Penguin Party

 Our son, Kevin, was turning six and the one thing he loved most in the world... was penguins.  So, of course, he wanted a penguin birthday party.  It is almost impossible to find decorations for a penguin party here locally.  We got a few plates and cups from the party supply store.  They had the penguins from the Happy Feet 2 movie on them.  We looked for anything with the penguins from Madagascar on it, but there was none to be found.

So we drew a penguin on his cake, cut sandwiches into fish shapes, and hung paper penguins that Gloria drew all over the house.  Then we got him a Slip n' Slide since penguins like to slide on their bellies.  We also filled the cooler with water and plastic sea creatures so that he could pretend to fish for them.

 Finally, for a game, we covered the kitchen table in goldfish snacks mixed with whale snacks and had the kids race to rescue as many fish from the whales as they could in one minute.  This game, surprisingly, was a total hit with the kids.  The best part?  They got to eat the game when they were done.

New Neighborhood Store!

Finally!!! We finally have a real grocery store near our house.  No more half hour drive to get milk or having to pay a fortune for eggs from the gas station.  We can walk to this new King Soopers.  We've been waiting two years for this!

Denver Zoo Friends

Momma's Got Mad Skills

 I'm upping my game now that I've got a few months experience braiding hair.  Trying out new ideas and crazy patterns.  Fortunately, Karyie doesn't mind being my guinea pig.  These actually held up surprisingly well.

Baby Time!

 Molly and our grand daughter, Alayna, came over to visit us!  She is getting so big!  We only get to see her a couple of times a month, which isn't nearly enough, but Molly has her own busy teen life to deal with.  We'll take anything we can get.  It's so funny seeing the little girl that we used to hold when she cried, holding her own baby when she cries.  She's changing diapers and making bottles, and although I wish she didn't have to at such a young age, I'm so very proud of her for doing the right thing and doing such a good job.

So Long, Sarah!

 Our very first regular babysitter, Sarah, is heading off to South Africa to go to college for a semester.  I'm glad she's getting a wonderful opportunity to see a completely different part of the world, but of course we're worries about her, too.  We are praying that God will keep her safe and that she will come back with a whole new perspective on the world... and her faith intact.

Although Sarah is not our daughter, we feel like she is a daughter of our heart.  We've prayed for her, counseled her, and hoped the best for her for years now.  It's so hard seeing her grow up and become her own person.

I know that she is the first.  She is, in a way, like the oldest of our children.  This is just a preview of what's ahead.  Next Shannon, her younger sister will be moving out on her own and starting her own life.  I can't help thinking how much harder this is going to be when Danya is taking her first fledgling steps into the world.  I'm hopeful and worried and trying to act like it's no big deal... but they see right through me.

 Sarah was nice enough to take pity on her honorary second set of parents and spend the day with us on Monday.  She showed us the wonders of the 16th Street Mall in Denver and then we took her to lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe.  It was such a brief time, but it really did help us to say good-bye and get our final hugs in before she heads off to a new continent.

Happy Father's Day 2012!

Super Dad

VBS: Day 5

That scary guy in camo?  That's our babysitter, Luke.  He's been babysitting for us a lot recently since Shannon is always busy lately.  I met him in our church band.  He plays trumpet a few chairs down from me and his dad plays baritone.  Don't be fooled by the picture.  He's actually a very funny outgoing guy.

VBS: Day 4

Flight

Children's Museum Fun

VBS: Day 3

VBS: Day 2

 Danya really loved the fact that one of her best friends, Lauren, was also a helper in the craft room with us.  Lauren's mom was running the whole show.  She had some amazing crafts for the kids to do.  This night we made canteens with actual water bottles inside.

Swimming at the Reservoir

 Cherry Creek Reservoir

VBS: Boot Camp Day 1

 Danya and I were helpers in the craft room this year for Vacation Bible School.  It was a very busy job, but a lot of fun.  I enjoyed taking pictures of all my kids and my friends' kids.  Daniel was a leader in the first grade group.  Kevin was in his group.  This year was a repeat of a VBS theme our church did several years ago.  It was perfect since we had a whole new crop of kids.