Bronc Basketball

Last night, Erik and I joined the members of our small group at the high school gymnasium for the varsity basketball games. One of the men in our group is the assistant coach for the boys team, so when a game fell on our usual study night, it seemed fitting to cheer his team on from the stands. It took the girls a few minutes to figure out what was going on, and then Sadie kept saying "Ball!" She would point wildly at the players, and clap with glee anytime the crowd cheered (for either team).
Elisa ate handfuls of popcorn and took a few sly sips of her daddy's root beer.

It's funny how places trigger memories... How many hours have I spent sitting in that gym (or the one in the old high school I attended across the road) eating popcorn, and taking sly sips of my daddy's Coke? We even watched Ryan's game the day before my wedding. In fact, the bride's side was all late for the rehearsal because the game went into overtime. (I had gone home to primp, of course, so I was on time!:))I heard the same cheers, the same goofy chants, the same band songs. It hit me last night, as I bounced Sadie on my lap, that the last time I sat in that same gym was for my daddy's memorial service.

When I left the game to go put the girls to bed, I reached for my cell phone, wanting so badly to call my sports-loving Dad and tell him about how the girls' team had creamed Pinedale 70-something to 21! To tell him how Sadie's eyes had followed the game with interest, and Elisa had loved climbing the bleachers. I dialed his number, hoping his message would still be there. I used to call his number to hear his voice, and I'll admit, sometimes I left messages. This time, a man answered, saying, "Bueno?" (I think!) I quickly apologized and hung up. And even though it's silly, it just made me cry.

Daddy, I miss cheering for the Jackson Broncs with you. How are my girls going to learn to understand basketball when their mommy can't follow the game without Boppa's voice explaining the rules and the plays I didn't catch?

After sixteen months, I still miss my dad in unexpected places.

Winter Headlines

We have been without Internet since mid-January, and I apologize for the lack of posting! I know grandmas and aunts have been missing pictures of their kiddos! Here are some headlines from January and February.

-Elisa turned three! Amy and Mom (and Ephraim) drove down to celebrate her birthday with us. They surprised us all by showing up at the door on Sunday afternoon. I was flabbergasted and so blessed by their love for us! She loved having them here, and she especially loved the "Fancy Nancy" parfaits we had for birthday dessert. Her birthday party on the following Saturday was a frilly doll's tea with her two closest friends. She is so full of energy and laughter, and her perceptiveness amazes me. She is a joy and challenge and a delight.


Ephraim. He is so sweet, and I loved seeing him "bigger" and more mobile. What a kid!

A tea party!

Elisa admiring her doll cake. I have learned a few cake decorating tricks, and had fun designing this one! It turned out pretty cute!

-Sadie is walking! She took her first steps before Christmas, but began traveling in earnest mid January. It is fun to see her take strides of independence and also to see the spunk in her personality emerge with her newfound freedom. :) She talks constantly, and picks up new words every day. She is starting to hold her own with her big sister.

-A visit from our dear Coloradoan friends, the Paisleys! We were honored to have Nathan, Melissa and Megan drive ten hours from Colorado Springs to stay the weekend with us. We took them cross-country skiing, on the elk refuge sleigh ride, and even had a double date with the kids at home. It was wonderful and memorable. Their little girls is beautiful, and they are such a godly, encouraging couple.


Megan, Elisa, and Sadie. It is so hard to get three little ones to pose! :)

The Paisleys


-Skiing, skiing and more skiing! We have enjoyed many excursions on skis... in our yard, at the high school tracks, on the golf course, up in the park, up two mountains (Shadow and Signal) and on the bike path. We have been so thankful for our Christmas gift of the Chariot. It is simple and comfortable and the girls will sleep, which makes all-day tours possible and pleasant. The weather has been stunningly sunny and warm.



Picnic at the Signal Mountain Summit


Mount Moran from the trail

Erik and I on Signal Mountain

Snowshoeing: Becca Block and I

-Three new babies! On January 16, the Colemans welcomed Elijah Grey to their sweet family. Kendall Hudson Jacoby was born on February 13, and Cade Robert Cox arrived yesterday! I love watching friends receive God's gift of new life into their families.

- Progress on the Book List. Here are my brief reviews.

Chronicles of Narnia. I had somehow missed these in my childhood and devoured the whole series in a week. What an imagination. I love the way spiritual truth is woven into fancy. C.S. Lewis is amazing.

The Shack. Most of you have probably already read this one, but if you haven't... it is the story of one broken-hearted man's very real encounter with God. It was thought-provoking, challenging, beautifully written... There has been controversy over the book within the church, but I found no doctrinal issues, and, reading it as fiction, with a heart open to see God in fresh ways, I found it illuminating. It makes you hunger for deeper relationship with our Papa God.

Boundaries With Kids. Erik loves Henry Cloud, so we both read this one, and found some helpful insights into teaching limits to our children.

Same Kind of Different as Me. This was not on my original list, but a friend loaned it to me, and it was a wonderful read... an autobiography about two men - one a homeless former sharecropper from Louisiana, and one an international art dealer. It tells the story of how their lives intersect and how they discover God through one another.

Happy February! I promise to update more frequently!