Great Grandpa Turns 90!

We have just returned from a wonderful family celebration for the boys Great Grandpa! He is a youthful 90 as he lives with smiles and laughter. He loves his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren with patience and genuineness. It was a busy afternoon with many children running around, but what a blessing it was to have the family together. It is this togetherness that seemed to be his favorite part of the day. When we were kids, we would gather for each birthday as a family. We would eat dinner, open presents, eat cake, play badminton or croquet in the back yard...however, as families grow, it seems natural to drift apart a bit as each sprouting family has its own schedules and agendas to attend to. Gathering all the families together becomes more and more difficult, but I was reminded how very special these memories are to me. Generations are a powerful thing. It made me wonder when I am 90....if the Lord keeps me around here that long...where will my children be? Will they live close or far away? How many children or grandchildren will they have? Life has so many mysteries. I am looking forward to the adventures that are ahead and where the road of life will take us.

Happy Birthday, Grandpa. We love you very much.

M's favorite thing

Lately M has developed a deep interest in reading books. He begins with a pile on his left and then "reads" the books page by page....making sure he does not miss one.... then he places it on his right. This process will continue until each and every book from the bookshelf has been successfully read...if I let him. He is very persistant and determined. I hope that this love of books will continue as he grows older as there is so much out there to learn from books!

This is at the end of the process after he has read all the books that he picked out. When he runs out of books, he will often go back and get more to add to his read pile.

This is in the middle of the process. He is taking the books directly off the bookshelf and then after he is done with them he lines them up in this "neat" line.

This is the beginning of the process. All of the "need to read" books are on his left and the books he has already read are on his right. He has a long ways to go, but he did finish "reading" each and every one of these books!

Playing in the Snow

The boys had so much fun running in the snow when we went to visit Grammy and Grandpa in Davenport. What a beautiful day! The sunshine beat down on us warming us from the brisk winter air. I must admit that this winter I have had moments of being tired of the mess that the snow makes, but this moment of laughter and fun was absolutely priceless. In the open fields, the boys fearlessly ran and ran and ran as the snow crunched under their little feet. They ran in circles to see the footprints that they left behind. They ran, laughing as mommy and daddy chased them. These are memories are sweet to capture and hopefully tell them about some day.

M running to catch me!
J watching the footprints that he has made.

I watching the BIG trucks drive by on the highway.

What a beautiful day!