STARRING ROYCE AND JUDY WITH JILLIONNA AND JOSIANNE AGES 4 AND 3 1993 has been an exciting, tragic, yet miraculous year. The girls are growing too quickly and seem to pass from stage to stage before we have a chance to thoroughly enjoy each one. JAN Jillee and Josee are talking so much more, some in baby talk, some in adult talk, and some in unknown "tongues." Josee calls for Jillee, "Ju Juonna, where are you?" and Jillee calls for Josee, "Go-key." The girls play "mommy" very well. They like to switch roles and tuck us into bed, not forgetting to: give us a drink of water, remove eyeglasses, tell us to shut our eyes, tell us to be quiet, turn on our night-night tape, turn on the nightlight, and have prayer. FEB Both girls still wear diapers at night. When Royce applies the diaper their legs look like they have elephantiasis by morning as the heavy diaper usually falls down a leg. The girls have been going through everybody they know and some they don't, deciding if they are a boy or a girl. They even wanted Royce to tell them what sex was our house! The concept is still fuzzy. After much discussion they decided it was a "girl" house. Poor Royce is outnumbered. He may have to get a "boy" dog. MAR Chapel Music released Judy's sixth gospel harp album, "In My Heart." We attended the American Cardiology Convention in Anaheim, California and visited family. The girls love to swim but still aren't putting their faces in the water. Josee is very independent and wants to do everything for herself, just like Judy as a child. APR Each trial brings us closer or farther from our Jesus. We would like to wipe this month from our memories. First, Royce had surgery twice and nearly died, the heater for our upstairs broke, the motor in our central vacuum burned out and the replacement was defective, Judy's watch gained 7 minutes a day (at least she was never late), Josee got the flu... Royce pulled a lousy April Fool's joke. He perforated his bowel and ended up having emergency surgery and a second surgery 7 days later. He barely had a blood pressure for six hours until he was anointed by the Pastors Merchants and Lorntzs, and then rallied. He was given a total of 9 units of blood. He was in the hospital 7 more weeks. The girls would help wash Daddy's feet, comb his hair, and do daily cares. Pretty scary to think that he almost didn't live to see the girls grow up. Your prayers were surely felt, as was the presence of our Lord. MAY Josianne anxious for daddy to be home prayed, "Dear Jesus, please help Daddy cheel ('f's are 'ch') better, get dressed, get in car and come home." Josee will say, "Let's cheed the chish." Jillee says that she will be "poor" (four). A few more: Instead of "Give that to me," it's "I want that to me." "Rudder Dan" are rubber bands. "I pick up the bug and he be dead." When asked what does your daddy and mommy do, Josee replies, "He plays with toys," and "Mommies don't work." Thanks for making that clear. We have wonderful friends that watched the children while Judy tended to Royce in the hospital. Judy would pick them up at noon to go see Daddy. We missed brother Hal's wedding - Royce was to be best man. Royce finally came home - it is so good to have him here. The girls would help Mommy change his dressings and IVs every day. It was another 3 weeks before he could start eating "chood." The girls can get up on the commode all by themselves now and even wipe some. This does have its disadvantages, as long smears seem to present themselves in unusual places: stairs, carpet, walls, bedspreads, and chairs. JUN We declare that both our children are deaf. When we ask them to come here, they run the other way, no matter how loudly voiced. To California for a week to recooperate and celebrate Jillionna's 4th birthday and see Great Gramps (for the last time). Judy's grandmother (Pfeiffer) and great aunt (Lil) died. Grandpa Wolter retired after 44 years in the ministry. Josee pasted a whole roll of postage stamps on a piece of paper and reported that this letter needed to be mailed to Bea-Bea, Grammy Bailey's little house dog. JUL Royce's 40th birthday - 70 people who supported us with time, food, babysitting...while Royce was sick came to celebrate with him. We had a plane fly overhead with a banner wishing Royce a happy birthday and a real live fire truck came roaring up the driveway with sirens full blast, because "the cake was a fire hazard" with so many candles. Jillee has a wonderful grasp about Jesus being in her heart and comments that she doesn't want Satan in her heart. Josianne said, "I want Jesus to hold me." The girls seem to be going through toilet paper faster than usual. Mystery solved when Judy encountered them unrolling a roll into the commode. Josee is busy trying to figure out how to obey without obeying. It has been a very dry summer, so our garden suffered; all the rain stayed in the Midwest. AUG Josee's 3rd birthday party, 30 friends here to celebrate. Josianne was the only one who wasn't thrilled, as she had a difficult time with the other children playing with "her" toys and swimming in "her" pool. Jillee was feeling left out, so she wrapped up her stuffed cow so she could have something to open. Jillee is swimming under water all by herself and can swim the width of the pool before starting to drink gallons of water and her eyes getting the size of saucers. Josee with her life vest still swims like a jogger jogs - not very productive in water. Royce started Park Ridge Cardiology and moved his office downstairs in Fletcher Medical Center. New office address: Box 500, Fletcher, NC, 28732-5400. SEP Jillee can recite the Lord's Prayer and the 23rd Psalm. Josianne gets hung up on "they kingdom come, they will be done" which gets repeated four times. Great Gramps (Roy E. Shipley) died on 9/17, Jimmy Wolter's birthday. The girls seem to understand the concept of death. They can't wait to see Great Gramps and Grandma Pfieffer in heaven. Josee decided she wanted to be a cosmetologist as she cut her hair on top and six inches off both sides. School pictures were taken a week later, so we will never forget her scissors escapade. Another milestone reached: no night-time diapers. That sure helps in the budget department. OCT Royce sold his 1983 Toyota truck (100,000 miles) but fortunately got visiting privileges - he misses it. Josee and her independent ways, tells us, "You go out. I don't need you anymore," when she goes tinkle. Jillee likes to play office: file folders, tells Judy to get off the "puter" because "I have to do my work," holds a pencil in her mouth, then scribbles down notes on paper, just like mommy. Josee drew on the wall with magic marker again, Royce spanked! (At least this time it wasn't on the wallpaper!) Did you know that vegie meat is now "piggy" in our household? The girls have never tasted real meat. It really has embarrassed us at church potlucks. Quick explanations have usually been in order. In playing with fingers and toes you remember "this little piggy went to market, this little piggy stayed home, this little piggy had vegie meat..." and the girls put two and two together. NOV Prior to surgery Royce weighed 156 and now weighs 180. He has had an interesting time getting used to his colostomy. We drove to Andrew's University in Michigan (Grandpa and Grandma Wolter's and Papa Bailey's alma mater) to visit Uncle Rik who is finishing his doctorate and Grammy and Papa Bailey met us there on Thanksgiving weekend. Jillee and Josee each take turns playing mommy's harp. They stand on the bench and can barely reach the strings, then sing as loudly as they can - off tune. The little harps for our Christmas picture were borrowed from our friend Celeste Carneal. The girls are always singing songs to themselves when they play. During worship each night they get to "read" to us. We hear compliments, admonitions, and skills learned that day. It really helps us know what's on their minds. We are so happy when our families come to visit, especially so when Royce was sick. Thank you! DEC By December 4 the girls had already knocked down the Christmas tree while playing with stuffed tree ornaments. We didn't have the cameras going, so you won't see it on "America's Funniest Home Videos." What a mess. We are spending Christmas in North Carolina and New Years in California. Remembering a year full of the mysteries of God and praises to our Savior. |
Worry is blind, and cannot discern the future, but Jesus sees the end from the beginning. In every difficulty He has His way prepared to bring relief. Our heavenly Father has a thousand ways to provide for us; of which we know nothing. Those who accept the one principle of making the service and honor of God supreme will find perplexities vanish, and a plain path before their feet. |
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