought cool icecream shaped bowls and spoons to use with their brownie sundaes. Then they got to watch Henry's new Charlotte's Webb movie. The next day they were supposed to go to the water park in Emporia, but it rained...bummer. We got to go on Sunday instead, but I forgot my camera so no pictures of that day...ooops. All the kids loved the big yellow slide!

Esther slept through most of the evening.

Thanks for the great party, Leah! The kids had a great time.

Look Mom...A Baby Duck!

2009-05-22T18:48:00.000-07:00

Well, actually a baby robin, but she had the right species!

So concerned...

She thought the robin needed to chat with her. She tried telling him to just fly away...poor little bird didn't quite spread his wings far enough. We pray that we teach our girls to love the Lord to one day "successfully fly from the nest."

Little Tiny...

2008-09-16T14:05:00.001-07:00

Ellie is proud to announce that she will be having a "little tiny" brother or sister in April 2009. "Little Tiny" is what she calls all babies. I am sure she will be a good big sister. :-)