Then and Now

Six years ago on December 19th we were driving through the Texas panhandle in a horrible ice storm.  We were on our way to Phoenix for Laura and Kourosh's wedding.  If you've been following the weather you know that this week on December 19th there was a terrible snowstorm in that same area.  It made me remember the events from 6 years ago, and then think about how much has changed since then!

When we finally arrived in Phoenix on December 21, 2005 we marveled at the 80 degree weather. We enjoyed a beautiful day for Laura and Kourosh's wedding, which was two days before Christmas. I thought a holiday without snow and cold would seem "wrong," but I was wrong!  It was lovely!  We enjoyed walking to and from Christmas Eve service that year in short-sleeved shirts - no jackets!  We laughed at how funny inflatable decorations looked in yards with crushed granite as opposed to snow (or even grass).  But then, those blow up things are funny-looking anywhere, aren't they?  We exchanged gifts Christmas morning with the front door opened.  It was different, special, and wonderful to experience the holiday in a new, fresh, sunny way.
  

In the past 6 years, we've been privileged to enjoy the beauty of the desert! We gained our second son-in-law. We adopted Calder after 20 years without a dog! Tom retired from the State of Michigan and got a new job in Phoenix. After 56 years of living in Michigan (32 of them in Muskegon), we moved 2,200 miles from everything and everyone that was familiar.  We traded our "dream house" for a desert cottage. We gained a grandson...and then another...and another...and another!  We adopted Abby (are we nuts??). And to top it all off, our four grandsons were joined by a granddaughter just a month before Christmas.  Blessings upon blessings.... well, maybe except the dogs... just kidding... maybe...?
      
I wish we could see each and everyone of you during the holiday season.  We will have a great Christmas celebration with that nice family who live around the corner from us, but you'll all be in our thoughts.  And no, we won't miss the snow. Seriously. Not one little bit.

Thanksgiving Bundle of Joy

We are so thankful to announce the arrival of our fifth grandchild and very first granddaughter! She was born to our son and his wife on November 22, just in time for Thanksgiving Day. 

Her name is Adele Elizabeth and she is a sweet and tiny baby at 7 lbs 3 oz and 19 inches long.  

I have spent nearly as much time on Expedia.com (searching for affordable holiday airfare) as I have gazing at pictures of her beautiful face. We are so eager to meet her in person and hold her in our arms!  But, for the present, I will have to content myself with working on her nursery window curtains and then a little pink quilt to go with them.

Babies are such a blessing.  We treasured the birth of each of our three children and find these grandchildren to be equally, if not even more, precious.  Here are a few verses from one of my favorite Psalms:

 Children are a heritage from the LORD,
offspring a reward from him.
Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are children born in one's youth.
Blessed is the man
whose quiver is fully of them.
Psalm 127:3-5


I'd paraphrase those verses and say, "Blessed are the grandparents..." because that's just how we feel - 
blessed.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Pumpkin Patch Fun at MacDonald's Ranch

"Watch me jump!"

Super Boy!  Able to leap hay bales in a single bound!

Little Punkin' is shopping for his pumpkin.

We had SO much fun at the MacDonald's Ranch Pumpkin Patch again this year.  It is hot and dusty out at the ranch, but tons of fun watching the kids run, play, jump, chase and just generally have a ball. There was a petting zoo with lots of animals, including a peacock!  There were horse rides for the kiddos and a hay maze for all to enjoy (I mostly liked sitting in the shade there).  My favorite part of the outing is the hayride, though.  Larry, Moe and Curly were the beautiful black horses that pulled our wagon out. They gave us a pleasant ride through the desert to the pumpkin patch. It's not a true patch of growing pumpkins, but a large display of pumpkins of all sizes arranged on hay bales. There were even scare crows to add to the atmosphere.  After choosing our pumpkins, we hopped on a returning wagon driven by a friendly, REAL cowboy.  Collin got a ride with Kit Kat to top off the evening.  What a great way to spend some family time on an October Sunday.      

Those are some pretty spendy pumpkins!  Hope you brought your allowance.

"Mom, I need money!"

Collin rides Kit Kat

There were LOTS more pumpkins than this, but this picture gives a nice idea of the feel of the place.
 Can you see the mountains and saguaros in the background? 

(l) Collin & Grammy making biscuits


(r) Silly stuff before T'day dinner

A Whirlwind Fall

Time to catch up with the Sheps in AZ....

Wow, it's been a busy fall!! Since last blog we have met our 3rd grandchild via ultrasound pictures, entertained guests from Texas, traveled twice to the Midwest, celebrated 3 holidays (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas) AND grandson Peter's 1st birthday. We've "remodeled" a linen closet (more work than you'd think!), tried to make space for a car in the garage (impossible dream) and attempted to grow a "winter lawn" (not too successfully). We've shopped for, wrapped, and shipped or personally given all our Christmas gifts. Now it's time to think about wrapping up the year 2008.

One of my New Year's resolves will be to blog monthly, which will be a major increase from my not quite quarterly postings. PapaShep has worked hard at getting our photos better organized at the computer. He's also been working on the computer to make it a little faster and less prone to crashing (yea!). I've de - cluttered our office niche so it's more pleasant to work in the small space. Hopefully, all that will help make blog posting easier. If Emily and Andrea can be current with their news while working/raising babies, well, I should be able to do it, too, right? We'll see!

Where does the time go? Can it really be almost 2 months since our last posting? We had a fun Halloween & great Thanksgiving, too. Just before T'day we did a bit more remodeling on the desert cottage. With Laura's help, we planned a new tile floor for the master bath and closet. We also made major changes in the closet with the installation of a wonderful closet system. All our clothes now fit into one closet instead of three. Organization is great!
Then we moved on to Christmas preparations. It's a different experience to put up outdoor Christmas lights wearing shorts, T-shirt and flip-flops. We didn't once need to come indoors to warm frozen fingers. Christmas shopping evenings are fun - the weather is temperate and the tall palm trees at our favorite shopping center are decked out in lights. It's a big contrast to what we were used to in Michigan and sometimes seems odd. But it's also a whole lot of fun!