A Blessed Thanksgiving!

Well, today was a nice Thanksgiving Day. Nate, Meg, and their young parrot were up from Orange County. Ernie was quite entertaining, especially for Dottie.

Everyone got a chance to hold Ernie. This young parrot, a Caique, was so tame. Here Grandma Lois got her chance to hold and talk to Ernie.

We sprung Grandpa Clayton from the nursing home today to enjoy a wonderful family dinner. He was strong enough to make the trip and seemed to have quite a good time holding Ernie.

Nate demonstrated Ernie's tricks. This bird was amazing! Oh so tame and fun to play with. You can turn it upside down, rub its feathers under its wings, neck, head, back, and stomach. It was very gentle.

Nate gave Grandpa his Christmas present a little early. 5 pair of nice warm socks. Grandpa is pretty thin skinned and needs warm clothes. He had been wanting longer socks. These were perfect for him!

While we were waiting for Lyle to finish all the food, Cory called from NYC. He, Annie, and Bee were on their way to a friend's home for their holiday meal. We passed the phone around to the grand parents. Everyone enjoyed talking with Cory for a few minutes.

Oops, I forgot to pass the phone to Nate and Meg. But, no problem, Nate just called him up to send their greetings for Thanksgiving. Even though we did not have everyone at home this day, there was a since of blessing to know all is well with our kids and parents. We are blessed!

We had an amazing meal cooked entirely by Lyle. His bar-b-qued turkey and pork roast were unbelievably flavorful! The mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, green beans, red potatoes, and an apple pie, were not only delicious, but beautiful to see. Thank you Lyle, you did an awesome job!

After dinner, Nate entertained us by building the table decorations. The wooden leaves, Lyle had made years ago had never been placed vertically....only Nate would go for the record of height! Frankly, it was pretty amazing to watch! Relaxing after dinner, Ernie was the side show again. Ernie likes chocolate cream pie! Nate and Meg brought a fabulous pie from a wonderful French bakery near their home. It did not really travel well, but the flavor was very delicious. When Nate cut Meg a piece, Ernie helped himself to a few bites before Meg got there.

Nate helped Grandpa achieve a pirate look in this group picture. I love these guys!

Not to be outdone, Grandma got to sport Ernie on her shoulder in this group shot! It was a fun day!

This is my man! After 32 years, he is still the best! I am very blessed! I cannot even imagine how different my life would have been had I not found him. Not only is he my husband, he is my best friend! I love you Lyle!

Well, by 2:45, it was time to get Clayton back to rest up for dinner! He did very well today. We were blessed to have him join us for this wonderful holiday of giving thanks. There is so much to be thankful for.

We love and know Jesus Christ as our personal Savior!

We are blessed with so much!

We have wonderful family and friends.

(And...we are grandparents to baby BEE!)

I have a good job that gives me so much satisfaction to make a difference in young lives.

I tell my kids at school, "Don't just be a Thanksgobbler, be a Thanksgiver."

I hope they remembered!

Hope you did too!

Happy Thanksgiving from the Bruce's.

Giving Angels of Love

Today an interesting thing happened to me before school. Mr. Moore, my substitute from when I went to NYC came to my classroom holding a small brown lunch bag. Now you need to know that Mr. Moore is at least 70 years old and a wonderful educator. Well, he said he had a gift for Baby Bee. His wife had made it for her and the bag was not fancy, but the gift made me smile. It was the handmade pink cap and booties shown below. Never meeting Mrs. Moore, and only knowing Mr. Moore on a professional level, it was a shocker that my grandbaby would be considered for a love gift such as this. Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Moore for your generosity. You amaze me!Well, just before leaving for NYC, the Character Coach comes to me, package in hand, and says, "I was shopping for my baby girl and found this cute little outfit that had a Bee on it. I just had to get it for your grandbaby." Again, I am blown away. Carin Lake will probably never even see Bee, but she wanted to give some love. You amaze me Carin! Thank you! So, we go to our regular theater seats to see a play, and the lady who sits behind us passes a bag to us to give to Bee. (Of course this was so early on, we did not know if Bee was a girl or boy.) But, Virginia wanted to show her love to our new baby to be. She knitted the yellow hat with matching booties and made the quilt with ducks on it. Again, overwhelmed with the generosity of people who will probably never meet baby Bee. Thank you Virginia, you are a sweetheart!

So I go to the lady who gives me my spray tans. Sigrid says, "Before you leave, I have some things I want you to have for your grandbaby. My grandbaby girl, Marlie had outgrown them, and I want you to have them."

So, I have photographed all the things she has been sending home with me! Again, blown away! Thank you Sigrid for the walker, bounce seat, entertaining changing mat, and many, many, many clothes for Baby to enjoy! You are a sweetie!

Then just before leaving for NYC, my mom says, "I have a friend that made baby Bee a beautiful pink afgan." Well, you can see in the picture the beautiful craftsmanship of Joan Dae. Joan is in a wheelchair and lives in Lemoore. I have only met this kind lady one time, yet she had made this beautiful afgan for baby Bee. God Bless you Joan, you amaze me. Thank you!

I guess, I just wanted to officially appreciate the kindnesses of people who know how to give to others. I know the Bible says, "Give and it shall be given to you." I know all the people mentioned in this blog are blessed folks! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the love you have shown to my baby Bee! You are Giving Angels of Love.

I remember.....

November 8th, I guess I will always remember this day. My mom left this earth 14 years ago today. I don't think of her as often as I used to, as life takes over. I guess that's the way it should be. I find myself thinking of her a lot when things like weddings and the birth of a baby come up. I wish I could show her the new little one. She would be nuts over her. Annie's words about her mom ring true for me also. So much has happened in the years she has been gone. I will always miss her as she was the most important person in my life that shaped me. Since she cannot come back to see me, I look forward to the day I can join her. You were the best. L

Bee is Amazing! Visiting was Fabulous!

Bee is only 2 weeks old in this video. She is happy and growing! She loves her mirror and mobile. She makes the most wonderful sounds all day long. It was so fun to hold her and give her lots of love. I know she is the smartest baby on the planet! This video is the closest to seeing and hearing how wonderful she is, without really being there. Enjoy my sweet Bee!

October Happenings....Catch Up

Before I rush off to NYC on Saturday, I better post all the events that have filled our October.

First, this is Gary Soto, a well known children's author from Fresno. My students have enjoyed his stories for many years. I finally got the chance to meet him at West Hills College. He was a guest speaker. He kindly autographed my book, Baseball in April, and posed for our picture. He is a very good poet and short story writer.

Here is Gary with my friend Jeanine Hill. Jeanine invited me to go with her to meet Mr. Soto. It was a wonderful event.

Later that week, Lyle and I attended the Avalon concert at South Valley Church in Lemoore. Avalon is a Contempory Christian group. It was a fabulous concert. We were thrilled that they would come to Lemoore for the concert! What a blessing! (Of course, I couldn't keep the camera still for the photos!)

Then, the next day, Hanford had a guest at the Carnegie Museum. We toured the museum and was impressed with the collection at this origional Library for Hanford. Can you guess who was there? Yes, Huell Howser, from the PBS series "California Gold." When we first arrived, we could have waited in a short line to meet him. But, by the time we finished going through the museum, the line was quite long. So these long distance shots are all I got before the battery in my camera died!

But, the best Happening of October come on the 13th...with Baby Bee. She is a wonder. Here are her 1st week of life collages. Enjoy!

We love that baby! Thanks for blogging those pics! I can hardly wait to hold that bundle of love!

Grandparents Today!

Well, today was the day, October 13, 2008 at 10:15 am. California time, we became grandparents. The long awaited day has finally arrived. There are not enough words to express the amazing feeling that comes with the phone call that little Bee is safe and sound out of her mothers warm womb. Even better when the pictures travel the miles to our computer to get the first peek at our first grandchild. An Amazing Miracle!
I am reminded that only God makes babies! Psalm 139:13-18 says, "You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous--and how well I know it. You watch me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Everyday of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me. O God! They are innumerable! I can't even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up in the morning, you are still with me!" Thank you God, for our little baby Bee! From the very moment she was created, her life was in your hands. I am so grateful for your amazing work, love, grace, and kindness you have given our family through this little gift of love. Bless her life! Make her a blessing to all she meets. Let her love and honor you all the days of her life!
We thank you for blessing Cory and Annie with Baby Bee. We pray that you will lead them every moment of every day in being the parents you want them to be for Bee.
We know they have loved her from the start and we are thankful that they love and serve you. Thank you for blessing them with such a wonderful baby girl.
So grateful and full of love,
Lyle and Marlene Grandparents-to-BEE!

Hanford Renaissance 2008

Can you find Lyle?
Good guess! Well, Saturday we were at the Civic Auditorium hanging out. Everyone who lives in Hanford knows that the 1st week of October brings the Renaissance Fair to town. In recent years we have done our best to avoid the fair. It seems the "same old"...well I guess it is from the Renaissance...Anyway. At 10:00 in the morning it is pretty tame. So in our 10 minutes of walking around, I shot some very colorful pictures. Enjoy!

Nate was in town and went a little later. He will have to share with you his thoughts as he experienced a blast from the past!