Family Reunion

The annual family reunion is held at a park on the Erie Canal. Steve had a blast playing ball with all the boys. Tyler decided the water was his favorite part of the day. Between climbing the fence to try to get to the river or running through the puddle, he was a handful to keep up with.
Tyler the little wise guy. Take a look at the video below.

The kiddos. In front - Tyler, Abigail, Emma and in Back - Matthew, Colin and Michael










Tyler and his Aunt Sandy



















Grandma and Grandpa VanDewater








Proud Daddy and Tyler


Uncle Larry making Tyler laugh or is it the other way around!



Matthew - all about guarding the dessert in the cup.

Truckin'

It was a rainy afternoon and we needed something to do so we found our way to the local mall and spents some time in the kids play area.

The Boys

It's a lollipop high!!! Tyler you goof!
Michael and Matthew getting in a little coloring time.

Tyler and Emma

These two are a riot!! Only 3 1/2 months apart their actions sometimes mirror each other. Emma is the daughter of Sara and Phil,

Mike and Sandy's

Matthew and Colin had fun in the pool at Uncle Mike's and Aunt Sandy's. Colin is older than Matthew, but he is a great grandchild and Matthew is a grandchild. So these very cute boys are actually second cousins.

Shooting rockets!

Tyler "talking" to Aunt Sandy and Pamela in the background.

Water Wonder

We stayed with Beth (Steve's sister) and Curt who had an indoor swimming pool. Within a day Matthew conquered his fear of the water and was having a blast. Tyler didn't enjoy it so much, but got his feet wet. Matthew had lots of fun playing with Micheal and Colin.

We're On Our Way

We headed out to Buffalo, NY wed. July 16th for a visit with Steve's family. The boys did better than expected considering we were up at the crack of dawn to catch our 7:40 am flight.

Beautiful Boy

There are moments when my heart breaks at the beauty in this face and heart. What a wonderful boy he is and how I hope for so much for his life. He grows and learns because of us and in spite of us. What a joy it is to be his Mommy!

Patriotic Biker Sunday

Steve had the privilege of playing for "Biker Sunday" at Denver First Church of the Nazarene last Sunday. As you can see in the pictures there were bikes hung from the ceiling and multiple Harleys displayed on the stage. There is a large biker ministry at the church and this is the culmination of their annual Rocky Mountain Rendezvous event. We also got to here David Phelps. This man can sing! He is a former member of the Giather Vocal Band. The You Tube video at the end gives you a little taste.

"Grandpa" Bill

Our neighbor is a sweet 84 year old man who lost his wife to lung cancer 3 years ago. He loves to have us come over to visit, laughing out loud and shaking his head at the boys antics.

Since both of their real Grandpas live far away, it is nice to have this grandfatherly figure in the boys lives.

Mall Ball

Sometimes we just need a trip out of the house to change perspectives and attitudes. This is a perfect spot to go during the week and the boys love the little rides. Then I do some retail therapy and life is good again!

Stylin'

Light Out

I love this poem I found on the Mothering.com website:

Light Out
By Cullen Curtiss

Now it's light out
When it's night out
And you're two.

To you, there's sun enough
to watch ants carry whatnot to the nest
to bat at imaginary balls with your white plastic bat
to chalk our walk.

You think you should not be under one thin cotton blanket
when the air through the window is still sliding off the curve of the sun.

Not nigh night, mama.
Your ruddy eyelids tell me better.

I can still hear the kiddos from 35 years ago playing capture the flag
while I kicked at the sheets
and wished my mama would free me.
I can still smell the grass slowly cooling.

So I relish your resistance.

Spray Park and Mud Pit

I had heard about a spray park in Littleton and finally hunted it down. What I didn't know was that the park also boasts every boys dream - a big mud pit with a water spout so they could be knee deep in water and dig in the mud. They had soooo much fun!

Even better was the view we had of the mountains while we were playing.

Fire and Ice

I found a fascinating article about climate change that tells the story of earth warming and cooling scares since the 1800's. I came away with two thoughts - when will we learn, and "the wisdom of the world is foolishness with God" 1 Cor 3:19. Take a closer look at the article to see what I mean. As recent as the 1970's there was an article in Newsweek warning of global cooling. Today, there are scientists more worried about the cycles of the sun and the potential for global cooling than anything coming out of our cars or the carbon monoxide being released from dead trees in the mountains of Colorado (heard that one on NPR). Other scientists say the melting of ice caps and warmer ocean temperatures are caused by the amount of salt in the water not the amount of CO2 in our atmosphere.

Then there is the hushed news that some of the alternatives that are all the rave now are actually just as bad for the climate as the fuels they are replacing. Like this article that contains questions about the use of Ethanol.

So where is the truth and what are we to do? How am I to respond to the "go green" fanatics? I think part of my irritation with the whole movement is the focus on things and our space in time instead of people and relationships. This whole issue seems to pale in comparison to the real issues my neighbors and my own parents are facing when trying to afford medical insurance on a fixed income. Enough said!

8th Anniversary

June 24, 2008 - Eighth Anniversary

Steve and I celebrated our 8th Anniversary last night. We went to the Summer Solstice Music Festival held at the Clear Creek History Park in Golden where we listed to four bands, had a picnic dinner sitting on the hill, visited an authentic miners cabin and enjoyed the sunset. When we were tired of music we visited Starbucks real quick before we headed up Lookout Mountain to see the lights of the city.

Table Mountain Mesa

The building behind us is a one room school house.

Baby Kady

Meet Kady Grindle. She's 2 1/2 weeks old now and is keeping her Mommy and Daddy very busy.

Holding Us Together

You may have seen this video, as it is making it's way through e-mail land, but I just had to post it so I could keep coming back to watch. The message captivated my heart to realize in a fresh way how God has imprinted Himself and His word into the very fiber of my being. Watch and worship!

First Dentist Visit

Matthew had his first appointment to the dentist last Wednesday. I've been putting off writing about it because I felt like I had failed my son as a Mother. Turns out my little boy has two cavities in his bottom back teeth. I admit that I sometimes forget to have him brush his teeth every night before bed, and that I have been known to give him a snack after he is already in bed because he said he was still hungry. But NO MORE! He has to go back to the pediactric dentist in early July to have the cavities filled and after reading a friends blog on the same topic I am not looking forward to that visit. Fortunately this visit went well so he is not afriad of going back. After this next visit I think that might change.

Oh, and did I mention I got a speeding ticket on the way to his appointment? Matthew started crying after the police officer asked me for my license. I guess I told him one too many times that the police would be mad at us if he didn't buckle his seat belts. What a day!