seven-twenty

Feed My Starving Children

There are many things that Joe and I laugh about when we look back on our lives when we were "PK" (pre-kids) - things seemed so complicated back then, but gosh add a few kids in the mix and our PK-lives seem kinda like a vacation.  For example, I remember trying to figure out when we should have a date night.  Now I want to scream at my old self "every night WAS a date night!".  No babysitter to schedule, no mac and cheese to fix, no PJ's to lay out, no pinky promises from the kids to be on their best behavior, no bedtime to re-do because the babysitter failed to get the kids down...

I have a similar feeling towards figuring out how to volunteer and give back to my community in this season of raising young kids.  Previously we could be a Big Brother or Big Sister volunteer.  Or easily travel to help a school in a different culture.  Or we could pick up trash on the highway and I didn't have to worry abouy Joe putting something nasty in his mouth or running into traffic.  

Our hope is to raise kids who are aware of the world and the iniquities around them and feel empowered to do something about it, but they are just not old enough to help in a local soup kitchen or even travel to most third-world poverty situations quite yet.  Joe and I desire that our kids view helping others in the same way as they breathe - it's just what you do.

Enter in Feed My Starving Children.

This is an organization that is doing some powerful work in providing nutritional meals for kids in poverty across the world.  AND it uses volunteers to prep and pack the food that gets sent to many different nations and cultures.  AND the volunteers can be (drum roll, please) CHILDREN!  Even my three year old Ford was able to help.  Of course he had no clue what/why we were doing this project, but I'm hoping that it just becomes part of his DNA - it's just what you do.

Just our single 2-hour shift packed over 20,000 meals for kids, which will end up providing a nutritionally balanced lunch for 61 kids for an entire year.  The entire three day project was nearly 210,000 meals!!!  I hope someday was can actually go visit some of these places with our kids, but to do something worthwhile, well organized, and age appropriate with our entire family was priceless.

 

 

Rocky Mountain High

But the Colorado rocky mountain high
I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky
The shadow from the starlight is softer than a lullabye
Rocky mountain high

You can talk to God and listen to the casual reply
Rocky mountain high

I know he'd be a poorer man if he never saw an eagle fly
Rocky mountain high - Colorado.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Celebrations!

There has been much to celebrate this past month!  (WARNING:  lots of pictures to follow!)

From several birthdays (Ford turning three, Gabe turning 7, and my 28th birthday - for the 8th year in a row), the good 'old U.S.A., and just lazy days at the pool.  We just love summertime in our house and have been trying to squeeze every bit out of it before school starts back up in just a few weeks.

It's hard to believe the "baby" in our family turned THREE this summer!  We had fun celebrating Ford with a family birthday at Mimi & Papa's house with the cousins.

Happy Birthday Ford!

Believe it or not, Ford was actually thoroughly enjoying his new race track (he's just incredibly focused!).  Caroline could have cared less about the new toys, but was having a blast making faces and playing with Uncle Joe!

Ford was excited to get a special phone call with birthday wishes from Grampie and Vicki!

Completely impossible to get 14 eyeballs looking in the same direction, we tried.

Ford was very insistent and excited to have a "Cars II" birthday party and it was all he could talk about for three days straight.  That is, until we went to Party City and he saw the Elmo plates.

And onto the next celebration.... the annual Monument 4th of July Parade! This was our first time participating in the kids parade - Gabe, Joe, & Ford made it thorugh the whole parade route...Mak made it exactly one block.

Baking in the hot sun!  The kids and Joe were good sports and loved cheering for all the parade walkers and grabbing as much candy as possible.  This was pretty much my only venture out into the sun, I spent most of the parade bathing in the ice chest faking excitement over yet another community group tossing tootsie rolls to us.

Ford showing Mimi his most recent candy grab.

I just loved Gabe's outfit!

We were SO excited for fireworks and had a great spot to watch the show from the Air Force Academy.  The kids had been talking about the fireworks all day long... "how much longer till they start and when will we get to see them and is it dark enough yet and will they be really loud and is it time yet"

And just 10 minutes into the show...
Two out of the three of them were out cold!  Maybe next year!

We also celebrated Gabe's SEVENTH birthday with a pool party!  Planning any outdoor event in the afternoon in Colorado is a risky thing because of the crazy thunderstorms that can form in a matter of minutes and ruin any plans for several hours.  That said, we went ahead with a pool party and crossed our fingers that the storms would stay away - and they did!

Happy Birthday Gabe!

And one of the sweetest and simplest celebrations this summer has been enjoying our days by the water and cool summer nights.

Birthdays, Holidays, and lazy days are all sweet moments and something to be celebrated indeed!

Waiting for Spring

I truly love all of the seasons in Colorado, but by the time May rolls around and snow is in the 24 hour forecast I start fantasizing about packing it all up, living on a houseboat in the tropics, and homeschooling the kids. Then I realize I actually don't like to be hot, hate boats, and someday want my kids to be productive members of society (which wouldn't happen if their schooling was left up to me). 

But snow in May, really?!  That's enough to make anyone a bit crazy.  So here's a bit of what we've been up to in waiting for the warm weather to finally arrive.

Flubber, a fruit basket, some yarn, scissors, and gravity = hours of entertainment!

I just love this pic of Mak, enjoying a teaser of a warm afternoon.

What better way to get ready for swimsuit season than gorging on fondue?

Ford prefers the full body experience - for the record, I wasn't just being a smart parent by taking his shirt off - if he is ever fully clothed it is only a result of teeth gnashing and shedding tears (mine, not his).

 

And what better way to clean up than let the dogs help?

Even on Easter morning we had frigid temperatures and a dusting of snow.  Ford was having a hard time understanding that it was a bit chilly to go play with his new tools in the sandbox.

HAPPY EASTER!!!

Nothing wrong with an indoor egg hunt!

However, there is something wrong with a two-year-old walking around with a cognac glass asking for more (not even going to mention the pink tutu).

But the very best part of this spring was meeting my brand new niece - Brennan Grace, absolutely the sweetest thing!

I Am Becoming

For the past two years I have been part of a leadership team of women working together to serve mommas in our community.  One of the sweetest things we've shared together are the stories of our lives, who we were in the past and who we hope to become.  Last year I posted my "I Am From" and thought I would finish the story with who I am becoming.  These pieces feel vulnerable, but true.  Not all of it will make sense and deserve some backstory, but for now needs to just stand on it's own.

I Am Becoming 

I am becoming more comfortable with saggy boobs and flappy parts.

I am becoming less anxious and more comfortable with the unknown outcomes

I am becoming more like me and less like you.

I am becoming acutely aware of how fast kids grow up and my role as their conductor, coach, counselor, and confidant.

I am becoming a better wife, but still a best friend.

I am becoming a helper of children and families that are not my own.

I am becoming globally aware of the Christian church and finding I have a breaking heart for the poor and inequities in the world.  The accident of latitude demands a response.

I am becoming more comfortable around black people.

I am becoming a mother of adolescents and even sometimes think about what I want to put in their college care packages.

I am becoming a French Chef, a golfer, and a triathlete.

I am becoming a better leader and unafraid of confrontation.  Willing to walk through others’ messes and acknowledge my own.

I am becoming a lover of long meals, $20 wine, and late night conversations

I am becoming debt free.

I am becoming OK with the idea of someday going to Bora Bora.

I am becoming more interested in keeping up and less interested in having it.

I am becoming aware of what an ass I was in my twenties.

I am not becoming more of a child of God, that I always have been and always will be.

Gabe conquers the Incline & Mak plays football

One of the best parts of living in the shadow of Pikes Peak is the proximity of "THE INCLINE".  The Incline has the reputation (well-deserved) of being one of the hardest, but "most worth it" hikes in this area.  You start at 6530' in elevation and end at 8550' - roughly a 2000-foot elevation gain in just over a mile of trail.  The trail is the old railbed of a cog-railway train that would take tourists up (as in straight up) the mountain.  When the train depot was sold, the hikers took over - and the rest, is history (and sore legs, and oxygen deprived bodies).  However, this intimidating trail wasn't too much for Gabe - he has been begging to go with Joe and they finally did it last Saturday.   

 

At the top!  1 hour 11 minutes to the top - not bad for a 6 year old!

In other news, our princess loving/ pink wearing/ tutu twirling girl joined a flag football team!  AND LOVED IT!  She went from "I'm only going to totally try this out only one time"  to "can I wear a dress to my football practice on Tuesday?".

Can she really be FIVE?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Makena Kate, named after a beautiful beach on Maui and for her sweet Grammie that she would only know for a short while - born on her due date on a spring afternoon in the South.  Happy Birthday, sweet girl!

Her daddy is fond of saying that she is the girl whose smile circles the world, I tend to think he's kinda right...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Linkin Park Dad

We had been looking forward to last Saturday night for a LONG time - an evening with friends and a Linkin Park concert at the Pepsi Center in Denver.  I had been reading a few of the reviews from their current tour and tried not to have expectations that could not be met, but having already seen more than a few of their shows on previous tours, I was pretty sure my expectations could be as high as I want and it still would be an incredible show.  And it was indeed simply incredible.  I remember thinking just before the band came on that standing in a extremely loud arena for a 90 minute show at nearly 10PM at night was not where a over-tired, mid-thirties, mom-of-three belonged.  I took a deep breath and tried not to embarrass myself by yawning.

And then the band came on.

And then the show was over.  

I can't remember the last time 90 minutes went so fast.  It literally flew by and was an awesome thing to watch (didn't even consider sitting down!).  Other than the concert, a favorite comment was during the meet & greet.  Let's just say that Joe was asked about being related to one of the band members - and they didn't think he was a brother. (as in - best squeaky teenage voice - "oohhh, you must totally be Phoenix's DAD!") 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thursday afternoons

Thursday afternoons are usually one of my favorite times in the week.  Two of the kids are at school and Ford will take a nap.  Nearing the end of the week, I always look forward to my Thursday afternoon cup of tea and some reading.  Reading is my guilty pleasure, usually left for the very end of the day just before falling asleep.  So to sit down in the middle of the afternoon, with a quiet house, and get lost in a book is one of my most favorite things.

But as in most guilty pleasures, there are consequences.  The consequences for my reading habit on Thursday afternoons is no dinner for my family.  Grabbing pizza out one night a week doesn't seem like such a big deal, but recently we've just been eating out way too much (consequence of busy schedules AND afternoon reading).  For the past few weeks I have solved this "problem" by volunteering to make a meal for a friend on...drum roll, please...Thursday afternoons.  Cooking for my own family isn't enough to avoid the pizza parlor, but if there is another family looking forward to a hot meal motivates me to put the book down.

All this seems like such a great idea and solution to the eating out problem, and then Thursday afternoon rolls around and cooking becomes about the very last thing I want to do.  However, today I put on an apron and my big girl panties and started cooking away.  While not quite as relaxing as reading a few pages - I do love to cook, had a blast, and was able to bless two families tonight.

Today I was also on a tight schedule so after a morning at MOPS, quick grocery stop, pre-school drop off, a return to Starbucks to retrieve my forgotten phone from early this morning, and getting Ford down for his nap I had just about 90 minutes to get everything prepped, cooked, and loaded in the car before I had to go get Gabe & Mak from their respective schools.  So to say it was a bit crazy in my kitchen doesn't quite capture the holy terror that was cooking away, but maybe a picture (or two) may help:

 

 

 

it's about the journey, not the destination - right?

Almost exactly 14 years ago, Joe planned a wonderful day together with the hope that at the end of the day he would be proposing to his future bride.  

A brief re-cap:

The day started in the early hours with a sunrise snowshoe adventure up to the Flatirons in Chautauqua Park in Boulder, complete with breakfast and hot chocolate (except he forgot the stove...and breakfast - so we just enjoyed the sunrise).  Joe also vividly remembers getting pulled over by a cop that morning and talking his way out of a ticket because he told the officer he was going to propose that day (I didn't find this out until months later).  After hiking and breakfast, Joe dropped me off for a few hours to go to some classes and get ready for another hiking adventure that afternoon.  Little did I know that he had to rush home to meet the FedEx truck to accept the delivery of the engagement ring!  He literally had a ring pop to propose with just in case the delivery was delayed.

So later that day, Joe picked me up again and we headed up to Estes Park.  I knew we were going snowshoeing, but wasn't sure if this was going to be "the day" I had been waiting for.  We had talked A LOT about marriage/life together and I knew a proposal was coming, but was sick of being disappointed at the end of every date so I remember being determined to just enjoy this day together.  We pulled off at some random turnoff in Rocky Mountain National Park, and started hiking, not on a trail nor with a map.  After a short distance, Joe said he had to go "check for wildlife" (aka go pee) and then called me over to where he was.  I was positive Joe was just being silly (gross) and just wanted to show me something romantic like how he wrote my name in the snow, so I refused to join him.  He finally convinced me that coming over was worth it and I walk over to find a picnic table all set up with snacks, drinks, etc.  Keep in mind that we were in the middle of nowhere, not on a trail and certainly not near any normal picnicking spot.  I'm not sure when I started crying, but not being a total dolthead, I figured he didn't go to all this trouble to just enjoy a picnic together and he pulled out a beautiful ring and FINALLY proposed.

We were married just 5 months later and have not been able to be back at Estes Park for the past 14 years.  Needless to say, when we were at a marriage retreat in Estes Park just last weekend we knew we had to use Saturday afternoon to go and find that spot.  With only one pair of snowshoes and romanticized memories we headed out to Rocky Mountain National Park.  We knew the general area of the park, and for about 45 minutes the conversation was something like:

"there!  there! we found it!  oh wait...maybe not, let's keep driving"

And then sometimes we would pull over, or turn around, or drive a bit farther, and repeat.  about a dozen times.  

Finally, we were positive that we absolutely found the right turnout and geared up.  Of course, Joe didn't want to propose in front of anyone else and picked an obscure and random trail - he obviously wasn't thinking 10+ years down the road and wanting to re-find that spot.  I offered to lead the trail (since that meant I got to wear the snowshoes) and Joe post-holed behind me - sometimes up to his waist!  

We hiked for a while (about 300 yds)...crested a hill...heard birds singing and sunlight shining down...and found our spot!  For old times sake Joe even wrote my name in the snow.  We took a few pictures and headed back to the car feeling nostalgic, excited, and so proud of our highly-trained guiding instincts.

That is, until we looked at the picture from Engagement Day:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And compared it to 14 years later:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

oops. The "90%, almost totally positive, excited we found our spot" became "well, I guess we can try again tomorrow?".

Turns out, we were waaaay too far away from the mountains and needed to be much closer to Bierstadt Lake.  But we were positive there was not any turnoff that felt right along that road - go figure.

We still had a great time, loved snowshoeing (at least 50% of us enjoyed that part), and reliving one of our most favorite days together.