Colorado 2011 - Frisco

Once in Frisco, we made a usual hike over to "Chipmunk Rock" where the children fed peanuts to a host of little friends. Here is Benjamin with Lake Dillon and Mt. Royal, Peak 1 and Peak 2 in the background. On this trip, Benjamin got the same bug that Darol did when he was young - asking the name of every mountain and desiring to climb each one of them.

The next day we ate a picnic lunch in Breckenridge, and the children fed the fesh in the stream.

Day 3 was followed by an unsuccessful attempt to hike up Buffalo Mountain. Weather (Levi kept seeing "Lightning McQueen" in the sky), sore back, etc. allowed us to only make it a little over 1/2 way up. Nevertheless, it was a great experience as a family. Benjamin was a great encourager to Levi, who wanted to hike it himself in order to "get his best time", which he hears the other children always try to do during their PT workouts back home.

This was a picture from the "boulder field" which was the apex of our ascent that day.

Day 4 was marked by our ride on Vail Pass. Jonathan and Darol rode up Vail Pass, pulling Levi in the buggy (12 miles + uphill), and met the rest of the crew at the top. We then all rode down together. Here is a shot from the Rock Garden on the way down.

A huge success was the assault of Mt. Shavano by Darol, Jonathan, Elizabetha nd Benjamin. This was Jonathan's 6th 14,000 climb. Elizabeth and Benjamin insisted they were ready for the feat, and despite Darol's concern about their readiness, they proved themselves worthy! Everyone got up by 3:40 AM for the 2 hour drive to the trailhead. Climbing over 4000 feet up, and then back down, they completed the 9.25 mile trek in about 8 hours. Darol was extremely pleased with the effort of the team.

We were able to worship 3 times at Agape Outpost, outside in their amphitheatre. Here is their outdoor baptism pool. Temperatures in the summer would only be about 60 degrees...and they've actually done baptisms there in January!!

One of the highlights for the children was a trip to a glassblowing shop in Frisco. John, the owner, involved several of the children in actually creating some drinking glasses. They were working with glass in 2000 degree kilns! Jonathan and Elizabeth especially enjoyed it, and Elizabeth proclaimed that she wanted to do this as her profession. While watching their work, Donna noticed that John kept drinking while working.
Darol: "Yes, it's very hot in here. He needs to stay hydrated."
Donna: "No, I mean DRINKING, DRINKING." [meaning beer].
Darol: Hmmmm...maybe the children shouldn't be working with him so much. ;-)

Fortunately everyone was fine, and the children really produced something worthwhile for all their work.

Another highlight of the trip was a visit from the Cameron's, some great friends from our years in Charlotte who had been living in Utah, where Greg was stationed in the Air Force. We had a great time with them for the few days they had with us before leaving for Greg's next assignment in Omaha, Nebraska.

Our final family picture at Officer's Gulch...

Colorado 2011 - Days at the Cabins

We started our 2011 trip with a few days at the palatial Timber's cabins outside of Fort Collins, outside of Masonville, outside of Stove Prairie, outside of...civilization.

No running water...no problem.

No flush toilet...no problem.

But Levi was afraid that he was going to fall down the hole, so he went with option #2 for #2.

We were able to navigate and scale the "Pink Rock" after Jonathan Elizabeth found a safe route for Darol to climb the rock with Levi in the pack.

We also played a game of frisbee golf by on a remote course that took us all over the side of West White Pine Mountain. Donna did a great job making great meals on a propane stove, and Darol managed to relight the propage refrigerator after one of the propane tanks ran out. He only almost blew up the cabin twice.

From here it was on to Frisco early Sunday morning for worship at Agape Outpost.

Jonathan's 1st Tri

Jonathan completed his official first triathlon in July, 2001 at age 11. He did a great job, especially on the bike as he rode the 12.7 mile on a mountain bike. He progressively got faster as the ride continued, which is exactly as you're "supposed to do it." Then on the run he was able to turn in the fastest time in his division for the 5K run. Darol got to do it with him, and was so thankful for his attitude for the whole race. Thanks, Donna for bringing the rest of the team out to cheer for him!

Blessing to a Mother's Heart

Donna was so blessed one morning to come down to find all 5 children doing their devotionals together.

OK, ok, admittedly it doesn't look like all of those are Bibles, and it doesn't happen this way every morning. :-)

Camping Outing with Friends Back in March...

In keeping with our delinquency in blogging on time, here is a quick reference to our camping outing with friends at Oconee State Park in South Carolina. We had a great time with some close friends, the Frank's and the Cole's. This picture was in front of our cabin.

Donna and Alleyn enjoyed cooking (and eating!) s'mores.

Howard, the Game master, Cole, put together an obstacle course for the children.

We enjoyed a few hikes together as well.

Shiners All Around

At one point, we had all 3 boys with black eyes. Levi got his falling down some stairs. Benjamin got his when he was batting and fouled a ball off his own eye (not supposed to happen that way ;-) ). Finally, Jonathan got his when he tried to field a short hop while pitching. Fortunately he still pitched well that day. Levi's shiner is the only one we captured on camera.

Who will Levi Be Today?

Levi likes to dress-up in different costumes moore than our other boys. Today, the dragon...

tomorrow the knight...










Sometimes we have to turn our heads when he comes out wearing his favorite Cinderalla dress.

Snow Day January, 2011

We had several snows in 2010-11, but one really big one stood out.

Donna helped all the children don their snow apparel in order to charge out to the "slopes" of our neighborhood for sled riding.

Levi enjoyed really playing in the snow for the first time.

Our Southpaw could throw a mean snowball.

Our snow bunny was mainly focused on just staying warm.

A Short time with Fluffy

Fluffy, our first warm-blooded pet, was Elizabeth's 9 year old present from family. She loved her dearly and held and cuddled with her throughout the day.

She was just as attached to Elizabeth, as Elizabeth was to her.

Unfortunately our time with her was very short. We all took her death very hard, and she was buried in our backyard.

Amidst the sadness, it did give us a chance to talk about the shortness of our lives, as well as the brokenness of this world. Our hope is in Christ, who has redeemed us, and will redeem all things.

Elizabeth's Turns 9

Rather than a 9 year old birthday party, Elizabeth's turning 9 featured a Valentine's tea for the theme. Decorating sugar cookies and cards for loved ones was the main craft, along with eating yummy treats. All the girls had a good time.

Elizabeth is our golden retriever, with a heart of compassion, especially for animals.