Boyhood Dream

Today was the stuff of which boyhood dreams are made. This week Matt Diaz of the Atlanta Braves was in town for a game against the Rockies. He was kind enough to visit with the young men going through Training Ground, and then come over to visit with us at the game. Rylan got to meet him and got his autograph. Does it get any better than that for a kid?

Here's Rylan with some of the Training Ground guys:

Fun in the sun...and water

Summer officially arrived in Colorado this week with highs in the high 80's and low 90's each day. We finally broke down and turned on the air conditioner. When we did venture outside, we picked some fun activities that involved water so we could stay cool. On Tuesday, my MOPS group met at the America the Beautiful park downtown to play in the Julie Penrose fountain. The water was very cold, but the sun was beating down so it felt refreshing. Rylan fell down a couple of times, but enjoyed running around in the "stream" at the base of the fountain. On Wednesday, we met a friend at a pool with a splash area for kids. Rylan was cautious at first, but then ventured farther and farther into the deeper water. I never saw him stop smiling! It was very crowded, actually the pool was filled to capacity and we had to wait in a long line to be admitted, but so worth it! One side of the pool had a zero depth entry so I could just sit in the water with Caroline splashing next to me and still keep an eye on Rylan. On Thursday we met friends for story time at the library and then a pinic at another small playground/splash park. Now looking back, we probably over did it with too many activities that week, plus the library always has a way of bringing out the devil in Rylan. We almost had to leave, but for a few moments in between tantrums he actually sat and participated. I was pretty fried mentally and by the time we made it to the park it was super hot with very little shade. We may have to try that one again when everyone is in a better mood, because it really was a great little park. Here are some pictures at America the Beautiful park.


A close-up view of the huge Julie Penrose fountain. Water streams out from the top of the fountain, and flows into a circular stream at the base.


The fountain with the mountains in the background. The circular part of the fountain actually rotates 360 deg., very slowly.


There is a kind of modern/retro playground at the park and Rylan loved this spinning bowl. It tilts slightly, so when he sat in it, he was able to keep it spinning around all by himself.

Running through the stream.




More running.

Rylan humoring me with a somewhat smile, so I could get a picture.


Caroline looks like she was waving goodbye! Poor girl didn't get real morning naps much this week because we were always on the go in the morning, and it was way too exciting to sleep at the park.

Since you can't be here in person.....

these pictures will just have to do. Mom, I will keep believing that you can come in October and our visit will be just as wonderful then... except these lovely flowers won't be blooming and the trees will be bare. So, since you can't see it in person now, I will do the next best thing and post pictures of my front yard. I have no delusions that it is worthy of "Better Homes and Gardens", but I am proud of it just the same. Enjoy!


My hanging basket of geraniums, vinca vine, and alyssum (which hasn't bloomed much yet.)

A side view of our front porch. It is hard to see, but at the corner is the only iris that bloomed this year. It smelled so lovely and just finished blooming last week.

Our front porch. I am hoping the impatiens will take off in this shady spot.

Standing at the front door looking out.

The daylilies contrast so nicely with the white bark of the cottonwoods.


My daylilies just started blooming today.

From fear to relief to disappointment...

This 4th of July weekend will be one I won't soon forget, but not for the reasons I would have hoped. While I was working Friday night, my phone rang at 1 am. When I saw my sister Bethany on the caller ID, I actually wasn't worried. She knew I was working and having worked the night shift herself in the past, I thought maybe she was up late and calling to say a quick hello. I didn't realize at first that it was 3am eastern time and much too late for any type of fun phone call. She asked me if I had gotten the text message from my mom (which I hadn't) and that's when my delight at her call was replaced with a sense that something was very wrong. I felt an awful sense of dread when she told me that dad was in the hospital; he had had a heart attack. It was so hard to believe. My dad is only 56, still young in my mind, very healthy and active. He doesn't have any of the typical risk factors, but sure enough, that scary diagnosis was true. I felt so helpess, being thousands of miles and two time zones away, but so thankful for my sweet sister Bethany being with my parents. I truly believe she saved my dad's life. She is only one semester away from graduating from nursing school and even though my dad wasn't having all the typical symptoms, she believed something was seriously wrong and urged him to go to the ER. He wasn't having severe chest pain, just fatigue, chills, shortness of breath and pain in his back. He was transferred from our small town community hospital to a larger hospital in Lexington and placed on the schedule for a heart catheterization on Saturday. The doctors were able to open the 95% blockage in one of his coronary arteries and place a stent. I am so thankful God protected him from having a worse outcome and hopefully he will soon feel even better than he did before now that his blockage is cleared.
So how could I possibly feel disappointed? Well, for seven months we have been planning for my parents to come visit us in Colorado for the first time this week. They were supposed to fly in tonight and we had reserved two nights in Estes Park so we could explore Rocky Mountain National Park together. I have been so excited and planning the trip down to the smallest detail for weeks. I had grocery shopped, written my menus, cooked a few meals, prepared special presents, started packing, picked some fun activities in the Springs, and researched hiking trails in the Park. My house was looking better than ever, from newly painted and decorated rooms inside to flowers, and freshly-stained porch swing and railing all ready for relaxing evenings outdoors. I was looking forward to showing our new home and city to my dad for the first time and hoping to share in both of their delight at the beauty of God's creation in our state. Although I had just traveled to Kentucky with Caroline a few weekends ago, my dad hadn't seen Rylan in almost a year. He has changed so much since then, and I knew how much my parents would enjoy spending time with him. I think deep down I was even hoping for my parent's approval of our new life here. Even though they always wish we lived closer, I was hoping their longing would be eased when they could see us living the lives God has called us to, doing the work we love, and surrounded by His incredible creation. I was hoping it would capture their hearts just a little bit, like it captured mine.
Then the events of this weekend happened, the trip was cancelled, and I felt like I fell off a train moving at 90 mph. More than just a visit with family was lost. Deep down, I know God planned everything for a reason and there could be surprising blessings that come from this experience. We are hoping my parents may be able to come for a week in October instead.
Presently, though, everywhere I look, I am reminded that our long-anticipated visit won't be happening and my heart hurts. Thanks for letting me share my sadness so honestly and put those emotions into words.

Random summer pictures

Do we have a future entomologist in the family? Rylan is investigating one of the abundant ladybugs in our neighborhood. He is also especially curious about ants which makes taking walks almost impossible now, because we have to stop and investigate one every few paces. Is is a red ant or a black ant? A nice ant or a mean one? It is fun to see the world through a toddler's eyes.

Rylan "fixing" his lawnmower.

Caroline hasn't officially grown out of her infant seat yet, but at 21 lbs., the pain of carrying her around in it outweighs the convenience. Plus she meets the main criteria of being able to sit up by herself in a shopping cart, so a few weeks ago I sadly packed away one more remnant of her babyhood and we installed her cute new "big girl" car seat.



A sweet moment with Charlton reading to both the kids. Caroline is more interested in me and the camera, but Rylan loves Curious George books.


Please don't interrupt, Rylan is having a very important phone conversation with Nana.

The best toys are her brother's toys, Caroline has decided.


Dumping out the toy basket looking for something interesting.

Our new kid's table

Here are the promised pictures of our new kid's table. As you can see, the previous owners were artistic with a preference for blue paint.

Rylan loved eating lunch as soon as we brought it home. He didn't mind the paint splotches, but I thought this table was a diamond in the rough.


Voila! After a lot of sanding and about 5 coats of varnish, the table looks like new. The blue spots are gone although one gave me more trouble than the others and I had to sand some of the stain off to completely remove it.


All finished and what an adorable set of table and chairs if I do say so myself!

Summer days

We are finally getting settled back into our routine. I arrived back from Kentucky on Monday night and Charlton left for his three day fly-fishing trip on Wednesday. Poor Rylan was very out of sorts for a couple of days, very whiny and throwing tantrums over the littlest things. I thing we really upset his world with our travel schedule and once we were both home again for a few days, he relaxed and became his normal happy self.
We have finally had some warm summer weather which means pool time, even if it is just our $10 Wal-Mart pool in the backyard. Rylan has loved splashing and playing in it, especially when the water warms up in the sun. One day when he was supposed to be enjoying his picnic lunch on the back steps, he peaked his head around the door with a mischievous look on his face. One more step inside and I realized the reason for his goofy grin, he was soaking wet with all his clothes on! He had decided to take a quick swim during lunch.
Caroline is trying very hard to crawl, but still backwards. She can scoot into a sitting position all by herself now, which comes in very handy. Last week she finally cut her first tooth, without much fussing or fan-fare, except for biting me while nursing. Then a few days ago, the second bottom incisor poked through also. Rylan is quite interested in this new development and reminds me, "I have lots of teeth, baby Caroline just has two teeth." (Rylan is cutting his second-year molars, and I can feel a bottom one poking through when I am brave or stupid enough to put my fingers in his mouth.) Caroline has also taken off like a rocket with eating her solids, and I already have to plan for three meals for her. She loves her fruit, yogurt, and sweet potatoes, but will eat the green vegetables too if she is hungry enough.
Last Friday I went garage sale shopping and found another amazing deal. I have some extra space in the corner of my kitchen just perfect for a kid-sized table and chairs. I had been looking casually on Craigslist and even some store websites, but hadn't found anything yet. I thought Rylan would enjoy being able to color or play play-doh there and be able to get up and down whenever he wanted. My other huge reason is that our dining room is carpeted, not exactly a great set-up for mealtimes with a toddler. I would much prefer to wipe up spaghetti sauce, juice spills, and cookie crumbs from a vinyl floor. So, I stopped at this garage sale on a whim and almost missed the table because other stuff was piled on top of it. Once uncovered, I found a sturdy, beautifully made light wood table with two chairs. It had been well-loved and enjoyed by this family's children, with quite a few blue paint splotches on the top, but with some sanding and many coats of polyurethane, it looked like new! Best part is, it only cost me $25 and I already had the sand-paper and varnish at home. I'll post some pictures of "before" and "after". Rylan was thrilled with "his" table and as soon as we came home I let him eat his lunch on it. Then I had to hold it hostage for a few days until the varnish dried and he wasn't happy about that!
While I was busy with the table, I had to put my other projects on hold for a few days. Just this week, I re-coated the front porch railings and swings with a new coat of the stain/varnish combo to protect it from Colorado's weather. We have had such an unusually wet spring, that I was fortunate to be able to get my painting done before or after our afternoon showers.
I have really enjoyed gardening this year and hope to do more next year. This past week, my tulip leaves finally turned brown and I could pull them up. Last year I planted petunias in their place, this year I decided to try impatiens because we get so much shade from the cottonwood trees in the summer. While I was getting our mulch at Lowe's with Rylan, we spotted a slightly unkempt elderly man wearing an old baseball cap and a long, graying beard. Rylan studied him for a moment and then turned to me, "Look mommy, there's Jesus!" (The man didn't hear us, but it was all I could do to keep from laughing out loud.) While Caroline was taking her nap and Rylan was happily digging in the dirt, I rushed to get all 48 pink and coral flowers planted and mulched. What a great feeling when it was finished, and I have to say my front yard looks lovely with the impatiens in their bed, deep red geraniums blooming in hanging baskets on the porch and freshly stained woodwork. Now I just need a wreath for my newly-painted front door and we will be all finished. And, I really, really want some hummingbirds to visit my feeder. I have been faithfully changing out my nectar each week and have planted colorful flowers to attract their attention, what more do they want?