Family celebration

Well, we were rudely awoken once more.

The smoke alarms went off again last night -

or should I say this morning!

They had been silent all day yesterday so we thought we had taken care of the problem.

But NO!

We decided we should replace the batteries.

We didn't have any 9V batteries.

So Al got dressed and made a Wally World run.

Thank goodness for 24 hour Wal-mart!

Al took each alarm, cleaned it out and put in a new battery.

Mind you, the smoke alarms are up real high.

16 feet to the peak in our study.

12 feet in our bedroom.

14 feet in our living room.

When he got to our bedroom, lo and behold, there was a live

spider inside! No wonder the alarm was going off!

Spiders are nocturnal, so it makes sense

that the alarms wouldn't go off during the day.

I thought it must be awful noisy for that critter!

Wouldn't he go deaf? I had to google it.

Can spiders hear?

"No, spiders cannot hear sounds.They do however have tiny hairs all over their bodys and when a noise is made the vibrations hit these sensitive hairs, allowing them to know when something is creating noise.Many spiders hunt like this.For example, when a tarantula hunts, it stays put on the ground.It will sit until some sort of prey comes close enough for its sensors to pick up.It will then grab and kill its food. "

Al says that the smoke alarm made his hairs vibrate too. Ha!

************

We had a family celebration for my parent's 60th anniversary today. My brother Doug, from Pennsylvania came. So did his son, Brandon, who lives in Kansas City, and his precious daughter, my great-niece (that makes me sound so old!!!), Layla. My brother, David, who also lives in KC came. Linda, my sister-in-law was not able to come.

When Mom and Dad were missionaries in Japan, they used to take lots of pictures. Slides.

They used these for deputation - to show at churches that supported us.

The folks put together 5 carousels of slides of our growing up years for us to look at and laugh at. Yes, a few geeky pictures too. Junior high pictures are the worst!

Dave and my Aunt Millie

Hannah shelling an egg from my brother's farm, Bowback Mountain in Bow, Washington. He shipped them to the folks. They have very pretty chickens, not just the ordinary run of the mill kind of farm chickens.

Doug, Brandon and Layla

My family. We were so disappointed that my brother Dan couldn't be with us.

The cousins.

Wish Josh, Staci and Emeri lived closer and could have been with us. They'll be coming in just a few weeks for Sophia's 2nd birthday though!

*******

Update on Cora's Playground - due to rain, the concrete was not poured today.

More to Cora's Playground

Today they added a few more pieces to the playground.

It is so cute!

Tomorrow (Thursday) they plan to pour concrete.

********

On another note, last night I couldn't sleep well.

Happens every August when my schedule is so crazy.

Getting nursery ready for the fall.

My mind races.

I keep a pad of paper and a pen by my bed

so I can write down ideas that pop in my head.

I fell asleep for an hour but then woke up.

Wide awake. So I read a book. Finally fell back asleep at 3:00.

5:30 a.m.

Our smoke alarms went off.

Piercing screaming sound.

It took until 6:00 to get them to stop.

I'm wide awake.

Took a nap this afternoon.

I'm ready for bed and the smoke alarm just made a loud beep.

Al is getting out the ladders and we'll see what we can do.

Maybe it is a battery thing.

Or a spider or dust got in the alarm.

I hope I can sleep tonight!

Cora's Playground

I went to church today to work.

They are working on Cora's playground!

Saw the other equipment in their truck.

Those should be put in tomorrow.

So cute!

Hannah called after naps today.

"Nana, can we come watch 'Funniest Home America's videos'?"

So they came over. Before the show, we played on the

new slip and slide I found on sale at Target this week.

The girls had fun with that!

We had supper and watched one of our favorite shows -

as Hannah calls it "Funniest Home America's Videos". Such laughs!

When they left at 7:30, Sophia had her thumb in her mouth.

She was tuckered out and ready for bed.

Catching my breath!

It has been such a busy time! But tonight I am able to catch my breath. I have put my "to do" projects into various piles and made lists of what needs to be done.

One thing I am working on is the schedule for the church nursery in August. We let all our regulars take a break in August and Labor Day weekend and fill these positions with volunteers. The first two weeks look good. Lots of people have volunteered!

Some of our weekly workers will be coming back to help with the babies, toddlers and little children in the fall. Some are taking on other positions in the church or taking a year off. So I am looking for Sunday School and nursery workers for the fall too. It is a huge undertaking. One thing I have found out was that I should not get all uptight about it (which is what I tend to do) because God is faithful. He promises to meet all our needs and this is a definite need. Telling the next generation the "praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, His power, and the wonders He has done!" Psalm 78:4

Today I went to church and they have begun to unpack the equipment for Cora's playground!! It is so nice! They are hoping to begin putting it into the ground on Monday. Below is the home/rescue piece. Another project I am working on is to have a party for my mom and dad's 60th wedding anniversary. We will be celebrating with a come and go on August 16 at Kidron. Mom and Dad were missionaries in Japan for 30 years. Dad pastored the First Mennonite Church in Pretty Prairie and also was an interim pastor at 7 churches in Kansas, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Indiana. I've been going through photos, writing the article for various papers, ordering the cakes, etc. I have had so much fun going through pictures and I just had to post some random pictures I found.

My parents on their wedding day, August 5, 1949.

This is my mother and her sister, Treva.

Treva was a missionary in Mali, Africa.

She passed away a couple of years ago.

Take a good look at the picture below.

I wish I could blow it up bigger for you but I don't know how to do that on this blog.

If you look closely at the first 2 rows, these are not black children.

I wonder what they used to paint their skin?

My mom's school was putting on a play.

Mom is in the back row, on the left.

Here is a picture of mom and dad at language school in Kobe, Japan.

Our family. 1960.

I love this picture!

It is my mother's mom.

You would never find me in a mix of chickens like this!

It would terrify me!

This is my grandmother's family.

Grandma is the one of the left.

My great-grandparents (Hoffstetter)

Thought you might enjoy these shots too.

M&M (Makenzie & Moving)

Yesterday morning, I watched Makenzie Jordan. Julie Friesen asked me last week if I would want to do that. She had noticed that Lori's feet were swollen (with her pregnancy), so she wanted to treat her to a pedicure. So, could I watch Makenzie so she could take her out? Is that not so sweet?? Julie Friesen is such a thoughtful and caring woman! I think the world of her!!! Loves the Lord and shows it. Makenzie and I had a wonderful time. We played babies in our little "house" in the basement, played with Legos, marbles, playdough....
I found out that Jill was at the yellow park (what Hannah calls the park at Quail Creek since the slides there are yellow) so we went to the park to play with Hannah and Sophia. Makenzie was excited to go!

Adam's sister, Stacy is spending a few days with them. Hannah and Sophia have 2 Aunt Staci's so they affectionately call Adam's sister "Silly Stacy" because she is so fun and silly.
This was the first time I have seen Sophie on a big kid swing. She wanted "up high". It scared me to push her but Adam said it was no problem. The higher she got, the more she laughed and laughed. Frightened me to pieces! I was so scared she'd fall out.

Makenzie wanted Hannah to push her. She loved that!

Isn't she so cute with her sunglasses?

This morning we went to Wichita. We were moving Mindy. With her going to clinicals this coming year, she won't be able to work as many hours so she needed to find a less expensive place to live.

A friend from church and a couple of nursing school buddies came to help out.

Thankful for great friends!

Mindy's place was on the 3rd floor so we really appreciated them!

Her new apartment is on ground level.

It will make it easier for the next move.

On the way to her new apartment, a drawer fell out of her nightstand. We weren't sure if that was what had happened or if we had misplaced it. But we searched and searched. I drove the route we had taken and even looked in 4 or 5 dumpsters just in case. Her iPOD, a couple of remotes, her Bible and devotional books, diary and her glasses were all in that drawer. I was praying that it would be either found someplace in the apartment or that if it did fall out of the pick-up that it would be some kind person with integrity that would find it and return it. When we were all done moving and on our way to Jason's Deli for lunch, Mindy got a call from an older woman. She had been out for her morning walk and saw the drawer fall out of the pick-up. She gathered it all up. The drawer was slightly damaged and one thing was broken, but in all, it was intact. What an answer to prayer! Mindy happened to have some financial paper from the school in that drawer and it just happened to have her phone number on it. We were so grateful for this woman to be honest and return it all!

We spent part of the afternoon hanging up pictures, putting the tv on the wall, making the bed, getting the kitties used to their new home. Xander enjoyed the adventure but Kellin ran under the bed. He is definitely a scarety cat.

Thank you, Dave Balzer, for the use of your trailer! Good luck Mindy in your new home!

Our Anniversary!

Today is our 34th wedding anniversary! A long time - yet it doesn't seem so long at all. In church yesterday, Pastor Steve announced that Eldo and Lola Anderson were celebrating their 76th wedding anniversary. That is more than double the years we have been married!

Here is a current picture of us

(with our granddaughter Sophia).

I promised pictures from the 70's.

Here is a picture of my "hotty" back in 1972.

You can see why all the girls fell for him.

Why I fell for him.

I got him!

Can't believe it.

Our family came to America in 1971.

Allen's grandmother was a dear neighbor lady

who became a friend to me.

She encouraged Al to take me to youth group.

He did.

He took me to the State Fair for our first date.

I was lucky because he asked another girl, but she turned him down.

We had so much fun on our date.

By our 3rd date we just knew we were meant to be.

We got married in 1975.

I had just turned 20.

He was still 19.



I love you sweety!!

You are so caring and unselfish.

So gentle and kind.

So thoughtful.

Such a man of God.

A WONDERFUL father to our children!

And such a playful grandpa!


I'd marry you all over again.