A Very Special Day

Today was a very special day in our household. Jim baptised our grandson Jayden during the worship service this morning.

What a blessing to bring this little one into the family of God by this sacrament of grace. Josh & Kristen, very close friends of the kids, were the godparents.

Our children had asked that our dear Pastor Henry also bless their child. This godly man has been such a blessing to us (and Jayden's parents) and we all felt honored by his prayer. I thought of the time in the temple when the elderly Simeon took the baby Jesus in his arms and blessed Him. What an honor to know that this dear saint will be praying daily for Jayden and his parents, and grandparents, and great-grandparents, and aunts and uncles, as he grows up.

The baby woke up during the baptism ceremony and was quietly looking around as his grandpa held him up and introduced him to the congregation. But for the most part, he slept peacefully.

The happy parents......with Josh and Kristin (and Bayley, who is three weeks older than Jayden)

...the very proud grandparents

We were so happy that Bernie and Joyce, Jayden's great-grandparents, were able to come for this special day. This fortunate little boy has three sets of great grandparents!

...and aunt Becky and uncle Micah

Jim's cousin and her husband also joined us...

...and special friend Dave.

One month old,etc.

Our grandson is now one month old! Time has gone by very quickly. We were anxious to see the family, so this last weekend we made a quick trip and spent several hours with the kids.It was so fun to see that adorable little face again after not seeing him for two whole weeks! Jayden is starting to smile now, and it is so fun to see the response! and there is an occasional little coo coming from his lips...He loves to look at the airplanes in his room!Grandpa Jim and grandson are developing the same hairline! The family is doing well!

And, yesterday afternoon we had a pleasant surprise visit from Sammy and Becky! As usual, the dog needed to run off some pent-up energy, so Jim played with him in the backyard for awhile.

We were happy that Micah could join us later for supper and a short visit. It has been so much fun having the kids close enough so we can just drop in on each other for visits.

Weekend Retreat

Each year, the churches in our district hold a weekend retreat. Last weekend Marilyn joined 23 other ladies from our church at a Bible Conference Center in the mountains east of San Diego.

These are some of the gals I shared a cabin with. We had a wonderful time in a beautiful setting with about 25 other women from the other churches in our district.

The setting was rustic, but the meals were phenomenal and the fellowship was so sweet.

Our theme for the weekend was "Walk As Jesus Walked" so there was a "foot motif" carried out throughout the three days.

One of the speakers for the conference was my cousin Ruth. It was great to see her again!

On Saturday afternoon, several of us took a four mile walk down the road from camp into the nearest little town. It was great exercise and we also had good conversation along the way. Our goal once we got to town was the ice cream shop!On Sunday afternoon, after we returned back home, we took Ruth to see the Crystal Cathedral. She told us that she has often watched the TV services and really wanted to see the place.
Our daughter-in-law also joined us for the evening. Becky had attended university together with Ruth's daughter Kari, and they had also been together in CCC.

The evening was warm and beautiful (as usual) and we enjoyed seeing some new places on the campus grounds that we had not seen before.

Just before we went into the sanctuary for the evening service, we stopped to watch this pair of ducks swimming leisurely across the pond. It was a great weekend!

All in a Week

Jim loves to keep his cars clean. It is a way for him to relax, but also to admire a clean product when finished. And I certainly appreciate all the work that goes into keeping my car clean and in good running condition. I have a wonderful husband who takes such good care of me!

Interestingly enough, our boys have learned to enjoy caring for their cars "just like dad"...
Last week, as Jim was washing his car, there was a bit of excitement in our neighborhood. Within seconds, the parking lot surrounding our house was filled with police officers and vehicles, searching for a suspect that was hiding in our area. Fortunately, he was apprehended and no one was hurt in the process. It proved to be a rather exciting Friday afternoon! The day prior to all of that excitement, we had another visit from our friend Chuck. On this visit, he was able to bring his wife and youngest daughter along to visit us. (Their son also accompanied them, but was unable to come to our house.)
We are so blessed to have so many friends and family members. We thank God for all of you!

Sixteen days old...

We got to see our grandson again today. He changes so much in even one week!

He was sleeping when we arrived.That little face is so adorable!

Mommy thinks so, too!
Jayden is all ready for a trip to the store!

A Perfect Ending

On Sunday afternoon, we took Margarethe down to Newport Beach. The morning started out cloudy and cool, but by afternoon the sun was out and it looked right for "time at the beach."

The tide was changing as we arrived...

The sound of the waves is always so soothing.

The day was a bit windy and the surf was up...

...but there were lots of people that thought the beach was a perfect place to be that afternoon.

Sandcastles

Scouting out the scenery?

A perfect reflection

Boat rental

A bit of foolishness... It was hard to leave the beauty of the ocean, but we travelled on...
Margarethe had not seen the Crystal Cathedral, so we stopped by there on our way home.
The gardens were lovely, and there were still some remnants of Easter lilies along the pathways.

(This bronze monument is called Love Without Condemnation- the woman caught in sin)

Reflections of us

Since we arrived just before the evening service, we listened to the musicians (including that huge pipe organ) practicing for the upcoming service. The music was awesome! We stayed for part of the service and really enjoyed the worship of our Lord and Savior Jesus.

Our last meal together was at this cozy little cafe where we enjoyed delicious French Onion Soup and the best carrot-raisin bread in the world!

Thanks little sister for coming to visit! We are already looking forward to the next visit!