Isabella's Spring Piano Recital 2008

Psalm 150:4 ... praise him with stringed instruments and organs.


We were so very blessed to attend Isabella's Recital on Tuesday Evening. Here is a "Smilebox" presentation of the video of her performance and about 10 pictures of the evening. Play the video and then click on each picture for it to appear in the larger frame. There are 4 pages of pics in total so look for the arrow button to move to the next page in the bottom right-hand corner of the page. I hope you enjoy!

Make a scrapbook - it's easy!

ONE LAST TOOT FROM JOSH

We went to Josh's first band concert on last Friday night but didn't get a good view of him playing and failed to make a picture of Josh all dressed up for the concert that evening. At lunch on Sunday, I asked Josh if he would mind coming to my house so that I could "interview" him about the concert. He came and I made a video of Josh and his trumpet. I guess this will be our "last toot" for this school year. Josh seems to have some natural talent so I hope he will practice this summer and keep up what he has learned this semester in his trumpet lessons. And now, here's Josh.....

Josh In His First Band Concert Last Night!

What a joy to watch our GRANDchildren grow up. Josh turned nine last week and is completing the 3rd grade. He has a big heart and is a great kid. We are so very proud of our middle grandson for many reasons, and last night we were proud of Josh, the band member!

In January, Josh began taking trumpet lessons at school and then about a month ago, all of the different beginning 3rd grade band members came together as a group. Last night they played two songs in the Grades 3-8 Awards Concert. Amy was the emcee for the concert. We heard the Cadet Band (grades 6-8 and they were as good as any high school band I have ever heard), Tonettes (4th grade singers), Harps (grades 3-7), Beginning Orchestra (grades 5-7), Jaffe Orchestra (grades 4-8), Third Grade Band (Josh's group!), Elementary Band (grades 4-5), Patriot Singers (grades 5-6), and the Intermediate Orchestra (grades 4-7).

Of course, I tried to make some video of Josh playing and of Amy emceeing. It turned out horrible. We were too far back, Josh wasn't high on the risers, and it just wasn't a good situation for filming. But, I got a video (IT IS CURRENTLY UPLOADING ON YOUTUBE) and you can at least hear the band. When the video is posted here, Josh is on the front row far right~~ and is the first dark-haired boy. Amy was the emcee of the program and did a super job.



After hearing all of the excellent bands, orchestras, harps, choirs, and the giving out of awards, all of the musicians (327 of them representing grades 3-8 at the Academy) came together for the grade finale to play/sing a wonderful patriotic medley. I got the last word of it ("forever" in Stars and Stripes) and you can see Josh kind of in the middle of all the white shirts ~~ in front of the boy wih the prominent bowtie. It was a GREAT evening, and we look forward to watching Josh progress with his trumpeteering!!

"Resting in God's Love" by Baby Lily's Maternal Grandmother, Rhonda

Song of Solomon 2:12 The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;

Rhonda (in the red dress) and her family: Front Row L-R: Daughter Pam holding Baby Ellie, Rhonda, Dawn (expecting Lily) holding Little Luke, Rhonda's mother, Jean. Back Row L-R: Pam's husband Casey, Dawn's husband Josh, Rhonda's husband Dan, and Rhonda's son, Danny. (Double-click on any pic to enlarge for better viewing.) And now from Rhonda.....

Dear Prayer Warriors,

Let me share my heart with you for a minute. I spent the night with Dawn and Josh last Saturday and Sunday and took care of (2-month-old) Lily so that they could get a good night's rest.
(Picture is of Josh and Dawn with Luke and Lily.)


Early Saturday morning I had asked God for a special promise. I was holding Lily closely and looking out the livingroom window. It was about 6:30 a.m. I noticed a birdhouse on the backyard fence. A mommy bird and daddy bird were making visits in and out of the birdhouse, feeding their young. God reminded me of the song "His Eye is on the Sparrow." It is one of my favorite songs; Dawn has sung it a few times in church. It wasn't long before Josh and Luke joined me in the livingroom. We were quietly waiting for Dawn to wake up. I mentioned my thoughts to Josh as we sat there looking out the window watching the birds.

Later that same day Dawn was checking her email and mentioned she had a really sweet one from George (a friend from church) . As she read it to us, he too was conveying the exact same assurance and comfort to Dawn that the Lord had given me earlier that morning. A couple of the verses follow:

Let not your heart be troubled, His tender word I hear,
And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears;
Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;

Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come,
Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heaven and home,
When Jesus is my portion? My constant friend is He:
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

Matthew 6:26 "Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?"

Lily is precious in God's sight. She is under His wings and nothing can happen to her without His knowledge. I am clinging to the promise that He is watching over her! Another verse I love is Psalm 91:4 "He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust."

Keep praying on Lily's behalf. Pray the surgeon will be able to remove the whole tumor (on Tuesday, April 29). Pray for total healing from this cancer. Pray for Dawn and Josh to be strengthened, encouraged and comforted in God's love. Pray for Luke as he will be separated from his parents for much of next week. And please keep praying for the other family members as well.

Resting in God's love,
Rhonda

FLIPPING OUT!!!!!!!!!!

Grandpa Richard and I heard voices and laughter out in the front yard and looking out the window, we saw that the GRANDkids were home from school and doing flips. A friend of the family had arrived to have dinner with them; and Jarrett, being a typical almost-15-year-old guy, was eager to "show off." Amy's friend had fun showing the kids her gymnastic abilities so they all had fun and then were good and ready for dinner when Amy called them in ~~ but not before I stepped out on our front porch to make a quick video of the fun! Otobeyoungagain!!!

P.S. I cautioned Josh not to be flipping around in his dress pants (he had dress rehearsal this afternoon for his band concert tomorrow night and was still in his concert clothes) but wasn't paying attention that Belle had on her school clothes (a skirt.) OOPS!!!!!!!!!

Oh Be Careful, BIG Feet, Where You Go

Matthew 18:6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

Today was my play-day with my 3-1/2 year-old grandson. Jaden is very articulate, very active, and lots of fun for me. I enjoy our conversations and our activities. As is our custom on Wednesdays, we had a fun morning playing outside. He rode his bike, played basketball, swung (boy that sounds weird), played kickpen with Granny, and ran around. We were both worn out when it was time to come in for lunch.

As we came into the sunroom from outside, I quickly kicked off my shoes so that I could wash up and start our lunch. Jaden was playing around with some toys out there so I told him to take off his shoes and come on into the house in a few minutes. He obeyed and was soon inside washing up for lunch.

After lunch we watched a video, got his bath, and read his bedtime story for nap-time. When he woke up at 4:00, it was time to get dressed for Grandpa to come get us to take us away... to take Jaden to his Mom at the Academy... blah, blah, blah. Anyway, the last thing I had to do was to remember where in the world Jaden's shoes could be found. Oh yeah.... I had told him to leave them in the sunroom before he came in for lunch. I went out to the sunroom to get them while Jaden was putting on his jeans and socks. Here is what I found....

Now, this picture may not mean a thing to you, but finding our shoes in this pattern brought tears to my eyes. To me, it was Jaden expressing his enjoyment of our playtime, and his delight in obeying and leaving his shoes in the sunroom. The shoes were a POTENT SPIRITUAL REMINDER to me that this little boy~~ my GRANDchild~~ is watching what I do and is following my example ~~ at least on Wednesdays. I bowed my head and begged God to help me always set a good example for Jaden.... to live before him with evidence of the Fruit of the Spirit operating in my life (love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, and meekness); and to show Jaden my love and attention without spoiling him (may be too late for that one). I desire to always to be an example of how a Christian should conduct oneself. I pray that as Jaden watches me and emulates me on occasion that I will never be a stumbling block to him~~ mislead him.

Oh Be Careful, BIG Feet, Where You Go!!

Monday (4/21/08) Update on Baby Lily

Earlier today, Rhonda (Lily's maternal grandmother) sent out several pictures of 2-month-old Lily that were made on Sunday. Isn't she precious? This afternoon, I received word from Rhonda after Lily's appointment at Children's Hospital today. I post Rhonda's update on Lily and her neuroblastoma cancer situation as a praise to our Lord Jesus Christ:

Thank you for all the prayers. We have a praise. The blood work looks good. The bone scan looks normal. Surgery is scheduled for next Tuesday morning (4/29), so the surgeon has time to thoroughly study the tests. She is going to try to get all the tumor out. If that is the case, Lily won't need chemotherapy. It will be a five-hour surgery. The oncologist's name is Dr. Pressley. The surgeon is a woman, Dr. Jackie Sato.

Lily, Dawn and Josh are on their way home. Keep praying for that miracle.

Prayer Request for Baby Lily

Lily at 3 weeks old...


John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Baby Lily needs our prayers. So do her parents, Josh and Dawn. So do her grandparents: Johnny & Cathy and Dan & Rhonda. So does her big (2-year-old) brother Luke. So do her great- grandmothers. So do her aunts, uncles, and cousins. And so do the many friends who love Lily and her precious family on both sides.

Our hearts are broken today as we receive the news that 2-month old Lily has cancer. Dawn took Lily to the doctor on Friday (4/18/08) for her regular 2-month well-baby check-up. The pediatrician, upon routine examination, felt a mass in Lily's abdomen. He immediately arranged for Lily to go to the hospital and have an ultra-sound on Friday afternoon. It confirmed the mass and they were immediately sent to Birmingham to Children's Hospital for tests. Today, their world has been turned upside down. Here is the prayer chain email I received:

Rhonda called and confirmed that Lily does have cancer. She has what they call Neuroblastoma. The doctor is pretty optimistic that this is treatable. The Dr says she has a 90% chance of recovery due to her age and early discovery. Lily will have to have other scans to determine what stage the cancer is in and how it has progressed to determine treatment. She may have to start Chemo. They will be coming home for the weekend then back to the hospital on Monday. If you are able to fast and pray the rest of the day please do so. Pray for strength for Josh, Dawn and all the family that God will give them what they need to make it through this difficult time. I will keep updates coming as they are available.

As a friend, I am shocked, heartbroken, numb. Though it feels like the world has been turned upside down, I have precious faith in our Lord Jesus Christ that He is working His will in Lily's life. I don't understand it and I don't like it, but that doesn't change the fact that I can~~ and will~~ trust God in this matter. As I trust Him, I can pray, fast, and pray some more. I won't quit praying for Lily and for her family. Would you please lift them up in prayer today, through the weekend, and all of next week as Lily undergoes further tests which will determine the course of treatment? If you would like to receive prayer chain updates on Lily, please email me and I will be glad to add you to my list. My email is long4heaven@cox.net.

God, bless Little Lily and hold her close. May her family feel your presence as never before as they trust in you.

Three Guests from Ohio and One Bama Girl Here This Weekend

We have four sweet and lovely guests this weekend. Our former campus daughter, Morgann, is down visiting and brought 2 friends from her church with her. They stopped in Alabama and picked up a friend. Two of the girls here with Morgann are alumni of the college, and the 3rd friend is considering coming to college. We fixed breakfast for them and now they are gone for the day: the beach, shopping, hanging out at the college, eating and fellowshipping. We were forecasted up through last night to have a rainy/stormy Saturday which I knew would put a real damper on their day. Guess what!!! It stormed at 2:00 a.m. and is a bright and gorgeous day in NW Florida for our Buckeye Girls. God is good!!! Here are a couple of pics. One was made at breakfast and the other was made when the girls were headed out for their day.

Bandit and the Bird

At about 6:15 on Thursday morning, as I was coming out the kitchen to prepare our breakfast, I heard an awful racket. I honestly didn't know what it was but knew it was coming from outside. I raised the kitchen window blind and there sat Bandit on the window ledge as is his normal custom. I still heard that awful racket, and it wasn't coming from Bandit. A movement on the sunroom gutter caught me eye. There was a big bird ~~ squawking and fussing at Bandit. I guess it is a mother bird and she must have a nest up there gutter. I need to get Richard up there to check on that today. Anyway, it was the same scenario when I came out to the kitchen this morning. I rolled up by blind, and there sat Bandit on the window ledge and the bird on top of the gutter fussing her little heart out. I got my camera, raised the window and videoed "Bandit and the bird." I love to watch God's creation acting out their instincts.