Cloudcroft, NM

Our next stop was Cloudcroft, NM to visit my stepmother Carole, who graciously paid for our airline tickets and made our trip possible. Ideally, we would have been able to stop off in Alberquerque to see my family there, but we just didn't have time this trip. But the Sacremento mountains were so beautiful that we plan on returning and next time, we might do an Alberquerque-Cloudcroft circuit. Carole and her husband Tony built this log cabin from the ground up and it is beautiful. Unfortunately, Tony was working out of town, so we didn't get to see him.The boys helped Grandma Carole feed the birds and other critters around the cabin.

Michael also liked the fountain.

More creeks to wade in and rocks to throw!


And a waterfall, too!

Georgetown Railroad

We rode the Georgetown Loop Railroad while we were in Colorado. It's an open-air train along an old mining route with spectacular views. The boys loved it!

Boulder, CO

We flew into Denver and spent several days in Boulder with Poppy and Nan. They have a great house (even if poor Matt is allergic to the cat) and a swimming pool right next door! The boys went hiking, threw rocks in Boulder creek and played at parks. We rode the Georgetown loop train (more on that later). We even drove into Denver one day to visit the Natural History Museum. On the way home, we stopped off in my old neighborhood to see my old elementary school and the house where I grew up. I even spotted an old childhood friend/neighbor who was out watering his lawn, turns out he bought the house from his grandparents a few years ago. I hadn't seen him in more than twenty years. Amazing.

Whew! What a trip!

Well, we're back from a two week vacation out west. It was an amazing experience. I'm going to break it down into several posts, but I'll just post a few thoughts here. The kids were great. They did awesome on the airplanes and endured two very long days in the car. They slept good and ate well for most of the trip, although I don't want to see a restaurant again for quite some time! The boys shared a room in Boulder and loved it, which is good because we'd like to move them into bunk beds sometime this year. Luke mastered the fireman's pole on several playgrounds. He also decided that he doesn't need the little potty or potty topper at all any more and he has been dry at night for the last week! We found out Michael can talk as much or more than Luke--he jabbered for eleven hours straight in the car one day. And Michael also had quite the adventure falling into the hotel pool in El Paso, but he was quickly fished out by his panicked parents. I got to see Luke and Michael play at the same park where I used to play when I was a little girl. We saw wild western thunderstorms and ate sopapillas. But the best part was spending time with Poppy and Nan, Grandma Carole and Grandpa S.T. Thank you, my wonderful family, for making this trip possible!

Mark's baptism

Today we officially became godparents to Mark Lawrence Masek, who almost woke up for the occasion. The baptism went so smoothly, could it be because we left our children with the neighbors? We did pick them up and take them to the party afterwards, so they could have two kinds of cake--one for Mark and one for his sister Maria, who just turned three.

Bike Trailer

waking up

Sometimes it's hard to get out of the post-nap daze unless you have your white crocodile, your digger book and your daddy.

Rob and Melissa

Matt's cousin Rob and his wife Melissa stayed with us last night. They've lived abroad for the last six years, most recently in Mexico. They've been on the road for three weeks driving from Puerta Vallarta. We were their last stop before they get back home to Toronto. It was great to see them. Luke loved talking to "Cousin Rob." And we all got a kick out of having a car with Costa Rica plates parked in front of our house (they lived in Costa Rica before Mexico).

Biker Boyz

Luke has a 16 inch bike, but he's still kind of nervous on it. A few weeks ago he got this 12 inch bike as a hand-me-down from a friend. He LOVES it (thanks Ali and Caleb!) and rides it all the time. He and Matt have ridden as far as the Easton soccer fields which are 4 miles away. Michael is much, much slower on his "two-wheeler." What surprises me is how much they love their helmets and beg to wear them all the time!

Baby Mark

This is Mark Lawrence Masek, our newest godson. He arrived on July 3rd. We are so happy for Larry and Joyce and big sister Maria and can't wait until the baptism next week. Hmmm, looking back on the baptism for our other godson, Benedict, I'm toying with the idea of getting a babysitter for our kids.

Got milkweed?

I saw a bumper sticker that said that in Clintonville (surprise, surprise), but it got me curious, so I looked it up. Turns out butterflies, especially monarchs, love milkweed, so I told Matt to stop cutting ours down. We were rewarded this morning with this visitor:

Not a monarch, but an adult female Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly.

Luke's conversation with the butterfly:

Luke: What's your name?
Butterfly (whose voice sounds suspiciously like Luke's): Butterfly-ie.
Luke: Do you want to be adopt?
Butterfly-ie: What's adopt?
Luke: It means you lived alone in the forest, but now you can come and live with us and be in our family.
Butterfly-ie: Oh yes, I'd love to be adopt!
Luke: Ok, now you're in our family and can live in our yard.

4th of July

Usually, we spend the 4th with the Martinez family in Granville, but they are spending the summer in Columbia this year. We decided to go to the Granville parade anyway this year, mainly because Matt and I had an overwhelming need to see the "meat royalty" again. I didn't get good pictures this year, but in addition to the usual Licking County Goat Queen and Beef Princess, we also saw the Licking County Junior Rabbit Queen, the Poultry Queen and the Pork Princess. Then we came home and Luke and Michael did their first sparklers with our neighbors. We thought the big fireworks might get rained out, but the weather held, so Matt and Luke and our neighbors Josh and Ethan went to the Westerville fireworks display. It didn't start until 10pm and they didn't get home until almost midnight! I think it was one of the latest nights Luke's ever had, but he had a blast. I'm so glad he didn't inherit my fear of loud noises that left me cowering under beds for most of my childhood Independence Days!

A friendship in pictures . . .

Today Luke said goodbye to Eli. Eli and his family are moving away in a couple of days. Luke has lots of friends for a kid his age and I'm sure he'll have lots of friends in the future, but Eli will always hold the distinction of being Luke's first best friend. Goodbye "Eli who is still yummy, but doesn't like to be called Yummy Eli anymore." We'll miss you!

Miracle on Highway 33

After a day hiking in the Hocking Hills . . .

how the garden grows

The first tomatoes.

The pole beans that just keep climbing.

The first bell pepper and a winter squash plant just starting to grow.

Oregano, leeks and hot peppers.

Corn corner--planted in rows a week apart for a staggered harvest--that is, if they mange to cross pollinate and actually produce corn.

swimming lessons

Luke is almost finished with his first round of swimming lessons. In Westerville, the kids go every day for two weeks. Luke is "guppy" level--the first class where they are without parents in the pool. He loves it and has asked to do another round of lessons in August instead of any other activity this summer. He loves his teacher, David, which isn't surprising since he reminds us a lot of Uncle Chris who also spent many a summer lifeguarding and teaching swim lessons.

The home version is smaller, but they sure do like the "water slide."

Going Away Party

I hosted a Mom's Night Out in our backyard last Thursday. My very good friend Sharleen is moving to Minnesota in a week or two and the moms threw her a going away party. It all went great except that I fell down our deck stairs (there's only two of them!!!) while setting up and twisted my ankle! Five days later and I'm only just beginning to see the bones of my foot again. Still, it was a lovely night. We roasted marshmallows and made s'mores and gave Sharleen a going away basket filled with different fabrics. Matt snapped this fabulous picture of us with Alyssa's camera. For once, she didn't have to run in and pose before the timer went off!

Happy Anniversary, Poppy and Nan!

My mom and stepdad will celebrate their 12th anniversary tomorrow. Here's a picture of the wedding. Brian has two kids now. Jason has a baby. I have two kids. The flower girl is about to start her second year at Yale and the ring-bearer just graduated from high school. Yikes, time flies!