Happy Happy Birthday to our Eden! November 2

It is November 1 as I create this post. It was on November 1, 1978 that I spent pretty much the entire day in labor with, unknown to us then, our precious first child, Eden. The onset of the labor was gradual but persistent, so I ran all my last errands and hurried home by mid-afternoon when sitting and breathing was about the best I could do. I even remember the outfit I was wearing that day--a sort of brushed denim light blue pair of pants with matching maternity jumper top and T-shirt, very blousey, unlike the styles today.
But, several months before all of that, we were just getting ready to leave Pittsburgh, PA where we'd spent the first 2 years of our marriage. Our close knit church group gave us a farewell and a baby shower together, and the picture below is from that. (It may be of interest to some to see Brad Keister in the background.)

Now flash ahead again to the evening of November 1 when we got to Lawrence Memorial Hospital in Lawrence, Kansas. This was in the "totally natural" days of having babies before epidurals were the accepted method. As you can see, nary a smile for the photographer. I see the clock says 10:44 (pm), and Eden was born not long after midnight. So there is justification.

Weeping may endure for a night,
But joy comes in the morning. (Ps. 30:5)

Or at least technically in the A.M. when little Eden arrived shortly after midnight on Nov. 2. An amazed dad...

and a relieved and enthralled mom hold their tiny bundle, weighing in at 7' 2" and 19 inches long.

Welcome to God's world, Eden!

Beautiful! She didn't sleep all that much, so this was especially beautiful for that reason.

The swing, that a friend gave us when she was around 3 months old saved us from many a fussy moment.

Dear were the many moments (now long gone) we spent staring into each other's eyes at feeding time.

Eden's baptism by her Uncle Ron in Lawrence Reformed Presbyterian Church. So many promises and hopes. . . .Christmas, 1979, admiring a wooden puzzle of farm animals.

Looks like winter/early spring of 1980. I loved that little pink bonnet with the frill that Grammy made.
And springtime with the tulips

Our official photograph for InterVarsity

Christmas-time 1980 on a visit to California to see Steve's family. Elliott is on the way.

She's been a big sister for a long time, and here she is giving a loving and nurturing look to Elliott. Some of the sistering has been fun and some has not, but it's definitely part of her identity.This was on our Christmas card of 1981. It's taken on the window seat of the first house we owned. The draperies and window seat cushion were all made by my mom, and the window seat was in our dining room.

Ahhh. The Lawrence Sale Barn was a favorite place for Steve to take the kids on a Saturday to keep us attached to our rural roots (what there were of them). And those cowboy boots were worn by all the kids but were first for Eden and purchased in Colorado.
Another Christmas-time, perhaps 1983. Grammy enthralls the children with her reading.First ballet recital at Chatham College in Pittsburgh, PA. It was the first of many happy performances, including many "Nutcrackers" with many different parts, "A Mid-Summer Night's Dream" at the Kennedy Center, and many more. You can see her fine form here--the only little girl to make the jump...and so perfectly...and able to smile right at Dad's camera to boot!

Christmas-time 1987. Eden auditioned for and got the part of --was it Margaret?-- in a city theater production of "Day Boy/Night Girl" by George MacDonald. The rehearsals were many, but the cast was great, and it was so much fun--all 18 performances of it!
For her performance, she was nominated by the Pittsburgh Post Gazette for Best Supportive Actress in a theater production that year. Very exciting!

An eventful first decade--and she was our delight throughout.

First Christmas in Virginia--1989. The second decade has begun.


High School and a summer visit to Grammy and Granddad's


Student athlete hurdler


Student trainer

High School Graduation picture

St. Stephens and St. Agnes graduation address--June 1997.

College graduation time--May 2001

Eden at Swiss L'Abri where she worked for one year after studying there for about 6 months, I think.On our visit to Switzerland and Eden near the end of her work year there

And here's to you, Eden on a whole new decade of "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."

God be with you in the adventure. We love you so much! xxoo

NEW THIS YEAR!

We are excited to add pictures from Eden's wedding to Charlie Henderson on September 15, 2013.  We are so excited for Eden and Charlie and the story God is writing of their new life together.

Charlie & Eden Henderson

Meg, Jessica, Steve, and Eden on the evening of the rehearsal dinner before Eden's wedding.

Our family on the happy day of Eden's wedding (without Charlie, as it was before the wedding!)
at Osprey Point on the Chesapeake.

Charlie & Eden cutting the cake

Steve, Eden, and Meg just after the wedding

Beautiful bride, Eden, on her wedding day, September 15, 2013.

 And so the story continues and is being written daily.  We thank God for you every day, dear Eden, and now Charlie too as you join forces for the years ahead.  xoxo

And in this year's special birthday post we add Eden and Charlie's dear little son, Charles English Henderson, affectionately known as Toddy. He was born on April 18, 2015. What a gift he is to us all.

Update:  Just a few weeks ago, Steve, Eden, and now 1 and a half year old Toddy at an orchard in Charlottesville where Eden and Charlie now live. There's getting to be a good bit of history in our relationships since the day Eden was born (way back at the beginning of this blog post). We're still and even more thanking God for the delight she is to us and to so many others on this
November 2, 2016.

It's Eden's birthday again in 2017. In just 5-6 weeks another little girl will be born, this time to Eden and Charlie (and Toddy). She has a wonderful mother who we're celebrating today!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, EDEN!