Pictures for Dad

Summer seems to be winding up - it's August 13, just a few more weeks 'till school starts and 2 more until we fly home to the garden state. Here are some pictures for our Papa Bear who is far away.

This is Paige and Ashlee at the Demolition Derby. It took Ashlee 2-3 heats to really enjoy the whole thing, but by the time we were trying to leave before the final heat was over, she wanted to stay and see who won. It was pretty fun. . . really loud, but fun.

Paige loves to get into Grandma's china hutch to play tea party with the things inside - in this picture she has dragged Alexander and Ashlee into trouble with her. She is usually pretty careful and just gets smallish things, but it makes me nervous.

We also went to "This is the Place" Heritage Park - a pretty fun place. There have been lots of places here that I have thought "If we lived here, I would get a membership" and this is one. They were very kid friendly, and the activities were included in the cost of entry - everyone rode horses, even Paigie.

The highlight for Paige and Alexander was the train, I think Alexander cried every time we had to get off. Here is Maggie with Baby Eva (Daniel's youngest)



And here they all are on a mini train. Good Aunt Heather rode with kids while Miriam and I watched the strollers.

Thank-you to Aunt Heather who is letting us use her camera - we forgot ours!

Dear Dad

Dear Dad,

We have been having a busy summer so far, here are some pictures so you can see what we have been up to.We have been swimming in lake water three times and guess what? We haven't gotten sick, or lost our fingers or toes or broken out in any scary rashes. You probably aren't very sad to have missed the lake visits, except maybe the last one because the Tates came with us (or we went with them?) and let us ride on their jet skis. Even Paigie went on a ride and loved every second of it.


We have been meeting new cousins. This is our newest cousin, baby Beckam. He is dreamy. We also met a lot of our cousins from your brothers and sisters in Denver. Sometimes it is hard to keep everyone straight, but we feel really lucky to be part of such a great family. Next week we will meet Baby Eva and get to see Alexander too.

Opa has taken us for a few spins around the yard in his wheebarrow - that is fun. Paigie is really attached to those blue shoes, and it's really too bad because you can smell them from about 50 yards away.


We have been looking for lots of ways to stay cool(one of the reasons we have been to the lake so often), these are some fountains that we played in when we were in Denver.
We also got to play football with your brothers, and nieces and nephews.


So, as you can see, we have been having a great time and it's wonderful to see everyone and be on vacation, but it's just not the same without you. Mom doesn't wrestle with us and it has been weeks since anyone did anything silly at the dinner table. Everything is better when you are here! Be safe and work hard, we will too, and then we will see each other in about 4 months. Love, your girls!

Summer visit

Jennifer and her kids are here visiting and we are having a great time! Here are some pics.

On the boardwalk after a day of surf, sun, sand, pizza in the rain, and rides....just one last treat before the car ride home. Maggie, just getting out of the sand from being buried. I love everything about the shore...except all the sand (and maybe the schlepping of all the stuff.) that we bring home with us. Even when we shower there, a little bit of sand stays with us.

Garrett going over a wave - on Saturday we had nearly perfect weather and really good waves.


The Atlantic Ocean is COLD! So we have to warm up frequently.

Paigie at her post. She stays up here and demands that people bring her water in buckets, which she uses to rinse her hands and feet and then fills with sand and wants a clean bucket. Usually by the last hour, she is ready to venture out and look for seashells and put her toes in the water, but still no suit. On Saturday, she did let us put her bottoms on - maybe tomorrow we'll get to do the tops!

This is Jennifer's 4th trip to come see us in New Jersey and guess what? Christopher has never made it to the beach with us. I am so glad to have 2 great sisters and I am so thankful for Jennifer - that she makes the effort to come and see us and spend time with us.

Eleven

Our Mag-pie turned 11 on Sunday, here are a few pics. Wearing the birthday hat for dinner,

very happy with her gift! We love Maggie and are so thankful to have her in our family.

And Paigie with food in her mouth at the table...notice all of her friends at the table. They go with us every time we get in the car, go outside, eat, go to bed etc... although the cast of characters changes. Last night her friends were 2 boxes of polly pockets and a bucket for the beach.

Here's a quick update: Maggie chopped her hair and she loves, loves, loves it. And is it just me, or does she look super grown-up? Ashlee is mastering flips on the trampoline.
For about a week, the first thing Paige said when she woke up was "Cinerella, pwease mom, Cinerrella, pwease?" When I would say yes, we can put your Cinderella dress on, she would say "yippee!", which I can't get enough of. She says that or something similar almost every time she gets a yes answer. Also, her new word is "awesome." She said it last week about something, and I sort of thought it was a fluke, but last night when we were filling up the bathtub, she kept saying it over and over.

Love these girls.

CAY update: I spoke with him yesterday on the phone. He has flown the plane a couple of times, he says it's warm/hot, but very dry. He says their living quarters are still super crowded (and smelly - I asked) and he keeps his things at the squadron because there is no room in the room. He has internet - they have to pay $100 extra a month to get wi-fi in their rooms - per person!!! - but again, no room so I don't know how often he will get online for the next couple of weeks. And, he said that he was the only one who hasn't received a package yet. Sometimes he teases and then we move on to other things before I find out if he is telling the truth, so I'm not sure this is entirely true. Because one guy from his squadron just got there yesterday, so he can't possibly have gotten a package already, right? Plus, I'm not sure that pre-mailing yourself coffee and tobacco count either. But, I am in trouble on both ends for that because Ashlee is mad that we haven't mailed one yet and I had to do some pretty heavy-handed persuading to get her to write him a letter on Sunday. She wasn't going to write anything until I started getting the package ready - by the weekend one will be in the mail! Our phone calls are very brief and we all miss him!

Paigie

Every woman who's had children says it - they grow up so fast. They all say it because it is true, too true. How did this little person get here? She was just a baby last week, I promise. I've been noticing two year olds lately, and they are really challenging for the adults in their lives - so busy, so singularly focused, so loud, so opinionated and pushing every second for independence. They want to put their own shoes on, pick their own clothes out, buckle themselves in the car seat, decide when it is time to leave, explore everything around them, eat what and when they want .... it can be exhausting. Look how tall she is! Soon she will be out of this stage and on to the next and I will wonder what I thought was so difficult, and why I didn't enjoy this time more. I already feel like that about her first two years, and the years that have passed with her sisters.
Pure joy!

Gone

Chris finally left last Wednesday...he was about a week and a half past the date we originally thought he would leave. I say finally only because we were on pins and needles for about a week, thinking every day would be the day we would have to say goodbye - and we want him to be back in time for Christmas! These hearts I made for him when he was in pilot training to wear when he flies, after Paige was born every once in a while I would think "Oh yeah, I need to make a new one." On the day he was leaving, I finally did, he even got a new ribbon. They go with him in his uniform every day, even on days that he's flying a desk.Here he is just before we said goodbye - everyone's eyes are a little bit puffy, even Paige looks a little sad, mostly because we made her stop running all around and climbing on things. She was standing on "rose" (our bench) today, calling out the window "Dad, whereareyou? Dada....!" Too cute that girl!

I have to admit that it was pretty sad to say goodbye. I thought the girls might be up all night crying. We stayed in a hotel on base that night and then drove home the next morning...I was worried I would fall asleep with everyone sleeping in the car at 11:30 at night, and it was about 2 hours. But, I think it helped us all to be away from home that first night. I can't explain why, it just did.

He called Sunday morning to say that he had made it - (after somebody asked him if he had called home yet, and then told him to stop what he was doing and go call - I'm glad someone's looking out for us.) It sounds like he will be really busy - especially the first few weeks. If anyone reads this and would like his address, e-mail me and I'll send it to you.