Grandma Tea

Today we had the privilege of all three Grandams over for tea.

G'ma Jan (my first husband's mom) surprised us all. Madison had called with a request

to "dress-up", and "dress-up" G'ma did. She wore a nice dress, long black gloves (from

her granddaughter dress-up box), about 5 or 6 necklaces, nice big earrings, and her little white hat.

Not having and make-up, she used a marker to give herself "rosy-red" cheeks. She came walking up the drive with a cane (which she does not need). And to top it all off, since she doesn't have a long dress jacket, she wore her pink bathrobe. When she arrived she explained, "I dressed like a little old lady going to tea!" We all decided we would have to have another tea sometime and we will ALL

dress like "little old ladies going to tea!"

The three grandmas.

(Nana, my mom; G'ma Jan; Grammy, Mark's mom)

Nana and G'ma live within a couple hours, but Grammy lives in TN.

We are enjoying having her here this week for a visit.

The tea table!!

Chicken salad on cucumber slices.

Chocolate teacakes.

Mini cream cheese and fruit parfaits.

Thanks, Grandmas, for a wonderful tea!

We hope you all enjoyed it as much as we did.

Love you all!!

Confirmation!

CONFIRMATION: The sacrament in which, through the laying on of hands, anointing with chrism, and prayer, those already baptized are strengthened in the Holy Spirit in order that they made steadfastly profess the faith and faithfully live up to their profession. (Catholic Dictionary; John A Hardon, S.J.)

With the Archbishop.

My apologies to those I just could not fit into the frame.

James and Madison with our parish priest, Fr. Jon VanderPloeg

Madison with her confirmation sponsor, Aunt Marie and her godparents, Mary (family friend) and Uncle Steve.

James with his confirmation sponsors, Mr. M and Uncle David

Yes, I know. But you don't understand just how difficult it is to get a picture of Madison with her eyes open.

I am so proud of you both. You both put forth a great deal of effort in preparing for this day. I pray you will continue to let the Holy Spirit have His way in your heart and in your life. May you be filled with the gifts of the Holy Spirit and live in such a way to put those gifts to good use in the years ahead. I love you both so very much. Congratulations.

G'ma Jan

James and some friends, Isaiah and Andy.

Well, Madison, you should feel loved!!

My return!

I know. I have been neglecting my blog for quite some time. My apologies. I could list a variety of excuses: like the internet issues we had for awhile or the business of life that took priority. But, if truth be told, it's as simple as the longer I spent away from blogging, the harder it was to get back to it. Well, Madison celebrated her 14th birthday on the 14th and what better reason post!

Her favorite gift was a karaoke player. We were all well entertained. The young nieces especially enjoyed singing their pre-school songs and hearing their voices over the microphone. The adults had to take turns acting as referee, making sure each girl had the opportunity to showcase her talents!

Hope you had a wonderful "golden" birthday, my dear Madison! We all love you very much!

Girl's Night!

With Myriah going to prom tomorrow, tonight became prep night. She wanted to do her nails, I needed to practice doing a few hair styles to find one she likes, and the other girls (including two neighbor girls) wanted to get in on the fun. So it turned into a girl's night.

I am still sitting here wondering how they talked me into putting on fake nails. But, I guess I have to admitt... doing it with my girls was fun. We'll see how long they last.

BEFORE!

AFTER!


After all the fun, the girls wanted to watch a "chick flick." So we all sat down and watched "Confessions of a Shopaholic"... cute show!

You may wonder where my boys were in all of this. Before you think we planned to exclude them, let me assure you we offered to let in on the fun. They, however, did not see any fun in our choice of activity. In fact, as quick as they could, they headed for the a neighbor's down the road. A neighbor with boys to play with. Can't say as I blame them!

They are home!

They had fun, but, I missed them! So good to have them home.

Another teenager.

Madison has finally joined her older sister and brother in the teenage years! Today was her 13th birthday and we celebrated with the help of family and friends.

The highlight of the evening: "Silly Hat Game." Madison requested that each guest bring a "silly hat" to the party. She and her sisters would judge and award prizes for the two most silly.

And the winners are...

2nd place goes to Mary (Madison's godmother)

1st place goes to Mom (and yes, the pull up is a clean one)

Madison... I hope you enjoyed your party! Welcome to the teenage years! May you continue to grow in God's grace! We love you. Happy Birthday!

VBS 7th grade campout

Madison participated in the VBS campout this year. The campers learn how to do Christian Mime during the camp and then put on a presentation for family the last evening. It has always proved to be a very powerful experience for the campers, and this year was no exception. Madison was very nervous about attending the camp this year. She has struggled a lot with overnights away from home since dad died last year. Myriah and James both agreed to be a part of the teen team of volunteers per Madison's request so she would have family there with her. The prayer time on Wednesday evening was very moving for Madison. She shed lots of tears during the prayer time and I am sure it was a great release and brought healing to her as well. I am so proud of what she accomplished this week. She has really grown! For the presentation each small group acted out a parable. The families were then asked to guess which parable it was. Here is Madison's small group. I will reveal which parable at the end of this post.


After the parables were complete, the entire group of 7th graders performed a mime to the song "Shine Down" by Sandi Patti. This is performed each year and is considered a high light by the campers every year. For some reason that video clip does not want to download, so I'll try again another time to post that video. For now I'll leave you with some photos instead.









Next week is VBS week. Thursday evening will be the pie and ice cream social. Each grade level will get to perform a song. Then 7th graders will get to perform a new mime that they will learn during VBS. This time the performnce will be for a much larger crowd. VBS is always a very fun; but, extremely exhausting week! We are all looking forward to it!

And; the parable in the video... The Feeding of the 5,000

The Life of Madison

This is a poem written by Madison. It was an assignment for her home school group class! Sorry for the Second word being pulled, but, I do not wish to put the town we live in directly on the blog.

The Life of Madison ......, by Madison ......

In ....., where I live;
With a giant, black clock
that all day long goes tick, tock.
Historical, nostalgic musuem
with trains, and you can see 'em.
Disappointing and depressing cemetery,
that's where my dad was buried.

My Family with;
Delightful and humorous Father's Day,
which is almost a year away.
Happy and affectionate parents,
to each other so much meant.
Loving and grieving moments,
since last year my dad to Heaven went.

My Hobbies with;
Miniature and favorite horses,
and I really want some moreses.
Collectable and lovable Pet Shops,
I look for them in all the shops.
Adventurous and super biking,
the wind in my face I'm really liking.

My Diet with;
Minty and chocolatly oreo truffles,
we eat them by the mouthfuls.
Juicy and sweet oranges,
and you know, nothing rhymes with oranges.
Salty and crunchy popcorn,
without it I would be forlorn.

My Friends with,
Silly and exciting Andrea Henry,
our time together is always full of energy.
Moody and fun Kate,
we get into debates.
Kind and enjoyable Krysta,
being with her is just like a fiesta.

My Faith with,
Prayerful and powerful Rosary,
which shows my love for Mary.
Wonderful and majestic holy water,
which is a blessing from the Father.
Holy and mighty tabernacle,
the body of Jesus is spectacular.

The life of Madison ......,
enjoyment, excitement, and love!

12!

Madison's B-day was Friday. She celebrated with family, Godparents, friends, pizza, cake and ice cream, and a few gifts.

Madison with her Godparents (Mary, a family friend and Uncle Steve)

Madison... you are such a lovely young lady! Your faith in the Lord is beautiful and you have been a true witness to your family. May Jesus richly bless this next year in your life. You are dearly loved!!

Happy Birthday, Madison

Well, due to computer problems I had been unable to blog for a time. Then, after getting my computer up and running, I just never got around to. Today; however, I figured what better reason to start blogging again than to wish my dear, sweet daughter a very happy birthday!




Madison,

I hope you know that you are dearly loved by us all. You bring such joy to our family as you seem to live life with such a spirit of excitement! I hope your 11th birthday is as special for you as you are to us!