Richard & Esther Muth

Pictures that go with Christmas letter

2011-12-26T09:44:00.001-07:00

2011 Christmas Letter, minus pictures

2011-12-26T09:39:00.000-07:00

Dear family & friends, Christmastime, 2011
This year has been a year full of “Hellos” and “Goodbyes.” We were able to say “Hello to two new grandchildren: Lydia Hope Valiante and Cadence Abigail Muth. They allowed for the number of our living grandchildren to increase to fourteen! It was nice to be able to visit them and their families (Esther flew out to Pennsylvania in May and to Michigan in October). We said “Goodbye” to Malcham in July when he officially moved out of our home to Pueblo to eventually attend CSU there. He has just recently moved to La Junta to finish college at OJC, but is, again, in his own apartment. We still see him often as he works here when he is able. Sadly, Richard had to say “Goodbye” to one of his friends, Tom Jenkins, earlier this year (Tom’s memorial service was in May). We got to say “Hello” to Laurie and Michaela Heggenstaller when they came to visit us in July. That was definitely a highlight. Then, just this month we had to say “Goodbye” to Richard’s oldest brother, Albert Muth. His funeral was very honoring to God and Albert. Many people reminisced about “Old Reliable #10” a name he acquired by attending so many farm auctions in the area. He will be missed by not only family, but many friends as well.
The Lord has provided many customers and sales to keep our farm machinery business thriving as well as welding projects for our employees to work on. We are thankful for this opportunity to serve the community.
Anna and Tom Parker have moved to 2674 Colorade Avenue, North Port, FL 34286. Tom is now working with Young Life in the Charlotte Harbor area of Florida. This coming summer, Tom will be helping at a Young Life Camp in Buena Vista, Colorado, so perhaps we will get to see the whole family sometime in July. Christian (14 years old) is staying with Tom’s parents in Indiana for this school year. He really enjoys hanging out with Papa as he oversees the building of their new house. Karissa (10 years old) is enjoying her new pet hamsters. Bryce (4 years old) is learning to swim and gets to go with Anna to work, occasionally.
Tim and Joy are serving the Lord as youth pastor and Awana Commander of our church and working for his dad, here at Muth Welding Service. He is also very much involved with Camp Salvation. Joy has the privilege of homeschooling their children. Mark (10 years old) and Stephanie (8 years old) are growing and learning to be used by God to be lights shining for Him.
Sarah and Tim Valiante have bought a house at 271 Old Greenwood Road, Millville, PA, 17846. Tim has done quite a bit of remodeling to make this their home. He continues to be the Pastor at Emmanuel Baptist Church. Sarah has been doing Bible studies with a few church ladies, and recently, started to do part-time secretarial work at the church. Micah (4 years old) and Kiersten (3 years old) are still learning and growing like crazy! Lydia Hope was born March 15th. It was such a delight to visit them after the birth of Lydia. The children play so nicely together and sing sweet praises to God on a regular basis.
Mary has been able to visit two of her far-away siblings this year. In March, during spring break (while her boys were with their dad), she flew to Pennsylvania to be with Sarah to help. The Valiante family had moved into their new home just the week before Lydia was born. Her help was very much appreciated. To end up her summer, after working two separate weeks at Camp Salvation as cook/then counselor, she flew off to Midland, Michigan to spend some time with Michael and Jenny’s family. Mary was thrilled to get to play with the boys, pick blueberries, visit with Jenny’s parents, go to the zoo, and spend quality time visiting Michael and Jenny. Back home, she continues taking care of our household, helping/teaching in children’s church and Directing Cubbies in our Awana program at church. She is also our church’s main janitor. Zephaniah (soon to be 15) is now in 9th grade at Swink School; Austin (11 years old) is in 4th grade, and Ethan (9 years old) attends 3rd grade. They all enjoy playing video games, and watching movies, as well as just being “boys” as they play. Zeph is enrolled in driver’s education. Mary is looking forward to having him help with driving.
Michael and Jenny are in charge of the junior high Sunday school class at their church as well as the junior high youth ministry which meets during their church’s Awana Clubs time on Monday nights. Michael continues to work in construction. Jenny is still doing her Pampered Chef business as well as making weekly trips to an Amish farm to pick up milk, dairy products, and produce when in season. Aaron (5 years old) and Evan (3 years old) continue to learn and grow. They welcomed their baby sister, Cadence Abigail (born September 5th at home), with open arms.
Malcham finished his first year at Otero Junior College with a 4.0 grade average. He worked part time for our business as much as his busy schedule would permit. In July, as I mentioned before, he moved out to see what it would be like to be “on his own.” Then, he headed for Camp Salvation to be the Game Director. From what I understand, he did a wonderful job. I think he was pretty tired after working for four weeks straight (that also included a trip to Denver to witness the wedding of camp friends). He then headed off to Pueblo to unsuccessfully find a job before classes started at Colorado State University – Pueblo. He did pretty well in his classes for this past semester, but has decided to finish this year of college back at OJC. Now his residence is 2307 Belleview Apt. 202, La Junta, CO 81050. We’re glad that he will be able to work at Muth Welding Service once again.
We (Richard and Esther) are still involved with church activities. Richard is deacon and Awana leader; Esther teaches Sunday School, leads in Awana Clubs, is treasurer, and plays the organ and/or piano. We are very thankful for the blessings which God has brought into our lives. We hope and pray that each of you will have a relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ, for it is in Him that we have the hope of eternal life. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Richard and Esther Muth, and Mary, Zeph, Austin, and Ethan Pope

“This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-26T09:34:00.002-07:00

We had a wonderfully blessed Christmas yesterday. It all included sleeping in a little, opening presents, breakfast, church services, turkey dinner, and lots of visiting with our family. We (the six of us living here) were joined by son, Malcham, and son, Tim, and his family (Joy, Mark, and Stephanie). We got calls from other children and their families and got to Skype with Anna and her family (Tom, Christian, Karissa, and Bryce) who were visiting with his folks in Indiana. Nice!

2011-12-07T08:54:00.003-07:00

Time sure does fly. It seems so hard to take time to post anything, but I love hearing about others. Here are a few pictures from when I got to visit Michael and Jenny in October.

NEW GRANDBABY!

2011-09-12T16:31:00.003-06:00

We are all so very happy to announce the safe arrival of Candence Abigail Muth, daughter of Michael and Jenny, born September 5, 2011. She weighed in at 8 lb. 4 oz. Her two brothers, Aaron and Evan, are very happy to have her in their family, too!
We paise the Lord for her safe delivery.

2011-08-22T11:32:00.004-06:00

On July 4th, we were invited to go to John and Debbie Canaday's cabin for a visit. They have a really nice place and we feel honored to have been invited to join them for a nice barbecue. We even got to play a (new to us) game of Kubb. Praise the Lord for friends and nice mountains to enjoy.

2011-08-22T11:06:00.002-06:00

Joy Muth, Mary Pope, and Krissy Arellano

Malcham Muth, game and activity director; Tim Muth, camp director

Malcham, our awesome son!

Austin Pope, ?, Stephanie and Mark Muth, and Ethan Pope

Mary with her son, Ethan at Camp Salvation

2011-08-22T09:35:00.002-06:00

Time sure does go by fast! July was a very busy and HOT month. Malcham and Tim were at camp for four weeks. They had much fun as they directed the games and other aspects of camp, and saw many campers make good decisions to accept the Lord as their Savior or to live for Him. Mary went to camp for two different weeks; she worked her first week as a cook and the last week as a counselor. Our two younger grandchildren, Austin and Ethan, attended the first week as campers. I think everyone had a great time!

2011-07-15T07:38:00.003-06:00

This is a picture of Malcham and his Friend, Ethan, who helped him move to his new apartment.

It's official. Malcham moved out as of July 1st. He was very happy; I was very emotional. It's okay. Malcham left on good terms. He will be living in an apartment with one of his college friends, Henry. This month, he is spending almost all of his time at Camp Salvation, being the game director for all four weeks of camp.

Visiting the Valiante Family

2011-05-24T01:09:00.001-06:00

Grandma's adventure

2011-05-24T00:49:00.005-06:00

May 17th found me on my way to Pueblo to board my first flight to get me eventually to Pennsylvania to visit our daughter, Sarah, and her family. Here's my chance to see the very youngest of our grandchildren, Lydia Hope Valiante - born March 15th.
Everything was going very well until the airplane landed in Denver. The plane leaned to the left, letting the wing tip and propellers slide along the runway till we stopped. All nine passengers, pilot, and co-pilot had to exit the plane by way of the exit (window) over the left wing.
Doesn't that sound exciting! Thankfully, everyone was okay. Only the plane had damage.

I'm glad that God chose to spare us from whatever else "could" have happened!!!

2011-04-17T17:03:00.002-06:00

Our son, Malcham, is trying to sell his car. It looks pretty cool, huh? He is only asking $7,000 for it. He would like to replace it with a four-door something with room for "stuff" and which has the capabilty of pulling a small trailer. Of course, if it was loaded with good sound system, that would be super. Anyway, let me know.

2011-04-15T09:54:00.002-06:00

We held our AWANA's Fairmont Fair on Monday, April 11th. Lana helped me run the prize booth, along with Darlinda and Cherlyn.

March 21, 2011. We are in Parker, CO, getting ready for colonoscopy for me and surgery the following day. Everything is clear and went well. Praise the Lord!

Mary and I celebrate our birthdays for 2011.

Here we pose with our grandchildren, Zeph, Austin, and Ethan, before we go to the 10th Hole for supper. Mary is taking the picture. It was a nice way to celebrate birthday!

Mary thinks this picture is silly!

2011-01-25T09:56:00.001-07:00

This is picture of the seven of us.

Malcham and Tim lead songs for Sunday Evening worship along with help from Michael and Adam Clark

2011-01-25T09:48:00.002-07:00

Sarah's baby girl is due in March. We're all excited about that!

Tim's family. Mark, Joy, Tim, and Stephanie

2011-01-25T09:38:00.003-07:00

Esther, Richard, and Malcham

Tom and Anna Parker joined us for Christmas this year. Their kids are Christian, Karissa, and Bryce.

2011-01-25T09:32:00.002-07:00

This is Mary with her boys, Ethan, Austin, and Zephaniah

This is the picture of Michael's family, which I had included in our letter.

Our 2010 Christmas Letter

2011-01-25T09:22:00.000-07:00

“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
Phil. 4:19
Dear family & friends, Christmastime, 2010
We have much to be thankful. God has taken care of our family and the needs of our business throughout this year; each of our family members and friends are being loved by God in the best way possible.
In May, we were happy to announce that Malcham had graduated from his home schooling. We had a well-attended reception for him at our home in July, where he was able to grill hamburgers and hot dogs on his new grill. Malcham continues to work for our business as well as attend Otero Junior College. He enjoys playing guitar, listening to his music, playing video games, hanging out with his friends, and driving his green 2001 Mustang convertible car. This past summer he was able to be a camper one week as well as game leader for three weeks, helping his brother at Camp Salvation. He also went on a backpack camping experience, after the regular camps. Just recently, he was able to get his braces removed, but now has to deal with retainers, which were glued into his mouth.
Mary flew out to Alabama in May, while her boys were with their dad, so she could visit with her sister, Anna. She was also able to help as a cook at Camp Salvation this year for two weeks. Austin attended as camper one week at the same camp. She continues taking care of our household, helping/teaching in children’s church and Directing Cubbies in our Awana program at church. Zephaniah (soon to be 14) is now in 8th grade at Swink School; Austin (10 years old) is in 3rd grade, and Ethan (8 years old) attends 2nd grade. They all enjoy playing video games, and watching movies, as well as just being “boys” as they play. We’re happy that Zeph has taken over the lawn-mowing at our place. Zeph and Ethan both had braces put on their teeth.
Michael and Jenny have remodeled the kitchen of their house and are looking forward to living in a house that is “finished.” Michael continues to work in construction, having put many of his skills to use as he has done much of the work on their own home. Jenny is doing well with her Pampered Chef business. They both are involved with their church as he is in charge of the junior high kids. Aaron (4 years old) and Evan (2 years old) continue to learn and grow. They have been blessed in so many ways this past year. You can follow some details of their life on their blog: http://mjmuth.blogspot.com.
Sarah and Tim Valiante have moved to 254 Utt Road, Orangeville, PA 17859, where Tim has taken on the role of Pastor at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Millville, Pennsylvania. Micah Joel (who will be four on February 15th ) and Kiersten (2 ½ years old) are still learning and growing like crazy! We all look forward to the arrival of their third child (a daughter) in March. You can log onto their church’s web page to read more about their activities at http://www.ebcmillville.com.
Tim and Joy are still serving the Lord as youth pastor and Awana Commander of our church and working for his dad, here at Muth Welding Service. He directed Camp Salvation for four weeks this summer. He has been close to the young Christians of the community as they planned a “Field of Faith” this fall, and now he is in the process of planning an overnighter for the area youth to be on New Year’s Eve. Joy home schools Mark (9 years old) in his fourth grade studies and Stephanie (7 years old) in second grade. Mark is still very confident and outgoing, while Stephanie enjoys being a little princess who likes to draw.
Anna and Tom Parker have moved to 12563 Stone Tower Loop, Fort Myers, FL 33913, where he is Youth Pastor at Riverside Church. Anna still teaches piano lessons, but happily doesn’t have very many students, yet. Christian (13 years old) and Karissa (9 years old) both attend a charter school. Christian has been able to take tae kwon do lessons. Bryce aka Big Boy (3 years old) gets to stay at home with mom! They are enjoying the warm sunny weather in Florida. We look forward to their visit for Christmas this year!
At the beginning of this year we (Richard and Esther) were able to purchase a 2010 Chrysler Town and Country van. We sold to Tom and Anna our 2003 van, which Malcham and Esther drove out to Alabama for them. After visiting a few days, we flew back to Colorado with Mary. It was quite a trip! Malcham is a very good driver. Most days you will find Richard working at selling / buying equipment or keeping our employees busy at Muth Welding Service. Esther keeps an eye on the books of the business, which our secretary, Denise Hosea, does a good job of keeping. We both are involved with church. Richard is deacon and Awana leader; Esther teaches Sunday School, leads in Awana Clubs, is treasurer, and plays the organ and/or piano. We are very thankful for the blessings which God has brought into our lives. We hope and pray that each of you will have a relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ, for it is in Him that we have the hope of eternal life.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Richard, Esther, and Malcham Muth; and Mary, Zeph, Austin, and Ethan Pope

I'm Thankful, too!

2010-11-15T10:18:00.001-07:00

Our daughter-in-law, Jenny, has been posting several blogs on what she is thankful for. I, too, am thankful for many things. I'm thankful for the fact that we live in such an amazing country where we still have freedom to worship as we please. I'm thankful that God allowed His son, Jesus, to pay for our sins so that we may have a hope of eternal life with Him in heaven some day. I'm thankful for a wonderful husband and the six offspring and their spouses with which we are blessed. I'm thankful for the grandchildren we have been blessed with. Also: a nice house in which to make our home, a good place to run our business, church family, sisters and brothers, etc.

May the Lord be glorified in our lives!

2009-12-21T14:50:00.002-07:00

Here are some more pictures which were in my letter. There were more, but I don't have the time to find them.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2009-12-21T14:42:00.001-07:00

Christmas letter for 2009

2009-12-21T14:37:00.002-07:00

For anyone who would like to read it, here is our letter which we sent out:

“Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift” (II Cor. 9:15)

Dear family & friends, Christmastime, 2009
It amazes me as I think about the different things that have happened this year. Not only has God taken care of our family throughout the year, but we have been blessed by seeing our twelve grandchildren growing and learning, watching the needs of our business being taken care of, and knowing that each of our family members and friends are being loved by God in the best way possible.
In early spring, we were invited to celebrate the 50th Wedding Anniversary of Richard’s brother and sister-in-law, Alfred and Dorothy Muth. Many family members were there to see and visit.
In May, Richard and I (along with my sister, Karlene and her husband, Calvin) traveled up to Denver to celebrate our brother Kennard’s life. We were able to visit with Ginny King and Kennard’s children, Jodie and Jeremy and their families. It was a nice time of reflections. Upon returning home, we were able to see the Mother’s Day present which our children had fixed. They had done some wonderful landscaping around the base of two big blue spruce trees in our yard. That was a big surprise for me.
Our business has continued to keep us very busy, allowing us to take on extra help. Malcham has been one of our workers, as he has helped Tim to organize equipment and parts in the yard. He’s been very helpful to customers needing to find things on our sales lot.
July was a very busy month for camps. Tim took off from work for three weeks to direct at Camp Salvation. Malcham worked as game leader at Singing Valley Camp for junior week, then he was able to be a camper at both of these camps. Mary cooked at Camp Salvation for two different weeks, and I (Esther) went to Camp Salvation as a counselor, then cooked at Singing Valley Camp for their Jr./Sr. High camp. Austin was able to attend Camp Salvation with his brother, Zeph. We all had fun. Our family was also able to visit the Royal Gorge Park.
October was also a great month in that Sarah and Tim Valiante’s family came for a visit, followed by a visit from Michael and Jenny Muth’s family. They were all here for a weekend, so Karlene and Calvin came down for a nice big meal and visit. We all had a great time.

Anna and Tom are still ministering at Wall Highway Baptist Church in Alabama. Tom continues taking classes towards his master’s degree at Liberty University Online. Anna still teaches piano lessons. Christian (12 years old) and Karissa (8 years old) both attend public school, and Zachery Bryce (2 years old) enjoys sharing the center of attention with their two new dogs.
Tim and Joy are serving the Lord as youth pastor and Awana Commander of our church and working for his dad, here at Muth Welding Service. He has taken on the responsibilities of directing Camp Salvation and planning area youth rallies. Joy home schools Mark (7 years old) in his third grade studies and Stephanie (6 years old) in first grade. Mark is very confident and outgoing, while Stephie enjoys being a little princess who likes to draw.
Sarah and Tim Valiante continue to serve the Lord at Lighthouse Baptist Church, while Sarah has been a stay-at-home wife. Micah Joel (who will be three on February 15) and Kiersten ((aka KiKi) about 20 months old) keep their family busy. Tim has continued some seminary classes at Calvary Baptist Seminary in Lansdale, PA, as well as being youth pastor at church. We really enjoyed listening to Micah talk and sing while he was here with his family. KiKi was very sweet.
Mary is such a blessing to our family. Besides taking care of our household, she teaches children’s church, picks up extra kids for our midweek service (children’s ministry), and helps in our Awana program at church. Zephaniah (soon to be 13) is now in 7th grade at Swink School; Austin (9 years old) is in 2nd grade, and Ethan (7 years old) attends 1st grade. They all enjoy playing with Lego and/or K’Nex blocks, playing video games, and watching movies.
Michael and Jenny have almost finished the remodeling of their house/home. They hope to get refinanced, make the kitchen a little more updated, then sell, it for a profit. Michael continues to work in construction, though his body aches for a job with a little less physical stress. Jenny has started to sell Pampered Chef products. Their boys are learning so much and entertained all of us when they were here in October.
Malcham is now 17 years old and a senior in our Muth Home School. He has been so helpful in our business, when he is working. Between his guitar playing, computer games, and hanging out with his friends, he has kept busy with attending Campus Crusade, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and youth activities in the area churches. You will find him leading games on Monday nights at Awana Clubs and leading songs at our church on Wednesday nights. We are very proud of our youngest!
On December 17th Richard was able to get together with his siblings and their mates to celebrate Albert’s 75th birthday. Picture includes Shirley & Don Lacy, Ruth Muth Grenard, Esther & Richard, Dorothy & Alfred, and Grace & Albert. Janice Muth was with them, too, but had to leave before the picture was taken.
We are very thankful for the blessings which God has brought into our lives. We hope and pray that each of you will have a relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ, for it is in Him that we have the hope of eternal life.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Richard, Esther, and Malcham Muth; and Mary and her boys, too!

Malcham got his braces about 10 weeks ago.

2009-11-22T14:54:00.002-07:00

Grandkids!

2009-11-14T16:19:00.002-07:00

Well, here are our grandkids that were all here on October 25th. In the back you will see Evan Muth and Kiersten Valiante. On the seat is Stephanie, Mark, and Aaron Muth; and Micah Valiante. In the front is Zephaniah, Austin, and Ethan Pope. Missing are Christian, Karissa, and Zachary Bryce Parker, for they were still in Alabama. Doesn't everybody look nice?

2009-11-14T16:06:00.002-07:00

What a wonderful time we had in October!

Our daughter, Sarah, with her husband (Tim Valiante) and two little ones (Micah and Kiersten) came to visit us for about a week. Before they were gone, our son, Michael, with his wife (Jenny) and their two little boys (Aaron and Evan) came to stay with us for about a week, too.

It was so nice to see everybody. My sister, Karlene, and her husband, Calvin McKean came down on the Saturday that we were all together. We had a nice roast beef dinner with all the fixin's. Praise the Lord for such a great family!

2009-07-24T22:21:00.001-06:00

This is the fearless Recreational Director of Singing Valley Bible Camp, Malcham Muth

Summer Bible Camps

2009-07-24T22:00:00.002-06:00

We've been busy this month with Bible camps. July 7 through July 11, Mary and I (Esther) worked at Camp Salvation as cook and counselor, respectively. We joined several kids at camp who already attend our church's Awana Clubs. Mary's sons, Zephaniah and Austin attended as campers, as well as Tim's oldest, Mark. Tim, our son, was the director at this camp. It was a great week, even with the difficulties of short staff and horses getting out of their corral. God worked in the hearts of several campers. I think many will remember the truths taught at the first chapel time by Speaker Tim Norris: "God's Love: needs no reason, has no boundaries, and will never end. God loves us so much!

Malcham, our 17-year old son, attended Singing Valley Bible Camp as the recreational director for the junior camp week, July 13 through 18. I didn't go and cook as I have done in the past several years, but I did transport a camper and take pictures of the campers and staff while I was there on that first day. On the last day of camp, our whole family went up to camp to retrieve the one camper, Johnathan McKelvey, and then we all went to the Royal Gorge Bridge Park. It was a great time of vacation. We spent about six hours at the park, still not seeing and doing all the things that a person can do while there.

This past week, Mary went back up to Camp Salvation to cook for the Sr. High week, while Malcham got to attend as a camper. They will come home tomorrow. Hopefully, they will have had a wonderful time.

Next week, Malcham and I will go back to Singing Valley Bible Camp for Jr-Sr.Week. I will cook and Malcham will get to be a camper, again. Great fun!

2009-06-30T23:03:00.002-06:00

Don't you wish your family was this cozy?

2009-06-30T22:56:00.002-06:00

Here are some pictures of our son, Malcham. He is now 17 years old, and very happy to be the owner of a "Little Red GEO Metro" (aka Rodney) and an electric guitar.

2009-03-30T17:15:00.000-06:00

50 Years!

2009-03-30T17:07:00.002-06:00

Yesterday, we went to a celebration of the 50th Wedding Anniversary of Richard's brother and sister-in-law, Alfred and Dorothy Muth. It was very nice with lots of relatives and friends attending. There was the problem of getting a picture of them both together, though. Here are a few pictures.

Blizzard in March

2009-03-30T16:22:00.004-06:00

Alas, our winter has been very mild this year. We didn't receive much moisture, either. Very dry! Last Thursday, though, we got a little bit of a blizzard. It started about 3:30 in the afternoon and lasted until Friday afternoon. Lots of wind and lots of snow. It would have accumulated to about 20" if it hadn't blown around so much. Some of the drifts were about three feet high. It was a very wet snow. The next day I took some pictures of our frosty bushes and trees. Praise the Lord for the moisture. Only one of our employees showed up for work on Friday, so the ones who stayed home could be safe from the nasty weather. We also only had one customer that stopped in. I was able to get a lot of un-interrupted bookwork done.

True to normal Colorado weather, the next days have been very mild. Much of the snow is melted, and we have mud to contend with. But that's okay. Thank you, Lord, again, for the moisture.

2008-12-16T11:35:00.001-07:00

“Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift” (II Cor. 9:15)

Dear family & friends, Christmastime, 2008

We hope this letter comes when you are all well and happy. We wonder how many of you “missed” our letter last year, as there was not one sent out. Oh, the intentions were there, but I guess the busyness of getting ready for the end of the year and planning to leave for a week-long vacation to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, took its toll on me, the letter-writer. By the way, the vacation in January of 2008 was wonderful! Most of it was paid for by one of our venders, Sioux Steel, mother company of Koyker Manufacturing (we sell their loaders). We were able to walk on beautiful beaches, parasail, swim and snorkel in the Atlantic as well as the Caribbean Sea, go on an Outback Safari, sail on a catamaran, eat at quite a variety of places within the all-inclusive Iberostar Bavaro Resort, visit with other dealers, and relax! This is the first time we’ve been out of the United States as a couple. We would both be willing to do it, again, if we had the chance. If you would like to see pictures, and have time to do so, come by and we’ll show you our albums.
After we got back from Punta Cana, I (Esther) flew out to Alabama to visit with Anna and her newborn son, Zachary Bryce Parker, and family. He was born December 20, 2007 (Sadly, we didn’t get to meet his twin, Zoey Anna, who didn’t quite make it through the pregnancy. We’ll have to see her in heaven someday.). One of the highlights of the trip was to go to Chucky Cheese Pizza.
In June, Malcham and I flew out to visit with Sarah’s family and their newest addition, Kiersten Joy. We had a great time, though much of it was spent working. We did mowing, painting, sorting, and cleaning, as well as help with the little ones. Tolerating very hot and humid weather, we learned later on that that week was the hottest they had seen all year! We were able to help Tim & Sarah celebrate their 5th wedding anniversary by eating out at their favorite Italian restuarant.
July found us doing many camp-related activities. Malcham worked hard as a leader, later going as a camper. I helped cook for two different weeks at the same camp, Singing Valley Camp. Zephaniah was able to go his second year as a camper, at the same camp. This year, Mary volunteered to help cook for one week at Camp Salvation, where Tim directed for two different weeks and Joy also helped cook. Richard opted to stay home and take care of our business, which has been very prosperous. Praise the Lord!
On August 15th, Michael and Jenny added to our number of grandchildren with the birth of Evan Gilead. They were trying to have a yard sale that day, and ended up being able to home birth their little one. Jenny and baby recovered much quicker than when she had Aaron in the hospital with C-section.
Anna and Tom are still ministering at Wall Highway Baptist Church in Alabama, living at 149 Little Road, Madison, AL 35757. Tom has been taking classes towards his master’s degree at Liberty University Online. Besides playing piano at church, Anna teaches piano lessons and home schools Christian (11 years old). Karissa (7 years old) attends public school, and Zachery Bryce enjoys being the center of attention in his family. In July, the Parkers were able to come to Colorado for an all school reunion for Ordway Baptist Christian School. It was a good time for Anna to visit and play volleyball with many of her old school friends. We also enjoyed having them here.
Tim and Joy continue to live in La Junta, serving the Lord as youth pastor and Awana Commander of our church and working for his dad, here at Muth Welding Service. Joy home schools Mark (7 years old) in his second grade studies and Stephanie (5 years old) in kindergarten. This picture was taken in front of the baptistry; the background was painted by Joy. Mark was baptized this past Sunday after the morning service. We are all very happy for him.
Sarah and Tim Valiante continue to serve the Lord at Lighthouse Baptist Church, while Sarah has been a stay-at-home wife, continuing an art correspondence course. Since we wrote two years ago, they have been blessed with two children. Micah Joel was born February 15, 2007, and Kiersten Joy joined their family April 30, 2008. They are both lovely children. They are also living in a different place at 115 N. Edgewood, Elkton, MD 21921. Tim has been keeping very busy this last year attending seminary at Calvary Baptist Seminary in Lansdale, PA, as well as being youth pastor at church.
Mary continues to be a blessing to our family. Besides taking care of our household, she teaches children’s church, Sunday School, picks up extra kids for our midweek service (children’s ministry), and helps in the Cubbies Club of our Awana program at church. Zephaniah (soon to be 12) is now in 6th grade at Swink School; Austin (8 years old) is in 2nd grade, and Ethan (6 years old, on the 12th) attends kindergarten in the afternoon. They all enjoy building forts, riding bikes, playing video games, and watching movies.
Michael and Jenny have made much progress in their remodeling of 1402 Corrinne, Midland, MI 48642. They keep busy doing many of the same things they have been doing all along, only now they get to play with two little boys, Aaron Carter and Evan Gilead. Jenny keeps the world informed of their family’s activities on their blog (http://mjmuth.blogspot.com).
Malcham is now sixteen years old. He is in the eleventh grade of his home-schooling experience. He works on Bible, Chemistry, and United States History with Pastor Brandt at our church. At home, he learns English and Consumer. He is the game leader for the Awana Sparks Club for the fifth year, and takes care of the Awana Store and participates in the weekly skits. He has been working more for his dad, helping Tim in the equipment yard. This past year he taken up a hobby of riding his bicycle, but still enjoys playing video games and going online.
We are very thankful for the blessings which God has brought into our lives. We hope and pray that each of you will have a relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ, for it is in Him that we have hope of eternal life.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Richard, Esther, and Malcham Muth; and Mary and her boys, too!

(You can visit our blog at http://mwscolorado.blogspot.com.)

See anybody you know?

2008-12-03T06:53:00.002-07:00

This picture was taken with Mary's camera at our church's ladies retreat which was held in September. We spent time at Pam Miner's parent's big cabin. It was a really good time to get away from normal activities and get into God's Word, fellowshiping with other ladies from our church.

We're still leaders after 35 years!

2008-12-03T06:45:00.003-07:00

Yes, we're still working in AWANA clubs at our church. Richard is currently the leader for the T&T boys club. I'm the leader of the T&T girls club. We had a very large attendance last Monday night; There were 16 boys and 15 girls.

It is exciting to see how these kids will respond to God's Word as they memorize and listen to lessons about God.

2008-11-17T11:01:00.003-07:00

Today is a good day. I filled in last week for my secretary while she took a week of vacation, so today I'm not needed in the office as much. Whew. I did get tired last week. Praise God that we are able to pay a secretary to help with the phone-answering, billing, posting, and a varity of other office type jobs. That way I can review the office work and still be mom and grandma at home.

I added a picture of Michael, Jenny, Aaron, and Evan Muth. They claimed that this was their first self photo of family as a four-some. The picture of Malcham was taken on his 16th birthday last June; Richard and I attended our local Balloon Festival a couple of Saturdays ago.

2008-07-10T17:17:00.003-06:00

As you can see from the pictures, we were able to visit with Tim, Joy, and their family, too. It was great to see so many grandchildren together. The sister picture is Joy Muth, Mary Pope, and Anna Parker. The brothers' picture is of Tim Muth, Tom Parker, and Malcham Muth. Just so you can see that Richard and I were both there, I will include our pics, too.

More pictures

2008-07-10T17:06:00.003-06:00

Visit from Anna and her family

2008-07-10T16:44:00.003-06:00

Last week, our oldest daughter, Anna, and her youngest, Bryce, came for a visit. We had a great time visiting and playing games. The rest of her family, Tom, Christian, and Karissa, joined us later in the week. We were able to attend OBCS school reunion and watch fireworks together for the 4th of July celebrations. Here are some pictures:

Kiersten Joy Valiante

2008-06-15T17:49:00.003-06:00

Mountain escape

2008-05-19T02:48:00.002-06:00

Recently, I was invited to visit The Big Cabin of a friend of mine, Pam Miner. The cabin belongs to her folks. We had a wonderful time. I was even able to take this awsome picture of a deer near there.

Pictures!

2008-05-19T02:45:00.001-06:00

Here are a couple of pictures of Kiersten Joy Valiante, thanks to our daughter's sister-in-law's blog. Thanks, Ruth!

New Granddaughter!

2008-05-04T18:00:00.002-06:00

Our middle daughter, Sarah, and her husband, Tim Valiante, have given birth to our latest grandchild! Praise the LORD!

We welcome into the world Kiersten Joy. She was born April 30th, weighing in at 7 lbs. 3 oz. and was 19 inches long. We look forward to seeing her.

Don't you like a sunny day?

2008-02-19T18:34:00.002-07:00

The sun shone a lot today. Praise the Lord! Yes, I realize that the sun shines all the time, but I think I get depressed a tad when it isn't shining down, or at least when it can't shine all the way down to my little world because of clouds or other haziness. It will be so nice when the days are longer, too.

It was a very nice day!

2008-02-14T18:49:00.005-07:00

Happy Valentine's Day! I hope you all had a very nice day, and that you remembered that God loves you very much.
Richard presented me with a dozen red roses and a soft pink blanket/throw for keeping my knees warm while sitting in the recliner. He's such a wonderful husband.
We enjoyed a filet mignon steak supper (including home french fries) which were prepared and eaten at home. It was nice to have everybody around the table: Richard, Malcham, and me, as well as our daughter Mary, and her three boys: Zephaniah, Austin, and Ethan.

2008-02-12T22:07:00.004-07:00

On January 23rd, I was able to visit our newest grandbaby, Zachary Bryce Parker. He was born on December 20, 2007. Isn't he a beauty? Praise God for a very healthy baby boy. My visit with his family (Tom, Anna, Christian, and Karissa) was too short, but that's the way life is.
Here are some pictures of their family. Unfortunately, Tom wasn't feeling well, so the picture of him is when I visited last year in November.

2008-02-12T22:01:00.000-07:00

2008-02-12T21:59:00.002-07:00

Pictures from Punta Cana Trip

Vacation!

2008-01-21T08:23:00.000-07:00

Richard and I got back from a wonderful vacation to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic last Sunday. The week we were there was wonderful, just like a second honeymoon. We were honored to be able to go to this all-inclusive resort, Iberostar Bavaro, because of selling a very large amount of front-end loaders for Koyker Mfg. We've never been on a vacation quite like this before. Warm weather, sandy beaches, ocean or pool to swim in, Outback Safari Tour, parasailing, sailing in a catameran, snorkeling, and eating almost anytime we wished were activities which we enjoyed very much. We praise God for this opportunity to get away with each other and relax. It was great to get back home, but we would be very willing to go back sometime.

Hello!

2007-11-14T17:07:00.000-07:00

Yes, we are still around. I guess we've just been too busy living and working to write anything on this blog. I hope everyone is having a good day!

2007-06-09T17:49:00.000-06:00

The Great Sand Dunes Escape

2007-06-08T19:53:00.000-06:00

We were able to run off for Memorial Day weekend. After attending church on that Sunday morning and eating lunch at one of our favorite places to eat in La Junta, we headed for Alamosa, Colorado. We (Our imediate family at home, which includes Mary and her boys: Zephaniah, Austin, and Ethan) checked in at a motel, enjoyed the pool and hot tub, played card games in the dining area of the motel, shared pizza in one of our two rooms, and slept in late the next day.

Have you ever been to the Great Dunes? It was awesome! We watched an informative video in the visitor center, played in the stream, climbed part way up the hills of sand, and generally enjoyed being together as a family - away from work.

Praise the Lord for the nice get-away.

2007-05-22T07:01:00.000-06:00

2007-05-22T06:19:00.000-06:00

I've been taking walks, lately, in the morning, early. It takes me about 40 to 45 minutes to walk my preferred trail. Last week, I decided to take pictures of some of the sights along the way. Yep, it was our equipment. I get to see flowers around our yard: irises, columbines, peonies, roses, daisies, and some pretty ground cover with purple flowers, but it was the equipment I chose to take pictures. I thought you might like to see some of these pics. Well, I tried to add these pictures.

HELLO!

2007-05-15T08:12:00.000-06:00

Hello Everybody!

I'm sorry we haven't been posting on this blog, I forgot how to do it! Now, maybe I can post something.

I could have showed you the snow pictures we took in December; In January, we were really busy doing end-of-the-year/beginning-of-the-year stuff for our business. This year, I actually purchased a program for my computer to do our taxes without a paid accountant. That was a little bit scary, but went okay. Now that spring is in the air, our business is really, really busy with folks buying equipment and fixing up their own equipment to use in their fields, yard, pastures, or corrals.

We were blessed with grandchild number nine, when Tim and Sarah gave birth to Micah Joel Valiante on February 15th. In March, I spent about a week in Maryland, getting to meet Micah and help Tim and Sarah around the house. Praise God for this wonderful gift!

2006-12-08T21:27:00.000-07:00

Before we went to Michigan, we posed for this picture to be added to our church's directory. Hopefully, it will be done before spring.

I just had to put this picture in of Aaron and his mom, Jenny. Mary's kids, Zephaniah, Austin, and Ethan really giggled a lot when they saw this picture taken by Mary. Isn't it cute?

This is just one of the pictures taken while we were in Midland, Michigan during Thanksgiving.

Grandma feeds Aaron

2006-11-30T05:00:00.000-07:00

2006-11-30T04:50:00.000-07:00

Here we are in Michigan with Michael, Jenny, and Aaron.

Our First Post!

2006-11-30T04:24:00.000-07:00

This is our first post! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year. We traveled to Midland, Michigan with Malcham and Mary to visit Michael, Jenny, and new baby Aaron. It was so nice to see them and their family and friends. We each got to hold Aaron, and I was able to give him a bottle of milk at the airport. God is so awesome to allow us to do this. We were away from the business four working days. I can't remember Richard being away from his work that long since we started 35 years ago! Well, maybe the first year or so.

When we got back, we could see that business went on as usual (almost). We haven't got to see our church family, though, because last night it was so cold and the roads icy that Pastor thought we should cancel the midweek service for this week. We'll have to wait until Sunday to see those folks.

We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Fun in Frankenmuth

2006-11-27T07:22:00.000-07:00