Prayer Reminder

Please remember to pray for this sweet family - and Maddie's upcoming eye surgery on June 1!

We appreciate prayer for:

1. Jeremy and Renee - that God will give them peace and comfort and take away the anxiety they have over this surgery. In February, they were given the "all clear" from the doctor and were so hopeful that Maddie would not require surgery for another year. Then the sling in her right eye failed in April.

2. Pray for the surgeon. They have complete confidence in his skills. Pray God will control his hands and give him divine wisdom in the procedure. Muscle from Maddie's head will be used to open/close her eyelids, rather than the synthetic material. Doctor will repair both eyes. He says he is going to improve the look of her eyes and that this should hold for several years! Oh, if only that could be true!

3. Maddie - that she stays well. That she does well in surgery and comes out of anesthesia without difficulty. That her recovery goes well. She recovered extremely well and fast after the first surgery (no bruising, swelling diminished quickly, no discomfort), and we hope for the same results.

This is a good view of how this very fun, bright little girl looks today. We are anxiously awaiting her "new look" and perhaps improved vision, since we expect both eyelids to be more open!

Thanks for praying! May God receive the glory in all things!

Mother's Day 2012

Happy Mother's Day to my mother, sisters, daughters by marriage, and motherly friends! It was a lovely day here. Talked with Jeff and Jeremy yesterday, mom today, and went to church with Brett and Esther and girls. Music was wonderful as well as Brett's message. He was concluding a series on 1 John. From gifts and cards I would like to share this one from Brett's daughter, Isabel, who is just finishing first grade. The reverse side said "I love you very (with 12 verys) much". Precious!!!

I love her drawing of the two of us. I told her that she had me skinny and with an apron. Well, she got one out of two correct!!! :D


After church, we went to Thai Bistro in Wichita. The food is so flavorful and delicious!! I had my spice in the "mild" version, Rich was "medium" and Brett, Esther, and Moira were all "hot". YUMMY!!! A couple from Brett's church was sitting at a nearby table and left before we did. When we finished our meal the waitress brought three orders of mango and sweet rice - compliments of this other couple! What a sweet, delicious, THOUGHTFUL note to end on! We were blessed!

Friends

Mary Ellen invited us to her lovely home for a brunch marking the conclusion of our Wednesday Bible study for this year. We've done a wonderful Beth Moore study, "DAVID: Seeking a Heart Like His". This is just a part of the great group of women who took me into their hearts when we arrived in Kansas. They have become very dear to me.

Deb, Sandy, Janice, Debby.

Mary Ellen reading her newest children's story, Caryn, Ellen, Deb, Sandy, Debby, Diane, Marilyn, Jenn.

Mary Ellen reads about Theodore the Turtle.

In the evening Rich and I went to visit with Gary and Mary, who are the leaders of our Tuesday Discover Creation Community Life group. They live about 45 minutes from us on 25 acres of lovely rural land. Mary just got a new horse, Royal Savannah. She's beautiful - both the horse and Mary!

Savannah, Mary, Rich, Arya, and Gary. If I were an Indian, I would call Savannah Three Socks.

Mary and her beautiful horse, who is very well tempered and trained. We had a great time walking around their property looking at the garden, trees, birds' nests, and all things God-created. Loverly!!!

Gary and their 6-month old yellow lab puppy, Arya. She thought we were all there to play!

Back out to pasture on a GORGEOUS Kansas evening. Thank you dear friends for a lovely evening!

Community Life

We have hosted two Community Life groups since September. Last Sunday was our last get-together of our monthly "singing group". Of course we begin with an array of sweet and savory goodies.

Tim, Joe, and Jim solving the world's problems?

Shirley, Rosemary, Roger, Leslie and Dorla. We host on alternate months with Joe and Rosemary who are the other hosts. This is just a few of us who have gathered to sing. We probably average 20-25 people each month. It's been wonderful.

Tim, Rich, Joe

Carolyn and Dorothy.

On this occasion we sang everything from "Jesus Loves Me" to the "Hallelujah Chorus", which without a written accompaniment was a bit of a train wreck, but great fun nevertheless. We have loved singing hymns and songs sung years ago. We've had a great time telling what these songs mean to us, sharing life's experiences and praying for one another. Truly has been a great time together!

Dorothy shared a fun little hymn question/answer.

What is the Dentist's Hymn ... Crown Him with Many Crowns
What is the Weatherman's Hymn ... There Shall Be Showers of Blessings
What is the Contractor's Hymn ... The Church's One Foundation
What is the Tailor's Hymn ... Holy, Holy, Holy
What is the Golfer's Hymn ... There's a Green Hill Far Away
What is the Politician's Hymn. ... Standing on the Promises
What is the Optometrist's Hymn .... Open My Eyes That I May See
What is the IRS Agent's Hymn ... I Surrender All
What is the Gossip's Hymn ... Pass It On
What is the Electrician's Hymn .... Send The Light
What is the Shopper's Hymn ... Sweet Bye and Bye
What is the Realtor's Hymn. ... I've Got a Mansion Just over the Hilltop
What is the Massage Therapists Hymn ... He Touched Me
What is the Doctor's Hymn ... The Great Physician

We look forward to getting back together in September!

California 2012 - The End

It had been a hectic week. Renee was on biz trip, Maddie and Jeremy a bit under the weather (as was Renee when she left ), doctors' appointments for Maddie, and I was very busy with grandkids, my mom, and lunches with Kathy and Joel and my friend Janet. So on Sunday it was about relaxing and taking a walk in the neighborhood.

Pray for this sweet family as they prepare for Maddie's eye surgery on June 1. There are many details and pre-op appointments to get taken care of before then. Add the wedding of Renee's twin brother on top of their busy work schedules and you have a couple of over-flowing buckets!

For those of you old enough ... do you remember the 1960's sitcom, "Hazel", where Shirley Booth played the role of Hazel, a household maid???? She was known for her walk, arms bent at elbows as she quickly scurried through the house. I couldn't help but laugh at Maddie. She has the "Hazel" walk.

A stop at the little neighborhood park for a trip down the slide.

We had great fun playing catch in the cul-de-sac - a very safe place to play.

See what I found, daddy? What is it about little kids and rocks? Maddie loves them.

Wonderment!

I was able to spend a few days with Jeff and Caroline and their family before returning home. One evening I went to Caroline's book club with her, where I saw "old" friends. Great fun! Then my last night it was "girls' night out". Caroline, Jordyn and Lauren, and family friend Sue and her daughters, Taryn, and Angela and I went to the movie. We saw "The Lucky One", adapted from the Nicholas Sparks book of the same title. It was great fun and how I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED hearing Sue's great laugh again! It had been a long time. Thanks girls for a fun evening. Just what I needed before getting on an airplane (actually two airplanes!).

It was another great trip with sweet memories safely tucked away!

I came home to these beautiful sights! Our yard is gorgeous. Never before like this. The growing season is so short here, compared to California and last summer was so beastly brutal, the green yards and beautiful flowers were a welcome sight and something to behold!

California 2012 - Part 3

Cole's prom was the second weekend of my visit. I was excited to be able to go with Jeff and Caroline to a pre-arranged "picture-taking" event, held at the Lake Sherwood Country Club. If you watch golf tournaments, you've seen this place on TV. Indescribably beautiful! School staff did an amazing job of making this available to family and friends. Prior to this event, students dropped off vehicles and casual clothes at the location for the school-sponsored after-prom party. Then they arrived at LSCC. Some came with parents, others in large groups, some just guys, some just girls. It was a wonderful meeting place!

Cole's date was his friend Rachel. Not a couple - just friends. She had some difficulty pinning on the boutonnaire, so Cole said, "Let my Grandma do it". Of course I was happy to oblige!  I think she was relieved.  :)  She's a sweet girl.

Just a couple of his many guy friends.

The waterfall was a beautiful backdrop for photos, as was a huge California oak tree. Perfect spot for photos!

Caroline and I loved seeing all the beautiful dresses in every color imaginable, black, white, reds, cream, gold, silver, orange, yellow, purple/lavender, and my favorite - cobalt blue. Styles were elegant and oh so very appropriate. You should have seen the HIGH heels the girls wore!! I don't see how they did it. Cole wore nice black Van's! Seemed to be the only one not in formal shoes. He said he had the most comfortable feet of the night!! Smart guy!! Rachel's dad told Jeff how he liked Cole's shoes and gave him the "A-OK" sign. :)

Two hours were spent gathering together and taking photos then it was off to the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. Students traveled via four party buses like this. Each one held 50 kids. They could even dance on the bus. What a great way to travel! Safe and sound.

If you look carefully there's a mansion in the background, one of many dotting the hillsides and grounds.

Truly a gorgeous spot. Santa Monica Mountains are in the background. It was great fun to be able to share in this event with Jeff, Caroline, and Cole.

California 2012 - Part 2

I had such a great time playing with Maddie. She's an amazing little girl. You would be blown away by how well she talks! I can't tell you how many times she would say, "Grandma. Papa?" I'd reply "Papa's in Kansas". "Kansas?", she'd reply. Then "Uncle Brett?","he's in Kansas to", and she'd go through the list of her Kansas family with the same question. She recognizes the turn-off for Jeff and Caroline's house and is so excited, "Ka-Ka (Kate's nickname), Allie?" or "Aunt Caroline?" She stays there on Thursdays and is very well loved!

Pray for Maddie, as she will be having eye surgery on June 1. The sling (synthetic material that opens/closes her eyelids) failed in her right eye. She will be back at UCLA where surgery will be done on both eyes to improve their function and appearance. This failure has caused her to tip up her little head so she can see.

Maddie loves texture. I was delighted to find this bumpy green ball at Target and we had great fun bouncing it back and forth. Looks like she found it to be a good place to sit and think for awhile! :)

Our neighborhood walk. Just look at how wet her shirt is! She was such a "drooly" girl!

Nothing like looking at the pretty flowers God has created!

Boy was she happy when Mommie returned home from her trip! She loves to sing, clap and tries to jump, which I find amazing at her age.

Thanks Jeremy and Renee  for giving me this wonderful opportunity to spend time with your precious little girl!

The next day I would go to Allie's track meet, where one of her events was the mile.

Later Maddie and I went to Jeff and Caroline's where the girls would watch Maddie while I went with Jeff and Caroline to take photos at Cole's prom. More on that later.

Kate loving on Maddie!

And Jordyn, too!

This photo may be one where you "had to be there", but it's such a fun memory. Maddie was quite taken by the whoppie cushion the girls were playing with. Her reaction to sitting on it were quite priceless and cause for lots of laughter.

What a fun time we had just hanging out!