Forget 8 seconds, I'm talking about 8 hours

It's January, and for those of us in Denver, it means just one thing: temperatures in the 60s and lots of sun!

Oh, and it also means the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo.

Yes, often we have both, and yesterday proved to be one of those days where we left our jackets at home, donned our sunglasses and large belt buckles, and headed downtown to see some amazing creatures... and the animals they ride.

We love having family and friends visit us in January so that we can expose them to the cowboy culture without even leaving our city. And we love to have an excuse to splurge a little and enjoy it ourselves.

I have to say that the rodeo is even more fun with kids. It's more work, too, as you have to be careful not only where you step as you walk up and down the rows of livestock, but also where they step. But there's nothing that can replace the wonder and awe in their eyes as they see the velvety black angus cattle, the massive and powerful clydesdale horses, or a newly shorn sheep up close for the first time.

With John's parent visiting from New York, he took the afternoon off work so we could go when there were less crowds, and our intention was to see the 2:00 pm rodeo, then see how the kids were doing afterward to determine how much time we wanted to walk the grounds and see the exhibits and animals, etc. But I suppose we looked at the online schedule wrong because yesterday was the only day that there was no afternoon rodeo. Surprise! So at 1:30, we decided to buy tickets to the 7:00 pm rodeo and make a day of it. A very long day.

All told, we were at the National Western complex for eight hours. With two kids who hadn't napped. Truly, we were amazed, pleased, and proud of how wonderfully they did, and it made for a fabulous day with lots of fun memories.

Who couldn't love this adorable lil' cowboy? Josiah gears up with daddy's hat.

Ah, yes, the photo op at the wagon wheels. Just couldn't resist.

The petting farm was one of my favorite parts of the day. These animals were so incredibly patient with some of the kids who would smack and yank on them. Both of my kids were gentle, thankfully, or I would have been really nervous. This llama was taller than Lucy when it was lying down. Joey looked like a dwarf next to it.

Lucy fed a goat from her hand, but didn't intend for this one to try to eat her hat. Wouldn't it look tasty to you, too, if you were a goat?

Here you see Joey gently patting a goat. He was very brave and obviously fascinated by each and every goat, llama, sheep, and pig. The end of his fascination came when a sheep head-butted him right in the belly. He was apparently in its way. When he started to cry, the sheep turned back to look at him and promptly sneezed in his face. There was no recovering from that.

We were so proud of Lucy as she bravely rode this pony. (And I was proud of John for splurging on it!)

It was exhausting for some more than others. Joey settled in for a very brief rest on Papa's shoulder, but he didn't sleep the whole time we were there. He did, however, have his first taste (or two or three) of Pepsi, so I'm sure the caffeine boost helped.

Our seats for the rodeo were in the third row, right behind the cattle chutes. This was Lucy's second one, but she doesn't remember the first (which was either 2 or 3 years ago -- apparently we can't remember either). She loved the mutton bustin' and the barrel racing the best, as well as watching the horse teams pull the wagons. I'm sure the cotton candy John bought helped fuel her enthusiasm, too.

We love the rodeo. John got this great shot of steer wrestling, which is one of my favorite events. Roping is one thing, but watching these guys go lunging off their horses at full speed to intentionally land on a horned animal that weighs twice as much as they do and wrestle it into the dirt is something else entirely. These poor guys don't even get their 15 seconds of fame. It's more like 4.8 or 5.6 seconds.

YEEHAW! We left at 9:30, about half-way through the bull riding, but we knew we couldn't push our luck much further. Beating the crowd out had another advantage: we hitched a ride on a bicycle taxi to our car. A fun end to a great day!

Book review: For the Tough Times

I just finished reading For the Tough Times by Max Lucado.

This book is for everyone. I mean everyone. Read it, then read it again with a highlighter in your hand.

By the title, you imagine it’s just for those who are experiencing hardship in life. But even if your life is all rainbows and ice cream right now, who doesn’t know of someone experiencing tough times? If we ourselves are not asking, we all hear the questions: Where is God in all of this? Can good come from evil? Is God really listening?

We can all use the encouragement in these pages, no matter our circumstances, to gain a greater understanding of God’s purpose in allowing life’s hard moments. Four ourselves, for those around us, and for the state of our world.

I almost stopped after the introduction, feeling that in just five pages Lucado had already given me enough to ponder and digest. But the full 80 pages were loaded with analogies, biblical and historical examples, and Lucado’s characteristically flavorful language. Besides addressing the questions above, he expounds on the issues of trust, God’s authority, the allowance of evil, forgiveness, reverence, hope in death, and prayer.

I’m about to read it again. This time with a highlighter in hand.

“The issue is not the existence of pain; the issue is the treatment of pain.” –Max Lucado

The next challenge

We got the official medical 'stamp of approval' this morning that Joey has made a full recovery! He no longer has to get blood work each week. His labs from Monday were looking really good, except that his platelets were still a little bit high (not dangerously, but just a bit above the normal range). Our pediatrician told me yesterday that he would call the Infectious Disease department at Children's Hospital to get their thoughts on his case. He expected a call back sometime this week, but he heard back from them nice and early this morning and talked to one of the leading researchers of Kawasaki's in the nation who has been working with KD for over 30 years. She said the latest grouping of kids with KD have had slightly elevated platelets, but because the other critical markers are normal we don't have to test Joey's blood any more! We will continue to keep an eye on his heart as he grows, but they consider his case a full recovery!

We are indeed celebrating and giving all the glory to God for this gift!

I think Joey must have already known last night that this news would be coming. He knew that we would breath a big sigh of relief and finally be able to close this chapter, so he decided he had to do something that would keep us on our toes. He waited until Daddy left for his Bible study and Mommy was up to her elbows in dish water before he did this:



I was trying in vain to explain to a 17-month-old how it was dangerous, but Lucy was more than happy to encourage him, and it became a game for the two of them:



Even though I feel like I'm holding my breath each time I allow him to do it, who can resist those grins of triumph and the giggles of sibling joy? From now on, the dishes will just have to wait until after bedtime.

Book review: My Little Girl

Thanks to a tip from a friend, I recently became a "Book Review Blogger" for Thomas Nelson Publishers. The first book I received from them is called My Little Girl by Tim McGraw.

I admit to being a fringe country music fan, and I appreciate the expressions of Christian faith I hear in McGraw's music, as well as hearing of his devotion as a husband and father, so I was curious about his foray into children’s literature.

My daughter and I really enjoyed this sweet-as-sugar-and-spice book that celebrates the relationship between a father and daughter.

In the story, Katie prepares for an extravagant day with her father, but his plans didn’t include anything extraordinary. Their enjoyment of each other is inspiring and put many smiles on my daughter’s face. The whimsical illustrations add to the charm by really bringing out the characters’ personalities.

As a parent I often think that creating great memories requires big events, extravagance or money, but McGraw’s story shows that even “nothing-in-particular” moments can strengthen the bond between a parent and child and provide lasting memories of life together.

I was encouraged how McGraw, a top-selling musician, writes in a down-to-earth manner and how he demonstrates his faith and values in subtle ways in his writing, such as Katie’s bedtime prayer. His wife Faith Hill writes the forward and expresses her hope “for fathers and daughters to enjoy each other’s company and make memories reading together.”