Catching Up!

As I said in a earlier post, it's been an extremely busy 4 weeks and I have been "on the road" a lot!  I've enjoyed every minute of it and just so thankful that I have the freedom to go with Jeff and/or go to NWA and help take care of my granddaughters.  This posting is just to try to summarize with some pictures and comments as to what all has been going on in our lives lately!

First I want to say something about our Women's Ministry Bible Studies at First Baptist, Galena.  I'm so thankful for the opportunity to study God's word with our wonderful women here.  The first of April, we finished up Beth Moore's study on "James."  Another powerful study.  So, so good!  I facilatated a morning group as well as an evening group.  The morning group met in my home.  Here are a few pictures of that group, although not everyone was present the day I took these pictures.  I didn't ever get any pics of the evening group this session.  I love all the ladies, in both groups!

 Beth Moore on the TV teaching us........

 The middle of April, Paul & Mary Mooney and Jeff & I traveled to Jackson, Mississippi for our annual National Meeting of the Baptist Missionary Association of America that our church is a part of.  It's always great to see many friends there including Aaron and Jenae Polok (sitting by Paul) and Fred Vogel and Jesse Hales (in the chairs behind them).

 We ate at a delicious catfish restuarant with more friends including Rick & Angela Russell, Ray & Barb Adams, Danny McGee and.....

 Justin & Christi Rhodes, Marvin Lloyd, Philip Atterbery,

Thom South and Gary Brewer

 It was a very harmonious and progressive meeting. 
We arrived home late on Thursday evening and then on Saturday morning, we headed to NWA for Lainey-Bug's second birthday party!  This is some of her little friends that attended (there were others there, that didn't pose for the picture).

 She got lots of wonderful gifts.  Jeff and I gave her a tricycle

or "bikle" as she calls it.

 Papa playing Mr. Potato Head with her that Uncle Jonathan got her

 Laine loves cupcakes, so that is what she got this year (we also had a delicious brunch earlier that Carman prepared for all the guests).  After singing to her, she blew out her candle with a little help from Momma.

 A pic of our family....Josh was out of town working.....this was 2 days before Ellie was born.

 A pic of the birthday girl with Papa and DeDe outside after the party

 We traveled home later that evening; enjoyed a good Sunday with our church family and then on Monday, we got the call that it was time for Ellie to be born!  It was perfect timing, as we feared she would come when we were in Mississippi or when Josh wasn't home.  So back to NWA we headed.  Rachel and Jonathan stayed with Laine at the house until Jeff got there (he had dropped me off at the hospital).  So here are a few pictures of that day (the posting of Ellie's birth is below this posting). 
Courtney (Carman's sister), was the first to arrive to sit with the kids.  It was so neat she got to be here this time as she was living out of state when Laine was born and missed the excitement.  Rachel & Jonathan joined Courtney & I soon.

 Then Josh arrived (he too was out of state when Laine was born, so we were excited he was home for Ellie's birth)

 When Laine woke from her nap, she and Papa arrived

 She went into the room to say hi to Momma and Daddy

 Uncle Jonathan keeping her entertained

 Aunt CoCo putting her wild hair in a ponytail

 Thankfully, Carman's mom and sister arrived before Ellie was born

(they live 4 hours away)

 Carman's dad (holding Laine) also made it

 And so did Erika (holding the phone below)! 

So all the family (except for Coleman who did arrive a few hours later because of work) was in the waiting room when we got the text that Ellie had arrived - yeah!!

Newborn Ellie with her Momma and Daddy

 DeDe, Laine, and Ellie (in the nursery in the background)

 Just precious!!

 Just an "added" picture of Laine that I thought was pretty precious too!

 We stayed a couple of days in NWA in order to be at the kids' house for a couple of hours when the family came home from the hospital. Carman's mom was staying with them the rest of the week to help out.  So it was back to Galena for Jeff to minister, teach and study for Wed. night and Sunday and for me to do get many neglected tasks done.  All during the time in Mississippi and in Arkansas, we had people at the house remodeling the bathroom (posting below).  So it was good in that respect, that we were gone a lot during this time. 

Then on the following Monday, Jeff took me back to NWA on his day off, so he could see the girls and to leave me for the week to help out as needed.  As he has said, "Double fun, double love."  Yep, that's right!

 He even got a nap with little Ellie on his day off

 Sweet girl!

 I enjoyed every minute of my time with the kids.  At times, it was very quiet as the picture below indicates, but more often, it was fairly busy with a newborn and a 2 year old!

 One of the rare times, Ellie had her eyes open

 This DeDe likes "photo" shoots.....although these little girls are not too crazy about them.  If you could have seen all the pics we took to just get one good one - ha. 

Still did not accomplish one with smiles.....

 DeDe and her girls.....the matching outfits came from my friend, Leigh Ryan and the matching bows that said "little sis" and "big sis" were from my friend, Janet Gant.

 Aunt Ray Ray came for a visit one night, so we could wish her a Happy Birthday which was May 1st.

 One morning, we all went for a walk in the double stroller:  Carman, Laine, Ellie, DeDe and Hondo!!  We got a mile in, but it was unseasonably warm and we got hot!

 My plans was to stay till Friday, but one of our church families' little 6 month old twin son was having a serious surgery on Friday in Kansas City which meant Jeff could not come get me, so he came Thursday evening instead.  Laine was glad to see her Papa.

 Andy, Carman and Ellie went out that evening to their favorite resturant for a date, so Jeff, Laine & I got fast food and went to the park to eat and play.  She absolutely loves the slide!

 Silly girl......

 So once again, we headed back to Galena, only to get up early the next morning and head to Kansas City.  Thankfully, little Jentry's surgery went well.  On our way home from KC that day, we decided to take a little detour thru the small community of Garland, Kansas.  Jeff pastored Mt. Zion Baptist Church there in the 70's.  Josh, our first son, was born while living there.  We have many wonderful memories of our time there and some great friendships!

 The next week, we headed to Central Arkansas.  Jeff was speaking on Thursday, so we went down Wednesday afternoon, spending the night with my sister and brother-in-law and attending their Home Group that evening.  We have many sweet friends that attend this Bible Study, from our living in Conway for several years, so it was great to see them.  The pic below is of Kaye, Rob, me and our good friends Paul & Glo Jensen.  Paul is the facilatator of the group.  I also took some pictures of others during the study time, but they were all blurry (much to my dismay!)

 Jeff spoke Thursday to the Senior Adults at Antioch Baptist Church in Conway (where we were members for 8 years and Jeff was on staff).  It was a very special time for us to be with these fine folks.  Thanks Randy for inviting us, and to all those there for your love, hugs and kind words!

After the luncheon, we headed back to NWA, where we were spending the night (it's been so busy this year that Jeff hasn't had an opportunity to use hardly any of his vacation time, so we were taking advantage of an invite to spend the night at the lakehouse).  We stopped at Andy & Carman's as Laine was also going to stay with us at the lakehouse.  Rob & Kaye met us there to meet Ellie and bring gifts.....

 Jeff then went with Rob to meet our good friends Keith and Wilda Head at a Hogs baseball game.  Kaye, Laine and I went to eat, then headed to Bella Vista.  I really like this picture and as I said on Facebook:  "Two of my favorite things:  Lainey-Bug and the lakehouse." I sure think her pigtails are cute!

 Having a snack (crackers and cheese)

 We had a great visit with Rob & Kaye and Keith & Wilda till late in the evening.  Thanks guys for sharing your beautiful home with us.  On Friday, we had a leisurely morning, then headed to Rogers to meet Andy & Carman for lunch. 

While waiting on them, we went to the Promenade to let Laine play:

 Inside the food court there

 We then met Andy, Carman and Ellie at Fireside Subs.
Precious sleeping baby.....

 Laine wearing her Fireman Hat

 We were back in Galena mid afternoon and a couple of hours later, Rachel Ann arrived to spend the Mother's Day weekend with us.  Always love having my first baby girl visit!  Saturday, Mom came down and we went to Sandstone Gardens for a delicious lunch and then went to about 6 or 7 flea markets looking for items that Rach is going to use to decorate at her reception (which is less than 2 months away!)

 That evening was our annual FBC Mother's Day Banquet, which was absolutely wonderful!!  Jeff was one of our servers, so he got a picture with us.  As you can see, butterflies were our theme...and no, Jeff doesn't have wings, just a butterfly behind his head :-)

 The hubby and I (can't believe we will be celebrating 40 years in December--WOW)

 Rachel and her Momma

 It was a wonderful Mother's Day weekend.  Both the boys called me, as well as cards and Facebook messages from them and their wives and to top off the day, I got a "FaceTime" call on my Ipad from Lainey-Bug (and Ellie too).   



Thank you, Lord, for the blessed, blessed privilege of being
wife, mother, and grandmother!!

Whew.....I think that catches me up!  Hope it didn't bore you to tears!  The blog is much more for my benefit, than anyone elses.  It's a way for me to "journal" our lives with pictures and memories.  But thank you for being my blog reader.  Love to all!

A New Bathroom

We have been greatly blessed with our front bathroom being remodeled recently. A big thank you to those who helped in a big way in getting this all done: Dave & Leigh Ryan, Steve Hall, Kel Ryan, Judy Hall and Joy Lee French. Here are some pics:

Prior to the remodel:

How it was decorated before the remodel

And now after the remodel……there is a beautiful new vanity/sink unit donated by a local company.

The walls were textured and then faux painted and “glazed” by Leigh Ryan.  Joy Lee French made a window curtain to match the shower curtain.

A "bowed" shower rod was installed which I love

A new toilet was installed with pretty décor added to the wall:

Also a new shower unit!

We still have to find out how to get the business sign off the mirror without scratching the mirror. 

I just love going into that bathroom now and saying “Ahhhhh” – it is wonderful! A huge thank you to those who made it happen!!

Ellie Kate Swart

I am so behind in my postings on my blog.  It seems I’ve been gone from home much more than I have been home in the past four weeks.  It’s all been good, but has really put me behind in several areas of my life.  I will be writing another blog at some point this week about all the activities of the past month, but I wanted to post about our newest precious granddaughter!  Ellie Kate Swart, born to our middle son Andy and wife Carman, came into our lives on Monday, April 23^rd, at 5:10 p.m.  She weighed 7 lbs. 15 ozs., and was 19” long.  She was actually 10 days early as she was due May 3^rd, but thankfully, she was born healthy and there were no complications for her or Carman.  Praise the Lord! 

Here is my first glimpse of her, just a few minutes after birth:

  And here is Papa’s first hold:

Laine was then brought to the room to meet her baby sister:

And got to hold her…..this is before she was cleaned up.  I don’t think Laine quite knew what to think:

The next day, we had to do some “dress up” as we did with Laine.  Here is Ellie in the same outfit that Laine was also dressed in at the hospital 2 years earlier (next pic)…..I don’t think they look very much alike but others do see a greater similarity:

A picture of the family when Ellie is almost 24 hours old...and was about to go home.

We stayed long enough that day to welcome Ellie home:

What a blessed, blessed joy to have another beautiful, healthy, sweet granddaughter.  We look so forward to getting to know her and watching her grow just as we have her big sis, Laine.  We love you both, Ellie and Laine!!

"Children's children are a crown to the aged...."

Proverbs 17:6a

An Upcoming Wedding!

We are pleased to announce that our baby girl is getting married!  Jonathan McCrary proposed to Rachel Friday, March 9th and she said yes!

Jonathan is from Nashville, AR (near Texarkana) and comes from a godly family and grew up attending a small Southern Baptist church in Nashville.   He went to Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, AR and received his Bachelor's Degree.  Then he moved to Fayetteville where he earned his Masters of Science/Computer Science Degree in December 2011 at The University of Arkansas.  He is now using his expertise at his new job at J.B. Hunt in Rogers.   Below is a picture of Jonathan and his parents, Dennis & Brenda McCrary, his brother, Michael and sister, Jennifer on graduation day:

Jonathan has been an active member of Metro Church that Andy is pastoring for almost three years and that is where Rachel met him.  He is very musically talented, playing several instruments and is a vital part of the Metro worship band.  After Rachel moved to NWA, she got involved in one of the Metro's Community groups that met in her brother and sister-in-law's home (Josh and Erika) and Jonathan was in that group too.  So what began as a friendship developed into a serious relationship this past year.  Jonathan's sister, Jennifer, has been living with Rachel since July while getting her education in NWA.  So when one McCrary moves out, another one is moving in :-)!

Rachel and Jonathan are planning a July 6, 2012 wedding at Metro.  All of our extended "Boore" family have planned to spend several days around July 4th at Rob and Kaye's lakehouses, so Rachel thought this would be a good date, so that her Texas relatives would not have to make two trips to NWA.

Bless Rachel's heart though.....not only will she be getting a wedding together in four months, but she is still working at Old Wire Elementary School in Rogers as an ESOL teacher and is taking nine hours this semester at UCA in her quest to get her Masters of Arts in Early Education (which requires many trips to Conway including tonight for one of her classes).  She will take more classes this summer and then student teach in the fall and hopes to graduate in December of this year.  And besides all of this, she begins a "second" job waitressing at the new Logans Restuarant in Rogers this week (nights and weekends).  Whew!  Makes me tired!  I will be doing lots of praying for my girl in the coming weeks and months!

I am so thankful that God doesn't abandon His children when they go through difficult times and life just doesn't work out as orginally planned.  He has restored joy, happiness and love to Rachel Ann and it thrills this Momma's heart (and Daddy's too). 

Thank you, Jonathan, for loving our girl and being willing to take care of her for the rest of her life.  We love you and look forward to you being an official member of our family soon!

Congratulations, Rachel and Jonathan! Exciting days ahead!