it's raining babies: welcome, Jordan! (And Noah's birthday)

The craziness started last Friday as Mark was bringing Jill

home from the hospital the day after she had Peter.

Jenny, expecting in about two weeks, was experiencing signs of labor!

For a few hours we wondered if we might have two babies in two days.

The visits to and from the birthing center ended in Jenny finally going

home yesterday morning, May 31, to await labor.
And May 31 is Dan and Jenny's son's birthday,
turning two yesterday!

 

This photo of Noah taken by Ari, age 5!
He's very difficult to capture.

 

Mid-afternoon we wished Noah a happy birthday via facetime.

Within the hour, Jenny's water broke and an hour or so after that,

she gave birth to Jordan Elizabeth Haller!

Would you look at this face?

 

 

 

She's beautiful and well-loved by Ari, Ashlyn and Noah

and has made us grandparents for the SEVENTH time!

 

 

 

For those a little lost on all these children ...

we have four granddaughters, ages 5, nearly 4, 3, and newborn. 

And three grandsons, ages 2, 21 months, and newborn!

I'm simply amazed and thankful!

The five older ones will be in David and Chelsea's wedding in July

so obviously our summer is crazy full and fun.

 

 

 

Thank you for all the messages, prayers and good wishes!!



boy, oh, boy: welcome, Peter!

 

The text came from Jill late Wednesday afternoon:

"I think this baby is coming soon-ish!"

Indeed he did, a week before the due date!

I scurried around to finish packing and left the next morning

after a 2:30 a.m. message: "headed to the hospital!"

It was just two hours into my trip that Peter Norman Haller

came into the world at a healthy 7 lbs 15 ounces, 21" long.

Peter is a beautiful, blessed sixth grandchild for us!

 

 

Big sister Lily, 3, was so sweet and tender with Peter.

She asked lots of questions and was so

very gentle and nurturing with him!

So precious to witness.

 

 

 

 

Ethan, 21 months, was much less interested in Peter, as

would be expected. He's a typical toddler boy,

needing lots of space to zoom around and

make himself loudly known!

But it's fun to think how these brothers

will be great buddies.

 

 

Jill came home 24 hours after giving birth, looking fantastic

and in great spirits!

We're ordering her to take it easy and nap when she can.

 

 

 

Maybe it's a perspective gained through the years since

I had babies ... but seeing little grandchildren brought into the world,

to loving parents, is a holy privilege.

 

 

Meanwhile, in Charlotte ... Jenny is showing all signs of going into labor.

(Actually, she texted us that things were happening while

Jill was on HER way home from the hospital yesterday!)

G-6 and G-7 within two days!?

I'm not making this stuff up, folks! 

 

 

 

65th anniversary

 

This photo was taken 65 years ago today at my parents' wedding

in Memphis, Tennessee.

Weddings were so different then.

Look at the huge flower arrangement behind my grandfather on the left!

No dinner afterward: I imagine this was a cake reception at the church.

Mom wore a tea-length dress and my grandmothers of course

were decked out with their gloves, hats and purses. 

With the exception of my dad's father, all my grandparents

were younger than I am now, yet they look so old in their dowdy clothing!

 

This joyous union produced four children but lasted just 28 years

when my mother died of cancer in May of 1979. Dad married a lovely woman,

Sally, and their marriage lasted over 30 years before Dad's death.

He was the only person I knew who celebrated TWO 25th anniversaries!

 

To my children and all young marrieds, cherish the one you marry

because this life holds no guarantees.

One day your children will look at your wedding photos

and wonder where the years went.  

 

With all your strength and with God's grace, love big and love well!

 

 

 

happy birthday, little brother

Today's my brother Mark's birthday.

Look at us here, around ages 5 and 3.

We were almost the same size ...

the doctor told my mom around this time that

Mark would be a "big boy."

I guess doctors can tell by hand and bone size.

And he turned out to be very tall!

 

 

You've always been a good and caring brother and

I'm sorry I bossed you around so much!

Have a happy birthday!

crazy, happy, hard

Here's what I've been doing: I'm spending the afternoon on our back porch, working on a magazine article. After our brutal winter, the sun and wind and daffodils under the pines are like heaven.

At this moment my life is crazy, happy and hard. So much has happened since Thanksgiving. And I thank HIM, the God of universe for all of it, hard as it is to walk with the hard stuff.

We learned that we get our tongue-in-cheek hope for another baby in 2015. (Four generations of us born in '5' years) And we get TWO, due five days apart in early June! I think they're both boys. We'll see when they come because neither mom is finding out her baby's gender. Love, love that!

Bills' mom Elizabeth, 98, had a nasty fall on Christmas day, another hospital visit on my birthday in early January, and entered Hospice care. We thought we'd lose her within weeks but she rallied and has had ups and downs since then but seems stable. It's an emotional and physical journey for those who love her and particularly Bill and his brother Bob, who visit her every day. Which goes to show, it is God who numbers our days. Not doctors, not hospice. I invite you to pray for Elizabeth's comfort and peace.

I've had a fun little part-time job for about 18 months ... I'm a mother's helper to a family with six children ages 3-17 and their mother Noelle homeschools every one of them. Some think I'm crazy, but my time there is a blessing to me, especially in the midst of Elizabeth's decline. In their home is life and love and NOISE and music (lots of piano) and laughter and I love it. It's a little trip back in time.

In February our oldest son, David, proposed to his girlfriend Chelsea. (last post) And since they live two hours apart and are just crazy about each other, it won't be a long engagement. In July we will trek to Florida for their wedding! The other boys' weddings were local, so this is different in many ways. Lots of texts, phone calls, questions and answers, and really, getting to know Chelsea better at a distance. I couldn't be more blessed by my daughters-in-love!

Our Michigan cabin is back on the market and we are talking more and more about moving south when the time seems right. It's been a decision long in the making and ya know how when you make a decision you just want to get on with it? I battle impatience and resting in God's timing. But faith is trusting God even when we don't see what we want, when we want it.

And that is what I pursue and rest in, day after day.

engaged!

                                                                                photo by Sterling McLean

 

I'm so excited!!

Our oldest son David proposed to his girlfriend Chelsea

one week ago on Boca Grande Beach in Florida.

 I'm happy and thankful for many reasons.

I've always thought David will make a terrific husband:

 tender and compassionate,

has a great sense of humor and doesn't take himself too seriously,

is hard-working,

and (considering he's been a bachelor for 10 years)

he goes with the flow very well.

Best of all, David was incredibly patient in waiting and trusting

God for his future. He could've "settled" but didn't.

(and that was some feat, considering his mother kept pestering him to

"put a line in the water if you want to catch a fish.")

 

So who's the lucky girl?

Chelsea Barrett ... and we think he's a lucky guy, too!

We've only spent two weekends with Chelsea

and we love her already.

Any gal who can effortlessly spend Thanksgiving weekend in a house

with all 13 of us (including 5 kids under 5)

and sleep on a leaky air mattress without complaint has my vote!

Chelsea's an accomplished artist/graphic designer, loves coffee (a requirement),

seems to juggle many things at once, has a quick wit and laughs easily,

is up for adventure, is great with children (also a requirement, ha ha!)

and just has that comfortable I-care-about-others personality.

They both love God and have trusted his hand in their lives.

 

No word yet on a wedding date, but I was right about one thing:

this is going to be a very big year!

Congratulations, you two!

 

 

 

a really belated birthday wish

Good evening friends! I'm beating myself up - again - for not keeping up on important things like wishing my sweet daughter Katie a HAPPY 25th BIRTHDAY on February 20. But hey, I actually celebrated WITH her even though she lives 1,000 miles from me because I flew to Florida and SURPRISED her! It was pretty dang fun, great to be with her and oh, the weather wasn't too shabby either. I decided and booked my flights on Monday February 16 and flew on the 19th .... so it's been kind of a whirlwind.

In trying to travel ever so lightly, I didn't even take my camera and relied on my phone which felt like leaving my toothbrush or some other important item behind. Bah.

So I took this photo a year and a half ago, Katie with my granddaughters Ari and Ashlyn. It's one of my favorites. Katie's a family girl.

We had a fun few days eating out, talking, beach, getting yummy produce at her local stand, visiting friends the Hudsons and Lipmans, and on the spur of the moment going to a Rend Collective (I didn't know, either: it's a band)/ 10th Avenue North / Chris Tomlin concert in Miami. The drive to Miami took two hours on Friday afternoon, what did we expect? Insane. But it was a good concert, very worshipful!

Anyway. I love this photo and I love Katie ... the sweetest-spirited person I know. I can't believe my little girl is a young woman. How did that happen? Happy birthday, Katie! I miss you.

And ... after this winter that we're still enduring, I would hop back to Florida in a moment to soak up some sun with Katie. I heard it's the coldest in 25 years, which is how long we've lived here. We had 7" of snow yesterday. The piles from our shoveling by the driveway are getting very high and everyone's ready for spring. Which, no, doesn't come in March in Ohio!

Alright, letting this be the end. But I have some really BIG and fun news that most of you probably already know but I can't wait to write about it. Stay tuned!