Don't Hate Me.....

Ok, several friends have kindly reminded me that I have not posted in well over a month. Am I ok? Yes.

Bottom line...I got behind, I have too much to say, and now I'm overwhelmed with all I have to write and knowing that I don't have enough time to do it all.

But, in the spirit of one of my dear friends, I'm going to just start. :)

Oh yeah, Thanksgiving

Yep, haven't blogged about that yet....

Well, my brother Mark and his new bride, Jaclyn made the drive out here for Thanksgiving. They also brought along their "baby" Chandler, a King Charles Spaniel. We had an incredible week!


It snowed the day before Thanksgiving so we had a blast in the snow.



Thanksgiving was lots of fun. It was my first time getting to host a meal at my favorite time of year. Of course, amidst the preparations and such I completely forgot to take a picture of our time together. Boo! And a family friend, Bambi, who lives in Englewood, was able to join us for the day.

We had lots of fun together eating, sharing our blessings and I was able to honor John in a special way. A dear friend shared this Thanksgiving tradition with me. Prior to the meal, she sets out a special plate (ours is the Red "You are special today" plate)and then informs the honoree that that is their setting. Then she takes a moment prior to eating, to share with everyone why this person is special to her.

So, I don't always get to honor John in front of others, so it was cool to be able to tell him how he blesses my life and why I am so thankful for him.

The other CRAZY news is that Mark and Jacs spent several days that week house hunting. And, on Tuesday night, they signed a contract for a home that is literally 1 1/2 blocks away from us!!!!! It still seems unbelievable. So they will be moving here in late April/early May to join us as Colorado residents.


We are thrilled to have some family nearby and excited at what God has in store for all of us!

Hey, Griswald, where are you going to put that tree?

For those of you who have seen the movie, I'll let you answer that. :)

The 1st weekend in December, my dad, came out for a quick visit. Deb wasn't able to come, so Papa came solo and did a great job!





We had a fantastic visit and filled it with all sorts of fun things, including a trip to Golden to cut down our very own Christmas tree. It wasn't picture perfect by any means, but fun enough that we'll attempt it again next year.

We drove up with about 6 other families for this very "outdoorsy" adventure. Once we got there, it was a steep hill covered in snow...I didn't know if we were going to make it some of the time. John had Josiah on his back, my dad carried Brooklyn, McKenna was made for hiking and I brought up the rear hanging on to every tree limb or sturdy growth from the ground I could find! We trooped around the top looking for the perfect tree. Well, I'm not exactly good at visualizing the potential in something. I knew it would be fine once inside the house with decorations and such. So when John said he liked one, I was content.



Until we got it home and I really looked at it. Holy cow! There is no way that thing is going to fit in our house.

Turns out, it didn't. John had to cut off 4 ft and that left us with an 11ft Christmas tree. Its pretty awesome.



So we have a fun Colorado tradition under our belt...it was definitely more fun than the drive to Home Depot. :)

Papa Came to Town

As I mentioned, my dad came to town for the weekend which was loads of fun. Besides our wild tree adventure, we went to the Butterfly Pavilion which is always a good time.


Papa read books and books and more books to the kids. They LOVED it! And he was a dreamy guest as he got up at the crack of dawn with Josiah every morning (yes, my little love bug is still getting up around 5:30 everyday!!!) And by the time I came down the stairs, the coffee was made, the dishwasher unloaded, Josiah was happy playing toys or reading books with Papa...and the TV had never been turned on! :) Amazing.



And one night, we had a lovely evening out on the town. We got a babysitter for Josiah, and my dad took John and I and the girls out to dinner. We went to one of our new favorite restaurants, La Sandia, in the Stapleton area. We had such a nice night. We then went and played at Outdoor World, which the girls refer to as the "animal store" due to the fact that there are literally hundreds of stuffed wildlife all around the store. It freaks me out to no end and I forget the rest of the country (outside of CA) actually takes part in the whole hunting/gaming stuff.

Anyway, the girls love climbing the stairs, looking at the aquarium, hiding in the tents, sitting in the camo furniture, etc. And they do have a Starbucks inside, so I can't complain too much.

And my dad brought Christmas presents for all of us so we also partook in a bit of unwrapping mayhem. Very fun.





It is always special when our parents come to visit. Its just fun getting to share a bit of our new life with them.

1st Annual Cookie Party

So I did something HUGE, and threw a cookie decorating party for about 45 people on Sat, Dec 8th!

My friend, Mary Bouma, does this every year and we have been going to this for probably 5 years. As December neared, I couldn't imagine the month without the infamous sugar cookies, divine frosting and unending supply of decorations.

She agreed to share her secret family recipe with me so that I could host the Colorado version of her cookie party.

Well, I made about 24 dozen cookies during the course of the week. I had a lot of help from my cookie elves as well as from the Teague's.

It was an open house all day and we had a slew of friends and neighbors drop in for some sugary fun.

Julie, our pastor's wife, noted that 5 months ago the only people we knew were the Teague's. And here we were, able to have 40 something new friends in our home. Wow! We are extremely grateful for the awesome people that God has brought into our lives that we get to share life with.

It was quite the party, and as much work as it was, I am definitely planning to do it again next year...with a few tweaks. :)

(And yes, all the photos are of the kids. There were actually adults present, but everyone just wants to see the kids....)

Brooklyn turned 3...a week ago

So, I'm a little behind.....

Brooklyn turned 3 last Wed on October 24th!

It is SO hard to believe she is 3!!!!!





We had a really fun day. We went to the Denver Zoo. My grandma had sent some money for her birthday so we decided to buy a family annual pass to the Zoo. We had a great time. McKenna was obsessive about the map...and hardly looked at animals as she was so busy scanning the map for the next thing. (It was quite humorous...and sometimes annoying!)

Brooklyn was very anxious to see the elephants. Unfortunately, we walked the OTHER way and the elephants were last on the map.

Josiah just loved walking everywhere. He had fun chasing geese and running through the crunchy leaves. (Well, everyone loved running through the leaves....even me!)

It is a beautiful zoo, especially in fall.

That night, we had the Teague's over for dinner. Ally & Heather made a very special pink ice cream cake which everyone loved.

John and I were talking recently about all the growth Brooklyn has experienced in the last few months. Her language is finally coming together. People, besides us and McKenna, can actually understand what Brooklyn is saying. This is huge! She is very artistic and loves to draw pictures and color. She especially loves beading...her fine motor skills are quite impressive.

Brooklyn has a great energy about her and is just excited by everything. She loves to play dress up...esecially "Singuella" (Cinderalla) and enjoys playing with babies and dolls and playing "shopping" with McKenna & Ally. She is a great climber and somersaulter! She is definitely showing more signs of independence as she likes to pick out her clothes and pajamas and what she wants to do in her playtime. But, she also desires to be like McKenna. Brooklyn is always watching McKenna and imitating her actions AND words. Its cute. She loves the people around her which is evident when she wants to pray for her "friends" every night.

We are grateful for our precious Brooklyn. I am blessed and honored to be her mother. I look back 3 years ago to that bizarre pregnancy and all the stresses that were in my life and I am so thankful that God brought us through that and to such a place of peace.

The Scarecrow

Josiah's costume just arrived in the mail. It has a few more accessories, but here's the basic look:







ADORABLE!!! Shiralyn is sooo talented and I am so grateful she uses her skills on my kids! :)

Snow!!!

We woke up to snow flurries today!!! He, he. We all just sat by the window and stared at them.

I asked Brooklyn what she saw and she said, "snow!" When I asked her what color it was, she said, "white, like my milk." :)

When we came out of church at about 11:20, it was definitely snowing and the parking lot was covered in about 1 inch of snow. We were in awe the whole way home. (All 3 minutes of our drive.)

As soon as we got home we got our gloves on and headed out front to play in our first day of snow. We had a blast. By the time we came in, everyone had snotty noses and wet patches on our pants from snowball residue.










We had so much fun! Its hard to believe it was 83 here yesterday and today we are playing in SNOW. Crazy, but oh so fun.


Oh...and a shout out to Mary Bouma for making my very cool head wrap. I can't believe how warm it keeps my ears!!

Funny Things Kids Say

A couple humorous encounters with my kiddos.

Just now, I was sitting on the couch watching morning cartoons with Josiah and Brooklyn. We all just woke up like 20 minutes ago so we're all still a little foggy. Josiah was trying to "love" on Brooklyn which is intense body slamming at best. Brooklyn started in on a wild whine and cry. I comforted Josiah, telling him that Brooklyn was a little grumpy for not wanting his precious hugs.

Brooklyn piped in with, "I'm not grumpy."

Me: "Yeah, you're being a little grumpy."

B: "That's from Snow White."

It took me a minute to realize what she was saying. She thought I was calling her Grumpy, as in one of the seven "doors".

Me: "You're right. Grumpy is from Snow White, but you are being grumpy and grouchy this morning."

B: "No, I'm being Dorothy!"

I cracked up....yes, she is being Dorothy for Halloween, lest anyone forget.

THEN....

(this portion involves bathroom humor, so if you can't handle it....leave now)


Last night, after I put the kids to bed, I was downstairs doing this and that. I hear the toilet seat go up and I hear grunting. I go to the bottom of the stairs and see the light on in the bathroom. I think, this had better be for real, as Kenna often comes up with unique reasons to be out of bed. I have my gruff "go to bed" voice ready.

Me: "McKenna? Are you ok?"

McKenna: "Yeah. I just have to go p.u. (a.k.a. bowel movement}

I climb up the stairs, awaiting the inevitable question of "mom, can you wipe?"

Me: "Do you need me to wipe?"

McKenna: "Its still making its way."

Me: "Making its way?!"

At this point, I'm doubled over in laughter that my daughter refers to her bowel movement as "making its way" I stand in the doorway laughing for a couple minutes. I go back downstairs and tell her to let me know when it has made its way.

So funny, these kids.

Denver

Ok, I tell you, we have more fun living here! For the visitors alone, this has been great!

John has a friend from the hospital in San Pedro who's in town and coming to dinner on Sunday. Then, we have friends (Dan, April & Faith Diniakos) from Long Beach out visiting next week. They are coming over for a playdate and dinner on Friday. The following weekend my childhood best friend (April Spicer) and her son, Wesley, will be in town visiting.

Its amazing when you just have extra room to help others out. And a place to sit down to dinner together. We enjoyed having people over in Long Beach, but we just didn't really have the room. During summer months it was easy to be outside, but once it got cold it was just down right difficult.

Mark and Jaclyn will be here for Thanksgiving and I can't wait to host a holiday in our new home. It's going to be great!!!

And then, Jennifer & Jessica Brueckner will be here in December for a few days. (Those are our babysitters from Long Beach!) They wanted to see the kids in the snow!! Finally, someone wants to visit in the snow. :)

Anyway, we love having guests!!!! So if any of you are EVER in the Denver area, you had better make plans to come by.

My Brooklyn

Isn't she adorable? She is in Dorothy mode all the way!

Grandma Shiralyn made McKenna and Brooklyn Dorothy dresses for Halloween. But, since the girls are looking for reasons to wear their dresses, we decided to do a Wizard of Oz party for Brooklyn's upcoming 3rd birthday.

So I had Brooklyn put her dress on the other day to go pass out invitations to her party. Boy, was she excited.

Here are few pictures of my angel.





So cute!

Early Risers

I love my kids....but they get up WAY too early!

Josiah starts calling for "mama" around 5:45 A.M.! I finally pull myself out of bed between 6 and 6:15 with him. We tiptoe downstairs and cuddle on the couch in the dark for 15 minutes before I begin the morning routine.

No matter how quiet we are, something wakes Brooklyn up! She typically makes her way down the stairs, with all her "friends" in tow, by 6:45.

McKenna stays hard asleep until 7:15 or 7:30. Way to go, kid!

These are a couple of pictures I took the other morning when it was way TOO dark to be awake. (Obviously, the flash was too bright for such a dark morning...)





Good thing they're so darn cute, huh? Its hard to stay grumpy when you look at those adorable faces.

Pray for me and the upcoming time change...Nov 4. I think I will be going crazy when I have to get out bed before 5. It pains me to just think about it.

Church, Part 3

There is good news!

We have found a church.

After a couple months of grieving and frustration, John found it! It was a church that was meeting on Sunday nights in a local school auditorium. He went one Sunday night and loved it. He came home and asked if he could go to the pasta party at the pastor's house. Ok....I said. The pastor lives about 3 blocks away. John went and got to meet lots of people and ask lots of questions. He came home pretty pumped up.

I went the following Sunday night and wept as I felt the Spirit of the Lord just surrounding this body of believers.

The church is called Crossroads Community Church.

We've been attending for nearly 2 months now and have had confirmation after confirmation that this is where God wants us.

I will continue to share what God is doing here, but realized I had left everyone hanging with a sad story. So here is the happy ending! (Or really, the happy beginning.....)

We are making friends and connecting deeply with other believers. We are being challenged to find a place to serve. We are being called into a deeper and more loving relationship with our Father. We are being loved and cared for.

It is good.

This last Sunday, Crossroads had the opportunity to move to another location. They are now meeting in the school just across the street from us on Sunday mornings. The attendance DOUBLED (at least) on this opening Sunday. My soul was ecstatic! I get such joy in watching God draw people to Him and His church.

We are blessed.

Whoever said baseball is boring...

....is SO WRONG!

Last night John and I got to go to the Wildcard Tiebreaker game between the Padres and Rockies. Oh my gosh! It was so much fun!

Now, I grew up in a "baseball" family. But my enjoyment of the game basically involved Dodger dogs, salty peanuts and going home after the 7th inning stretch and singing the "baseball song." I liked hanging out at the stadium and I was lucky if I saw a hit or 2 and occasionally glanced down to see a guy in a uniform run from base to base. My brother , Mark, on the other hand, lived and breathed baseball as a kid. He liked everything....especially the stats and all the math...and the baseball cards. (Very weird.) So I kind of tolerated his passion for the sport and tried not to act totally bored when he recounted everything any player had ever done and what would happen if he hit this run or stole that base or made 2 more catches. Yada, yada, yada.....

But, last night all of that changed. John and I watched THE BEST game of baseball.

I was on the edge of my seat...if not standing on my seat for the majority of the game. I was cheering, and yelling, and booing & taunting the opposing team. I was high-fiveing the fans around me. I was actually reading the board and finding out things about the players that made me change the way I looked at them. I learned about batting averages. I began to expect different things from players. I watched the pitches and began to see the difference between a fast ball, a curve ball and a slider. I got mad when the umpire called strikes that were obviously balls. I paid attention to the batting line-up and knew when to expect greatness and when to hope that they put in a PH. :)

And throughout the whole game, I kept thinking of my little brother, Mark, and how proud he would be of me. I was also bummed John didn't have his number programmed in his cell (what?) because I had lots of questions for him. I was constantly quizzing John and every now and then, John would say, "that's something only Mark would know."

I watched every single second of the game with absolute intensity. I loved it! It was fantastic. I was so excited....the energy in the stadium was out of control. I refused to leave my seat to go to the bathroom, afraid I would miss something. (Yes, it was that good.)

So, I'm now officially a baseball fan. I"m beginning to "get" the game and why so many people love it.

GO ROCKIES!!!!!

Church, Part 1

This was something I wrote during the first few weeks we were here.

I went to check out a church this morning.

I cried through a lot of it...because it wasn't the River.

It wasn't Steve leading worship, or James on drums. It wasn't Karin welcoming everyone and saying an opening prayer. It wasn't PJ teaching. it wasn't David doing announcements. It wasn't hugs from all of the fabulous people I love.

It was good and i'm going to have John check it out....but it was so hard to be open-minded, because it wasn't what I love.

This church part sucks. We left our family and we will visit from time to time. We're not trying to make other parents or have other grandparents fill in. We're not replacing them. But we're supposed to find another church and be committed and love them. Currently I don't see how that's possible. I'm sitting here bawling because that just doesn't seem feasible. How can I love another the way I love the River???? This sucks for me. My heart is still so connected to the River tribe.

God, help me to learn to love another church family. Lead us to the place where YOU want us. Help us not to waste time at the wrong places, but to connect quickly.

Church, Part 2

The process of looking for a church has been wearisome at the least. There were 2 churches that we were checking out when we first got here. Both of them within 5-10 minutes and both church plants meeting in school auditoriums.

In August, I visited a church by myself one Sunday morning. It had a lot of good aspects....except no one but for the greeter at the door said hello to me! I was in shock. In fact it angered me. I cry during every service of a church I visit. I slowly left the church walking by lots of people and even looking some in the eye and made it to my car without even a head nod. I got in, shut the door and started crying. Here I am a guest, longing for connection, wanting to find a church home. And NO ONE said hello! (The greeter doesn't count...he had to!) I started driving away, blurred vision from the hot tears. I got about 3 blocks away, and turned my car around. I drove back to that church, parked my car and went back in. I found the pastor's wife and pulled her aside. Crying, I told her what had happened. I told her the worship was great, the message super...but no one said hello to me! She apologized and made some excuses about it being thet 5th Sunday and they forgot to schedule more greeters. I told her that's fine...but if they want to grow as a church and reach all these people, the body has to start paying attention. Not just the greeters or the staff members...but everyone. I told her I would come visit again, but that she needed to know there was a gaping HOLE in their ministry.

I don't know if I scared her half to death or just freaked her out to no end, but I felt someone at that church needed to know. Not for me...but for the next really hurting person who walks through their door.

I called Karin that night and related the story to her. She made a very good point. She said that ministry happens from the top down. Priorities happen from the top down. Warmth and care begins with the pastors and if a church is missing that, then it is probably not super important to the leadership of that church.

Hmmm. Of course, it crossed my mind, that perhaps I was to fill this gaping hole in this church. People are my passion. Connecting people to one another and creating an atmosphere of warmth and care and personal touch is extremely important to me. But, I was not feeling that from the Holy Spirit.

A few weeks went by and no one from that church ever contacted me. The pastor's wife knew my name and my story, and yet, never made a phone call or sent a letter. It kind of confirmed that that was not the church for us. It saddened me and angered me.

Mmmm....Starbucks

I'm sitting here enjoying a vanilla latte and feeling so good.

I think Starbucks really does put an addictive chemical in their coffee (that makes you crave it fortnightly....).I told John, it really makes a difference in my afternoon. I'm not grumpy, or irritable....I have lots of patience and energy...I laugh more, I'm eager to accomplish tasks around the house...I'm just a better person all around.

I've wondered if owning an espresso machine would help. Its the espresso factor...not just the caffeine in coffee. Would I make it? Would it taste the same? John said part of what I like is the comfort of someone else making it....true. Perhaps I could teach John? :)

Well, I'm anxious for them to build our new Starbucks. I have no idea when the target date is...but definitely too far from now. So, just so I make it clear....I would definitely appreciate Starbucks cards for Christmas or anytime you want to send a little pick-me-up in the mail. Trust me, my whole family will be grateful.

Hysterical

Ok, for those of you needing a good laugh...you've got to check this out.

It is a description for an item for sale on ebay. Its a bit long, but well worth the read. You may want to keep your legs crossed as it may lead to you wetting your pants from laughing so hard.

Of course, the links aren't working right now, so you'll have to copy and paste this url into your address bar.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130144061675

And if you've got nothing better to do, and lots of spare time (ha!), I also recommend reading this woman's blog. Hysterical! I've now signed up to get emails when she posts a new blog.

mom2my6pack.blogspot.com

Enjoy a good laugh!

Surprise!

I got a phone call today around noon from my Uncle Jim. He was calling to say that he would be landing in Denver at 4:00 pm and wanted to see if they could swing by on their way to Castle Rock. Surprise!!!

I was so excited! I had no idea they were coming and was thrilled at the idea of guests...especially family I never thought would make it out here! (No offense, you guys)

We had such a fun visit! McKenna and Brooklyn gave Uncle Jim, Karina & Jack the tour of the house. We had dinner. We played on the swings and ran races in the backyard while it sprinkled rain on us. We played chase and hide and go seek and tickle monster and just had a good time!

Here are a few photos from our evening together.

Precious Prayer

We pray a lot around our house. We pray at mealtimes, bedtimes, and as the need arises when we lose a toy...or our temper...we present our requests to God.

But, usually, it is just John and I who utter our petitions to the Lord. The kids are quick to mention their requests...the grandparents are always on the top of the list and lately, McKenna has wanted to pray for her Dorothy dress for Halloween. :) Every night we also pray for Paul, a 16 year old at our church who is battling an aggressive cancer. It melts my heart that the girls remember him every evening...even as we haven't seen him in 2 months.

Tonight, was special. As I was tucking the girls into bed, I asked them who they wanted to pray for. McKenna said, "Phil, Heather, Ally & Travis." Brooklyn said, "Daddy & Paul." And then McKenna added, "And Melodie."

I took their hands and as I was beginning to start, I asked if either of the girls wanted to say the prayer tonight. I offer from time to time and get a resounding "no, Mommy do it." But, tonight, McKenna said, "I do." So I closed my eyes and waited. And this is what I heard:

"Dear God, thank you for Phil, Heather, Ally & Traivs. Thank you for Daddy. Be with Paul and bless him and give him peace. I love Melodie. In Jesus' Name, Amen."

I was so choked up I could hardly respond. I said, "Amen" because there was nothing to add to that precious prayer from the mouth of my 4 year old daughter.

It blessed my heart to no end to witness that. And I know the Lord heard McKenna's request tonight....

Little Mommy

I'm doing some stuff on the computer right now and am listening to McKenna and Brooklyn play in their room.

This is the conversation I just heard McKenna have with her baby:

McKenna: Baby, you have to go to bed now.

Baby: But, I want to stay up longer.
(Yes, she really switched voices to be the baby.)

M: You can't. You've already stayed up a long time and its late.

M: You want to stay up more? Yes? Well, you can't. You have to go to bed if you want to go to Auntie Em's party tomorrow.
(We've been watching and reading a lot of Wizard of Oz lately)

M: Stay in your bed. If you want to see Auntie Em, you have to go to sleep.

B: Ok, mommy.

It just cracked me up! Well, she definitely knows the bedtime rules...

Crazy

Yes, I was a bit crazy today.

Josiah was up at 5:15 and by 9:30 he was awake from his nap. I had all 3 children awake for a good 2 1/2-3 hours. What could we do? It was pretty warm out and I really didn't feel like the park. (We go at least once a day as it is.)

Where could we go? I packed everyone in the car and started driving. McKenna kept asking where we were going and I kept answering a very slow and simple, "I really don't know."

I decided to drive over to the Stapleton shopping area. I thought maybe there would be a new McDonald's or Burger King that had one of those lovely indoor play things. (I would only go to one that was new as the older ones tend to really gross me out.)

We got there and drove around. No fast food playgrounds. Hmmm. What else is there? I contemplated letting the kids run around Outdoor World...and then I saw the movie theatre.

On a whim, I drove by the front and strained my terrible eyes to read the movie listings. Yes, Ratatouille was still playing. Showtime...10:30. I looked at the clock and it was 10:44. There were always lots of previews. We could do it...

Wait! Am I crazy??? Take my 3 kids to a movie all by myself?? Am I nuts? But at the same time, I REALLY wanted to see a movie. If it was a disaster, we could just leave. I asked McKenna if she wanted to do something crazy. She said, "what crazy?"

I got everyone out and got the stroller in motion. I walked up to the box office and asked how much of the movie we had missed. The guy told me it was about 10 minutes into it. When I asked how much kids tickets cost, he informed me it was $5 for kids 3 and over. Score! I bought 2 tickets and started walking in, informing the kids that we were going to see a movie!

We made a quick bathroom stop and headed into the dark, and very loud, theatre number 7. There were 3 people in the audience. Parents and their 2 year old son. Perfect.

We picked a row, sat down and started watching. McKenna had her hands over her ears as it was too loud. Brooklyn started crying because there was a chase scene going on that really was loud and very quick-moving. Ok, maybe this was a terrible idea. Then I realized that Josiah, who was sitting on my lap was laughing every time he saw the rat. That gave me hope!

The noise softened and the scene slowed down and we started having fun! We took a popcorn break about half way through and returned to see the other 3 moviegoers leaving. We had the theatre to ourselves!

Josiah remained on my lap eating popcorn until the last 20 min or so when he decided to go check out the lighted staircase. Go for it!

It ended. We clapped. We left happy and quite satisfied. (The movie really is great!)

I was proud of myself for this huge adventure and leap of faith...even if it really was crazy.

Sweet Vacation

Yes...its been awhile. But, I have a good excuse! We were on vacation!!!

Last week we traveled to Chautauqua Lake, New York for a huge family reunion to celebrate John's grandmother, Betty Sheldon's 90th birthday. (It is right on the Pennsylvania border)

We stayed at the lovely Sheldon Hall right on the lake. I've included some pictures of the house. The first one is from the front...I am standing half way from the house to the lake! The second, is of one of the dining rooms. There were about 9 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms and cubbies and closets galore. It was beautiful, peaceful, calm and just plain relaxing.

I will write more as I get a chance.

We enjoyed running around on the lawn, canoeing, fishing, visiting family, exploring the area and just enjoying each other's company.

I look forward to catching up soon!!

Oh...and John posted a bunch of pictures from our trip on our website...just click on the "Yates Family" tab to the right.