Great Merry Christmas 2023!

Making cookies with cousins at Grandma's house

Date night egg nog and light-seeing activity

Christmas Eve Candlelight Service

Christmas Day family gathering

Home Holiday Happenings

Date Night Challenge Hike

Halls decked around the house where we are guests!

All we need is some snow in time for a Currier and Ives Christmas! 

 

Grateful Thanksgiving

The girls came home to Ohio from college

Maggie and Dad on a walk after the Thanksgiving meal

Virginia Kendal Lake in Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Galehouse Christmas Tree Farm

Wagon ride no extra charge ;D

Over the river and through the woods we went to grandmother's house

Renee and Jeremy on a hiking date, photo entry for a drawing

Wheaton College Parents' Weekend

Here we are arriving at a Wheaton public elementary where Miss B (Maggie) is student teaching!

Inside her 5th grade classroom just after school let out.

In her dorm room (same roommate 3 out of 4 years!) with 7 other friends in a house on campus.

Out for dinner at Thipi Thai restaurant in neighboring Glen Ellyn, IL.  

Football game (part of the official parents' weekend festivities) against Washington University 

(Wheaton won by 1 point with no time on the clock!)

Dinner with Maggie and her friends Emily and Hanna at their home kitchen, prepared and served with her mom, with her dad's finger (included in the photo ;Q)

Happy All Hallows Eve ;D

This is our street a few days before Halloween

And here is the trick or treat booth at Grandma's house with Aunt Kristin

Clara and Josiah joined the Cleveland cousins and Uncle Seth in costume 

to canvas the neighborhood for pillow cases full of candy!

Fall Family Scenes

Not quite a harvest moon, but pretty colors reflect below a white moon in a beautiful blue sky. 

Cleaning out the pumpkin is a necessary step to carving...

And roasting the pumpkin seeds!

Beautiful 60 degree day for a hike in Cuyahoga Valley National Park

with "Aunt and Uncle K"

Around some beautiful geological formations at "Ledges"

This pretty hike is only about 5 or 6 minutes from Josiah and Clara's school

Johanna with her Calvin college roommate at a country-themed concert.

Fall Break in Michigan

We found a place to stay at the Richard Bush Renewal Center in Bannister, MI

Which is about 90 minutes from Calvin, where Johanna is 1/4 through her freshman year.

We enjoyed walking around the campus together on cool day.

And seeing her dorm room, and her cool cowboy hat ;D

We loved our visit to her vibrant church, with great hymn worship and preaching.

Waiting for pizza at Foo-G's in Elsie, MI not far from where we stayed.  

Can you spot the cultural icon behind us here at the Old Goat restaurant in Grand Rapids? 

Clara Turns 16!

We celebrated with dinner out to Cracker Barrel! Clara ordered hot chocolate. 

Mercifully, they didn't sing to her, but gave coke cake and ice cream dessert!

Mom and Aunt Kristin join in the fun.  

Opening presents with the family...

and custom ordered cake made for a memorable time...

CVCA Homecoming

Classmates since kindergarten, 

Clara and her friend Lilly, enjoyed Homecoming as 10th graders Saturday. 

As the shadows lengthened we marked the moment in front of the grape vine and farm house.

Clara with her CVCA mom and dad ;D

Big World News

vs. the daily grind through centuries:

Pope Francis Visit, Christian Church Growth

A circumspect article on the recent successive September visits of world-renown Christian leaders to Mongolia.