Grandpa Grandsons Garden and Goldens

Checking out the home-grown produce

Isaac asks Grandpa if this one is ready

to eat!

Seth just dives right in:):)

Yummy tomato Grandpa!!

Seth is going back for seconds!

Isaac, Zoey, Cash, and Grandpa getting some corn.

It's kind of funny how the dogs will eat corn on the cob,

fresh, or cooked, and nibble it right down to the cob.

preparing to dump the bucket of apples

A long distance picture of a deer on the back of our property...you have to look pretty closely but if you click on this picture you can enlarge the view.

Last night we had 2 mommas and 3 young ones eating the apples. We think that one deer has twins.

Twenty-nine wonderful years of Marriage!!!

On August 12th Ken and I celebrated our 29th wedding anniversary!! We are amazed how fast time has flown by and how much has happened in our lives in the past 30 years that we've been dating!!! We are so thankful to God for bringing us together, for allowing us to have three wonderful sons, and beautiful daughter-in-laws, and precious grandchildren.. But even more important, for allowing us to have a deep and abiding love for one another....a true and caring relationship as husband and wife that has been an amazing journey. We can't imagine life without each other....and are joyously looking forward to our years to come!
For our anniversary we took a little romantic get-away to Montague, Mi. (after we dropped Joel off at camp) We stayed at a resort hotel called the Weathervane Inn on White Lake. We were real close to a harbor where we could oogle over the amazing big boats!!! It was a very special time for us! Ken took a vacation week this week, so we are just enjoying the time alone!

Updates on the home front

New landscaping in the front yard

Perennial flower bed

• Thank you for praying for Mom (Lois). Last week she received her first chemotherapy treatment at the Cancer and Blood Center in Freesoil, Michigan. The treatment lasted about 3 hours, and is followed by seven days of injections to boost cell counts. Those injections started on Friday last week and will go through this Thursday. Her next chemo is scheduled for Aug. 29th. The side effects have been somewhat difficult, but we are all learning as we go. Mom continues to take each day as it comes, some have been okay, and others are worse. Please pray for her physical strength daily and for her emotional well being to face these challenging times. Also pray for Dad as he cares for Mom and takes on new roles within their daily routine, and for the daily drive of 50 miles round trip/day.



• Joel is at Christian Horizon's camp in Howell, Michigan this week. This is his second camp experience this summer and he is having a blast! We took him on Sunday, Aug. 12th and will pick him up this Saturday, Aug. 18th. Please pray for his safety and that he would have a great time meeting new friends. (which has really never been a problem for Joel:)



• I have been going through a bunch of tests recently to try and diagnose whatever is going on in this 51 year body I have:( Today is my MRI......please pray that I would relax, and that my Doctor can figure out what's going on.

Visit to GR August 7th

Emily and I went to Grand Rapids with the kids on August 7th to visit Kurt,Heidi, Andrew, and Jon, and also to take care of the kids while Kurt and Heidi went out for a little pre-anniversary dinner!!!!They've been married for four years already! Wow....what a busy time for them!

They are scheduled to close on their first home on August 17th, and hopefully move in before the month is over! Not only that..........baby number 3 is due this coming January! Everyone is very excited...and looking forward to the new addition to the "Nichols" clan! We are glad to be able to see them every few weeks or so!

Here are some cute pictures taken during our visit! We had a great time.....but it did take two of us to care for five kids under the age of four!!!!

I really enjoy being a grandparent...........but wouldn't want to put that many to bed every night!!

Isaac patting Jon on the head!!

Andrew squeezing Seth.......in a happy way!!

The more serious side of Andrew....politely sharing with all those cousins!!

Andrew checking on Isaac after they ran around the kitchen to living room

for the fiftieth time!! Whew.....anything to tire them out!

Baby Annabelle and Jon!!!Two little sweeties just laying around!

By the way......Jon is crawling all over the place now! but stopped

briefly for this photo op!!

"Happy all the time"!!!! Jon!!

Andrew sharing his truck with Seth, while Jon plays with a

toy Grandma didn't know he wasn't supposed to have! oops!

Smiling for the camera!

Popcorn and a Winnie the Pooh Movie in the trailer!

I didn't post any captions this time because the pictures speak for themselves!!!

Joel's Pool Party

On Aug. 1st, Joel had about 18 people over for a pool party!

What a great time everybody had!!! Here are some pics with just a few of the kids that came over to visit

The Eeeeensy Weeensy Spider!!

This is really neat......if you like spiders!!

Every night around 10:00 p.m. this spider comes out an

spins the most incredible web just outside our back door

The spider itself is quite big, by spider standards!!and my first thought

was to squish it and get ready of the pesty bug.......but after I saw the incredible web

that it spins, and that the spider was not posing any immediate danger to our family.....we just let it "do it's thing" every night when the sun goes down! This has been going on for several nights now....and what is most interesting is that by the morning, when the sun comes up, there is no trace of the spider, or it's web. But around 10:00 p.m., it starts again.

On a few occasions I have checked it out in the wee hours of the morning....and usually the web has a few bugs captured in it.....and neatly wrapped in web.

I'd like to think this is some distant relative of Charlotte.....but probably not!!

Just imagine what God can spin and design in your life!!! If He has given that spider the ability to be so creative and organized.....Look how much more He wants for you and me!!!

Special Visit with Rachel, Micah, and Nancy

Micah is soooooo happy! In or out of the water he had a great time!

Rachel , Micah, Emily and Annabelle

Baby's pool party!!

Rachel, Micah and Grandma Nancy