Rollman family.

 We received such terrible news while we were at the cabin over Easter.  We don't have great cellar service inside the cabin but I usually like that because I love that I can still go to a place where I can unplug and not look at screens.  Friday morning, my sister called and asked if I have any update on the Rollman family.  I didn't know anything was wrong with the Rollman family from church until Jody started telling me the news.  Brad and Mimy, with their four children, were on their way to Myrtle Beach for a weekend vacation.  Early that morning, they were struck by a truck and Carson (their 13 year old son) was thrown out of their vehicle and pronounced dead on the scene.  Annika (their 10 year old daughter) was rushed off to the hospital and on life support.  She had head injuries and because of the bad swelling, surgery was not an option.  They were hoping she stays alive while being on life support until the family and hospitals could find organ donor patients in need.  They hoped that Annika's organs could help save another life!  The four others climbed out of the vehicle with no major hurts.  Everyone was taken to the hospital except for Carson.

I just could not believe this news.  This is a family from church that we know!  The kids go to Sunday School together.  Carson is such a funny kid!  Just the Sunday before he came with the tips of his hair dyed and I thought to myself that Brad and Mimy are such cool parents to let him do this!  Annika was a sweet girl and followed her mom around to help with any Sunday school details.  Both of these children are Ashlyn and Austin ages and I CANNOT imagine this!

Annika fought hard but after a few hours she also passed away.  Both children died on Good Friday.  I found it hard to call this day "good" but at the funeral there was a comment made that Annika would have thought it would have been so cool to die on the same anniversary date as when Jesus died.

We thought that maybe our weekend plans would change and they sure did in our prayers and thoughts but because this accident happened in Maryland and near DC, there was much to prepare before any viewings or funerals would take place.

My heart thumped as I looked at the Instagram posts Mimy shared!!!!!

Church friends were sharing this photo out on their feeds to ask for prayer!!!!!

This was such shocking news to our own children and I knew this was gonna be tough on all the children at church!  So many of them were friends to this family!  There should never, ever be baby or children coffins made.  BUT GOD knows.  He cares.  This family has a deep faith and I know they will trust God through this very difficult time!

We took Ashlyn and Austin to the viewing.  It was so touching to watch the photos on the screen as memories played while we waited in line to view the two coffins side by side.  Both of our children grabbed a bracelet and animal squishy in memory of Carson and Annika.  

The tears just ran for Ashlyn and Austin when they saw their friends in coffins.  You could tell the children were beat up from the accident.  The swelling in the faces were still there.  Ashlyn wiped tears as she watched Alea and Alyssa without their siblings.  Austin just cried and cried.  I don't think he knew what to do with his emotions.  It was just too sad to see children, their friends, now dead.

Some of our friends from church had mentioned going for ice cream after the viewing and just letting the boys and girls think through all of this and process this.  It's a lot to take in for me let alone a child.  Death can look scary for a child!  Ashlyn wanted to go for ice cream but Austin just wanted to go home.  He did say that if we go to Fox's Meadow, he would just stay out in the vehicle.  We decided to go and spend time with our church family that are also grieving and Austin ended up coming inside, ordering ice cream and enjoying the moment.  When we got back home, I told Austin that I would lay beside him in his bed until he fell asleep.  We prayed for peace.  We prayed for the mom and dad and siblings that now have to find a new normal!  

Austin had no problem falling asleep.  It was so sweet to see him cried out and yet drift off to sleep so fast.  Ashlyn came over to our bed during the night and asked for prayer.  I prayed for her and she went right back to bed.  It was so hard for her to see this and watch Alea and Alyssa, two of her friends, deal with this.

We gave both of our kids the option of going to school or the funeral.  You guessed it ... Austin said he's going to school and Ashlyn wanted to go with us to the funeral.

It was a sunny beautiful day.  Many, many people gathered at Petra Church for the funeral service.  The tears just fell when Brad and Mimy joined the worship team during songs and worship.  Brad plays the drums and Mimy has a beautiful voice and loves to sing.  I do not know how one finds the strength and energy to sing at your own children's (two children) funeral but they did!  And they worshipped!  They sang and cried all at the same time.  It was a very moving service!!!!!

Memories were shared at the funeral.  Mimy is a school teacher and Annika was one of her students this year.  Teachers from Gehmans shared memories.  Carson played football and young boys came in football jersey's.  Carson and Annika's best friends shared and cried.  To watch a 10 year old girl share about her bestie on her funeral day was just heart wrenching!  Carson's best friend wrote a nice letter and he would read a line and pause and cry.  Then he would read another line of his letter, pause and cry.  So touching!

I don't ever remember watching two caskets being lowered in one big hole before.  Two young children!  Two children that loved their parents!  These two children were both adopted and loved their family as their very own.  Jesus please be near this family!!!!

We sang Jesus Loves Me This I Know at the graveyard along with many songs of heaven!  Ashlyn throw flowers over the grave and Mike helped cover the graves with dirt.

  

Watching 10, 11 and 12 year old boys from church be pallbearers is just the saddest thing ever.  

This was a heavy day of emotions.  Many tears.  Many questions.  Lot's of memories that should still be alive!  God be near us!!!!

On Sunday, I was the Sunday School teacher for Annika's class.  Alyssa (her sister) is also in the class so I grabbed some flowers and found a poem on Pinterest.  We shared more memories of Annika.  Funny moments we could remember her for!  The time was special.

Church did a good job at giving some book recommendations for grief for children.  The service was beautiful!

Watching children pray over Alyssa brought more tears!  So many are asking questions and yet believing that Jesus has a good plan in all of this!

Please, join me in prayer for this family!  They went from a family of six to four.  They buried their only son and youngest daughter.  Life will now have a new normal as they adjust to life without these children and siblings.  We trust God in this but grief hurts and Carson and Annika will be missed for forever!!!!!

We love you Rollman Family!!!!

April happenings.

 April has been a full month.  Lot's of things are happening!  Baseball season has begun!  Austin has been swinging his bat for weeks already and practicing every chance he gets!  He loves softball and he was so excited for his first game!

The Flames lined up for an opening prayer before their first game and they played well.  It's the first game where you play with some new members to the team and smile at the kids you have played with before!  Good job Flames for your first win!

And the mulch arrived.  12 yards of bark this year instead of 15.  We are trying to cut back on the mulching work around here and plan to cut down a few pines that take a lot of mulch around them.  And then I got one scoop of mushroom mulch for the garden!  There's are rabbit that keep nibbling my lettuce and I wish it would leave it alone!  I cover up the plants and put a pie plate out to scare the rabbit if the wind blows the plate.

We are spending more and more time on the back porch!  Just yesterday I cleaned the cobwebs around the ceiling and wiped down the lights and we are excited to make many campfires out here and watch some Phillies games!  

I decided to buy Macho ferns this year even though I really loved my Kimberly Queen ferns last year.  Just felt like buying another kind and after I had them planted and set in place, I decided to move them down off the ledge because of the wind.  And one slipped right out of hands.  Such a bummer.

So I went with my orinaial plan and replanted the ferns in these white pots.

The front trees are in full bloom!  One morning it was foggy and then the next morning crystal clear blue skies!

Taking my daily walks at the park with my friend has been nothing but positive!!!!  Look how beautiful it is here!!!!!

Jeremiah and Matthew helped scoop mulch one evening and we got mulched around the house.  Mike and I spread it and the girls watched as they held Gunnar!  Austin was around hitting balls!

And I saved the big banana leaf palms again.  I had these for a few years now and they look sad at the beginning of the season because they get forgotten when they get moved upstairs for the winter.  Somehow after some fresh dirt and watering, they look great again!

This little guy is doing so good!

Another visit with Mommy D had me smiling!  When I got there, she was sleeping with two dolls on her lap.  Mommy lives in a retirement home where they care for her as she fights dementia.  She has good days and then off days.  Today, I tapped her knees and she woke up fast!  She was so happy to see me and we actually held conversation!  She told me when her birthday is and after I told her that we should celebrate it again with a cake or banana splits she laughed and said that she still likes banana splits and that she will make me a cake.  Her words get mixed up all the time but this was a really good, fun visit!

And then I was off to workout class.  Once a week I meet here with these ladies and once a week we work hard and sweat and get sore.  Still I get sore but it's been so good for me to do this!  I love Empowered Fitness!

I quickly swung by this greenhouse and grabbed myself my first fig tree!  I've had my eye on it and I'm ready to plant it and set it in the garden!!!!

Another photo of my morning walks at the park.  So much color going on right now!

Gunnar is growing and doing so good!  He loves his swing!  He loves me!!!! ❤️. He snuggles and is such a sweet baby!

Austin made this grass head thingy in Sunday School the other week and I've been faithfully watering it and now it finally has some "hair" growing on it!  Everyone can't wait to get it haircuts!  These googly eyes and hair spikes are making me smile today beside my first lilac clippings!!!!!

I don't know much about dahlias but I did plant some last year and they OK.  I think they will do much better in one of my raised beds so I planted then in here this year.  We shall see if we get lots of blooms!

It's also time to fill up the garden with more seeds!  Cucumbers, sunflowers, fennel, basil seeds and cut lettuce are all planted!

My parents stopped in the other night with some cookies she made and leftover chip dip.  Matthew loves both of these old recipes!  I remember my mom making these cookies when I was just a little girl.  Whenever she was asked to bring a dessert or whenever she hosted people, this was her go to cookie to serve!  So many people know her for these molasses cookies!  And Mommy D made the best chip dip and mom makes that now and then too!  Matthew was the lucky one to get her leftovers after a family gathering and he joked that he was taking these cookies over to his house that he's working on for when he gets married.  He saved two cookies last night for his lunch today.

Last fall, we bought a ticket at our annual school sale for a sushi making night!  Mike and Ashlyn have been talking about buying a kit and learning how to make sushi so this seemed perfect!  We finally got a date to work for us and we went to the Witmers home to learn how to do this!  It was a very fun night with the Witmers and the sushi was fun to roll and very good to eat!  Becky served warm apple crisp and whipped cream for dessert!  Before we arrived, the kids were a little nervous because they knew the Witmers but not well.  They have children but none in our children's grades.  BUT, they both had such a good time and it was really a good night together!  Thank you Dave and Becky for this fun time!

We came home and ordered a few things from Amazon to make our own sushi rolls.  Now we just wait for the sushi mats to arrive yet!

First time ever .... can you tell the difference?  Matthew's playing for a baseball team and he asked Mike if he would want to help them sometimes if they ever needed someone.  Monday nights are usually when Austin has games and Mike helps coach that but he said yes it ever he would work out!  On Monday night, Matthew went to his game and called Mike quickly and said they could use his help and Austin did not have a game.  So, he went booking to the ballpark in time to help these boys!  Mike did great!  They put him in left field and he played well!  This was Mike and Matthew first slow pitch game they played together.  That sounds crazy because Mike has played so much baseball with Matthew when he was younger and they tons of ball in the back yard, etc.  But this was the first game they were teammates and I hope it happens more!  They lost but only by two points and Matthew's friends seemed to really like an older guy on the bench for this night!!!!  I'm so proud of Mike at how he just puts himself out there and he still knows that he can play good ball but to actually do it .... is just the best!

I could just squish the both of them!!!!  Austin cannot wait to teach Gunnar all the boy things and I just love it when he asks to hold him!  Hadassah and Gunnar came over yesterday for the day and baby did great while Hadassah enjoyed the sunshine in the back yard.  I've been in and out of their home a lot the past few weeks helping with house chores, etc. and it was fun having them here for the day!  I got to hold him a lot and stare at his adorable face and burp him after his momma feeds him!  These are precious times!