REJOICING!

Well it is already Thursday morning and little Samuel and his mama and daddy are doing GREAT!  What an eventful last few days it has been.  As a first time mom Melody is going through all the typical emotions I think that go with the territory of motherhood.  Anxious if he is out of her sight, and jumping up at the slightest sound of his stirring, I was beginning to think she was never going to get any rest herself, haha.  Wondering if she is really ready for the enormous responsibility that lies ahead.  Filled with such an overwhelming amount of love for such a tiny little being that is 100% dependent upon her.  But she is S L O W L Y beginning to realize that he is really here, and that he is indeed just fine, and knowing that God has blessed her in one of His most loving ways.  Looking at his tiny little fingernails, soft pale lashes, and listening to his sweet squeaking sounds that can quickly escalate into demanding cries of hunger, it really is a miracle to behold.

Psa 139:14

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.

I am soo grateful that I have been able to spend this time with her.  We took little Sam in for his 4 day check-up yesterday and he has only lost a few ounces.  He now weighs 5 pounds, 14 ounces.  Sooo tiny.  I never had a baby that weighed less than 7 and half pounds, and a couple of them weighed over 9, so he just seems especially tiny to me.  I guess those last 3 weeks in the womb would have put on a little extra weight, but again, I am soo grateful she carried him as far as she did.  He is just bordering on Jaundice so he is busy taking his sun bath even as Grandma types this.  We will have him checked again tomorrow, but I think he is going to be just fine.  His coloring looks much better this morning already.  Yesterday was my 57th birthday.  What an incredible gift I feel I have received.  I thank each and every one of you who prayed for Samuel's safe arrival, and for all the good wishes and love I have felt from you all.

I have a few more pictures to show you.  Sorry if my "grandmaness" is showing, haha...  ENJOY

Time for his sun bath

Can't get enough of this little face!

Getting his first sponge bath from mama...look at her concentration... : )

Already for his first trip out to the doctor's...such a face

Soo sweet

Psa 98:4

Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth; Break forth in song,rejoice, and sing praises

SAMUEL ALAN

Just wanted to post a few quick pics of Samuel.  He is doing WONDERFULLY.  Mom & Dad are doing really well too, and Grandma & Grandpa (both of them!) are loving every minute.   Soo happy.

How sweet is this?  He's liking Grandma's rocking already!

He's liking being rocked by Grandma (ok by anyone, haha)

Hi Grandpa

First little family picture!

Love this

Time to go home....soo cute

First (and only so far) time I have seen those eyes open!  His little pants are too big, haha.  But this won't last

Wrapped up snug & warm in Aunt Diane's blanket

BABY UPDATE

Thanks to my brilliant hubby I am able to post from my car as we are FLYING to New Mexico, haha...

Samuel Alan was born at 5:30 this morning weighing in at 6 pounds 1 oz!!  Melody and Sam are doing GREAT!  Mike called me as Mel was ready to push and put the phone on speaker and put it on her nightstand so I could kind of feel like I was there.  It was soo much better than missing it altogether.  Such an exciting moment.  I will post some pics as soon as I can.  Probably tomorrow or late tonight.  We are sooo hoping to get there before visiting hours are over tonight.  This car is not going nearly fast enough, haha....

Praise God and thank you all for your prayers for this sweet new baby!

The happiest days are the days when babies come!!

ITS BABY TIME!!

It's baby time!!!  Just got the call.  Mel is at the hospital and it already at a 6/7 so looks like he is coming fast!  My head is EVERYWHERE.  Looks like I will miss the birth, but that's OK.  Please pray all goes well.  Mel is kind of freaked out.  We are headed out.  Only got a couple hours of sleep.  YAY!!!  Will post when I can!

HAPPY MONDAY

I have a feeling this will end up being a totally random post as my head is just all over the place this morning....Sooo here are just a few of them...

I LOVE how the weather has been recently.  It is hard to feel Fall in the air in Southern California compared to many of you I am very sure, but I do believe it is here.  The nights and mornings are nice and cool even if it does still heat up quite a bit in the day.  It is just gorgeous out in my opinion.  I am especially enjoying it this morning.  I sat on my porch for a while today with a cup of tea and my Bible and just soaked it all in.  Perfect way to start a day.

Our week-end was nice, though we didn't do much out of the ordinary.  Worked around the house on Sat. and just kind of took it easy.  Yesterday we went to church and then over to James and Larissa's house for lunch like always.  James put in a hard wood floor in their downstairs recently, and we got to see it for the first time yesterday.  How wonderful it looked!  It was decided that I would make them some new kitchen curtains, so Larissa and I went to Joannes and picked out some wonderful fabric.  I am hoping to get started on that later today.

How adorable is he?  Just look at the light in his eyes...

Today is JD's 5th birthday!  I honestly can't believe this little guy is already 5 years old.  You could search the world over and not find a sweeter little boy.  Such a heart he has got.  Always happy, always on the move, always making everyone smile.  He is playing soccer for the first time this year and has been spending his time mainly at goalie.  He told me yesterday about Saturday's game and I just got the biggest kick out of his description of the game.  "Grandma," he says, "there was 3 cheats in the game."  Upon asking him to explain what he meant he went on to tell me how he had the ball in his hand, "which ONLY the goalie is allowed to touch that ball with their hands Grandma, did you know that?"  I assured him that I did indeed know that.  "Well," he said, "that guy just grabbed it right out of my hand and then kicked it, and that's a cheat."  haha  I told him, "Well your right JD, they aren't suppose to do that."  And he said, "No, but it's OK Grandma, he probably just got excited."  Such a sweetie....He reminds me soo much of his daddy.  Our little "mini James" haha.  His party will be next Sun., and I am looking forward to it.

Melody is at the docs as I type this and she should be finding out today how much (or if at all I guess, haha) she is progressing.  I am soo anxious to hear.  She is SURE she will be dilated and practically ready to go, but as a first time mom I doubt she knows what she is talking about, haha.  I am hoping the little guy stay's put myself till I am ready to go there on the 7th of Oct.  Guess we will see.  Meanwhile I am sooo happy that she has made it to term and that everything has gone as uneventfully as it has.  Our God is sooo good.  Maybe that phone will ring before I finish this, and you all can hear as well.

I am planning on going to Annabel's volleyball game later today.  The last time I had this planned, the game was cancelled so I have yet to make it out to one.  I am REALLY looking forward to it.  Which reminds me, I'd better charge up the battery on the camera so I can get a pic or two or her playing.  Soo fun.

Well the phone just rang and I felt my heart leap with excitement.....it was Melody.  HOWEVER, she didn't find out a single thing.  Her doc gave her an option on rather or not she would receive an internal exam, and she CHOSE not to.  Sooo not like her mother here, haha,  Her doc really kind of talked her out of it saying that he felt like it only upsets the mother anyway, and really doesn't mean anything.  If they find out they are indeed dilated they become anxious and think it's all over when it doesn't really mean that at all.  And if they are not dilated, they become hysterical that nothing is happening and go into a funk.  The baby will come when it is ready, and that is all there is to it.  Next week, however, he will check no matter what though.  Sooo guess unless something DOES happen, we will just be waiting ANOTHER week, to see if something is happening, which apparently doesn't mean anything anyway, haha....Everything else look good, and sounded normal, so guess at the end of the day that is what is most important.  I guess I really do agree with her doc.  BUT!!  I really wanted to know, lol!!  There is NO WAY I would have said NO...

Well, guess I better get busy on this day if I am going to get a start on those curtains.  Hope you all have a wonderful week!

MELODY'S PREGNANT PHOTO SHOOT

  My personal fav.I just LOVE this one!

Whenever I was pregnant (which the last time WAS 25 years ago I guess, haha) about the last thing we would have done would have been taken special maternity pictures of ourselves, or worn clothes that somehow emphasized just how LARGE our tummies really were, haha.  But today, it is just what gals do.  Or some of them anyway.  I am friends with most of Mel's friends on facebook and they are all having their first babies (or even second in some cases) now and are busy posting "maternity pictures" so I have seen quite a few.  Now truthfully I have come to change my thinking about the way an emphasized tummy looks.  I think alot of the time it is really quite cute.  Anyway, Mel has FINALLY gotten her pics (actually she got them a week or so ago, but she has finally sent them to me in a way that I can copy them for my computer, haha) and so of course I have to show you hers.  I think they are just ADORABLE, but then I do tend to be a tiny bit prejudiced, haha.  This is such a happy season in her life and I just couldn't be more pleased for her.

Thought this was soo cute....

                                                                                    

How cute is this?  

I think this is adorable too!

I'd like to have a blown up copy of this one.

This is cute by their cows...she looks pretty big here I am thinking...

Believe it or not those are my boots she is sporting....about the only thing we wear the same size in, lol

NEVER FORGET!

Another week has whipped by....goodness it just keeps going faster and faster.  Our week-end was good.   My youngest son James and his family "ALMOST" came up on Friday due to the black out in San Diego county.  They, like so many others, found themselves not very prepared for just such an event.  No extra water in the house, a few candles ~  but no extra batteries for flashlights,  not much gas in the cars, not much cash on them, and NO WAY of getting any of these things without power anywhere.  The stores quickly (within an hour) went to cash only which in the days of ATM cards is a REAL problem, the pumps had no way of pumping gas, the banks closed, and people just generally began somewhat floundering around.  News reports were varied and no one was sure how long it might take to get power back on.  The original rumors were it would be days!  The fact that it has been over 100 degrees for the last three days in a row left many of them concerned about the heat with no air conditioning and little water.  They decided to pack up and come up.  I was excited to see them, but they ended up stopping in Temecula (only about 20 minutes outside of San Diego where they live) as when they were passing through they noticed lights on in the city.  No one is quite sure how Temecula escaped when all the cities surrounding them for miles were out.  The power went on again at their house by 10 the next morning, so they of course went on home.  They do have a supply of these things at their house now too btw, I am very certain, haha.  I was sad they never made it up, but happy that the black out was over as quickly as it turned out that it was.  It is scary sometimes to think just how fast everything can change.  How quickly people can panic and how uncertain things become.  Just as they did of course 10 years ago on that awful morning in September that none of us will ever forget.  What started as just an ordinary Fall morning for most, quickly became a day that will be forever more on the pages of our minds, as well as the pages of all the future history books.  I, along with the rest of the Nation, watched in tears and horror as the planes crashed into the towers and changed the world as we knew it.  I will never forget that day of course, but I will never forget either the sense of pride and love for our country that quickly became the norm in the weeks and months following the attacks.  I remember many flying their flags everyday.  I remember people even put some sort of small flag on their cars and the freeways were full of the red, white and blue flying in the wind.  People just seemed to be more loving and kind, and things that aren't really all that important anyway, seemed to fade in urgency.  I hope we all not only never forget that day, but never forget that sense of pride and love for our country.  Never forget those who fight and risk their lives for us that we might enjoy the freedoms that we do. Never forget that this nation was founded on God and the Bible and without His protection and blessing we will be left weak and unprepared for what might face us in the future.  It must begin in each one of our hearts. We must pray, diligently, every day for our Nation.  My prayers this week will be for all the families and friends of all of those who lost a loved one on that dreadful day, and that our God will watch over and protect, and richly bless the USA.

WEEK-END HAPPENINGS!

Can it be that we are a week into Sept already?  Hope you all had a glorious holiday week-end.  Ours was just about perfect I have decided.  Sat. we spent a leisurely morning enjoying our coffee and conversation and decided to go to lunch and a movie that afternoon.  We had lunch at our favorite place (Market Broiler ~ such yummy fish) and then met up with my parents and saw The Help.  What a GOOD movie that was!  I just enjoyed every minute of it.  It does amaze me that such things were still going on in the 60's.  Such troubled times.  And then we went over to their house and played cards.  We had a really good time in spite of the fact the girls lost again...sigh.  My poor mom has really been struggling since she had her seizure a few weeks ago.  She has to remain on medication to prevent them, and it just leaves her sleepy, confused, and befuddled.  We are trying to get it adjusted, but it is a long process.  She is also almost obsessed with getting all of her "things" spoken for and taken care of.  This is frustrating for all of us.  My step-dad continues to have good days and bad.  He is in the process of testing and being checked by another specialist, so hopefully we will have some more answers soon as to how to make things more comfortable and easier for him.   In the meantime, I am there a couple of days a week helping out as best as I can.  I do soo covet your prayers for both of them.

On Sun morning we headed down to San Diego for church.  We hadn't been in a couple of weeks of course as we had been away, and to say I was looking forward to it would be a major understatement.  This would be the first week at their new location and I was both anxious to see the place, and find out if changing locations would bring about attendance loss etc.  Oh, and my grand kids needed some kisses from Grandma too, haha.   I honestly don't know if I can say enough good things about how it went.  First, the place itself was just sooo much better.   Parking was easy and there is soo much ground for the kids to run and play ect. after service while their parents fellowship.   And it was by far the biggest crowd I have seen yet.  So many new faces, it was just wonderful!  No one is really sure where all the new people came from, by I am VERY certain the Lord does and His Holy Spirit is busy at work.  James has been going through the book of Ephesians, and was on chapter 6 yesterday about honoring ones mother and father.  I thought the message was REALLY good and blessed me so.  If ever you would like to hear one of his messages, remember you can click on his picture here on the side of my blog and their web page comes up where you can quickly find the latest one.  After church we spent quite a bit of time visiting and catching up with everyone.  How I have come to love these people and how much I have missed some of them.  A dear woman who I had shared with about my breast cancer last year, made me a beautiful necklace and gave it to me on Sun.  Soo sweet!  I will say I do wish we lived closer as this would make it much easier to get more involved.  But for now, I am grateful that we are able to be there every Sunday.  After church we went over to their house where Larissa made us a yummy lunch and we met their new dog Bruno (soo cute, the perfect little dog for them) and then visited with them for a while.  It was good to catch up.  Then we left there and went back out to Ontario where we met my middle son and his girlfriend and family to celebrate John's 35th birthday which was on the first of September.  I honestly can't believe he is already 35 years old!  Doesn't seem that long ago that I was, haha.  Joe and his daughters Annabel and Lindsey were there as well, and it was a really good time.  I thoroughly enjoyed myself and was able to catch up pretty well with all of them even though there was quite a few people there.  The girls are getting to be soo old.  Annabel starts high school today!  High school!  She is playing on the Freshman girl volley ball team and I am hoping to get to her game this afternoon.  How I love high school sports in the first place, but to watch her play will be priceless.   Now it really does seem like just yesterday that Mel was playing.  She is going to the same school she did so it will seem like a trip down memory lane as well for sure.

                                                                 Annabel & Lindsey

                                                                 Yolanda & John

Yesterday we decided to spend the day getting some extra things done around here that there never seems to be enough time for.  It felt good.  My hubby dug down all of my Fall decor boxes and I got all of them up!  I felt pretty accomplished I am not going to lie, haha.  I had told myself last year that I would get them up as close to Labor Day as I could so that I could enjoy them longer.  I love the Fall, and the colors and figured I might as well enjoy it all for as long as I can.  They will all remain until I decorate for Christmas.  WOW...did I just say for Christmas?  Surely it is not that close!  haha.  Anyway, he then shampooed all of our carpets and area rugs.  How wonderful they look!  I had no idea there would be such a noticeable difference after just one year in this home, but there really was.  I also washed kitchen rugs, bathroom rugs, and all of our throw blankets and pillow covers.  How fresh everything looks.  : )  And! we trimmed the palms on the front porch back (they are just getting huge!) and I washed and cleaned and hosed down everything on the front porch.  It was a LONG day but well worth the effort.  I am really pleased with how it is all looking.  Now George and his crew were suppose to come last week but I told them to wait another week as we had been away.  When I called him this morning to make sure he would be there, I found out that George has suffered a stroke and is still in the hospital!  I feel soo bad for him.  He is such a nice man.  Meanwhile he was supposed to get a hold of his crew and see if/when they will be coming.  My dilemma is that his workers never do as good of job as he does when he is here, so now I might be back at square one with needing a cleaning person as I don't know how long George might be out, or if he will even really be back.  Sooo, guess I will have to figure something out.  Wish my knees didn't keep me from doing some of the things that MUST be done, or I think I would just do it myself.  My hubby said he would do them, but I feel like he has enough on his plate.  I am sure it will all work out, but it is frustrating.   It is always comes back to the same thing...HOW much I miss Nina.  Unless I do it myself (which is just sooo physically hard for me right now) it just has never has been as good as when she did it.  I have had to lower my standards a little bit since we have moved and lost her, but I have found it is probably better for "me" to be a little less particular.  My kids would be laughing at this as I have always been such a fanatic, (and tell me not much has changed)  but I do my best, haha.

Ready for Fall  ~ my scarecrow made it another year, but he may be on his last legs, lol

Look at how big that Sega Palm has gotten!

Remember when I showed you a while back my area out front which had just been planted?  Well, here it is all filled in....I LOVE all the color.  

Mel went to the docs this morning and she is still doing great!  She is 35 weeks in a couple of days so they would no longer even try to stop labor if she were to go into labor early, so I guess that means she has officially made it.  How grateful I am cannot be described!  She will be given a pelvic soon to see what is happening, so I guess I will wait for that to try and make plans, but for now I am thinking I might head back out there on the 7th of October or so.  I do soo appreciate your prayers as we come to the end of this pregnancy.  She had some professional pregnancy pics taken which we are anxiously awaiting to see.  Hopefully I will be able to post some here when she does.  

It sure is hot here today...got to be nearing the 100 mark.  Hope you all have a wonderful week.