This is our grandson Joshua. He is 8 years old and is a great kid. Josh loves to help and often asks me if there is any work he can do for me. He has a big heart and is a sweet boy. His biggest problem right now is that he loves to annoy Jaden ~~ his baby brother ~~ the old pecking order thing. We love our Joshua and are enjoying watching him grow up right before our eyes.
This picture was made on our grandson Jarrett's 14th birthday.
It is a joy to have had Jarrett in our family for the past four years
and to watch him grow from a little Ukrainian boy into an American teenager. He is a sweet kid, and we love him dearly.
Grandma Carol, Jarrett, and Granny Susan. I apologize for the horrible quality of this photo. Somehow a setting got changed on my camera. :(
Jaden is our little red-headed grandbaby ~~ the youngest of the four. He is 2-1/2, all boy, and a Pistol-Pete. He is always on the go but occasionally stops to give the most unexpected but sweetest hugs. We were out eating with Brian, Amy, and the family when Jaden came around the table and crawled up into my lap for a "grandma" hug. Boy Howdy, that warms a grandma's heart for sure. I have had the precious privilege of keeping him while Amy has taught during the school years since his birth. He will officially leave my "granny school" to go to pre-school on Monday, August 6. He is very ready and will do well, but I surely will miss him. He has enriched and enlivened my days beyond description.
These pics were made by a professional-photographer-in-training, Emily P.
L-R: The table is set and ready; Belle and Grandma in the kitchen; Sarah and Astrid visiting
We hosted a "friend luncheon" to honor some friends of mine. The luncheon was for Sarah P as she is about to move to Virginia for her first teaching position. A teacher from the school in VA was here visiting her parents, so I invited her to come. This gave the two teachers a head start on getting to know each other.
My dear granddaughter, Isabella, spent the day with me on Tuesday and was invaluable in helping me put the meal together. She helped with the prep work, prepare the salad plates, and serve the meal. I love Isabella so much and am thankful that her mommy and daddy are raising such a fine daughter.
God has blessed me with wonderful friends through the years, and I thank Him for them. Here is a family I would like to "spotlight" today. These folks were dear friends during some of our years at our church back home: Kerry and Robin with their children Jamie and Josh.
Kerry and Richard were deacons together and that's where they got to know one another and became friends. Robin was a young mother of young children and me as an older mother of older children, we enjoyed sharing the blessings (and sometimes challenges) of being wives and mothers. It is hard to believe that so many years have passed since we have seen Kerry and Robin. Daughter Jamie is all grown up at 19 years old, and Josh is well on his way to manhood at 15 years old.
They are transplants and no longer reside in our home state either, but it is a joy to keep up with them through emails. It was Robin's beautiful blog that inspired me to start one of my own. Thank you for letting me share my friends with you today!
I talked to Amy as she and Brian were leaving from her post-op visit. The doctor said the holes are working. Her iris has flattened back down into normal position and the fluids are moving. Her vision is bad today he said because the "stuff" in her eye was stirred up during the drilling of the four holes yesterday. Her vision should come back to a more normal read as the inside of her eye settles down. Her pupil will remain stuck to the lens of her eye which means it won't be dilating and contracting as light situations change. At some point they will have to do a lens transplant and that is when the pupil will be freed up from it's present condition. She is at work today and is preparing dinner for the family. As I said, "You can't keep a good woman down!" I appreciate everyone's prayers for her and PRAISE GOD that holes drilled in her iris yesterday are working to drain the excess fluid so that the eye pressure doesn't increase. God is good!!!
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