The Lord is My Shepherd

Riley Monroe Russell

Born August 4, 1926

Died June 22, 2009

Husband to Barbara for over 58 1/2 years.

Husband to Hanna for just shy of 2 years.

Father to three adoring daughters and their husbands.

Grandfather to four grandsons, two granddaughters, one granddaughter-in-law, and two son-in-laws.

Great-grandfather to four - including one being his namesake.

Grandpa served in WWII, and was a true hero. On April 21, 1945 (I believe, please correct me if I'm wrong on that date) he was shot in Germany and left for dead. Through a series of miraculous events, ordained by God, Grandpa's life was spared. Some 64 years later, Grandpa gets diagnosed with an inoperable brain aneurysm - that was most likely caused by his war wound! -and less than three months later, he dies.

Grandpa was a man of God, and I know he is in the presence of Jesus as I write this. God was merciful in sparing Grandpa's life, all those years ago, and Grandpa did not waste that gift. He raised a loyal, loving, generous family, he worked hard, even in his retirement, he was faithful, affectionate and such a provider and a protector, right to the end.

He told Jamie, the last time we were able to visit with him, "Don't worry, you kids are taken care of, I have a trust all set up." "If you ever lose your spouse, don't be afraid to remarry, no one should have to be alone." "If you want anything of mine, just go on into the house and take it." :)

If you knew my Grandpa know further explanation is needed. If you didn't, I hope you'll get to meet him in heaven some day. He was one of a kind and will be sorely missed.

I love you Grandpa.

I found some pictures I've enjoyed looking over, and thought you might too.

Grandpa with my kiddos, this past April.

Grandpa, with his squad. He is the one on the far left, bottom row. He was so handsome!

Back Row: My Dad, My Mom, Aunt Cathy, Uncle Bob, Uncle Kerry
Front Row: My sister, Jeni, Grandpa, Grandma, Aunt Connie, Me, cousin Steve
I was born in November of 1980, so I'm guessing this was taken the winter of 81/82. Good 'ol Olan Mills! :)

The Russell Family
Aunt Cathy, Grandpa, Carol (my Mom), Grandma, Aunt Connie
Maybe my Mom or one of my Aunts can help me figure out what date this photo was taken???

Aren't they an adorable family? I especially love how Aunt Cathy is looking at my Mom, probably thinking to herself, "Gosh, why can't Carol just sit still?" :)

Half-way there

Exactly one week ago, we were in the car, driving to Colorado. Exactly one week from today, we'll once again be in the car, but this time driving home. So, I guess we're half-way through our trip here in Colorado.

Sophia fought a pretty high fever all morning and into the afternoon. It was running almost 103. She was so hot and flushed she looked sunburnt. She pretty much slept the entire day and ate almost nothing; though we were able to keep her sipping enough water to stay hydrated. She also got down one popsicle and some sherbet.

Jamie started to not feel well during the morning. So, when Riley layed down for an afternoon nap, Jamie and Soph took a nap too! I headed out with our sitter and our Campus Director's two kids that were here this past week. We drove over to the Olympic Training Center that is here in the Springs. I was actually there once before, back in college. We bought Sophia a gold medal to brighten her day! She loves it too!

When we returned around 3p, Sophia's fever was coming down and she was acting much like her old self again. She finally started eating and got out of bed. She's not totally well, but I think by morning she may be good as new!

Thank you for praying for us as we've fought what looks to have been some virus. Riley is doing just fine now too!

Happy Father's Day to all you Daddys out there, especially my husband, my Daddy, my Dad-in-law, my Grandpa and my brother-in-law!!! God has blessed me richly by putting you in my life.

It's getting hot around here

Though Riley's fever broke in the night, he spent the majority of the day screaming- loud, constant, inconsolable screaming. Sometime this afternoon he started acting more like himself. His appetite has not been good though and he's thrown up a few times. The kiddos have been asleep for awhile now, but we just got soph up to use the potty and she is burning up and running a fever... We have most of tomorrow free and had planned to do some fun stuff. Not sure now what we'll do. Please pray the kids get well soon and that no one else gets sick!

Thank you!

What a day!

UPDATE: Saturday morning- Riley slept through the night and his fever broke! Praise God!

Riley tossed and turned and moaned all through the night, Thursday night. Friday morning he woke with a temp of 101.8. All day he's hardley eaten a thing, has been very restless and fussy, and continues to have a fever- despite being on Tylenol round the clock, having a few "cool me down" baths and even starting antibiotics after a call to our ped back home. If his fever doesn't break by tomorrow we'll have to consider getting him in to a ped here. I have pretty much missed everything today- conference- wise, which has been discouraging. Please pray for our sweet boy!

On other news... We discovered just how tough sophia is today! Our campus director's wife, her 11yr old, 15 yr old, our sitter, and then FOUR YEAR OLD Soph, went on a crazy hard hike today. They hiked one mile, pretty much straight up a mountain - which took them 1 1/2 hours, took a bit of a break to enjoy their destination, punch bowls( huge "bowls" of mountain water collected in these huge bowl-shaped rocks), then hiked the mile back down, taking another full hour! This hike was rated "difficult" and included crossing a bunch of creeks, crawling up parts/scooching down parts it was so steep. Sophia plugged away the entire way NEVER complaining ONCE! We were all so impressed! A few hours later as we were walking back to our car from dinner, all of 200 yards or so on totally level pavement, our tough hiker just couldn't make it and had to be carried. :)

Both of my babies (actually all three) are sleeping soundly.

Goodnight!

Some images

Burning off some energy at the hotel pool in Denver, after spending 22+ hours in a mini-van! It was Riley's first time in a real pool - he wasn't quite sure what to do with himself!





Today we had a couple of hours of free time, and chose to spend it walking around The Garden of the Gods park. It was beautiful! Our dear babysitter of course joined us, along with another little girl - who is the daughter of good friends of ours. They are the campus directors at AU and so are essentially our bosses on campus. Though, they are much more than that. :)

Tonight, everyone attending our conference went mini-golfing. This was Sophia's first time and she had a lot of fun! In the second picture she is "posing" for me. I told her to pose, thinking she'd strike a golfing posture, but she did this instead! :)

Where are we??

So glad you asked! :) We are currently in Colorado Springs! We left Sunday evening, drove straight through, arriving in Denver around dinner time yesterday. The road trip took about 22 hours. My dad drove out with us to help with the driving and flew back home this morning.

Also along for this trip is a friend of ours, who will be helping us babysit the kids.

Jamie and I are here to attend a conference. We will be here for 10 days, then we'll be driving back to Denver to spend a couple days with some friends of ours. My Dad will fly back to help us drive home! Whew!

I'll be posting again soon to share more details of our trip. Right now I have to get ready for our first activity... a hike!

To my daughter

Dear Sophia Ruth,

Two nights ago you performed your first ballet routine in front of a few hundred people. You came out on that stage in all you tutu-ed glory and danced beautifully! Your passion for life and your love of drama and action are things that Mommy relates to and are all qualities I so admire in you, my sweet girl.

You have been a part of this ballet class since the beginning of the year (January 2009), and I've seen you learn and grow, become able to work as a team, and simply blossom. It is bittersweet, because all of this means you are growing up.

You were my first miracle Sophia. God has blessed Daddy and me with six children so far, and you were our first! I didn't know it at the time, but as I get older the miracle of your life becomes more and more evident.

You have ALWAYS loved to dance! To see you the other night, dancing up on a stage, looking so beautiful, in all your 4 1/2-ness... I am so proud of you Baby. I'm starting to see dreams of yours come true, and it is glorious to observe.

Thank you for being you! God made you so special and I love each part of you. Even if it's not on a stage, decked out in frill, never stop dancing Baby, never stop dancing.

Love,
Mommy

We missed you Grandpa!

Sophia's recital was so wonderful. Only one thing could have made it better... and that would have been my Grandpa being able to attend. He and a friend were planning on coming down with my parents to partake in all the glorious ballerina watching... but, Grandpa's been sick for awhile, suffering from the effects of a recently diagnosed brain aneurysm. He just wasn't well enough to make the trip down to us. We missed you Grandpa! We love you so much!

The day before the recital we went to visit Grandpa, and Soph even wore her recital costume so Grandpa could see her in it. I took the opportunity to get some pictures of course!



Sophia got up on the bed all on her own and got really close to my Grandpa. She then softly whispered, "I love you," in his ear. It was so precious.




I love this shot of them holding hands. My Grandpa is a great man, and his open affection towards all of his children is so special to me.

Riley checking out Riley. :) I am so thankful for such a great man to name my firstborn son after.

The actual performance!

Here's the video of Sophia's ballet routine. It was so cute to see seven little girls all dressed in pink fluff. They did a really great job! Yes, that is Sophia sitting down at the beginning, and no, that was not part of the routine. :) I'm thinking she got confused with what they were to do during the finale, which was to come out and sit down. I think, all the cute little mistakes is what makes it so fun. To see them working as a team and doing their best, warms this Mama's heart! And let me tell you, I sat and watched all their classes, and I was a bit worried. :) It came together pretty well though, and I could not be more proud of my sweet girl.

My favorite quote of the night was when Sophia was telling me who handed her her medal (each participant received one, and let me tell you, the excitement!). She told me that someone named Noah passed it out to her. I asked her who Noah was. She told me, "The black boy."

Oh, okay. There were some African-American kids performing tonight. How observant of her. :) Then she goes...

"He was the one with the blue lady." ??? Wow, I missed that one! :) I was relieved to remember that she was not actually talking about a literal "blue lady," but was referring to two of the tap dancers who'd done a routine together, with the boy, apparantly Noah, wearing a black tux, and the girl wearing all blue. :) So, enjoy the video of Soph'a routine.

A Night of Firsts

Our first child

Our first daughter

Their first grandchild

Their first niece

Her first ballet costume

Her first pair of ballet shoes

Her first ballet performance

Her first time performing on a "real" stage


Needless to say, it was a big night in our little corner of the world.

What will she say when she's 15?

So, on Tuesday, the kids and I stopped by the eye dr. to pick up my new lenses and my new prescription sunglasses. While waiting, Soph and I were playing with these magnetic "paper dolls" of sorts. The dolls are wooden and the clothes are magnetic and you can change the outfits all around, etc... Well, Soph was putting a pair of blue jeans on her doll and looks at me with grand excitement and proclaims:

"Jeans really do go with everything Mom, just like you said!"

I have actually said this to her, in my attempt to persuade her that for things to match each item does not have to be the same color. :)

***

Sophia likes to pick out an item from the dollar section at T@rget, with her own dollar, mind you, when we visit this store. Today she picked out a package of three little squirt guns. We had a grand water fight before dinner and then after dinner we had to take Jamie back to work. On the way home, while still in the car, Sophia asked me if she could play with her squirt guns some more when we got home. Here's what followed:

Me: Yes, but I will only fill them once, then when they are empty it will be time to be done.

Sophia: So, I can fill them twice?

Me: No, Sophia. I said once.

Sophia: So, I can fill them as many times as I want?

Me: Sophia, you heard what Mommy said...

I guess you can't blame a girl for trying. :)

***

Tonight is Sophia's dress rehearsal for her ballet receital! Her receital is tomorrow and I'm sure it will be one of the cutest and funniest things I've ever seen! I'll be sure to post some pictures.

Pretty much, just because I love her

Sunday Sundae

Dilemma: What to make (or not make, whatever the case may be) for dinner on a Sunday night, when it is hot, Mommy is tired and Daddy is still at work...

Solution: A healthy, (ahem) mixture of dairy, berries, and chocolate (the oft' forgotten food group, don't you know?)!

Don't judge me, you know you totally would have had some if you'd been here! :)

Roller Stroller Derby

While my sister, Jeni,and her husband, David, were here Saturday, we took a lovely little walk with all the kids. While my sister and I were taking pictures and having a lovely little chat, here is what our dear husbands were up to... I believe the pictures speak for themselves. (they may, or may not have had some direction on posing in one of the pictures... someone thought it would be funny if they even held hands, but noooo, they wouldn't do that!) :)