The Locks Clan

Spring snow

2009-04-27T08:02:00.002-06:00

We woke up to lots of heavy white stuff falling from the sky. Pretty.
The park is out today. Maybe we'll go into the yard and make a very wet snowman.
It should be sunny by dinner...or lunch. Gotta love spring in Colorado.

We took Bri up to ski for one last time this season. She has no fear. While speeding down the bunny hill, what shall we say, Clint tackled her. He did a stand up job diving over her so I guess I shouldn't kill him, yet. Among the gasps of onlookers, I (with Addie in tow) ran down to find not tears and screaming but laughing and smiles. She's tough. Super tough. Possible even super-hero tough.

2009-04-13T08:26:00.002-06:00

What the heck..

2009-01-26T20:52:00.007-07:00

are you guys doing? You may ask.

We went to Texas for Christmas. The girls loved seeing Mimi, riding a horse and playing with dogs and goats. It was good to see the Locks side of the family. Addie came home with ringworm...no fun. Bri is still talking about Flash (the horse) and Lester (the donkey, oh yeah, they rode a donkey).

Clint is busy working. The girls are busy playing. And I'm busy trying to manage the 3 of them. Addie is walking full on now. She loves to climb things (eh, Clint!) and is making this super funny scrunched up face these days. Bri is wanting Addie to be able and play pretend and gets upset when Addie wanders off in the middle of sleeping time. Bri is learning her letters and likes to play a letter computer game. I am looking forward to training for a half marathon that is in May. Oh yeah, we're teaching Bri to ski. She loves it and has no fear! We've been trying to get up to the mountains as much as possible. It's cold, dang cold here and snowing! We love it!

That's it. We're here. Just doing what we do.

They dressed up and ate candy

2008-11-13T08:20:00.006-07:00

We had a great time on Halloween. It was dang fun and funny to hear Brianna's little pixie voice say "trick-or-treat" and "happy Halloween". Amazingly Bri, who does not like people in costumes, is never scared on Halloween. Even the really scary folks don't scare her. Strange. Addie was a good little mellow pumpkin. She spent the most of the night on Clint's shoulders.

Sorry it has taken so long to post pictures.

Pumpkins and Such

2008-10-31T13:54:00.010-06:00

We went to the pumpkin patch and had some fun last weekend. In true 3 year old form Bri ate all of the caramel off the caramel apples and gave the apple part to her cousin. It was great weather and a good time was had by all.

Bri has been asking to make pumpkin pie for weeks (even though she has never had pumpkin pie) so I roasted my first pumpkins yesterday and we made pumpkin pie for a pot-luck tonight (hee/hee)!

I'll post pictures of the butterfly-fairy (Bri) and the pumpkin (Addie), from tonight, latter on.

If it'd been a snake...

2008-10-20T23:59:00.002-06:00

Hi. Clint here. You know that ole saying that goes "If it'd been a snake, it'd've bit ya!" This home-spun cliche is usually employed to point out the very obvious (by then) location of any variety of sought object. However, in a one-in-a-million occasion, the object in question IS an actual snake. This was the case during Alisa's and my recent hike to Devil's Thumb up Shadow Canyon. She obliviously stepped right over it, it got flabergasted, then I caused more flabergastion as I walked up, and it nearly got me. (It was only due to my mongoose-like reflexes that I avoided the snake's strike).

Here is a picture of the snake. I'm sure it was more scared of us then...whatever!

As you can see from this picture above (taken later in the hike), we both escaped injury of the hemotoxic, reptilian variety. That's Devil's Thumb in the background.

Girls, girls, girls.

2008-09-04T08:37:00.007-06:00

All things come to an end

2008-08-13T08:56:00.007-06:00

Our summer break is over. So very sad. Clint has started back to school and the girls and I are getting into our school-time grove. We had a great summer filled with all sorts of fun. Here is a recap of our weekend away for our 5th:

Clint "Let's climb zowie tower in Rockie Mountain National Park, it will be so fun."
Alisa "OK, sounds good. Remember I haven't been on a multi pitch climb in about 2 years."

So, off we go. A weekend away.

We drop the kids off at my sisters and head to the park. Traffic was insane and we ended up hiking in 5 miles, carrying all of our stuff, mostly in the dark (really, it was super fun). After finding a place to sleep (in the middle of a snow field on a large boulder) we eat some dinner and try to get some sleep under the stars and this amazing moon that was about as bright as the sun.
Wake up. Eat some pop-tarts. Hike over to the tower. Start to climb said tower. Go up about 5 pitches where I experience some exposure fright. I'm wanting to go down, Clint isn't saying that he'll take me. I understand this to mean that I can't go down. I tell Clint I think I'm tired and done. He climbs on, I follow. He finds repel anchors. I rejoice, until I see repel anchors... a little scary! Descent ends up being epic!!!! Getting down takes about as long as climbing the dang thing. I'm in my climbing shoes (which are killing me) and Clint is thankful that I am beyond cursing him and laughing at our lack of water/food and the mere fact that I want to fall over and die! Finally we get down. Fill up water bottles from river and add "kill all the yucky stuff" tablets. Then we start hiking out. Yes, I said hiking out. 5 miles, with a 40 lbs pack on (alisa's, Clint's' was 70 lbs). We commence in asking everyone we pass what time it is until the alloted 40 mins has passed and we can drink water without getting sick. When this time reaches we want to jump up and down but settle for sitting on rocks to drink some...ahhhh water!

Crazy fun!!! We then spend the rest of the weekend in a cute little cabin on a river hanging out, hiking, sleeping and playing. It was super great to be together.

We did a lot of other fun stuff this summer and are both sad to see it go. Now it's time to look forward to playing in the snow.

Oh, and the girls are great. Addie is crawling and pulling up on things. She can even eat food on her own. Good times.

Our House In The Middle of the Street...the details

2008-07-15T08:03:00.002-06:00

Here are the exciting details of our new house...purchased just in time for the Great International Recession and resulting World War. A little scary. Fear-mongering aside, we have a super-cool little dwelling, and here are some pics of it, with comments from the artist:

Your tour guide, Brianna

We have a tree swing. Cool.

The lovely and picturesque east side of our house. Our room is the upper south window; the girls' is the upper north. The living room is below our room, and the kitchen is below the girls' room. (The tour guide is looking for her cue card).

The technology nook,
the Remarkable Bookcase, aka "Lazarus" (yes, there's a story to that),
the hall to the back door and storage shed
the girls' room

For some reason, I really like our mailbox. We have all these incredible flowers and stuff all along our fence.

front flower garden

and that's about it. In regards to the absences of Bree's partner in crime (Addison), she's inside, either learning to crawl, or eating something she shouldn't.

Feel free to drop by the place and see it for real. We'd love to have you!

Happy 4th!

2008-07-07T08:34:00.010-06:00

We spent our 4th up in the mountains playing. It was wonderful! We had a great time trail running, hiking, biking, going to a concert and watching fireworks over Lake Dillon. We got to see a beaver, mountain goats and a moose. Dang, our back yard is pretty!

chickens and things

2008-06-21T09:41:00.003-06:00

Well, we're still here. It's been nuts around the Locks house. Bri and I have been sick, Addie is getting teeth, Clint is busy with Rock Lead School, we had a house party, we had to get ready for the house party, we've painted every wall in our house, the girls and I made a trip to Spring Field to visit my grandma, and we have tried to find some time to sit on our front porch and drink some wine.

Our feelings on all of this craziness? Fun, tired, excited, tired, wanting to give the girls rum so the whining will stop, tired, thankful...

Summer is here with tree swinging, hiking, gardens, playing outside and enjoying the mountains. Oh, and our summers now include feeding the 23 chickens that live across the street (Bri just adores them). Yes, we do live in the middle of old town and chickens are allowed. They are a hit with all of Bri's friends, and truth be told, with our friends too.

Gotta love it!

Clint will be posting pictures of the house soon.

Crazy times

2008-05-15T09:16:00.004-06:00

Well, we have moved...still living out of some boxes and on a daily basis wonder, "where is...". The new house is good, the neighborhood eclectic and the tree swing a fav. I'll post more on moving and all that good stuff soon.
However, I thought some of you might want to see the girls. These are a few pictures I took playing out in our old yard in the hammock. Fun times!

Our House In The Middle of the Street...

2008-04-06T15:09:00.009-06:00

Well, take a look. Here it is--the new family fort/base camp/favorite restaurant/trail head/decompression tank...all those things and more. The new House of Locks. Check it out:

211 E Chester, Lafayette, CO, 80026

Pretty exciting, huh? After renting for, well, forever, the Locks Clan has decided unanimously to become home owners. It's partly an equity issue (we want some), but mostly our hand was forced into the decision. (Many of you will remember the earlier tragic post recounting the fateful phone conversation I had with our landlord, Chuck?). All in all, it's for the best, I suppose, and I won't use time here talking about how broken-hearted we are to have to leave our current neighborhood and its amazing community. (See earlier blog entries for that).

The house is actually quite cool. It's a bit larger than our current rental, is mostly solar powered, has lots of storage, and nice little yard with a place for a small garden for Alisa. It was built in 2002, so it's not that old. We probably won't have to replace the timing belt or clutch for a while. It even has an "it'll do" kind of coffee shop a couple of blocks away for Saturday morning 'family pajama breakfasts' or for those times of obligatory peace and quiet for grading papers or writing letters.

One potential drawback is that there are a large number (hard to count accurately, as they move around a lot) of chickens across the street. This could be a good or bad thing, depending on how we spin it. But that's true about much of life, poultry-based or not. It's all in how you look at it, right-side up, or backwards and sideways. That said, we're excited about our new hacienda, and hope you will visit soon. And in case you're wondering: we move on the 27th and, yes, we need help and, yes, we'll reward you with various grillables and beer for your altruistic efforts.

Love to all,
Clint, reporting for The Locks Clan

Update

2008-03-10T13:52:00.007-06:00

I know, lame title. What can I say, a lot is going on here so "Update" it is.

I am home from Africa. It was an amazing trip. I traveled with a group of 12 Compassion sponsors to Ghana and Burkina Faso (both in West Africa) and photographed the sponsors meeting their sponsor children. This alone is a emotional ride.

I witnessed families with 8 children living off the father making $4 a month. The "snow" of Burkina Faso (aka Red Dirt) seemed to consume everything. I learned how to carry babies on my back "Africa" style with great fabric and all. Addison is in for some fun. The church parking lots in Burkina look like motor scooter sale lots. I witnessed women with babies on their backs, stacks of items on their heads and small children in front of them riding scooters. All while looking beautiful in traditional dresses. Most of all I discovered West Africa, for me, was as much about the visual as it was the sound. Groups of mothers would meet us at the projects singing and dancing for us. In Ghana, songs were prayers and started all of our days. The local dialects lend themselves to deep penetrating voices and choir like songs lifted up.

Poverty seemed endless but Hope was steady and sure. And with this Hope poverty can have an end. Now that I'm home I keep thinking of 2 Corinthians 4:18 "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

I missed my family. I am glad to be home. I am thankful for the opportunity to experience a different culture and gain a little different perspective.

If you're interested in finding out more about Compassion International go to the link below. I was once again amazed with the organization.

www.compassion.com

On to other things. We have been sick. We, meaning the girls and I. Clint seems to be made of steel and can not be bothered to get sick. We are also looking for a place to put our things and cook and sleep and play and live. You know, a house. It makes our hearts sad to think we might have to leave Boulder so we are praying for a miracle. We would love to stay close to where we live now. Oh the joys of going into large amounts of debt to own dust. Fun times.

The girls are good and growing and Bri is as funny as always. Last night when a babysitter was here she was singing like a rock star in bed (this in normal for her), when the sitter hears her call out "I'm having a concert!". Of course she is. Maybe we should all try having a concert in bed tonight. I think I'll borrow some animals from Bri to be my audience.

Addi's getting bigger and oh yeah, I'm going to Africa

2008-02-01T15:57:00.001-07:00

See what I mean? Bigger.

As for Africa. I leave in a week. What!? Yes, it's true I'm going on a trip with Compassion to Ghana and Burkina Faso to photograph what Compassion is doing there. It will be a wonderful, hard, emotional, crazy trip. If you get the chance throw an e-mail or a call to Clint while I'm gone (the 9th-21st). Also, please pray for a safe time for me and the family.
Bri has been talking about flying with wings on her back like a butterfly the last few months. I've been thinking of this trip as taking a ride on the wings of God. I'm sure He'll surprise me with what He is going to show me and where we'll go.
I've always wanted to go to Africa.

Oh and don't worry Clint is getting help with the girls. Hee/hee.

A nap???

2008-01-24T15:22:00.000-07:00

We happen to produce babies who don't sleep during the day. Really. Addison will sleep a total of maybe an hour or a little longer each day. This hour is split up into tiny power naps of 10 to 15 minutes. Bri was the same way. I had to teach Bri how to take naps and she didn't do so until around 11 months and even then it was only one nap of an hour and a half a day.

Right now as I type my house is quiet. I got to take a nap on the couch. I sat down to drink a glass of water. I checked my e-mail all by myself. I might just get time to go to the bathroom all alone. It's amazing! Both of the smallers are asleep. Is this really what other mom's experience? Phenomenal!

I hear Addi...gotta get to the bathroom.

The girls

2008-01-15T15:12:00.001-07:00

There's No Business Like Snow Business

2007-12-28T19:49:00.001-07:00

Here are a few shots of us in our backyard
after a little snow storm:

Whoop-ee!*

I think we're ready to try out for the US Olympic Luge Team!

Merry Christmas
and a
Happy New Year!!!

from the Locks clan

*Hey...It may not look like much, but it's free entertainment, and quality family time.

Cool Things We Have Gotten for Free That Make Me Think There Is A God

2007-12-09T09:30:00.000-07:00

Often, people find their Faith through a series of events that defy explanation to the degree that they say "Fine! OK. There must be Something bigger than luck, coincidence and cool people doing consistently cool things. Now--what is It?" That's when the real journey begins...
Anyway, Alisa and I are pretty sure of our belief in God, but there are sometimes things that remind us that we're probably right. Here are some current examples:

Outdoor gear is expensive. I'm a school teacher in Colorado. 'Nuff said: this is an issue!

exhibit A: I had an old climbing back pack that I'd (ab)used for years. In sympathy, Mark, a friend of mine, told me I should take it to the company (Kelty) and see if they could repair it. I did. They didn't repair it; they offered me a NEW one for relatively free (regular price is over $165.00)! Right on.

exhibit B: Brianna was 'exploring' Alisa's pair of polarized glare-resistant sunglasses. Her exploration led to the violent death of said eyewear. On a lark, she decided to send them in and ask for a replacement. They did it...for free. The glasses were WAY past any reasonable replacement warranty. Sweet.

exhibit C: Inspired by Alisa's industry, I did the same...after stepping on my own pair of technical sunglasses. (Urgghh! Clutz-ball!)I had no hope of the same result. 3 business days later, I got a phone call from the company asking me to choose a new pair. 9 business days later, my new pair arrived in a cushy little box. Almost free. Love 'em.

exhibit D: Alisa needed a new climbing harness, as hers was not really suited for outdoor climbing. My boss at the Boulder Rock Club walked up to me a few days ago and said, "Hey, we got this nice Black Diamond harness (small) as a demo and can't use it. You have any use for it?" Hmmm. Yes, I do...

exhibit E: Pulling up at Copper Mountain Saturday morning (see previous post), I decided it would be a good "husband duty" to clean up Alisa's car a bit. I gathered up all the garbage, then walked over to one of the hundreds of resort trash cans. I dumped the coffee cups, hand warmer and bar wrappers and various kid-refuse. Walking back to the car, it clicked. "What the..?!" I walked back to the trash can and, sure enough, there they were: a totally new pair of ski goggles. Skiing, I fall down...a lot...really hard, so my pair had been worse for the wear for 3 years, having split all the way through the outer plate. Finding a brand-spanking new pair in the trash? You gotta be kidding...

(postscript) A buddy of mine recently gave me, out of the blue, a new ski helmet, goggles, and sunglasses. As it turned out, the helmet didn't fit and the goggles were too small. This is a weird one. It's like God was saying, "I can deliver to you. You spread the love." We're donating all of those items. Spread the love, pay it forward, embrace the beauty of community, right? I think that's what Jesus was talking about all along, anyway.

There's more, but that's enough to make my point. Something bigger than us Who loves us and takes care of us and wants us to take care of each other? A little sentimental, perhaps, but I like the idea.

updates from Clint

2007-12-09T09:05:00.000-07:00

Things are good. (It's all about seeing the Big Picture, which is a whole different blog altogether). On the homefront news, our landlord decided not to put our house (actually, HIS house...it's hard to remember that. That's a whole different blog altogether) on the market until May, so we bought some time, which is good. Other than that, Addison the Smaller Smaller is doing well. Crying a lot, but wha'd'ya expect? Brianna the Taller Smaller is doing equally well. She loves her sister, which is good; we were worried there would be a sibling rivalry right off the bat. The only problem is: she thinks Addison should wrestle with her. Not good. Makes for more crying. We're up at Silverthorne right now, taking turns making turns and taking in the amazing snow at Copper. First day back on tele skis for the year for me. More crying...this time, from my quads and butt muscles. Worth it, though. Skipping school on Monday to prolong the glory. Christmas is just around the corner...which is a whole different blog altogether.

Oh Christmas tree, Oh Christmas tree

2007-12-05T16:31:00.000-07:00

We did it! We trekked out into the wild and found ourselves a Charlie Brown Christmas tree. It was great fun! Brianna loved it and Addison slept through most of it. The Christmas season is upon us. Now we all hope that we remember to water the little tree so we don't burn our house down.

Cute, cute, cute!

2007-11-02T14:33:00.001-06:00

Bri (2 years and a little) and Addison (2 weeks and a little)

Drive By

2007-11-01T10:01:00.000-06:00

I know it sounds crazy but it's true. We got "drive by" flu shots this year. Kaiser is teaming up with the CDC (Yes, it's shocking to see the government at work) to test out what it would look like to immunize all of us in case of an epidemic or pandemic or a whatever-demic. To do this Kaiser offers free flu shots to their members if they come and "drive by". They were expecting to vaccinate around 20,000 people from the hours of 8-2 the day we went. We were in and out of there in under 10 minutes. You even get some "to go" Advil.

More Pictures

2007-10-18T09:18:00.000-06:00

Addison Rose and the family

2007-10-14T17:04:00.000-06:00

Addison's Birth Announcement

2007-10-13T18:25:00.000-06:00

"Everything about birth is firmly rooted in a holy union of science and faith, patience, love and best guesses."

Brianna has a new baby sister! Addison Rose Locks was born this morning Friday, October 12, at 6:36 a.m. She weighed 8.16 lbs at birth and measured 19 1/2 inches.

We very much appreciate all those who continue to support our family in various ways. You are all blessings to us, and we love you! Please feel free to drop by when you get a chance. We'd love to introduce you to Addison. She's got a lot of very special people to meet, and it may take her a few months to reconcile faces, names and reputations, so visit often!

Thanks for checking in!

We'll be wintering on Carnegie Drive!

2007-10-13T18:22:00.000-06:00

Update on our housing situation: Chuck has given us a big break! He promised that he won't sell the house until spring. That is a welcome bit of grace, as who wants to move with a 3 week old into a house they don't really want in the first place. We're excited we will get to winter on Carnegie Drive with all our friends. Snowball wars outside at 2:00, everyone!

Due Date

2007-10-10T15:34:00.000-06:00

Today is the day. That elusive due date the doctors give you by simply guessing the date of conception of your baby. This is the day that you look forward to sleeping on your back (when you get to sleep), not getting kicked from the inside out (which you will miss) and meeting that little baby that has grown inside you for 9+ months. This is the day. Or it’s supposed to be. Or maybe it isn’t. Yesterday wasn’t the day. Tomorrow may not be the day. Tomorrow may be the day. I guess today could be the day if "the day" is night. All we really know is that there will be a day. I hope that day is today or tonight, ok so I was hoping for yesterday.

Come out, baby, come out. We’re ready to meet you.

Language and its explicit and implicit messages

2007-10-03T15:17:00.000-06:00

Exhibit A-the dreadful telephone call of 10-1-07 from our landlord
------------------------------------

Ring, ring---

Clint: Hello?

Chuck: Hi, Clint. This is Chuck, your landlord.

Clint: Oh, hi! I haven’t heard from you in a while. How was your trip out east?

Chuck: Well, Clint, I’m going to be selling the house I’m renting you. I just wanted to let you know (that you and your family are soon going to be out on the street or paying some exorbitant amount for a cramped, older, falling-part place in a bad neighborhood with a new baby and a two year-old).

Clint: (Whooah! Did he say..?) You…what?

(silence on both ends of the line)

Chuck: I wanted to thank you for being such a wonderful tenant. If everyone was like you, I’d probably still keep the houses I’m renting.

Clint: Oh well, that’s nice of you to say (but how does that help me today, buddy?! You wanna see NOT nice?! I can show you NOT nice, too.) I really appreciate you, as well. You’ve always been prompt to return our calls and you fix anything that’s broken within a few days. (How about fixing THIS and just giving us your freakin' house, Chuck? Huh!? How ‘bout THAT?)

Chuck: Don't worry--I’ll give you 30 days notice once I talk to my realtor.

Clint: 30 days? (How generous is THAT?!) Chuck, that’s not much time (to pack up our entire existence and drive away from the million things we love about this house, this neighborhood and this area). We’re going to need at least 3 months to be able to find a place and move out. What can you do for us? (Help a brutha out, here!!!)

Chuck: I’ll talk to the realtor, Clint. I’ll do what I can. I just wanted to let you know. (Now leave me alone. I’ve done my good deed today. “Into every life…”).

Clint: OK. Well, thanks for being straightforward with us about it. I’m sure it’s in your best interest (diametrically opposed to OURS, of course!) I wonder--would you be open to a rent-to-own scenario? I think we could both win here.

Chuck: No, no. I don’t think so, I just need to get these houses of mine out from underneath me. That’s all. Have a good day. (Of my numerous headaches, you are my favorite).

---Click---

Into every life, a little rain…At least I’ve got a job. No house, apparently, but a job.

Bri turns 2

2007-10-02T09:17:00.000-06:00

On the 3rd Brianna will be 2 years old. We had a fun little party last weekend to celebrate. Here are some Bri shots. Enjoy!

(This picture is from the park the other day)

How big is she?

2007-09-18T08:21:00.000-06:00

Here is a picture for all of you out there that are not around to see what I look like with 3 weeks to go. Getting big, oh yes, very big!

wood, stone and, MAN!, we love where we live!

2007-09-17T06:17:00.000-06:00

It feels like a shimmer of heaven right here on earth. What a blessing a home can be. Our family has come to really love our rental place in south Boulder, and for even more reasons than we thought we would. All of our neighbors are warm, interested (and interestING!) and giving. It is truly the first real community we've been a part of. Even the reported 'recluse' next door is a super-nice guy once we got to know him (this, largely due to the occasion of his enormous cottonwood falling on our house during a wind storm. No damage to speak of, though). There are numerous kids for Brianna to play with and learn very important socialization skills, and Alisa meets many of our neighbors on an almost-daily basis for afternoon front yard chit chat.
Also, its location approaches perfection. There is a grocery store, nice little neighborhood coffee shop, a bus stop and numerous trail heads, all within a 5-10 minute walk. It affords us many opportunities as a family that most other areas would not.
I can't imagine leaving here. Life is weird, though, right? New news as of this month is that our landlord, Chuck, has recently decided to sell this home he rents to us. It is to happen in the undisclosed but near future, once the housing market is more to his liking.
Now, it is my deep and unwavering opinion that God already knows this, has orchestrated it, even, and has our best interest at heart regarding it. We are very disappointed, though, in our limited existential vision, and are a bit distressed on a number of levels. Our hope is that Chuck will offer us a rent-to-own deal. That would be amazing, almost unheard of, and a serious answer to prayer. We'll see. If you're the praying kind, please join us in praying for that. If you're not...well, we still need around $37,000.00 to present a tantalizing down payment offer to him. Money talks louder than sentiment, you know.
Yeah, yeah--it's true that a house is only wood and nails, dirt and cement. But ours is a catalyst for so much more. We love it and want to stay here for many years. And we feel a bit blindsided and shaken by the news. I just thought I would let you all know what's going on. We're hoping for the best. Stay tuned.

Bri is a Super Hero

2007-09-10T09:07:00.001-06:00

Kisses and I love you

2007-08-31T10:30:00.000-06:00

Bri is funny. She gives me these giant smooshie kisses. She holds onto both of my cheeks and smashes my face into hers until we are both laughing so hard she has to let go. Now if that doesn't help the day get better I don't know what would.

On another note, everyday we have a conversation that goes like this:
(all spoken in a happy yelling voice)
Me: Bri, I love you!
Bri: Okay!
Me: But I love you!
Bri: (exasperated) Okay!
Me: I love you!
Bri: (annoyed but giggling) I love you ewww! (translation: I love you too)

Oh the joys of having/being an almost 2 year old.

My grandpa and Atticus Finch

2007-08-29T21:11:00.000-06:00

Heroes. The word conjures all sorts of ideas in peoples' heads, from Spider Man and Batman to firefighters and family pets. My hero has always been my grandfather. This may be partly due to the fact that he died just before I ate whatever it is that adolescents eat that make them go crazy, cynical, and good-for-nothing for about 10 years. Either way, my grandfather was and still is the Platonic Ideal. I know there was a bullet-proof cape under those pinstriped farmer's overalls, and that his Red Man chewing tobacco had magical properties. He could read the minds of strangers and kin alike, still raging thunderstorms, calm the most horrible of my grandmother's tirades, get any tractor unstuck from mud with his bare hands, and harvest more hay in one afternoon than all the other neighbors put together. In short, my grandfather had only enough flaws to keep him balanced somewhere between man and Titan. In my mind, that's the way it's always been, and it's the way it is to this day. So how is it that a fictional character created by a cantankerous deep South recluse is stepping into the same light as my grandpa? Simple. Atticus Finch and my grandpa are juxtapositions and cross references of one another. Shades and compliments. Sunrises and sunsets meeting in a blazing midday heat. The first time I read To Kill A Mockingbird, I felt a strange and warm familiarity when Atticus Finch was introduced. The more I got to know him through the pages, I thought Mrs. Harper Lee had been sneaking around my family tree, all the way to the top branches. Atticus is the perfect antagonist, the perfect gentleman. Next to my grandpa, he is the perfect role model as far as I'm concerned. So for those of you who weren't blessed enough to have my grandfather as your grandfather (and that's all but 3 of you), Atticus Finch will do fine for a sit-in. And if you've never picked up the novel To Kill A Mockingbird, do so soon. And read it on a porch swing on a hot summer day, if you can manage it.

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What date is it?

2007-08-09T15:21:00.000-06:00

I can't believe summer is almost gone! Clint starts his new teaching job at Drake Middle on the 14th, Brianna is talking in sentences, sleeping in a big bed and we only have 9 weeks until the baby is due. By that time the leaves will be changing and snow will be on its way.

We have a garden in our back yard that is producing cucumbers, zucchini and tomatoes. So according to that all is well, and it is...busy but well.

Here I Am...responsible

2007-07-29T11:14:00.000-06:00

Well, it's funny how these little tasks are the ones that never get done, but I finally set myself up to be an administrator on this exciting little blog site. Here I am...sharing with Alisa in the responsibility of updating everyone about our humble existence in Boulder, CO. What's going on today? Nothing, really. Bri's getting un-sick, I start my new job soon, I've got to move a mound of dirt in the back yard (one of those NOT-so-little tasks I've been avoiding), Alisa is waddling around the house like a zamboni in attractive clothing with the ability of speech, and we're both really tired. More later.

Bike to Work Day 1

2007-06-27T18:11:00.001-06:00

Bike To Work Day. This is an event in which Boulder residents are encouraged to ride their bikes to work, as opposed to using their gas-guzzling, emission spewing, loud sounding, oil dripping, tire squealing automotives. I have to say the town was a much quieter, more peaceful place this morning. Complimentary breakfast stations were set up all over town to accommodate the bike commuters. Most stations had coffee, bagels, fruit, and various freebies (like the bike sticker I got that said simply "Please do not steal my bike. Thank you." I thought it was quaint). A few even had free bike tune-up sections! And, tonight, there's a celebratory concert at the historic Boulder Theater by the folk rock band StoryTyme to wrap it all up. Very cool.
So, Alisa and I weren't really riding TO work; we were riding WITH our work IN the bike stroller, and Brianna seemed very happy tootling around town with a bagel, juice, and her Etch-A-Sketch. Either way, we felt we were a part of Something...like we were truly changing the world, one pedal revolution at a time. We all do what we can.

:)

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

2007-06-25T20:15:00.001-06:00

We just returned from our first major family vacation to Mexico with our friends the Mezey's. Bri did fantastic on the plane rides.

She just loved the ocean. Unlike most almost 2 year olds who run away from waves Bri would head straight into the water. You would think a few sandy waves in the face would cure that but it didn't. She learned the word ocean and it sounds like she's saying "oh shit". Clint thinks she's saying "oh shit, that's a lot of water." Pretty dang funny.

We went into town one day to the market and ate at a taco stand. How is it that such simple tacos in Mexico can taste so dang good? Bri had a collision with the concrete and banged up her little face, so sad. As she screamed on the side of the road I waited for the police to send me to jail for trying to steal a little Mexican girl. One day we went to Chico's Paradise and hiked, chased roosters, swam and went down waterfalls (the boys did). Every day saw us at either the pool or ocean or both. Did I mention it was hot? Really, really hot. One night Clint and I got to have dinner on the beach...alone. **We just locked Bri in the room, surprisingly she did very well.

All and all it was a great time. Oh yeah, and it was hot. Really, really hot.

**This is a foot note, really it's a mother note. We didn't really lock Bri in the room for the night in order to go out. We did the classic baby switch. Jason and Kristin watched Bri one night and then we watched Josiah the next day. My Mom didn't want anyone to come after us for child abuse.

The Start

2007-06-25T19:49:00.001-06:00

I've decided that it is time for a family blog. I keep wanting to put "family stuff"on my blog but I feel like it doesn't always belong there. So...this is the answer. This blog with have updates, funny stories and pictures. Enjoy.