Happy Mother's Day

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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At the Duekers

Here are some pictures of our newest grandchild.
 
 
 
 

Alexis Michele Dueker

 

Isn't she cute?! Alexis was born on May 9th (about 1:20 in the morning). She weighed 7 lbs. 6 oz. and was 21 1/2 inches long. Erin and Alexis are doing very well - but we aren't too sure about Lance. We are heading out to see them this evening so you will see a lot more pictures of Alexis, not to mention Jacob and Allison too.

Congratulations Duekers!!

Like my new bike?

 

Last weekend I asked Jeanette if I could buy a new bike. My old Trek was at least 8 years old and it was extremely tiring to ride on those 100 mile rides. She said yes! So I went scouting for a new lightweight road bike. I'm surprised I didn't get kicked out of the bike store because it took me so long to test drive about 10 different bikes. Then when I narrowed it down, I had to test drive them again and again. I finally decided on this bike. It is a Trek Madone SL 5.2 - if that means anything to you. It is a carbon fiber frame which makes it weights less than 19 pounds (compared to 25 lbs for my old bike). It really is fun to ride. I went on two 15 mile rides this weekend - in a 20 to 30 mile breeze. I was able to go faster and was less tired than I was riding those same 15 miles on my old bike without the wind. I'm a very happy guy. I can hardly wait for the STP (Seattle to Portland bike ride) that I'm riding with Mike.

Now if Erin would just have her baby...

More La Grange Photos

This is the lot where our old house was located. The new owners demolished our and built their own. Can you belive that?? The audacity!

Grandma taking a break from the crossword puzzles.

Plymouth Place in April

This is The Landing at Plymouth Place. This huge building will replace the existing Plymouth Place. There are a total of 184 residences, not counting the health center. Once it is finished and the residents are all moved, they will demolish the old buildings.

Here you can see just how tall the new is compared to the old - eight stories compared to three.


I think it is amazing that they have been able to capture the style and the feeling of the old PP. They are using the same color brick and limestone.

You can see that this is not just another boxy building. It is built in the shape of an H. And each side is broken up into different planes, balconies, and roof lines. I think they did a very good job designing the new building.

Our Family from the Congo

About a month ago we decided to volunteer with the International Rescue Committee (www.theirc.org) to help refugee families in Boise. We thought it would be nice if we could help refugee families get settled. They assigned us to a family from the Democratic Republic of the Congo who had escaped from the Mobutu regime and lived in Tanzania for ten years. They are a family of eleven and I can't imagine the culture shock and the difficulty of adapting to living here. They speak French and Swahili but are learning English. They are a wonderful family.

The last couple of weeks we have been taking them to church. It's been wonderful to see everyone greet them and try make them feel welcome, but isn't that what we are supposed to do?

If you want to see photos of Anzuruni and Anjelani and the rest of the family, click on their picture on the right side of this blog.

A Beautiful Wedding

Don't they make a nice couple? 


The ceremony... 


Trying to figure out what happened to their car 


The getaway. 

Pictures courtesy of M&M.

Jeanette trained our frog to sit on a lily pad. 

A closer look. 

The Hevenor Clan at Ruth's 100th Birthday 

The Klein Family with our Mother 

The Whitcomb Family 

The VandeHouten Family 

The Lewis Family 

Ruth Klein Turns 100 on July 13, 2006

Ruth Klein was born in Indianapolis, Indiana on Friday, July 13, 1906. Her parents moved to LaGrange, Illinois when she was 10 years old. She joined the La Grange First Presbyterian Church at the age of 12 and is now the longest living member. She attended Ogden Elementary School, Lyons Township High School, went to New Jersey College for Women in New Brunswick, NJ for two years, and then attended the former Pestalozzi Froebel Teacher’s College in Chicago where she graduated in 1928. She taught kindergarten in Hammond, Indiana for 10 years.

In 1933 she visited a sister at a CCC camp in Germfask, Michigan and met a handsome instructor, Rupert Klein. They fell in love, but Rupe wouldn't marry until he paid off his college bills. They married in 1938. The Kleins built a home in La Grange in 1942 and lived there until 1996, when they moved into an apartment at Plymouth Place in La Grange Park. Mr. Klein died in 2001. They were married 62 years.
Ruth is a whiz at doing daily crossword puzzles, enjoys watching Jeopardy and playing solitaire on the computer. She emails and instant messages family every day to keep in touch. Her outlook on life is always positive.

She has two children, Linda Hall of Bettendorf, Iowa and Jeff Klein of Boise, Idaho. Ruth has 5 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren.

We told you she is a lap dog - even in camp. 

Tia likes corn on the cob, too! 

The evening primrose had eight blossoms the other night! 

Tia playing with her tennis ball.