A (Birth)Day Well Spent

What a day.  Our Wild One turned four, so we celebrated in style.  Maybe part of me thought that if we celebrated big enough it might keep his mind off our missing Daddy.  I think he had a great time...as we snuggled up at the end of a very long day he whispered in my ear, "Thanks for my burfday, Mommy." Oh, it was my pleasure, sweet boy. 

Kicking it off right: balloons, donuts, decorations!

Pretty awesome having your birthday on 7/11 -- Free Slurpee Day!

We headed up to the mountains, to the most picturesque little lake in Evergreen.  I could hardly believe the beauty.

Hannah, getting ready for her boating adventure.  What her Dad doesn't know won't hurt him, right?

Thumbs up for paddleboating!

And a great afternoon topped off with a little fishing!

All that was left was spaghetti dinner (a Simon request), cake, ice cream and PRESENTS!

Among his great gifts was a play set of camping gear and a kids' lantern.  These two set up their own restaurant ("Restaurant Canoe", specializing in chocolate and cheese, according to Si.  My kind of place.) They played outside by the light of the moon and the lanterns until almost 10:00.  What a fantastic end to a perfect summer's day!

Eleven Months

Wildfires

It's been a hot week here in the Rockies. Fires are burning all over Colorado, and tonight one started here in Boulder. The Flagstaff fire is burning on the southwest ridge in the flat irons, about 10 miles from where we are. We are safe. There are many buildings and a major highway between us and the fire. We are not concerned for our own safety.

However, my little brother Mike is up there fighting it. Oh how I pray for him.

Here are a few photos we took last weekend when we went up to Flagstaff to hike and have a picnic. Amazing to think that this is all gone, all burning now.

Si's New Ride

My brother Mike dropped by for dinner tonight and took Simon for a spin on our new bike set-up. I found this trail-a-bike at a recreational equipment recycler (so very Colorado, isn't it?) as I was thinking of ways to get the three of us out on all the amazing trails around town.

Si was NOT excited. "Mom, there is no way I am going to get on that bike until you put training wheels on it." Once I forced him aboard with promises of Popsicles and yogurt, things just got hilarious. Screaming at my back: "Mooommm! This is something that is NOT fun for me!!!". "Mooommm! This is not making me happy!"

Eventually, as you can tell by the look on his face, he fell in love. We lapped this park no fewer than 20 times this afternoon. I'm looking forward to hitting the trails with these kiddos.

Ten Months

So here we are, closer to eleven months than ten, but the tradition must continue.

We made it!

What a sweet relief to arrive safely at my parents' house in Colorado. We took our first trip to the mountains for a picnic, hike and even a bit of fishing tonight. Let summertime begin!

Remembering, Honoring

Yesterday was Memorial Day.  Our family tradition has always been to spend time and post flags in a veteran's cemetery.  Christopher is at the heart of this tradition: it's his idea, his passion, his patient and appropriate discussions with the kids about the meaning of the day.  So it was a bit bittersweet to carry on without him.  Tough to explain to the kids that we were honoring men and women who had been in the military and died while serving their country (or as the kids say, they "sacrificed for America").  You could see the wheels turning in Millie's head..."Hmmm.  My Dad's in the military serving his country...".  Anyway, we powered through on our own and ended the afternoon with a picnic lunch and some bike riding. 

That's a Wrap!

And just like that...our school year is over!  It feels like those eight months just flew by around here.  Then I dug up this photo from September.  Proof that a lot can change in a little bit of time.  Proof that I need to slow down and treasure these days.

Happy Summer!

Scenes from a Morning...

Today, the gratitude came easy.  It came to me in a butterfly nightgown carrying a shaky cup of hot coffee and the proudest grin across her face.  It came in monkey pajamas with a banana in one hand and a cup of cereal in the other -- just for me, with a chocolate covered almond nestled down in there because a special day deserved a special treat.  And even though it came at 6:05 am, I was happy to let it wash over me and snuggle me close in the half empty bed.  I let it remind me of the months and years when I feared that this family was a dream not meant for me.  And I remembered my own mom, the woman who made it all possible and showed me the way to really love a family.

So while we were a man down for this mother's day, we didn't feel alone or lonely.  We stuck close together.  Marveled at our baby girl.  Laughed through dinner in our neighbors' backyard.  And gave thanks for all that we've been given.  It is a lot.

Lots of Love from "Over There"

We received another awesome box of goodies from Christopher today.  We have the best time sitting in the middle of the floor together and sorting through all of his notes and bags and treats for us.  I know he goes out of his way to get off the ship and shop for us at each port visit.  It's not easy -- they can't leave the ship without a "liberty buddy", so he often has to round up a willing shipmate to cruise the local shops with him.  I'd love to be a fly on the wall as these big navy dudes are picking out fancy girls' shoes and baby toys to send home.

Here are a few shots of our goodies from Daddy:

Traditional headdress.

Millie got a traditional dress and scarf.

This gift is so special.  He chose individual links (her initials, a soccer ball, a dog, an ichthus)  to create a unique bracelet just for Millie

Hannah got a camel (no sound out of this one, thankfully) but she really fell in love with the sparkly shoes that came with Millie's dress.

Obviously, these did not come in the box from Dubai.  What an amazing surprise at my door this afternoon.  Mother's Day flowers from Christopher!  So beautiful and touching.