Janet's Blog

Anna Elizabeth Tyler was born almost three weeks before her due date, at 10:53 a.m. on Monday, October 30th, 2023, in Columbus, Ohio. She weighed 5.45 pounds, and was 17.25 inches long. Her entrance into this world was more dramatic than we had hoped, since she had to spend eleven days in the NICU to monitor her breathing. But, after the initial scare, she is nursing well and growing appropriately at home. Anna at just a few days old Anna is the only one of our eight grandchildren who has spent any time in NICU. At one month of age, she is still small, but she is finally outgrowing her preemie clothes and moving on to newborn sizes. It's hard to be more than 1200 miles away from family when they need help, but contemporary forms of communication make that much easier than it used to be. Nevertheless, Bill and I were glad to join our daughter, Erin, her husband, Reed, our grandson, Will, and baby Anna, for Thanksgiving. We got to see for ourselves how their whole family is thriving....

Little Lucy LaRae Stobel arrived exactly one month ago, on September 7th, at 7:04 in the morning. Lucy weighed 6 pounds 15 ounces and, at 19 3/4 inches long, she was the shortest of all of the Stobel babies. She looks a lot like her siblings did at birth, with one glaring exception: She has visible hair. Specifically, she has red hair rather than the blonde hair that is so dominant in the family. Grandpa Bill's genes are coming through at last! Most people look at Lucy's siblings and say that they all look so much alike. Well, they all have blonde hair and blue eyes, but those of us in the family can see that the boys each have their own unique looks, while the girls, especially Lydia and Ruthie, look more alike. I will say that, except for her red hair,  Lucy looks more like her mother's baby pictures than any of the others ever have. The whole family was so excited when Lucy was born. She is greatly cherished by all of her brothers and sisters already. Meagan's first ...

I hope our newest little blessing enjoyed her first, quiet hours at the hospital, before she went home to her busy, noisy family because, for the rest of her early childhood, she will have to nap in spite of the daily commotion that is always present in a large, home-schooling family.  Ruthie Mae was born on Saturday, January 9th, six days past her due date, at 1:37 a.m. With her scant, light hair, deep, blue eyes, and long, slender fingers, Ruthie certainly looks like her brothers and sisters. At 6 pounds, 4 ounces, and 20 3/4 inches long, she was the smallest of the Stobel babies, although her birth weight was exactly the same as her mother's.  For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:13-14 In this unprecedented time of a worldwide pandemic, Meagan was a bit concerned about staying in the hospital for Ruthie's birth. She most ...

It was just a year ago when I flew to Wisconsin to welcome WilliamTyler to the world. He weighed four and a half pounds the last time I held him. I never dreamed that a whole year would go by without another chance to hold him again. Will doesn't look so tiny in this picture. Closeups can be deceiving . But when his Mom, Erin, held him, his size--or lack of it--was evident. I'm not alone. Social distancing has wreaked havoc with in-person relationships for almost everyone. Often, we speak to other people through our masks, from six feet away. Or, we rely on modern technology to communicate through Facetime and Zoom.  I have been so thankful for the ability to use Zoom for Levi's parent/teacher conferences and my grandkids' piano and dance recitals, and even for worship services last spring. I get to Facetime with Erin and Will regularly, so I can see how he is growing, and listen to him talk, and observe his wobbly walking. I would have loved to wish Will a "Happy ...

Last Wednesday, Meagan and I took her kids camping at Lake Minatare, a few miles northeast of Scottsbluff. We like to go for a couple of days in the middle of week, when most campsites are empty. Neither Bill nor Andy are great fans of camping overnight, so they don't mind staying home to work while we are gone.  The day will come when we can no longer fit everyone in the RV, but we have all slept there comfortably this summer.  Meagan is very conscientious about home-schooling the kids every day, even at the lake, and the kids were motivated to finish their schoolwork quickly, leaving them plenty of time to hike, swim, explore, and build sand castles. (They were especially pleased when Grandpa Stan and Grandma Deb brought their boat out the first evening, so the kids could go tubing, but that's another story.) The first morning at the lake, everyone enjoyed building sand castles. The younger kids worked on this big castle with Meagan, while Tobin designed a whole village of s...

It hangs in the guest room closet--that green, velour robe that my Grandma made for my Dad so many years ago. I don't think Dad has ever worn it. Robes just aren't his thing. But I wear it every time I stay with my folks in their house in Fairbury.  Even as I write, I can almost smell that faint, distinctive, velour odor. You would think the scent would have faded by now, but velour, along with some other synthetic fabrics manufactured in the 1970's, always seems to retain that vague, chemical smell that must have been a necessary part of the fabric-making process. The robe is soft and bulky, cozy to wear, but not too warm, even on sultry, summer mornings. It falls almost to my ankles. The sleeves are too long for me, but they are easily rolled up. The unattached sash is long enough to wrap three times around my waist. If I'm not careful when I tie it, the sash drags on the floor, causing a definite tripping hazard. I'm sure that Grandma just used the selvage, the u...

I love thunder and lightning, puddles, and rainbows. I love the smell of rain, and the beauty of the thunderheads as they overtake the entire sky. The last few years have brought an abundance of rain to the Nebraska Panhandle, but this summer is different. This year, our last significant rain was more than two months ago. Since the beginning of June, we've seen some promising clouds, heard a little rumbling thunder, and experienced some devastating hail, but we've only felt a few sprinkles. Just this week, I saw these unwelcome words in print: severe drought . Ugh! So, this summer, we've had to celebrate the wonders of water in other ways, and in other places.  Ask the LORD for rain in the springtime; it is the LORD who sends the thunderstorms. He gives showers of rain to all people, and plants of the field to everyone.  Zechariah 10:1 We set up our pool early this year, before Memorial Day. Pool accessories have been hard to find this summer, so we've made do with a pa...