The kids like it when I water the garden!

Happy Father's Day, Chris!

This is a picture of Chris on his very first Father's Day (1999). Melanie was three months old at the time.

Chris ... you are a wonderful father to our children! Sometimes you remind me so much of my own dear father. I appreciate your godly character, faithful steadfastness, gentle nature, loyalty, and love for your family. Thanks, Esther.

"Easter" Lilies are blooming!

These are some some Easter lilies from years past that I had planted under a tree in our yard.

Photos of our Fathers

This is Esther's father, Rev. James M. Wentworth. It's a picture of a picture, so the quality is not the greatest. He left this world for his heavenly home on December 30, 1998. We miss him very much. He was a faithful pastor and Christian school teacher. He loved children and spent much of his life working with and training them for Christ.

This is Chris and his dad, Monte Hilling. He lives in WV and is a pump mechanic. He is an active member in the Fairmont Bible Methodist Church. He can fix just about anything. Dad may not say a lot, but when he does voice an opinion, it's worth hearing!

David Webb is Esther's step-father. We think highly of Dave and appreciate his love for Esther's mother and his acceptance of us and our children.

First Father's Day Service in Fairmont, WV

I thought this was worth sharing, since Fairmont is my home town.

From wikipedia's entry about the history of Father's Day:

In the United States, the first modern Father's Day celebration was held on July 5, 1908, in Fairmont, West Virginia. It was first celebrated as a church service at Williams Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church South, now known as Central United Methodist Church. Grace Golden Clayton, who is believed to have suggested the service to the pastor, is believed to have been inspired to celebrate fathers after the deadly mine explosion in nearby Monongah the prior December. This explosion killed 361 men, many of them fathers and recent immigrants to the United States from Italy. Another possible inspiration for the service was Mother's Day, which had recently been celebrated for the first time in Grafton, West Virginia, a town about 15 miles away.

Another driving force behind the establishment of the integration of Father's Day was Mrs. Sonora Smart Dodd, born in Creston, Washington. Her father, the Civil War veteran William Jackson Smart, as a single parent reared his six children in Spokane, Washington. She was inspired by Anna Jarvis's efforts to establish Mother's Day. Although she initially suggested June 5, the anniversary of her father's death, she did not provide the organizers with enough time to make arrangements, and the celebration was deferred to the third Sunday of June. The first June Father's Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910, in Spokane, WA.

Unofficial support from such figures as William Jennings Bryan was immediate and widespread. President Woodrow Wilson was personally feted by his family in 1916. President Calvin Coolidge recommended it as a national holiday in 1924. In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson made Father's Day a holiday to be celebrated on the third Sunday of June. The holiday was not officially recognized until 1972, during the presidency of Richard Nixon.

In recent years, retailers have adapted to the holiday by promoting male-oriented gifts such as electronics, tools and greeting cards. Schools and other children's programs commonly have activities to make Father's Day gifts.

It's Strawberry Time Again!

We had an enjoyable morning picking strawberries in the sun. We ended up with about 35 pounds of berries. Now Esther will be busy making jam, freezing berries, and making a fresh strawberry pie!

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Finally ... at day's end -- 11 baggies of washed strawberries; 16 containers of strawberry freezer jam, and one delicious strawberry pie ... and we still have more to freeze tomorrow.

For all Krispy Kreme lovers ...

The Roses are blooming

What happens when everything is quiet??

The kids are in the other room making a mess! In this instance, Josiah was smearing Peanut Butter all over the kitchen and himself.

Uncle Charlie

Today, we were privileged to have "Uncle Charlie" from Children's Bible Hour visit our church. He taught Sunday School for the kids, then held main service for the kids and the "young at heart". As a child, I remember listening to him on the radio every Sunday morning before church. It is great to now see him in person. He used props and tricks to teach Biblical lessons.

Congratulations, Kaleesha!

We were happy to attend the high school graduation of Esther's niece, Kaleesha on Saturday. On Friday, we traveled to Louisville and spent the night at Kerry & Karen's beautiful home.
Saturday, we attended the graduation, had lunch at Hometown Buffet, and spent some time with family and friends before driving back to Michigan.

Karen and Kaleesha

Melanie and Alayna made friends with Celeste, Karen's niece.

l. to r. - LouAnn, Kaleb, Erma, Kerry

Garden Update

Alayna checking on some of her flowers. They are growing!

Our garden is coming along nicely with tomato plants; summer, acorn & butternut squash, cucumbers, beans, pumpkins, and sweet potatoes all in and growing. Can't wait for harvest time!

Melanie's Last Day of School

Melanie and her teacher, Mrs. Thomas. Melanie was sad, because we are planning to home school next year. She will miss her friends very much. Thank you, Mrs. Thomas for being a wonderful, wonderful teacher!

The second grade girls, minus one who still had chicken pox. Half of the class came down with chicken pox during the last week of school. So far, Melanie has not had them. She has been praying that her immunization shot will work, even though she hasn't had the booster shot yet.

Facelift

After a little bit of tinkering, here's a new color scheme.

Happy Anniversary to Chris' parents!

Here they are, happily married for 35 years, with their grandkids.

Trip to Greenfield Village

Chris' parents were up from WV for the Memorial Day weekend. On Tuesday, we went to Dearborn, MI to visit Greenfield Village, an historical village created by Henry Ford that features several authentic buildings from the mid 1800s to early 1900s. Here are some highlights of our trip.

Esther, Melanie, and Alayna tried on hats at Cohen Millinery.

Chris' dad enjoyed seeing the types of machines that Thomas Edison used in his inventions.

Josiah had fun looking at the old tractors.

The girls helped push the turntable in front of the train roundhouse. There are two trains they use in the village to give rides. They do actual repair and maintenance to the trains in the roundhouse. It only takes two people to move the largest train when it is on the turntable.

There were so many interesting sights, from Henry Ford's garage and home to the Wright Brother's bicycle shop. However, this courthouse was one of my favorite spots. In this very building, Abraham Lincoln practiced law! It really put history in perspective when the guide said, "You just missed Mr. Lincoln ... he walked out of here 160 years ago."