Every morning I interact on WhatsApp with my daughter, De, in Switzerland and bonus daughter, Laina, who lives near Baltimore. We exchange love, lives, pictures of our loved ones, and weather reports.
Laina & Leo
Leo’s parents are happy about sharing his face on social media. Laina, his grama, knows how to make him smile. He’s such a happy baby.
DeDe, our daughter in Switzerland, is thoroughly enjoying being a Grama. This is not Ethan, because his parents don’t want his photo on Social Media But you can see where Ethan & DeDe go for walks
And that baby up there looks a lot like Ethan did at that age. He’ll be 2 end of October. We hope to go there to celebrate with him. We were there for his one week birthday! But two years is a long time not to be able to see your great-grandson. He won’t know us 😩
Here’s Lacey, Laina’s granddog. He was the “flower dog” in his people parents’ wedding. A real companion now for Leo!And here is our Kenny, a thoroughly spoiled Boston Terrier, soon to be two. Kenny has calmed down a lot, but he still doesn’t understand what’s his to chew and what’s not!!
It’s not like he doesn’t have enough toys and chew sticks of his own!
Why does he abandon them and go after our stuff! Ah, pups! Such a challenge!Look how big Lacey looks next to little Leo!
Kenny loves Yak Sticks. Do you know about them?
That little piece is what’s left of one 10x longer. If you have a dog, you may wanna give these a try. Kenny loves ‘em. Best wishes training that active pup, huh?
Only thing harder to train than a pup might be a baby… or a husband?
Hah! I can’t get this guy to stop shouting “No” when Kenny is biting at his slippers. It’s a game. Sigh!
The dog trainer told us “No” is not understood. It’s just paying attention and giving his positive attention for negative behavior. Oh my! We’ve spent two years reinforcing bad habits. Help!
Time for a walk to the neighbors. Isn’t this the cutest baby?
We did it! Couldn’t look at that boathouse and not experience it!!
But the climb… oh my!This is the easy part… but the ramp with no railing… that needed someone to help us!It’s steeper than it looks here!Loved joining the friends down here.That’s LeighAnnAnd here she is with daughter, IslaBig blue eyes, dimples, and a devilish grin —- oh my —- what a cutie!
Meantime, Marcie sat up there and watched us.
Hellooo!!A break in the rain… Such a pretty day in SoddyDaisy, TN
Traveling from Ennis to Bozeman along the Madison RiverI happily wait for Bob as he gets a haircutOur “Bonus Daughter,” Laina, has a pretty day in Maryland, too. And DeDe, our daughter in Switzerland, sent a picture of the scene from her balcony this morning. Laina is enjoying time with her grandson…While DeDe is reading to her grandson … so cute!Meantime, Bob’s Diggin’ in to our wonderful lunch at Dave’s SushiDon’t you wish you’d had this delightful Thursday with us?
May you experience such love, too!!Bob’s brother Bill and MargeOur love for each otherMy cousin, Adrian DeAngelis & LauraBob’s 1969 wrestling student, Kevin with wife, KimTime with in-laws, the Paynes Contact with our DollyWolly, DeDe, in Switzerland Visit with Bob’s nephew, Bryan, and his sweet wife, Michelle … in their beautiful home Opportunity to attend church at Harvest – such sweet memories here!Christmas with granddaughter Faith and her hubbySo proud of our son, Ty, and the life he is living Ty’s wife, Monika, the perfect partner!Great food and precious Mable, our great-granddaughter Time in CA wine country: life can’t get much better!Thank you, Ty & Monika May your life be so blessed, too!!
We had fun with family last weekend. We celebrated our great-granddaughter, Charlotte’s first birthday with an outing to the Olive Garden in Bozeman, Montana.
What a cutiepie, huh?
Her brother, Xander (almost seven) and her sister, Sienna (4) received stuffed animals as special gifts from my friend, Ted. So kind of him! The kids loved ’em!!
Xander enjoyed sharing Charlotte’s new books with her.
The children’s mom (our granddaughter, Hope) and Pam (the kids’ paternal grandmother) made it possible for us all to be together. We’re so grateful!
“But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”
Oh my! What an important scripture, huh? The operative word is “provide.” There are many ways to do so… and having fun with them on special occasions is definitely one of them!
Tell me about fun you have had with family recently!
Fun to look back at Fun with Family!
I’m sending my Love to you today. I pray you have an opportunity today (or soon) to have FUN WITH FAMILY!
Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them!
Behold, I fill my quiver with them!
Holding this contented little “Peanut” was such a thrill! We cooed with one another. What do you think she had to say? That’s a topic to discuss!
As some of you know, Charlotte had a scary beginning as she was transported by ambulance back to the hospital when she was just two days new.
Thank God she’s ok now. Thank you again for your prayers.
Ask me about my 7 grandchildren. Ask me about my 5 great-grandchildren. What do you want to know? Do you have an hour or two?
My sweatshirt says, “Kids Make the Day Brighter!”
Here’s another great-granddaughter, one-year-old Mable Iris. She makes days brighter, too.
Her chair is our gift for her first birthday. I think she likes it, don’t you?
Check out the place where you can get personalized gifts for children of all ages, 9 minutes to 90 years! My former student, friend, Leslie, will cater to your personalized wishes.
The owner of that business is Leslie, a clever young lady who was my kindergarten student in 1972!
Yes, do go and give her your business! You’ll love exploring her inventory. (That’s another topic I love to discuss: my former students and what they do today!)
… But nothing beats grands and great-grands!!
Here is Cosette, another adorable great-granddaughter who lives in California.
Isn’t she beautiful?
How about you? What’s a topic you love to discuss?
Yesterday our granddaughter gave birth to our great-grandbaby #5, a perfect little girl. Hope and Drew named her Charlotte. Don’t you love that name?
Psalms 127:3-5 3 Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him. 4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. 5 Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their opponents in court.
Dear Baby Charlotte, this poem is for you:
Bob & I have two children, Ty & DeAna. Also God blessed us with a beautiful, smart, loving daughter-in-law, Monika, and a clever, fun-loving, creative, talented son-in-law, Andre’
From those two children and their spouses we have seven grandchildren and now five great-grandchildren.
We feel so blessed to have lived long enough to see our family expand in such a beautiful way.
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This is some of the California crew two Christmases ago before our granddaughter, Faith (in the white hat), had our great-granddaughter, Mable. But, you can see great-granddaughter, Cosette, in there. Bob & I are on both sides of our daughter-in-law, Monika. Monika’s parents are behind us. Our son, Ty, is at the back. Only granddaughter, Hope, the new mommy, is missing here. Also, missing are DeAna, our daughter and her family… they are in Switzerland.
That’s our oldest grandson, Mike, with his wife, Tania, in Switzerland. We went last year to their wedding. We are looking forward to their gift of great-grandchild #6!!
Here’s De, with her hubby, Andre’, who is THE CHEF EXTRAORDINAIRE in their chalet (hotel/restaurant).
We love going there to enjoy our daughter and her family (three boys) !!!
Let me know if you ever decide to travel to Switzerland. I’ll put you in touch with this wonderful Relais des Mélèzes. (You can check out their facebook page, too).- Just type that name in the search bar.
Here are Andre’ and our DollyWolly, DeAna.
Oh, and if you are blessed as much as we are, you have adopted other “kids” to be part of your family, too. Here is our dear Daughter #2, Lainalainalaina, with us!!
Yes, we are blessed indeed! She is such a sweetheart… and she has blessed us with two other granddaughters, as well.
Children are such a blessing. Babies are such fun, aren’t they? Are yours all baptized?
Here I am with DeDe. Ah, what a sweetheart she is, too!
Thanks for visiting JanBeek today. See ya tomorrow.
I’m getting back into the swing of things. It’s not easy after being gone so long. The 8 hour time change took its toll. Awake at 2:30 AM feels so wrong!
Back to sleep a few hours later; Waking at dawn feeling tired. Gotta get my zip back again. Connect to the Source and get wired!
Wired to what, you may be asking… Well, my home, faith, and community – Thankful for those things and my family – Grateful for vaccines and immunity.
A COVID outbreak occurred here Exposure at a church funeral Saturday. We were still in recovery mode, so didn’t attend. Grateful we decided to stay home that day.
Daughter De and her husband, Andre’ Went on a road trip after we left. I’m missing her lots already … Knowing she’s OK, I’m not bereft.
Mike and Tania, the newlyweds, Have been so kind to stay in touch. They send us pictures from their honeymoon, Knowing we miss the two of them so much!
Today I returned to my favorite volunteering At the nursing home here in town. I helped with the residents’ fun with Bingo. Helping others picks me up if I’m feeling down.
Getting back into the swing of things – Cooking, cleaning, laundry, volunteering Catching up with the lives of dear friends – Even on a gray, cold day makes me feel like cheering!
Mike & Tania’s beautiful silhouette in Italy
I can look back at the fun we had And I can see my family from afar. I can thank the Lord for safe travels And thank them for letting us see where they are.
I can treasure the opportunities to travel And share the highlights of our trip… But it’s time to get back into the swing Of things here in Montana. Come and sit!
Come walk in the park and go for a swing with me!
Enjoy your Friday, my friends. Have a great weekend.
I’ll see if I can get back with you Saturday. Tell me what you’re up to… What are you doing that makes you cheer?
The last two days of our marvelous three week trip to Switzerland were a bustling, busy, blessed time. Our daughter, DeDe, and her hubby, André, treated us royally with a trip to Chamonix, France on Monday and then a tour of the Gruyère Cheese Factory in Gruyère, Switzerland on Tuesday.
Up, up, up and over!
That’s the Rhone River Valley below. We were headed through Switzerland to France. It was a surprise gift for us plus De’s best buddy, Laina (our daughter#2), and her daughter, Katy.
Wow! Look at this chalet next to ours. We stayed in one named “Soli.” (That’s De’s hubby’s nickname) Enjoy the views out of every window!
See the snow covered peaks up there? We took a cog train up to that glacier!!
After settling into our beautiful chalet, we walked to the place where the cog train (tram) took us up to the top of the high peaks where the glacier is. With climate change, it is melting fast!
Here are Laina, DeDe & Katy – taking the tram up to the glacier that you could see from that first window view.
Bob with Laina & Katy at the glacier.
Here’s a live view of that trip up in the tram to the glacier…
That night we were treated to a phenomenal dinner. My choice was veal with mushroom sauce. Mmmmm! Thank you, De & Andrê.
We’re so grateful for their love of us and one another … and their generosity!
Tuesday morning we drove back up and over the mountains into Switzerland to another surprise destination: the town of Gruyere. Gruyere is our favorite cheese. How fun to see the place where it is made!
Wow! Look at the gruyere cellar where the rounds are aging!
De is showing us how heavy a round of gruyere is!
Tuesday night we returned to De & Andre’s chalet in Vissoie. We packed, and prepared to go to Geneva to fly home. Wednesday was supposed to be a smooth set of flights home. However, with the Queen’s Procession, our flight to London was delayed, so we missed our connecting flight from Denver and had to spend the night there. This morning we finally made the flight to Bozeman where our kind neighbor, Gary, met us and drove us home. It’s a gray, dull, cool day … not like the warm, blue sky days of Switzerland. We’re spoiled! But our hearts are filled with the beauty and warmth of our fabulous trip.
The rolling hills and milk-producing cows of the Gruyere area.
Here’s the fun of cheese fondue and having our grandson, Nick, join us. Our 3 grandsons & their sweethearts were with us for so many fun and delicious occasions. What a joyous three weeks we had!
Goodbye, France and Switzerland… thanks for the memories!
Thanks so much for traveling with us. Back to reality in Montana now. (Not a bad place to return to – just a little smokey and cool right now)
