Happy birthday, Jonathan!!! Ben tomorrow!!!!

We are the luckiest family I know! There are 25 (1/3) grandchildren and 1 GREAT grandbaby and every one of them have a birthday each year. What isn't so lucky is the fact that many of them live at distances and must rely on phone calls & mailed cards or PKGS when their turn comes each year.

Every year the Baker family serenades each of us with a birthday ditty that never fails to please. Today we "forgot" Jon, although the truth is we postponed calling until we got home this afternoon and had company every hour until 10PM CA time.

So while Jonny wasn't exactly 'forgotten' - and Ben will be celebrating tomorrow - I have grand hopes that both grandsons will receive calls tomorrow. We hope you had a fun day, Jonathan, and Happy Birthday to Ben in about 15 minutes. xoxoxo

PS I hope Jon's card arrives tomorrow, in the mail...

HAPPY 26th BIRTHDAY, SYDNEY...

Tonight is a good time for reflection. I just received a facebook comment from Sydney's pediatrician's wife. He was one of our first visitors at the hospital, Victor Ince, MD. He was a big teddy bear of a man, with rather unruly hair and a salt and pepper beard.

He bounced into the hospital room with a huge smile on his face. The first words out of his mouth were, "Congratulations folks, you have just become the parents of a very special child!" From that moment on, and although we'd never met him before, we knew Sydney was going to be in a warm and caring physician's hands.

And so she was...

Victor Ince died a few years back. He had retired due to poor health, but we have always missed his wise advice, his encouraging and loving ways. Sydney's start in life, with such a caring doctor, has been reflected many times and in so many ways, throughout the years.

Today as we ate lunch with her dear friend, Charlotte, she spoke of times in school when other kids called her a "retard." We agreed it wasn't very nice, but also that perhaps they were retards, too...

It made me think how wise Sydney has become; how far she has come down the pathway of life and how much she has impacted so many along the way.

We are so grateful for her coming into our lives 26 years ago - and we continue to marvel at the guileless, yet intelligent adult she is becoming.

Happy birthday, Sydney... you have more joy into our lives than we could ever say.

I love you so very much and so does your dad. xoxoxo Mom

Another chapter in life now beginning...

It is always exciting when another baby is born; most certainly when that baby is part of our blended family. We are the grandparents of 25 grandchildren, with the anticipation of more to come.

However, there is something magical about becoming a grandparent ~ or a GREAT grandparent, for the 1st time! Today, Feb 9, 2009 another generation of children began. As Megan, and husband Riley, welcome a sweet baby daughter into their lives, we watch the circle of life beginning again.

It is marvelous to be alive and healthy, as this latest generation begins. Being the first little girl on the paternal side of the family to enjoy 4 doting uncles, but no aunts, Margaret 'ZuZu' brings new joys and great expectations of all.

This a time of great celebration and yes, new beginnings, too. We are happy to be part of this eternal family and to be able to once again witness [via email] the incredible miracle of birth.

God Bless you Riley, Megan ~ and Emzy ~ and your brand new grandparents, too.

xoxoxo Great-Grammy Joyce

Anxiously awaiting the birth of Emzie/ Maggy Zu/ EM... our 1st GREAT grandbaby!

Emzie is due tomorrow to Riley and Megan Bingham!! It is very exciting to contemplate the birth of a great grandchild! I am alreay enjoying the many compliments one receives with the birth of their first child, grandchild or great grandchild.

The first being... oh you're too young, you couldn't possibly be a ... great grandmother!! Yep, I sure love that one...

Particularly since there is a very good chance there are still to be more grandbabies on the way...

My biggest regret however is that many of our grandchildren live at great distances from us and as such we don't get to see them all that much. We'll see little Emzie in March, but then it will be late summer before we have the opportunity to see her again.

It seems the more we have - the broader the distances become.

It would sure be nice to begin again - therefore making exactly the same mistakes we made the first time no doubt.

One thing is for sure! I would never take time spent together with family for granted - never, ever again.

Nicole leaves for Florida this Thursday...

It's funny how much we take for granted family relationships... Nicole has lived near us in CA since she was born some 26 years ago. She stops in for family gatherings, when she can, but only recently have we begun to really "bond" with her. No sooner had she begun to make a routine of Fudd's on Friday night, then she went off to FL for Christmas and returned to tell us she successfully managed a job change to Orlando.

Now I know she is a most favored daughter of her mum and dad's, but it's pretty well established that humid, sweaty summers and dear old parents are not the only things drawing her there.

So I guess we must thank RYAN,(who(m) we aren't going to meet any time soon), for stealing her away from us!! Now Ryan looks like he's too much fun for our homegrown girl and I sure hope she's made the right decision to desert us - for him!!

Also, while I'm referring to deserters, it is possible Santa Barbara won't be Landon's home for long, either. He is hoping to get into school in the Coast Guard and would then relocate near San Francisco for several months. Lots of things are going on in Landon's life and I can only anticipate "what else" at this point.

Love to all of you from all of us! xoxoxo

I was thinking about NEW BEGINNINGS

It's really funny because new beginnings are really anything that happens a minute from now - if you think about it. I am really excited for Aleks to be entering the YW era in her life, as well as in our church! Aleks is another "doll" in a family full of dollies!!

Now Collin will have a new beginning, too. I am guessing he will find Colorado just as challenging as any other place he might have been called. We know he loves the snow and teaching the gospel to folks there may require greater stamina than he may have originally thought. All I know is the gals (and guys) that serve in southern CA always have their work cut out!!

Then there is Landon, returning home to visit his family and a certain young woman who charms us all with her beautiful voice and songs. Could there be 'new beginnings' there... only time will tell.

For each of us there is always the next moment or two to have that mighty change of heart, the joy that comes from taking each day as it comes and risking the thought that there will be many, many new moments and new beginnings in each of our lives.

Awaiting a call from Collin...

I'm sitting here, awaiting that very special call from Collin and realizing that just perhaps he has talked me into believing his mission call really will come this soon. Landon is going to Oregon this weekend - pending getting the time off - and that may have some very interesting developments, also.

Unlike Greg, I find Obama very persuasive. I do understand the very deep seated hurt that is not something with which I can identify. I've experienced what prejudice IS and I do think Obama is addressing the black folks in America, more than anything else. Their inequality is not something white folks can truly perceive.

I've prided myself on not being racist in any way. But I am, or at least I was. My mother taught me that (black) folks knew their places when she was growing up. There was honest respect, on her part, but never integration...

Let's face it; Barrack Obama is not even 50% black. I didn't NOT vote for him because of his color. It wasn't even an issue of any sort. But I do understand that he thinks HE can elevate the black people of America - and all over the world - to a higher level of respect and acceptance and I give him credit for that.

For him, he is a black Moses and he is crying "Let my people go!!!"

Do I approve of his "Organizing for America," on youtube?? No, I think not...
Is our country ready for the United Order? It's been proven not to work.

SO... for today... I will await Collin's call and anticipate Landon's call as well!

And finally "GOD BLESS AMERICA" - I really think we are going to need it in the days ahead.