Back in Town

We're just back in town for a couple of nights to run some errands and pick up the mail. It has been a beautiful week up in Garden Valley...a little wet, but nothing beats the fresh mountain air. Sierra and Ally have enjoyed exploring the woods, picking flowers, watching movies in the loft, and getting a lot of attention from Grandpa and Grandma Cook. Unfortunately, just before we came back down Ally was running around barefoot on the deck and got several slivers in her feet. She threw a HUGE fit when we tried to take them out. Both Mom and Marc were holding her down while I tried the tweezers, clippers and a needle. There are still several in there and we're not sure what to do. She's too strong for all of us. I'm afraid she'll pass out with all the screaming. Any suggestions?!

The girls "helped" Grandpa put geraniums in the window boxes.

Savannah meets her other Grandma Phyllis. (Benjy's mom is also named Phyllis.)

Finally Grandpa gets a chance to hold Savannah.

Ally has been reading lots of books to her babies. (Those were the books and dolls that Susie and I played with as little girls. They have been around the world!)

Sierra loves longer trips in the car now because of her new DVD player and a more comfy car seat.

It's Already Tomorrow

I was planning to post some more random thoughts and pictures tonight, but I just looked at the clock and realized that it's already "tomorrow!" I had better make this quick.

The girls are all snuggled in bed knowing that Grandpa and Grandma Cook are on their way to Idaho. Tomorrow after dinner we will go to the airport to pick them up. Sierra loves making welcome signs and Ally loves riding up the escalators to the arrivals gate. Grandpa always has some quarters ready to plunk into the little train and airplane rides before we pick up the luggage from baggage claim. After a quick snack, we will be driving up to the cabin with them for the rest of the weekend. In fact, the rest of the summer will consist of trips up and down from the mountains.

We've had another fun week together as a family. We've been to several parks, back to the zoo, a trip to the mall, etc. We were hoping to make it to the movies at the park this evening, but the weather was a bit too cold. It wouldn't be any fun to get sick now!

Guess I'll just add the pictures and call it quits for now.

"Project Play-Dough" with Daddy!

Sierra swiping an apple from the statues at the rose garden.

Throwing rocks into the river at some park in Eagle.

The rock wall at that same park. This is skill we still need to practice!

AND NOW FOR MY FAVORITE SHOTS OF THE WEEK.... (drum roll, please!) ....

What could be better than reading a book in nothing but your diaper and favorite pair of socks?!

And spunky miss Savannah Jane...she's already full of character!

School's OUT!

Marc is officially on summer break and we have been taking advantage of every minute this week. We've visited the noisy gibbons at the zoo, played the popcorn game at Chuck E. Cheese, loitered in several specialty toy stores, blown lots of bubbles, picked out new books and videos at the library, etc. It's been a fun at-home vacation of sorts.

There are several things that I want to mention today so this will not be a coherent post.

First of all - HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to Mom and Dad Cook. They are celebrating 35 YEARS this weekend. What great examples of faithfulness!

Secondly, we have officially started our final countdown. Each time Mom and Dad come back to Idaho, Sierra and I make some sort of a countdown for the last 10 days before their arrival. In the past we've made a train, a paper chain, and a pair of feet. This time she wanted to pick a flower for each of the days...so here's what we came up with. It's crazy to think that this will be the last countdown that we will have to make. YIPPEE! They arrive on June 7th.

Another item of interest to those of you who live in the Meridian area will be the summer movie series that is hosted at Settler's Park. We really enjoyed the fun family atmosphere last summer and hope that some of you will join us this summer. Look here for the schedule.

Finally, I just wanted to add some pictures of our girls. Enjoy! By the way, my brother took the awesome family picture that is now part of our blog title. Thanks, Chuck!

Don't you love the mischievous look on Ally's face? I'll bet she's "warming up" the tub water.

Ally on the carousel at the zoo.

I had to add a picture of my darling niece. Sierra likes to "make her cozy" with lots of stuffed animals.

Sierra loves to pose when there are flowers around. Isn't she cute?!

Pesky Geese

One of our favorite activities is to go to Morrison Park in Boise and feed the geese. You can usually find old bread in our freezer being saved for such outings. Chuck and Missy's apartment is within easy walking distance, so it's a great way to spend some time with them and the kids. Last week there were lots of cute little goslings waddling around the pond. Unfortunately, the mama geese were not content in sharing their food with the babies. Check these out...

10 YEARS

Our Wedding Day

May 23, 1998

Today is another celebration! This time we're celebrating 10 years of marriage. (By the way, if you have an aversion to "romantic mush" then you should quit reading right now.) I am so thankful for the wonderful husband that God has given to me. Here are my top ten favorite qualities about him:

1. Honesty: I never have to doubt his words.
2. Humility: He doesn't have an arrogant cell in his body.
3. Loyalty/Faithfulness: To his family both past and present.
4. Diligence: He always does a job to the extreme!
5. Endurance/Perseverance: He doesn't quit...even during difficult circumstances.
6. Self-Control: He knows his limits and sets a very high standard for himself.
7. Gentleness: I never have to worry about his temper, he even argues with gentleness.
8. Seriousness: Although others fault him for it, I appreciate that he isn't a goof-ball all the time.
9. Integrity: He keeps his word ... but more importantly, he strives to keep God's Word.
10. Unconditional Love: I know that he is always willing to forgive and forget.

Okay...now I'm all weepy, so let's move on. It's hard to believe that it has already been 10 years since Marc and I made our vows to one another in front of our friends and family...and it happened at Meridian First Baptist Church. (Funny how God has brought things full circle back to this spot!) So much has happened over these 10 years. We are blessed to have enjoyed some wonderful experiences together. Here's a recap of some of our favorite memories together:

1. Camping trips in Morro Bay, Glacier National Park, Redfish Lake, etc.
2. Many, many, many Dodger games in L.A.!
3. Kayaking with the seals in Carpinteria, CA.
4. Watching pro-beach volleyball tournaments.
5. Fishing at our favorite spot at Stanley Lake.
6. Trip to Texas: San Antonio and the bats at the bridge in Austin.
7. Hiking around the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks.
8. Visiting "Alligator Alley" and Key West in Florida.
9. Whale watching trip in Laguna Beach.
10. And, of course, becoming "Mommy" and "Daddy" to Sierra Elise and Ally Grace. (I could go on and on about what a great dad he is, but I'll save that for Father's Day.)

It's been a wonderful life so far...here's to the next 10!

I love you, Marc!!!

Stamp It Up!

No, I'm not an avid stamper. In fact, the only stamps that I have are left over from my elementary teaching days. But this morning I started reading a book that my dad gave me for my birthday called The Mentoring Mom by Jackie Kendall. The second paragraph of the book gave me new motivation.

As moms, you and I can see our lives like this: Every day we get up
and get our little ink pads out, put fresh ink on our stamps, and get ready
to imprint our children - and not just them, but also our husbands and lots
of other people we see daily. We have the opportunity to stamp images
that will be reminders to them of God's goodness, faithfulness, and
love. When we do this, we become mentoring moms.

This was a good mental image for me this morning. I needed some "fresh ink." The rest of the book goes on to give practical ways to stamp different images on our kids...the image of loving God's Word, the image of a noble life purpose, the image of perseverance, the image of emotional health, etc. Thanks for the book, Dad!

Skydiving

This morning we woke up early and got in the car to drive to Star. My thrill-seeking brother, Chuck, and his joyfully-cooperative wife, Missy, had plans to jump out of a tin can airplane, free fall for 30 seconds and then entrust their lives to a large piece of cloth and some ropes and clips. CRAZY KIDS!!! They picked a perfect day for a jump and had a great time. We were on the ground with cameras in hand. Here are some shots of the daredevils in action.

Signing the paperwork. Chuck says, "Well, I guess we won't be suing them!"

All suited-up and ready for a ride.

The tin can that carried them up....and up....and up!

Watching the show from the ground.

Missy's last few seconds of the thrill ride.

Chuck's landing. Safe and sound!

***Check out their website for more details at chuckandmissy.com They have some great picutres in the photo gallery under "The Latest"!***