We love those visits

Last weekend we were able to visit our grandkids again. It is so fun now to be recognized and to see their little eyes twinkle when they see us.

This little girl is now very active and is practicing her walking skills. Her mother is recovering slowly and getting stronger day by day. We covet your prayers for M&B and their family, and especially tiny Emily Grace. We praise God for each day of progress that she makes.

Mommy bought K this fancy little walker and she is picking up speed!

And oh how these little ones love those cell phones...

...and grandpa's glasses!

We love our grandkids. And we pray that each one of them will grow up to love Jesus.

Little Ones

We were able to spend some time with the kids yesterday. It is such a delight to see these little ones now smile in recognition of us. (And Jayden's speech is even becoming more clear!) They are growing up so fast and changing so quickly.

there is even an occasional tender moment...

 And this sweet little smiling face has provided alot of joy for her parents during the hard times of the past week.

Mommy is feeling a bit stronger than she was a week ago, but she still needs alot of rest. And of course, keeping everyone informed of what is happening to Emily Grace keeps the parents busy, besides the daily visits to the NICU. It has been such a blessing that B's parents have been able to help the kids the past week.

Bath time was just as fun for Grandma as it was for this little girl! And after a nice soak in the warm water and a bottle of milk, K fell asleep in my arms. As I rocked her, I sang the words to that simple song that we all know and love, and I felt the significance of those words in a whole new way...

Jesus loves me, this I know

for the Bible tells me so.

Little ones to Him belong,

they are weak but He is strong.

Yes, Jesus loves me!

Yes, Jesus loves me!

Yes, Jesus loves me, the Bible tells me so!

Thanks so much for all of your thoughts and prayers. The whole family has felt the strong arms of Jesus upholding us this past week.

Baby Emily

   The past three days have been a walk of faith for our family. We have learned once again the "peace of God that is beyond understanding" as we have walked with our son and daughter-in-law thru the ordeal of a nearly fatal situation and emergency C-section and delivery of our third precious grandchild. Emily Grace came into this world on November 6th at 25weeks and 3 days gestation, and weighing 1lb 6oz.
    During my devotional time the past month, I have been reading from the book of Jeremiah. The morning of Emily's birth, I read these verses from 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." We do not know what the future holds for Emily or her parents, but we know the One who holds that future and we know that He is completely trust worthy. In our Bible study last week, one of the speakers on the tape talked about the "fullness of God's time." It was a revelation to us that we called this little one's birth "pre-mature" (and she certainly was not ready to be born according to any human understanding) but God's timing is not ours and now we just trust Him. We all know that the days and months ahead will not be easy, and we appreciate your thoughts and prayers for M&B and their little family as they rest in God's unfailing love and care.

Happy Halloween

This was the scarey admissions desk at our clinic on Friday...some of the departments really decorated for Halloween.

Every year, each department in our clinic is given a pumpkin and asked to decorate it (no carving), and then the patients cast votes for their favorite pumpkin. Our department made a "Scuba Diver" this year. Alas, we did not win the contest, but we had fun with our creation!

I thought that this pumpkin was actually the most creative, but it also did not win the prize!

This was the winning entry: a porcupine (yes, that is a pumpkin, painted black, under all those "quills"). It was indeed, rather creative!

I did not wear a costume this year, but several of my co-workers did. And we also had a fun time during our lunch break with an out-door grill and potluck.

But the highlight of our weekend was our visit with our grandkids!

These little ones are growing up so fast, and we just love every minute that we can spend with them!

The sweetest little faces on earth!

This little girl was too young to understand anything about Halloween, and we actually missed seeing her in her little pumpkin suit because she went to bed while we were out in the neighborhood with J. But we loved spending time with her before we left for Trick&Treat.

We had a wonderful time going along on J's first Trick&Treat! He really did not know what all that candy was about, but he had alot of fun playing in the bucketful of sweets. Just wait til' next year...

Sisters in Sacramento

Two weeks ago, I (Marilyn) attended a medical conference in Sacramento with a co-worker. My sister Rebekah met us there and we enjoyed the conference together. The first sight that met Cindy and I as we entered the baggage claim area of our terminal were these stacks of unclaimed luggage! What a creative way of displaying people's misfortunes (or neglect?).

Our first evening of the conference, we ate at a small Asian restaurant. We had to walk quite a distance before we found the place, but the food was delicious and well worth the hike!

Our conference ended at noon on Saturday, so Rebekah and I took a taxi downtown and explored the sights of Sacramento. Our first stop was a park area that had many different monuments to various events and groups of people. This was a memorial to the Vietnam vets.

We visited a couple of historic churches. This beautiful little garden was located behind and to the side of a majestic old Presbyterian church.

We spent a considerable amount of time at the state capital. Not only is the inside beautiful, but the outside is also stunning. We took many pictures of this building, from almost every angle, always looking for the perfect photo...We also discovered that it is a very popular backdrop for wedding shoots! We counted at least 5 different wedding parties that were taking their wedding pictures here that afternoon.

Below: inside the capital, in the rotunda.

Each county was represented by a special display.

Rebekah knocked at Arnie's door, but he was not in the office that day...

Quite an impressive room...

We had fun taking pics at this elevator.

This majestic, historic Catholic church was hosting a wedding when we stopped by. We decided to have a look at the inside of the church anyway, and were treated to some beautiful music by a Mexican ensemble. The acoustics in the church were incredible, and the sound was simply heavenly! (It was a strange feeling being a "wedding crasher" but it was well worth the treat!)

Next stop on our self-guided tour, was the historic Stanford House. We were the last ones to sneak in on a tour of the home, and enjoyed seeing this restored mansion and hearing the history behind it. It is rather amazing to see this magnificent old house right there in the midst of the tall, modern office buildings!

 

We also visited the famous Wells Fargo Bank headquarters.

Next, we crossed the historic Sacramento bridge into Old Sacramento.

After hiking all over downtown (we walked many miles!) we finally found the perfect restaurant where we enjoyed some delicious Mexican food. It was a wonderful place to eat and relax on that hot, 100 degree day!

After we left the restaurant, we stopped for dessert...at the chocolate shop next door.

Then, our return adventure began...walking, riding the metro and buses at night, we finally made it back to our hotel. There were moments when we didn't really know where we were, but then I encountered this sign that told me! It was an exhaustingly, delightful afternoon and evening that ended with a good soak in the hot tub at our hotel. Thanks, Rebekah, for a fun time together!

Little Sweetheart

And there she was, waiting for me with her big cheerful smile after another long day at work! What a welcome sight!

There is something so very rewarding in having grandchildren. And we are so thankful that we can see these little ones growing up!

Thanks M&B for the lovely visit!

Three generations

Of work and...

We have really enjoyed getting to know and work with this young couple! Andy recently joined our staff here at church and we have all benefitted from his ministry. We love having his soon-to-be bride involved with so many activities also. Blessings on your life together and also on ministry. We appreciate you!

A couple of weeks ago, Andy's parents came to visit him. We profited from their visit also, since they were our house-guests! It was fun to visit with them again. Cheryl is my cousin and Stan was a co-worker of Jim's so we loved catching up on each other's lives. We are looking forward to many more visits, since they now have such a good reason to come and visit our city.