Our numbers are rising!

Connor and Bekah have a baby girl - born June 24, 2017

Jessie Mae

They had many visitors that evening and her cousins were thrilled to see her.  They have been so excited about this little baby coming to join our family . . . and she has arrived!  She is sweet and precious.  We all love her.

We now have 8 grandsons and 8 granddaughters  :)  for a total of 16 grandchildren.

I don't remember to post things anymore, and my time seems to be spent on other things, but I just remembered that I hadn't posted about a special occasion in March, that really needs to be shared.

We have a new granddaughter!

Julie was born to Skyler and Lisa (in Oklahoma) on March 4th.
She joins her siblings, Claire and Todd, and her 14 cousins. (This makes 15 grandchildren for Terry and I - 8 boys and 7 girls).  

I haven't seen her yet, but I love the pics on their blog, and I love her. Interesting how that happens - just like that- just because they exist - we can love someone.  I will get to see her and her awesome family in a month.

Julie joins our eternal family, reminding me of how real life is and how important it is to learn and follow God's plan of salvation so that we may inherit the eternal blessings that await.  Life is precious and every minute counts.



Well, I stopped for a brief moment to write about this excitement, now on to the many things that are keeping me busy right now, like addressing envelopes and putting stamps on them and getting them in the mail, announcing the next big event in our family. (And that is a very small part of my long TO DO list, but it seems to be taking several hours.)
If you do not get an announcement in the mail in a few days, and would like one, please text, email, or call me with your address - I'm finding there are a few I do not have.

Terry Beckett Hebdon

We have another addition to our family!  Thomas and Dana added one more ...

IT'S A BOY!

He joins siblings - Auger, Akeigh and Boston.

I got a text telling me they would call him Beckett.  I knew it was a name starting with a B, and that is all I expected.

I also got this picture.  

It's such a tiny picture on my phone and I was looking at my grandson, not the paper, and at a glance it looks like Baby Hebdon is written on the paper, so that's what I went with.  

It was hours later when Connor mentioned something about Beckett's name that confused me, so I went back to look through my texts, stretched the picture larger...,  

more like this -

and actually read the name written on the sticker on his chest.  

I love it!

My heart is full of joy!   It sounds so wonderful - Terry Beckett.   I'm sure that I will have to use both names when I say his name - at least some of the time. 

Mother is fine and is going to try to get some rest, in the ML hospital, but surely missing her baby. Baby is 4 weeks early and his lungs need some help, so they have sent him to Spokane to be cared for there.  His daddy gave him a blessing and we are praying for him.  

I know Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers, so I know all will be well if we trust Him. I keep hearing Beckett's grandfather say "It will turn out better than you think!".    

Baby Blessing and a History Lesson

We had a wonderful Sunday.

This was another sweet occasion for our family.  Ritter and Naomi were blessed.

We didn't get close up photos of the babies so I borrowed from Tawnee's facebook page.  (Thank you Tawnee!)

Naomi and Ritter

Those two are so sweet, and the family they were born into loves them dearly.  As their grandmother, I feel double blessed.  I am not there 24/7 to attend to their every need, so it's easy for me to say how wonderful it is, but I know that even with all the extra work and exhaustion on their part (especially Tawnee's part), Tawnee and Michael agree with the double blessings.  I've seen the love and affection they both have for these babies and for the awesome big sister these baby's have, and for each other.

One of my greatest joys is to see my children loved, honored, and respected by their spouse and for my children to love, honor, and respect their spouse.   It is equally joyful to see that they are raising their children in the gospel, striving to live the teachings of Jesus, so that we, as a whole, can be an eternal family, worthy of all the blessings promised those who follow and obey the Lord.

I find that their greatest accomplishments, in my mind, are those that qualify them for eternal life - actions that deal with individual worthiness and with sacrifice and service to one another ... the daily living and following Jesus Christ and His teachings - always striving to be in harmony with the will of God.


Okay, back to the blessing day ...

We were busy eating and visiting and didn't get any great photos, but we did get a couple quick snap shots that we can share.

Now a bit of back ground:

Ritter's name is a family name belonging to Terry's great-grandfather, James Ritter Hebdon. Each of our sons have a middle name from one of their ancestors, and Michael's middle name is James, after this man, James Ritter Hebdon.  Ritter now shares his fathers middle name and he shares the heritage that goes with it.

James Ritter Hebdon has a life story full of faith amidst hardship.  He found trials and tragedy, but he also found love and faith and commitment throughout his life.  His conversion story starts with a dream he had, where he saw two men who told him they had something for him.  He told his wife about it the next morning and left for work.  A few days later two men came to his home.  They talked to Ann (his wife) and left some literature for them to read and invited them to a meeting. James walked 14 miles to attend this meeting.  When he entered the church he recognized two men as the two he had seen in his dream.  After the meeting James introduced himself and invited them to his home.  James was baptized by Joseph F. Smith on 20 December 1865.   When his parents found out about it they were bitter and told him to either forsake the gospel or leave his home.  He would not give up his new found faith, so his parents disowned him.

James and Ann left England to go to the US.  The story continues, and the short of it is that his wife and her new born child died on the boat.  Two sons had scarlet fever and James hired Mary Ann Kate White to help him care for the boys (age 4 and 2), but they never recovered. He was alone again.

It wasn't as simple as I make it sound here, but it would take much time to explain it all in detail (even the small amount of detail that is recorded). 

James married Mary Ann Kate and they began their trek across the plains together.   There is a beautiful love story for this couple along the their trek, but that will have to be saved for another time.

However, back to this man, James Ritter Hebdon, he continued, strong and faithful, determined in his efforts to serve and remain on the Lords side.  

I share this information because of the tenderness I feel in my heart for this new born babe, for his parents, his grandfather, and every generation before.   When I see Ritter I do not see Terry, but when I hear his name I hear the connection to Terry and I love it.  

I feel like I am leaving Naomi out, but I am not.  Her name is not given because of a beloved ancestor, but because of the beloved child she is.  Naomi's name fits her sweet feminine features. One source says her name is Hebrew, meaning pleasant, agreeable.   We already see those characteristics in her.  And, even though she does not share the name Ritter, she, as does each of our children and grandchildren, shares the heritage that goes along with it.    I love them all!  If you need proof - you can see that I'm holding her here, close to my heart.




Maybe I should reconsider what I said before about not seeing Terry in Ritter, when I see any of my grandchildren I see a connection to Terry, because they are ours. Everything is about eternity to me. That is totally what I am living for, more than ever before.  I was raised in the gospel and I have always believed and known that it is true and I have been grateful for my membership in the church. But, at least once, somewhere along the way, I chose to follow that path. I didn't walk blindly down it just because my parents showed me the way, but I chose to take each step along the way.

One of those steps was choosing Terry as my earthly and eternal companion.  No one else chose him for me - I chose him.  And I will continue to choose him every day of my life, and every day of eternity.   It was my parents desire that I marry for eternity, but it was not their choice.  It was mine and it was Terry's choice.   And we will continue choosing eternity together.   This family is eternal ..., by choice!


It will be so fun to watch these children grow and develop their own personalities.  These are our first babies born since Terry passed away.  I know that he loves them.  He loves all of his children and grandchildren.  We hope that each chooses for themselves, to live worthy of the eternal blessings promised all who believe and follow the Savior.   Each child is precious and we love their individuality.  I pray that they each will continue in life, making their own individual choices that lead to eternal families.

Well, this post turned into more than a baby blessing or two.  ;)

I leave it as is, as a token of love and appreciation for all that God has given me.  It has been too easy for me to focus on what He took from me, and forget all that He has given me.


So grateful that Terry is mine!
So grateful for our children (including those married into the family)!
So grateful for each of our 13 (and counting) grandchildren!

... the end of our trip story and exciting news ...

We began our trip home from California the morning after the baptism, but had a stop to make first.  Before we left home to begin this trip we filled the car with things belonging to Chase and Rebekah, so we stopped in Provo to deliver those things.

We got to see their apartment and help them move things into it.  We didn't stay long, but we did enjoy every minute of being with them.

We had not been able to get pizza in our motel on this trip, so we enjoyed some pizza (delivery) in their apartment for dinner.  Then we headed down the road to get a bit closer to home, so the next day's drive wouldn't take us so long.


We got to pass by my favorite little house on the way home.  It is getting a little worse for wear every time I see it.   I love seeing this site and would love to know the history behind it.

We made it early enough to add one more stop to our trip.  This was closer to home - only a couple miles away.  ;)   One might say we saved the best for last, but each of our family members are our best, so it doesn't actually work to say that.  But, it's still exciting and awesome!

We got to see our babies - Twins, born to Michael and Tawnee ...,  Elsie is a sister ...,  she has a brother and a sister now.  Good Times!


They are soooo tiny!   This makes our count jump to 13 grandchildren.  ;)

They were born while we were away.

Naomi Jane and Ritter James

If I have my story straight (and that is a big if, because I think I have shared it wrong before), Naomi Jane was born first, weighing in at 6 lbs 1 oz, and Ritter James was born about three minutes later weighing in at 6 lbs 5 oz.    But, you'll have to ask those that really know to be sure.

I know this is old news because they are about 2 weeks old now, but I did need to share this excitement here.

They are beautiful!
We enjoyed that short visit too.  Happy to live close enough to see them often. Wish we all could live so close, but happy to have my children happy wherever they are.



So, we got back in the car for a few more minutes and got home shortly after 7:30pm.


It felt good to be home again.  It is always nice to visit our children and grandchildren, and I did enjoy the visits on this trip, but it really was a long time to be away.  It was the longest time I have ever spent away from home (except for when we lived in Seattle, but I felt somewhat at home then because I was with Terry and he is where my heart is).

And, there was much to be done at home, so I was getting a bit anxious to begin those tasks.

Since we've been home from the wedding trip we've been preparing for

Chase and Rebekah's open house 

Saturday, 6:30 - 8:30 pm, at our house. 

 Hope to see you here!

I've also been preparing for Seminary - it starts the 31st.  

Oh!  Almost forgot this - the evening after we got home we went to a birthday party and  had an enjoyable night with dinner and a movie in the tent.  Sometimes it's just as fun to watch the kids watching the movie as it is to watch the movie.  ;)

Okay, back to work.  I just had to take a break and finish these posts before I got any more behind-er.  ;)  

I have been feeling very "behind" but after today I feel like maybe I'm going to be okay.  I am so grateful for BJo's help - couldn't do it without her.  And we have some great friends that have blessed us with their service.  There have been angels in our outfield (or yard) this past week.  May the Lord rain blessings upon them.   

Hey!  The blog is caught up for the minute.  Feels good!

...now on to more prepping....

Another great weekend

We enjoyed a few days with Skyler and Lisa this past weekend and be there for the special event when Todd (our 11th grandchild) was blessed.

It was so good to see them all and to get reacquainted with Claire.  We spent some enjoyable moments together.  She loved painting on the Ipad.

Photo of our sweet Todd Ritter Hebdon.

It was our first visit to Oklahoma, and it was the same weekend as the Oklahoma University homecoming game so there were many travelers in the area. 

We saw part of Oklahoma University campus and loved the beautiful old architecture of many of the buildings.  We noticed that most of the brick on the buildings in this town were red brick and that the dirt in this town was red dirt.  (I should have taken a photo of that dirt, because it was really red.)

This pumpkin patch was a familiar sight that brought a smile to our face and our hearts as we traveled back and forth each day we were there.  It was especially fun to see coming in from the other direction but I couldn't get the camera in the proper place for a photo from there.

Terry was not as healthy as he might have liked to be, and he slept more than he would have wished to, but we are still grateful for the chance to be there for this special occasion.   We had quite the adventure to remember, some things due to his health condition and some things due to our inexperience and lack of knowledge.  It's a long story so I put it in its own post: An Adventure in Oklahoma.

Doctor Visit and Soccor Game

Our visit to the clinic Tuesday (Oct 14th) was a short one. We had lab work and doctor visit and then just one unit of platelets transfused. 

No red cell transfusion till Thursday:
RBC = 3.22(L)
HGB = 9.7(L)
HCT = 28.5(L)

Platelets = 5(LL)

We wish these counts could improve. 
WBC = 0.3(LL)
ANC = 0.0(LL)

Creatinine = 0.98(L)
This count has been low the last few visits.  He needs more fluid if it is high, so we went down to half a liter of infusion daily for a week or two until we left for California when he had no hydration for those four days other than all the water he could drink.  The count remained low so we are no longer having to infuse saline each day until further notice.   We don't see this as a good thing, but in fact, the lower number now represents loss of muscle mass. 

We are trying to work on protein counts ...


With only one unit of platelets transfused, we were out of the clinic in good time today which meant we were home in time for Auger's soccer game.  It was the last of the season and we hadn't made it to any of them yet.  Here we are with this awesome family.

 

It has been awhile since I have had little children to watch like that and I had forgotten how fun it is to watch them play a sport at that age.  It was fun!

 

 

We had some fun on the swings too.

 



We also got a surprise visit from Shawna ..., we were playing in her back yard (or the park behind her yard), so she walked over to watch and visit. 

It was a good day!

Weekend Visit

Have you seen a pomegranate tree?  I know I have seen this tree before, but it just seemed to draw me in this time when I saw it and I decided I needed a photo of it.  This tree lives in the back of our oldest sons yard.  Terry and I went to visit his family this weekend and we had a lovely time. 

This is what I really wanted to see out in the yard - these four awesome grandchildren of ours.



We went to watch Brayden's football game Saturday.  Go Team!

Terry and the boys reading a book Sunday morning before church.

 

Here are the girls Sunday morning.

Sunday was a special day!  We sang the opening hymn (#98 I Need Thee Every Hour) in Sacrament Meeting and we heard little angels singing a few rows behind us.  It was such a sweet sound and it touched our hearts.  We sat in on the primary program practice during Sunday School and heard Ethan give his part and sing his heart out - so awesome.  Terry went to Priesthood and I stayed to see and hear the rest of the practice.  It wasn't long before I heard another heavenly choir.  It was a male choir singing a capella in the background.  The men were singing their opening song (#2 The Spirit of God) and it too touched my heart and will remain a wonderful memory.  I saw Tawnee and Brayden give their parts and was so proud of how they got right up there and said it with ease and conviction.

There was something else that made this day special - Gregory was released as Elders Quorum President and sustained and set apart as the 2nd Counselor in the Bishopric.  We know that he will fulfill that calling well and that the Lord will be pleased.  He is a good man.  Terry was able to ordain Gregory a High Priest and stand in on that setting apart. 


Monday was our last day there and our flight was in the early evening so we went to the Phoenix Arizona Temple open house.  It was beautiful ... a perfect place to be with our family.   This is our view as we rounded the corner.  Lovely!

We parked in the Wet and Wild Water Park parking lot where they had charter buses driving the guests to and from the stake center and temple grounds, which was only a five minute drive. 

This visit to the temple was a special part of the weekend for me as we came into view of each of the rooms inside the temple and I could feel the eternal joy that is ours because of a choice Terry and I made over 34 years ago to go to the Idaho Falls Temple to be sealed for time and eternity.  We are an eternal family!  I must also say that the artwork in the temple was beautiful too.  Many of those beautiful pieces spoke to our heart and soul, each in it's own way.  I wish I could have taken pictures of them.

Here we are:

WE ARE AN ETERNAL FAMILY!


We are so happy to have had this opportunity to go see this lovely family and enjoy the weekend together, making memories.  They are all AWESOME!

11 Grandchildren!

image from here

Skyler and Lisa had their baby -

Todd Ritter Hebdon
born 13 August 1014  (Thomas gets to share his birthday with his nephew.)
7 lbs. 7 oz.
19 inches

He is definitely our most unique birth story yet.  All of our other grandchildren have been born in the western states, this side of the Rocky Mts., and most within our time zone, but Todd was born in Oklahoma. That alone should make his story unique, but there is more.

For the complete story (and photos) you'll have to read their blog post, but for now I can tell you the short version - that this experience for them was very unlike their first experience.  I'll give you a hint - Terry suggested his name be Chevy or Malibu ...,  yip! ..., because he was born in their car just before they reached the hospital. 

All is well!  Both baby and mother are fine ..., and so is dad and big sister (who was on her way to the babysitter, but didn't make it in time).   The car is a different story.   

Unique birth story indeed!



Perfect Pictures!

I was cleaning this morning and saw these cute pictures that we received over the last few days.  I should have added them to a couple of my recent posts, but since I hadn't already done that I decided that now would be a good time to share them.  They make me smile!  Maybe they will make you smile too!

Auger drew and painted the semi truck and trailer and Akleigh painted the Up, up and away for my birthday.  Claire created the sticker/handprint page for us.

We love our grandchildren!

Great News!

We are so very excited to announce that we have added another grandchild to our family. 

Brandon and Megan Hebdon are the happy parents of a sweet little boy

Turner Michael Rex Hebdon

born Sunday, 6 April 2014, 6:06am
8 lbs. 11oz., 21" long

We haven't seen him in person but we have seen photos of him and we can see that he fits our family.  It is always amazing how I can see a photo of our new grandchild and have that feeling that he or she fits and feel a great amount of love for them before I even see them in person and hold and hug them.  One just knows!   It's a wonderful blessing of family!

We received this photo of Turner on Tuesday while we were in the hospital and Terry was receiving red blood cells. 

My first thought was what a sweet face and then immediately thought, "Oh, poor baby!  He is taped up and lines everywhere - he must be so uncomfortable."  I felt so sorry for him.  Then, after getting over his taped up hands I noticed the blue lumen or clave (as they call them at the clinic) and a smile came to my face and heart as I made the connection.  The next photo shows the connection - Terry was just across the room from me looking like this. 

TURNER IS JUST LIKE HIS GRANDPA!  ;)   

You know how some people have the same eyes or nose or otherwise look just like their parent or sibling or grandparent?  Well, these two had the same life support system.   ;)     I love it!

Terry is a bit luckier since he didn't have to have the tube in his mouth and his hands all poked and taped. 

We welcome Turner to our family and look forward to sharing in his life, watching him grow, and loving him.  We will enjoy every moment when we can be together.  He is truly a blessing!

Don't they make an adorable family!?!?!

We are happy to share this special news with you, but want to point you in the right direction for more information about their family and Turner's health condition.   So we direct you to Brandon and Megan's blog (seen in the right column).

Great Weekend!

Our weekend ...

We stopped at the mail box before we left the apartment, so we could put our address box change inside our box, and we found this lovely box of valentines to brighten our day. 

 

We enjoyed the grandchildren and they enjoyed being together.

And we loved our baby ... Boston Drew Hebdon.  (Both baby and mom are doing well.  That's always interesting though, that one can be doing fine when there are so many aches and pains involved.  It's perspective I guess.  State of mind as much as physical state.)

It was nice to be home for more than 24 hours this time, but it was still over too soon.  I get so happy to see my family and busy that I forget to take enough pictures, but I'm happy to have a couple.

Our drive back to Seattle was slow but not too eventful.  Before we got to Ellensburg we had seen wind, rain, snow, and anywhere from 50 to 35 degree weather, but the roads were fine if the wind didn't blow you around too badly.  Then just west of Easton the traffic began to slow down.  We weren't sure why, but we were creeping.  From there to the east of North Bend we had several miles of 1 mph driving, several 4 mph, and we even got up to 10 mph.  Eventually we were able to go 20 to 35 mph.  We were slower goers for quite awhile.  We stopped at North Bend for groceries and dinner - just fast food, but I was worried about how I was going to make dinner when everything was boxed up - it would have taken forever.  We made it back into the apartment at about 6:00pm.  Maybe a few minutes earlier???

It was filled with boxes, just the way we left it, but the beds were made, the heater was fixed and back together, the extra table and things sitting around that didn't belong had been taken out, the towels I brought from the other apartment were replaced with nicer towels (lucky us) and the shower curtains had been installed.  Oh, the lock on the door is now working too. 

It was cold so we had to warm the place up.  I warmed myself up trying to unload boxes as quickly and efficiently as I could and finally dropped into bed at 10:10pm.  Things are not completely put away, but it's mostly my scrapbooking stuff that still needs arranged, and my just a few other things that shouldn't be too tricky.  Now we can find things we need.  That became quite the trick last night as we were working with meds and hydration.  (we took enough for while we were gone, but had to sort through for things we needed when we got back.)  I'll try to put photos of the apartment up soon.

For now, here is what we see as we sit at the table with the computer.

 
The Space Needle is a lovely view.  Too bad it wasn't our view thru the holiday and game days.  The other bright lights are cranes.  We do see a few of those.  I promise to get all the boxes and junk put away before I take another photo in here.

Just barely visible, if you know what it is, is a blue square in the right side of the window.  This photo is especially for Auger, and here is a close up. Can you tell what it is?  Fans are still alive and well in Seattle.

It was worth leaving boxes filled and heading home for a few days.  We'll see what the next weekend brings.  We have a busy week and we start early this morning, so I'm ending this post here.  I'll be back to post about the day later tonight. 

Have a good one!

A Blessing Today!

Just a Dexa scan today.  Other appointments were postponed until Terry's body is a bit more hydrated.  But our day wasn't empty. 

We got the key to the new apartment a day early so we could begin moving things over.  We cannot stay there overnight, but they allowed us to move things.  Our hope is to go home for the weekend, so we are going to have to have everything moved and keys turned in before we leave.  I boxed some things earlier, and did a lot of boxing and moving things today. 

The other apartment in different size and shape but I finally got it workable for us.  My biggest problem is fitting in my scrapbooking stuff.  I almost packed it up to take it home, but moved furniture one more time just to see if I could make it work.  And it did.   I moved every piece of furniture in the living room at least twice and some three and four times.  Oh Bother!  I asked them to remove the sofa table to storage and they agreed to, so that gives us a bit more space to use.

I also took a few shelving units and a bed side table and lamps over to that apartment.  We were told we could move any piece of furniture we wanted because it is just going to be stored for the next several months.  This gave us a few more options for storing things, though it's still not enough. 

The new kitchen is smaller.  Oh Bother!  The master bedroom is much better ..., I wont hit my arm on a dresser when I walk in and out.  The master bathroom is quite a bit bigger and has a nice storage closet.  However, I need that storage closet in the kitchen, not the bathroom.  The extra bedroom is about the same, possibly a foot or so wider.  There is still a nice hall closet and the laundry closet is possibly a bit bigger, but not enough to make it usable space.

I'll try to put up some photos next week.

Now for the best news of the day ... our blessing for the day -

Thomas and Dana had a baby boy this morning ...

Boston Drew Hebdon
6 lbs, 1 oz.
3 weeks early, but healthy!
He joins his brother, Auger Wayne, and sister, Akleigh Elyn.

Sorry no photos of him.  Maybe this weekend.

If blood counts allow, we are goin' home to see him!  I'm excited, but Terry is not feeling well enough to feel too excited about anything right now.  Kinda nauseated.  He didn't help move things, except carrying a lamp over one time, but he did come over to the apartment with me a couple times.  I think he'd rather be asleep not feeling anything right now.  We've drugged him as much as we feel comfortable with, but it's not doing enough yet.  I wish I could help him more.


Okay, I'll post a little Valentine tonight since I can't promise I will post one tomorrow!  We do hope you have a lovely day!  ;)

image from here

Baby Girl is Here!

Michael and Tawnee had a baby girl -
Elsie Marie Hebdon
14 November 2012, at 6:00am.

7 lbs. 13 oz.,  20 inches.

Here's the family -





We all love that sweet little gal ...

Can you believe that I forgot my camera?  BrittanyJo saved the day by using her ipad, but that meant we didn't get any of her.  She, and Dana were there, but they escaped the photos.  I think Tawnee might have captured them on her camera though. :)

They are safely home now!