We just had the privilege of a week with our son here in Ennis, MT. We loved every minute of that precious time together. While the skies were smoky each day (you couldn’t even see the mountains through the smoke), and it didn’t begin to clear until the day he was leaving, we didn’t let that deter us from having a good time.
Talking time in the living roomYummy time at Dave’s Sushi preceding time at the movies (Odyssey)
Sharing meals together was highlighted by great conversations
The mountains peeked through the smoke and the antelope showed up to say goodbye as we were driving Ty to the airport We stopped at Fiesta Mexicana for lunch before dropping Ty off at the Gallatin Bozeman airportMmm – great margaritas! And delicious food
Mouth watering!
Ty’s flight was delayed and he had a challenging set of flights and car trouble… but God made sure his needs were met and he was home that night safe & sound.
And our home has seen blue skies since then. Come back soon, Ty. And bring Monika!We’ll keep you up to date on the progress of the house being built in the field across from us!
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?
The “Six Sentence Story Blog Hop” from GirlieOnTheEdge1.wordpress.com for this week is CROSS.
As a child I obeyed without question whatever my mom or dad told me to do.
Likewise, I did not do what they told me I was not supposed to do.
I was a very obedient child.
But as a teenager who began to exert my independence, I had ideas of my own, and they didn’t always coincide with those of my parents.
Oh boy, do I vividly remember those first verbal clashes when I wanted to go my own way – and we crossed paths and mine wasn’t the direction my parents thought was okay!
I asserted my will and to my increasingly cross parents, I shouted, “It’s not up to you!”
“Don’t be so bold, you sassy thing!” Love, JanBeek
This is “Tenacity Personified”. Watching it is “Patience Personified”. Mama Bear is “Confident Parenting” personified.
Would I have been that confident?
Would I have had the tenacity to hang in there long enough to let my child succeed on his/her own?
Nope, probably not!
I’d no doubt have rushed down to rescue.
How about you?
Have a Marvelous Monday!
Love, JanBeek
This picture of us was taken yesterday on Mother’s Day by our friend Ted. He is a 95-year-old retired photographer who is temporarily at the Manor Nursing Home recovering from a broken back. It’s good of Bob, don’t you think? Usually when I get a picture of him smiling, his eyes are closed! Thank you, Ted!
( A Simple Poem inspired by a discussion between our 4 year old when she made mistakes that even the biggest mistakes aren’t enough to make us love her less – a window into God’s unconditional love and grace for us.) Pee on me, I’ll wipe you and me clean and make funny faces to […]
Our daughter, DeDe, in Switzerland read the blog I posted titled “Nostalgia” a few days ago. She tried to to post her response acrostic. WordPress wouldn’t post it. I am not sure why. Maybe it has something to do with the “110%” note at the top margin of the blog?? Anyway, here is what I tried to do for her, and it wouldn’t allow mine to post either!
DeDe, I love your acrostic! Sorry it didn’t post here. Let me see if I can write it for you so my WP readers can see it:
C aring H appy I nspiring L oving D addywaddypaddy H ealthy O nly O verflowing D elight
What a lovely memory of childhood our dear DollyWolly wrote!
I need to find a photo of DeDe with her DaddyWaddyPaddy!!
There we are together at the Geneva airport last August!
Aren’t daughters a blessing? We thank God every day for ours!!
Humor wins the day Conversation abounds there Silly is the Champ
Check it out! I mean, come on readers, 8,330 followers?? And the conversation flows. Ya gotta love Gottfried! Check out his blog site and today’s post:
In his latest post (the one I sent you a link to up there), Gottfried says: “Parenthood is the scariest hood you’ll ever go through.“ In that paragraph he said, “I’m convinced that all parents make shit up as they go along. Those who try to use a manual end up with meth addicts.” Does he get a reaction from his readers? You bet! Of course we parents make it up as we go along. Kids are too unpredictable to do otherwise!! In the next paragraph Gottfried wrote, “Ninety percent of parenting is just thinking about when you can lie down again. The funny thing about kids is they’re the reason we lose it. And they are the reason we hold it together.” He has so much wisdom tucked into his humor. It certainly resonates with me! “Everyone knows how to raise children except the people who have them,” he wrote. And he ended his comments by saying, “I want my children to have all the things I couldn’t afford. Then I want to move in with them.” And he quipped, “Folks, I don’t trust children.They’re here to replace us.”
There’s no denying it, folks. Children ARE here to replace us! And Gottfried is here to show us all how to be replaced. Humor is king! Gottfried’s tongue in cheek humor rules. I love him!
If you’re not familiar with his blog, do check it out now. You’ll love him, too!
See ya tomorrow … maybe – – – I might be too busy reading Gottfried’s humor to post on JanBeek, who knows?
YOU are your children’s first teacher! You are your child’s life-long teacher, Your behavior sets your most lasting legacy. Parents, be your children’s BEST teacher!!
Thanks for visiting JanBeek today. See ya tomorrow (God willing)
“ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
My Prayer for Today
“Gracious God, how grateful I am to rest secure in Your grip forever.”
God’s Not Gonna Lose Me
In today’s devotional time, Daily Guideposts 2021 reminded me that while I may misplace my sunglasses or my phone occasionally, God never misplaces me!
In his comments, Bill Giovannetti recalled a time when his daughter asked him, “What if I lost God? Or what if God lost me?”
Her younger brother responded, “Right, Josie, you’re the only person in the whole wide world that God forgot about!”
Reading Romans 8:38-39 together, Bill and his son reassured Josie and asked her, “If God keeps His Word, what is that verse telling you?”
“It’s telling me God never loses His sunglasses,” she said, “Or me!”
Today Bob & I celebrated my birthday (I’ll match Bob’s age – and be 82 tomorrow). Our hands certainly show the wear and tear of work and years!
But, like that hold God has on us, we’ve got a grip on one another – and we’re not letting go!
GG (Great Grandma Jan) with Xander
Taking a clue from us and God, Xander’s got a grip on his GreatGrandma Jan (GG – that’s me!) and he’s not letting go!
Sienna & Hope (my great-granddaughter and my granddaughter)
My great-granddaughter, Sienna, gets a grip on her mommy, my granddaughter, Hope. When children have a hold on loving, devoted parents, God smiles.
Sienna with Ty
It’s a double blessings when Grandpa gets down on the floor with his granddaughter. Our son Ty helped Sienna learn how to get a grip on puzzle skills.
Sienna with Monika
Children are blessed indeed when they have a grandma who reads to them. Sienna gets a grip on what books are all about with Grandma Monika’s help.
Hope, TazE, Sienna, and me
How special to get a grip on my great-granddaughter, Sienna, and her mommy, Hope … while they get a grip on TazE, our Boston Terrier!
Monika, Sienna, Hope and Bob
Not every family has the privilege of gathering 4 generations together! Get a grip on longevity … and the joy of embracing great-grandpa!
Xander and TazE
Such fun to see TazE getting along so well with Xander!
Xander decided he needed to get a grip on those puzzle skills, too.
Monika and Hope with Sienna & Xander… They sang Happy Birthday to help me get a grip on turning a year older. Not older… just more mature, right? So nice!
Ty & Monika brought their big dog, Nakota…
… and TazE had trouble getting a grip on having such a big buddy!
She was exhausted! Time to get under the table and get a grip on some rest!
