Happy 3rd Birthday Mark!

Today is Mark's 3rd birthday! I sure can't imagine life without his beautiful smile and sparkling brown, mischievous eyes. Mark is all boy and I love to see him play with his little equipment and pretend that he is farming. He is energy plus and seems to enjoy each moment to the fullest. It's hard not to smile and be happy when he is around, because how can you be sad when he exuberates such joy for life. 

It is fun to watch his little mind work and to listen to him talk. He doesn't miss anything that is going on around him. Surrounded by three sisters he definitely knows that he is the boy. The other day when I was getting him a drink and poured it into a pink cup, he informed me that he wanted a boy cup. The pink one was for girls! 

He was so looking forward to his birthday. He watched his two older sisters celebrate their birthdays this year and kept asking when it would be his turn. Kristen promised that his time would come. When Steve & I and his other grandparents arrived for the big event, he met us with a huge smile and ran circles around the room as he tried to contain his excitement. After we all enjoyed a meal together, the much anticipated cake was brought out to him. There was no doubt that the cake met all his expectations.

The cake :)

Grandpa Mark smiles while Mark takes a big bite.

Opening the presents.

I was behind Mark when the cake was brought out so the video doesn't show his face very well, but you can still see that he was pretty happy.

I love that we get to share these happy times together with our grandchildren.

These Boys

These Two!

I am loving having both of the grandsons today. While they each grab a nap, I'll post a couple pictures.

 

Mark spent the night and he was so pleased to be here all by himself. He got to ride along with Grandpa in the skid loader to pick up bales. He especially liked the "ramp" that they made. (I'm not really sure what that was, but he was happy about it.) When I asked him where he wanted to sleep, he said "with you Grandma." Steve asked him where Grandpa was supposed to sleep. Mark responded, "with Grandma. I can sleep in the middle!" We both got a big laugh out of that.

 

Today is an absolutely perfect fall day. We were able to be outside all morning. The boys enjoyed several barrel train rides, plenty of tricycle riding, swinging, playing in the park, and watching Grandpa inject manure in the field. We also went to Megan and Jeremy's house and watched the trains and threw ball in their basement. It's no wonder they are both worn out and sleeping soundly.



Mark all snuggled in to watch a video before bedtime.





Megan fuels up the tractor while the boys watch Grandpa injecting manure.



You can't sit on the park swing without singing. Here's one of our songs this morning.

 

Maybe I'll go get some rest myself before these two boys wake up ready to go again!

And Then There Were Seventy

The Originals

I've noticed that since Dad has been diagnosed with cancer, many family members have been stopping by their house to visit and also take a few pictures. Everyone wants to make sure they get a picture of themselves and/or their children with Dad. In a previous post, I shared how Steve wanted a four generation picture. The oldest grandson, David, made it a point to get a picture of himself, Dad, and the truck that he now owns which was previously Dad's. I think it is normal when you realize that someone you love might not be on this earth very long, to want to get that last picture keepsake. I also think it shows how much you love and appreciate them because you want this memory not only for yourself but to pass on down to your children.



We have been fortunate that Dad is feeling good. He has no pain and he loves when friends and family stop by to chat with him. On Sunday his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren got together to celebrate with him and Mom. What sixty years ago started with two people has now expanded to over seventy. Plenty of memories were shared and you could tell that Dad appreciated it so much. It was very special to see him smiling and laughing and enjoying every minute of it.

Of course the cameras were brought out to preserve the memory. It wasn't too bad getting pictures of Mom and Dad, the siblings, and the grandchildren. However, when we tried to get all the great-grandchildren in one picture that was a different story. I'm not sure if we ever did get them all. One little girl was nowhere to be found and by the time her daddy located her, a few little ones had had enough and were howling, and their parents took pity on them and rescued them from the group. It was a lot of fun though and even if the children didn't enjoy the picture taking, we adults got a good laugh out of it. We tried to distract them with some singing which was an excellent idea and partly worked. I have a short video at the end and it is really cute. It gives you a pretty good picture of what it was like.

Children

 

Children and Spouses

Grandchildren

Grandchildren and Spouses

Great-Grandchildren

 Enjoy!

Say Yes to the Dress!

Success! Megan and I are both owners of new dresses to wear to the wedding!

We chose last evening to try our luck at finding something suitable to wear for the big event. We started out at Burlington where I had gotten my dress for Megan's wedding but found nothing there. We than hit a couple of other shops before stopping for supper at Ruby Tuesday's. After eating, we went to Ross's and tried on quite a few. Fortunately, Megan found one that she liked and so our evening was at least halfway successful. There was really nothing that even came close to anything that I was looking for and it was getting late so we decided to quit for the evening.

I was a little discouraged but on the bright side, Megan and I had a nice time together. Chatting over supper was very relaxing and enjoyable and Megan getting a dress stuck that she couldn't get off was simply hilarious and everyone in the dressing room heard us howling with laughter. We managed to avoid the grumpiness that usually hits us when we clothes shop so that in itself was cause for celebration.

After I left work today, I decided on a whim to stop at the Community Closet Thrift Store and see if they had any dresses. Low and behold there was actually one that looked like something I might wear. It still had tags on so had never been worn. I tried it on and I liked it! I brought it home and it passed Megan's inspection. I sent a picture to Julissa and she approved so I think I am good to go. Hallelujah! I am so happy to mark that off  my list.

Check back in January for a picture :)

Four Generations

When we had our first grandson, Mark, Steve mentioned that he would like to get a four generation picture with his dad, himself, Jay, and Mark. We never took one and soon Awstin arrived and Steve said it would be nice to get a four generation picture with his dad, himself, Shawn and Jay, and Mark and Awstin. It's one of those things that you think would be nice and that sometime you will get around to it, but you just never actually do it. When Dad was diagnosed with colon cancer and seemed to be worsening rapidly, we thought maybe we had missed that chance.

However, Dad has stabilized and is actually doing pretty well. Steve commented to Shawn about the picture he would like to take with all of them, and Shawn said, "let's do it." Last evening, while Steve and I were visiting with his parents, Shawn stopped by with Awstin and Jay dropped by with Mark and we snapped some pictures. 

Marlin, Steve, Jay and Mark

Marlin, Steve, Shawn and Awstin

At this point in time, Mark and Awstin are the only two great-grandsons that carry the Lehman name. I have no doubt that there will be more but I am thankful that we were able to take these pictures before it was too late. 

Pictures of Some of My Favorite Little People

I looked back over my Blog and realized it has been two whole months since I posted any grandchildren pictures. Imagine that! I thought I better add a few before we forget what they look like (ha!). Kristen had jury duty in Lancaster the beginning of the week. Her mother kept the children on Monday and Tuesday and then we had them Tuesday night until Wednesday noon when Kristen came to pick them up. Actually, we didn't have Hannah over night, but Steve met Kristen in Lancaster Wednesday morning where they transferred Hannah from car to car and he brought her to our house. She has been a little uncertain about me (especially when Jay or Kristen were around and she could choose them), but I was really pleased because she seemed to like me just fine and was a happy little girl. The others stayed overnight and we slept upstairs for the first time. I had always just had the girls sleep with me in  my bed and we would chase Steve downstairs to the sofa but I finally got the upstairs somewhat organized since Megan moved out. I put a single bed in the one room and then in the other I have a futon that opens up into a double bed and I also put a toddler bed in that room. The girls and Mark slept in that room and I slept right next door in the single bed. After some initial "fighting" over who slept where and the normal excitement that is expected when children stay overnight, they settled down and slept through the night. In the morning, since it was Wednesday, Awstin joined us, so for a few hours all of the grandchildren were here. Awstin was jumping around and entertaining Hannah for a little bit and I snapped the picture posted above. I thought it was so cute. She seems thrilled with the attention he is showing her and he is delighted that she is laughing at him.

A day wouldn't be complete without a barrel train ride. We went to Megan and Jeremy's house to watch the train in their basement. Mark loved the Lehman Ag truck on the end and always ran for it. Thankfully the girls and Awstin didn't object to him claiming it.

The girls enjoyed playing with Samantha and Kit.

Handsome Mark!

What a face!

Cutie!

Hannah loved the swing!

The Anointing

¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up... ~ James 5:14,15 NIV

On Sunday afternoon we had an anointing service for Steve's dad. Steve's parents' pastor, Kerry, had asked Dad if he wanted to be anointed and even though Dad is very accepting of his probable death and is at peace with it, he said that he would welcome a prayer and anointing service. It was held in Steve's parents' home. Along with Kerry, some from their small group came and all of Steve's siblings and spouses were in attendance.

When I first heard that Dad was going to be anointed, I was a little uncertain if it was a good idea. I have been to several anointing services and usually they were for younger people dealing with cancer or suffering pain from some accident. I believe the oldest person to request an anointing service that I attended would have been when my then 68-year-old mother asked for anointing after her stroke. I certainly believe in the power of healing through anointing and the Bible definitely instructs us to do so. My question was this: "Should we pray for an eighty year old to be physically healed?"

Don't get me wrong. I love my father-in-law and it would be wonderful if he could continue as he was before his seizure. But realistically, he is eighty years old and if this cancer doesn't take him, the odds are that he will die within the next five to ten years of something else--maybe just old age. He has had eighty good years and that is more than a lot of people. Is it right to pray that we never die, when heaven is so much better?

I appreciated the way Kerry handled the service. Although he did pray for physical healing for Dad, he was very attune to the fact that Dad is not a young man and that death would be healing for his body as well. I felt that the service was meaningful for us as a family too. It allowed us to release Dad to the Lord and know that however the rest of Dad's life is played out, Jesus is walking with us on this journey. I believe that Dad and Mom were strengthened by the prayers and family and friends that surrounded them. I believe it comforted them and reinforced for them that they are not facing the future alone. God's love and peace encircled all of us.

In the end, I was glad we had the anointing service. We do not know how many days Dad has left on this earth, but we do know that God is faithful and our prayers were heard. Dad will either be physically healed or he will be healed through death. Either way, I believe our prayers will have made "the sick person well" and I know that the Lord will raise Dad up either to minister here on earth for a while longer or to rejoice with Him in glory. 

A Humorous Sidenote

Everyone needs a good chuckle once in awhile and I thought this anecdote was amusing enough to write down.

Alexis and Lydia slept overnight at my house on Tuesday and stayed through Wednesday until the evening. I of course had Awstin during the day as well. We had a great time. Sometimes we played together and sometimes everyone did their own thing, but it was a fun day. I enjoyed it and I think they did too.

I always invite any of the family that it suits to come for supper on Wednesday evening. Megan and Jeremy are regulars and so are Shawn and Awstin. (Melissa likes to grab a couple hours of sleep before she milks on Wednesday night, so it is convenient for Shawn and Awstin to join us.) This time Josh and Julissa were present too. 

Josh brought back a small refrigerator that I had loaned him while he was repairing his large one. He carried it in and I told him to just take it down to the basement and put it beside my freezer. He had to walk down the basement steps past the family room where the kids and I had spent most of the day and through a door that opens into a smaller part of the basement where my freezer is. I didn't think anything about it, but when he came back up into the kitchen he said with some concern, "wow, how long does it take for a child to make that kind of mess?" I'm not sure if he was trying to figure out how many years he had to enjoy before something like that hit his house or if he was just truly wondering. Anyway, it was funny and we just kind of looked at each other in amusement and Shawn said, "trust me it doesn't take long." 

I know when my children were small, the messes they made would bother me, but with the grandchildren it never does. That seems strange, but I think it is because they don't stay forever, and I kind of enjoy picking up a room after everyone has left and it is quiet. I remember what we played as I put each thing away and it is a sweet memory. Honestly, too, the grandchildren do often pick up before they leave. Alexis is a fantastic organizer. However, on Wednesday, we just left things lie and I will pick them up and remember each grandchild as I do and be thankful that I can spend time with them.

Josh meanwhile is still trying to figure out how children can turn a room into such a mess.  I have a feeling he will understand better sometime in the future J