Field Day

Trinity Lutheran had their field day for the pre-school and Kindergarten. What a blast! Matthew competed in the 20 yard dash, baby crawl, backwards run, bean bag run, bean bag throw, and water balloon throw. Each child got a ribbon for each event they participated in. It was a little tough trying to watch Matthew and keep Tyler out of trouble. We began and ended the day by playing on the playground and sliding down a giant purple hat. The boys were both tuckered out after all that play. All in all it was a splendid day.

Time for a Haircut?

Matthew had his first hair cut at 18 months and his hair was truly out of control. Tyler has much finer hair so he is already 21 months and hasn't seen the scissors yet, but I think it is about time. I was hoping to wait until his 2nd birthday and have kind of been putting it off because Tyler HATES to be confined and so I am anticipating a bit of a struggle to get him to stay still for a haircut. I might have to go to a professional for the first one.

Mountain Majesty

Our good friends Kirk and Aspen moved to Conifer and though you can't see it very well in this photo, they have a beautiful view of Pike's Peak from their balcony.

What a fun day we had celebrating Nick's first birthday and their recent move to this new house.

Favorite Pasttime

Yes, that's a pet door.
No, we don't have pets, but Tyler loves to watch out the door whenever Steve is in the garage.

He kept running between the garage door where he could peak through the pet door and the front door to look out and see what Steve was doing in the driveway. He'd call out "Daddy, Daddy" and Steve would answer him from the garage. Too cute!

Piano Playing

Garage Time

We got a new grill and the boys were "helping" Daddy put it together. Tyler was inspecting the work.


Matthew took a break for a little air guitar. Steve was playing some of his '70s music.

Beth Moore

My good friend Kym and I took the opportunity to get away for a few hours and attend a Beth Moore conference in Colorado Springs. I'm posting on May 21, but we actually went the first weekend in May.

Beth Moore has incredible energy and zest for life and is very fun to engage with during her talks. It is the first time I had seen her live vs. on a video. She always has great insights from God's word and this conference was no different. Her chosen text was Matthew 16:24-28.

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?" vs. 25-27

I don't think I was quite prepared for the intensity of her talks. I'm still chewing on the meat of her insights and pointed challenges.

The highlights included some great conversations and time spent with Kym, the hotel under construction (yes that's sarcasm), and the music at the conference. The powerful voices of the singers and the polished playing of the band were great to listen to and sing with.

Still chewing...

Leggo Mania

Matthew loves playing with leggos. He makes space ships, transformers, and robots. It has been fun to see his creations become more intricate along with his imagination. As I was posting this he went to make aanother "cool" spaceship. The picture doesn't do it justice.

Popsicle Days

Tyler wanted me to "back away" from the popsicle.

Daddy, I love you!

Matthew has taken to sending his Daddy e-mail and has really enjoyed the back and forth messages. I'm his scribe and try to capture his words verbatim. Here is a recent message:

Dear Daddy,

I hope you come home from work soon 'cause I want to see you soon and I want to watch Ninja turtles with you. You're my favorite man that I really love and Daddy I really love transformers. I hope you get me a transformers suit some day. Please e-mail me back. I love you. I like to build sand castles with you. I like you so much that you're my favorite man. And again, I like to build sand castles and I like to build castles out of bricks with you. That I love you, you're good for me and you love me.

Thanks Daddy! I love you so much. Thanks for helping me do the right thing. I love you and you can be my friend. Thanks for being at my birthday in December. Daddy I really love you so much that you're my friend.

From, Matthew

Crazy Faces

Tyler is sooo much like his brother when it comes to putting stuff on his face!

First it's my make-up.

Then it's a mud beard.

Mount Falcon

The boys and I had a fun morning at Mount Falcon.

50 is Nifty!

April 12, 2008 Stephen Gregory VanDewater turned 50!

We went out to dinner at Beso de Arte in Morrison and enjoyed the lights up at Red Rocks. It was great to have a night out to ourselves. It seemed slightly anti-clamactic since we had been talking about the big "5" "0" for so long. But is was a very nice evening.

Thank you Steve for all you do for our family. You show us in so many ways that you love and support me and our children. I love you and look forward to celebrating many more birthdays!

P.S. This was the first time that the 13 years between us sounded strange. To realize that I am still in my 30s and Steve has entered his 50s sounds like Steve really robbed the cradle. What a lucky guy!

Goofy Boy!

Matthew doesn't like to take "normal" pictures anymore. Here are a few examples.

Actually, this one he didn't know I took. He insisted he wear this bandage thingy on his head for his nap.

Playing with the Plasterers

Heather and Lexi.

Sweet kiddos. Tyler and Lexi had fun, but mostly they liked their Moms.

Fun with paint! It was a better idea in my head, but they seemed to enjoy the mess.

Matthew and Zach found that Lions and Tigers make eating so much more fun!

Applesauce Boy

Look familiar? I'm quite sure I have pictures of Matthew doing something like this at about the same age. He decided his hair needed an applesauce treatment.

The Opposable Mind

A while back I found the following quote on a fellow bloggers website:

"The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two

opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the

ability to function. One should, for example, be able to see that

things are hopeless yet be determined to make them otherwise."

-F. Scott Fitzgerald

I sent the quote to my boss as it fit a situation at work we were dealing with at the time. Just a few days later the book The Opposable Mind by Roger Martin, in which the above quote was written, showed up on my desk - my very own copy. It wasn't until this past weekend that I got to dive into the book and couldn't put it down.

The subject matter is all about learning a different way to think, titled "Integrative Thinking" by the author. I have found it stimulating and challenging. In business we often have to decide between two options, an either/or scenario. The author says, figure out how to do "and" instead of "or" and the possibilites are much greater.

The author gives some inspiring examples of integrative thinkers and what they have achieved. I think I find this book stimulating because I often find myself in the place of feeling like I am a dichotomy. On the one hand I love being a Mom and want to mother my boys to the best of my ability. Yet, I am pulled to the other side of me that loves a professional career. I am looking for the "AND" between my two sides. For now that means working part-time while my boys are young so I can be with them to shape them and give them a solid start in life. Later, maybe I will have the opportunity to expand my professional career and still care for my family. Or maybe I can do both now.

Happy Easter

I love Easter - I think it is my favoriate holiday. There is such a feeling of hope and victory around this "holy" day. Spring is around the corner and color is coming back into the landscape very soon. We can start shedding the heavy layers and find our own ways to blossom into this new season. My boys are able to play outside more without having to get on LOTS of clothes and I hear more birds singing.

I also love the music of Easter. We decided to go to Denver First Church of the Nazarene for service and Steve and I were both holding back the tears as we listened to and joined in with great songs like "Via Dolorosa", "He's Alive", "Were it not for Grace", and many more favorites. There was a full choir and orchestra and the joy on so many of their faces mirrored our own. We left feeling refreshed, knowing that God had met us there.

The boys love Easter too. Matthew is starting to understand that the day is about more than just candy, but he sure loves his easter egg hunt. I tried to get some photos before they got messed up, but Tyler got into the water.Matthew was too busy eating jelly beans to care about getting his picture taken!

Time Change

I was dreading this time change and somehow had it in my head that the boys would be up early, like 6 am. I have been pleasantly surprised that 3 out of the last 4 mornings I've gotten to sleep until 8 am because the boys slept that late!!! I LOVE to sleep late in the morning prefering to stay up late instead of having to get up early. So this adjustment period has been like an ice cream sunday for the soul! I like pleasant surprises.

Another Year Gone

With each passing birthday I am more and more aware that the years pass so quickly. There have been birthdays that were significant like turning 21, then 30 then the years of my children's birth. This year wasn't too traumatic and it was actually kind of special since I got to celebrate my birthday with my parents for the first time in 19 years.
Our tradition growing up was that we got to choose our favorite dinner and type of cake we wanted Mom to make. Mom seemed to be eager to continue the tradition when she was here. But, I had gotten in my head that I wanted a fruit tart instead of a traditional birthday cake. I studied one in the Whole Foods bakery case and decided I could make it myself. So, once I get an idea in my brain I'm like a dog on a bone and have to get it done - myself. I put dinner in the crockpot in the morning and finished the fruit tart by the time we were ready to eat. I was quite proud of the final result, although I'll change the filling recipe next time.

Fun Was Had by All!!

Grammie and Grandpa Harriman came to visit this week and we kept busy. We went for a hike, climbed trees, played by the water, did puzzles, Grammie went with Matthew to Preschool, painted a clown face and much more. They left today and I think it was with mixed feelings - sad to go, but glad to get back to some quiet!