Bliss

Bliss: a state of extreme happiness (wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn). There were many blissful moments during our time in Virginia, including just about every outing on the awesome rope swing behind my parents' house. Here Chloe is enjoying one of her blissful moments.

"Can we get a dog... please!"

The only (and therefore, the most exciting) pets in our house are our 2 goldfish, which we have only because we got "stuck" with them at a Christmas white elephant gift exchange. It wasn't surprising, then, that we constantly found ourselves having to pry our girls away from the dogs they got to spend time with during our whirlwind tour of Virginia. The most favorite, of course, were Cavu (pictured above with Grace) & Cassie. I'm sure it will be some time before we stop hearing the question, "Can we get a dog... please?!!"

The Blessing of Family

One of our greatest joys on our recent trip to Virginia was time with my parents. There were plenty of bigger activities, like trips to the beach, boat rides, fishing, a dolphin watch, etc., but nothing was as wonderful as simply spending time with family - Janelle & I with my parents and brother and the girls with their grandma & grandpa and uncle. Dinner on the deck, catching fireflies, taking the dogs for walks... sometimes it is the simple things that mean the most....

Happy 3rd birthday, Brooke!

Our joyful little toddler with the infectious smile grew up a little bit as we celebrated her 3rd birthday the other day. What a gift she's been! Having just returned late the night before from VA, all we could muster up for her in the morning was a groggy offer of, "What would you like for your birthday breakfast?" Her reply was an emphatic, "Donuts!" She loved having those, but apparently turning 3 did little to rid her of the habit of eating the frosting and ignoring the donut (the donut is merely a delivery mechanism for the really good stuff). But with a smile like hers, who cares?! Happy birthday, Brooke. We love you!

Our Prima Ballerinas

Elise (top) and Chloe's (bottom) semiannual dance recital was this past weekend, and we were proud as could be as we watched our little princesses dance and leap across the stage. Their studio, Leap of Faith, always puts on a tremendous show, and this one was no exception. Elise seems to have really grown in her technical skills, and Chloe has progressed leaps & bounds in both skill & poise.

Summer = Swim Lessons

Summer unofficially began last Thursday afternoon as Elise finished out 2nd grade and Chloe finished 1st grade. What better way to keep them occupied in the summer Arizona heat than... swim lessons! Thankfully, all 4 girls were able to get into a community class at the public pool in the same time slot, making life a ton easier for Janelle. It is great fun watching the girls progress in their swimming. And with every other house around here having a pool (not ours, sadly!), we feel a whole lot safer with play dates & parties knowing the girls can hold their own in the pool.

Sisters

I'm a bit overdue on posting something so thought these couple of photos of the girls, taken today, would be appreciated. The girls are growing up fast! 4-year-old Grace (2nd from left in the top photo) learned to read and ride a bike last week. Brooke (on the left in the above photo) is just over 2 1/2 years old, and is progressing quickly with her language. As you can see, she's got a winning smile, too! Elise & Chloe are both doing great as well - busy with ballet, Girl Scouts, Bible study, and books. Always lots of books!

Beauty of the Superstitions

Since the photos below do not provide a "big picture" view of the area we hiked, I thought I'd include this one. What doesn't stand out in this photo is just how numerous and beautiful the wildflowers are right now. But it is beautiful even without the flowers. I sized this for widescreen monitors, so if you enjoy placing photos as wallpaper (desktop background) on your computer and like this shot, you are welcome to it. Simply double-click on the photo to get a larger version of it, then save it to your computer.

Adventure on the Hieroglyphics Trail

The arrival of family from L.A. for Easter along with the incredible spring weather inspired us to finally take our first significant hike here in AZ. Hiking trails abound out here, and we'd heard numerous ones cited by friends & colleagues, but the Hieroglyphics Trail located in the nearby Superstition Mountains got the nod. Our big crew of ten - 4 adults, 1 teenager, and 5 girls aged 8 and younger - hit the trail around 3:30pm not quite knowing how our little trekkers would fare. The heat took a toll on them early on, but they soon got their second wind and did a great job! Plenty of loose rocks and a slight but steady incline did not deter them (or us!) as we plodded along through scrub, cacti, and an amazing abundance of blooming wildflowers. Ancient petroglyphs (someone misnamed the trail "Hieroglyphics", which refers to a more complex written language used by ancient Egyptians) from the Hohokam depicting antelope, snakes, and people awaited us, but our time to view them was cut short thanks to the presence of a very large rattlesnake that was maneuvering through the boulders & brush right where our crew of girls were. Very top-heavy with Brooke in a backpack on my back while standing on the side of sloping boulder with few good footholds, I was close to the snake, but not in a great position to help out(!). After more than a little screaming, we managed to get everyone past the snake and back down the trail a bit for a snack and an incredibly beautiful hike back down the trail. Someone later informed us that the Superstitions have the highest concentration of rattlesnakes in the world. If that doesn't deter you too much (and it shouldn't - most snakes only strike when threatened), we'd highly recommend the hike. It certainly inspired me to start hitting the trails more often to explore the beauty of Arizona.

Relaxed!

The key to making our quick trip to HI work was the support from friends & family who very generously agreed to watch our girls. It had been 6 years since we'd last had a night away from our kids. They did great without us, which really freed us up to relax, once our work was done. Thanks Bernards, Grays, and Mom & Dad for a much overdue opportunity to unwind!

Morning at Diamond Head

Janelle & I were blessed with an incredible opportunity to teach about culture and worldview to a group in Hawai'i last week. We had a terrific time teaching, and were blessed with a little bit of free time to enjoy the beauty of Oahu. High surf curtailed our boogey boarding plans, but we had a fabulous time snorkeling, including 5 minutes to drift, within arm's reach, of a huge sea turtle. The above photo was taken at the top of Diamond Head, the well-known crater overlooking Waikiki and the rest of the southern coastline, during a quick but rewarding hike.

Snake Cake

This was certainly the tamest, and tastiest, snake at Elise's birthday party today! Janelle came through with yet another winner of a cake, complete with chocolate chunk eyes and a tongue made out of Red Vines.

Strength in Numbers

Meet E.T., a friendly African bull python about 6 feet long. His name comes from part of the pattern in his skin that looks an awful lot like that most famous of aliens. He was another of the wonderful guests at Elise's birthday party today. The girls still scream when they discover a fly trapped in the car, but not even 2-year-old Brooke hesitated to handle friendly E.T.!

Happy Belated Birthday, Elise!

With our kitchen out of commission when we'd planned on having Elise's 8th birthday (early February), Elise's birthday was postponed till today. The kitchen is still out of commission, but we went ahead with the party anyway, and boy, was it a hit. Last fall, the girls had won a gift basket that included a birthday package with Rich Ihle, "The Reptile Guy". He arrived on the scene this afternoon with about 9 of his reptilian friends. Pictured here is 16' Theresa, a 7-year-old reticulated python (they've been known to grow to almost 40 feet!). This gal was HUGE. As the birthday girl, Elise had the privilege of getting to handle all the snakes & lizards, and she embraced the opportunity with amazing gusto!

If any of you in the Phoenix area are ever looking for a unique and memorable birthday party, we highly recommend Rich of Reptile Adventures. He was absolutely terrific with the kids, and the program was excellent from beginning to end!

Happy 8th birthday, Elise! We love you!

Merry Christmas!

2009 has been eventful and notable for so many reasons. How wonderful to end it with a celebration of Christ's birth, and all that it means for the world.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
(John 3:16 ESV).

The Case of the Missing Sipping Cup

After 20 minutes or so of scouring the house the other day in search of Brooke's last working spill-proof sippy cup, I finally gave up my search. The case was not yet closed, however, so Janelle offered a 1 penny reward for the finder of the cup. I ran downstairs to grab something and discovered that my lovable little daughters had been transformed into the Super Sleuths. Sporting goggles, they were on the case and ready to compete for the prize of the penny! The case was closed minutes later when Chief Sleuth (aka "Mommy") discovered the missing sippy under a sofa. Case closed.

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey

We were blessed with an early Christmas present last week when my dad flew out from Virginia for a brief visit. My mom didn't make it, but, knowing the girls' love for books, sent a special new book out for them, which my dad had the task of reading to them: The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey. Toomey's nickname is Mr. Gloomy, and he believes Christmas and miracles are nothing but "pish-posh" until he encounters the widow McDowell and her son, Thomas. It is extremely well written - captivating, even - with stunning artwork to compliment the story. It was an immediate hit with our entire family, and I'm sure it will get pulled out every year for more readings. Not surprisingly, it has a 5-star rating at Amazon. Check it out!

"All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth..."

In one week, Chloe lost 3 of her front teeth (2 upper, 1 lower) and is sporting a terrific toothless grin now. An aide at school had the privilege of pulling out the 2 upper teeth, in successive days, prompting threats from us that we weren't going to send her back to school for fear she'd come home totally toothless! She is quite excited about not having these teeth, and we think she looks pretty cute without them. And if she had her choice, she'd much rather have a Wii for Christmas than her 2 front teeth.

Our Little Tiger

We've always referred to Chloe as "our little tiger", so when Walgreens offered a free 11"x14" print a couple weeks ago, I thought it would be perfect to get her a framed photo from my recent visit with tigers in Thailand. She now has this hanging above her bed. She went on to spend her birthday money buying a giant stuffed tiger pillow, so her room has a definite tiger theme going now!

Happy 6th birthday, Chloe!

Although her party is not till this weekend, we had the joy, as a family, to celebrate Chloe's 6th birthday a few days ago. She opted for Janelle's homemade cinnamon rolls for her birthday breakfast (pictured here). Afterwards we all piled into the car and headed for Home Depot's monthly kids' craft. The highlight was seeing rain & lightning and big puddles on the roads (not a frequent sight here), but we all had fun building little bean bag toss games -- a great way to get out of the house and have some fun on a rainy day! We continued the fun with a trip to one of our favorite spots, Joe's Real BBQ, which provides a free mail on your birthday. Later in the afternoon, I (Brad) got to enjoy a special date with her at yet another favorite restaurant, the Farmhouse Grill, that offers a $10 credit on your birthday. Chloe couldn't have been more delighted as she chowed on her hot fudge sunday and mini corn dogs (OK, I admit I helped her out a bit!), then took a walk with me around the farm. With typical Chloe enthusiasm, she chimed, "This is the best birthday EVER!" Of course, knowing Chloe, she'll say this every year, but we won't mind that one bit. ;-)