Sweet Summertime!

Wow! It's exactly 15 days since school let out... and well... here's what we've managed to do....

One week of vacation - Big Cedar
Visit to the Zoo - The kids LOVED it!
Luke's 5th Birthday party - a bunch of boys at the park!
plus 3 other birthday parties - triple the fun
Visit to Granny I's - to see her rescued Blue Jays
Family Reunion - Dad's Side of the Family
Trip to Woolaroc - haven't been there since the 70's
Basketball Tournament - Kami's not Tom's!

and I've actually managed to feed my children, you'll be glad to know. The baths, however, have been few and far between! It's crazy busy SUMMERTIME!

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Dancin' in Denver....

.....but home too soon :(

Note: if you want to turn off the music, click the speaker button in the bottom left hand corner of the slideshow.

The trip was Wonderful; the Game was Woeful!!!!

The wonderful: We had a charter flight to Denver. Charter. No airport terminals, no x-ray machines (though there was a light security table. Everyone had to be waved over with a metal detector - even the kids! It was funny to see Luke standing there with his legs and arms spread). It was special. I haven't taken a whole lot of charter flights in my life, and I could really get used to it. The weather in Denver was nice. Really sunny and crisp and pretty. The mountains, of course, were gorgeous. I'm sure people who live there get used to the scenery. But for me, mountains are always an expression of God's power and awesomeness. The hotel (though under renovation) was nice enough. The kids LOVE going on vacation and staying in luxurious hotel rooms. They ate this up! My dad's sister, Aunt Anne, who I was named after, and her daughter, our cousin Ashley, live near Denver. The only condition we see them under is pretty much.... Oklahoma! So it was fun seeing them in their territory, and they were so amazing to come pick us up from the hotel and take us to Cherry Creek Mall, especially considering Ashley has 3 year old Andrew and 5 month old baby Ryan! AND they came to our game in downtown Denver. We all appreciated their enthusiasm and love and we are considering going back this summer for a visit! Another great thing was just making memories with family and friends. Going to the NCAA tournament is a really fun experience!!!

The woeful: This is our third NCAA first round game. And don't get me wrong, I was thankful to be there. I am glad we made it to the tournament!!! Let me say it again, I am glad we made it!!!! (Here comes the but), BUT oh my goodness, we got our tails kicked. After coming out sharp for oh, about 5 minutes, the rest of the game was like a nightmare. I kept asking Kim, "is this a bad dream?" Down by almost 30, (yes 30) in the first half. We weren't expected to WIN, but we were expected to play well, you know compete. And we DID NOT DO THAT. And it hurt. I was sad for our players, who I love. I was sad for our coaches. I was sad for our kids, whose disappointment wasn't quite as masked as everyone else's. Kami said after the game, "mom, I really thought we'd win this game, because in fairy tales, the 3rd time is usually the charm." Good point, Kam. Maybe that's why, deep in my gut, I thought we'd come out on the winning side of this one too. But this is not a fairy tale, and God's ways are higher than ours.

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