The big boys got to go with Nana and Papa from Iowa for a fun day in Denver before they head out of town.
So I took the three little ones for a day of fun in the mountains.
It’s beautiful and cool and quiet here today.
I love it here.
We are three to three in the adult to child ratio today, so we decided to try the tubing in the river again.
Following Papa…
Still a bit scarred from our first trip down the river, we were well equipped with life jackets.
And the adults were strategically placed in the river.
Because well, you can see…the rapids were raging and there was a good 5 inches of water….
Just the right amount for the little ones. A perfect float down the river…
September 4, 2010
Had the unusual opportunity to take all 6 kids to Elitch Gardens today. We got to go because we have friends with connections. And we all got in free, complete with VIP treatment.
Luckily for me–and my kids–we had a really great group of friends with us. They all filled the adult to child ratio gaps and rode the spin-ey rides with my kids.
Would not of survived without them. Mommy alone at an amusement /water park with 6 kids generally would equal disaster.
But in the end, I got them all home safe. And we are all exhausted. And we all had fun.
These pictures were at was the beginning of the day.
At the end of the day, we were almost literally running to the car so the melt-downs could at least be contained in a small environment.
Even still…not cooperating for group picture:
I decided to try the “1-2-3 Jump” picture.
Not quite:
Another try.
Hmmm….looks like they were all right on target this time and Mom was too slow with the camera:
August 28, 2010
*Naomi came over this morning and “crafted” with us. How utterly craft deprived my kids are. And guess what? It was a little bit fun. I didn’t hate it. Naomi has a way of making it very therapeutic.
We made buttons:
*A friend sent me this:
“There is a certain relief in change, even though it be from bad to worse! As I have often found in travelling in a stagecoach, that it is often a comfort to shift one’s position, and be bruised in a new place.” (Washington Irving)
Now I definitely wouldn’t say things have gone from bad to worse. But there is an element of shifting the position and bruising in new places. I’m pretty sure that’s life.
*I love how I am challenged and taught by so many other amazing women.
Lorene totally got me going on a grocery/meal planning schedule.
I channeled her yesterday as I prepared meals.
She also told me I need to wash my bedding once a week. Um…we compromised on every 2 weeks on that one.
——————————
I have a new friend whose servant’s heart blows me away. I cannot believe the quiet, thoughtful things she accomplishes for her friends. It’s a beauty to behold. A challenge and inspiration to me.
*And this. How fun is this. I totally want to do it. We’ll see….
*Another friend, Tana, is running a half marathon…attempting to get raise one dollar for clean water for every foot she runs. I love the bravery of that goal. I love her heart.
You can join her here.
How’s that for a random Tuesday?
August 24, 2010
OK, there is something about this place that makes me go camera happy.
So sorry.
(According to my children, it doesn’t take much, but nonetheless….I’m just warning you. Lots of pictures to follow in the next couple posts).
Quincy’s face is most like his momma’s…
I am more soaked than I appear. And the water smells like sulfur…
And Kora was a little excited to get down the slide. She apparently didn’t concentrate too much when she got her swim suit on…they are totally sideways.
August 11, 2010
One last day in the mountains with family before school starts on Monday.
And lest you forget exactly how much my family likes to mock me….you will recall this video from a previous family gathering.
It was similar today when we did a take 2 on the Stagnant Mountain Water Slide.
And I’ll leave you with this for now:
This is the ‘I Just Swallowed A Whole Mouth Full of Stagnant Mountain Water’ face:
August 11, 2010
So Uncle Nate and Aunt Jess built their own version of a Mountain Water Slide today.
There was much anticipation as we pumped stale, stinky water out of the ground well to water the slide.
Pretty sure we broke any and all safety codes. And then just dumped a bottle of dish soap on the slide and we were set to go.
But judging from their faces…I would say it was a grand success.
August 4, 2010
Only one of these precious babes is mine…
And it turns out medical supplies are super awesome water guns….
July 23, 2010
This week-end.
My friends in Iowa. A good number of them.
Will be walking. Walking with jerry cans strapped to their backs.
In an effort to raise awareness and funds for those around the world who walk every day to collect water, often contaminated water.
Another great article about the Water efforts in Iowa here.
I will be missing them this week-end.
I will be thinking about them.
I will be waiting for pictures. 
And I will be remembering the the millions of people who walk every day to find the basic source of life.
Water.
I am simply thankful again for the opportunity for great friends to pursue a great cause together.
Love you all.
Have fun!
July 21, 2010
Visited a couple parks today.
I’m learning my way around again…things have changed a bit.
The kids are making friends.
And it’s remarkably hot here in Colorado.
People should totally swim here.
We did find any place with spraying water and it seemed to suffice.
July 16, 2010
“This God whom we serve will not quit, will not rest, will not relent until sin has finally been defeated and we are living in peace, righteousness, and justice forever. The ultimate completion of this must await the Lord’s return, but in the meantime there is real work being done and real progress being made, as every life and every situation in creation is moving in the directions of Christ’s final victory. God is committed to producing in every one of his children on earth greater peace, greater love, greater justice, greater deliverance from temptation, and greater freedom from sin. I’ll say it again: he will not rest until every microbe of sin has been eradicated from every cell of the hearts of every one of his children. Revelation 21:5 captures God’s zeal with these words, “Behold, I am making all things new.”
God cannot and will not be satisfied with his works of redemption as long as the physical world suffers the effects of sin. God will not rest as long as government is corrupt and unjust. He will not rest while families are still shattered and people made in his image are broken by sin. He will not rest as long as poverty and disease exist. He will not rest as long as falsehood competes with truth for the hearts of people. He will not rest as long as there is an enemy who seduces people with plausible lies. He will not rest until everything is exactly as it was meant to be when he set his powerful hands to create it. God never stops working in opposition to sin and the effects of the Fall, and his working is always effective.
If God is dissatisfied, then I should be as well…”
(Paul Tripp)
And that’s why.
That’s why we will continue to work and fight for our marriage every day for the rest of our lives.
That’s why I will be here. Believing that the most vulnerable of the world deserve our attention and our treasure and our fight as well.
That’s why we will continue with this. Until every person on the planet has access to clean water.
That’s why we will strive to be dissatisfied with every lie, every comfort, every word, every thought that is not in line with the redemptive work He began in our lives.
That’s why we will continue to be broken, and aware, and uncomfortable. Fighting complacency and safety.
Because God won’t quit.
And we can’t either.
“We walk each day through a terribly broken world that no longer moves us, whose cries we no longer hear. We want life to be regular, predictable, comfortable and controllable, and as long as it is, we are satisfied enough to be complacent. In our complacency, we are pleased in places and situations where God is not pleased, and passive in places where God is active and calling us to be active as well.”
(PT)
July 14, 2010
