Cassidy is One Year Old!

How quickly a year passes by! Dear sweet Cassidy turned one year old on October 26. She has been such a joy to all of us. I love to see her beaming smile when she enters the store or our apartment. She may be little but she is so spunky. She absolutely loves her cousins and tries mightily to keep up with them. Much to her delight she has recently mastered going up and down steps so that helps her to follow them wherever they go. They can no longer go up to the playroom without her. We have the pleasure of keeping her one evening a week while Julissa works the store and we really enjoy that. She seems to like our company too!

Her birthday fell on a Wednesday this year and since those close by come for supper every Wednesday, Julissa brought a cake along for Cassidy.

Cassidy wasn't sure what was going on, but she was happy to be the center of attention!

I love the way she is looking adoringly at Awstin

And here is the birthday video from Wednesday. If you listen carefully you can hear Bryce singing. He has a beautiful voice.

On Sunday, Josh & Julissa had us and her parents for lunch for Cassidy's birthday. Julissa made adorable sheep cupcakes.

Isn't this just the cutest?!?!

That smile!

Here is the video from Sunday.

We love you so much Cassidy! We are so, so thankful to have you in our family!

2022 Sleepovers!

Just like last year, each grandchild over the age of 4 was invited to have a one night sleepover at our house this summer. We love being able to focus on just one child and they love receiving all our attention. Each child was treated to a game of mini golf, an ice cream cone from a local creamery and one meal in a restaurant. It's amusing to watch them look over the menu and decide what they want. Some made their choices quickly and others had a hard time deciding. The funniest choice was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich chosen by Clara! The mini golf games were fun. All the children did great and the only rule we gave them was that they had to get our balls out of the hole so we didn't have to use our aging knees to bend down. Some of them always remembered and others we had to remind as they bounded off for the next green.

The older girls I took thrift store shopping. They loved it and we were pleased with the bargains that we found. Steve took Mark fishing and I took Awstin to the Choo-Choo barn. (If you have been reading my blog you know that when Awstin was younger I took him there often and it was his favorite place. We like to revisit it once a year for old-time sake.) 

We also watched movies, played games, enjoyed the deck, played with cousins and Alexis helped me in the store for an afternoon. She was great and I wish she lived closer so I could have her help more often.

Here are a few pictures in the order that we had them. We started with Lydia in the middle of June and ended with Clara the beginning of August.

Playing with some of her thrift store finds

Cousin stare down

The fish that Mark caught

This picture wasn't taken during the sleepover but since his face was cut off on the fish picture I added this one.

Alexis loves all her little cousins and they love her

Working the store

Choo-Choo Barn! We spent 2 hours there and only left because it was closing time. I wonder if he will ever tire of this place!

Yum!

Mini-Golf! 

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. She must have tried at least five times to get this ball through the door, but she was determined!

Golf buddy :)

And we asked for a small dip!

I'm glad we can do this with each of the grandchildren and I'm glad they love to come. When I mentioned to Alexis (who just turned 13) that in a few years she probably won't want to come, she replied, "I'll always want to come no matter how old I am!" That certainly warmed my heart. 

Easter 2022

All 10 grandchildren! I am so thankful for every one of them!

We had a wonderful time as a family as we gathered together on Easter Day. I am amazed that our little apartment can host everybody somewhat comfortably. There are a few times when it gets really loud and the space seems small but for the most part the older children play upstairs and the adults and younger children visit downstairs and it is very pleasant. We had the evening meal together and then the traditional egg hunt. Everyone loved last year when we hid the eggs in the store and since it was cold outside we decided to do the same this year.

Steve spend a good part of the afternoon hiding the eggs and the children had a great time hunting for them. Here is the egg hunt in pictures from youngest to oldest.

Cassidy got help from Mommy to fill her egg basket and then.....

Daddy kept her occupied while her cousins were searching for their eggs.

Jake thought filling his basket with eggs was great fun...

...but after finding all his eggs he thought it was also fun to grab other things off the shelves so Daddy had to carry him :)

Janae admires her purple eggs...

...and is so happy to find another one in the freezer. Bryce watches her intently....

...and then gets some help reaching his orange egg behind the table.

Clara shows off the pink eggs that she has found.

Hannah digs through her eggs to find the best treats. 

Awstin counts his green eggs to see if he has them all....

...and Mark checks his bucket to see if his blue eggs are all accounted for.

Lydia searches the shelves intently to see if she can spot another egg.

Alexis checks to see if Grandpa hid some of her eggs among the cake frostings. 

Some of the children sit on the floor to open their eggs and find the treats inside.

The two youngest grandchildren had such cute outfits on that I just had to share them on the blog as well.

Such a cute matching hat with her adorable dress and sweater

So handsome in his Easter outfit!

We are so thankful for our family and we are also so grateful that Jesus came to earth and suffered the pain and humiliation of the cross so that we might be saved through Him. He is risen indeed! Hallelujah!

A Weekend with Hannah & Janae

Jay & Kristen had their annual weekend getaway with friends at a cabin and their children spent the weekend with others. Kristen's parents had Clara, Josh & Julissa had Alexis & Lydia, Shawn & Melissa had Mark and we had Hannah & Janae. The weekend went splendidly and I think everyone had a great time wherever they were at.

I guess I'm getting lazy but the easiest thing for me to do is just post some of the weekend activities through pictures. Hannah & Janae were wonderful and it was especially fun to get to know Janae a little better. Until now, she has been a little hesitant with me and just left her older siblings have my time. But she totally warmed up to me and was an absolute delight.

Sticker time!

Full concentration from Janae :)

She is pleased with the end result.

Hannah did a beautiful job putting the stickers on the butterflies.

Hannah also put this puzzle together (almost) completely by herself

On Saturday afternoon, Megan worked the store so Jake spent the afternoon with us. Hannah went with the other cousins and played games over at the shop that Josh & Julissa had planned for them. They also did some roller skating. It sounded like they had a wonderful time. Janae and Jake got along very well.

At first Janae watched Jake eat his cheerios....

…..then she decided to help him eat them!

Jake stares intently as Janae shows him how the toy works

At one point I went down to the store to help a little. The kids loved being in the cart :)

Hannah would like to raise sheep, so Steve thought it would be fun to take her to one of his Amish friends and have her bottle feed a lamb. She loved it!

Meeting the lamb

Hannah never stopped smiling the whole time she was feeding it

Here is a short video of Hannah feeding the lamb.

It was a fun weekend for everyone but I think the siblings were all glad to see each other and Mom & Dad on Sunday and Mom & Dad were glad to see them. And Grandpa & Grandma were happy to go home to a quiet house :)

Jake is One!

This sweet little boy turned one year old on January 26! I am always amazed how fast babies grow and develop in their first year and Jake is no exception. He is a delightful child who gives you big wide open mouth smiles and melts your heart with his huge soft, brown eyes. He is a busy little body who loves anything that moves and is also a big fan of books. He especially likes poke the dot books. We had fun celebrating with him today.

Giving a shy smile and wondering what all the fuss is about.

Birthday decorations in place and table all set.

Here's the birthday song video. Jake is clueless :)

At first he wasn't sure about the cake but the more he ate the more he enjoyed it.

We love you Jake!

Christmas and Farewell to 2021

Here it is...New Year's Eve. In a couple of hours 2021 will be history and if I don't get this Blog posted today it will appear in 2022 which is not where I want it.

It's been a long time since I've looked back over a year and felt as if I can say it's been a good one, but finally I can. We've settled in nicely in our little apartment and we both love it. It is cozy and just the right size for the two of us. Yes, when the family all comes we could use more space but we make it work and no one complains. 

The highlight of the year was adding two more grandchildren to our family--Jake in January and Cassidy in October.

Steve closed out the DAF hauling the end of May and was uncertain what he would do for a job. After checking into several options that didn't work out, he settled on transporting Amish. He works mainly for two brothers who have a business together but also does transporting for some others as well. Since he has a truck and trailer, the local Amish are quick to ask him when they have some transporting that requires a trailer. He is amazed at how much he enjoys this job. He has made many new friends and I am so happy to see him satisfied with his life.

We also changed churches which was a hard decision but one we felt was right. Leaving a church where you have gone all your life (me) and for the last 40 years (Steve) is not easy and we do sometimes miss the "family" that we enjoyed there. However, we love our new congregation. We have made new friends and we look forward to each Sunday when we can go and hear a challenging Biblical message and fellowship with other believers.

We are thankful that Steve survived COVID. He was very sick with it the first couple weeks of November and there were a few days and nights when I was very concerned. After receiving a monoclonal antibody infusion, his fever subsided, and he gradually got his strength back. He still gets tired sometimes and his appetite isn't what it used to be. (Maybe that's a good thing--he lost 20 pounds!) 

I am managing the store and that takes a LOT of my time. I have found satisfaction in knowing that I can handle it and do a fairly good job of it, but I must admit that it does make me tired. It is rewarding that the store is doing well. Time will tell how long we continue to keep it, but for this season it seems we are in the right place.

Even though I am busy, I always find time for grandchildren. Every Wednesday I keep Bryce while Melissa works, Megan and Jake stop in often, and now Julissa and Cassidy often pop in as well. We loved having each of the six older grandchildren overnight for a time of one on one with them this summer. I'm glad to soak in these times with the grandchildren, because I know how quickly time moves on. 

Well, that's a short recap of our year. Here are some pictures from our time together at Christmas.

Annual gingerbread (graham cracker) house making with the grands. 

Working diligently

Total concentration

Mark

Lydia

Clara

Alexis

Close up of Alexis' house

Hannah

Awstin

We did a road trip in the barrel train to visit Jake & Cassidy. We were going to stop for Bryce and take him along but he was napping. Here are some videos and pictures from the trip to Jake's. I didn't take anymore after we left his house.

Pulling in to Megan and Jeremy's house. Jake was waiting for us. Yes, that is me waving in the last barrel.

Jake doesn't know what to think

Surrounded by cousins

All our grandchildren. Poor Jake. He was so good all evening until picture taking :)

All 20 of us

Here's a few pics of the 4 younger grandchildren that weren't taken at Christmas but were too cute not to add.

Grandpa & Bryce entertaining Cassidy

I snapped this picture of Janae at the Turkey Hill Experience today

Jake just loves this ball!

What a smile!!!

And that's a wrap. Welcome 2022!