AJ's Party

AJ wanted a small birthday party at home this year, so we invited a couple of his friends over on Sunday afternoon and kept it simple.

We started the party with Lego-building contests, followed by pin-the-football-on-Peyton. Then we sugared up the kids with chocolate cake and ice cream before they ran outside to play. This was perfect since it gave them a chance to run off the sugar high, and I was able to sweep up the chocolate cake from the floor.

AJ said he enjoyed his party. That means success in my book.

A Quick trip to Ouray

The kids have been working on presentations about ancient inventions for their co-op history class. I think this is a great opportunity for them to practice research and writing a speech. For their topics, K chose glass blowing, and AJ chose water clocks. There are no local glass-blowing facilities, so we drove to Ouray for a quick trip to interview the glass-blower who lives and works there.

Upon arriving, we found the glass place and unloaded our crew to visit Sam, the local artist. He was kind to take time out of his day for us, but I got the feeling that he did not expect K to know or understand as much as she did about glass-blowing. He answered her questions, but I think that we both were a little disappointed that he did not offer her more in-depth information. It was still a successful trip in that she gained some interviewing experience as a form of research, though.

After the glass store, we walked to Mouse's Chocolates, a local chocolate, coffee, and ice cream place that is known for its tasty treats. The kids enjoyed hot chocolate and milkshakes, and I devoured my "hippie bar", a scrumptious blend of dark chocolate, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and coconut.
Walking back to the car, I spotted a cute crocheted sweater that I needed. Timo took the boys while I shopped with the girls. Then we met again a few stores down. AJ wanted to go into a mining store to see if they had pickaxes. Not that he needed one. He just wanted to see one. They did, and they were about as tall as S. We left them all there, loaded up in the car, and drove to Box Canyon. We intended to do some hiking, but rain cut our climb short. I did manage to get photos of the kids, though.

AJ photobombing K

K photobombing AJ

A hanging out in the backpack

Deep crevice

That's a long way down

Sweet AJ

Beautiful K

Cutie Pie

A little waterfall

My gorgeous girl

A rare photo of me, courtesy of K

I almost didn't get a photo of S

This photo doesn't do justice to the beauty of the area

I hope to return to Ouray sometime in the future. I would like to finish hiking around, and there is always room for more chocolate.

AJ's Eighth

Fall means birthday season, and AJ is first in line. This year, he turned eight, which almost seems impossible to me. How can that many years have passed since I was in the hospital awaiting his arrival? I suppose all parents feel the same way, and I don't guess it will get any easier as the years pass.

AJ is a fun-loving boy who demonstrates a tender heart and exhibits great amounts of creativity, especially where Legos are concerned. At this point, he wants to be a Lego Master Builder when he grows up because he would get to play with Legos all day (in his mind).

For his family party, he chose apple pie instead of cake to celebrate. He also chose to wear his favorite florescent yellow shirt for his birthday photos. We had fun snapping a few pictures before dinner, and his personality comes out quite a bit in some of the photos.

Being silly

Eight Years Old

Blowing out candles on his birthday pie

Cutting the pie

After pie, he opened his presents, which included three board games. AJ thoroughly enjoys board games, and this proved a smart choice to deviate from his usual Lego gifts. Timo and the three older kids played a game of Clue before bed while I put the younger two down. AJ had never played Clue before, but I think it quickly became his favorite.

I am looking forward to this coming year to see what God has in store for my growing boy. He truly is a joy to have in our lives.

Post-Op

I am happy to announce that all went well with S's operation. He woke up and was acting completely like himself, including arguing about who would hold the juice cup and complaining about not being able to play in the play area by the waiting room. It is not that these are praiseworthy character traits, but it shows that he feels normal. That makes a mother's heart happy.

From the Mouths of Babes

S is facing surgery later this week, and, in preparation, Timo was reading a story about going to the hospital for an operation. At one point, he asked S, "Are you going to see a doctor with his operating clothes?"

S's response? "That's not a great idea."

Family Retreat

We went on a family retreat last weekend up in the mountains of beautiful Colorado. The drive up there was gorgeous, and it was refreshing to spend some time surrounded by the peace and quiet of nature. We didn't even have cell phone coverage or Internet access.

Driving up

Our mornings were spent in sessions, learning how to grow in our Christian faith and apply it to our lives in marriage, parenting, and reaching out to others. Our afternoons were free, allowing the kids to go out on boats on the lake or to catch minnows and crawdads along the shore. Timo also took the opportunity to practice fly fishing, while I seized the opportunity to nap one afternoon.

K on a paddle boat with a friend

Timo with the boys on a paddle boat

The lake

One of the mornings, we ate breakfast by the river. It was rather chilly, but A slept snugly in my Boba. As for the other kids, it is always nice when you don't have to worry about spilling on the floor.

The smiling picture

The silly picture

H sharing his blueberries with S

H by the river

Our morning view by the river

More of our morning view

The last full afternoon, we packed lunches for a picnic at a destination of our choosing. We opted for lunch by a waterfall about a half hour away. It was a short hike after the drive, but it was easy enough for all but the youngest of our group to manage. In all fairness, she isn't doing any hiking these days.

The waterfall. It was about 70 feet high.

Our attempt at a family photo

Another family photo. A wasn't very happy at this point.

After we left the waterfall, we stopped at a reservoir for another photo op.

The kids

Wait! We have five kids, not four.

Another family photo

The weekend was great. I came away from it with a lot of good information, and I think the kids enjoyed themselves and learned a lot, too. I hope to make it up there again sometime.