Welcome 2012!

Christmas with Ben and Emily

Christmas with Adella and family

Jr was very excited for Christmas, especially since they had bought me a present! I got a beautiful new ornament with the family picture on it, and it was engraved with their names. I will always treasure it!

Josue showing off his new binoculars that he got for Christmas!

MiMi opening her present!

Adella opening her present!

A great family picture!
We had a great night with pizza and presents!!

Christmas Recovery

Tea for Two......

Three weeks after I had my hysterectomy, my friend Jan had her hysterectomy. I was able to bring some lunch there and we were able to enjoy an afternoon together. She did the same for me! We are now "new women"! We both thought that uterus' should weigh more than a 1/2 pound, but that's what my doctor told me. We had a cup of tea to toast to a great friendship! Thanks for being such a great friend!!

Baking Banket

Pam and I spent a day baking for Christmas, we made 32 sticks of banket, orange slice cookies, pretzel turtles, M&M pretzel candy, and chocolate spritz....

Four of our 32 sticks of banket ready to go into the oven.....

Flour, flour, everywhere!

Golden brown, yummy banket......just out of the oven...

We packaged them in green and red saran wrap and tied a gold ribbon around them. They were ready for Christmas giving and eating.

Christmas Tea at Covenant

Every Christmas, our church has a Christmas Tea! The hostess decorates the tables and bring yummy desserts for us to have with coffee. We have a speaker - this year we had a great speaker, who spoke on "Where is the Baby? Reminding us as we go through the busyness of the Christmas season, that we stop and think.....where is the baby? We all we able to relate and will try to think a lot of the main reason we celebrate Christmas.....how the BABY changed everything....Praise God for His gift!

My friends Beth and Carol

Ruthie and her niece, Emily

June and her daughter, Bree

My friends Carol, Beth and Irene!

Bible Study Christmas Party

Our Bible Study went to Arnie's in Rockford for dinner and to celebrate Christmas together. We had a great meal, lots of laughs, and great fellowship. After dinner we went to a place called the WAR Chest. WAR (Women at Risk) is a boutique that sells many beautiful items made by women who live abroad who are being exploited sexually by men. They find refuge in Freedom houses and are able to live and and get away from that lifestyle and able to make money and at the same time find their self worth. A very noble cause.

Mar and Rhonda

Judy and Nancy

Renee and me

June and Vi

Julia, Coleen, and Fran were unable to join us, as they were not feeling well. We missed them...and we are looking forward to starting our Bible Study again the first of the year.

Chicago with Pam

Pam and I in the Windy City

The Christmas lights are amazing and beautiful

The beautiful Christmas tree by the John Hancock Building

Looking out the window at the Cheesecake Factory

We took a bus with a bunch of other ladies and it was a lot of fun. We enjoyed shopping, eating, and just spending a great day together!

Thanksgiving 2009 at Koezes

Sarah, Andy, and Allie waiting for the amazing dinner!!

Ok, Sarah and I made the pies on Wednesday, there were two different types of crusts, I think that the majority liked Sarah's crust better than mine. That's okay! I made mine with butter and Sarah made her's with Crisco. Either way, we were really proud of our "made from scratch" pie crusts - and they both tasted great!!

Aunt Wilma and Allie checking out the sales that will be happening tomorrow! I am not a shopper that goes out the day after Thanksgiving!

Tim and Pam working on Thanksgiving dinner......

Pam mashing the potatoes! Thanks Koezes for a great dinner...looking forward to a great Christmas!

Thanksgiving Thoughts

A different kind of Thanksgiving this year. I have a new perspective on life. Since, I have been recovering from surgery this year, I was unable to spend Thanksgiving in Texas with Nate and Emily and their families, and my brother, Tim and Jalena because I had to stay close to home. I am very fortunate to have a sister, aunt, nieces, and others that I could enjoy Thanksgiving with this year. Of course every year we miss those who can't be with us because they live far away or that they are in their heavenly home. I keep thinking about the feast we will have when we all get to heaven. Above all I am very thankful for a God that loves me, watches over everyone in my family that live far away and time to plan on the next time we will see each other. The following song I learned when I was in elementary school and it has been in my head for the past few evenings while I try to go to sleep -

"Father, I thank you for this night and for the pleasant morning light,
For rest and food and loving care and all that makes the world so fair.
Help me to do the things I should, to be to others kind and good,
In all I do in work for play, to be more loving everyday" !

I pray that ALL the people I love had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Andy and Sarah are engaged!

My niece Sarah is engaged to Andy! I am very excited to have another wedding to look forward too!! Congratulations!!

Parting Shots

Went to take a picture of Elaina before I left and she was sleeping, but then......

Nate and Brooke got her up so they could say good bye as a family....

I don't do well at good-byes and this is the best picture of me while this is happening. I just don't look good when I am trying to smile while I am crying!! I love spending time with my kids and they are always so generous and hospitable while I am there. Why is saying good bye so hard to say when love them so much??

Hudson snapshots

I am saying "McQueen" grandma!!

I love to play with my daddy -- we like to wrestle, play football, race, and play cars! I think he is tickling me here, tho!

How can you not love this face?

Me and my mommy - she is so good to me and loves to play with me!!

Notice my big boy underwear!! This potty training is a trying process for me and my parents!!

Hudson goes to the library

So many books, I love books....I have to think about i!

I love it when my mommy reads to me!!

I have a lot of friends that meet up with at the library and our moms read to us, sometimes they talk to each other - I think it is a win/win library thing for both mommy and me!!

Even tho I don't read yet, I love to look at books and love it when my mom and dad read to me.