The Dean's Doings

So Sorry!

2009-03-17T14:07:00.000-06:00

So I really stink at posting here... obviously! I just put up some new photos on facebook...go take a look!

Christmastime

2008-12-09T11:01:00.002-07:00

Last Thursday morning we decorated for Christmas as the first snow we saw this year gently fell and Christmas music filled the house! Kaiden went out to get the decorations from under the house with Daddy, and wasn't a big fan of the snow. After a few of our Christmas ornaments came to a fateful end in the hand of Kaid, it was decided that he will be allowed to play only with his own Chrstmas tree. He also has his own nativity set that he loves playing with! I love this time of the year!

Munchkin Masquerade

2008-11-02T09:57:00.003-07:00

For Halloween we headed down to Pearl street for the Munchkin Masquerade with the Cheek family. It was a gorgeous 70 degree day!

Kaiden lovin' the makeup

Mama and Eeyore

The cutest, most sad little Eeyore around

Princess Jocelyn kindly shared her chariot with Kaiden, only to have her candy stolen, piece by precious piece.

Kris and Kristyn the cow

Very serious Knight Taylor

Autumn '08

2008-10-19T19:25:00.003-06:00

2008-10-19T19:25:00.000-06:00

Banana Bread

2008-10-08T09:03:00.003-06:00

Kaiden and I made banana bread together this morning. We pulled the step stool up to the counter and Kaid stood up on it, helping me with every step. The mess was everything I dreaded it would be...quite possibly more, but it was TONS of fun and worth all fifteen minutes of clean-up.

Parting is such sweet sorrow

2008-08-20T19:22:00.005-06:00

Our gorgeous 3 year old neighbor girl (Ila) loves Kaiden with an incredible ardor. Ila is the queen of drama and nothing brings that out like saying goodbye to Kaiden. It always involves many tears, extended hugs, kisses galore, and uncontained sobs of "Kaiden, Kaiden, Kaiden" while her mom, often quite literally, drags her away to her house right across the street. In fact, Ila's mom told me that she has found her, more than once, at the window staring over to our house and quietly crying "Kaiden, Kaiden, Kaiden". (By the way, you absolutely must click on the second photo in order to really see Ila's distress)

An evening in the life of a Dean

2008-08-20T18:37:00.005-06:00

Yesterday evening I was thrilled to find this little fence along the side of the road (a very common thing around here,--if you don't want something anymore put it out on the sidewalk for someone who might.) I have been wanting something like this because fences aren't allowed in our neighborhood and anytime Kaiden is outside I have to be right by his side. I put it up and secured Kaiden inside with a couple dishes of water and some toys to keep him entertained while I went in to make dinner.But after a couple minutes things got too quiet so I went to see what was up, and too-smart-for-his-own-good Kaiden had figured out how to escape.

Much to his dismay, I rigged up a little system to prevent future break-outs and again went in to make dinner.
This time little Mr. Smarty Pants (within about 5 minutes) figured out how to unhinge the fence and escape again.
But then Kaidens friends from across the street came over to play with him and keep him inside.
And he put on a entertaining splashing water show for everyone in response to the laughter it earned him.

Wedded Bliss

2008-07-21T22:03:00.006-06:00

I had the privilege of shooting my brothers wedding in North Platte this past May. The wind was very intense the day of, and despite hours of mowing and preparations for the ceremony to be held in a pasture with tall grass and a gorgeous view, a couple hours 'till show time it had to be moved to a coral where there was at least somewhat of a wind-block. It was still a beautiful wedding. I was so thrilled that they asked me to be their photographer and was hoping to keep it going from here, with plans to start a business. However I underestimated the hours of work it would take me to edit all the images (primarily from lack of experience, I'm sure) and I have decided that for Kaiden's sake it's not something I should pursue right now. I'm still hoping to start a business, and if someone asks me to shoot their wedding then hey, I probably would be thrilled to do it, but I'm going to focus on outdoor portraiture for now instead I'm also looking forward to doing food photography for a gluten-free magazine my friend Julie is starting! Here is a short peak at the day.

Date Night

2008-07-19T17:03:00.003-06:00

Last weekend the wonderful husbands of us Emmaus Road girls took us out on the town for a group date. We had dinner together then divided up into groups to play their own version of the Amazing Race on Pearl Street. After that Bran took me out for a delicious dessert and home to watch a DVD that he and the rest of the guys had each made for their wives with a special message conveying their love. It was a wonderful evening. Thanks guys!

Birthday Boy

2008-07-08T11:31:00.003-06:00

Kaiden turned one on July 1st! We celebrated on the 5th with a bbq at a park near our house. The weather was pretty sad (very windy and rainy) but it still turned out to be an evening of fun. Kaiden had a blast as he was quite aware that he was the center of attention the whole night...a place he really enjoys being! Mama made star-shaped cupcakes for all the guests and Kaiden got a double stacked cupcake covered (and I mean covered) in frosting. Other than what he got on himself and on Dad, who was brave enough to hold him during the cake feast, he joyously finished it up and was on quite a sugar high for the rest of the night. We love you, Kaiden Brandon.

Mmmm...birthday cake!
The older kids had a water balloon toss and fight, and even though Kaiden didn't join in on that he had a whole lot of fun with the water balloons.

Grandpa, Grandma, and Gigi (great grandma) came and stayed with us for a few days so they could be at Kaiden's party. He had a blast with them.

Pinata time! Notice the change of clothes...Kaiden broke too many water balloons on himself so he had to have a change of clothes...new birthday ones straight from the package. After dad helped him hit the pinata a few times Kaiden pulled the stick away and started swinging at it himself.

What a big boy!

A boy and his Oats

2008-06-22T16:34:00.003-06:00

The keyword being his. Kaiden has decided that he should be able to feed himself his breakfast. He gets so excited when I hand him the spoon, then does everything in his power (and arm reach) to keep the spoon from getting back into my hand. If handing him the spoon with food already in it is exciting, handing him the bowl to dip the spoon in himself actually gets a squeal of sheer delight! Yes, baths have become more frequent in the Dean household...not to mention floor sweeping and mopping.

Back off buddy...this one's MINE!

2008-06-15T11:33:00.004-06:00

If only I had been holding a camera, but I wasn't, so picture this:
A bbq with friends last night. I look behind my shoulder to see Kaiden crying madly at 2 yr. old Josey as he holds his hands out following her around and trying to steal the cheeto from her left hand. Josey, a very unhappy look on her face, keeps it out of reach and behind herself. With her other hand, and pointed threateningly at Kaiden, she holds an empty water gun, finger on the trigger.

These are a few...

2008-06-12T10:10:00.005-06:00

of my favorite things:

My little boom box. I carry it around everywhere I go and as soon as the music stops, I slap the front until I hit the correct button and it starts up again. Please don’t teach me which button is the correct one to press…slapping stuff is much more fun.

Attention. Especially when mama takes me shopping. She lets me stand in the cart and I bop up and down and sing at the top of my lungs—staring at people while I do so until they talk back. It’s working out pretty well for me.

My cool ball-blowing machine from miss Becky. People think I’m pretty smart because I have it all figured out. I know what button to press to get it to start blowing, then I walk around and collect the balls and put them back into the machine all by myself so that they can blow out again.

Jewelry. Sorry daddy, but it’s just so darn pretty! I’m learning to be gentle when I reach up and touch mama’s earrings…but when I saw grandma last I accidentally got a little too excited and ripped the earring almost completely out of her ear.

Balloons! Mind-boggling fun.

Playing in the cupboards…or should I say wonderlands.

Clapping. Just say “Yay” (or “bravo” if you speak Spanish like a lot of my neighbor friends) and I’ll give you a show and a half. In fact, if I am playing with my toys and I hear applause on the tv, I’ll join in right away. Such fun!

Bubble baths! As soon as the water starts running I try to get into the tub, my legs just aren’t quite long enough yet so as hard as I try mama has to eventually lift me over.

The vacuum cleaner. Call it that if you want to, but I know it’s really a monster. I get SO excited when I see mama bring it out. As soon as she turns it on I start running away usually falling over (like in a bad dream) cause I’m just running too quickly for my little legs. I come back to it every once and awhile to tease it to chase me again, then if it catches me I laugh. Too bad it has to spend most of the time in the closet.

Being Naked! Seriously, what more can I say.

And coming in first place with a long lead…

Food! Wow. What can I say. It’s wonderful. Topping the charts is still mama milk, although I don’t eat too much of that these days and I hear that I am going to have to say bye-bye to that in a few weeks. Banana’s are amazing. I pretty much enjoy anything that anyone else is eating…after-all if they’re enjoying it so much it must be good. I’m known as the beggar at whatever social gathering in which food is present. Forget playing, I will grovel at the feet of anyone eating something…smacking and licking my lips until they share with me…for hours on end. I embarrassed mama at the park the other day because I kept going up to people we didn’t know and trying to take the food out of their hands.

Naked AND carrying around my boom box. Life is good, is it not!

My friend Josey and I both understand how wonderful food is. Here we are sharing a cookie while all the other kids are off playing with silly toys. Back and forth we handed it till every last crumb was devoured. Yum!

And here is the cool ball-blowing machine I told you about. This is my friend Asher and I playing with it. Did I mention that I LOVE bigger boys. Sometimes I pull their hair or do something that annoys them, but Asher especially is really nice to me.

A Day at the ZOO

2008-05-24T20:37:00.007-06:00

Kaiden had his first trip to the zoo last Tuesday. It was a gorgeous day, though a bit tiring for us mama's as we tried to keep pace with 9 excited little kids (7 of whom were boys!). Kaiden has decided that he shouldn't have to ride in the stroller when it's so much more comfortable in mom's arms, so needless-to-say I am learning that every-mother's art of holding, pushing, and carrying a million things at once. We had a wonderful time, and I'm going to have to sum up the experience by agreeing with Tara who said "it's always fun to go to the zoo, and it's always fun to leave the zoo!" :)

Kaiden's first steps

2008-04-28T10:55:00.002-06:00

So he's a little wobbly, but at least he's trying. He's only interested in trying it out during the evening, though, when he's in silly moods and doesn't really care if he does well or not. Haha.

So we're a bit loud

2008-03-28T19:06:00.002-06:00

This clip is a couple months out-dated, but I think you'll like watching Kaiden as he discovers the joy of sceaming...and getting screamed at. Maybe this will make up for my 2 months of no posts. :)

Litte Walker

2008-03-28T16:51:00.003-06:00

I think it's so cute to see little Kaiden walking around, and thought it would bring you a smile too. He is walking quite early (not without help yet though) and in addition to that he is really small for his age (only 16 lbs), so he just looks to me like this little baby boppin' around. :) Enjoy!

Happy Easter!

2008-03-26T17:49:00.007-06:00

I remember Easter a year ago with my oversized belly. I thought Easter 2008 would be forever in coming and couldn't wait to see the face of the little boy whom we'd be celebrating it with. But, as always, that year has flown by and 8 1/2 mo. old Kaiden had a wonderful first Easter. Daddy had to work :( but Kaid and mama went to an Easter service that was being held by a church plant who was having their first service (and with whom Emmaus Road is going to be meeting with now monthly). We then went to a friends house for a wonderful dinner and an easter egg hunt. Kaiden LOVES to watch other kids do their thing. He just can't wait until he can join in!

Sidney Brinker adores Kaiden...and how could he not adore her and all the attention she lavishes on him. Sid helped him find an Easter egg during the hunt and he wouldn't put it down for the rest of the day.

I never knew the hours of fun that a rattling egg could provide.

Grandma sent Kaiden an Easter basket, and although it was filled with nice things, nothing came even remotely close to being as wonderful as the plastic stuffing...yum!

A little snapshot of Christmas

2008-01-23T19:25:00.001-07:00

The cutest little morning face, just checking to see what Santa left

My first turkey!

I don't know what he enjoyed more...the gifts or the stuff the gifts were wrapped up in

Kaiden blew away the competition for "most presents received"

Great grandma was able to come spend Christmas with us too!

Santa and his papa

6 mos. old

2008-01-23T19:13:00.001-07:00

Is this not the saddest little sad face ever!

Will somebody please tell me...

2008-01-23T18:49:00.000-07:00

when this little boy came and my baby left!!!

(Early December)

Kaiden's dedication

2008-01-23T15:01:00.001-07:00

Our lives have been kinda crazy busy lately, so I will try to catch up with what has been happening around here the last couple of months.

Kaiden was dedicated on January 5th during one of Emmaus Roads' all-gatherings. We were thrilled that Kaiden's Nan and Pop were both here for the dedication!

5 mos. big!

2007-12-03T10:05:00.000-07:00

sittin' up

2007-11-10T12:36:00.000-07:00

Kaiden started sitting by himself a few days ago. He had been balancing for a few seconds by himself for a couple days, then he went outside with dad on Thursday and just sat by himself in the yard for about ten minutes while dad weeded. In fact, Brandon finished weeding and came back inside to have me look out the window and there he sat, perfectly content and just looking around at everything. He absolutely loves being outside. If he's upset we can take him outside and just stand on the porch and he quickly calms down. What a big little guy!

The cutest little pumpkin

2007-11-03T11:30:00.001-06:00

What an appropriate costume for a little boy who, along with far too many other nicknames, responds to pumpkin. Lisa and I took Kaiden trick-or-treating on Pearl street. He wasn't old enough to get in on all the fun--although he loved staring at all the other brightly-costumed kids--but mama had fun showing him off...and she also enjoyed eating all his candy for him! It was also a sad day as Kaiden and I took Lisa to the airport and said goodbye. Yes, mama kept the little pumpkin in costume even at the airport--how embarrassing!

Kaiden had a nice picture taken by the Daily Camera Newspaper. You can check it out if you want at www.dailycamera.com. Just click on the "munchkin masquerade" link and look in the first gallery.

3 months goin on 30

2007-10-15T12:36:00.001-06:00

3 Months

2007-10-03T23:59:00.000-06:00

Autumn's arrival

2007-10-02T15:53:00.001-06:00

"Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth,
burst into jubilant song with music....Let the rivers clap their hands,
Let the mountains sing together for joy." Psalm 98:8

photos from our hike

Hiking

2007-10-02T15:03:00.000-06:00

We finally went on a day-hike when Lisa's friend, Twyla, was visiting from Canada last week. We had a wonderful time and loved the beautiful fall scenery!

Kaiden rode on dad and absolutely loved the hike!

Lis and Kaid a bit worried about the birds.

That's right, when we were eating lunch a couple very friendly birds swooped in and shared our lunch. Hours of fun:)

Baby Shower

2007-10-02T09:29:00.000-06:00

Sue and Erika Moog and Holly Schaeffer hosted a wonderful baby shower for Kaiden when we were in North Platte last month. It was great to see so many old familiar faces and introduce them to the little guy.

Kaiden LOVES the little monkey he got that giggles at him. Sara and Hope had him smiling big over it.

It truly amazes me how girls begin liking babies at such a young age. Isn't the mothering instinct confounding? I've had girls who are still babies themselves see Kaiden and yell out "baby!!!" I don't know if Chloe (Holly's daughter) is quite there yet, but she still found Kaiden pretty interesting.

Worn out little Kaiden with his mama, grandma and great grandma

Cowboy'n

2007-09-17T11:04:00.000-06:00

A couple weeks ago we were able to go to North Platte for a visit and for a shower that was thrown for Kaiden (photos to come). We had a wonderfully relaxing time, and even got to ride Annie one evening. Cowboy Kaiden had his first horse ride (if laying down on the blanket of a still-standing horse counts as a horse ride :)) I love this time of year on the ranch--the warm evening sun drenches everything in golden rays and in a few hours the orange harvest moon (that's right, orange) shines brightly in the star-covered sky. And the silence, I had forgotten how glorious is the sound of nothing but a warm breeze and chirping insects.

2 months

2007-09-12T21:49:00.001-06:00

A snapshot...

2007-08-29T15:13:00.001-06:00

of the past few weeks at the Dean's house

Kaiden's Aunty Lisa came to visit and will be spending the next couple months with us. She has been such a help and so much fun to have around!

Kaiden has discovered the new-found joy of smiling...

and talking. :)

Great Grandpa and Ruthie got to meet Kaiden

Our friend Mel came to visit and Lisa and I got to see some gorgeous sights when we took her up and dropped her off at Rocky Mt. National Park to hike.

I got my haircut

There has been lots of sleeping on dad as he has found some unique but effective ways of getting a grumpy little boy to catch some zzz's.

My little fish

2007-08-10T16:56:00.000-06:00

Kaiden had his first swim yesterday. We took him to the North Boulder Rec. Center and he really seemed to like it! There was, of course, a little whining when he first hit the water, but then he just laid back and observed everything going on around him--the brightest thing he can find still being the most interesting. We went with our neighbors, so after I dried Kaid off Bran and I got to have some fun swimming together as Someone else watched him for me.

One Month Old

2007-08-06T17:08:00.000-06:00

fuzzi bunz

2007-07-25T09:56:00.000-06:00

My friend Natalie has loaned me all of the cloth diapers she used for her babies. You can't get much cheaper than that when even if you buy the cloth diapers and use them consistently you can save around $1000 per kid! Right now Kaid is just wearing them at home since they are still so big he looks like he has a blimp-bum and many of his clothes can't fit over them. I love them. They hold better than disposables (we haven't had a blow-out in one yet!), they are so soft and comfortable for him, and he is so stinkin cute! The one unfortunate thing (for him) is that they have earned him a new nick-name, "my little fuzzi bunz" (that's the name-brand of the diapers).

Funky little man

2007-07-21T20:47:00.001-06:00

"A Babe in the house is a well-spring of pleasure, a messenger of peace and love, a resting place for innocence on earth, a link between angels and men“ - Martin Fraquhar Tupper

Sleeping Beauty...

2007-07-16T16:40:00.001-06:00

in a very masculine sort of way, of course.

Man a photo shoot is draining!

Tiny expressions

2007-07-16T16:19:00.001-06:00

Kaiden had his two week dr. visit today. He's gained over a pound and has already changed so much. I kick myself for being so stereotypical, but I already look back at pictures from birth and feel sad that my baby is growing so quickly. At the same time I am loving watching the little man grow and can't wait to see who he becomes (ok, I admit, I also can't wait for him to fit into some of the cute summer clothes he has before Autumn is here:) ) We love you Kaiden, and all the adorable things you do with your tiny little face!

First Bath

2007-07-14T14:34:00.000-06:00

Tennis Time

2007-07-12T15:09:00.001-06:00

This morning Kaiden had his first stroller ride. We walked down to the parks' tennis courts and watched Brandon playing/ giving lessons to our neighbor kids. And I admit, I couldn't stand just watching, so I played a couple games too. It feels so good to be able to move like a normal human being again, as opposed to waddling around.

Note the gorgeous mountain backdrop.

Kaiden did a good job of totally distracting Phoenix from the lesson.

The fun was short lived for Kaiden. He fell asleep as soon as the stroller started moving.

Dad

2007-07-10T16:52:00.001-06:00

Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. ~Elizabeth Stone

One week old

2007-07-08T19:39:00.001-06:00

Kaid is one week old today! He is such an incredible baby...so placid. Bran and I have discovered we no longer desire to watch movies, we'd much rather sit and stare at him for 2 hours. :) I didn't know it was possible for one person so small to have so many different facial expressions.

He's Here!

2007-07-08T17:48:00.000-06:00

Kaiden Brandon Dean
Sunday, July 1
10:58 am
7 lbs . 3 oz
21 in.

...and growing, and growing, and...

2007-06-13T21:35:00.000-06:00

Poor Kaiden doesn't have much room to move around these days. He has stretched my belly beyond what I thought possible and I must say that I'm not finding his presence very comfortable either. Nine more days little one, nine more days (please!)! I finally have my hospital bag packed, my birth preferences all typed up and ready to give to the doctor/ midwife, and...well, your nursery isn't all put together yet, but I don't even mind if you come before it's completely ready. Hopefully my next post here will have pictures of a baby boy. :)

Baby Shower

2007-05-25T09:44:00.000-06:00

Last night Natalie threw me a wonderful baby shower. We were outside a little tea shop off of Pearl Street (downtown Boulder) and the weather was gorgeous. In addition to the Emmaus girls, my friend Donna (the lady I work for) and Becky (a girl I roomed with in college and who just moved right outside of Boulder) were both able to be there. I had a great time and received lots of wonderful gifts! Thanks Natalie and everyone who helped celebrate!

All of us girls (minus Tara--taking the picture, and Michelle--hiding behind Sidney's head)

Natalie, Josey and I with a rattle and beautiful blanket they gave me.

Donna and I with a gift from her dog Tazzy (Donna has already given me so much I told her she couldn't bring a gift, so Tazzy gave me something instead :))

All the wonderful presents from the shower!

Hail Storm

2007-05-25T08:26:00.000-06:00

Last week we had a hail storm here. It was a bit scary since we had just laid sod (which isn't cheap) and since we have no garage for our car! Even though the ground was covered in white ice by the end of the storm, it did no damage to anything (Praise God!) and really was quite beautiful. It seems that everything is beautiful here with the foothills for a backdrop. Standing by the front door and watching the hail drop reminded me of these verses from one of my favorite chapters in the bible--Job 37.

“God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways….He says to the snow, ‘fall on the earth,’ and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’ So that all men he has made may know his work, he stops every man from his labor. The breath of God produces ice….He brings the clouds …to water his earth and show his love. “

Jobs and Such

2007-05-11T17:45:00.000-06:00

Brandon is officially a Comcast man. He started training last month, which he will be doing for another couple months still, and really likes it! In the picture you'll see his company vehicle, which is GREAT for us. Now when he's at work I still have a car--such a blessing. Brandon's also pretty excited about the cable package we get complimentary...ok, so I don't mind the 200+ channels and being able to "pause and rewind live TV" either. :)

Here's also a picture of us outside just this evening. We've been having beautiful hot weather, and contrary to what most people tell me, I'd much rather be pregnant in the heat than the cold. Also, praise God that Kaiden is still inside! As much as I feel I can't get any bigger, he's hung in there one more week and everything is looking good, so hopefully he still has a few more to go.

In a Hurry to Arrive

2007-05-09T09:46:00.000-06:00

The countdown till little Kaiden Dean makes his arrival is indeed getting closer and closer, but as excited as I am to see him, please join us in praying he decides to stay inside a bit longer.

Last Friday I awoke Brandon in the middle of the night with what seemed to be Braxton hicks that were abnormally strong and close together. We ended up going into the hospital and sure enough I was having contractions every 2-3 minutes. Seven weeks before my due date this was much too early so I spent the next 32 hours in the hospital as they tried to get the preterm labor to stop. The first medication didn’t work and so the doctor ended up giving me a couple doses of steroids in order to speed up Kaiden’s lung development…just incase. But the second med seemed to work and I am now back home and “taking it easy”. Still, 50-70% of the time women who go into preterm labor end up having the baby early. The reassuring thing is that Kaiden should be perfectly healthy if he is born now, but there would still be complications, such as a yet-to-be-developed ability to eat on his own, that would keep him in the hospital for at least a couple weeks, probably with an IV in his little arm.

Please pray that Kaiden will be safe and grow strong, and that he won’t arrive prematurely. Pray that I will be able to take it easy as I am supposed to. I am currently still working as my employer has no one else to fill in for me, so pray she can find and hire someone else fast so that I’m not overexerting.

Spring is here!

2007-03-21T19:34:00.000-06:00

"Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land." Song of Solomon 2:12

This evening our adorable little neighbor girl, Phoenix, brought us these wild flowers she had just picked "from her garden". I love spring!! Everything is either blooming or is on the very brink of blooming, and I can't think of a better place to be experiencing that than at the foot of the mountains, still capped with snow.

It's a boy!

2007-03-20T08:54:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I had a long-awaited ultrasound and we found out our baby is a boy! As any of you mothers and fathers would know, it was so incredible to see him and his little features swimming around inside. We saw some amazing angles of his face and limbs and beating heart. As usual, he was jumping around a lot during the ultrasound and the coolest thing for me was seeing him reach up with his fist and punch me in the stomach and, of course, feeling it at the same time. Toward the end of the ultrasound he was turning around to lay face down and that's when he gave us a good flash of his masculinity:). Of course when he was face down that's when he decided it was time to take a nap...right before it was picture time. So unfortunately the ultrasound photos aren't very exciting. But here they are none-the-less.

Our New Home

2007-03-15T10:21:00.000-06:00

As of April 1^st Brandon and I will be the proud new owners of a mobile home. We moved into this rental trailer on a month-to-month basis upon returning form Australia, planning to stay here only until we found something else we wanted to rent long-term, but God had other plans. I must say, I am quite excited about it. Odd as it sounds, I remember the first time I felt the desire to live in a trailer park. I rode my bike through a park close to school my freshman year of college and God begin conjuring up this desire within me not just to minister to those who lived there, but to “become part of them” in a mother Theresa kind of way. This desire was cemented even more when I got to know my friend Mel, who was the Jr. high pastor at our church and who lived in that same park. She and her roommate had such an awesome ministry with the kids in the neighborhood. They even decked out one of their rooms into a permanent fort for the kids. When Bran and I made the decision to move here to Boulder, I never thought about it fulfilling my longing to live in and love the people of a trailer park, yet it so perfectly fits the mission and calling of Emmaus Road. There couldn’t be a better community either; this trailer park has over 2000 residents! God is so amazing! I love the way he builds a passion in me for that which he calls me to—doesn’t just throw me into something.

On a different note, we love the house. Even more, we love that the two lots on our west are empty, giving us a gorgeous foothills view. This was my view when sitting on the couch having devotions a couple mornings ago. And another morning shot, from the street right out our front door.

Australia

2007-02-15T20:23:00.000-07:00

We are almost officially "back into the swing of things" after being back for a week and a half from our 2 month vacation down under. After asking if we had a good time on the trip, it seems most people add, "were you able to do/see a lot of things?" Our answer to the first half? Absolutely! We had a wonderful tme. But no, we didn't do or see a lot of things...in fact that was the beauty of the vacation. Honestly, most days we were still in our pj's, playing games or watching the 42" tv, until after lunch. It was so wonderful not to have to get around for anything, other than an occational evening barby (that's bbq, for our American friends, and no, shrimp were not involved :)). Not only was it great for me not to have any demands for 2 months, but it was so relaxing not to feel stressed about having to come back to a draining school schedule. So for me this trip provided more of a relaxing, refreshing time than I've had since summers in middle school.
All that said, we still did/visited some fun places, and seeing as how that might be more exciting to you than pictures of me laying around the house in my pajamas, here are a few photos that highlight some of our unforgettable trip memories.

Christmas was interesting for me with the 90-100 degree weather and the Australian traditions. Notice the party hats that everyone wears for Christmas dinner.

We really enjoyed the beach (a 3 min. drive away). This particular evening we went down there with family and friends and Bran did some off-shore fishing. He caught a stingray (not that that's what he was after)!

One evening the family all went to a park overlooking Perth city for a picnic. From left to right is Lisa, Wuss (our affectionate name for Bran's dad), then Ma, Charlene, and her husband Rich.

We went camping "down south" over the new years weekend with friends. Although we didn't have to worry about any visits from what I would consider the usual camping pests (like racoons) we were visited one night by a kangaroo who broke into our food.

Bran and I went down south to visit his relatives on the family farm for a couple days. We stopped at Hamilin Bay on the way and I took some photos of the beautiful beach.

This was our last day in Austraila. Bran and his sisters and brother in law took surfing lessons. My oversized belly and I just watched and swam.

Little Moments

2007-01-27T08:49:00.000-07:00

I have a new fascination. Borderline obesession?...perhaps. Every morning right after I peel my eyes open I begin what is becoming my ritual belly-stare. Usually it is uneventful, yet somehow incredibly intriguing as I watch my ever growing bump pulsate with the life that is being pumped into the baby's tiny body inside. Some mornings, however, my staring is rewarded by a sudden thump that can only be a tiny fist or foot testing out the boundries of his small dwelling. it's on those mornings that I wake Brandon up to join me in my mezmorized staring. Unable to force his eyelids open, he usually substitutes watching with touching and sets his hand on my stomach. As I feel a twitch I look over to see a huge smile on what otherwise appears to be a sleeping face. It is in those moments that I am convinced I've been allowed to be a part of some inexplicable miracle. And if that isn't enough, I've been given an incredible man to share it with--someone who is not just happy for me, but who is marveling in this beautiful miracle just as I am. Thank you, Jesus, for the little moments.