The Wall Bloggers

Last Wednesday afternoon, we set off for Seattle via Albuquerque. After fighting the marathon crowds at SeaTac, renting a car, and driving to my sister Julie Anne's house, we got Adrianna into bed at midnight (NM time). Because of that, we decided to take it a little easier on Thursday. Julie Anne took Taylor (4) to the doctor, while Scott and I took Adrianna and Preston (2) to feed the ducks and play at the park. We're used to our town pond, with eight ducks who get fed all day, everyday, and are so tired of bread, they will even walk away from it. These Seattle ducks were more plentiful and more exuberant about bread. The big ones even pushed the ducklings out of the way, so they could get more! (I made a point to get bread to those little ones. :) At the park, we were also amazed to see moss growing on the play structure's climbing wall! A wee bit different than what we're used to! Thursday afternoon, while all the tired kids were napping, Julie Anne and I

Adrianna worked on Father's Day gifts for the last three weeks. For her grandfathers in Colorado, she made cards. For her grandfather here, she painted a dog dish and created a book about his dog ( The Copper Magazine ). And for her daddy, she made a "What I love about my dad" picture and Scott's Dizzy Book by Anna . I am so proud of how hard she worked (I know I'm not forcing her to, when she loves crafts!). Since she's just learning to write her letters, she had to focus on each page of the books she wrote, to form each new letter carefully. That was a serious act of concentration. But in addition to working hard, she also tried to be so thoughtful. When we were at the grocery store last week, she saw a blueberry muffin mix. She started thinking out loud: "Mom... Dad and I both like blueberry muffins. Can I... Can I make them for him... for --- his day?" Beautiful. That kind of thoughtfulness is such a gift. Adrianna had such joy giving her presen

Thursday evening was a big deal at our house. Our "baby" rode her bike around the block (and it is no small block!). Previously, she's mostly just ridden on our back patio, for a couple of minutes at a time. But when her neighbor friend (who is two years older) started riding her newly-training-wheel-free bike in our cul-de-sac, we decided to let Adrianna give her bike a try in the big, wide world. She did so well, that we figured she might like a real bike adventure. After making it safely back to our street, she loved the feeling of freedom, and wanted to ride more in our cul-de-sac. We allowed her to, but we soon had to drag her inside. Her legs were so tired, she could barely petal, but she didn't want to quit! I had another dream about our new child last night. (I guess just in time for Father's Day, since my last one was at Mother's Day!) In my dream, our child was a girl again. When people were talking to me about her in the dream, I told them,

"Lord, protect my children's hearts from scars caused by the trials and struggles of this life. I thank You that they do not have to become negative or pessimistic as a result of circumstances around them, because they have hope and abundant life in You. Help them to fix their eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, for it is eternal (2 Corinthians 4:8-9, 16-18)." Prayer Point Press ( http://www.renewalministries.com/store/ ) puts together selections of Scripture-based prayers for different topics. Above is one of the prayers for our children that I find particularly striking. It serves as a reminder that we are not to pray that our children's lives would be trial-free. We are to pray that they would grow in their hope in Christ through their struggles. As a parent, that's a hard thing to fully grasp. I know I am still working on it!

My friend Jennifer was smart enough to call our nearest play zone, to check what their hours were. We already knew they were closed on Mondays (our normal playgroup day) and Tuesdays (our second choice). But, in her call, (with her sweet, southern accent), the owner said he was already going to be there on Tuesday, and would open the place up just for us ! And so we went there yesterday... the whole place for just four kids and three moms! They have a giant climbing structure (think McDonald's PlayPlace times five) that is big enough for adults to play in, too. The slide was the most thrilling I've been on as an adult! My friend Jen and I both screamed our first times down. :)

We had some fun times over the weekend. Adrianna and I spent half an hour creating a fun Marble Works tower. But as soon as I left the room, I heard Scott say to her, "Why don't we start over?" Of course, she said, "Sure!" and off they started again on a new creation. I guess the "Mom Tower" just wasn't cool enough. :) Friday night was our planned cook-out with our friends at the base of our ski hill. I was so anticipating Adrianna enjoying her first fire-roasted hot dog and perfectly toasted s'more. But starting Thursday night, I had a sore throat, and by Friday, had aches to accompany it. I decided nobody else wanted those germs, and I stayed home. I was so disappointed to miss out on such a fun first for our kiddo. Scott took loads of pictures to help me feel like I had been there. Our pie cherry tree has ripened early, so Saturday, we enjoyed some of the spoils.

From Saturday, here are some snapshots from our last babysitting night with our friends before they move. Last night, Scott drove a Suburban loaded with middle school girls and their WyldLife leader to Phoenix. He flew home this morning. After a 20 minute nap, he claimed he was set until bedtime. Before he finally turned in for the night at 7:45 pm, he fell asleep eating dinner, playing a computer game with Adrianna, and reading a bedtime story. While Scott was driving, I had the privilege of going to a quaint little French restaurant with my play group moms, for some mom time and goodbye time. It's so rare that we get to be together without being in "Mommy-on-alert" mode, with half-finished sentences, and applesauce stuck on our shorts. The evening was a delightful treat, and we each took home a delicious French pastry to our children's caretakers. Adrianna received a new antique tea set. She couldn't be more delighted!

As promised, I uploaded some pictures from our Memorial Day weekend. Check the Memorial post below... Thanks, Neal and Jennifer!

With our dear friends who are moving, we have reached the period of "lasts." They leave our state in about three weeks for their new home. Yesterday, we had what is probably our last hike with them before they move. Tomorrow, we're having our last babysitting night at their house. Lasts are so far from easy. I guess we'll have to focus on the "firsts." ...First letter Adrianna will write to Will. First phone call from their new home to ours. Sounds like fun. Bittersweet, but fun. Shh... Don't tell Adrianna's grandpa, but we've been working on something for him for Father's Day.

Things my child has said that are too cute to forget... "I've never been there in a long time ago." (Translation: I haven't been there in a long time.) Riding in the car, with the air conditioning on: "I don't like the air on! It pushes away all my hot air. It takes away little pieces of my skin. That's called a strawberry." "When I was sad, I said one of the verses in my head." Some funny things that are Adrianna's favorites: Bats, parking garages, swings

It all started about a month ago. Southwest offered half-price deals to select cities... Phoenix was one of them, and the deal was cheaper than the gas to drive there! Scott checked with his parents, asking them to watch Adrianna for two days and one night, and they said yes. He then went into super travel agent mode, and found us a $45 a night resort room and a two-day car rental at half-price for $86. Hertz couldn't get that rate to ring up, and finally got the computer to give us $70 (which, um, worked in our favor!). (I think Scott's missed his calling in HR... travel agencies should be fighting to get him.) And so, we left our house bright and early Friday morning and arrived back late Saturday night. A few pictures might serve to display our travels. First stop: Ikea. After two and a half hours, we left a little dumbstruck, but got some things I really wanted. Included were four 99 cent toilet brushes (I had been refusing to pay the $8.99 at our grocery store), a