Spring!!

The trees are blossoming!


Love is everywhere!


The deer are steppin' out to find a sweetheart!

I love spring! :)

Ladybug

Betsy just found a ladybug on our coffee table. Now it has climbed up onto her crayon box. Betsy said, "I want to teach her colors." She got a red crayon and colored and then looked at the ladybug and said, "Ladybug, this is red."

She also said, "She's brown...like my brown pants!" (It is one of the those brown-orange ones and not the pretty red and black ones. What ever happened to those? I haven't seen one in years!)

Luckily for Betsy, we seem to have a bit of a ladybug infestation in one of the upstairs bedrooms...lots of friends to teach about colors!

Springtime Fun

We're enjoying some real spring weather here is Southern Ohio and we've been making the most

of it!

Sunday after church we had lunch with some of our new friends and then we all walked over to Voice of America Park for Kite Fest!

Our little supermodels...Audrey and Betsy...hanging out after lunch.

Tracee's mom Kandy showing that she is very young at heart. She ran all over that field trying to keep the kite in the air!

Oops, Kandy and Manny got tangled!

Daddy and Betsy watching all the kites.

Capturing the moment just before Betsy bursts into tears because "the shark kite is going to chew me up!"

The definition of true friendship--sharing drinks. Joel and Carter must be best buds!

Today we actually planted some flowers! Back in Grand Rapids you don't dare plant anything until Mother's Day, but I decided here I could take the chance on some pansies, tulips, hyacinths, and New Guinea impatiens. Betsy was a great helper. She helped scoop top soil and watered everything with her very own little watering can.

Happy Spring! Hope it's warm wherever you are too!

Visitors at Mid-Morning!

Last week when the Carlaws were here we had 4 deer in our backyard again and they came right up to our fence! Abi Carlaw looked at them and said, "Horsies!" :)

Betsy in Buttercups

Spring is here in Southern Ohio and our backyard is a carpet of buttercups! Betsy can't quite remember whether they are buttercups or daffodils so she uses both names alternately just in case. ;)

Here are some pictures of our little Buttercup playing in the buttercups...er...daffodils...er...buttercups...




We found a stump full of tiny ants...Betsy spent a half hour picking flowers and "peas" for them. (The unopened buttercup blossoms look like peas!)

Dear Friends

Our dear friends Bryce and Carolyn Carlaw and their kids Nathan and Abi visited last week. They are missionaries in Ireland so we only see them every couple years. Last time they visited Nathan was 11 months old and Betsy was still just a bun in the oven. It was so nice to hang out, play, and catch up. Here are some highlights:


Betsy waiting for some burgers and fries at Johnny Rocket's (they have the same restaurant in Ireland, only it's called Eddie Rocket's).


Cutie Nathan and his new hat.


Checking out the fish at the Newport Aquarium...the Carlaw kids were SOOO excited about this place.

Carolyn and I in front of the Ohio River (outside the aquarium). It's so sad that I only get to see her every 2 years! :(


The daddies and big kids perching above the river.


Abi the little cherub


Bryce, Carolyn and Nathan enjoying a chocolate malt.



Abi LOVED Gideon and was really gentle with him. He was a good boy and was very patient with all the extra attention he was getting from the little ones.


Our three monkeys hanging out on the loft.


Nathan listening to Thomas stories before bedtime (Thomas stories just sound so much better when read in an Irish accent!)

Bryce lounging by the fireplace, catching up with email. We had a relaxed time...it was wonderful.

Grandpa Goes Home

Three weeks ago, Myron's dad passed away suddenly on a Saturday evening. We got a call in the afternoon that he was on his way to the hospital with what they thought was a heart attack. He was then airlifted to another hospital, but passed away around 7:30 pm. Myron was on his way to the hospital in Canton, OH, about 3 hours away, when his sister called me and let me know that Dad had gone to be with Jesus.

Perhaps the most difficult thing I've ever done is to call Myron and tell him that his dad was gone.

In the midst of this flurry of phone calls laced with tears, my dear little girl watched me with wide, worried eyes. She brought me tissues, gently rubbed my back and asked if she should get me some lotion to make me feel better. After she heard me break the news to her Daddy on the phone with the words "I'm really sorry," she looked at me tenderly and said, "I'm really sorry, Mommy." When I tried to explain what was happening to her, telling her that Grandpa was really sick, and then that he had gone to heaven, she said, "I want Grandpa to see me." Oh, how I wish he could, sweet little one.

Myron spent the night with his mother and older brother at his parents' house and came back home Sunday night to help get Betsy and I packed up and ready to head back to Orrville. That afternoon in the midst of the junk mail and bills was a little note addressed to Betsy Detweiler. It was a letter from her Grandpa written just a day before he was taken home. Myron and I held each other and cried.

Within two days all five of Myron's siblings and their families had gathered in Orrville to mourn together and say goodbye to Dad. In spite of the sadness and loss we all felt, the week together was rich and full of sweet times. We all worked together to plan a service that would honor Dad, but that would honor his Lord Jesus above all. We shared meals, laughs, tears, and lots of hugs. "I love you," was said over and over. We watched the children play and felt thankful for the legacy Dad left us. We heard stories from Dad's Amish childhood and met relatives from far off for the first time. There was so much joy in the midst of the sadness. We miss Dad. We cry when we hear a song he would like or a songbird singing in the spring breeze. But we do not despair. For Dad is where he always longed to be, with the Friend he loved so well. There will be a great reunion one day and until then we will remember Dad and smile through the tears.