Louise Kathern Arrick 1924 - 2008

Last night after the fun of trick-or-treating with the grandkids, eating dinner with family and friends and just having some fun, we came home only to hear the news that Ralph's mom, Louise had passed away. She had complained of having a stomach virus type thing--vomiting, etc.--but apparently it was something that was going around at the retirement center. Ron called to tell Ralph the news, and was pulling in our driveway at the same time. It still seems so unreal--she was so close to death not 2 months ago, but God wasn't ready for her to come Home yet.

Louise loved her family--her boys, her daughters-in-law, her grandchildren and her great grandchildren. She was such a gentle spirit, never demanding much from anyone, but always thankful for what she had. She's never been the butting in kind of mother-in-law--not in the 30 years I've been her daughter-in-law. She was loving, accepting and always praising. I remember when my kids were young, she was always encouraging and would express that she thought we were doing a good job raising our kids. I'm sure that we can all attest to the fact that she was very generous. I know that my kids are very thankful to her for all the love and help she's given each of them over the years.


Louise will be missed, that's for sure. I praise God that Ralph went out to see her today, he didn't stay long, but she wasn't feeling well. She had been having trouble with her recliner and he was talking to her today about going to get her a new lift chair tomorrow. Little did he know that God was going to lift her to the Heavens, where she will no longer need a lift chair. I was talking to Josh this evening and he said "I've been thinking about how happy Grandpa probably was to see Grandma this evening"........my son--he's got such an insight and wisdom. I know that Louise was very happy to see Ralph Sr., and Grandma Buckle (her mom) and Marie (her granddaughter) and Walter (her brother) and all those who have gone before her--all who had accepted Christ as their Savior and had been waiting there for her. I know that Marie was probably really glad to see Grandma too--it had been quite some time since she had seen her.


So, please pray for the Arrick boys--they are hurting, but not as those who have no hope. They are rejoicing that she is with loved ones and with her Savior. It's still not easy to lose a loved one, especially a parent.

Ralph's brother, Doug and his wife, Sherry came to visit at the end of September. Louise was still in the hospital, but a bunch of us were able to go down and visit with her there. Here she is holding Collin. She loved those great grandkids too! I have another picture I wanted to post on here, but can't find it right now. I'm exhausted and will try to find it tomorrow.

Please pray for our little Mia

David and Krista had to take Mia back to Children's Hospital in Cincinnati to a urologist on Monday. She had been there a couple weeks ago for a urodynamics test, which was supposed

to be able to tell them whether or not the diagnosis of Tethered Cord was conclusive. The urologist said that the results from this test were not good, but he did not want them to get too upset over the results of one test--she may have been having a bad day, etc. They did an ultrasound on Monday also, where they discovered that her bladder, which is supposed to be smooth, has a lot of scar tissue. Her bladder is having to work extra hard, causing the scar tissue and she has urine which is on her kidney. Her kidney is back flowing, which it's not supposed to do either. He told them that at her age and her size, her bladder should be able to hold 40 ml. of urine, and the test showed that hers will hold 1 ml. He told them that his main concern right now is for her kidney. They are scheduled to go back to him in December for another test and then possibly would schedule surgery after that--for the tethered cord. The way I understand it is that the tethered cord is causing this problem, but the surgery for that may or may not fix the problem. So, please pray for her. Pray for all of us, that God may be glorified in and through each of us--our responses to the tests, surgery, etc. God has blessed our family with this sweet little girl and we do praise Him for her!

Pizza Night Out

Last night we had a chance to all go out together to have pizza and enjoy the fellowship of the whole family together. We went up to Dick's pizza and enjoyed everyone's favorites--sauerkraut pizza, bbq chicken pizza, BLT pizza and Hot wings pizza. (Yeah, I know--that's a lot of pizza!) The kids were good and it was just a fun time. We even got to have Uncle Josh eat with us before he went back to Huntington to his apartment--he came Friday evening to visit for a day or so. He headed to Huntington and the rest of us went to Josh and Jayme's to watch the OSU football game. (Yeah, I know, they didn't win!) I thought I would share a few pictures, if you will induldge me a little. :)

Bryce and Mia out by some of the Halloween decorations at Dick's Pizza. They loved the ghosts--not scared at all.
Bryce posed in front of the display of Halloween things for me to take his picture. Not sure what this pose was--maybe a "TaDa"...who knows? He's a funny guy.
Mia with some Nunchuks (sp?). Teenage Mutant Ninja Cheerleader? Look out everyone!!! Collin slept clear through dinner, with a blanket part way over his car seat, so I didn't even see him until we got to their house later.
Here he is--wide awake now and smiling for Nana--well, not exactly for Nana--Daddy was above my head getting him to smile. And, last, but not least------
Two of my very favorite fellows.....with the leftovers. God has blessed me with such an awesome family--how can I not be thankful every moment of every day?!?!

Pastor Appreciation Month

October is Pastor Appreciation Month. In the past, we've had a dinner at church or some kind of fellowship to recognize our pastor. However, this year we are without a pastor at our church--so I want to say how much I appreciate a certain man whom I will probably always call "Pastor". Pastor Scott was called by God to another ministry away from Grace several months ago. He and his family left a void that is still there. It's one thing to have a pastor, it's another to have a pastor/friend. That is how I will continue to think of Scott. He's one of those people you can call and ask a favor of, ask to pray for/with you--just a great man of God. Although I continue to miss him and his family, Josh now has the opportunity to fellowship with them again at their new church. Who knows, Josh may very well be the reason they were called there! Scott has definitely been an answer to prayer in Josh's life. Pastor Scott, you ALL will continue to have a special place in my heart and in my life. Thanks for all you have done in the past and continue to do!!!

Elli Bennett is with Jesus

I remember clearly the day Diane called me to tell me that Elli had been born. They were all so excited--this was their first grandbaby! And, she was beautiful. Well, within a couple days they discovered that Elli had some very serious heart issues and would have to have surgery. She had at least 2 surgeries before she was a year old--during one heart had quit beating for 30 minutes. Anyway, skip ahead to now--Elli was a happy 8 year old--talking a lot with the help of her dynavox. Some of the complications from one of her surgeries was that she had Cerebral Palsy. This morning, we received another call from Diane though--this one not a joyous one. Elli had experienced an "episode" of some kind and Scott had called his parents to let them know that she was really bad. They had taken her to the hospital, but they didn't think she was going to make it. Diane called back a little while later and said that Elli had indeed gone to Heaven to be with Jesus. No more dynavox will be needed, no more wheelchair, etc. However, her death has left a huge empty place in the whole family, I am certain. Please pray for the Bennett family. Scott and Joy are strong believers in Jesus Christ and I know that throughout this whole painful time, God will be glorified. But, I also know that they have to be hurting also. Elli left behind 3 younger siblings--Sam, who is 6, Anna who is 3 and Luke who is almost 15 months old. Pray for them also.

Princess girl

I just had to share these pictures of Mia. The tiara came with a Dora and the Snow Princess movie. I stopped over last night for a little bit before the church board meeting and snapped a few pictures of Mia. She is definitely a dramatic little princess diva--not that it's a bad thing. :) She's precious and really is a good baby.

Mia has started "talking" all the time too--not a lot of words that you can understand..although she has a pretty good vocabulary for her age. She has a word she says "sockpoo"....none of us know what that means. Anybody have any ideas? :) But, here she is, the princess of the family--she holds her own pretty well. She and Bryce "have words" sometimes, but they are going to be great buddies someday, I'm sure.

Love all those grandkids!!! They are all so unique and special in their own ways.

The Need to Love

It's been a couple weeks ago that these pictures were taken, but I thought they were cute and I just needed to put them on here. The day that Gracie Jean went home to be with Jesus, I was driving by Krista and David's to pick up Jayme and the boys. The men folk were at a hog roast and we were going to go to dinner before church. Well, as I drove by, Mia was out in the yard walking around. I had thought about her all day--I guess hurting for the Browns losing Gracie and thinking how blessed I am to still have my baby Mia here with me. I waved, but then couldn't stand not stopping by to just hug Mia a little. I pulled in and rolled my window to talk to Krista a minute. She said "Ever since I heard about Gracie this morning, I have just wanted to hug Mia and hold her". So, I guess we were both feeling about the same way that day. And, Mia was so happy to see me that she obliged with lots of hugs and loving. Sometimes I wonder why I wait until something happens to someone else to properly praise God for the wonderful blessings in my life. He has blessed me beyond belief with so many things. Not possessions particularly, but with moments, memories and a family that is SO special to me. And, more than anything, He has blessed me with my salvation--the assurance of knowing that Jesus has covered my sins with His blood. I am righteous in the eyes of God--He sees me through the blood of Christ. Praise Him!!

So, anyway, here's one more picture of Mia from that day. I love my grandkids SO much--can you tell???

Bryce's haircut

Bryce got a haircut last night too. He however, did not want his picture taken. He didn't want Nana down there, he wanted Mamaw to be down there. So, his face reflects those feelings. I just went ahead and took a couple pictures of him anyway. Actually, he's had some belly issues for a couple days, so I guess he had a reason to act like that.

Bryce gets a bubble bath at Mamaw's after his haircuts. So, here he is enjoying the bubble bath and the wild play time in the tub. He's a silly boy!!! Before any of the haircuts started, Bryce entertained us with some guitar music. He couldn't get it to play loud enough for him though. He had Daddy turning it up a couple times (adjusting the tuner things).
I'm not sure what the eye closing thing is about--maybe he thinks he's Stevie Wonder or something. He's a funny, funny boy. Thanks, Buddy, for the entertainment--for all of it. :)

Collin's First haircut

Here's little Collin--getting his first haircut. He had some long hairs on top of his head that bothered his parents, so Josh decided to take the clippers to it. He also still has some dark baby hair left in the back too, that he thinned out a little. This is pretty much the look he had during the whole process. He's a very good baby!

Here's Daddy cutting that long baby hair in the back. Collin has rubbed off a bald spot in the back of his head too--so he helped to make that look not so bad. He looks a little stressed in this picture, doesn't he? (Sorry about the red eyes in all of them!!)
All done! Daddy giving Collin some love after the haircut. Then he got a bath and a before bedtime nap. ;) Thanks for letting us share in the fun of Collin's first haircut. Jayme saved the hair for his baby book.

Gracie Jean Lockyer

Please pray for the family of little Gracie Jean. God called Gracie home to be with him this morning. She had a rough time following her surgery yesterday. Praise God for His goodness that she no longer has to suffer here on this earth. She is resting now in the loving arms of Jesus--Who called her to Him this morning. However, her family will greatly miss her, so please pray for their healing. Her family has been an awesome testimony to our Lord during this whole time--never giving up, always believing that He would take care of Gracie--and He always did. This time, He just chose to take care of her Himself. We're praying for you Browns and Lockyers. We love you and God loves you too. He's the Rock we can cling to in every storm.