Three Treats

An Historic Decade

Most people remember a great deal about where they were and what was going on in their life when the events of September 11, 2001 occurred.

Some people also recall what happened in their lives on the day before: the last day of "life as we knew it."

I do, too, because September 10, 2001 was a milestone birthday for my dad.

On that particular birthday of his, I remember having a busy day at work because I planned to leave early. John and I had just taken a 'second job' as ushers/crowd control for the Denver Broncos. We were cheap labor, but we got to be in the brand new Invesco Field at Mile High for the very first game ever, which happened to be against the rival Raiders.

All day I reminded myself to call my dad. (He lives 1,100 miles away, and I'm notoriously bad for getting cards in the mail, so it would be my only birthday greeting to him.)

I remember rushing out of work, quickly changing clothes at home, and hopping in the truck to head downtown. Before we had even hit the highway, I was singing "Happy Birthday" to my dad over the phone. We chatted for a while, then arrived downtown and assumed our duties in the seats of the north end zone.

The game went late, and the next morning John and I both overslept, which meant we were still at home to watch the events across our nation unfold.

Today, as we mark a decade since the day before the events of 9/11, we also celebrate another milestone decade of my dad's life. Since that day, so much has changed in our nation, our lives, our family. Among other things, my dad has taken a mission trip to Rwanda, touched innumerable lives through his small businesses, survived a head-on car crash and a second heart surgery, celebrated 47 years of marriage to my mom, and become a Grandfather five times!

It's been quite a decade, Dad. As you begin a new one, we pray that the next one will be just as exciting and blessed, but maybe just a little less 'eventful'! Happy Birthday!

Oddly Familiar

While keeping cool in our backyard baby pool, I had this sudden feeling of deja vu...


...like something was strangely familiar from our trip to the zoo last month...

Is it just me, or do you see some similarities, too?

Roadtrip Recap

Holy smokes! I know that school started a few weeks ago, but for the last month my mantra has been, "Summer is not over, summer is not over, summer is not over..."

I thought I had all kinds of time to post the photos from our Grand Excursion this summer. And here I am staring September square in the face.

So, without any additional procrastination and delay, here are a few of the many highlights of our summer road trip, from Colorado to New York and everything in between...


First Stop: Somewhere in Kansas. This was the first time our kids shared a bed, and because they are both very active sleepers, it was so fun to see the various positions they ended up in. We thought we could use this someday to prove they really do love each other:


Second Stop: After spending a few days with my parents, John and I left the kids with Grandma and Grandpa and spent four (count them, FOUR) nights away as guests at this amazing home.

We were there with the leadership team and spouses from John's office and had a very refreshing time there together. While we weren't eating the most delicious meals or delving into how our personalities operate under stress, we spent free time in the backyard:

It was heavenly...

We also got to swing by our alma mater, Taylor University! Though it was a very brief detour, we enjoyed a quick drive around the one-mile campus loop. Naturally, we had to stop at Ivanhoe's for a shake, too.

After rescuing my parents from our children, we spent a few more days with them as the stars in the universe aligned. Okay, not really, but it almost felt like it when we got to see the Jones family and the Dillons, who all just happened to be passing through town on the same day!

We absolutely treasure these times with our dearest of friends...

We also got some cousin time. It was a treat to celebrate my youngest niece's first birthday with our whole family! And we spent as much time together on our days there as we could.

We love to visit my brother when he is on shift at the fire station. The kids get to sit in the engines and hold the nozzles and watch their Uncle slide down the fire pole. My mom especially loved this shot of all five of her grandkids sitting on the bumper of the ladder truck.


Once we had outworn our welcome in Indiana we loaded up the van and proceeded to the Adirondacks in upstate New York to see John's parents. Nana and Papa live close to Camp of the Woods with its perfect little stretch of beach. Of the ten days we spent with them, eight of those included beach time!

Adam's first exposure to so much sand was a big adjustment for him. This photo pretty much sums up how he felt about The Beach for the first six days:

I love that face -- it makes me want to laugh and cry at the same time!

But we made sure he had a nice little spot on the blanket under the umbrella, with minimal sand and a few toys.

It actually made my time far more relaxing than I thought it would be! I didn't have to chase him anywhere for the first time in months!

Put him on pretty much anything that was relatively sand-free and he was happy.

But one day toward the end of the week something inside him switched and he got brave and wanted to play with the sand...


...then he ventured out to walk on the sand...
(Look at those chubby little piggies!)

...and then he wanted to touch the water...

...and eventually the sand made it into his mouth, of course. That's my beach boy!


Swim lessons earlier in the summer helped give Josiah confidence in the water at the lake. He loved every minute on that beach and jumped and played and splashed and smiled until we dragged him out and dried him off.



Lucy built sand castles, went kayaking with Nana and Papa, practiced her new swimming skills, collected shells and rocks, made new friends, and nearly cried every day when we had to leave.

I don't blame her. Do you?


She also got to scramble up the camp's massive climbing wall -- THREE times!

John's folks took us on a couple short hikes to see some beautiful waterfalls.

(I know the next photo looks posed, but I was contemplating being at eye level with the rushing water--it was gorgeous and powerful. And I'm surprisingly pleased that my husband actually took some photos of me for a change!)

A friend of my in-laws took us on a lovely pontoon boat (a.k.a. Party Barge) ride around a peaceful neighboring lake.



Besides all this, we had a bonfire and roasted marshmallows for s'mores, met up with old friends, heard some gifted and godly speakers, ate mammoth cinnamon rolls, read and played board games, went antiquing, watched sea planes land, played miniature golf, and ate ice cream every day that we were on the beach. Yes, every day.

And never once watched TV or checked email.

*sigh*

Once our time in New York was up, we headed back to Indiana to catch our breath. Lucy got to fulfill a long-time dream (something she came up with about two weeks prior) to have a lemonade stand. Grandma made it extra-ordinary. And she earned about $8 in the hour they were out there!

Once we knew the kids were ready to numb their bottoms for another 18 hours, we loaded up for the last time and headed west toward home. Starting out at 4 a.m. brought us back to the Rockies in time to be welcomed home by this beautiful sight:


One minivan with car-top carrier, two adults, three kids, 24 days away from home, a total of 71 hours in the van, and 4,015 miles traveled across eight states.

It was indeed an unforgettable trip.

Another First

Today is Lucy's first day of Second Grade.

She looks impossibly grown up in this picture. *sigh*

But she asked me to walk her in to the classroom.

And gave me kisses in front of her friends.

Lots of kisses.

And a big bear hug around my neck, squeezing so hard I almost cried. (I said almost.)

And then she blew me a kiss from her desk and did the hand sign for "I love you."

Yup, still my 'little' girl.

Counting to Four

We had a fun day of celebration earlier this week as Josiah turned FOUR years old. Since we had his 'official' party with my family in Indiana a few weeks ago, we chose to spend his actual birthday at the zoo.
Besides the fact that we sought shade whenever possible due to the melting heat of the sun, the kids and I had a fabulous time!

It was a special day for all of them, but I was particularly focused on making it special for Joey. I let him choose our direction, said yes to most of his requests, and splurged on some things I usually would not. Like the carousel.

True to his careful nature, his favorite exhibits were all the ones he could get close to behind the safety of the glass: the gorillas, the polar bears, and of course the lions.



And it wasn't hard to say yes to the Dippin' Dots in that heat.


It has been fun for me to reflect on this year in Joey's life and think about the way he's growing up and how I've been privileged to watch him develop right before my eyes...

I love how he often notices details and will compliment me on something small like my earrings or my choice of shoes. He was the first to notice when I rearranged the wall art in our living room, and more than once he has leaned in to whisper to me that he thinks I look pretty. (He's a keeper!)

He loves to wrestle with Daddy (and his baby brother) but it's never a complete match until it ends with some snuggle time.

His giggle is contagious and he loves to make us laugh. I'm never sure who laughs harder when he's being tickled.

Music speaks to his heart, and I will often find him playing by himself while singing whatever little song he has on his mind--sometimes one we haven't listened to in weeks--and his sweet voice is music to my ears. It often brings to mind this verse: "From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise." Psalm 8:2

He has surprised me by way of frustration as he has resisted my desire to teach him to identify the letters of the alphabet, yet when asked what a particular letter is, he's correct most of the time. Stinker.

And though he is by nature shy and timid, I've enjoyed watching him recently as he independently introduces himself to a new friend and asks their name, and as he has bravely conquered the two-story twisty slide at our town playground without my prompting. Big steps for my little guy.

He may be in the lowest percentiles for his size, but his heart and personality make up for it in a big way. I'm so pleased to celebrate the completion of his fourth year, and I'm looking forward with great anticipation for what this next year will bring.

National Geographic is knocking at my door

I have been spending way too much time staring out my windows this week. Since I have virtually filled up our camera's memory card with photos of The Twins, my husband insisted I post an update.

After five days they are still here!

Mama Deer has become quite bold and domesticated as she has practically taken up residence in our backyards and the green belt in between. She hops on over regularly to lick, sniff, and nurse the babes, then returns to a safe distance to watch them.

(Pardon the quality of these photos. I took them through the slats of our deck and from the shadows through our side window.)

Admit it, you would be glued to your window, too, if this little creature were laying just a few feet away.

We named them, of course. Shadow and Sunny are easy to tell apart by the markings on their heads. The above photo is Shadow, who is more adventurous and is therefore easier to photograph than Sunny, who ironically prefers to stay hidden.

Yes, I'm a totally smitten dork.

I have loved deer since I was a kid, growing up in a house that backed up to a forest preserve. We used to put salt blocks in our yard to attract the deer, then watch them silently appear at dusk -- sleek, strong, and graceful. I try to emphasize to my kids how special this is -- that most people never get this close to any deer, and most people never get to see a real live fawn, let alone two of them. They don't seem to be quite as appreciative of the opportunity as I am.

However, my animal-lover Lucy did use her own money to make this purchase at Michael's this week:

And that's not all. Look what's happening in one of the trees in our yard:
It has been a long-time dream of mine to be a writer and photographer for National Geographic. This week I'm livin' it, baby.