Kathy is 50!!!!!!

My sweet Charissa threw a surprise tea party for me! She's still on her crutches, so she had some great helpers in her friend Melody Lake and Jeremy's sister, Kyndal. My dear friend, Linda Lake, had taken me out to coffee that morning and when we arrived back at the house...
It was such a delightful time with family and friends. Mom brought some of my baby photos to share and others shared memories, too. I wish I'd had my wits more about me to turn it into a hobbit party - give gifts to, or share about these wonderful people the Lord has blessed me with!

Then, that evening, our family met at the Outback for supper. I was outrageously surprised when I opened my card from Norm and it was a brochure for a trip to Hawaii!!! It will be hard to keep my feet on the ground 'til the 24th of January!

Toby's Birthday

Toby celebrated Saturday night at Charissa's with a bunch of his friends, then again with family after church on Sunday. My brother Matt and his clan came up from the Springs since my mom had arrived Saturday. It's such a bonus to have this time with Toby before the Marine Corps takes him full time!

Christmas '08

Brady's first Christmas!!! How much fun!
My folks had given Ron Henry a Wonder Horse for his first Christmas so we made that a tradition and got Brady one - he'll grow into it someday!
The little "Stuff Me" bib was also a gift from Grandma Barbara to Ron Henry on his first Christmas!
Brady loved the Swahili counting book from Jeremy and Charissa, and he kept giving the animals hugs by laying his head on the pages - too cute!
We had Jeremy's sister, Kyndal, with us again which is always fun. My mom came on Saturday so my brother Matt came up w/ his tribe and we celebrated again on Sunday evening. Our new favorite game is "Settlers of Catan", which we have played way too many times!
It was a marathon Christmas but continuously wonderful!

What a sighting!

Today, Ron Henry, Alisa, and Brady came up to get their Christmas tree. Brady was quite tired so he went down for a nap, and it ended up that only Ron Henry and I went out to hunt for their tree. I had scoped out some options along a new powerline cut that runs through the forest toward the highway. As we wandered closer to the road, motion caught my eye about 30 feet away. In the thick trees, I couldn't tell much except that it was too short to be a deer, so I thought it was a coyote. As Ron Henry turned to see what I was pointing at, the critter turned to look at us - it was a mountain lion! It sat and watched us for a little while but when we moved, it slinked away. It was quite exciting at first, but then every little sound creeped us out! I totally forgot to take any pictures of it or the tree we then cut. It took awhile for the adrenaline to calm down! When we got to the gully below the highway, there was a roadkill elk and a deer carcass that must have been what drew the lion. At least we knew he wasn't hungry! We've lived in this house for 14 years and have never seen a lion before - YIKES!

Cutting the Christmas Tree

Charissa's friends, Jeremy and Kelly Fowler, came up Saturday and brought his family with them. We had a great time hunting for Christmas trees - even figured out how to include our crippled Charissa! After a successful felling of the mighty spruce :) , we came back to the house for hot chocolate and cookies. It was a great day! (Although we didn't take any pictures of us w/ our tree!)

Thanksgiving Day

Check out Brady's beret! How cute can a kid get?! He loved wearing it, too.
Charissa had us all (Norm's extended family) write our names on paper placemats and then we passed them around to write what we were thankful for about each person. It was a sweet Thanksgiving activity before focusing on the food.

Jeremy Jones is 25! Norm fixed a prime rib roast for the celebration which suited Jeremy just fine. Toby's friend Andrew Welsh who has become a rock climbing friend of Jeremy's was with us to celebrate. We finished the celebration with Jeremy's favorite - German Chocolate cake and ice cream - YUM!

Snow Fun!

Brady was curious about what was outside this morning.
He loved the snow!

Brady is 9 months old!

Brady came to cheer Auntie Charissa up after her foot surgery. He is crawling and pulling up on everything now. Opening drawers and cupboards to see what he can pull out is quite fun. His daddy appreciated his "help" when he put together the new -fangled high chair for Grammy Kate to have at her house. Charissa's friend called on Skype from Virginia and had her baby girl "talk" to Brady. He was enthralled but then pulled the screen down and looked behind it to see where she was. It was so cute! Play the video below to see how much he loved the little slide!

Brady at Grammy Kate's

From Brady9mo

Brady, Beau, and Daddy

SUPER CUTE photos of Brady & Daddy Bear in their beanies!

Toby's USMC Commissioning

The ceremony was so meaningful, especially when my mom presented my dad's sword to Toby. The chapel was filled with friends and family which made it even more special. A special thanks to: my mom; my brother Matt, who polished and prepared the sword; Chris VanInwagen, who performed the commissioning; Andy Betsch, who gave 2nd Lieutenant Tobin Lewis his first salute; and Pastor Kyle Bendorf, who gave the prayer of dedication. I also want to thank my friends who helped with the reception: Rhonda Turner, Matt & Alyssa Lake, Marilyn Betsch, Cindy Tadlock, and Deb Long.

Seattle Trip

We had an amazing time in Seattle this year! The family reunion for my mom's side of the family was so fun! It was good to see everyone since we weren't able to attend my grandma's funeral which was just one day prior to our arrival. My sister Sandy and her Bob were gracious hosts and their lake was such a wonderful bonus! Be sure to click on the photo frame to get a fullsize slideshow w/ captions.

Brady is 6 Months Old!

Brady is 6 Months Old!

June Happenings

These photos are of Father's Day and then Charissa's 25th birthday (6/19) which was also Brady's 5 month birthday. We also tried to get a family photo which is fun w/ a 5mo. old, so I included some outtakes. Double click on the photo space to get captions...

Updatin' Bradyn Photos

Brady is now 4 1/2 months old and very responsive. He's a happy baby like his daddy was, and word came this morning that he's rolling over! He's already hanging out at the soccer fields when his daddy coaches his "special needs" teams. Another word on his daddy, he was hired at Chatfield Senior High as a guidance counselor, so come August, he'll leave the world of buffalo and earth moving to dress up and use that MA degree! Pray for his faith in Christ to remain strong - it will have its trials, I'm sure!

Toby's College Graduation

Toby has officially graduated from Liberty University!
Friends of Charissa's loaned us their house so we were able to have a party for him the night before with his friend Dan's family. Norm BBQed ribs so everyone was happy! But when you come into town the day before, you have to settle for pink flowers on the cake and cover up the "Happy Birthday" with a big mortar board :) Alisa and Brady weren't able to come, but Charissa's friend Jackie brought her little Lydia to fill in the gap. Some of you will remember our exchange student, Juan Erazo; he also graduated, and his family was able to come from Honduras! Chuck Norris was the speaker (he didn't rapell from a helicopter or do any martial arts, though). He gave a humble testimony of how he came to know Jesus. After he spoke to everyone in the stadium, we headed over to the airport, and Toby's aviation graduation was held in the Falwell hangar. In the photos, we're all standing in front of the plane Toby learned to fly. Toby will be home the month of June and then head off to Officers Candidate School for the USMC. If there are buttons in heaven, my dad's are busting!

Ben's Visit

Ron Henry bought a new truck through a broker, and it happened to be in Seattle! He flew up there to drive it back, and brought w/ him my nephew, Ben Swarner. Ben was able to help w/ the driving and then have a few days w/us and our friends the Thompsons w/whom he'd gotten acquainted on our Honduras mission trip! He instantly took to snowboarding, and it was a delight to have him around!

Easter Weekend

Since Jeremy and Charissa have a heart for Morocco, Saturday evening we ate at "Marakesh". The food was flavorful and the company fun! We met a young man, Asan, who agreed to help J&C learn Moroccan Arabic, if they'll help him w/ his English!
Sunday after church - a great celebration of Jesus' resurrection - RH, Alisa & Brady came up for dinner and the annual basket hunt. It was a gorgeous, delightful day, but we did have to say goodbye to Toby that afternoon as he left for Virginia and his last 6 weeks of college!

Spring Break '08

Spring Break was a busy week at our house! Toby came home from Virginia w/ his friends Patty and Dan. Sheldon and Stephanie came from TN with their three younger ones: Scott, Irina, and Dmitri. It's a good thing Charissa has a guest room at her place so we could accomodate everyone! We had a blast and it was all over too soon :(
(Remember to double click on the photo to get a full size slideshow w/captions)

More Bradysitting - 7 weeks!

A Master's Degree for Ron Henry!

Ron Henry finished his MA in mid-February, so Alisa had a surprise party to celebrate! We are really proud of his perseverance. He worked 30 hrs/week, went to class, and worked two days/week at his internships. He's also been coaching a soccer team for disabled kids. Becoming a college athletic director is his long term goal. Most of all, Ron has let the Lord develop his character and direct his steps and I have no greater joy, (3 John 1:4).
Remember to double click on the photo to get a slideshow w/ captions...

Four Generations

We finally got all four generations of Lewis guys together for a photo!
The photo where they're all sleeping after the meal will be typical, I'm sure. Brady is now 10.5 lbs and very easy going. He got passed around to all the cousins and didn't fuss a bit.

One Month Old!

Bradyn Asher Lewis had his one month birthday so we had to celebrate! Auntie Charissa gave him a very green hat and Big "Brother" Beau gave him some slobbery kisses. Brady was quite congenial until we fed him. He evidently had no stomach for that formula and proceeded to erupt, baptizing us and about drowning himself! It made the day hilarious and unforgettable :)

Big-eyed Brady!

Auntie Charissa and I got the thrill of babysitting Brady for a few hours last Friday! He was awake and happy most of the time so we could hardly take our eyes off of him - all those adorable, inquisitive expressions!

Birthday Boys!

Brady was two weeks old and Norm was turning 49 so we celebrated at our favorite Thai restaurant.

A Bunch of Brady Photos

More Baby holding! Brady is just a beautiful boy! Ron Henry can hardly stand to go to work and be away from him! Charissa was able to pamper Alisa with a much needed massage, but she also played with the camera to get some black and white pics - there's something sweet about those.

Barbara's Birthday

My mom, Barbara, and her friend Betty Oertli share a birthday on January 22. My Aunt Lynda and her daughter Lisa, along with my Aunt Lorna and her daughter Lorna, joined Charissa and I at "SerendipiTea" to celebrate. The tea room closet was full of hats and boas so we had a silly element to keep things fun. That's important because January 22 was Grandma Connie's birthday also, and we were all missing her. It was interesting to find out that Betty's mother-in-law had also shared this birthdate! Maybe there was a heavenly tea party that day, too! (Thank You, Lord, for that comforting thought.)

First Grandbaby Arrives!

Bradyn Asher Lewis (Brady) finally arrived At 6:31 this morning - 8 days overdue, and after 22hrs of labor! He was quite happy in there and had to be prayed into position - Thursday he was sideways - and then induced out - all 8lbs. 13 oz. of him! Alisa and Ron Henry are thrilled and exhausted. It was special that Great Grandma Barbara was here for the event. Grandpa Norm had to run a wrestling tournament today but rushed right down to hold him as soon as he could.

Happy New Year!

Our Lewis/Jones family celebrated the new year together on the 2nd at the Outback. It was also Toby's going away party since he went back to college at o'dark thirty the next day.