Good Tidings to All!

Ready to sign out this week for the Christmas family gathering.  This year we will all be together and we are treasuring this rare privilege.  Since our cabin is not big enough to host all of us, we are gathering at a missionary retreat facility in Missouri.  While there for 7 days we will have no Internet and cell phones and TV's. Hmmm... going to have to be creative in our fun and games.  Because of the kids working schedules, they will be in and out and we really just have the 24th and 25th all together.

We got out of Iowa just before the blizzard hit.  We are sort of sad to miss the snow and white Christmas, but hoping we may see a little bit of white fluffiness here eventually.  Enjoyed a little Christmas dinner together in Iowa before leaving with my two brothers Dean and Dan.  Missed Sarah too much, and our parents most of all.

Jon and Marisa  are involved in a wedding in Ohio this weekend, so we are getting 5 days of grand parenting at their home.  Little boys are definitely more active than what I remember with little girls...... and with some still recovering foot surgery issues...................... and the fact that I'm a lot older than I use to be..............the bed feels real good at night.  This photo is one example of the "amazing Nathan stuntman".  He insisted on watching TV while standing and rocking on his horse.

The gifts are all bought  and wrapped and we're ready to head out today.  Marisa definitely has the gift of gift giving and gift wrapping and as you can see the beauty in her home here.  This year, I'm going with the Three Wise Men  style of giving.  Three simple  gifts for each family member has helped me to keep the shopping under control for me!

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas, fun and peaceful family gathering and hearts that are thankful for God's gift of Jesus to us. 

Another Lit'l One On The Way!

Exciting News!!!!  Big Announcement!!! I can finally announce to the world that I am going to be a grandma again! I could not be more excited!  And the parents are................... Ben and Jen!

They have wanted to wait until they were through the first trimester and now that Lit'l One is 12 weeks old, I have finally been given permission to share this, oh so happy news.

This picture was taken the night that they shared the exciting news with us.  They had waited until we came down to visit them so they could tell us in person. That was Nov. 14th.  We had gone out for dessert ( just the four of us) and they gave both Mike and I a gift to open. Inside were baby booties (sort of a family tradition) and we were totally shocked and surprised.  Of course I cried, and then we sat and talked and dreamt together about the life of this new one to change their lives forever.   

They have now heard the heart beat, and received ultrasound picture of this precious baby! 

 Due date is July 2! Can hardly wait!  We are so blessed and thankful!

Congratulations Ben and Jennifer!

Tis the season

My blogin time  has obviously taken second fiddle in my free time lately.  It is a busy and yet fun time of year.  Foot recovery continues to go well.  I'm at 75% this week, and getting around pretty good which has led us to set up a lot of appointments with our ministry partners.  In fact last week we had around 16 appointments reconnecting and catching up with people who mean so much to us.  Not so good at all (for the weight issues) to spend hours eating, considering I cannot exercise and walk as I'd like to.  Bad combination, for sure! 

I am certainly enjoying a Christmas in Iowa.  We pulled out what few decorations we had for our little cabin. Here's a few of my favorites.

Even after checking out all the new decorations that have come out, my favorites are always the memories associated with the old ones.  I remember this little church set up at my grandparents house.  I would stare into the church forever and remember exactly where they traditionally placed it each year.

These little elves remind me of my dad.  He enjoyed them a lot and would set them around in different places in different positions.

Oops, what happened to my head? 

Our First Christmas- 1977

Love my pom-poms garland that hold our Christmas cards with cute little clothespins.

I have been amazed at the tinselitis in  some homes that we have visited. This home took me hours to just take it all in, not to mention the way these Iowa women can cook up a feast. 

So far our little cabin has kept us cozy and warm. We are so thankful for a place of our own. Tonight, we pack our bags to do a little grandparent babysitting and then spend Christmas with our kids in Arkansas. Cards are out, gifts are wrapped, and we're ready now to just be together for Christmas.  It's been five years since we were all together and who knows when the next time will be!  We do not take for granted this privilege of all being together this year. Thankful and expectant!

FallingPlates

Hello Mr. Squirrel

The little squirrels all around our cabin (and there are A LOT of them)  give us entertainment right out the window. They eat the corn within hours of us putting it out for them.

They started on the pumpkin before Halloween and by after  Thanksgiving had eaten  the entire thing.

 
To think that in our newlywed days, Mike use to shoot these little things and we'd cook them up and eat them!  Yuck!  What was I thinking?

Doin tricks for me! They have gotten pretty comfortable, and walk right up to our glass window door  to peer in at me sometimes.  It reminds me of The Mississippi Squirrel Revival   or Clark Griswolds, Christmas Vacation and the squirrel in his tree.   I fear what I would do if a squirrel went berserk inside our cabin. They are cute little critters for  outside only!

My Alma Mata

The UNI panthers  match up to the Iowa farmers in the Gangnam Style Parody!  If I post one, I have to do the other! My roots continue on and memories abound on that campus!  The only thing that will top these is if I get my kids and grand kids to do the Gangnam Style for me!  Whacha think kids?

New Favorite Gangnam Style For Me

This YouTube is a total "East Meets West" for me!  I can't watch it without smiling.  It brings the new Asian Gangnam craze and my Iowa roots of farming together.  Our two worlds in Thailand and Iowa can be so different!  This makes me very proud to be an Iowa farm girl!  Love it!

 

Legacy

After delaying out departure from Arkansas twice, we are now back in Iowa again.  Sometimes, it's just so hard to say good-bye!   Our time was great with our girls and families, never a dull moment when we are together.  Mike got to use his mechanical gifts a bit during our visit, and helped Lori with some of her yard work.  This is another favorite picture from our session the weekend they came up to Iowa in October.  Love our girls!

My foot continues to heal and I am now at 5 weeks post surgery #2, which means I can put 25% of weight on it now.  I'm a bit more mobile and confident than with the first one and limping around without my crutches and scooter now.  They still get sore and tired and let me know when I've been on both of them for too long.

I  cannot tell  you how much I have thought of my mother during this recovery time.  She had MS the last 20 plus years of her life and could not walk at all during most of that time.  When I would surround my chair with all my books and projects and things I needed,  it reminded me so much of her; and yet she had it SO MUCH worse.  At least I could get up and move around when I wanted to- but she did not have that choice.  I really don't know how she endured SO MANY years of her predicament so joyfully.  Dad was the saint of all in caring for her all those years and never complaining either.  What an example of "being content in all circumstances" they have left as an inheritance to me. Their situation has been a good encouragement to me, whenever I was tempted to have a pity party about my immobility these last few months.  I feel like I'm really on the home stretch now in my recovery.  Just in time to enjoy the holidays and get ready for our return to Thailand in January.  Time to decorate our little cabin with some Christmas cheer!  Happy December 1st everyone!