Ruth

From Lucy Ruth

When we named Molly's middle name after her great grandma Pearl, I wrote a post about why we made that decision.  When we were deciding on names for our newest Gammons girl, we new from the start that we wanted to have her middle name be Ruth.  It holds a few significances: Shirley's (Amanda's mom's) middle name is also Ruth and my grandma's (Dad's mom's) name was Ruth.

I could celebrate so many things about my grandma.  She was lavish with her love.  She would open the windows and "air out" the house for days before we came for a visit.  My love of sweets is an inherited gift.  Breakfast at her house was either Froot Loops or pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream.  Everything that my mother knows and that I would eventually learn about hospitality we learned from Grandma.  When people were in her home, she served them.  I loved to sit next to her and touch her wrinkly smooth skin and wonder at her big bicep.  She played with us.  She touched us.  ("Do you need an adjustment?")  She payed us endless attention.  She laughed.  Her life ended too soon.  When my dad died, it broke her heart and began her downward path.  She and Grandpa died within a month of each other.

The thing that I will always be thankful to her and Grandpa and especially to God for though, is the heritage of faith that she and her family have given to me and my family.  I love Jesus because Grandma loved Jesus.  My mom became a Christian, I think, through the love of my dad's family.  I can still hear her reading Our Daily Bread and a psalm from the KJV around the breakfast table.  That made an impression.  When I pull the Bible out after dinner, I think of her.

My hope for Lucy Ruth is that some day she will grow into the kind of lavishly loving, always serving, ever laughing, woman of God that my Grandma Ruth was.  I wish my dad were alive to know how important he and his family are to me.  I was 19 when he died.  Too young to have figured any of this out.  I look forward to the time, through God's grace, when I can introduce Grandpa Don and Great Grandma Ruth to sweet little Lucy Ruth Gammons.  Maranatha!  Come Lord Jesus.

You can see some more photos from the last few days by clicking on Lucy's picture below. 

Lucy Ruth

Happy Birthday, Cal Joe

Six years ago we a got a great Christmas gift.  Caleb is the life of the party at our house.  His creativity, care and excitement are his best attributes.  I am excited to see what this year holds for our little Caleb Joseph as he moves from a preschooler into the life of a kid.  We love you Cay!

Lucy Ruth Gammons

Today, out of his unwarranted grace and mercy, the Lord has richly blessed us with our newest daughter, Lucy Ruth Gammons.  She was born through cesarean section at 1:54 PM.  She weighed 6 lbs. 15 oz.  (our smallest yet.)  Amanda is doing well.  We are all thrilled.  Thanks for praying for us.  More pictures to come.

Preview

1:00 PM.

Stay tuned.

What are you doing for Christmas?

Here's our tentative schedule.

• Christmas Eve service at church
• Christmas morning at home
• Christmas with Amanda's family
• Having a baby

Merry Christmas to you and yours.  May God draw you to himself as you celebrate the birth of our savior.

Gammons Annual Christmas Lights Tour

Friday night we went out to do our annual Christmas lights tour. We usually just drive around and see what we can come up with. This year, I checked the listing in the Star Tribune. I wish I would have brought my camera. There were some pretty good ones. I'll list our couple of favorites and make a few comments.

Shoreview (These are both close to church and both worth seeing.)

303 Snail Lake Rd.: Light display synchronized to music courtesy of the Borowick and Jensen families. Food-shelf donations are being collected, and you can preview at www.mnlightshow.com.

492 W. County Road J: Rich and Tina Haavisto have pumped up the holiday spirit with 74 different inflatables to decorate their yard and house. (There were so many blow-up things in their yard, there was not room for anything else. This symbolized the spectacle of Christmas.)

If you have seen these or are planning on it, let us know what you think.

OUCH!

Yesterday morning the boys and I went down to our neighborhood rink to do some ice skating. I spent some time trying to teach the boys and then I decided to do some skating of my own. I flew up and down the ice. The next thing I new I was in the back of an ambulance and eventually in the ER.

The boys performed exceptionally. Ben and Matthew stayed by me and helped me to get up. Caleb ran for help and got some of the neighbors to come and call 911. He even remembered our phone number so they could call Amanda.

It was a concussion, but not much more (as you can see from Ben's picture above.) I was able to go to church this morning, but I feel like someone has beaten me up. I'm thankful for God's gift of ibuprofen. It may be a few days until I'm back out on the ice.