Carter Loves.....

Spending thirty-six hours with Carter Chance....what a thrill! We have not gotten to spend a lot of one-on-one (uh...I guess that would be two-on-one) time with Carter, but thanks to a conference Bill needed to attend in Houston, we got the opportunity to do just that.  He & Carey took the older two boys and they had a mini-vacation, taking in an Astros game and an awesome children's museum.  Carter came to stay with Nana & Grandpa.  And oh, what a delight he is!!!  This is what we discovered.....

CARTER LOVES TO BE OUTSIDE!  Both evenings we took him outside and he crawled all over the place! He especially seemed to like the breeze blowing in his face.

CARTER LOVES MEALTIME!  Well, we already knew this, but he got really upset with me when the oatmeal was all gone! Of course, Nana gave in and mixed up a little bit more....

CARTER LOVES TO PLAY PAT-A-CAKE!  He will watch you do it, he will let you 'help' him do it, he will do by himself, and he'll grab your hands and 'help' you do it!

CARTER LOVES HIS BATHTIME!  He just started squealing when I started running the bath water; started pulling his shirt off over his head almost before I had the first arm out; and he just crawled around in circles in our big tub splashing and squealing!

CARTER LOVES 'DRUMMING'!  A toy, an empty juice bottle, a sock freed from the foot....they all become a drumstick to beat on whatever is handy!

CARTER LOVES TO DANCE!  He does the cutest little shake of his head that has been dubbed the 'Carter Chance Baby Dance'....and he was 'dancing' and shaking like crazy to the music at Logan's Roadhouse!

CARTER LOVES HIS GRANDPA AND NANA!  And we love him! We had such a fun time with Carter Chance!

Grandkids, Birthdays, and Cakes!

We are in the midst of the birthday-season for the grandkids! Aidan turned 6 in February, Tater celebrated his 4th birthday in March, and April holds birthdays for both Annaliese and Jordan. Annaliese just turned 3 and Jordan will be 5 in a couple of weeks!

Keeping with the tradition of making birthday cakes for the grandkids, I made Star Wars TIE Fighter cupcakes for young Jedi Aidan, one for each party guest. The theme of his party was Legos Star Wars,

so I also had his name built out of Legos for the center of the display.

Tater's party theme was Spiderman, so I crafted a 3-D Spiderman. His party was at the park on a very windy day, and Spidey just about lost his head! I also made cupcakes for each of the kids.

Cupcakes are just so much easier for a kid's party....especially when the wind in blowing!!

It came as no surprise when I learned that Annaliese would have a Princess Party!

Her party was held at Build-A-Bear in the Stonebriar Mall in Frisco with cake afterward in the food court!

One princess was not enough....had to have three...with cupcakes for everyone!

I will not be able to go to Jordan's birthday party in Lewisville, but we are having a small family party for him when he comes to visit in a couple of weeks.  I'll post a couple of pictures then!

Homemade Pizza

A great way to end a crazy week.....have three of the grandsons over! Of course, Tater is here everyday, but he really gets excited when 'his cousins' come over and play! Friday morning, Connor came over, and the two of them had such a great time! First activity for the day, PLAY-DOH!  I love the guy who invented Play-Doh!

Next on the schedule was playing Wii....oh my!  Two 3-yr-olds + MarioKart = great morning entertainment!  It took them about 10 minutes to finish one race!!  But they loved it and had great fun and that's all that matters!

At 12:00 we went and picked up Caleb at school....let the fun begin! While Tater and Connor have fun together, adding Caleb to the mix takes it to a whole new level! (Word of explanation here: It was Jammie Day at school, so yes, Caleb is wearing his jammies in some of the following pics!)

Homemade pizzas were on the menu for the day.  I made the dough, divided it into four balls, and gave each of the boys one...and one for me!. With a little help from Nana, we got the dough rolled out into circles.....somewhat. Then each of the boys spooned and spread their sauce and added cheese while Nana sliced up some ham & turkey...sorry, all out of pepperoni and sausage! Then more cheese on top!

Then into the oven they went.  What shall we do while we wait?  Eat more cheese, of course!!!

The pizza turned out pretty good! The boys were surprised, I think! I know they had a fun time, and it is definitely a do-again project!

After naptime, it was time for some more Wii!  Best entertainment of all, watching two 3-yr-olds and a 6-yr-old playing Wii....especially boxing!!  First, though, Caleb & Tater played Carnival Games while Connor was still napping.  Then bowling.  Couldn't get a picture of the boxing....would've been just a blur!

What a fun day!!  Made this Nana one happy lady!!

So Maybe Not Every Day

Maybe the goal of doing a blog post every day was a little over-achieving. Maybe I don't need to post if nothing of consequence happens. Maybe I don't need to write something down just to be writing something down. Maybe I get busy some days and don't have time to write. Maybe I'm tired some evenings and just don't want to do blog. Maybe sometimes I just forget!

So I'm going to take the stress off myself. I've been too hard on myself. I know no one else really cares whether I post every day or not, but I said I was going to, so I've felt bad when I didn't.  That's exactly why I don't make new year's resolutions! 

But I do promise to try to be better about posting. I promise myself to at least try.  And when I have something to write about, I'll write about it! And if I don't have time to write about it the day it happens, I've figured out how to change the date on the post!!

So there!

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Freedom through Christ

Yuri, imprisoned in Russia in the 1940's at the age of 12 for stealing a loaf of bread to feed his family...because he was caught, his family starved to death, and he only survived because he was put in prison. Years later he was still imprisoned, lost in the beauracracy of the day.  But God sent a miracle...He sent a worn, used Gideon Bible into the prison where Yuri was, and Yuri became a Christian. And even though he was in bondage, he was freed.

My friend who went to Russia several years ago told Yuri's story this morning in Sunday School. He told how he had visited a prison filled with violent political prisoners, of the barrenness and filth of the aging prison, then of getting to the top of the spiraling staircase in the dormitory where the prisoners were and finding fresh paint, clean floors and walls, ivy painted on the walls, and meeting Yuri. He told my friend, "For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." (Phil 1:21) Yuri had such a peace that even living almost his entire life in prison was nothing. Because it was there that he had found Christ. He told of the many prisoners there who had found Christ within those crumbling walls who now had a hope for the future, who now were set free in their hearts even though they would never be set free of the prison walls.

Four years later, my friend returned to Russia where he was scheduled to speak in a worship servicein a church. As he sat waiting, he watched the little children being led in to sit on the front row. As the old man who was leading them turned to sit down, my friend recognized him....it was Yuri!  In Russian, he said to him, "Yuri! You've been set free!"  To which Yuri replied, "Ah, but I was already set free in my heart!"


The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed. (Luke 4:18)

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Weddings & Farewell Receptions

How strange it is to say 'hello' and 'good-bye' all in one day. People come and go in our lives, everyone on their own little conveyor belt, going at their own speed, and sometimes our paths travel along together for a while. And whether those together times are just a short while, or whether they last for years, the times together with friends are cherished. That's just the way life is. And today was one of those days that found one conveyor belt running alongside of mine and another one moving on.

This morning we officially said 'hello and welcome' to Mary, Buck's new wife. They had a beautiful wedding ceremony followed by a simple cake & punch reception, then followed by a big family lunch at Kenny Blanek's cafe. And since Kerry and I are sort of adopted family, we were included. It was good to see Buck's kids and some of the grandkids who were here...Melissa & Leonel came from Caracas, but the children stayed there; Melissa and her grandson were here from Dallas; and Mike and his family were here from Houston. And we had the opportunity to meet some of Mary's family. Like me, she has a big family!  I expect our 'conveyor belts' to run alongside one another for awhile...hopefully a long while....as we welcome her into our hearts and lives.

(There will be a picture in here later of us with Buck & Mary....Leonel took the pic and will send it to me!)

This afternoon, the ladies of the church officially said 'farewell' to Liz. Liz & Ronnie are retiring Jan. 31....next weekend! Liz has been such a integral part of my life over the last 20 years! Being our church pianist, she has accompanied me numerous times singing both solos and in ensembles. She is so very talented on the keyboard, making the notes just dance and float through the air. She has also been a friend, and she will be greatly missed. This afternoon was her "Farewell Tea", and next Sunday, the 31st, we will have a retirement party for her and Ronnie. And although their 'conveyor belt' is beginning to head off in another direction, we will continue to keep in touch with them as they seek the Lord's direction in their retirement years.

Friends come and friends go, but they never really leave our hearts and minds as the memories made together linger, waiting to be visited from time to time. And who knows when our conveyor belts will come together again, if only for a short visit.

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A Blast from the Past

Look what I found in the closet! I've been working all week on the closet and files in the computer room. Tater has been very interested in everything I've pulled out of the closet....especially this old electric typewriter!  And it's not even all that old!

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