Grandpa is 50!!!

Hey everyone!

Jeffs turn to post again. Probably not doing this at the best of times, but we got another half inch of rain on top of the 4.5 inches that we got over the two days before that, so we arent getting much done at work right now, and I got a break here now. Gary, dad, or grandpa...whatever his title is, turned 50 yesterday. I was going to write dad a letter, but I decided there is no reason to brag on him in a letter. I want everyone who reads this to know how I feel. He came out to visit not too long ago, and what to put into words has been running through my head since he left. I just about wrote a letter, but decided that wouldnt do justice, so here we are.

Last night on the way home, I was thinking about a man who has lived for half a century, been married for 30+ years to the same wonderful wife, (which is the way it should be, but somewhat rare in this day and age) raised 6 kids that look to be turning out alright :) and has 6 grandkids (with maybe more on the way if Steve or Glenda havent told anyone new news...we dont have news) and loves them like the chickens...aka the dickens!

Dad has been and continues to be a fine example of how to be a son of loving parents, a husband, a father, and a grandpa that every man should follow. Many times having the patience of Job, the wisdom of Solomon, and the uniqueness that only he can possess. Sorry to bring it up again dad, but driving a Harley in 45 degree weather 750 miles with no liscense to see family has to qualify for uniqueness!

A man who loves living, inspiring his kids to do what they love, showing how we have to have good work ethic in all that we do, (note here: not to brag on us, but no one has every accused the Westra boys of being lazy on a job because we were brought up to work hard! ) but being able to enjoy some things in life when the work is done, mostly with family because that is priority number 2 behind keeping faith in line. Being passionate for the outdoors, usually fishing or hunting or sitting by a body of water with family and friends. Teaching his children how to be parents by example, and not just owning the title cuz they learned the science of reproducing :) Loving his grandkids, spoiling them, and teaching them, and maybe most importantly laughing when his grandkids get to be a handful to their parents just like his kids did to him! Its an amazing thing to watch how bright eyed these kids can get when grandpa comes around. Every child being very different, but all in all, their love for grandpa is the same. Listening to Miya lately has been pretty funny. Nicki told me last nite that when Miya came down from her nap yesterday, she said she didnt sleep cuz she was playing with her babies in grandpas bed (the bed in the room right next to hers that grandpa slept in when he was here). Watching Jaden after she warmed up to grandpa after a few hours and hearing her EH! EH! when she wants grandpa to pick her up again. Hearing stories from Iowa about how he loves Marissa, Carter, Cambrie and Madison, and the laughter that these young ones bring on a day to day basis.
But maybe, most importantly, knowing my dad is leaving a legacy. We are all put on this earth for a purpose. Dad isnt one who just sits back and lets life happen. He wears many hats, and I dont mean John Deere hats although he wears those too. What I mean by that is he jugles many things in life. He is involved all over the place. Involved in family, ie brothers, sisters, mother, in-laws, involved with his wife, even when shopping is in order, involved in church, involved in school support, involved in kids sports and musical things, involved in his grandkids lives, involved in his kids work, involved in his kids farms, involved in opportunities...all these hats, yet not letting a single hat collect dust on a shelf. He is one who has many obligations, yet lives his life according to priorities. Knowing that being a dad means teaching his children and grandchildren spiritually. (He's probably the best scripture quoter of Ephesians 6:1 that Ive ever seen...if you dont know what it is, look it up...best passage ever for kids to read :)
With all that being said dad, if you are reading this now, I want you to know, I dont know if these next words could come out of my mouth without crying too hard. I want you know how very proud I am of you...How very proud I am to be called your son...Very proud of the knowledge you have passed on to me in the years of MY life...How proud I am to talk about my dad to my kids...and how hopeful I am that I can be the father to my kids, the husband to my wife, and if God allows, the grandpa to my grandkids that you are being...the legacy you continue to leave on a day to day basis will be passed on to every generation that God continues to allow for.

Thank you for being who you are...I love ya...and I hope the next 50 years of your life if God so chooses to bless you with it will be as remembered as the first 50 were.

Congrats Wendi!

Wendi has officially graduated from college! Congratulations Wendi, we are so proud of you. You will be the teacher everyone remembers as their 'favorite'!

Enjoy the Journey!

We woke up to a beautiful morning this morning with the birds chirping, the sun shinning (for a while anyway), warmer temperatures, and green all around. While I was reading this morning I ran across a story that really made me think. My prayer is that it will stay with me today and over the days to come. In the book 'Simon Says' Chuck Goetschel is explaining an experience he had with his four year old son.
"His son wanted to ride his bike to a nearby park (3 mile round trip). On the way he saw a rain puddle and jumped off his bike to explore it. He was full of excitement and pointed out everything in the puddle to his dad; the leaves, the stones, and the unidentifiable stuff."

While reading that, the thoughts going through my mind were all related to the task they were trying to accomplish. A 3 mile bike trip with a four year old, how will they ever accomplish it if they stop to look at all the stuff along the way?

"'God made it just for us' the four year said.....then jumped back on his bike and headed to the park."

What an eye opener for me. I know I'm task orientated and that I need to work on enjoying the journey along the way. As I type this I have two little girls climbing on me wanting to play...which I will do as soon as i finish writing this. Chuck goes on to say "....slow down enough to allow some of the little things in life to grab your attention.

What great words of advice to hear in this face paced society. I pray that God will allow me to see the areas of my life I need to slow down in and that He will help me see and appreciate those little miracles He has created along the way. To enjoy the journey, not just the destination!

Good Morning Jayden

Here is a picture of what Jayden usually looks like when she wakes up in the morning....there will be a day she will not appreciate me taking this picture. For now, I will giggle every morning I walk into her room.

A Visit From Grandpa!

Last week we were blessed to have Jeff's dad stay with us. He drove his Harley out here from Iowa...thankfully the weather was okay on the way here and on his way back home. It wasn't looking to pretty last Monday and Tuesday. Miya and Jayden thought it was great having Grandpa here when they woke up every morning! We didn't do a lot while he was here, but I know we all truly enjoyed being able to just be together and make some memories for the girls (and us too)! One thing we did was start our garden in the house! I get very impatient around the end of June because I want my garden veggies to be ready. So we decided to start a few seeds earlier this year in the house. Since Grandpa Westra is a farmer what better person to teach Miya how to plant seeds. The famous question was "What do we do next?" which Miya would like to ask again...some of our seeds have not yet sprouted, "What do we do next?"

We were all sad to see Grandpa Westra get on his bike and head back to Iowa. Of course Miya didn't show it until after he drove down the driveway. She kept asking for Grandpa to come back, almost to the point of tears! When Jayden woke up from her morning nap she went toddling around the house saying "enh, enh" in every room, looking for Grandpa. (Grandpa thinks his name was her first word...I don't think she's quite there yet....but it's close). I wish I remembered to take more pictures!


Thank you Dad for taking the time to come out and visit us! We truly cherished having the opportunity to make more memories with you! I know living 750 miles apart has it down sides, but this is one of the up-sides....one-on-one time with Grandpa (and Dad)! We are thankful that God has given us this time together!

Happy 1st Birthday Jayden!!

I can't believe that our little baby has turned one. Yesterday, through out the day, I would remember what we would have been doing last year at that time. Some of the memories are so vivid in my mind and others are a little more distant- which is a blessing! Reflecting on the past year we can see that Jayden has a little more stubbornness in her then Miya and it started from the very beginning. On the other hand, she is much more cuddly then Miya is. It's hard to imagine that Jayden likes to cuddle because she is usually on the go, but there are those precious moments throughout the day when she will just want to be held and kissed. Jayden is a tough little girl. She has to put up with her sister always pestering her, I'm sure that one day in the future those tables will turn and it will be Jayden always pestering her bigger sister Miya. I can already see how much Jayden LOVES Miya and wants to be right next to her, even when she's getting bumped around. We have been blessed beyond measure with two, healthy, lively, little girls and treasure every minute we are able to watch them grow. Yes, there are days that are harder then others, but at the end of the day, we can always look back and smile about one particular saying, or one particular thing one of the girls did throughout the day.



Jayden was a daddy's girl already on day 1. Daddy is still her favorite today!


We pray the Lord will continue to help us provide and care for Miya and Jayden. To enjoy all of the moments we have with them here on earth. And to continue to teach our little blessings to be blessings to others.



P.S. Jayden prefers to walk now. If she is standing, she will walk to the her next destination. She will not yet stand up after she falls down and try again. I'll be doing something and all of of a sudden she will walk into the room, it still takes my breath away to see her toddling around. She walks so much better than this video shows...

Attempting to Walk

She really does take more steps then this. The kitchen rug distracts her everytime. Right now as I'm writing this she is walking from the couch in the living room to the table in the kitchen. By herself! With no coaxing!! She just won't do it when the camera's on! We'll keep trying!

Happy Birthday Kyle!!

I double checked the date several times, this time I we will post on the correct day. Happy Birthday Kyle!! We hope you enjoyed your day today. We wish we were there to give you a big birthday hug too. Enjoy the rest of your day Uncle Kyle!!

What a Great Dad

I have an amazing husband. He has been working so hard these past few months to grow our business and I am so proud of him. Not only is he a great husband but he is the BEST DAD in the world. When he is at home, he is at home. What I mean by that is, when he's home he is playing with girls, not sitting in front of the T.V. There are so many parents out there that think just being home is being a good parent and that is so not true. It is not the presence of our person that makes a good parent, it is the ACTIONS of the parent.

Jeff has really helped me to take a step back and look at this part of my life. Being blessed to stay home with our girls every day I find there are many times I get caught up in the tasks of the day. I find myself having to pattern interrupt many times throughout the day. Do I really need to check my e-mail right now? Do I really need to clean the bathroom right now? Do I really need to make supper now, or can I do it later when the girls are napping? Jeff helps to remind me that my calling is to care for the girls before everything else.

Jeff is such a great Dad. The girls LOVE him to pieces! Miya woke up this morning crying because she wanted Daddy to wake her up. When Jeff gets home at night Jayden is on a bee-line for the door to give Dad a hug and slobbery kiss. We are so blessed to have a dad that wants to spend his time away from work with us and not just in the same room with us, but having fun together.

Thank you Jeff for being such an amazing role model for our girls. I pray they will one day find a husband that will take care of them and their family as well as you take care of me and this family. I can't wait for the day you will be able to spend more time with the girls and I. We are truly blessed!