House for sale!

No, not my house!

But my friend Sheryl and her husband found a house in town, so this past month I went out to help them fix up their home to sell. We cleaned, scraped off old wallpaper, painted..... It is beautiful and move-in ready!

Hannah came to entertain the kitties while we worked.

Sheryl and I used to be neighbors many years ago in Quail Creek. Then they moved out to the country and we also moved to a different neighborhood. But we still try to walk together during her lunch hour. In our younger years, we used to jog together. But our old creaky knees won't allow that anymore.

This gorgeous home is located on Eastlake Road just south of Highway 50. Beautiful scenery! Rolling hills. Becky Wheeler with Remax has it listed in case you are interested!

Gotcha Day!

It was 25 years ago that Mindy joined our family. She arrived in Kansas city very late at night. The airport was practically closed. No other planes or passengers. Only we 4 families waiting for our kids to arrive.

The first person off the plane happened to be no other than Art Linkletter who did the show "Kids Say the Darndest Things"! That was the best show!! Children can be so funny! (Like - last week Hannah told me she was nocturnal!) Incidentally, he was abandoned as an infant and raised by a preacher.

Josh and Jill were so proud to be a big brother and sister!

Our family.

Mindy is such a wonderful Aunt!

She is so good with them!

She is so compassionate and considerate.

The funny thing is, it doesn't bother her to be in surgeries and see brains and insides of people, but she can't stand to see any little animal that is injured.

Mindy has a tender heart.

She has a wonderful eye for decorating!

She is really smart and pulling A's in nursing school.

She can sit down at the piano and begin playing Classical pieces that she memorized years ago. Doesn't even need sheet music.

Love to see her laugh!

Competetive. You don't want to play the game of "Life" with her. You can't beat her.

Her school teachers would tell us that Mindy was "determined". I think they were trying to nicely say that she was strong-willed! And really, that can be a good thing sometimes too! It has helped her in life!

We love you, sweet beautiful daughter! So glad we "Gotcha!"

Judgement House

Well, Judgement House 2009 is over. Wow! Over 2,600 people came through. This is a production where the audience moves room to room to see the play. Our presentation this year was "59 Minutes". The audience began the journey in a morgue where they were given brief descriptions of the deaths of 4 people; a dad (he's good. he gives to charity. but he does not have a personal relationship with Jesus), 2 teen boys (1 is a Christian, 1 is not) and a teen girl (who accepts Christ in the last hour of her life).

After leaving the morgue, the participants were taken on a journey through the last 59 minutes of each person's life and what would await them in eternity.

This year, I was in the heaven scene, directed by these 2 dear friends of mine - Kathy and Mary Ellen. They did a magnificent job!!

Behind the curtains of heaven, Mary Ellen and RJ would run the music and sound. There was a tv monitor so they could watch for cues. They chose wonderful music. All night long, we would be bathed in worship!
The cast took turns having breaks behind the curtain also.

After the audience left the hell scene, they would be greeted in heaven.

This wonderful lady has a tremendous testimony of her own journey with Christ!

We adored all the little kids who helped! It was hard work for them with late hours. Once someone who came through said some awful things to them. The next night we gathered around before we began and Doug gave the children (and us) encouraging words from the book of Timothy. It touched all of us.

Those of us at the banqueting table felt we had the best seats in the house. Infact, none of us wanted to take a break because if we gave up our seats, it was hard to get them back! Everyone loved to sit here. Not only did we have great food - grapes, bread dipped in oil, nuts, chocolate! - but we got to see the faces of the people who came in. We would pray for each person as they would watch the scene played out.

At the end of the scene, the audience became part of the act as "Jesus" would step up to each person and say a word to them and hug them. This is where we would see the Spirit move! People would break down and cry as "Jesus" would have just the right Scripture verse to share with each person. We would literally see people with hard faces, crumble. As "Jesus" would kneel to talk to the children, it was so sweet to watch them eagerly hug him so tightly around his neck. Many times the children were brought to tears too. And I've never seen so many grown men cry. Doug and Ryan would often share how God would place words in their mouths that they knew came only from God.


There were 3 groups of Chinese who came through (the first group had head sets for translation), also an Hispanic group with headsets and translator, and 3 groups of deaf persons with their own signer to translate what was said. We were all so touched to watch these dear people filled with such wonder and happiness as they watched the story.


I remember one group that came through. Hard faces. Disbelieving faces. But what joy to find out later that all of them accepted Christ!! In one youth group, 16 of the 18 did. There were 203 people who gave their lives to Jesus - and that is of those we know of. I'm sure there were those who perhaps did not want to raise their hand, or perhaps made a decision later. We did hear of one who did the next morning. 130 people also rededicated their lives.

At the end of each evening, Mary Ellen would play the song "When we all get to heaven". It had a western twang to it. I told her that country music will not be played in heaven! Ha! But it really was fun to praise Him for the promise of the joys of heaven! We would worship and dance each night at the end of the performance. It wasn't easy for these actors to do their act 24 times or for us to sit for 5-6 hours, but worth it all!!

On the very last night of Judgement House, Hell came to visit Heaven. That was the best night of all! All the demons and angels and saints all praising God together!!

I anxiously look forward to next year!

"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." John 3:36

Sophia's cast

I was taking care of Sophie this morning. We were watching an Elmo video and she was singing her ABC's with the video. So adorable! I grabbed the camera to tape it. She didn't want to sing, but look what did happen!

Needless to say, she had go back to the doctor again! This was already her 2nd cast as the 1st one got loose on her. They decided to splint it.

Home

Emeri had her 2nd birthday yesterday.
Happy birthday, Emeri!!

The same day, Elijah Daniel went home from the hospital.

Emery and Elijah's birthdays are 2 days apart.

Elijah's room

Happy to be home.

Allen and I also had to go home :( to Kansas.

We wish we could live closer to them.

Arkansas is a little too far.

Glad at least that Jill's family moved to our town!

Wisconsin was too many hours away!

This morning I got to go to Hannah' preschool!

They were having a fall, silly costume party!

Parents and grandparents were invited.

Even Adam's parents (from Wisconsin) got to come!!

They are here to help watch the children while we are

all involved in Judgement House at church.

So happy they can be here for a week!

Jill teaches music on Friday mornings to the group.

They performed an owl song.

Hannah and her wonderful preschool teacher, Mrs. Smith (Kendall to us!)

Eli's here!

We are the proud grandparents of our 1st grandson - Elijah Daniel Graber! Josh called yesterday morning and said "Pack your bags. The doctor says the baby needs to come!" The original due date was November 12th, with a C-section planned on the 4th. But Elijah was ready to come. He didn't care about dates.

So today, Staci was taken back to surgery.
Elijah Daniel was born about 10 minutes before 1:00 this afternoon. He weighed 7 pounds, 14 ounces (what would have weighed full term 3 weeks from now??), and was 19 1/2 inches long.
When Josh came out with the baby, Emeri said "I want to hold Baby Eli!" See her little hands held out for him? It was so cute!

The babies in the hospital are first taken to the nursery center where we can watch as they are weighed, given shots, bathed, etc. Here is Emeri watching her baby brother.


Emeri was finally able to hold her baby brother. She kissed him over and over and over. How she loved him! We'll see how that plays out in a couple of years when he grabs her toys!
So blessed! Thank You, Father, for this precious life!

Eli's comin'

Our son called this morning. He tells me that "Eli's Coming!" tomorrow around noon. We'll be having our first grandson, Elijah Graber!!