Family visit to the Newport Aquarium

Christmas 2007

Christmas 2007

Christmas 2007

Thanksgiving 2007

We had a great time in Michigan with the family...lots of great cuddle time with Jake and Betsy! We had so much to be grateful for! Molly and Myron sold their house and are moving next week! Now they'll be only an hour and a half away! We went to church with Joel and Wendy. Jake seems to thrive on the loud and awesome contemporary worship service! He's really growing and developing a sweet personality...full of smiles and baby talk. And I'll get to see them all again soon! I love the holidays!

I'm so blessed...

Today is the 31st birthday of my daughter, Betsy. She died the day she was born and I've always wondered who she would look like and what her personality would have been. I'd like to think she'd be a lot like my granddaughter, Betsy, who was named after her. There's always been a hole in my heart for what might have been...but I am so blessed to have my wonderful family...Joel, Wendy and Jake, Molly, Myron and Betsy...and the love of my life, John.

My beautiful granddaughter, Betsy...


My adorable grandson, Jake...

Jake is 2 months old!

Joel, Wendy and Jake came for a short visit last weekend. We were so thrilled to get to see how much Jake has grown. He's such a sweet little guy...he's a good baby and seems to be thriving. Joel and Wendy are great parents! Here are some pics of our sweet grandson.

I'm still here...

I've been really busy and haven't blogged in ages! John is finally getting over his sinus infection and is adjusting to the C-Pap machine he sleeps with for his sleep apnea. He seems to be more energetic too, so I think he appears to be getting more oxygen with it. Work is going well...it's a really busy at work as the holidays approach. Molly and Betsy spent a week with us recently and we had such a good time. Betsy has always been unfriendly with my dad for some reason and after Molly talked with her about it, she finally realized Grandpa Bill is a good guy and she really responded to him. It was a real breakthrough! Molly and Myron have found a beautiful home in Cincinnati and hope to move the first week of December. They're still trying to sell their home in Grand Rapids. They're growing tired of living apart! Here are some Betsy pics.

"Betsy Blue Eyes" after her bath...


Betsy helping Grandpa in the flower bed...

Betsy in the leaves...


Betsy bonding with Grandpa Bill...

What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Literate Good Citizen You read to inform or entertain yourself, but you're not nerdy about it. You've read most major classics (in school) and you have a favorite genre or two.
Dedicated Reader
Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm
Book Snob
Fad Reader
Non-Reader
What Kind of Reader Are You? Create Your Own Quiz

Jake is 3 weeks old

We had a real quick visit with Joel, Wendy and Jake this weekend. He's really growing and is such a sweet little guy. I sure wish they lived closer so we could watch him grow up and be a real part of his life.

This has been such a busy week! I saw the back surgeon at the first of the week. I can't have surgery now because I would have to be off work for 6 weeks to 3 months! I didn't think it would be that long to recover and rehabilitate. I wouldn't have enough time off accumulated at work so I asked what I could do instead of surgery. He said I could try another type of epidural injection...so that's what I'm going to do. I know it's just a band-aid on the problem but I don't want to lose my job after I just got promoted. So I hope this injection will help the pain and swelling in my spine for awhile.
We had great fun with Molly and Betsy here part of the weekend. It's been tough for them having Myron in Cincinnati working and only seeing him on weekends. We're all still praying that their house will sell soon and they'll be able to make the move to Cincy. Our new grandson, Jake, is doing well. He's already gained weight and growing fast! I can't wait to see him again...and his Momma and Papa too!

Doctor's appointment

I had to see my back doctor today. He gave me an MRI last week since I've been having increasing pain down my legs and numbness in my feet. He said that the stenosis is 50% to 60% worse compared to my MRI results in 2004. I've had 3 epidural cortisone injections that helped for awhile. But now I'm looking at the need for surgery and probably fusion of the discs in the lumbar area. He said another injection might offer temporary relief but the surgery would probably get rid of most of my pain and isn't too invasive. So I see the surgeon next Tuesday to find out more. I hoped to put it off as long as I could, especially since starting my new job. But it looks like I've been putting off the inevitable. On a happier note, I get to babysit for Betsy this Saturday night! Molly and Myron are house-hunting in Cincinnati so they're leaving Betsy here for the night...then Molly will come back and stay for a couple of days. It's always fun having them here! So I'm really looking forward to that!

Isn't he beautiful!

Jake pictures

Jake William Smith

Our beautiful grandson, Jake William, was born 9-8-07 at 8:40 a.m. I was privileged to get to witness his birth along with his daddy, Joel, and Nana Linda, Wendy's mom. What an exciting day! We got the call from Joel at 3:00 a.m. and rushed to Lansing. We arrived about 8:00 a.m. and Jake was born 40 minutes later! He's a beautiful little guy, with light auburn hair. He weighed 8 pounds and 14 1/4 ounces and was 22 inches long. We visited with him Sunday at the hospital and again today when he got to go home. Mama, Papa and baby are all doing great! Wendy is a natural mother and Joel has taken to fatherhood with great enthusiasm. Our thanks to the Lord for His wonderful mercies...all are well, healthy and very grateful to God.

http://www.myheritage.com

Betsy at Grandma's

Betsy stayed with us a couple of weekends ago while Molly and Myron did some househunting in Cincinnati. We had so much fun with her. She's a real talker and seemed to really enjoy the time with Grandma and Grandpa! We are still waiting on news from Joel and Wendy...we're going to head up there as soon as she lets us know she's in labor. Jake was due yesterday, so we know it won't be long!