A Spring Day in January

Matthew has been here the past few days interviewing for a faculty position in the geosciences department at the University of Arkansas. Yesterday and today the weather has been gorgeous! Today the high was in the low 70's, and when James, Allison, and Jesse came over to visit with Matthew, we decided it was nice enough eat lunch outside.

Mid-afternoon, we decided to go for a walk on Mud Creek Trail. Lots of people were out and about on bikes, jogging, and walking. It was Jesse's first outing in his stroller.

The Owl and the Storybook

I have almost finished my part in making things for Katie's nursery. Since she is using both an owl and a storybook theme, she designed this picture of the owl with the book. I used it to applique a picture for a pillow to put in the rocker.

Katie asked Lisa to make a diaper bag that she had found online. She wanted an owl on it, and my part was to applique the owl on the diaper bag flap. Lisa is putting the bag together, and still has some work to do on it.

My Bookends

I love this picture of my youngest and oldest children. It was taken when we were together during the Christmas holidays. Matthew had just finished running up and down the stairs with Lisa on his back.

Visiting Jesse

Yesterday I used part of my snow day to go and spend time with Jesse. Of course, I visited with James and Allison, too, but Jesse was the highlight of the visit. Afterall, I had not seen him since Monday, when he was only five days old, and yesterday he was nine days old. I asked them if they had seen my new blog, and James said, "Oh, your "Grandma blog?" This is not really a "Grandma blog," but since I am now a grandmother, you can bet that much of the blog will be about my beautiful and talented grandchildren. Can you really imagine anything more precious that this little guy?

A Baby Quilt for Katie

Katie has chosen to decorate her nursery with an "owl" theme, and she designed a cute quilt for the nursery. During the Thanksgiving holidays, Katie and I worked on the quilt design some together and picked out the fabrics. On Saturday, Jan. 15 I finished the appliques, and on Monday, Jan. 17 I managed to get the quilt top pieced together. My mother is now quilting it, and once she is finished I will bind the edges. It looks like we might actually get it finished before baby Rogers arrives.

Here you can see some pictures of the process of constructing the quilt top:

My Baby Turns Twenty

Twenty years ago, the Gulf War had just begun in the Middle East, but here in Fayetteville, we were focused on a big event much closer to home. Lisa Michelle Covington was born on Friday, January 18, 1991. It is hard to believe that tomorrow she will turn twenty years old! I am so thankful that God chose to add her to our family twenty years ago. She has been such a blessing and joy in our lives. When she was little we nicknamed her "The Energizer Bunny" because she just kept going and going and going. She still seems to be full of energy as she is constantly doing things for others.

Lisa has grown so much spiritually in the past few years, and it has been such a joy to observe. God has really developed her servant attitude as she serves him through various ministries at church. Lisa, we are proud of you and the young woman that you have become. Stay strong in the Lord!

Newborn Lisa at the hospital

Coming home from the hospital

6 days old

Lisa's First Birthday

Jesse Visits with Carol

Today, Carol, Hannah, and I went over to visit James, Allison, and Jesse. It was Aunt Carol's first time to get to hold Jesse and love on him. As usual, he slept though the whole thing.

Early Birthday Celebration

Saturday night Lisa came over so that we could celebrate her birthday, even though it was a few days early. We were excited that James, Allison, and Jesse were able to join us for a dinner of steak, baked potatoes, and salad.

Meeting Grandmother Dorothy

One Day Old