New photos of Elsa

Well, Elsa and Miranda are home from a 2 week trip to Alberta to see her family. They had a family reunion with her father's family. It was a chance for all the Aunts and Uncles and Great grandparents to meet Elsa Jane. And also Elsa got to meet her cousin Harris Drake who was born 2 weeks to the day before she was. Here are some new photos that Miranda took on her trip. Elsa is such a pretty baby and her deep blue eyes just sparkle. I miss her so much!

Vacation Memories

Every year we take a week and go to Silver Lake, WA for our vacation. This is a shallow lake close to Mt.St. Helens. Ten years ago we stayed in a cabin and I became friends with the owner. She is a wonderful Christian lady and we really enjoy sharing about our families and our faith. We have continued to go to the lake and have a great time. Bob loves the fishing - crappie, bass, perch, blue gill, catfish, and carp. He is a catch and release fisherman. He gets up early every morning and is on the lake by 6 a.m. in his little aluminum boat with a nice quiet trolling motor. I take the quiet mornings as 'my vacation time'. I watch movies, go for walks, and read.........all by myself. Bob comes back about noon and cleans up. Then we have lunch, and spend the rest of the afternoon playing cards and reading. We usually take a boat ride around the island or elsewhere on the lake in the evening. It is a very relaxing week. No telephone, no computers, no blackberrys.....just R&R.

Jenn, Tim, Jacob, and Abby came up for one day. We got a small life jacket for Jacob and he went on his first boat ride in Papa's boat. He grinned from ear to ear, he loved it! He did not want to go in. We had to take him on another boat ride later in the afternoon. Abby spent the day exploring the deck. Everything is a curosity for this very busy 14 month old. Jenn even got a thrill when the owner's son came to the dock with his new wave runner and he took Jenn out on a ride on the lake. The wave runner turned over and Jenn got soaked, but she did not care for one minute and loved her time zooming around the lake.

All in all it was a very nice week. The weather was perfect and we made lots of memories. The photos will be of our week. It is great to be able to preserve these moments for posterity.

Before and After

Abby after her haircut with Jenn..... Jacob playing in the dirt before his haircut........ Jacob after his haircut and all clean from a bath.....

This week both Jacob and Abby got haircuts. These are some pics from before the haircuts and from after the haircuts. Jacob got a nice buzz, and Abby got her long stragglies cut off. But kids looked so cute afterwards.

Vacation Highlights

We had an amazing time on our trip. My 2 days in Chicago were great. It was so fun to see Melissa and her boys. And a special treat was getting to see John-Mark and meeting his wife, Sheena. Melissa's boys are so fun, and the baby Aidan is just a squishy bundle of love. I had a chance to see Carolyn at work, as an efficient and essential assistant to the Director of Friedman Place, a home for the visually impared. Time went by quickly and then it was off to Toronto.

We had the best time ever with Joe, Miranda, and baby Elsa. Bob and I took turns holding and loving on our third grandchild. She was so small compared to our Abby. Elsa was just beginning to smile and coo. We got to babysit her one afternoon for 3 hours while Joe and Miranda went out for their 7th Anniversary and then went over to a friends to pick up a crib, which Joe and Bob put together when they got home. Miranda is such a relaxed and comfortable Mommy and Elsa senses this and she is a very mellow baby. Joe just adores his daughter and is always kissing and loving her. What a special blessing to be able to see our son as a father. We fell in love with this beautiful baby instantly and it was so difficult to say, "good-bye".

Our Next Adventure

We are packed and all the necessary details are complete in order to facilitate a peaceful and fun vacation this coming week. We leave for the airport this evening since Bob's flight to NY tomorrow is at 5:45 am. We will stop and see the grandkids for a while before heading out to our airport hotel. It is a way to park the car for free and saves us an extra 2 hours in the morning. I like going out to the hotel the night before a flight. Flight day is less stressful.

I fly to Chicago tomorrow to spend three days with my sister, Carolyn. I will get to see my niece, Melissa and meet her three little boys. Can't wait to hold little Aiden who is 4 months. Bob is flying tomorrow to NY for his quarterly meeting. On Thurs. we will both fly to Toronto and arrive (weather permitting) at about the same time. Then Friday - Sunday we will spend all our time with Joe, Miranda, and Elsa Jane. YEA!!!

I will be taking tons of photos of our little Elsa Jane to share with everyone when we get back. My arms are anxious to hold and cuddle with this new baby. Babies smell so sweet. You could just sniff and kiss them all day. Bob and I will be vieing for 'Elsa' time. Abby is so big and active now that we don't have any baby time any more. No more snuggles for her.

Being a Grandparent is a wonderful surprise and joy. I don't know anyone who does not love it and the pleasures of just loving without conditions. These little grandbabies need all the love and support they can get in this world. They need to know that Grandma and Grandpa are on their side, no matter what. What a privilege it is to be a part of their lives.

More later...........

Time Flies, Life Continues

I realize it has been over three weeks since I last posted to my blog. My Dad had knee replacement surgery over 6 weeks ago. His recovery has been very slow and painful. My brothers, Phil and James, went down also to help Mom and encourage Dad. My sister, Barb was down in AZ with my parents for 2 weeks to help out. And now my brother, Phil is back down in AZ trying to keep Mom encouraged and is helping with so many things. Carolyn, Paul, James, and I have been on the phone talking to Dad and Mom frequently. Dad has been in the hospital, in a Rehab center, in a nursing home, back to the hospital, and now back in Rehab. With the encouragement of the attending Dr. at the Rehab center, we are seeking a second opinion as to why Dad's knee is not healing like it should. He is a Diabetic and he does have Parkinson's Disease, so those things do contribute to his slow recovery. Monday, Dad will go to the CORE Institute in Phoenix to see a knee reconstruction orthopedic surgeon. (Center for Orthopedic and Reconstructive Education) The surgeon that will be seeing Dad was the head of Orthopedics at the Mayo Clinic for 17 years. His credentials are top knotch. Hopefully, he will be able to discover what is going on with Dad's knee and help with his recovery. We just wait and see. Please pray with us for a complete and swift healing of Dad's knee and for his body to recover.

Her Mommy's face, her Daddy's chin

Well, Elsa is now almost 5 days old now. She looks so much like Miranda, which is a good thing since Miranda is very pretty. However, she did get one physical characteristic from her Daddy's - a cleft in her chin. Joe got that from my Dad, and I noticed it right away. And Elsa now has it from her Dad. Very cool. Her skin is so beautiful and she is such a pleasant little baby. I can't wait to hold and cuddle with her. My lips ache to kiss her soft head. Here are more photos that Joe sent of Elsa at 4 days old. I love digital photography!

We are off on a trip for 9 days to Southern CA........business and pleasure. We will be back Mon. May 19. No photos for a week. More later.