A Big Mess

A painted Sadie


Elisa, covered from head to toe with red and blue fingerpaint



Our posters! Come to the Harvest Festival!

Somehow this fall I have found myself on the committee to organize our church's Harvest Carnival. There are four women on the committee -- four women and seven children ages 2 and under. This morning we were supposed to meet at my friend Becca's home to paint signs. Her water went out, so met at our house instead. We spread butcher paper on the sunroom floor and started off by allowing James and Elisa (the two oldest) to finger paint. Whoa! What a mess! After we got the kids cleaned up, we started in on our projects - but how to keep the four one-year-olds, two two-year-olds, and a three-month-old happy in the process? Hayden kept trying to go up and down the tile stairs by herself, Ellie howled from the family room and tried to stuff food in her twin sister's mouth, and Sadie covered herself in orange and green when I leaped up to rescue Hayden from a crash. Little Eislie finally gave into a nap and slept through the cacophony. Meanwhile, James and Elisa were upstairs, playing in Elisa's room. All was quiet. When I checked on them I discovered why. They had emptied her bookshelf onto the floor, emptied her clothes from the dresser into a mound on the floor of the closet, shifted knick-knacks, stripped her bed, dumped out a basket of stuffed animals, and ransacked the guest room.

I had cleaned house earlier in preparation for Bible Study tonight - thinking we would be at Becca's. Oops! Out came the vacuum, the windex for the glass sunroom doors, the tile cleaner for a potty defiled by potty-trainers.... It was a fun morning. I love being with these ladies, even though our times together are definitely chaotic as we try to be productive while keeping track of so many energetic little ones. Our beautiful blessing babies certainly keep us busy! :)

As we served our church body in a sort of unconventional way today, we were mindful of the fact that two faithful church members passed away yesterday, both victims of cancer. Another long-time church member is currently at home with hospice care, expected to go home to Jesus soon. A good friend of Erik's parents (a young woman our age) just lost her dad last Saturday to a sudden heart attack. There is so much grief in the world. I think my own heartache this last year has made me so much more aware of the hurting of others... We are not alone in sorrow.

Today was also Sadie's 11-month birthday. What a big girl! She is sweeter every day. I love her snuggles and the way she laughs and the coy grin she gives as she cocks her round little head. She has about 1 1/2 teeth. It is adorable. Her life and Elisa's bring such hope to my heart, every day.

A Snowy Day

I don't know if I am quite ready for this! Winter is coming!
Sadie had her first taste of snow... Elisa loves it! She remembers making "angels" and flopping in the soft mounds of it. Mittens and hats and scarves, oh my!

Happy 30th Birthday Amy!

Happy Birthday Amy! We love you! You are an amazing sister and auntie and we hope you have a wonderful day celebrating YOU!

Daddy

Daddy –

A year ago today I woke up and felt a flicker of excitement as I realized you and Mom would be returning from Oregon. You had only been gone for a couple of days, and yet I had missed you. Being neighbors and traipsing across the pond to see you was such a natural part of our lives… such a sweet part of my days. I talked to you on the phone as you cruised through Idaho, expecting to eat dinner with you that evening and hear happy stories of your beautiful new home and your time with Amy, Michelle and Ryan. The phone call I received early that afternoon flabbergasted me.

As I drove over the pass towards the hospital, weeping and praying, I couldn’t imagine God would really take your life. People survived heart attacks every day, and you were a fighter. You were strong. And you were needed. Your life made a difference and you were, to my thinking, not even close to being finished with the good you could do on this earth. As I reached the bottom of the pass another phone call came. Erik was sobbing as he told me that you had gone to be with Jesus. I couldn’t believe it then, and I still have a hard time believing it today. You were so full of life, so vibrant, so giving. You loved with your whole heart… served with your whole heart… embraced your calling and service with a whole heart. Was your heart simply so great and so big that it could no longer fit inside your earthly shell? Was such a loving and beautiful heart fit only for Heaven?

I imagine you in Heaven, Daddy. I imagine you singing with joyful tears on your cheeks… the way you would sometimes in the car when a praise song touched you deeply. I imagine you enjoying all the beauty of Heaven… and the freedom of body no longer bound by the hindrances of injury or age.

There are so many memories. I am so thankful you are my dad. That you were the one God chose to raise the four of us. My last memories are of that week at Lake Powell in September. I remember you chopping vegetables for your scrambled egg breakfast, so happy to be serving all of us. I remember you taking Elisa out for an evening boat ride, and playing with us in the water. I remember watching you out on the kayak… mostly I remember you loving patience. I remember you coming up behind me and kissing my head and telling me that you loved me. You were so patient with me, with Elisa. I am so glad we came with you that week. Do you remember singing Old McDonald to her in the car with that crazy musical book? She still calls that “Boppa’s song.”

I wish that I had gone with you on your trip to Oregon. You asked us to, but Erik was hunting and I couldn’t get word to him… so we stayed home. I wish I had been there to share one more memory… to have been with Mom that day. Sometimes I wonder if it might have made a difference… if I had been there, there would have been an extra person to start CPR sooner… and yet I know that Lord wanted you home that day. As Emily once said, “Heaven must have needed some fresh laughter.” We don’t understand, and we second-guess, and we grieve… but we do trust that God Is, and that He is good.

I love you, Daddy. I wish you could be here with us. I wish we were here together today just because… I wish you could see your beautiful granddaughter Sadie Pearl, and your sweet namesake baby boy – Ephraim Alvis. I wish you could take us out on the boat this afternoon and let Elisa sit on your lap and help you drive.

In all of our hearts, you are here. Our family is what it is because of you. Because of the love you and Mom shared and demonstrated, because of your steady faith… because of your exuberance and your passion. We love you so much.

We don’t exactly know where to go from here. But we want our lives to shine as brightly as yours, we want to carry on your legacy and honor you.

Thank you, Daddy.

We miss you so much.

Mountain Man

Last weekend, Erik trucked off into the wilderness with three buddies and returned with an antelope. The two of us butchered it on the kitchen counter and added pork fat to the grainy pieces to grind into antelope burger. (Can you believe I helped do that???)

This weekend, he set off by himself - deeper into the wilderness - in search of a bull elk. He found one yesterday afternoon as he summited Mount Randolph (several hours away from his car.) He bugled the elk closer, and shot him at a distance of just 30 yards. Then it started to storm. Thunder, lightening, drenching rain.... and he was at the top of a mountain. He waited out a series of frightening storms, then quartered the 5X5 bull and carried out what he was able to shoulder on his own. By the time he reached the car it was 2:00 in the morning. He was freezing cold, and hoarse from singing at the top of his lungs as he tried to ward off any grizzly bears. Meanwhile, his wife is lying awake, wondering if he has been eaten by the aforementioned grizzly bears! He came home at 3:00, and shivered his way to a short sleep. This morning, he gathered up a few of his hunting friends and they headed back to retrieve Erik's elk. The womenfolk stayed home to care for the babies and enjoy a walk together... during which we speculated about whether some of the other men might spy elk of their own! We also speculated about the possibility of all four of them being mauled by a grizzly, and leaving seven children and two on the way to be raised by four widowed mamas. Well... I don't know about the grizzlies... but one of the girls received a call from her hubby two hours ago that Ryan (Block) and Dan (Tolson) had followed some bugling bulls off the trail. It is now 10:00. Hmmmm.....

Tomorrow is my 28th birthday, and I can only hope that it does not include a dead elk being butchered on my granite counter top. :)

Thirty-Five Years

Tomorrow would have been my parents' 35th wedding anniversary. Isn't this picture beautiful? I know it is crackly and a bit rough (it has been twice scanned) but I love their smiles. For nearly 35 years, my amazing mom and dad portrayed the grace and love of Christ in their commitment to their marriage and the sacrifices they made for each other. We are so blessed to be their children... to have witnessed the beauty and tenderness of a marriage that grew stronger with each passing year, the laughter of shared jokes and experiences, the partnership of raising children together, the unity of heart as they placed each other's needs above their own.

Daddy, we miss you. And I know that today, Mom misses you even more than usual. I know that my parents would have loved each other for another 35 years had they been given the chance. Thank you for teaching us what a loving marriage should look like!

New York, New York, and Other Happenings

I promised my husband's aunt Deb that I would post something about our trip to New York within a week of our return. So here I am, two days ahead of schedule! :) However, I did not take a single picture and am hoping to collect some from the many family members who made the East Coast trek with us.

After only six days at home, we boarded another Delta connection and flew to New York to be a part of Adam and Kristen's beautiful nuptial ceremony and celebration. We were so blessed to be able to stay in a charming cottage owned by Kristen's friends, providing us with a little extra space for the girls to sleep and play. It was perfect. Jennie and Jeremy are newlyweds who generously gave up their home for the weekend -- hospitality at its most extravagant, I thought. The wedding was perfect. Erik, Elisa and I were all a part of the ceremony. Elisa was a brave little flower girl -- and an adorable one. Erik was Adam's best man, and enjoyed a few special brother bonding moments in the days leading up to the Big Day. They even ran together the morning of the wedding. The rehearsal dinner took place at a Bath Club on the Long Island sound. Lasagna in the sand. The wedding itself was in an old white church in the town of Huntington, and followed by a beautiful outdoor reception at the Coyne's home. A live band, delicious food, amazing floral arrangements... the reception should have been featured in a magazine. (Or maybe it was??) I smile to think of my Eddie Bauer flannel-wearing brother-in-law now irrevocably tied to the flashy society of Long Island.:) Truly, the evening was memorable and beautiful in every way. I had a great view of Adam's beaming face as he watched his beautiful bride walk up the aisle. They are a wonderful couple and I am thrilled to have a sister-in-law.

On Sunday, we met up with my aunt, uncle and cousins from Maryland for an afternoon of sightseeing in the city. It was fun to see Central Park and Times Square... but an afternoon was definitely all Erik and I needed. We are county folk, and the Big Apple was a bit overwhelming for all of us. Home is a quiet town with wide open spaces. :)

The girls were champions.... we kept them up late and let them sleep til 9 or later... effectively keeping them on Mountain Standard time. It worked well, especially given our recent transition from Maui! I received so many comments on how cute they are, especially smiling little Sadie. :) We are a bit sad our much anticipated month is over, and yet relieved to be back to normal.

Erik's parents stayed with us for the week, and it was great to see them. The girls love their grandparents, and I am thankful we had some time apart from the busyness of the wedding weekend. Now we look forward to fall... starting our home preschool program again, settling back to routine, soups, applesauce, bread-making, Erik hunting, watching the colors change, and pulling out our sweaters and jackets for the winter. Summer is gone, autumn is here!