Meemaw & Peepaw Hutsell

Our Vacation

2009-03-02T16:05:00.004-05:00

Boy did we have fun on our vacation to North Carolina to see Kris & Megan and their kids.
We figured it might be our last chance for awhile to get away so we took the chance.
Here you can see just how tough Isaac can be after losing his second front tooth. I tried to get him to growl, but this was as good as he could do while looking at peepaw.

What a pretty bunch of girls they have. smiles and all. They took a little prompting to gather this close to pose, but not much. They are all pretty close, in more ways than one.

Henry just doesn't get excited very easily. His chair seems to be his throne where he watches everyone interact. It helps when he has a few Cheerios to munch on while he observes the festivities.

I saw this shot but didn't realize how grown-up Emma looked until after I viewed it in the camera. One of us is getting old very fast.

This is for anyone who still does not know what heaven will be like. Two angels on my lap is a cool place to be.

We took a short day trip to New Bern to see the sights. One thing we did was visit an old fashioned ice cream parlor. It was decorated like a farm with a playground area made for the kids.

They charged over $2 per scoop of ice cream, so we found one item on the menu that was 8 scoops of your choice of ice cream with your choice of any amount of toppings for about $8. That was a bargain so we ordered that and I think the kids enjoyed it pretty well...

This is a Pepsi Cola museum, noted to be the actual building that housed the pharmacy where a man created a soda that eventually became Pepsi.

We also visited a place where you could paint or glaze unfinished pottery. This is Vickie's fish.

I painted a butter dish for Kris and Megan since they don't have one and have been shopping for one.

These are some other favorite pictures we took.

Like son....

like mother.

Marvin the cat even got into the action.

This a beautiful view looking out onto the Neuse River Inlet from Cherry Point's golf course.

We had a wonderful time and cannot wait until we can afford to go down there again.

Meemaw

2009-01-24T14:38:00.001-05:00

I made my layout with the Myspace Background Maker. Get myspace layouts, graphics, and flash toys at pYzam.

Christmas was great!!

2009-01-02T14:10:00.007-05:00

We had such a wonderful Christmas this year!! Kris and Megan's family were here from NC and we were able to house them here, and then we were blessed to have Christmas at Joel & Katie's new home. There were kids everywhere!! That is a huge blessing to grandparents.

Kris and Megan really surprised us with a phone call on Monday morning the 22nd at about 5:30. Meg said," Do you know where Burlington is? We just went through it." We weren't expecting them until around noon. They were just so pumped to get home that they drove straight thru. What a great surprise!!

Joel had to work most of the week. (That's how retail works!) but he was able to get time off for Christmas day and boy was that fun!! We all went to their house for Christmas. They just moved in on November 17th. It is an older home, but it is real nice!

For an update on their new home go to http://www.katieandjoelsfamily.blogspot.com/

and they have lots of pictures there.

Kris and Megan just left this afternoon, Jan 2nd, to go back to North Carolina. That was the hardest part. But we know that God will take care of them. Kris talked like he would be getting deployed to the middle east in May. Wish this war would get over!

As for meemaw & Peepaw, Peepaw goes back to work on the 5th and Meemaw on the 12th.

So much for a couple of weeks off. Boy did it go fast!!

October Update

2008-10-22T15:40:00.003-04:00

Here are a few pictures I took today that show how late the fall colors are coming on.

It is already the 22nd of October and still the majority of the leaves are still green.

I am sure that this will change very rapidly though, considering the frost that we recieved last night.

Kid Pix

2008-07-15T04:40:00.001-04:00

Megan went and got pictures of the kids and they are so cute!!

They are all growing so much, especially Baby Henry. He is such a good baby!

Midsummer Day's Dream

2008-07-11T20:20:00.001-04:00

I knew it would happen. I finally convinced Chloe that Peepaw is the "Good Guy" and can occasionally get her to come to me instead of Meemaw. Ya ha ha!
I think what won her over was a long nap that she took on Peepaw's lap. When she woke up, she wouldn't even leave his lap to go to mommy. Since then she has really turned into "Peepaw's Girl". I win! hehe
This summer has been filled with so many blessings that they are nearly too numerous to count. It is hard to remember everything, but here are a few highlights.VBS was a treasure! Watching all the kids respond to the gospel messages was intense and so encouraging. Isaac, Emma, and Lily really took to the music and sang with such energy and passion. It was fun to participate and make that kind of memory. They even went home and taught them to Alivia. You can hear her going around doing her best to emulate them.
We all went to Indiana Beach for the company outing. The little ones surprised us with their willingness to go on the kiddy rides. We figured that Chloe and Alivia would be intimidated by the movement and noise, but they really enjoyed even the rougher rides.The best memories included getting Katie and Megan on the "Double Drop". I still have hearing loss from Megan's screaming. hehe
The Indy Zoo trip was a gasss. Those kids were so wound up after the zoo that they rode in the car for over an hour and a half all the way home and never even slowed down, let alone zonk out, which is what we expected them to do. They were so tired when they got home, though.
Over the Fourth of July Kris was home (only a month to go in school) and we had a "whole family" outing with everyone at the house. What a riot! The food fellowship and football throwing were cool, but the wrestling match took the cake! Thanks Joel & Katie!
It was also fun watching fireworks at Walton.Kris was showing up some of the "young" guns with his physical prowess during a football game only to find out that he has weak ankes like his old man. Ran right out of his shoes too. He did good considering the youth advantage of his competitors. "Youth Is Wasted On The Young"
We are looking forward to Kris's graduation in August and his return to Indiana. (along with his family) However that event also comes with the realization that he will be taking his family to North Carolina and we will be left to entertain ourselves without their little ones. I guess Chloe will have to bear all the spoiling for awhile. Look out Joel & Katie.
We are so proud of Kris and Joel and their wonderful families and we love them with all our hearts. Great job, guys!
The best part is that summer has just started. We still have 4H Fair coming up real soon, there's National Worship Leader Conference in Austin TX, Rejoice Trio in September, Crossway in October, and all kinds of blessings yet to experience. We're getting the roof repaired soon, and we've got a fire pit full of free wood to burn. Summer is really looking up!!

Sumertime In Indiana

2008-06-06T01:41:00.000-04:00

Ok, it's time for some "peepaw braggin". This has been the most awesome year of this old man's life. It has been so cool watching our kids and their families as they grow and mature in so many ways.
With Kris away at USMC College, there has been a greater need for the presence of M&P and boy is that ok!
It is hard to believe that Kris and Megan came home eight months ago. I can still remember meeting them and especially Alivia in the airport. It took awhile before she made up with Meemaw, but she did. She especially is Peepaw's girl. This week has been VBS at church, and Thursday she got her little fingers shut in the car door. She just would not be consoled until she saw her "Beebaw", so Megan brought her to the production booth to summons me, and as soon as I could break away, I made it to the basement to comfort the poor thing.
She came right to me to be held and was soon eating crackers with her smashed little fingers almost good as new. Before long she was even feeding Peepaw and showed little regard for her injuries. Praise the Lord for nimble bones. Soon she was ready to go to her class and was just fine when left in the classroom.
Her counterpart, Chloe, has really been warming up lately too, as she grows into her own special little personality. She is constantly learning new words and loves Sponge Bob.
Isaac and Emma have started T ball at Tower Park. It is really neat to see them grow into this stage of their lives, too. Neither of them knew what to do their first day after they hit the ball off the tee. They were sure having fun though, in their bright orange "Giants" uniforms. It was really a sight. We got pictures coming too.
We can't wait for Kris to finish school and come back home, but that will lso signal that they will all be moving away to North Carolina. It will be bittersweet for sure, but we still cherish all the time we have had and will have with all of our kids.
We praise the Lord for every day He gives us with the wonderful family that He has surely blessed us to be a part of. We love each and every one of them so dearly.

Great Weekend

2008-04-27T23:24:00.000-04:00

We celebrate great days when they come, and this past Sunday was a jewel.
It was so good to have Kris back for a weekend, to have all of our family at church in the morning with Joel playing in the praise band, and then to gather all of us together for a great meal that Kris and Megan prepared just capped the weekend off perfectly.
Mom and I are surely blessed in this season of life.
This was surely a day to remember and celebrate in the years to come. We sure thank the Lord for each and every one of our kids at whatever level be it grand or not. God has given them both really great families and we are very proud of both of our sons.

The Shroonin' Saga

2008-04-23T02:30:00.001-04:00

Wow, what a great time!
Last Sunday Megan invited Meemaw & Peepaw Hutsell over for lunch after church. Peepaw had talked to one of the men at church who offered his woods as a shroonin' woods for Peepaw to use whenever he wanted.
Well, he thought, "What a great time to do some one-on-one time with Isaac" Surely he has never had a chance to go shroonin'.
When he announced his intentions at the dinner table, Megan wouldn't let him go without her. She has been looking for a shroonin' woods too.
Well it worked out great. All the guys (including baby Henry) along with his personal bodyguard, Megan.
Before long Isaac was inquisitive about all the aspects of woods life. What is in he woods? Are there mean animals there? What would we see there?
Before we even got into the woods, he was convinced that we were going snake hunting.
All went well for about the first hour or so. Isaac would follow right behind as instructed, constant with his questions about whatever he saw. All his questions were answered with him in rapt attention, hanging on every word of all the answers offered.
Then came the creek. Just a small stream.. with a rock in the center, perfectly placed for crossing.
"Isaac, can you step o the rock or do want to hold my hand?" Peepaw asked.
"I can do it." he replied.
With that, he stepped out confidently from the bank and right into the stream, missing the rock altogether and sinking into the black soft mud up to his knees.
A firm tug latr and he was on he oher bank deciding ow to respond to the cold wet feeling now overcoming his feet and legs, about to cry.
"C'mon." came the command from Peepaw. "We've got lots of shroonin' to do. Stomp off the mud. Let's go. You'll be alright, it's just a little mud."
That seemed to appease him for the time. But before long the trip in the woods became more and more arduous for him.

As The Quivver Fills

2008-04-05T04:28:00.001-04:00

Well, we have grown some more this year.
Kris is on assignment in Virginia and Megan stayed in Indiana near family to have their 5th child, a cute-as-a-button boy named Henry Christian.
Not sure of the origin of the name Henry, but his middle name is the same as Peepaw Hutsell's.
(Peepaw got his name from his uncle Homer Christian Hutsell.)
Henry has acclamated quite quickly to the noise of siblings and as well to Peepaw's lap..(Meemaw's too.)
Our time has been filled with getting acquainted with grandchildren who have spent the majority of their lives (so far) halfway arond the world.
I can say for a certainty that God made grandchildren as a blessing to grandparents. It is so cool to be accepted so unconditionally by such exhuberant smiling faces, especially at 6:30 am after their sleepover with Meemaw. I am so thankful for God's grace and mercy and for Meemaw's patience and sticking with me, that allows me to experience such a wonderful life!
Definitely some of the best memories have come this last year.
To top it off, Chloe has finally warmed up to Peepaw too, and last week preferred Peepaw's lap to mom's when Katie came to retrieve her after a Saturday morning visit. Peepaw loved that!! She was asleep on his belly and did not want to leave.
Hehe. Guess I got the touch!!
Our biggest problem is that we are so short on space in our home, but Peepaw is working on that!!
Will include pictures on here too when I can, but for now go to www.hutsellfamily.blogspot.com for the latest pix of Kris & Megan's and to katieandjoelsfamily.blogspot.com for theirs.
Blog Ya Soon
Peepaw & Meemaw

What a WONDERFUL full house!!

2008-03-04T14:18:00.002-05:00

This has been such a great week for us here at HutsellHaus. We have had 7 people in the little house on riverview but boy has it been blessed.
Megans house was overrun by a couple of skunks who worked their scentful magic on the crawl space. When they came to the house the kids all smelled like rubber.
It has been a lot like camp week here and it is such a wonderful transition from being so far away for a few years to right in your house.
These guys are all so full of youthful exhuberance and personality. They are sure a lot of fun.
The landlord said he has trapped 2 skunks so they think they have emptied her crawlspace and soon they will go back home and meemaw and peepaw will start the empty nest syndrome thing all over again.

Trick or Treaters

2007-10-30T20:41:00.000-04:00

We came home and found some trick-or-treaters coming up the sidewalk. One looked pretty harmless. We even got some recon photos of the perp....

She was with a pretty seedy character though, as evidenced by the following images we were able to get off before it ran across the street to "granny's house".

We were unable to apprehend the big green one, so if you see it on the loose, for God's sake be careful!! You'll end up with all these little red blotches all over yourself!!

Have a Happy Halleluia Day!!

more autumn pictures

2007-10-30T16:24:00.001-04:00

We are slowly turning to fall around here. Two nights ago we got down to 30degrees so it will change the colors quickly.
It is still a bit green for now, but they are calling for the wind to pickup tonight, so we might not get too many more chances to see the trees in their fall dress.
Wanted to get these on the blog for now, before the computer gets put away for the move to US.

We look forward to seeing our grandchildren and their parents after an extended stay over seas.

We also pray for their safety as they travel home.

Looks alot like summer this fall

2007-10-24T13:32:00.000-04:00

This summer has lasted much longer than most that we can remember. The temperatures even last week hovered in the mid 80's. The turn of the leaves has been delayed a few weeks at least. We can remember going to the harvest party with no leaves on anything. The frost has often killed everything in the yard by now, and the first frost is usually just an early October memory.
This year we have only recently been given 40's overnight. This week we have been in the fall temperatures so we will soon see the changes we are accustomed to seeing.
The sugar maple in theback yard is the first to turn and this picture shows is is starting now. This was taken October 23rd.

We are looking forward to seeing our kids from Okinawa this fall as they return from assignment there for three years. We praise the Lord for watching over them as they were so far away.

Summer Photos

2007-07-14T16:45:00.000-04:00

Here are a few photos to keep you up to date about what is going on around the Hutsell House this summer.

Fourth of July found us at Walton at the Sipe annual picnic. Jeff & Jenni's Moss's girls decided that they like to pick on old people.

Things are a little "squirrely" around the house as we have a few piney squirrels that have taken up residence in the big maple tree in our back yard. Meemaw took this picture especially for Isaac.

Chloe sends her best to you all too. She has finally decided to tolerate peepaw. They are quickly becoming best of friends.

Summer Scenes in Logansport

2007-06-13T10:29:00.001-04:00

Sorry it took so long to get some summer pictures put on the blog site as requested by Isaac. Here you can see the changes in the back yard. The mulch now encompasses the tree and the back yard as well.
Got really tired of spending so much money on grass seed that would grow in the spring and die as soon as the summer came.
I think we had a picture from this vantage point in the winter, so I added this one for contrast.

All are doing well here at home and just waiting on some much needed rain to fall.

Hutsell Family Album

2007-04-25T11:57:00.001-04:00

View full size

Valentines Day Blizzard

2007-02-14T23:40:00.000-05:00

Well we got the snow this time. They said we cou;d get as much as 16 inches...we got 15 inches and a lot of wing. The wind reportedly gusted to around 40 mph. Anyway, everyone her is ok and well rested. The factory actually closed for the day and sent the people home who were there. The county was under a snow emergency and the NWS declared a blizzard warning. Wow, what a winter. Here are a few pictures to help you visualize what it was like.

Kris and Isaac Visit

2007-01-23T14:06:00.000-05:00

It was bittersweet having Kris and Isaac home for 8 days. Bitter because Grampa Brown passed away, but sweet because we could spend time with them both. We were so proud to see that Isaac is growing into such a fine young man. Boy does he look GOOD in that suit!!

(more to come)

Meemaw Update

2006-12-18T07:49:00.000-05:00

Sunday Meemaw went back to church for the first time since her surgery. It really did her good and made her feel a lot more normal. Everyone was glad to see her and made her feel real welcome. Peepaw takes her to therapy on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. She gets a little sore at therapy, but it does a lot of good.

Meemaw is back home.

2006-12-07T12:25:00.001-05:00

Okay. Sorry for the long time between updates.
Meemaw came home on Sunday evening after Peepaw got off work. She had a rough time of getting into the car, but seeemed to relieve a bit after the trip home and the new experience of stairs up into the house.
Once we got her comfy in bed with pllows and the like, she has been on her way to a speedy recovery.
Today, Thursday, she went for her first trip to PT in Memorial Hospital. Her therapist went to school with Kris and Megan and we had a nice time reminiscing. Her name is Stephanie (Angle) Lewellen. She said Meemaw is doing great.
Will try to keep updated better next time.

Thursday Update

2006-12-01T00:53:00.000-05:00

Thursday started out pretty good after a rough day on Wednesday. By the end of the day, however, Meemaw was hurting and called, so I took the rest of the night off and went to the hospital. She especially needed a little cheering up and a leg rub as well, which she does not get from the nurses.
Please continue to pray as she goes thru the healing process. Pray too that her knee will quit hurting. She has more discomfort from the knee than from the hip.

The Hip Surgery Update

2006-11-30T02:02:00.000-05:00

Well this is of course written by Peepaw, so it will be short.
Meemaw had her surgery on Tuesday in the early am. The doctors said it went well. She was able to sleep for the first time in about a month. She was under heavy sedatives though.
On Wednesday she had a rough day, however. She was hurting pretty bad and they came in to start her therapy. Because she was hurting so bad, they went real easy on her, praise the Lord. Then in the afternoon she started a fever too, so she was having a tough day.
I talked to Zane and Linda who saw her around 6:30pm and they said that she seemed to be in pretty good spirits and was not in a lot of pain. Hopefully they have her meds in better balance.

Please pray for her continued healing. She needs all the support she can get right now.
Thank you all for your prayers on her behalf up to now.
Will have more on Thursday.

White Stuff Already!!??

2006-10-12T11:03:00.000-04:00

The girls at Kauffman wanted Mochas this morning so while I was on my way to Latte on a Leash was noticing the dark sky in the west. Well, I didn't wonder long what kind of precipitation was in it. At 9:30 the skies broke out with a very heavy snow shower.

The picture of the house was taken over an hour later as I came back from the outing.

Does this mean we are in for a long winter?

Meemaw's favorite pic's

2006-09-26T19:18:00.000-04:00

Insert "proud papa" bumpersticker here -->

Great grandma Brown cried almost the whole time she held her..

Great grandpa Brown seemed so excited to hold Chloe , he actualy jumped up to wash his hands..

Peepaw's a sucker for little girls!!

I love this one!!!!!

Life in the Hutsell house

2006-09-26T18:34:00.000-04:00

Well, it's been a month now since this page has had anything new, so I guess I will just have a war with technology. You know the saying, "If you can't beat them, join them.".

This last Friday was wonderfull! I got to spend some quality time with the newest member of the Hutsell family, Chloe. I got to do all the things a meemaw should get to do, like change a poopy diaper, feed, and burp her. Here are some more pictures.

Uneventful? Week

2006-09-08T09:42:00.000-04:00

We experienced a pretty uneventful week after the holiday weekend. Monday the lawn got mowed and fertilized then we got a visit from a humming bird. He (or she) flew right up to us about 3 feet awat at eye level and took a few seconds to observe our funny faces. It was really cool. He did it twice. Tuesday was back to work, Wednesday happened I think, Thursday the garage door quit working....other than that it was back to the old routine.

Chloe's First Visit to Meemaw's

2006-08-28T10:34:00.000-04:00

On Sunday, Chloe brought her parents by for a visit. They seem like really nice people...except for "you know who". He lookled kinda funny. Chloe sure has a lot of training to do with him. Mostly she just laid around and enjoyed her meemaw and peepaw and slept alot. But she sure had a great time.

Chloe Hutsell Update

2006-08-26T22:52:00.000-04:00

Chloe is doing fine and is at home with her new parents. Joel has had the duties of working and is jealous of Katie who has been able to show her off.

Both are doing fine in their new roles. They are a great family.
They want to thank all who have been in prayer on their behalf and ask for continued support in prayer.

Tuesday Update

2006-08-15T08:09:00.000-04:00

As of Monday evening all oxygen has been taken away and Chloe is responding extremely well.
Katie spent the night to help get Chloe on schedule for feedings. Joel stayed in the hotel to remain nearby.

(The picture came out a bit fuzzy on Saturday.)

They expect to bring Chloe home on Sunday or Monday, but we all praise the Lord that she is recovering very quickly from what could have been a disastrous start.

Chloe Hutsell Update

2006-08-14T10:51:00.000-04:00

Wow!! Praise the Lord!!
Thank you to all who prayed so diligently for Chloe, Katie, and Joel.
All the official numbers are in. She was born in Logansport Memorial Hospital on Thursday; August 10th at 9:10pm. She weighed 8lbs 10.6 oz and was 20" long.

Katie was released on Saturday morning from Memorial Hospital in Logansport and was able to make the trip to Lafayette to see and touch her new little girl for the first time.
She is so precious!!

As of Sunday afternoon, all the tubes have been removed except the one in her belly button where she gets her antibiotics. She is now sleeping in a crib with blankets instead of the incubator bed. Her breathing is deeper and slower so she is able to eat normally.
Praise the Lord!!

Katie and Joel have been in Lafayette since they went down on Saturday so pray for them too as they recover along with Chloe.

New Addition to the Hutsell Clan

2006-08-11T00:11:00.000-04:00

Well Chloe Marie Hutsell arrived at approximately 9:00 pm est by way of emergency c-section and weighs in at a little over 7 lbs.

There were a few complications, however.

The placenta tore away from the uterine wall so the baby had some lood loss and also inhaled merconium? so has complications like pneumonia.

She was transferred to Home Hospital's neo-natal ICU until she recovers

Mom and dad are doing ok. Katie was still a little out of it when we left the hospital at midnight.

Please pray for them all as they adjust to their new life together amidst the setbacks.

New Addition

2006-06-03T19:28:00.000-04:00

Here is the newest member of our family.

She was born at 1:54pm JST in Okinawa, Japan on June 3, 2006.

She weighed 8lbs 5oz and was 19& 1/2 inches tall.

Alivia Irene Hutsell

Chloe Marie

2006-06-03T07:33:00.000-04:00

Here is the latest picture of grandbaby Chloe Marie Hutsell.
She is due to enter this world on her own sometime in August 2006.

2006-06-03T07:04:00.000-04:00

Meemaw loves to rock her grandbabies.

Here she is rocking Emma.