4 months already!!!

It was January 26, 2006 that we received the early morning phone call from Rebekah and Ben with the announcement "we're pregnant!"
What an exciting morning that was for us!!! We would officially be grandparents in September.
Well, our precious grandbaby, Brock is now 4 1/2 months old...and getting cuter every day!
He is even trying to get on his knees to begin crawling...and he can just about roll over by himself. He loves to smile, and watch everything that goes on. What a joy he has been to our family. These were his 4 month pictures.

A Marriage made in heaven....

Yes, just two months from today is the wedding of Daniel and Candice. It will be a beautiful, intimate wedding in warm Georgia - with family and friends.
Just to fill you in about this new daughter we are getting, and our son, Daniel - here are some things you might want to know!

ABOUT CANDICE
Candice lives in Charlotte, NC, and works as a Volunteer Coordinator at a shelter for the homeless. Candice enjoys music, photography, college football and anything creative and different.

ABOUT DANIEL
Right now Daniel is living in Grand Rapids, MI, working as a Maintenance Director at the Best Western Hotel. Daniel enjoys home renovation, basketball, writing poetry, snowboarding, football and line dancing.

HOW THEY MET
Candice is friends with Joel and Lisa, who Rebekah and Ben also knew from their church. One weekend Candice came down to visit Joel and Lisa, and met Rebekah and Ben. They all went out for dinner together, and after the meal, Rebekah told Lisa that she wanted Candice to marry her brother....and it wasn't too long after, that Daniel met Candice when he was visiting Rebekah and Ben!

THE ENGAGEMENT
November 17, 2006!!!
Daniel TOTALLY surprised Candice and flew down to see her on November 17th. It didn't take very long for Daniel to give her a VERY sweet and emotional poem that he had written...and within that poem he asked her to marry him! A phone call came a few minutes later to the family and we were TOTALLY thrilled with the news that Candice said "YES"!!!!

THE WEDDING
It's coming just 2 months from today....and then after the honeymoon - they (along with Candice's parents) will fly up to Manton for a great reception here with our families, church family, and friends.

THE MOVE
Daniel will be moving to North Carolina when they are married - Candice will stay at her job for the time being, and Daniel is applying to several jobs that are open in his field in the area.
Now we will be able to see Ben, Rebekah and Brock in South Carolina, and Daniel and Candice in North Carolina when we visit!

On your mark, get set.......GO!

Some have such imagination when they make their cars!

"Awana Clubbers, you may start your engines".... our Awana leader called out as our Awana Grand Prix started this afternoon! 32 cars were racing down the red, green, blue or yellow race track. Three cars in each division received the prize for the fastest, and three cars received awards for design. In three weeks our Rollins Awana kids will be competing against 9 churches in the area for the top prizes! The designs on the cars were amazing!

Pistons and Chris Webber

When Chris Webber was with the Fab Five at U of M, all 5 players came to our Manton School!
Each of our kids were able to play one-on-one with the Fab Five, and get autographs and talk to them! Now Chris Webber has just signed with the Pistons - and is back in Detroit! Here are some fun pictures of the kids with the Fab Five!

Children are a gift from God....

The month of January is Right to Life month.
Did you know that there are 1.3 million abortions performed each year in just the United States alone? The statistics say that 1 out of 8 women seek an abortion!!!The news media stresses how many soldiers were lost in Iraq each day, but they never put on the nightly news how many babies were aborted each day! That would sure get the attention of Americans!


These are our precious babies in our nursery and pre/school at church. We are blessed with such beautiful babies. These pictures are in our "showcase" at church - and how thankful we are for each and every one of them!

Off to the press....

It's time to put the engagement/ wedding announcement in the Cadillac Newspaper....


Rev. Robert and Nancy Lanning of Manton are pleased to announce the engagement of their son, Daniel, to Candice Whitley. Candice is the daughter of David and Debbie Whitley of Martinez, Georgia.

Daniel is a graduate of the University of Michigan with a degree in Architecture. Candice has received her master’s degree from Clemson University with a degree in Counselor Education, Student Affairs Administration for Higher Education.

The wedding will take place on March 24, 2007 in Georgia. A Dinner Wedding Reception will take place at the Rollins Christian Fellowship Church in Manton, on April 14th at 1pm.

To tickle your funny bone!

Here's a funny story that came through on my email this morning, and made me laugh....hope you get a laugh for the day from it too!

A lawyer and a blonde woman are sitting next to each other on a long flight. The lawyer asks if she would like to play a fun game. The blonde is tired and just wants to take a nap, so she politely declines and tries to catch a few winks. The lawyer persists, that the game is a lot of fun. "I ask you a question, and if you don't know the answer, you pay me only $5; you ask me one, and if I don't know the answer, I will pay you $500." This catches the blonde's attention; and, to keep him quiet, she agrees to play the game. The lawyer asks the first question. "What's the distance from the earth to the moon?" The blonde doesn't say a word, reaches in to her purse, pulls out a five-dollar bill, and hands it to the lawyer. Now, it's the blonde's turn. She asks the lawyer, "What goes up a hill with three legs, and comes down with four?" The lawyer uses his laptop, searches all references. He uses the Airph one; he searches the Net and even the Library of Congress. He sends e-mails to all the smart friends he knows, all to no avail. After one hour of searching he finally gives up. He wakes up the blonde and hands her $500. The blonde takes the $500 and goes back to sleep. The lawyer is going nuts not knowing the answer. He wakes her up and asks, "Well, so what goes up a hill with three legs and comes down with four?"

The blonde reaches into her purse, hands the lawyer $5 and goes back to sleep.

16 weeks and 17 lbs!!!

After sever weeks of being gone over Christmas vacation, Brock is back home and enjoying the warmer temperatures and familiar surroundings. He just had his 16th week birthday...and is now 17 lbs 1oz.! He is growing so fast! Now Nanny and Papa are looking forward to seeing him in March at his Uncle Daniel's wedding! :)

The Lanning Painters

Today we drove to Grand Rapids to help Daniel paint the inside of his home. Daniel flew in from North Caroling (seeing Candice for the weekend!) and we met him at 1:30pm - and began the fun job of painting. We painted his living room and kitchen, and had time to get the foyer, hall closet and dining area primed! It looks so beautiful! Daniel painted the ceilings, Bob painted the walls, and I did all the corners and edges! What a change in this little home! When we first saw this house almost 2 years ago, we couldn't imagine what Daniel could do to make it into a nice home! But with a lot of vision and hard work, Daniel has made it into a beautiful "new" home. He has redone everything, including rafters, walls and floors! Putting in new kitchen cabinets and finishing up the kitchen, along with the laundry room will be next on the list. We are praying that it will sell in the next 2 months, as he will be moving to North Carolina in March.
If any of you need painters....we're available! HA!

Twelfth Night Dinner Party

Saturday night we were invited to a "Twelfth Night Dinner Party" at the home of some friends. In Victorian times, families celebrated January 6th as the feast of Epiphany or Twelfth Night. This was the day when the kings from the east arrived in Bethlehem with their gifts for the Christ Child. What a fun way to end the Christmas season!
Brenda's table was beautifully set with gold tableware, and frankincense candles. Her meal was delicious....beef wraps, candied carrots, red potatoes, a great salad, rolls, all kinds of relishes, hawaiian chicken fingers, and tiramasu for dessert! We were also given the historically traditional "kings cake" to take home, which was a gift they gave to the visiting guests.

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Rachel in Manton?????

Well, Rachel isn't really home in Manton in person, but she does come into my family room every day via my computer. She is now the lead on Studio Classroom, and I can get her TV program
and watch her "teach" with Gabe. What fun that is for me! Today she was talking about her brother being good in Math, and her sister in Science. It's always fun to hear her refer to our family! You never know what Rachel will look like...sometimes she has long straight hair, curly hair, her hair put up on top of her head, or even wearing a long black wig! Not matter what they do with her make-up or hairstyle, she is still our Rachel. She "perks" up my day when I watch her...and seeing her each day helps me not get so homesick for her! I LOVE the new show, Rachel!

Hildebrand's New Year's Day Hospitality!

What a wonderful New Year's Day we had with Elizabeth, Jason, Ben, Rebekah, Brock, and the Whites (friends of Jason and Elizabeth and their two babies). Elizabeth put on a tremendous meal...taco's with all the extra's! Those extra's were amazing....crab/mushroom stirfry, crab/artichoke dip, rice, broccoli with cheese sauce, many fantastic desserts, and ending with hot choclate topped with peppermint whipped cream! Hungry??? Ahhhhhhhhhhh! It was so YUMMY! It was great seeing Ben, Rebekah and Brock one more time before they left for South Carolina. We got home just in time to see the 2nd half of the Michigan game....guess we should have stayed at Elizabeth's longer! Enjoy the pictures!
Happy 2007!!!!

A year in review......

"You crown the year with Your goodness..,”Psalm 65:11

Looking back over 2006 we have been so blessed with the goodness of God in our lives!

January what wonderful news when Rebekah called and said we were to be grandparents in the fall! That started out our year on a joyful note!

February we celebrated Matt’s and Jason’s birthdays – even if it had to be from a distance.How we praise the Lord for our 3 wonderful sons-in-law! What a blessing they have been to our family.

March brought in Rebekah and Ben’s birthdays…Rebekah’s at the beginning (2nd) and Ben’s at the end (31st). How fun they both have their birthdays in the same month!

April was a busy month with our Missions Conference. Our missionary cousins, Dan and Corrie Linsz, along with their two boys were here a week with us. What a great time we had together!

May winds up our AWANA programs here at church, and we ended with a great Fairmont Fair! I also had the privilege of speaking at several Mother/Daughter Banquets. Jason and Elizabeth celebrated their 3rd anniversary on the 31st with a great trip to Florida.

June was the month for High School graduation, 25 open houses, and weddings! We also had a wonderful Vacation Bible School and Sunday School Picnic. But the highlight of the month for us was the IFCA Convention in Lexington, KY. I was privileged to be the Ladies Luncheon speaker - there were over 350 ladies there, and the theme was “Hats Pastor’s Wives Wear”. What a wonderful week we had!

July is our annual family GULL LAKE week! Our whole family (including Candice) was there together for 24 hours! We look forward to this week each year, and have been going for over 25 years now! July was also the anniversaries for Matt and Rachel (#4) and Rebekah and Ben (#3). Elizabeth and Rachel also celebrated their birthdays while we were at Gull Lake.

August began the trips to and from Grand Rapids and North Carolina for Daniel and Candice every three weeks. How wonderful it is to see this beautiful relationship unfold.

September was our 30th anniversary! I praise the Lord for these wonderful years we have been together and the children the Lord has given us! It was also the birth of our 1st grandson, Brock Benjamin Godfrey! Our anniversary trip was to South Carolina to help acquaint ourselves with the newest member of our family!

October was Pastor’s appreciation month – and even though I am married to the pastor, I DO appreciate everything he is and does! What a blessing he has been in my life!

November’s highlight was the announcement of Daniel and Candice’s engagement! A March 24th wedding is being planned!!! How fun it was to celebrate the birthdays of Daniel and Bob over Thanksgiving.

December was such a busy month with all the activities at church, but how wonderful it was to have so much of our family here over Christmas. Daniel, Elizabeth, Jason, Ben, Rebekah, Brock, my mother, Connie, Jerryand Mary. We had a full house and loved every minute of it!

The road we traveled this past year hasn’t always been easy, but the Lord has given us the strength and grace to go through the “valleys” that come into our lives. We’ve shed tears, and had laughter, but how wonderful to know that the “Lord is my rock and my stronghold, in HIM will I trust!”

Happy New Year to each of you!
We’re looking forward to seeing what God has in store for us in 2007 as we trust in Him!

God sends people into our lives for a REASON, a SEASON, or a LIFETIME!

God sends people into our lives for a reason, a season or a lifetime.

When God sends that special someone in your life for a reason, it is usually to meet a need you have. They come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with encouragement, guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They are there for the reason you need them to be.

God sends some people into our lives for a season. These friends usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy for a time, but due to circumstances, our lives move on, and our friendships aren't as close as they once were. But during this season of our lives, God knew that these friends were just what we needed!

Then God gives us those lifetime relationships - those solid, dependable, loving relationships that we have though the years. Sometimes we are close and get together often...other lifetime relationships are "long-distance" but still just as strong.

God knows just what we need in friendships...and when we need that special friend.
I'm so thankful for the wonderful friends I have - and for each and every one of them!

Here are three of my friends when we got together just before Christmas for our annual Christmas celebration. Two are from the Grand Rapids area, and Beckie lives right here in Manton!

Christmas and family......

Christmas and families are just like peanut butter and jelly....you can't have one without the other! What a wonderful Christmas we had with most of our family home!!

Jason and Elizabeth ready to read the Christmas story before we open gifts!

Great Nana with Connie, Jerry, and "Nanny and Papa"Ben and Rebekah with Brock on a beautiful sunny Christmas Eve day...Here is Uncle Jerry with Daniel and Ben....

It was so wonderful to all be together....,next year we'll be adding a new addition to our Chistmas and family...Candice!

Uncle Jason and Aunt Elizabeth

Friday afternoon, Jason and Elizabeth arrived! This was the first time Uncle Jason has been able to see baby Brock! What fun we are having at the Lanning home....wish you were here to enjoy it with us!

Morning Workout

Every morning, Mommy and Brock do their "workout" together....Mommy her sit-ups, and Brock his leg lifts! It's so fun to watch them together....maybe this Nanny can get into their routine and do a few exercises too! But at the moment, Nanny's arms are getting a wonderful workout - holding this beautiful baby! Ahhhh...what a joy that is!

TUMMY TIME

Brock loves "tummy time" on the floor! He kicks his legs, moves his arms, smiles and coos!
He has even rolled over several times....watch out - he'll be scooting before long!

A 7 am SMILE!

Brock is so happy when he wakes up in the morning! Here he is at 7am - smiling, cooing and enjoying the morning with his Mommy!
After being up for awhile...it's time for a nap.......ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Off to shopping and lunch

Ben and Rebekah and Brock were off to Traverse City to meet Ben's parents and Grandma for lunch! How fun that both families are close enough so they can "share" time with both of them!
What a great time we are having....Brock is so much fun, and he LOVES mornings! More to come.....

More pictures of Brock....

They're Here!!!!

Sunday afternoon, Ben, Rebekah and Brock arrived! What a beautiful grandson we have....so alert, happy, strong, adorable, and BIG! What a precious baby! This Nanny and Papa are so excited to have him here for a week. Last night we all went to church, and of course, Brock was the main attraction! What a wonderful Christmas this is...celebrating with our beautiful grandson! But how much more blessed we are that a the Son of God came as a baby that Christmas night so long ago - with the announcement by the choir of angels that "unto you is born this day... a SAVIOR."
More pictures will be coming all week ... stay tuned!

They'll be home for Christmas.....

Friday night, Ben, Rebekah and Brock started on their LONG journey from warm South
Carolina to cold Michigan! They will arrive here on Sunday night after stopping at several relatives and friends home along the way. We are sure excited to see Brock (and Ben and Rebekah too!) for a week! What fun this Nanny and Papa are going to have! Then on Friday, things really get exciting.....Elizabeth and Jason will arrive. On Saturday, Daniel, my Mother, and sister Connie and her husband Jerry will get here. We'll all be together for Christmas Eve and Christmas day. We just wish that Taiwan wasn't so far away...but Rachel and Matt will be going on a little vacation to Singapore for several days over their Christmas days off, and will celebrate with the Sawatzky's over New Years, as Matt's Mother and Father live not that far from them in Taiwan.

Our Sunday School Christmas Program.....

Here are a few pictures from our Sunday School Christmas program, "A Christmas Gathering". The story takes place in the town square, where citizens and children come for the annual tree-lighting ceremony. The drama was great, and the kids did a super job on the songs during the musical. If you want to see more pictures...Go to : http://www.geocities.com/rollinsawana/
then click on “our club webshots”

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas....

Well, here in northern lower Michigan...we're not dreaming anymore.....we WILL have a white Christmas! We received another 7" of snow last night on top of the 8-9" we already had! It's a beautiful white fluffy snow... and we really look like a winter wonderland! For those into "winter recreation" this is the place to be - skiing, snowmobiling, ice skating and winter picnics! Yes, winter picnics....we had our first winter picnic when we first came to Manton. After an afternoon of snowmobiling, we roasted hot dogs on an open fire, had s'mores and hot chocolate and ate all bundled up! What fun!
I will admit though, that I'm a "summer" person at heart, and love the warm temps, the beaches and summer sun. But since we have LONG winters here, I awake each morning saying the verse, "This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it." Today we can rejoice in the beauty of the sparkling snow and the postcard picture view from my window!

Christmas festivities....

Saturday night we had our Ladies Christmas Dinner that begins our Christmas festivities here at church. We had a great time, wonderful food, and our speaker was used by God in what she shared from her heart.

Sunday night we had our Choir Christmas Cantata and Christmas Musical night. We sang, "O Come and Worship"...what beautiful songs were in that cantata! After the devotional, one man that we have been praying for at church asked the Lord to be his Savior! What an exciting night that was for all of us!

This coming Sunday night, is our Sunday School Christmas program...it's so fun to see all of our little kids with their "christmas outfits" saying their lines and singing their songs. Our teens wrap up the night with a great skit. This year they are doing "A Christmas Gathering."

Family night is always a fun night at church...that will be on the 17th. We have families or individuals that do special music, readings, skits, or whatever they come up with, and then a devotional by our youth pastor.