28,490 days old according to hhis NY family!

Oh what a day!

GRANDPARENTS' DAY!

Grandparents' Day! What a privilege! 

How many grandkids do you have you might ask. Well.....not all are mine by blood. All are mine in Spirit. 

James 1:27 has become a "lifesong" for orphans and widows. Regardless of the version in Scripture James 1:27, expresses  caring for orphans and widows in their troubles is pure and undefiled before God. 

A paraphrase says, "One of the purest and most undefiled demonstrations of the gospel is to move towards hard places and broken people, not away from them."

A daughter and a dear friend both do that. 

Sometimes I'm blessed to join the action. I received lots of treats!

 

Next time, I'll have to drive to North Carolina for a Grandparents' Day!

1, 2, 3!

1, 2, 3!

Guess who turned 3 this week? Of course, if you ask him, he still says 2.

The shirt says it all....."His Buh" wore the same shirt, created by Mommy, 11 years ago at his 3rd birthday "robot" party!'

the gift wrap signifies a birthday event.......

blowing out #3 candle affirms it......

.......the smile while in his birthday suit says it all----but he says, NO! 2!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, STINK-O-POTAMUS!

SMILE ALERT!!

Turn off the TV and open email from family!

From the oldest grand......He is 19......and a summer counselor @ Pine Cove The Shores

to the youngest......she is drying out from the spray ground in Brooklyn, with snack in hand!

These pictures make me smile! 

STOCKINGS WERE HUNG...................2020

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care......

.......but this year no grands will even be there!

2020 has had its restrictions! COVID has given us a Thanksgiving for two and now we prepare for a Christmas for two. 

2 is 15 too few!

Proverbs 17:6a says it well, "Grandchildren are the crown of the elderly."

Grandchildren together number 9. 

Nine stockings all in a line.

 "May you live to enjoy your grandchildren." (Psalm 128:6)

Why would you hang their stockings, some would say.......

Especially if you know they won't be coming your way?"

 A grandchild fills a space in your heart that you never knew was empty. (unknown)

The stockings may remain empty but seeing them refills my heart everyday!

ELECTION 2020!

The election is over. The results are in.

Our "choice" won.

Our granddaughter won! She was elected vice-president of her school and she's only in the 4th grade.

Proverbs 17:6 says it well. "Grandchildren are the crown of the aged."

SMILE OF THE DAY!

CELEBRATING OUR MOMENTS!

HAPPY 7 months BIRTHDAY ---To Marigold aka Goldie and Gogo.

Too cute not to enlarge so her smiles can spread smiles to all of us!

Children's children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children! (Proverbs17:6)

CHOOSE: TO GO

Some choices are easier than others, as I often say.

We chose to go to Texas in the middle of the week because retirement afforded us that "time" opportunity. 

Being there with grandchildren is so much better than FaceTime or seeing the video!

So...........it was easy to choose to go! 

But God.......gave us a special memory. Watching Nathan, "from the stands," catch his first touchdown pass ever as an Allen Eagle, was a memory for a lifetime. 

CHOOSE: DANCING IN DISNEY # 2

Fun! Fun!! & more fun to come. 

CHOOSE: "GRAND" DANCING

Words in books can be as lyrical as the words of a song. Toe tapping.

Riding through "Cat in the Hat" storybook tunnel listening to those rhythmic words and on the "High in the Sky Trolley Train" ride had us all rocking and rolling and dancing our way above, around and thru the Island of Adventure.

One of the advantages of having been an elementary school librarian for 20+ years is familiarity of many picture books.
"That Sam I am---that Sam I am!" can have one's toes tapping right along with her "grands" and the "Grinch.".

Even the One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish ride had Lucy and me dancing in our seats to avoid the water spouting at us!
Ending up at the bookstore with all the "Cat in the Hat" characters had us all dancing around those books---

until the characters corralled us all for a picture!

God has "made known to me the path of life;" and I know that "in His presence is fulness of joy; and at His right hand are pleasures ever more." (Psalm 16:11) 

How grateful I am for that truth----which I experienced as I "danced" throughout the day with my seven grandchildren....and shared with Lucy in our "Thank you, God" nighttime prayer, as we recounted our day. Praises that after the a-men, she wanted to "pray" again!

GRANDPARENTS DAY???

The morning newspaper ad announced it! 

National Grandparents Day! The first Sunday after Labor Day. 

Who knew? Obviously Hallmark does! Hallmark should know those privileged to have "grands" don't have to have one day set aside!! We celebrate that positional title at all times----moment by moment.

Grandparents are the ones who are blessed. 

Children's children are the crown of the aged....(Proverbs 17:6)

But.....today it was a great reminder to thank the Lord for all my grands! 

May the Lord bless you .......and may you live to see your children's children! (Psalm 128:5-6)

Grandparents Day----We don't need a day----We celebrate that privilege daily!

BOY COUSINS' DAY

Cousins' Day is really July 24th but tonight all the boy cousins were together at dinner to give a "wave out" to cousin Lucy, the only female in this cousins' camp.

So to our sweet Lucy in Brooklyn these "waves" are for you!!! 

We miss you and will see you in Texas at Thanksgiving! 

Love from Nathan, Noah, Caleb, John Parker, Andrew and Owen.

A "GRANDS" Day

Pancakes! Pancakes!, from the childhood library of Buddy Liles, according to the bookplate, had been read to 4 or the 6 "grands" last night to prepare them for their "squiggle pancake" morning---a fun way to start a day with kids---at least our kids liked it when they were young.

Andrew finishes flipping his "A" pancake!

Breakfast was followed by John Parker's baseball game, followed by a quick lunch and a drive into Dallas.
Fourth grader Caleb,  joined his football team, the "Texans" to play in the SMU "mustangs" stadium. What a "big league" setting for those youngsters.

3 hits for John Parker!

Caleb---#13 on the 50yrd. line bottom right

Traffic slowed the return trip home.....but we made it for the 6-8 pm "Neighborhood Night Out" with food trucks, games and a fishing rodeo. Whe-e-e-e!!

 YUM Sliders! Worth waiting in line for---so were the beignets at a different truck.

No winners from our family but that didn't dampen the spirit.

A beautiful ending to a tiring, glorious day.

Proverbs 17:6  “Children’s children are a crown to the aged,..." is a true proverb, but how grateful we were for our "adult children" who drove us around today.

ANSWERED PRAYER!

What a privilege to be a part of God's answer to an 8 yr. old's fervent, consistent prayers. Prayers that "time would fly by" so that he could see his Texas cousins. Thanksgiving plans have been made since August but that's a l-o-n-g time away for a youngster.

Sitting in my prayer chair Saturday morning, I could hear rumblings from upstairs where daughter, her hubby & 2nd grade son, Owen, are residing until their "new" to them house is ready for their family to occupy. 

"Mommy," said Owen. " I was just thanking God that "time is flying by" for me to get to see my cousins" at Thanksgiving. (1 Thessalonians  5:18)

Then he paused and I had to struggle to hear over water running. 

Owen continued, "I have an idea. If you pray with me then "time will fly by" twice as fast.

Unbeknownst to Owen, a Fall Break trip to Texas has been planned for us for weeks, and Owen is going to go too! We will pick him up from school today and "announce" our travel plans! His mom is so excited to see his reaction that she will be there as well to "video" his reaction. Of course she will. She's a photographer who is all about "family moments" and she so-o-o wants to capture this one.

Photo of Owen as he heads to Texas, after the big reveal with help from cousin Noah's phone call. 

I'm so happy I feel like I could "explode hearts all over the place."

How precious for me to eavesdrop on his precious prayer----knowing God had answered it months ago. What a privilege to be a part of an answered prayer.

Second Day!

When man works, man works; when man prays, God works. (Angus Buchan)

He certainly did that for sweet Lucy today as she  was reassigned to the preschool just around the corner from her home.......and went shopping with Daddy for the new school uniform.

Answered prayer that blessed her grandmother's heart----God's best in His timing.

FIRST DAYS!

A joyful heart is good medicine...(Proverbs 17:22) For a grandmother that includes first day of school pix from pre-school to 8th grade.

Pre-school Lucy

Pre-K Andrew

1st Grade John Parker

2nd Grade Owen

l-r 8th Grade Nathan, 4th Grade Caleb, 6th Grade Noah

Celebrate Life

Celebrate life and "dance in the rain." If there's no rain, go to a spray ground with your child or grand child. Celebrate and dance today.

YES---that's Lucy dancing..... a dance of summer celebration!

"tea-lightful" : a Re-Brew

Your words were found and I ate them, And Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart;
For I have been called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts. (Jeremiah 15:16, NASB)

Many things in life bring delight to us. Time with loved ones. A vacation in the mountains or at the beach. A field of yellow daffodils on the first day of spring.

In our family, food often brings delight. Even many vacation stops are planned around unusual restaurants.
Delightful food. Yummy food---which often varies with our age. A waffle bowl of ice cream for the grands. A cuppa for me. Peanut butter and jelly for the grands. Benedictine for me.

One of the bench marks of Christian maturity, is a hunger for God's word. A thirst that only His words can satisfy. Scripture meditation delights my soul.....as does being called by His name--Christian.

What are you eating lately? (ea-TEA-ng, as Corey said)
For me, noshing on God's Word is "tea-lightful."

"Tea for Two"

Do to others as you would like them to do to you. (Luke 6:31, NLT)

Lucy and Alice have been "friends" since birth. Now at age two they are beginning to "explore" the ends and outs of friendship, namely sharing. What an adventure to watch these two exert independence while learning to practice the "Golden Rule" from the Bible. Sharing is a difficult concept. For a toddler it usually means, she has it and I want it---"she won't share."

These two have already gotten a handle on it---beyond their age, I think. They even watch out for one another and sometimes their conversations are similar to listening in on a conversation between "little old ladies."

"Lucy could you hold my hand, while I rock and then it will be your turn."

Okay Alice, now it's my turn. You hold my hand now."

Even while serving each other tea, they were polite (for awhile) and poured each others cuppa---even putting their napkin in their lap.

Ah-h-h the joy of sharing tea with a friend at such a young age. "Tea for Two" who are not quite 2 ½.

"tea-lightful"

May you see your children's children! (Psalm 128:6, ESV)

Not only living to see my grandchildren but spending uninterrupted time with them, especially one at a time, is a blessing. A treat beyond measure. A "grand" time to read stories, play a game and create. 

"Serving the birds" idea had us creating a pinecone wreath bird feeder. Slathering peanut butter on the cones and rolling them in seed and thistle to attract the birds was great fun. BUT....a pesky squirrel made short work of disassembling and devouring our creation......as the birds only looked on. In his defense, he does lay clam to all pinecones in our yard, so I should have known better.

Time with a grandson is as "tea-lightful" as a warm cuppa on a cold January day, even when activities take an unexpected turn.