More of "Kids Come".

We enjoyed having our daughter and her family come and spend a few days with us!  

We walked around the lake.

We had lots of play time!

Oh the giggles!

Each morning, they would watch me feed the birds

and the squirrels.

I posted a picture of the little girls in Papa's truck in the last post.  I came across this one of Claire when she was their age!  She is almost 13 now!

They grow too fast!  I love having photos that pop up in memory pop-ups to help this old mind remember days long ago!  Pretty amazing this era we live in.  Back only 100 years ago, maybe you might have a photo or two of your family.  Now we have thousands!

The little boy is my grandpa Voran.  I have a total of 3 photos of him as a boy.

Kids come

Last week Mindy's family arrived from Colorado in time for dinner.  Jason loves bierocks so that is what we had.  Before bedtime, we read books.

The kids love to be read to!

On Monday we took the girls to Drubers.  Our children used to eat at this very table when they were little!

We happened to run into Meredith and her children.  Meredith and our daughter Jill were friends growing up and even ate at Drubers together as children.  She was taking her kids to Drubers too.  

Mindy laughed as we went to a few stores downtown because we kept running into several of my friends or family.  Small town living!  In a big city, you probably rarely run into someone you know.

Mindy making "sput" of her daddy's way to hold a possom.

He took it out to the field and let it go.  He was kind to it.

Jason helped Allen prune our overgrown and wonky birch tree.  We should have done it a couple of months ago, but oh well.  This was what worked.

It hadn't begun to leaf out yet, but the sap was really running!  It poured out.  I thought of an analogy.  When we are wounded deeply, does the "sap" of the love of Christ within us pour out from us in our grief and pain?  Or are we dry and have nothing to give?  Nothing that shows that we have life in Him?

The backyard birch needed trimmed too.

We drove the truck on the grass to the back.

These days were so nice!  Not too windy.  Not too cold.

Perfect for a cook-out.

To be continued....

Ending Winter

Today is the last day of winter.  And it is going out with a blast.  Fierce winds! and also some snow.

The juncos are still here.  Even though officially tomorrow is the start of Spring.  They haven't got the "memo".  I'm sure God has given them instinct as to when they need to move on!  

You can see the willow has begun to green up and some of my flowers have come up too!

Birdies taking shelter under the eaves.

This winter we've had so many snow or ice days that have led to several cancellations of Bible studies, Awana and school.  It snowed as far south as Dauphin Island, Alabama where we have gone for vacation in the past.

Sharing time with friends is always enjoyable, especially on these cold days!  

It was our turn to host small group.

And we girls all went out for lunch one day.  A great way to spend a winter day with friends!

We also had dinner with Al's brothers and wives in Yoder.

More winter birds

"Flying birds...let them praise the name of the LORD for His Name alone is exalted; His splendour is above the earth and the heavens."

                                            Psalm 148

Perhaps you heard about the "dust blizzard" that hit northwest Kansas earlier this week?  Reminds me of the dust bowl days our parents talked about.

It was tragic!  71 car pile-up due to low visibility; and 8 deaths.  

In true Kansas fashion, winter also included sunny, warm days.  My friend, Sheryl, came to visit from out of town.

We visited while Allen put our fountain together since the weather felt so nice.

This winter we knew 4 people who passed away.  My friend, Sheryl's mother.  Becca's (I serve with her in Awana) husband.  An 8- year-old boy from our church passed from Influenza A.  And our children's piano teacher's husband also passed away.

2 Peter 1:11 "And you will receive a RICH WELCOME into the eternal kingdom of our LORD and Saviour Jesus Christ."  

You won't just get into heaven if you follow Christ, you will be RICHLY welcomed!  As one by one, we leave each other and go into His presence, let us rejoice in the homegoing, even though we DO grieve and sorrow in the parting. But it is only for a short time, eternity speaking!  "We grieve, but not like those without hope."  1 Thess 4:13  

"The little birds trust God, for they go singing

        From northern woods where autumn winds have blown,

With joyous faith their unmarked pathway winging

        To summer lands of song, afar, unknown.

Let us go singing, then, and not go crying;

        Since we are sure our times are in His hand,

Why should we weep, and fear, and call it dying?

        It's merely flying to a Summer Land."

We are ready for the purple martins!  If the wind hasn't blown them off course!