Emmi Joy

I'd like to introduce you to Emmi Joy! Isn't she cute? She is a Marmoset monkey, and is 3 1/2 months old now. She will be no bigger than a squirrel when she is full grown. Her favorite game is Peek-a-boo. Just saying, "Where is she?" starts an instant hide & seek game with her. :+)

Studying WWII and the Holocaust

We have been studying the Holocaust & WWII in school. It wasn't really part of my "plan" to study this right now, but I believe that God brought us to the movies we have watched, and opened doors for us to do this now, so we went with HIS plan. :+) We started off by watching "The Sound of Music," followed by "The Diary of Anne Frank," "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas," and "The Devil's Arithmetic." These movies have been very powerful, moving, dynamic and so full of information and reality to them. We must make sure that NOTHING ever, ever, ever like this, happens to ANYONE ever again!!!

Grandkids Are Wonderful!!!!

Back row - Kaden, Landon & Alona
Front row - Lucas, Aidrein & Dane

Can you believe it?!?! We have 6 grandchildren now!! How is that possible?! I'm only 44 and our youngest at home is only just now 6. People have told me for years that grandbabies are "extra special," different from your own kids, etc. Well I love my own kids sooooooo much that the idea that I would be able to love the grandkids as much as I do our own, well, didn't seem possible. HOWEVER, it's true!!! I love these little ones in such a way that I can't even explain it! I love to here them say, "Mama & Papa" (or as Kaden says, "my real Mamaw & Papa"). They bring us such joy!!! And while it is becoming more obvious that I am not in my 20s any more, and that chasing my ambitious 2-year-old granddaughter, Alona, around the house, requires way more energy than I have any more, I wouldn't trade our grandkids for the world!! Doug & I talk about and pray that we will be the grandparents to all our grandkids that our own children have never really had. My dad was a "fun," loving grandpa, but then he passed away from cancer over 8 years ago. Doug's mom used to be a "fun" grandma when all our older kids were small, but now she has had a stroke and they have moved away to WA quite a few years ago. None of our younger kids even know who they are as they really want nothing to do with any of their 16 grandkids, except the 2 in FL. And my mom has never been a "fun" person, and has so much anger, bitterness and dislike for everything and every one, that we do not spend much time with her. It's sad to be so down on life and bitter. However, we pray that how ever many grandkids we end up with, they will all want to come to grandma and grandpa's house as much as they do now, and that we will always have a special place in their hearts for us, as we do them. Can you imagine how many grandchildren we could end up having with 9 children of our own?!?!?!?!

:+)

The Twins Are Here

Our oldest daughter, Niki, and her fiance' had their twins on Jan. 7th. They are both absolutely beautiful!! She was able to give birth to both naturally (Dane was head first, but Lucas was breech) and both babies were born at wonderful weights...Lucas was 6 lbs. 2 oz., and Dane was 6 lbs. 12 oz. Lucas has very little hair that is light brown, and Dane has lots of dark hair. Niki did wonderfully, and Dustin, his mom and I were all there with her.

(Landon is 4, Alona almost 2, and the twins)