Tuesday, January 31, 2006

A Morning Date

John and I had a date this morning. We took kids to school and preschool this morning and then went to Starbucks for a warm drink and some good conversation. We did this a lot last spring when Abbey went to Mother's Day Out, but because of deadlines and volunteer obligations, we haven't been able to make it work in a long, long time. This morning was GREAT. The last time I went to Starbucks, they screwed up my drink and when I went back for them to fix it, they gave me a coupon for a free drink. I redeemed that this morning and John got a cup of coffee...for $1.50. Probably the cheapest date we've ever been on. We were driving back home and stumbled across the newest branch of the Pikes Peak Library District, so we stopped in there and browsed around for awhile. I love going to the library with the kids, but I loved being able to take my time and look around today without them!! I checked out some scrapbook idea books because I'm going to a crop on Friday, so maybe I'll get really inspired this afternoon.

Sunday, January 29, 2006

Air hockey, anyone?

Some friends from church asked us a few weeks ago if we'd be interested in their old air hockey table for our kids. Of course we said YES!, so today after church we became the grateful recipients of this new form of home entertainment! I just finished playing a round with child #1 and child #2. It's SO much fun! They were arguing earlier over who might get to keep it in their room, but I think it's going to find a permanent home in the basement. Abbey of course had different designs on it. She thought it would make a good "coloring" table. So, maybe when the puck isn't flying fast and furiously, she can sit down and complete an art project or two.

Friday, January 27, 2006

Friday...at last!

I'm always glad when Friday comes, but it seems even more welcome when our week has been busy. This week falls into that category. Busy with a capital "B". Among the many things I had to do this week was put together a costume for Sarah for Fairy Tale Day today. I borrowed a princess dress from a friend, but when we went over to get it, she showed Sarah the Princess Leia (Star Wars) costume they had. It took a lot of convincing for her to believe that Leia wasn't a fairy tale character. She went today as Rapunzel and looked really cute! I've decided there are a lot of things I'm good at, but costumes isn't one of them. I don't know why I dread that so much, but I do. I was putting the finishing touches on Rapunzel's hair and princess crown at 10:30 last night, and I've only known about this for 2 weeks! It's over though and it was a fun day for Rapunzel, Pinocchio, Cinderella, Peter Pan, Little Red Riding Hood, and many more beloved characters. Oh yeah...her teacher looked GREAT dressed as Snow White!

Other news...We're still waiting on John's paycheck, or at least on the big one. He's gotten paid for some other stuff so we're definitely breathing a little easier. God has showed up for us in some big ways this week in regard to financial matters. Yay, God!!! John had an informal interview with a guy this week about a pretty consistent writing gig. It looks somewhat promising at this point, and we'd both love the consistency. So, we're praying there might be something to it.

Tonight I ran to Vitamin Cottage (a natural grocery store here) to pick up a few things, and the cashier was cracking jokes as he rung me up. He told me a funny one about holy water. Seems a priest told him once how to make his own holy water. Wanna know how? Easy...you just boil the hell out of it. I laughed pretty hard. Hope you are too!

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

I had to laugh at my youngest child yesterday afternoon. She was sitting in the floor playing with "Little People" and she told me that she was glad she wasn't two anymore, because when she was "two she didn't know everyfing. And now that she's three, she knows everyfing." Good grief...what will she think she knows when she turns four?

We laughed together this morning when we were running some errands. We were sitting at a stoplight at a busy intersection and this coyote just trotted across the street, oblivious to traffic. At first we thought it was a fox, but it was definitely a coyote. I've seen one around this area before so I'm wondering if this might be his "territory". Don't know. I do know that a LOT of prairie dogs live around there too, so maybe he was in search of a little morning snack.

We were pretty bummed that the Broncos lost the AFC Championship game to the Steelers. Will decided that he was for the Steelers, and we had a little bet going. Because his team won, I had to make his bed for two days and I have to bring him breakfast in bed on Saturday. Believe me, he's eating this up!

Monday, January 23, 2006

To blog or not to blog

Last week I wrote a post regarding the uncertainty of the future of this blog. I've done a lot of thinking about it over the last few days and this is the conclusion I've come to...the blog will continue, but in edited form.

If you look up a definition of blog you'll find it is a web log...or an online journal of sorts. Most of the blogs out there, including those I read regularly, are not at all similar to ours. They are more or less the poster's random thoughts of the day...ranging widely from politics to religion to philosophical views (okay, maybe there are some similarities!). I hoped ours could be a little different, and I started this one as a means for our family and friends to keep up with us without me having to send multiple emails, photos, etc. Basically, it's a lazy approach for me...post once and EVERYONE reads the same thing. BUT because of the more personal nature of our blog, I see the need for more precaution in what I post. As time allows, I will go back and edit or delete some of my archived posts. You won't see as many photos on here, but I can't resist an occasional picture or two. Details may be purposefully vague at times, and I will probably edit our "Profile" as well.

So, if you enjoy keeping up with us via this format, rest assured you still can. It will just be a little different from now on.

Sunday, January 22, 2006

I'm tempted to apologize for the gloomy post yesterday, but truthfully, that's where we are right now, so no apology here. I will share some happy news today though. John preached this morning at our church and did a TERRIFIC job. I was so proud of him. It was really good for me to see him in this role again. It's been a long time, but he was so relaxed and confident. You can just tell when he's preaching that he's enjoying himself and is really in his element. It made me realize that a pastoral job may still be a part of our future. He is a really gifted speaker. If you're interested in listening to his message, you can. If you go our church's website, International Anglican Church, you can select "Sermons" from the left sidebar, and then select January 22 to download.

Saturday, January 21, 2006

Hard Week

Anybody ever had a hard week? Ours has been that way. In fact, the entire month of January has been hard.

When we moved to Colorado two years ago, John left a very great job at a great church because we felt God calling us here. God confirmed that for us in a myriad of ways, the biggest one being a couple walking up to our door and asking if our house was for sale (small town news travels quickly), looking at it a couple of times and making us a cash offer--just two days after John resigned. All that to say we KNOW that we are supposed to be here.

But, being here has not always been easy for us. Just a year after we moved here to serve at Little Log Church, John resigned. There are a lot of reasons really, but again, it was something we knew God was calling us to do. This doesn't make a lot of sense to our family and friends, but there is trememdous peace in our hearts that we are walking the path God has for us right now.

This week, the path we are walking has been scary. Very scary. Scary in a financial sense. God has provided John with freelance writing and editing opportunities this past year and it has been a very different year for us. Great, but different. We've moved into the realm of self-employment and no longer have the security of a consistent, monthly paycheck. John gets paid well for what he does, but most of the time, his compensation has to cover several months of living expenses. God has called us to a higher level of trust and faith...and I need to tell you that I'm not always sure He's going to come through for us. He always does, but sometimes I lose faith. We've been waiting on a paycheck this week (actually all month) and it still hasn't arrived. Every trip to the mailbox is a disappointment, and watching our checking account funds dwindle while the bills stack up is quite unnverving. The good news is that it is coming. Ours is not a hopeless situation. The hard news is that trusting God takes you to places you don't always want to go. I've always said and believed that "God will provide" or "God always takes care of us". BUT, I've always said and believed this with a full checking/savings account, knowing full well where my next meal would come from. It meant something when I said it before, but it hits a little closer to home now. For us, this is pedal to the metal time. Do I REALLY believe that God will provide when I have no resources of my own? Do I really believe that God will take care of us when each trip to the mailbox brings more bills but no funds? It's a hard place. We sang a song last Sunday at church about God satisfying us with his love for us and that being ENOUGH. Is it enough for me? I'm asking myself some pretty hard questions these days. I'm sensing that God is asking me to shift from believing with my head and experience His provision on a deeper level...down in my heart. So, this week has been hard and scary too, but I know that we're not walking alone.

Thursday, January 19, 2006

A few things...

Just a few things on my mind this morning that I want to share.

1. SNOW We're getting snow right now and it's forecasted through tomorrow afternoon. A lot of snow is predicted. Snow makes me happy. I'd be even happier if school gets cancelled tomorrow and we get another three-day weekend.

2. SUNDAY John is preaching this Sunday at our church. He hasn't preached in over a year, but is ready. He's turned down a few opportunities because he didn't feel it was time, but now it's time. He told me on the way home from church last Sunday that he feels sorry for the congregation. He said his "preacher mind" hasn't turned off in over a year, so he's afraid he's going to overload them. I doubt it. I know he'll do great.

3. THIS BLOG Last night I got a stern lecture from my brother-in-law about the information I share on this blog. He is a federal probation officer and he works with what our society might dub, "predators". Some of the things that I share on here, particularly about our kids, cause him great concern and he needed to share that with me. I'm thankful he did, and I have thought about it more than a few times prior to his phone call. It also causes tension in me. I believe that we live in a depraved world in which terrible, terrible things take place on a daily basis. I also believe that we can't live our lives in a state of fear. That is not what God wants for us. As a parent, I want to do everything I can to protect my children. I feel that is my responsibility to them. However, I've also seen how worry can literally make a person sick and cause them to live in a state of perpetual paranoia. So, I'm finding myself in a dilemna regarding this blog. John and I are continuing to discuss it and try to come up with a solution that honors both sides of the issue. I don't even know if that is possible. I'm interested in hearing feedback on this. If you're not comfortable posting a comment, will you email me and let me know your thoughts?? You can email me by clicking "View Profile", then selecting the email link.

Monday, January 16, 2006


Well...it did in fact snow last night and most of the morning, and I'm guessing we have about 3 or so inches out there. Not as much snow as first predicted, but we'll take it! We just came in from outside. John took a break from writing (he has a deadline tomorrow) and we went out to play with the girls. We couldn't persuade Will to join us...he was way more interested in playing Lego Star Wars! Anyway, the snow was very fine and powdery and not at all packable...we couldn't even make snowballs! John and I took turns shoveling the driveway, sidewalk, and front steps (great exercise!) and after all our hard work, it's now snowing again! Go figure!

The kids were out of school today for MLK day. I think I could get really used to three-day weekends. Will and Sarah have played exceptionally well together all day long. They spent most of the morning playing legos and they were very proud of the "Seaside City" they created. I'm posting a picture of their creation.


I'm currently reading a book titled, Blue Like Jazz, by Donald Miller. I love it so far. He has a lot of good things to say...and I find him giving voice to some things that I've felt for a while but have never been able to adequately explain. It's nice when you find yourself on the same page (no pun intended!) as the author. So, if you're on the lookout for reading material, add Blue Like Jazz to your list and let me know what you think when you're finished! Donald Miller has an interesting post on his website today (January 16) about Martin Luther King. If you're interested, check it out at www.bluelikejazz.com

Sunday, January 15, 2006

Go Broncos!

We were celebrating around here last night when the Broncos beat New England and advanced to the AFC Division Title game! Woohoo! We're fickle fans though. We've never really gotten into the Broncos until this year...when they stayed with their winning streak. We lived in Dallas during the Troy Aikman/Jimmy Johnson era and were BIG Dallas Cowboy fans (we chose which church service we'd go to based on what time the Cowboys played!) After we moved to Arkansas, the Cowboys started losing...and they lost our support. Still, it's fun to have a "local" team to cheer for, and we'll be cheering for the Broncos (and Jake Plummer) next weekend when they play Pittsburgh! GO BRONCOS!!!

Yesterday, I took the girls to the library for an "Anne of Green Gables" party. It was great. Our library is always doing fun things like this, and it's one of the many reasons we love visiting the library. There were tons of little girls there around Sarah's age, and some of them even came dressed as Anne. The Queen of KidLit acted out some of Anne's misadventures from the book and then we had "tea" and made some cute crafts. I think I enjoyed myself as much as the girls.

It is supposed to start snowing tonight and continue through tomorrow, and we are READY! It hasn't snowed here in over a month! I guess that's not entirely true because we've had some light flurries, but we definitely haven't had any significant accumulation. The weatherman said last night we could get 6-8 inches. I hope he's right!!!

Friday, January 13, 2006

Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!


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Sarah's class is studying a unit on Fairy Tales in class this month, and yesterday she brought home the cutest creation. Abbey is holding it in this picture...it's Rapunzel in the tower and her hair is hanging down. Adorable. Sarah was telling me this morning about the elements of a fairy tale. There are at least 7 distinguishing criteria, and if there aren't 7, then it is only a folk tale...or so says Sarah. In a few weeks, their class is going to have Fairy Tale day and they get to go to school dressed as their favorite fairy tale character. I remember Will's class doing this last year, and almost every little girl was a princess. It's a bit harder for boys though. Will went last year as one of the pigs from the Three Little Pigs, but I do remember seeing a couple of knights and at least one Peter Pan. Sarah has already decided she wants to be Rapunzel, so I've gotta get busy on a costume! Fun, fun, fun!

"Halfy Birthday to You!"


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Today is Sarah's half-birthday, meaning that today she is exactly X.5 years old. Kids at her school enjoy celebrating their birthday by sharing cupcakes or some other treat with their classmates. Because Sarah's birthday usually falls during the summer, we made cookies for her to take to share with her class today. One of Sarah's best friends (also in her class) has the same birthday as Sarah, so their class should be hyped up on sugar this afternoon because her friend was bringing the cupcakes! Birthdays are pretty special at our house and one of our birthday traditions is eating breakfast on our red "You are Special Today" plate. Sarah chose to eat off of the "Princess for a Day" plate instead, and I took this cute picture of her before breakfast this morning. She was in a great mood (can't imagine why?) and was even cracking jokes...like "half-y" birthday to me. We all sang to her and replaced every "Happy" in the birthday song with "half-y". Pretty cute!

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

"It's not about you."

I first used a form of this phrase several years ago on a backpacking trip through the Grand Canyon. My compadres and I were making our descent into the canyon and had to stop several times as our lungs and knees acclimated to the Grand's grandeur. A few of the stops were longer than necessary and after one of my friends said, "Hey, just a little longer, o.k?" I replied, "Oh, I forgot. This is all about you. Forgive me. Say, how about a latte and some scones? And while we're at it, why don't we read a few chapters of Jane Austen?" I will not repeat his response, but suffice it to say, he got up and got moving. Now obviously this was the kind of smack-talk that men do sometimes in order to motivate one another for the task ahead. It wasn't too long down the trail before that same phrase was used on me with the same "got up and got moving" results.

This phrase has crawled into church-life in recent years, gracing the covers and insides of several popular books. It seems to be essentially a reactive measure against our culture's mantra of "It's all about me!" The phrase has dropped from the lips of teachers and preachers (myself included) in sermons urging church members not to treat the church like it was customer service at Wal-Mart. Sometimes the sermon doesn't speak to you. Get over it. Sometimes the music doesn't move you. Come back next week. Some Sundays nobody passes you the peace. As Jim Harrison has said, "Go tell that to Anne Frank." In those moments, we all need to remember, "It's not always about me."

But a funny thing occasionally happens on the way to church. We take a truth and let it slip into half-truth. Satan loves this. And I'm afraid this has happened in regard to this phrase. For more often than not, what I hear and intuit from many Christians is not, "It's not always about me," but "It's never about me. It's all about God. All the time." Now before you dial heresy hotline, hear me out. That sounds like one of the most purely spiritual sentences of all time; I'm just not sure it's biblical. If you play this purely spiritual sentence out, you end up with the complete opposite of what we (the church) find so disturbing in the world today; namely, a total withdrawal of the unique creation of God into some kind of huge, amorphous, universal body of Christ that has no distinctions, no color, no creed, no desires, no nothing. "I don't count. All that counts is God. It's never about me. Never." While that makes for great martyrdom, it doesn't do much for a relationship. Satan loves this.

I've only got about a paragraph, so let me sum up. I do not believe it's always about me. But I do believe that sometimes it's about me. When my Father in Heaven knit me together in my mother's womb - I believe that was about me. When Jesus whispered my name at the age of six and I said, "Yes" - I believe that was about me. Not in some crazy American idol, "take-a-look-at-me-now" kind of way, but in an "I see you, John, and I love you" kind of way. When I exited west on Briargate the other morning and saw the most beautiful orange-sherbet moon sitting atop a denim-blue Front Range, you know what? I took that as a gift just for me at that particular moment. Once that moment was gone, that view was for someone else (you have to utilize the "catch and release" method). Those moments of it being about me do not detract from it being about God at all; He is the author of those moments and their emphasis. Arrows of love from the quiver of the heart of God. And sometimes they're about you. And sometimes, me.

-- John Blase

The Boys and The Bears


The Boys--I have a good friend who is the Art Director for Pray! magazine. She called a few days ago and wanted to set up a photo-shoot with John and Will. She's working on an upcoming issue and has an image in mind that she needs to capture, the subject of which is a father and son. John and Will agreed, and she is coming over after school this afternoon to take some of photos. The kicker is that she wants to photograph them from behind. Like walking together or something. Will is pretty pumped...he keeps telling people that he gets to be in a magazine! I don't think he's mentioned that it's his backside they'll be seeing! It is actually pretty neat that she asked them. So, when the magazine comes out, I'll let you know about it here.

The Bears--Well, I'm sure you know that bears usually spend the winter in hibernation. I found an interesting article in the newspaper yesterday about bears and hibernation. The unseasonably warm temperatures this month have caused the bears to rouse from their slumber and they've been found roaming around in certain mountain towns in search of food. (Not here, thankfully!) The experts say that this sometimes happens, but it's short-lived and they'll go back to sleep when it gets cold again. Interesting!

Monday, January 09, 2006

Blast from the Past

After school this afternoon, Sarah and I made a quick trip to our local toy store. She has some money from the tooth fairy and grandparents that has been burning a hole in her pocket, and she wanted to buy a charm for her charm bracelet. Anyway, we were looking around and I noticed these little, blue Smurf characters for sale. They're exactly what I used to buy at the mall when I'd get to go with friends on Saturdays. I guess I was probably about 12 or 13, and I had a small collection of them. They probably used to cost about a dollar or two then...now those little blue guys go for $5 each. Does anyone else besides me remember Smurfs? You've probably gotta be at least my age or younger to remember!

Resolutions

I usually make a couple of New Year's resolutions. 2006 is no exception. I took a little longer than usual to decide what I wanted to do this year. I'm impulsive, and I've made too many resolutions on impulse which usually leads to failure to see them to fulfillment...and I'm not really too fond of failure. So here's what I've come up with for 2006.

1. I hope to read through the Bible. I've attempted this at least 5 times in the past 6 years...and I've gotten very, very close to finishing, but I've never actually completed the task. I recently found a plan that allows you to read all of the New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs, and 1/2 of the Old Testament in a year. So, in two years, you complete the Old, and read the New Testament plus Psalms and Proverbs twice. The Old Testament is where I usually get bogged down, so that's why I chose this plan.

2. I also resolve to drink more water! Maybe that sounds simple, but I sometimes find myself drinking everything BUT water.

John's resolution is to run a half marathon this year. He's already started training and now is searching for one that he wants to run. My vote is for the one in Estes Park in June. I'll take any excuse available to visit that beautiful spot!!!

Back to the Read-thru-the-Bible thing...I give you all permission to ask me periodically how I'm doing. That helps keep me on track. If you're interested in reading along with me, I'd be happy to pass my plan onto you. It's not too late to catch up! (In fact, I did a lot of catching up last night!)

Sunday, January 08, 2006

Great Weekend

What a great weekend we've had! This time last month, were setting new record lows, and yesterday, we set a record high. It was 66 degrees here, so we spent a lot of time outside. John washed both of our cars, and we worked in the yard--we had tumbleweeds everywhere! Will and I even took a couple of rides around the block on scooters. (Mikaela, we have a great hill behind us, and we wished you were riding your scooter with us like you did at Thanksgiving!!!) January is typically our coldest month, but we're sure off to a warm start.



The kids are watching America's Funniest Home videos right now. It is such a funny show and it makes all of us laugh OUT LOUD!!! I always wonder when I'm watching it if any of those people that make us laugh the hardest ever get seriously hurt! Like the guy who just got smacked in the head by a falling tree--OUCH!

Well, the countdown begins today for the season premiere of our most favorite television show. Next Sunday, "24" premieres on Fox. We've got it on the calendar and will be counting down. Each season of "24" is twenty-four episodes long, and each episode is one hour of a day. So, the entire season covers ONE day, and as Jack Bauer says in the voice-over at the beginning of the show, it's the longest day of his life. It's pretty intense, and sometimes more violent than I care for, but the plot is great each season, and we're totally addicted. The great thing about it premiering in January is that they run all 24 episodes without repeats until the end of the season in May! If you've never watched it, give it a try! But be warned...it's addictive. Next Sunday night on FOX!!!!

Friday, January 06, 2006

Brandon and Julie Barnard are two of our favorite friends. They're one of those couples that we're friends with as a couple, and as individuals too. It's a rare and great type of friendship! Anyway, we were privileged to have them come and spend some time with us yesterday while they were in Colorado. It was GREAT to see them and spend time catching up on all the stuff we've missed in the last year or so. We took them to eat at Wahoo's Fish Taco. (It's a Colorado thing!) Julie was the only one adventurous enough to try the fish tacos with me...and I think she kinda liked 'em. We also took them to the Air Force Academy for a quick jaunt through the visitor's center. Abbey warmed up to Julie pretty quickly, and had her playing Groovy Girls with her (thanks, Julie), and Will and Sarah talked them into a game of Cadoo. They were great sports! They flew out this morning and were anxious to get home to their own kiddos! My only regret is that we didn't get to see their children this time around. I guess it's our turn to visit next!


A few weeks before Christmas I realized (quite by chance) that Abbey doesn't know all her ABCs. She's got about 3 letters down really well, but the rest of the time she does some really creative guessing. I'm sorry to say that her deficiency is a result of me not working with her like I did with her older siblings. My mom got her an alphabet learning toy for Christmas and we've been working on it off and on the last week or so. She's definitely improved and no longer has to guess so much on those other 23 letters. Yesterday at her preschool, one of her friend's mom told me how stressed she had been that her daughter was almost 4 and couldn't yet write her name (until she learned over the Chrismtas break). I hope I made her feel like she had a genius on her hands by telling her we were just now covering the alphabet!

Today is Friday, so that means Pizza and a Movie for dinner. I'm making pizza, but we don't have a movie yet. Any suggestions???

Thursday, January 05, 2006

A beautiful day!

Days like today are one of the many reasons I LOVE living here. About an hour ago, I was driving to Abbey's preschool to pick her up, and I was taken in by the beauty of this day! It's about 50 degrees, the sun is shining brilliantly, and the sky is as blue as blue can be, without a single cloud! I even saw one of my favorite sights...the Air Force parachuters (is that a word??). Maybe I was just giddy from having a morning to myself, but I prefer to think it was a gift to my heart from My Creator. And you know what? It was a perfect gift!

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

Back to School!


Well, today marks the official end of Christmas break. I'm sad! I love it when all my kiddos are at home with me. It just feels right. But, there are perks to them being in school all day--my house stays cleaner, our groceries last longer, and it is much quieter around here. I kinda like the quiet, but if I'm honest, I really miss the noise!!

John needs the quiet right now. He's got a big project due in about two weeks. He's working on a book for NavPress about world religions. It's pretty straightforward material, and part of it is actually re-writing a lot of stuff that another guy wrote that wasn't exactly what NP was wanting. He got summoned for jury duty today--not exactly timely--but so far, he's only on standby. He has to check in later this morning to see if he has to report later this afternoon. Oh the joys of citizenship!!! I'm hoping he can escape his civic duty this time around.

We've had our first visitor of 2006! Our former worship pastor was in from Chicago earlier in the week, and he stopped by for a quick bite to eat with us. It was good to see him and catch up. Tomorrow we're expecting two more visitors. Some friends who used to live in Arkadelphia are skiing in Winter Park and are coming to spend tomorrow night with us. WE LOVE VISITORS and it looks like we're off to a great start in 2006!

Well, I'm signing off for now. I've stepped back into my role as Abbey's playmate now that her siblings are back in school. The princess dress-up clothes are beckoning!

Monday, January 02, 2006

Ira

A few days ago, I asked you all to pray for Ira Hays. Ira's condition has fluctuated a lot during the last several days, and his family still needs much prayer. If you're interested, you can read his dad's blog. www.brooklynchurchplant.blogspot.com It explains much better than I can what is going on and then you'll know more specifically how to pray. Thank you so much!

New Year's FUN!

I'm really into traditions, and after yesterday I think we have created a new one--snow-tubing on New Year's Day! We went to Fraser, CO (just north of Winter Park) yesterday for some snow-tubing with friends, and we had more fun that you can imagine!


The tubing hill is about 100 yards wide and 200 yards long. You just plop down in the inner tube, hang on and slide. We had about six families in our group and on several runs we'd all hang on and form a giant tube-amoeba. The weight of all of us banded together made for a super fast slide...such fun! The best part though was the tow-line at the bottom of the hill. You just hooked your tube on, sat down, and let the tow-line pull you back up. It was all play and no work!

Will took off on his own after the first run or two. He thought we were too slow I guess, so that's why he's not in the family picture below! I've decided that Sarah likes adventure. She didn't stop once in the two hours we were out there...and for Sarah, the faster and steeper, the better! Abbey was such a trooper! She loved it! She took 2 little breaks, but she was ready to go back outside after only a few minutes. John and I realized last night that we're really on the upside of the "baby" thing. We might even give skiing with the kids a try next winter.

It was snowing and windy and very cold yesterday, but only in the mountains. We had a slow go getting to Fraser, but once we got off the mountain, the sun was shining, and temps were 10-15 degrees warmer.

Colorado is such a fun place to live. We love getting out and exploring all it has to offer! We also love visitors, and we know this really great tubing hill we'd love to take you to. And, there'a a great pizza place on the way home! So come see us!