Griffin and Goliath

Sometimes in your life you have to face giants.

Griffin's assignment was clear: guard number 4.

It wasn't until they lined up across from each other that we realized that number 4 was big, REALLY BIG. I'll even say gigantic.

And, well - Griffin is not. Check out the picture - Grif barely made it to his shoulder.

Did that stop Griffin? Not for a minute. He stuck to that kid like white on rice. He seemed to be the only one in the room that did not notice how "big" the task was before him.

I looked up some "basketball tips" online and am proud to say he embodied each one.

1. Defense is a state of mind, an attitude. Your desire, hustle and level of energy are as important, if not more, than your skill.

2. The attitude, concentration and teamwork you bring to the game are key elements to success. The skills of defense can be taught; only you can develop the desire to win.

3. It is essential to defend with a purpose.

5. Be a proactive player, not a reactive player.

The life lesson seemed clear: it is not how big the problem is, but how you react to it.

And on Saturday morning, a six year old boy knocked Goliath down.

23 Days - 5 minutes at a time

Here is the bottom line. Chris is leaving. Well, not the life changing, divorce leaving... but the "go out and support the family" leaving. He told me that over the next month he will be gone a total of 23 days. During this time he will be gone over 2 weekends and get to take clients golfing and to Cirque du Soleil and eat at restaurants. I KNOW that even though those are fun things, that he feels totally guilty for being gone so long and would trade them to be home. But I rely on him so much for support and help - that 23 days seems like an eternity to me!

Realistically, I know 23 days is not so bad. My recently widowed friend across the street is doing it all on her own and I am amazed at her strength. I would be laying in bed with a blanket over my head, but she is up every day - working out, learning to mow the yard, figuring out how to get the sprinklers fixed, ferrying her kids to sports - I am in awe of how she gets things done and stays strong - she has told me she is moving on with her life. What a healthy thing do. A friend from my Bible Study has 3 boys - and her husband travels EVERY week from Sunday night to Friday night... seriously??? She is another woman who does what she needs to do without complaint. I know friends whose husbands lived in another state for almost a year and military wives whose husbands are gone for months. 23 days - that should be nothing.

But, I find myself dreading it. So hear it is - Day One. I am choosing to pick myself up and face this challenge head on. I refuse to wallow in self pity and whine (well, except for the first paragraph of this posting that was a little whiny). I always do good when there is a goal that needs to be accomplished - and so here it is. 23 days - I will not whine. I will look for every good thing in the next 23 days and focus on those things and be thankful. I will use the next 23 days to grow and hopefully be transformed. I accept the next 23 days as a blessing that will allow me to become a better wife, mom and friend.

I recently read a quote by Charles Spurgeon. Someone asked him how long he prayed for.

He answered, "I never pray more than five minutes at a time, but I never go five minutes without praying."

Love this. In my life right now, with the boys still out of school for 4 1/2 more weeks, time is a commodity. I know that I can be a whiner - but by looking for some type of spiritual growth through this, I can see the bigger picture. I am at a bit of a low right now in my life - not a serious depression - but it has been a long, emotional and draining 7 months. Usually a "get it done" kind of gal, I am feeling a little bankrupt in my life. By continuously turning over small parts of my day to prayer, I remember one of the truths I learned growing up, " that God loves me and has a plan for my life." Ok God - feel free to show this plan to me!

I have started to read the boys Proverbs most morning. Reading it out of "The Message" brings a whole new perspective in a language that is relevant to my life. This morning in Proverbs 16:2 it said, "Humans are satisfied with whatever looks good, God probes for what IS good." I don't want things in my life to just have the appearance of good - I want it to be a deeply instilled part of my life.

Proverbs 16:9, "We plan the way we want to live, but only God makes us able to live it." And there it is - how I will get through the next 23 days. 5 minutes at a time.

Family Pictures

Last year my friend, Juli, had her family pictures done by a photographer inKansas City. I fell in love with the way she used color and light and emailed to see if she would be back in Denver this year. We had to wait - but I love the result! Lots of the pictures turned out cute - there are some sibling pictures that are precious! And Piper in that red dress... well, I am trying to not buy every picture of her - but I just love them! I thought I was a black and white girl - but when you see what an L series lens and a little photoshop can do to a picture - it can make you convert!

We made Jamie's blog...
http://jamiemillerimages.com/blog/colorado-family-life

http://www.jamiemillerimages.com/slideshows/family/

Cable Canceled

No cable means more blocks. We canceled cable for the summer, a bold move since we don't go back until the end of September. But seriously, no one has missed it. As long as it is back on for basketball and Lost, we should be fine.

A Spot of Tea

Gracie and Piper share a spot of tea!

Just Married!

Our beautiful friend and babysitter, Trixie, got married! It was one of the most sweetest weddings I have ever been to! I loved the way it was simple, elegant and very personal. From the mason jars filled with flowers to the colorful table cloths her mom had brought from her home in Indonesia - it was all Trixie!

My favorite touch was the desserts. Instead of having one, lavish wedding cake, Trixie asked several people that are close to her to make their favorite desserts. And then in front of each dessert there was a handwritten card that told who made it and what it was. People went crazy over Aunt so-and-so's famous Key Lime Pie and Close Friends Peanut Butter chocolate cake. There was something for every one's taste! And it was fun to know who had made what. LOVE THIS idea!!!!

Alyssa joined our family for the wedding we are in the process of trying to decide what exactly to call her... I always call her our Nanny, but honestly - she has not really babysat for us in years. I am much more likely to go to coffee with her than have her babysit. She is a friend, but that does not seem quite right. We are leaning towards Little Sister, but of course you can see I am the little one in the pic! Whatever she is, we are so excited for her to go to college and experience college life in TN, but so sad to have her leave!

Her is Alyssa cutting the rug with Piper and another little girl, Sacha. Trixie also had a ping pong table out and a fire pit for roasting s'mores. Fun, fun ideas!

We are thrilled for the new Mr. and Mrs. Tedford!

Bike Parade

I LOVE the fact that each 4th of July we can walk across the street and be a part of the Community Bike Parade. This year who was at the front of the line? Fletcher, Griffin and neighbors Nathan and Hayden. Bikes decked out with streamers and stars, this is the 4th of July at is purest!

Piper also loved petting the mini horses and playing games in the park.

During a brief rain storm we watched The Princess Pride, one of my favorite movies that I had been waiting to share with the kids. After spinklers and little fireworks, we headed to a neighbors for homemade ice cream and BIG fireworks. That is where things got a little interesting.

A neighbor, whom I will call Firework Guy, always buys a TON of BIG fireworks. It is so much fun to sit around and cheer him on as the fireworks light up the sky. Since they are technically illegal in Colorado, the mischevious spirit just adds to the fun.

In the middle of delighting us with a great light show, the police show up. They roll down the window and ask for all adults living on this street to approach the car. Well, it felt like a high school party bust - everyone just looked at each other and no one moved. Finally, several adults went over and were told to make sure fireworks are only on the ground. Then the police left.

Everyone began packing up. Then out of no where the two BIGGEST fireworks came out. These cost over $100 a piece and were for the grand finale. Many people (myself included) began to chant the name of firework guy. Then he lit them. Fireworks lit up the sky in one last hurrah. Everyone clapped and left.

As we were getting in the car, Fletch - who is not a rule follower at heart - looked at me and asked, "Mom, why did all the adults cheer that guy on when the police told us not light the fireworks."

Hmmm, how do you answer that question? Talk about peer pressure or that sometimes in a group people will do something they know is wrong just because it is fun. Say that sometimes, if no one is hurt, it is OK to disobey the police. Ignore the question and act like I didn't hear it.

There are no good answers. I was wrong. We broke the rules. This is not how I have raised my kids. Bad example.

What a reminder that little eyes, or in this case big brown eyes, are always watching.

Good fences make good neighbors

A picture is worth a thousand words - Piper, Fletch and Emma from next door

Rain, Sleet and Snow

Last day of school also meant the last walk to school. I know it seems trivial, but walking to school has been a true joy. I love meeting the other neighbors to walk down the hill. I love just having to pick up the phone 10 minutes before we leave and calling my neighbor to see who is walking the boys down.


This year we have gone to school by bike, sled, scooter, stroller and of course feet. We have walked through rain (which seemed like a really great idea - but wasn't!), snow and of course many Colorado sunny days. We have seen the seasons change. One day we saw 52 ladybugs! Another day we saw over 15 worms and the biggest slug that ever lived. We found a Robin's egg. We have looked at Indian Paintbrush, gathered leaves and picked dandelions. We have zoomed at neck breaking speeds down "Dead Man's Hill" (I nicknamed it!).

Next year we will be going to a brand new school in a brand new building. We will have a wonderful and challenging curriculum. We won a place in the school by lottery with 100's of kids still on the waiting list. For several reasons I think it will be a good choice for our family, but on the last day of school I could not help feeling I was trading a wonderful quality of life for a 15 minute carpool.

Father's Day

Take me out to the ball game! For Father's Day we treated Chris to a Rockies game. Very fun - and very hot! All was going well until Griffin had an allergic reaction to the peanuts the guy behind us was eating. Let this be a warning to you - kids with peanut allergies and pro baseball games might not be a good mix. But still - except for the little medical emergency, it was a great day.

Baby Bunnies

As anyone with the heart of a gardener, I have little need for rabbits. In fact, I have declared war on them and offered the kids $1 for each rabbit they bring me.

I woke up one morning to see a giant bunny sitting in the middle of my flower bed. I yelled at her. She didn't budge. I threw a ball at her - she did not flinch. Then (sorry animal activist) I picked up a rock and threw it at her. She still would not leave. What is up with that? What kind of rabbit does not get scared by a rock?

The kind that is a mommy.

We left for the day and when we returned, Chris opened the door saying, "Welcome to the Crawford Zoo!" Inside he showed us 4 baby bunnies that he had rescued from the window well. Then I realized, their mommy had refused to leave them. Scary giant people that throw rocks were not enough to keep her away from her babies.

Not much bigger than the baby carrots we offered them, they spent the night with us and then released them to hopefully find their mommy. Releasing 4 bunnies in our flower filled yard goes against everything Chris and I believe in - but how could we not? We have seen the babies around a couple of times - and just hope that when they get big and have a family, they will move to the neighbors yard.

Here is Peter hiding under the holleyhocks and trying to decide which flower to eat first.

Happy Thoughts

The last couple of months have been intense. I am sick of sad things and am going on a rampage - posting only happy things for the next several postings! Happy thought #1. The boys going to the Nugget's play-off game where they beat the Mavs! Chris said it was the most fun he has ever had with the boys. And yes, he is sporting a Bird Man t-shirt!

Happy thought #2. Fletcher dressed up in Chris's old cowboy outfit (complete with chaps) for the 1st grade Wild West Show.

Happy thought #3. Fletcher bragging to his class that he rode a really fast horse named Blind Bob. Yes, he really rode him. Yes, he is really blind. You can make up your own mind how fast he was.

I adore first grade! Here is Fletch and a few of his rootin-tootin buddies.

Roller Hockey

A mother of 4 boys told me, "It is all about the gear". So true! It takes Griffin forever to put on his roller hockey gear! But it is so fun - and funny.


Here is Grif showing off his smooth moves!

The best part is the wipeouts. At any moment, there could be anywhere from 2 to 6 six kids on the ground. And when one starts to go - watch out. It is a chain reaction. Kids down everywhere.

Camping

This is the tent that I put up 90% by myself. Chris was going to take Fletch on the boy scout campout and I was looking forward to staying home and watching movies with Piper. Chris got sick. Before I knew what happened, I found myself surrounded by little boys and putting up a tent.


Here we are after surviving the night in the "wilderness".

Here is my friend, Julie. We were the "single moms" - her husband is currently in Korea. We found out a secret about men - they are great cooks, all they need is an open fire. I had brought granola bars for breakfast, but when I opened the tent in the morning I smelled bacon! There was fresh coffee brewing, sausage, pancakes, eggs - and since the Dads seemed to take pity on us "women folk", Julie and I enjoyed a great breakfast while one of the Dads took our kids fishing. Not a bad morning at all! The boys scouts took "Always be prepared" seriously and it tasted great.

Girl Road Trip

What do you need for a road trip? A willing partner, a lot of coffee and the miracle of Redbox - where you can rent a movie for a dollar in one state and return it in another.

We made a wrong turn and saw the Cadillacs buried on Route 66.

Piper thought they were kind of creepy - and well, I have to agree! But why miss a photo-op?

Piper and I made an impromptu trip to Texas, arriving Mother's Day. I was just talking to my mom on the phone, who had no idea we were coming, and I told her Piper and I were running a few "errands".

We spent one day shopping and Piper reveled in being the only (spoiled) child around.

The "Grandmothers" took Piper to tea.

Piper loved seeing all the flowers and I found myself naming them to her, just like my mom has done to me for years. "This is a hollyhock and it will spread everywhere. This is the crazy rose bush that will attack you when you walk to the door. Look at the echinacia - we won't see that in Colorado for a couple of months". She preferred to just smell them and pick them and did not really seem to care about the names.

Cracker Barrel was our regular destination on the trip. We would stop and play checkers. I would trade in my book on tape and get a new one. We ate chicken fried steak. Piper would pick a piece of candy and try to talk me into buying something really tacky. Yep, we went to Cracker Barrel 5 times!!!
We were able to stay a week and it was a wonderful first girl's trip. I hope we will have more in the future!

Fabulous, Fabulous Vacation!

We took a ski trip to a little, remote ski resort called Sol Vista. It is about 20 minutes away from Winter Park and a million miles away from big crowded resorts! I may not go back to one of the "name brand" resorts for a few years.

1. No crowds - check


2. New and cute condo with plenty of room - check


3. Special member passes to the "club" that served us hot chocolate and coffee and muffins every morning - check


4. Special passes that would had allowed us to cut in line - if there had been any - check


5. Night sledding - check


6. S'mores by the fire pit at the base of the resort - check


7. Family friendly - all we saw were families with young children - check


8. Reservations for next year... need to get on that!