Sunday's Reflection

We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.

~Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Friday Foto

Ellie & Samuel enjoy playing games on the computer. Smiles for everyone on Friday!

First Day Of School!

My little boy started school today! He'll be attending a pre-k class a few days a week with his big sister! Ellie has been so excited to show her little brother around the school! Samuel did so well today! He got on the bus, waved bye bye, and even worked to put his seat belt on on his own. My little guy is growing up. It seems like just yesterday, I was holding him in my arms, and today, he's becoming this independent little 3 year old who wants to buy a Thomas book bag for the "school bus school". My Mom and I followed him to school, and it was just darling! He got off the bus, holding his big sister's hand, and marched forward with a purpose. He was so excited to be there! At one point, he looked over and saw me standing there, and said, "That's my Mommy!" Yes, I'm his Mommy, and I'm learning to let him go little by little. For now, I'm looking forward to having him home with me most days. He'll always be my baby boy.

Thomas the Train

Max, Sam & Ellie

Ellie and Sam loved the clown.

Our cuties! Cousins Max & Hannah, Ellie & Samuel

Papa, Ellie, and Grandma Plutz on Thomas.

Daddy and Sammy enjoy the Thomas ride.

The whole family enjoys the day! Cousins Melanie, Pat, Max, Hannah, and Grandma Tooty were there with us Nana, PaPa, Grandma Plutz, Mommy, Daddy, Ellie, and Sam.

On Saturday, we took a family trip to see Thomas the Train! Sam loves Thomas these days, so we thought we'd take a ride and see how fast he goes! It turns out that Thomas is not quite as fast as Samuel thought he was, but he sure has fun making the noises that all trains make,"whoo whooo...chugga chugga chugga...rumble rumble rumble." Here a few pictures of our fun day!

Common People

"Which are the people who have influenced us most? Not the ones who thought they did, but those who had not the remotest notion that they were influencing us. In the Christian life the implicit is never conscious, if it is conscious it ceases to have this unaffected loveliness which is the characteristic of the touch of Jesus. We always know when Jesus is at work because He produces in the commonplace something that is inspiring."
Written by Oswald Chambers, taken from My Utmost for His Highest

Sunday's Reflection

"May this be your experience; may you feel that the Hand which inflicts the wound supplies the balm, and that He who has emptied your heart has filled the void with Himself."

James Hudson Taylor

I'm glad we had you!

Grandma B. holding a picture of

our little Eleanor Marie.

My Gram would often say to all of us in our big family, "I'm so glad I have you." Now, I can say, I'm so glad we had her! The photo below was taken on October 23, 2004. The day after Ellie's Birth Day. At the time, my Gram was in the hospital, and not doing so well. She couldn't come to visit our little Eleanor herself, so my Mom brought pictures of our little girl. I remember when I came home with my new daughter, and saw this picture on our kitchen table. I started to weep (emotions were so strong and post pregnancy hormones were kicking in big time), thinking to myself, "What if our little Eleanor never gets to know her Great Grandma?" And now, I'm THANKFUL to say, that our little girl got to know her Great Grandma! For nearly five years, Great Grandma was consistently a part of little Eleanor's life. I'm so glad we were blessed to have my Grams for five more years! Thanks, God, for the gift of Gram's life!

Friday Foto

My little princess and my doctor/dog (very interesting, Sam)! And yes, that is Sam's smile these days!

I'm going to try to post a new picture every Friday! Got this idea from a good friend! :)

My Wonderful, Sweet Grandma Eleanor

Easter 2007

Eleanor Marie and Eleanor Marie on her 3rd Birthday! ( October 22, 2007)

Samuel John's Baptism (2006)

Grandma's 90th Birthday! February 14, 2005

On July 5, my sweet Grandma went HOME to be with Jesus. I miss her so very much. To me, she was the best example of Jesus there is. I learned so much from, not what she said, but what she did. She was part of the Third Order of Franciscans, and she certainly lived out the words of St. Francis of Assisi, "Preach the Gospel at all times, if necessary, use words."

As I go through my days, one by one, since her death, I struggle to "move on with life" as they say, because I just want her here with me. I really really miss her. Her hugs, even at 94 years old, were the most amazing thing! When you walked into a room, her eyes lit up, and you felt like you were the most special person in the world. Honestly, I'd have to say that she was the most remarkable woman I've ever known. I hope to "carry on" some of my Gram's traits. It's so hard to imagine life without her here on earth, but I know, that by living my life a little more everyday the way she lived her life (after Jesus), there's a little bit of Grandma in this world still!

"Say not in grief that she is no more, but in thankfulness that she was."

February 14 1915 - July 5, 2009

Dear Grandma,
Thank you for SHOWING Me Jesus everyday of your life. It is because of you that I have faith in God and know that I can always find my peace in Him. You were a living example to me of what it meant to trulybe humble, love, sacrifice, forgive, and keep on going! You are such a trooper! You have certainly made that "dash" between February 14, 1915 and July 5, 2009 quite remarkable to all the people who have encountered you! You are leaving quite a legacy behind. You have 9 children, 23 grandchildren, and 20 great grandchildren! There's one little girl at our house who is named after you and wants to be like you even now at 4 years old! Even yesterday, when we saw you for the last time, she said, "I'm so glad you're named after me, Great Grandma." and I saw you chuckle and say,"Yes, Ellie, I'm so glad I have your name." Thank you, Grandma for everything. I love you dearly and will miss you so very much. I hope I can be just like you...because you were just like Jesus. Thank you for showing me what it means to be truly beautiful. I love you.
Love, Annie

Below is my little brother's tribute to Gram. He absolutely adored her!

It is often said that life is a journey. A journey that twists you and
turns you down the ever changing roads of time. A journey without any
brakes and no time to waste. The further you travel the faster it
goes. The roads are often foggy and it's hard to tell just where your
traveling, which way your turning, what road your walking. But there's
no turning back no matter what's your track. Have you lost all
control or are you just starting to roll? Have you turned away or
toward the stars? In either case have you traveled too far? Is
death's chase finally catching your pace? It makes you panic, it makes
you sweat, it wakes you up late at night with a shortness of breath.
Your losing your mind wasting your time and no matter how hard you
pray the journey never seems to turn your way. You lose sight of the
angles and your hearts in tangles. What do you do? Where do you go?
How can you get back to the beginning of the road? You need hope, you
need faith and you found it in Grandma Mo.

Gram Bandera, or as I like to call her Mo, has given us all the faith
and hope we need in our life's journey. Not the hope you read about in
the tabloids, see on the big screen, or hear during a political
campaign. But true faith that will remain with us in every step of our
journey. Faith that no matter how rocky the road ahead may be, how
high the tides may rise, how hard the winds of change will blow, or
how dark your day may be that there is a brighter one coming, that the
storm will soon pass, that the world doesn't have you beat, tomorrow's
morning is not so far away and the stars are worth reaching for. In
her 94 years of life she experienced more than any of us ever will.
Despite all the troubles, struggles, and pains of life she had faced,
she displayed only absolute love, selflessness, grace, happiness, and
a spirit that rose higher than any mountain top. She saw nothing but
the beauty and the joy of life and gave us all exactly that.

Mo's passing is not one of tragedy but of triumph. Her life is the
definition of greatness. She lived entirely for God and for us, not
just her 9 children, 21 grandchildren, and 27 great grandchildren but
countless others. In doing so she gave the opportunity to experience
the joy of life and a reason to believe. Grandma Bandera was the
purest form of beauty South Chicago will ever see. Her beauty, her
spirit will live eternally within all of our lives, our memories, our
hopes, our dreams, our love, our faith, and our family. We can only be
thankful for the blessing of having Grandma for so long in our lives.
Her life was a gift to all of our journeys and has given us faith that
we are all bound for glory.

We will all miss you Grandma

If you didn't know my Grams, I'm sorry. She deserved an
Allyance Tribute because she was the soul behind it. And don't write
back saying your sorry.......because there is nothing to be sorry
about.....like I said she her death is a triumph. But maybe go buy
some KFC today in memory of the soul of The Allyance...... it was her
favorite

Cheers

The Steve

Blueberry Picking with Grandma and Grandpa!

We've had a fun summer of "picking". Early last month, we went blueberry picking with Grandma and Grandpa! Ellie and Samuel had a great time and want to keep going "again and again and again."

Peach Picking!

Girls Weekend Away

This weekend I had a fabulous time with my girlfriends from Calvin! It was so great to feel young again! I am so thankful that God has put such amazing girls in my life whom I can learn from and grow with. Each of us, in our own separate journeys, have grown in just the way God intended. It's really quite amazing for me to look at each of my dear friend's lives, and see the fingerprints of God all over them! Thanks, girls, for a wonderful weekend! I came back feeling refreshed and rejuvinated for this great task before me now - mommyhood!

Another great perk of the weekend, my husband had a wonderful weekend with the kids and went peach picking with Grandma and Grandpa! The kids loved it, and now, we have fresh peach pie to make very soon! Anyone want to come over?

Girls Weekend

Fun in Chicago with college roommates.