Grandma Talk

Today my grandbaby turns 1!

Ardynn Olivia Diem

Here are a few more pictures of Ardynn from this proud Grandma! Pictures are compliments of Yarnell Photography.

She is so sweet!!

Anthony, Ariel, and Ardynn

It is really hard to believe that one year has gone by already.  But I suppose that is the way life is.  And the older I get, the faster it goes! 

In Memory of Devin and others-

From the time we are born, we start dying.  No one knows how long or how short our life will be.  And  when death comes to a loved one, it is hard.  It is painful.  We are all dealt it sooner or later. 

Death came to my house, when I was 8 years old.  My Grandma came to school to pick us up and on the way home, she told us that our baby sister, Genevieve Wynette,  had passed away.  When we got to our house, my mother was sorting wash.  There was lots of sorted piles of baby clothes.   She was only 5 weeks old.  I also remember asking Mom if she died because I bumped her head on the rocking chair arm.  In my little mind, I was scared that I had done something to her to make her die.  "Crib Death"(as it was called back then) happened for no reason. But I was trying to understand what happened. 

 I remember just a little of the funeral.  I remember going to the Funeral Home to look at her in the casket before the funeral.  She was in a little white casket.  We sat on the front bench at church and I remember Dad passing his big white hanky to me because I was crying.

It has been 36 years since she died.  She was one of my five sisters.  I wonder what she would have been like.  I imagine we would talk on the phone several times a day like sisters do. 

But God had other plans.  He knew her life would be complete at 5 weeks and that is His perfect plan for her. 

Five years ago today, God also saw that Devin's life was complete.

  He was just five years old.  He was the same age as Lyndon and they were buddies.  My husband, his Uncle Gene, was Devin's hero.  And when death came, we wept; we hurt.  But in the end, we come to realize, that God knows best (I know this is so clicheish, but it is true!).  It is His perfect plan and we accept that.  No matter how painful.

This was not the end of our sorrows.  Exactly 12 weeks later, we got a phone call that my husband's mother had died.  It was a shock.  She had just slept away.  The funeral was fast and painful.  But we survived and now it is soon five years later.

Two weeks ago, we attended the funeral of Gene's aunt.  And the last song we sang was "Precious Memories."  It hit us both hard.  We had sung that song at his mother's funeral.

So the grief never goes away.  A part of you is gone. But we have the hope in Jesus, that we will see them again!

Go Here to "LIKE" on Facebook!

Grandma Talk

A few weeks ago, my sister from Ohio came to spend a week with our mother.  So, one day some of us were together with Mom and Grandma. 

Grandma and some of the younger grandchildren.

Mom and some of the younger grandchildren.  She has 27 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild.

This is the newest of the grandchildren-Zeke Gregory Raines!

Mom and little Zeke

Babies are so precious!

Grandma Talk

Yesterday, we had a lovely visit with my 88 year old Grandmother.  Here are some pictures of that visit!

Grandma and her first great, great grandchild-Ardynn

Five Generations

Catharine Martin, Gail Martin, Voni Diem, Anthony Diem, Ardynn Diem

Grandma loves her grandchildren!  She has 60 grandchildren, 128 (I think) great grandchildren, and now her first great, great grandchild.  When she can't sleep at night, she names them all.  It is amazing!

Grandma and Adrianna

Grandma and Lyndon

Grandma and Donovan

She is a very special lady!

Go here to "LIKE" on Facebook!

Grandma Talk

We were treated to a steak/pork chops on the grill recently by our grandbaby's parents.  So we took the opportunity to go visit Ardynn's great grandparents that evening.  Here are some pictures!

Four generations!

Ardynn also has a great, great grandma who lives in Myerstown.  It would be nice to have a five generation picture sometime.

Great Grandma and Grandpa Diem

Go here to "LIKE" on Facebook!

Grandma Talk

On Easter Sunday, we spent the day with our little grandbaby Ardynn and her mommy and daddy.  In the afternoon, we went to the park.  Here are some pictures!

The sun was a little bright. 

I can hardly believe my baby is 8.  She is a dear.

Grandma Talk

I thought it was time for some more pictures of my grandbaby Ardynn.  She is five months old and so very sweet.  Yesterday, we spent the day with her and her mommy and daddy. 

Pap and Ardynn

                                                             

Uncle Lyndon

Aunt Adrianna

Uncle Donovan

Mommy and Ardynn

Ardynn and the bunny

Look for another post with more pictures of my dear little grandbaby!  We were at the park in the afternoon and it was very lovely and warm.

Grandma Talk

It's time to show off my sweet grandbaby again. We were at their house on Sunday afternoon and gave them a special gift.

I have a goal to make a quilt for each of my grandchildren. Here is Ardynn's quilt!

I did not do the quilting on it.  Maybe someday.... Ardynn's great, great, great Aunt Evelyn Crider did the quilting.  I would have liked my grandma to quilt it but she can't do it anymore.

Here is a close-up of the middle of it.  The lighting was poor on the first picture.

It was the first time I did applique (the hearts and stars) and with a little practice, it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.

Now, how about a video of my sweet little Ardynn?  I can hardly believe she is almost 3 months old!

Grandma Talk

My sweet little Ardynn is two months old already!  And I have the privilege of having them move two miles away from our house.  Maybe I'll have to find some excuses to stop in several times a week to squeeze her a little! 

Here are some pictures of her and her chubby cheeks.

                                            She makes the funniest faces! 

                      Don't you wish you could just squeeze her and cuddle her?

Grandma Talk

Can you bear with just one more post about my little grandbaby?

                        Little Ardynn Olivia is now home-safe and sound!

Grandma Talk

I never knew that the emotions of a mother are almost as strong in a grandma.  I just thought it would be like my sister's child.  But it is amazing how that blood tie is really strong.  That maternal instinctiveness is still there. 

Yesterday after the nurse weighed Ardynn, she said, "Who wants to hold her?"  Everybody hesitated just a tiny bit to see who would be the one, and I just snatched her up.  I was glad I did because I soon had to leave.

Here are some more pictures. 

Anthony and Ariel have high hopes of bringing Ardynn home today. 

Grandma Talk

Here's some more pictures from this new Grandma!!

                                                  Isn't little Ardynn Olivia so sweet? 

                    Ardynn is a little jaundiced, so she has to be under a billi-light. 

                       So comfy and warm in an isolette with the billi-light above it.

                                                                          "Daddy"

                                                                          "Mommy"

Grandma Talk

You know, I don't feel like a Grandma.

1. I don't have false teeth.
2. I don't have gray hair.
3. I don't have bi-focals.

See...  I'm not a Grandma!  I'm only 43.  Pappy is 41.  Are we really grandparents?  Well, as of yesterday, in spite of not feeling like a Grandma- I am a Grandma!

Here are the pictures I promised you!  And she is a doll, just like her Daddy said!

                                                         Ardynn Olivia Diem

   Happy Parents!  Anthony & Ariel    

                                 Isn't little Ardynn sweet?

Now...  can you tell I am a Grandma?