Saturday, October 19, 2013

Mr. and Mrs. Seth Girard

Anna has been thinking about her wedding since she was about 7 years old---I hope it was all you ever dreamed of, Anna.












                                                    Lena and Anna                      
A proud father who delighted in giving his youngest a beautiful wedding

Nathanael and me --- see Joe in the background looking into the auditorium






Our children all had a great time staying at the motel in Frankfort


 Our grandson, Henry as the ringbearer and Faith Boonstra was the lovely flower girl



 Lena and Kaelin Probeck who came all the way from Denver with her dad (my brother Bill) and mom to help with the photography.



Pastor Townsend, his wife, Debbie and their grandchildren
Anna and Tasha

 Anna and Seth spent a night at the Wigwam and as tradition dictates carved their names and wedding date into a stone on the fireplace!



Monday, September 2, 2013

September 2013

 Twelve days until the wedding! 
Then Anna will be Mrs. Seth Girard!





 John and Susan were here for two weeks this summer. 
The three of us had some fun times together...visiting dad in Ludington, sight seeing in Pentwater, grilling out at the cottage, stopping at the Garden Market and lots more...
John and Susan went swimming every day 
and John was able to reconnect with old friends---

 Susan has a way with flower arranging..these are flowers from the gardens at the Cottage.















 When George and Henry got home to Illinois Henry was surprised with a guinea pig for his birthday!
I think he likes it.
The Miracle of the Guinea Pig   
(or, a story of God's providence demonstrated to a little boy)   by Christy Truitt

Henry had been wanting a new pet for quite some time.  First, a puppy.  Then, a kitten.  Then, he decided on his own that the best choice would be a guinea pig or hamster.

So, on Friday, we agreed to go to two pet stores in Wheaton to look at the guinea pigs and to pick one out as his own pet.

We planned to go to PetCo first, but found ourselves closer to PetsMart, so decided we might as well peek in.

At the small pet area, we told a clerk we were shopping for a guinea pig, and asked to hold one.

But while the clerk was opening the cage, God did something amazing:
A fellow shopper motioned me over several aisles away.  She had overheard us ask about the guinea pigs - and she offered to give us their 2-year-old guinea pig, Theodore (cage and all)!   Her daughter, who was now in high school and preparing for college, was ready to give him away to a good home.  And, we found they lived in Glen Ellyn, not far from us.

What were the chances that she was there at the same time that we walked up, in a place we had not intended to be?  It was a meeting orchestrated by God :)

So, the next day, with excitement, we drove to their home and met "Teddy" - a handsome and calm, brown and white guinea pig.

He now resides in his spacious cage on top of Henry's dresser, and enjoys celery and peppers and other veggies that Henry and George enjoy feeding him.

He has met Pippin and they are friendly acquaintances.

We have found that, just like Pippin, he is more curious than other guinea pigs, and loves to explore the rooms in which he finds himself.

On his first night, Henry enjoyed giving him a bedtime bath in the sink.

So, a new adventure begins, and a little boy sees that God cares for his cares, and orchestrates even everyday events in our lives!
 Theodore Truitt








 Meanwhile Ezra and Samuel continue to grow and have lots of fun in their new home!
That's an amber teething necklace he is wearing...seems to really help. We did not have such things back in "the day"..

Mom (Lena) also liked to wash her bike when she was little and when she got help from her older brothers!!!


 Ezzie





Samuel

Saturday, August 10, 2013

A Busy Summer

Anna and Seth have spent a lot of time together as they are preparing for their wedding.

Having Seth at our house so much is almost as if I had one of my sons home again....this is a happy time for me.













Anna had her bridal shower on August 3rd--it was fun and she was so excited...Her friend, Tasha came all the way from Hillsdale to be able to surprise Anna!!









 Samuel had his 2nd birthday party at the cottage with cousins, Henry and George..Samuel tries to be just like the older boys!! He got some nice gifts but I think he enjoyed his cake the most..

 The park in Traverse City where Doug and I used to take Anna many years ago....it is still a great park and Samuel loved it...




 Red Park on the new big tree stump--many trees have been taken down this past year and five new ones were planted. Part of that was in memory of mom who loved the cottage and Red Park in Onekama, Michigan.





 Little brother, Ezra (better known as Ezzie) was always smiling and such a good baby...he is only 6 months old but weighs 22lbs!!!  He loved the playpen and all the attention he got from Aunt Anna, Grandma and Grandpa!






What would be a visit to Michigan without a trip to the Cherry Hut!! We never got over to Gwen Frostic's but perhaps in September there will be time. Ha ha
 Doug and Seth showed George some gun smarts and he loved making lots of holes in the target with his BB gun!  Henry paid attention to Tacy--throwing the ball for her and brushing her..but he did not like dog drool, he said!!







 Seth gave the boys and Christy a tour of the Coast Guard Station and the boat--thanks, Seth! they loved it.






 We visited dad at Sutter--they were all sitting outside and Christy got Dad talking about the cottage and his sailing adventures...When they said goodbye, he told Christy not to let the boys ruin his cottage!!!  Some things never change...







 Anna went home with Lena and Adam to help with the boys and just to have some sister time before she is no longer a single lady....

She had fun with Ezzie
 An evening at Navy Pier
 Anna, Lena and Ezzie

 Sisters forever because of Jesus






Ezra, Lena, Adam and Samuel     
Love you all....