HOSPITALS AND BIRTHDAYS!!!!!

Emily is doing well. Her roommate is VERY loud and so are her guests. She doesn't sleep well at night because of the noise in the bed next to her. The nurses have her on a list for a private room. Then she can get her rest. Procedures are scheduled for December 1, 2 and 3. Keep praying! We will update as we have more news.

While we were at the hospital, Elyse had her 10th birthday. That was Monday. Today (Saturday) we made a trip home to get the mail, deposit checks in the bank and gather more clothes. We decided to give Elyse her birthday present. She usually gets to pick out her dinner (which she wants Bulgogi), but we didn't have time to marinate that meal over night when we were only going to be there about 30 minutes. We went to Culver's for lunch instead.

On to the gift: We had made up a scavenger hunt for her to get to her gift (which was hidden in our bedroom closet). Here she is waiting "patiently" for her first clue (Daddy is hiding them in specific places).

Her first clue!

Originally, that was the only gift in the closet and she could have gone in there by herself to get it. But, now we have Christmas gifts in there too. So, we had to get it out and put it on the floor while she closed her eyes. She enjoyed the scavenger hunt and got the clues right away.

Here is her gift: A boyfriend pillow (at least that is what Betsey calls it).

Elyse has always stacked pillows and blankets on the landing and either read, wrote in her journal or just chilled. The perfect gift was a "boyfriend" pillow for her to use while reading, etc. We think she likes it, although she hasn't said so.

Back to the hospital we go. Emily looks good, but is tired because of all the ruckus going on in the next bed. Oma and Odeshe came today. They brought Qdoba for them - they loved that!

When we got back to the hospitality room, Elyse lost a tooth. I hope the tooth fairy can find her since she isn't in her own bed.

BEFORE & AFTER!!!!!

Elyse has been wanting her hair cut, badly. She wanted to wait until spring because her hair keeps her warmer. But, knot after knot, combing after combing, knot after undone knot, she finally gave up.

The before:

The middle:

The finale:

I guess Lacey & Grace's influence carried all the way to Illinois.

I need a hair cut badly too. Where are you, Terry?

Another cool thing happened this morning at church. The Pastor had a baby dedication today. After praying with the parents, he took the baby and took her around the sanctuary so we could touch her - to put a hand on our commitment to help raise this child for God. I thought it was so cool. The baby was smiling the whole time. Her mother stood on the stage and cried, while the Dad hugged her. Now if the baby had been screaming her head off, it wouldn't have been so cool, but she just ate up the crowd, as we ate her up.

We had communion around lunch tables in the fellowship hall. Each table prayed, served the person next to you and closed in prayer. We met two girls, sisters, from Chile, and three Trinity students. It was a neat time and so different for us people. Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?

We are invited to the Pastor's house this Saturday for a game night. That should be fun - kids are invited too. YEAH!

Enjoy the rest of the Lord's day!

MONOPOLY!!!!!

The kids have wanted to play Monopoly for a long time. They finally got to play with Emily & Dan last weekend. The game took two days. That is the main reason Dad & I don't want to play it. When the kids got home from Michigan, they went downstairs to get our game. Lo and behold, it wasn't there. I must have packed it away and it is stored at Emily & Dan's. But, we did have Monopoly Junior. It isn't as much fun, but it was better than nothing. UNTIL...

The kids decided to make their own game. It took them all afternoon to make the game. It is amazing! They really worked hard on it. They still wanted us to play the game, we declined. Maybe on family night on Friday. They named their own places - they are names of streets in the area. Instead of "Boardwalk" they have "Rt. 60." That is the main drag around here.

Dad was working on the ladder for the bunkbed. Drilling holes in metal was harder than he thought it would be. But, the ladder will be secure and will last forever! Here is the finished product! We decided not to paint or stain it - saves time, money and hassles.


Here is Elyse being silly by their homemade Monopoly game.

That's all folks!