Happy Anniversary, Sarah and Chris!

Happy Anniversary, Sarah and Chris!

Thinking of you today, and thanking God for bringing you together. We love you so much!

Vacation 2011, part 1

We recently returned from a 2.5 week vacation that took us on a journey of about 4,000 miles throughout the Western states. Just before we left, we went to Ayeresam's birthday party, where I snapped this pic of him on the swing set. I can't believe our sweet little grandson is two years old!
Our first destination was the redwoods in northern California. We had been there once before when the kids were little, but we were amazed anew at the gigantic beauty we saw.

The elk were in abundance as well. We saw over 100 of these beautiful animals!

The Giant Tree was most impressive. Over 53 feet in circumference, and almost 400 feet tall. Way cool!

More vacation pictures to come!

Happy Birthday, Nikki!

Our sweet daughter-in-law Nikki has a birthday today! She and our son David live in Colorado along with our precious granddaughter Adelaide. And we get to see them in just ten days! Yay! We love you, dear Nikki, and can't wait to see you soon.
Happy Birthday to you! ♥

2

Today our precious little grandson is two years old. He is such a delightful, sweet little guy who can usually be found exploring, laughing, running, playing, chattering, and hugging. Wrapping my arms around him is one of my life's greatest joys.

Mark and I made him some wooden blocks for his birthday gift. Mark even taught me how to use the band saw and the belt sander for the very first time ever. Funny how motivating it is to learn something new when you know the result is a gift for such a dear little boy. It was fun!
Happy Birthday, Ayeresam!
Your Grammy and Grandpa love you so very much.

Happy Birthday, Sarah!

Thirty-three years ago today, Mark and I became parents. Our Sarah entered the world late in the evening on June 8th, 1978. Her arrival literally changed everything in our lives, and we wouldn't have it any other way.

Sarah is such a joy to us. Her heart for God, her passion for teaching, and the many ways she blesses the lives of all who know her are a shining example to us.

Have a lovely birthday, honey! Can't wait to celebrate with you this weekend.
Dad and I love you so much.

Happy Birthday, Hannah!!!

And our baby turns 24 today. Wow. How grateful we are for our sweet Hannah. She is kind to all, she is a loyal friend to all who are blessed to know her, she is a loving daughter and sister. So - happy birthday to you, dear Hannah!

We all gathered together in Salem yesterday morning for a celebration breakfast in Hannah's honor. Ten of us, eating the fabulous food at the Busick Court Restaurant. Yum!

A Good Sport

Mark's school took part in a fundraising effort for a local charity. Mark promised his students that if they came in first place, he would dye his hair pink and purple. Well (gulp!), his class won first place, raising the most money out of all the classes at his middle school, and Mark had to come through on his promise to the kids. Yesterday was the big day: he combed pink and purple tempera paint through his beard, mustache, eyebrows, and the sides of his hair. No hair on top to worry about! :-) Some of the girls in his class requested that he wear his purple and pink plaid shirt, so his clothing would match his hair. And I, for one, think he was a really good sport!
Some of Mark's girls give the "thumbs-up" to his efforts!
P.S. Bonus: tempera paint washes out very easily, and he was none the worse for wear after he washed his hair.