Venezuelan floor

Betty took this photo of the pretty floor.

Yovani, Iraida and Betty in Venezuela

February 2008
Visiting friends in Venezuela

Gunderson Family Winter 2008

I begged Sheila for a recent familiy photo and she sent this one that her cousin Kristi took. I love it.

The Bergies in Venezuela

The Bergies in Venezuela. From an email that Tom sent from an Internet Cafe.
Yea for the internet!!

Kylee and Jim Root

More photos from the day when Kylee wasn't feeling well. Terra sent me this that she took at the same time as she did the blog ones. I love the b/w (I converted it) because Kylee and Jim's thumbs are touching. And look how tiny her hand looks next to his.

A Photo and a Drawing

I'm stealing this photo and drawing from Terra's blog because they are both so sweet. Check out Terra's blog for the story behind the pictures.

Pretty in Pink

I remember when Terra was tiny and just starting out in ballet. She was in a recital and was a little mouse with a bunch of other little mice. At the end of the recital, I lost sight of her because the stage was packed and suddenly I saw the ballet teacher lift someone up and hug her. A little child was upset. I couldn't see the child's face because she had her face buried in her teacher's neck but I looked at the little mouse's back and the little mouse tail .....And then I said to Betty, "I recognize those buns. That's Terra!"

Terra went on to years of ballet, touring with the professional company and demonstrated a phenomenal memory for choreography. Toni Pimbal, the choreographer for the Eugene Ballet, would often ask Terra how a dance sequence went from the previous year.

And now Kylee is starting out with dance. Who knows where it might go or it might just be for fun.

It's sure fun for me to see a cute little girl in a pink tutu!

Root Family

Photo taken last summer.
I love them all standing together.
And it makes me appreciate warm weather since I'm FREEZING today in Oregon.

Brothers

There is something so very sweet about brothers. Siblings might fight, they might compete, but when the chips are down (or even up) they love each other in a way that is totally different any other relationship they will have.

Terra wrote in her blog recently about the differences between boys and girls:

I didn't think much about these different experiences until Sunday, when our Sunday school class was concluding our Love and Respect series by Emerson Eggerich. He talks about the female need for face to face communication and the desire to talk and express our hearts to one another while the male need is for shoulder to shoulder companionship, where you experience life together but without the need for expressions of the heart. Neither being better than the other, just different by God's perfect design. As he continued to talk about the differences of men and women I could so easily visualize such divinely appointed desires reflected in my children.

Kylee Hugging Jim

There is little else that can bring tears to my eyes as easily as the love between my children and their Daddy. Somehow, when Jim is with his little girl, my reaction is especially exaggerated.

Having been blessed with a wonderful relationship with my own Dad, I realize the value of such a close relationship between a Daddy and his daughter. It brings me great joy to see my little girl so in love with her Daddy, so full of excitement in his presence, and so grateful for all the fun and tender times that they are able to share together.

Of course, Jim can barely even think about her and the way she loves and adores him without tearing up. Any time he leaves the house she sends him with a souvenir so that "you won't forget me, Daddy!" His work desk is laced with little pink teddy bears, bunnies, angels and artwork from his daughter.

Another precious occurrence in their relationship is the love wars they have where they try to "out-love" one another. Kylee will say, "Daddy, I love you a trillion, 50 million, billion thousand times! Is that a lot?" Of course, Jim will agree that it's an awful large number, so then she'll want to know exactly how much he loves her. After he throws out an equally ridiculous number she'll say, "Well, that's a lot too, almost as much as I love you!" After her love for God and Jesus, she says, her Daddy is next in line! (From the Root Blog.....january 28, 2008)

A man wearing a tie makes me melt!

He either looks like a shoe salesman or possibly an insurance salesman.

Whatever he looks like, who can resist that smile and a TIE!

LOVE LOVE LOVE that tie!!

Nathan relaxing at home

-Photos from that Gunderson's sent in an email 2/1/08.

Nathan is wearing a tie that Aunt Brandee sent.

He's little but I love how he looks in a tie!

Very handsome fellow!