Children are Welcomed and Cherished in Our Family

Robert, Michele, and "Gunner"

Grampie and I love to watch your parents spending time with you. We like to see the fun times -- like when you get a new puppy or some other pet that you can enjoy. Caring for a pet gives you a lot of fun and it also teaches you to be responsible. That is because you have to feed and care for your pets when they need it, not just when you feel like it.

Stephen and David

Little children learn so much from Moms and Dads who are not too busy for them.  And life is SO busy. We do have work to do and many responsibilities as parents. But taking just a little time to make memories is time well spent. When our children were little, we read the Bible and prayed together at night. And from time to time we took the tent or went to a motel for an overnighter or a week. Fun memories!

Valerie and Gunnar

One thing I did more with Valerie than any of the other children was to hold her in my lap and read to her from the time she was only a few weeks old.  Some of her early words were the names of people depicted in a Bible story book. These Mommy and Daughter moments probably contributed to her lifelong love of books. She, in turn reads to her children. Here Gunnar holds a book while his mom reads from another.

Timothy and Kyle with Lucy

I have always loved this picture. Lucy was such a sweet beagle, loyal to her boys! And the boys loved her. Do you wonder if Kyle is just trying to be patient as he waits for a Lucy "kiss"?
This picture was taken in the apartment at our Marshfield house. Those were good days having grandchildren next door. We got spoiled! The Bible verse here reminds us that greater than all of our earthly family and friends is Jesus, Himself. He will never, ever leave us not forsake us. What a promise!

Bethany and Matthew

This picture is so sweet, isn't it? Actually, Matthew was looking at the light over our dining table. Apparently he was amazed at it for some reason! To me it was the perfect picture to remind us that all of God's nature and His other gifts are amazing. We look at the sky, the trees, the ocean, the birds, the flowers -- we look at all the wonders He made and we can, indeed, see what an awesome GOD He is!