before and after shots/ thunderbirds

Before ... After....

We decided it was time for a summer do. this was her first real style at a salon instead of a kid haircut. It looked better right after it was cut, but we are hoping she will get the hang of it.

We got to see the Airforce Thunderbirds at the AF academy graduation last week. We parked across the street and enjoyed the show!

Here we are impatiently waiting for it to begin.

We are so lucky to live in this beautiful place. Here is pikes peak with the thunderbirds. a good shot, if I do say so myself.

Territory Days 09

Before the rain tortured us on Monday, we had a lovely day at the street festival. Nothing says party like wearing silly balloon hats with your BFF. We ate junk food, shopped, walked slowly through the crowds and had a blast.

the biggest downer of the day, however, was not the rain. It was when little cookie tried to touch the urinal cake in the port-a-potty. we tried to disinfect as well as we could.. but I never got over it. still don't want to hold her hand.

I like the milk in your eyes

cookie told me today that she likes the milk in my eyes. I was confused at first until she tried to lick my eyeball and I realized that she was talking about the white part of my eye. I took her to the mirror to show her that she too has "milk"in her eyes. She was delighted.

How to play with a frisbee

use #1: a frisbee diskuse #2: a "jetson" skirt.

This cracked me up. She likes to wear it everyday. so funny.

on a side note.. today Charli was released from Physical Therapy ( at least for now). she is getting some new orthodics for her shoes and is still wearing the "princess shoes" braces at night, but as for the once a week therapy, we are finished for now. Her foot has come a long way. We are so happy. You can kinda see a difference in the above photo, but we think it might be as good as it will ever be. Hallelujah.

camp

she is really growing up. she picks out her own clothes and has posters on her walls. she knows popular expressions and famous people. she went to camp this weekend and wasn't even homesick. Now, the rest of the family missed her a ton. After we dropped her off with her luggage and sleeping bag, we went out to dinner at Outback Steakhouse. It hadn't even been an hour without big sissy,when Cookie said," We go pick Maya up now." Little sissy must have asked us a dozen times over the three days Maya was gone. We all agreed that life was better with Maya. However, when we told her this, she said, " That's funny. I didn't miss you guys at all, I was too busy having fun." I guess that is how it is supposed to be. Camp was a great experience for her. We heard all the way home about outdoor survival, canoeing, archery, the climbing wall, Bible lessons and new friends. How could she be this old?

*********************Meanwhile at Home************


Little cookie loves "diggers" so we went to the special Library event to see some. She wasn't as interested as we had hoped.


On Saturday afternoon we hiked in Garden of the gods park. We had a super time.. the weather was great and the views were incredible. the only negative thing was the whining from one member of our party who wanted to be carried. no it wasn't Dane. or me. Apparently cookie only likes to hike if she gets to ride in the backpack the whole time.

we ended up taking Rampart Range road into the mountains for a late afternoon drive. I am sad to say that this was my first time to do this drive. We had so much fun and ended up in Woodland Park for mexican food. Of course, we all had to admit that it would have been better with our little camper with us. Welcome home, Girl.

guitar

I love my guitar. It is from my dear friends, Mark and Mendy Howe. It has a fantastic sound and feels so comfy in my hands. I am wearing off my finger board and my strings need a change, but it may be my best friend. I lay in bed at night and think about going downstairs to play it. I practice chords and make up little songs that I always forget by morning. I am toying with the idea of keeping it by the bed. Not sure how well that will go over with D. (Not that I could hear myself playing over the sounds of his snores. love you, D)

I remember when I first learned to play. I was living in Bloomington, In with my college roomates ( hi roomies!). It was Thanksgiving and we decided to do a turkey dinner. We had over some neighbor guys to eat and one played guitar. He taught me a "D" chord and how to read a chord chart and I was sold. I knew right then that the guitar was MY instrument. I had played lots of others... violin as a child, Piano for 7 years, clarinet in middle school, basson in orchestra, Mellophone in marching band, trumpet in pep band etc,... but this was different. I started accompaning myself singing campfire type songs and couldn't put it down. I had found my instrument.

I did have a dry spell. After getting pregnant in 1998, I didnt have much to sing about at first and then after I had my precious M, I didn't have time. In Colorado, I did well just to spend time with her and pay the bills. It wasn't until I took the job at the Arts school that I began to play every day again in my spanish/music classroom. I got so much better with all the practice. I learned some new stuff and started giving lessons. It was great. I felt I had my "song" back. I guitared all through my pregnancy with C until the very end when I couldn't reach the neck anymore. Both of my girls love for me to play and sing along.

Playing guitar and singing is the best. I sometimes toy with finding someone to sing with or doing a gig at a coffeeshop or something ( phoebe from "friends"?) But, I am content to sing with classes, my family and friends. I have only written three songs this year, but hope to have some time to write some more. I am thankful to have found the guitar, thankful for God-given talent in music, thankful to my mom for exposing me to music from childhood, thankful to Dane for letting me share it with our family. Melodie...music... yea I guess it is only fitting.

random

I love this picture. I just think it is adorable. I saw this segment on the Today show and am crazy for these babies. this is a tummy tub for babies. It simulates the womb and makes them comfy and snuggled. I am thinking that I might like a tummy tub for myself ( if I was still limber enough to bend like this). my snuggly cuddly feeling comes from food I am afraid to say.

Today, I think about the babies that I had, the babies I didn't have, the baby that I was, the baby that just came from heaven, the babies who are loved and the babies who aren't. I pray for my little cousin who is expecting the week after his highschool graduation. I pray for my friend who desperately wants to be pregnant and isn't. I think about the potential that each new birth brings and the euphoria ( and fear) you feel when you hold your very own.

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I finished my last day at the Home School Academy with my students. I loved my little fourth and fifth grade class. this year I taught units about: the human body, journalism, the physics of Pirates, geometric art, electricity and magnetism, and the election/government. It was fun year and I think my kids liked it.

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the kentucky Derby was yesterday and we celebrated by taking my MIL home to cheyenne and partying with our friends in Ft. Collins. I made some Derby Pies just for the occasion and had a mint julep. Nobody bet on the long shot that one, but a good time was had by all.

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I am teaching tomorrow at Colorado College. It is a short class on using Music in the Classroom for underclassmen considering a carreer in education. Even though I teach this once a semester, I could still use your prayers as I am usually more prepared than I am today... anyone free to be my teaching assistant tomorrow?

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Our dinner conversation tonight at the dinner table: which would you rather be, a shovel or a bucket? Thanks cousin Mollie for the thought provoking question. D and C both said shovel and M and M said bucket.. what about you? shovel or bucket?