God Bless

Our family has been rocked over the past 10 days or so and have been reminded that life is very fragile. On January 22, 2010, Ron's mother, Mildred Arthur, was suddenly called to live with God in Heaven. The days that have followed are a blur. Although we were not ready for her to leave us, we feel blessed that she did not have to suffer since it was her time to go to the Lord. Ron feels fortunate that he spent Thursday afternoon with her before she passed away on Friday and had a good visit.

Celebrating a loved one's life gives us time to spend with family. Some of the extended family had not yet had an opportunity to meet Peyton, so they were pleased to get to spend some time with her. Amanda and Chad were so much help during the day of the funeral and the days leading up to it, and Peyton made a shocking situation bearable. God is good.

As we lived the nightmare, our family and friends were there and continue to be there to support us. From a shoulder to lean on at the hospital, to food, to calls, to cards, to kitchen help, to babysitting for Peyton, to flowers, to most of all prayers and love - our friends and family were and continue to be there for us - we will be eternally grateful. Our Pastor and church family provided awesome spiritual guidance. David Mills (one of our very best personal friends) and his staff at Vansant-Mills Funeral Home provided services that cannot be matched.

Saying goodbye is never easy, but as believers, we know Mildred is happy and content and once again united with her husband of over 50 years, DeWayne.

Visit to Olathe

Visit with Peyton and More

Since Grammy was needing a "Peyton fix", Grandpa and I drove to Olathe after church today. Chad was on a golf outing, so we had the girls all to ourselves. First, we went to lunch at Cheddars - yes, Overland Park has one now - we loved eating at Cheddars in Springfield the years Amanda was at SMSU - yum. We ran a few errands before returning back to their house to have a great time playing with Peyton. We had taken her a saucer sled - not enough snow to use it outside, so Grandpa pulled her around the house in it. It was a hoot. She entertained us with her dancing skills and loved pushing around her popper toy. We had a great afternoon.

Last night, our nephew, Joe and his girlfriend, Amy, came to Clinton to celebrate Joe's 21st birthday a little early with dinner at Pizza Glen and cake and ice cream at Grandma and Grandpa Mintun's. We enjoyed having them.

What a wonderful family weekend.

Happy New Year

Ron and I traveled to Olathe on Tuesday night to stay with Peyton Wednesday and Thursday while her school was closed. We had a blast to say the least. Peyton was so good and so much fun - she has a real independent streak which keeps us on our toes. She likes to tease, dance and entertain. She loves to "blow" kisses now, which is so cute. She is a great eater - loves broccoli, chicken and especially blueberries. New Years Eve we had a bonus child to help us ring in the new year - Peyton's boyfriend, Evan, came over for their "date" while their parents went out on a double date - double the fun. We had them both in bed by 8:15 p.m. - we weren't far behind! 2010 started great for us, as we woke up in Olathe and spent a couple of hours with Peyton, Amanda and Apollo (Chad was sleeping) before heading back to Clinton. A few days of pure bliss for Grandpa and Grammy. Happy New Year to everyone!