Katie's Fun Summer 2009

Deanna Rose Farm in Kansas City

A picture's worth a thousand words

Denver Zoo

Rollerskating

Happy 5th Birthday!

The Denver Children's Museum

Catch me Dad!

Swim lessons

Lots of reading!!

Playdates!!

I love lists. I'm a habitual list-maker. Lists keep me organized, honest, and sain. I have many lists that are on-going such as: my meal planning list, my grocery list, my future blogs list, my housework list(keeps me honest), my daily list of things-to do, and so on. Lists give me a sense of accomplishment & purpose. I love the feeling of satisfaction derived from crossing something off a list or highlighting the task I've finished~There. Done. Next item. Sometimes when a list is too crossed off or highlighted, I create a new list from that list. A fresh start for that list if you will. Type A personality? I don't really know. But I love making lists.

In May I decided to make a list of all the things I wanted to do with Katelyn on our summer break. As the summer went on I would cross off or highlight the things we'd done. Now that summer is coming to a close with school starting next week, I look at "Katie's Fun Summer 2009" list and I'm very proud of all the things we experienced. This is the best summer I've ever had. And the best part? I know Katelyn had a fun, memorable summer too.

Here's my "Katie's Fun Summer 2009" list:

Swim lessons-12 private lessons to be exact
t-ball
karate camp
rollerskating-x3
WW meetings & $1 movies/play in the fountains
Children's Museum-x2
Go to the movies( we went twice & saw "G-Force" & "Ice Age 3")
Library-every week and 2 special presentations as well
Zoo-3 times to the Denver Zoo, once to the K.C. Zoo, and once to the Scottsbluff Zoo, we also attended a special event called "Zoomily"
Vacation in Kansas City
Trip to Scottsbluff
We had a camping trip with our neighbors planned, but we missed it when Mike's mom passed away-next summer for sure!
Katelyn's 5th birthday party-Hurrah!!
Swimming outside at Lifetime x2(that's kinda sad, actually!)
1 trip to the Butterfly Pavilion
4th of July Fireworks & picnic
Rockies Game
Playdates-too many to count

Whew! We were busy! I can't remember a faster summer! And the weather? Well, in Colorado who could complain? It was a beautiful summer here, with lots of cool days so we were comfortable outside. The bugs weren't even as bad as years past.

Now I'm turning my attention to my favorite season, Fall, and already making my list of what to do with Katelyn in the Fall. I'm SO incredibly glad that she's 1/2 day Kindergarten so we can still do all the fun Fallish things I have planned!

Here's a preview of coming attractions this fall:

Puppet Show~Little Red Riding Hood & Santa Surprise
Nature & Science Museum
Botanic Gardens (when Grandma Julie comes in Sept.)
Anderson Farm
Downtown Aquarium (w/Grandma Julie)
Soccer on Tuesdays
The Circus in October
Halloween!! I love Halloween!!
A trip to the mountains
The Denver Art Museum
Church & Sunday school class
Family BBQ
Thanksgiving!!
school field trips & parties for Halloween & Thanksgiving
College Hill Library & special programs
Tiny Town
"Curious George 2" which comes out in September
AND playdates, lots of playdates!!

There's a New Sheriff in Town!

Isn't imagination the best?? Today Katelyn is the sheriff of "Texasville" & along with her trusty horse(and sidekick), "Bessie", they are patroling the area for robbers. Apparently she is also a singing cowgirl with this tune, "Oh Zuzanna, won't you cry to me, cuz I'm goin to California with a banjo on my knee".

We had the following conversation when sheriff Katelyn came into the kitchen, I mean saloon:
Sheriff Katelyn: "Can the little woman rustle me up some grub?"
The little woman: "What would you like sheriff? Perhaps some fried squirrel or rattlesnake?"
Sheriff Katelyn: "Nah, just some bacon & waffles will do".
The little woman: "I'd be happy to oblige ya sheriff."
Oh and by-the-way, no horses at the table sheriff!!

Family Game Night!

On Saturday Shane & Gina joined us for a barbecue and an evening of games. We had so much fun! The food was delicious & we value the time together more than anything! Shane & Gina are such wonderful people and we enjoy their company! Katelyn absolutely ADORES her big brother & sister(in-law), and they adore her right back! We played 2 games: Jenga & Pictionary. It was Katelyn's first time playing both games and she did an amazing job! We were incredibly proud of her! And the best part: she had a blast!! We are so pleased that she inherited our love for games. We can't wait for our next get-together with Shane & Gina in September!

JENGA!!

Easy does it...

Gina never took the easy way!

Shane, Katie, & Gina

Thatta Girl!



O.K. so I have to brag on my little girl a bit! We were all amazed by her drawings. First of all she just turned 5 so keep that in mind, secondly she loved being "under the gun" with the hourglass running, and thirdly & it's really sad to admit, but at 5 Katelyn is far better at drawing than I will ever be! She definitely inherited this talent from her dad. Rarely does anyone guess what I've drawn because it never resembles anything close to the catagory picked. HA! Assuming you know how to play Pictionary, you'll find this little tidbit interesting too: Katie was the designated roller for her team(Shane, Gina, & Katie against mom and dad) AND she rolled a 6 four times in a row. Because her team always guessed correctly, they had control of the board the entire time we played. Here's the really sad part: Mike & I moved one square the entire game. One. The "OTHER" team made it all the way around the board!! How pathetic is that??!! Mike is an amzing artist, so I'm betting he'll ask for Katie to be on his team next time!!

A Visit With the Professor!

Time for a story!




We're VERY proud of you professor!


Looking quite official behind Anna's desk!

Last week Katelyn & I visited Anna at her new place of employment: Front Range Community College. Anna will begin the new semester as an Associate Professor in the Nursing School & we are VERY proud of her! Anna took us on a tour of the campus and we spent a lot of time at the campus library. I am SO excited!! Katelyn and I have a new library to visit now. I always thought that since the college & library were in Westminster we wouldn't be able to apply for a library card. But that's not the case at all. A CO drivers license is the only requirement since the college is a state-sponsored institution. WOO-HOO!

The children's section of the library at Front Range far surpasses the smaller libraries we have close to where we live. They have a wonderful selection of books(all levels), media, computers, and a fantastic schedule of children's programs, all free of course. There is also a storytime on Thursday afternoons that we can attend since Katelyn is 1/2-day Kindergarten. Going to the library has always been a part of our weekly routine since Katelyn was a baby. I love that we can continue that tradition throughout the next school year. I also appreciate the fact that we won't be limited on the number of items we can check out just because we live in a different town. We can check out 30 items in a single day and have as many as 100 items checked out at any time. It feels good to be treated equally!!

We also spent some time in Anna's office. Anna has worked hard to get everything ready and organized for herself & her students. Her office was as I would expect: warm & inviting! She even had a surprise for Katelyn in her bottom filing cabinet drawer: a Color Wonder book! We'll be visiting again!!!

After our tour, we went out for a wonderful lunch together at Sweet Tomatoes. YUM!! It was a wonderful afternoon!

An Afternoon of Friendship!

Gregg & Katelyn

Picking basil

Now that's a ZUCCINI!!

Anna & Katelyn


We spent an incredible Sunday afternoon with our "more like family" friends Gregg & Anna Helser. The Helser's home is situated on a 1/3 acre lot & their backyard is a virtual paradise complete with: a large hammock, hot tub, covered patio dining area, beautiful flower gardens(Anna is a master gardener), several mature trees that provide so much shade, and least but certainly not least a vegetable/herb/fruit/flower organic garden that is 3500 sq ft.! That's BIG people!!! Oh my goodness! Anna has zuccini, corn, beans, basil, strawberries, tomatoes, eggplant, broccoli, cucumbers, rhubarb, snow peas, bell peppers, and the list goes on. Katelyn had a ball helping her cut some of the ripe veggies! What a great time for my city kid. Anna comes from a country upbringing & maybe you can take the girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the girl! Right!!

Anna also prepared the most delicious (and healthy!) lunch for us. We had broccoli from her garden-is it just me or do veggies straight from the garden taste SO much better? We had Jack Daniels flavored brisket(from COSCO, I am SO joining that place, it was beyond delicious), homemade(OF COURSE!)mashed potatoes, corn-on-the-cob grilled, sliced tomatoes with basil, and bread. Is your mouth watering yet?? For dessert we had peaches over vanilla ice cream & homemade Snickerdoodles! Oh & guess what? I learned how to blanch a peach: 1st you cut a cross on the bottom of the peach, then you boil the peach for 18-20 seconds, then you submerse the peach in cold water right away. The skin just peels off effortlessly & you don't lose any of the peach! I'm telling you I was impressed. I will never try to peel a peach with a knife again!!

We also had a wonderful relaxing soak in their hot tub; although Katie & Gregg had quite the water fight! Katie played croquet, blew bubbles, and scampered about the vast yard. I don't think a kid could have any better a time!! Nor the adults! It was an amazing day!

Anna & Gregg~we are so blessed by our friendships with you both! Thanks for a truly memorable day, we love you guys!

ZOOmily

Of course Katelyn would discover "Bodie" the one show dog in all of the zoo!

On Saturday the 8th of August we took Katelyn to a special event at the Denver Zoo called "ZOOmily". The premise of the event was "bringing fairy tales from around the world to life". The zoo was organized into 4 main adventure areas: Enchanted Europe, Wild West, African Safari, and Mountain States Asian Adventure. Each adventure area featured costumed characters, an art activity, activity stations, food & desserts, native dances, & special animal encounters.

The event was held from 6-9 so we didn't get to do everything but here are a few highlights:

In Enchanted Europe, Katelyn loved the Irish folk dancing. At first she was a little shy to join in, but eventually her feet couldn't help but moving to the music. Although she's not read or seen Harry Potter, she was very enchanted by the Hogwart's activity station complete with a Quidditch match, Wizard's Giant Checkers at the Ravenclaw House, & the potion class at Slytherin House. And of course Prof. Dumbledore, Prof. Snape, Harry Potter, Hermione, etc. were all on hand to greet everyone. The Harry Potter series are some of my favorite books-can't wait till Katie is a little older so we can read them together!

The Wild West was really cool too. We were able to go inside a lifesize teepee, watch Native Americans dance wearing full head dress costumes, listen to a story very much like "The old women who swallowed a fly", but with a western theme about a coyote instead. This was really neat because they didn't just read the story aloud, they also acted it out with neat props & Katelyn was truly mesmerized!! At the animal station we visited some oppossums & learned about their habitat.

African Safari was right as you entered the zoo. At the entrance were African drummers & dancers which fascinated Katelyn. We also saw a lot of animals in this part of the zoo because we still had a lot of daylight. (Towards the end of the evening it was too dark to see the animals in their enclosures.) This was also where we chose to have our dinner: hamburgers, mixed greens & dressing, fresh fruits, chips, mini corndogs, and an oatmeal raisin cookie. It was really pretty good!!

By the time we made it around to the Asian Adventure it was pretty dark. We did get to ride the Carousel for free. The train was also free & there was a jumping castle too, but we had just run out of time!

Overall, we had a great evening! Katelyn was thrilled to get to wear her Snow White costume, the food was great, there were zoo docents throughout the zoo giving informational talks about the animals, the activities were awesome, and the best part? All the proceeds went to the zoo's Red Apple Fund which is used to provide scholarships to schools whose students couldn't otherwise afford the fee for a zoo field trip. Proceeds also help support the zoo's free days throughout the year for families who could not otherwise afford to go to the zoo. As perennial zoo members, we were happy to do our part to help support such worthy causes!!! If I could make only one suggestion it would be to change the hours of the event from 6-9 to 5-8 or even 4-8. It was too dark by 8:30 to see the animals or much of anything else, & 3 hours wasn't quite long enough to do all the fun activites. Other than that, it was a wonderful evening!

OUCH!!

Katelyn had her 5-year-old check-up today. OUCH! She got 3 different shots~the picture above shows her owies on one leg, she has another boo-boo on the other leg. Poor kid! I didn't tell her she was getting shots before we left for the appointment. I didn't think I'd get her in the car if I told her beforehand! Mike met us at her doctor's office because I insisted I wasn't doing this alone. I mean come on, the nurse always asks me to help hold Katelyn down, so I figured Mike could get a taste of that dirty job too! Anyway, the appointment went very well overall: she's healthy, growing, smart, and ready for Kindergarten in the fall. Good news! Then the nurse comes in with her little tray of fun. Katie starts to get very anxious, but we explain to her that these shots contain immunizations which will prevent her from getting really bad illnesses. We tell her how proud of her we are, she's so brave! She gets the shots and she cries. Man that IS SO HARD!!! We feel so bad, but not as bad as we'd feel if we didn't take her to get immunized and she got some horrible disease.

On the way home she spots a sign for a Dairy Queen, and says to me, "Anyone who just got 3 shots deserves some ice cream!" I laugh and say to her, "You are absolutely right!!" So we stop for some ice cream. Afterall ice cream(CHOCOLATE!)makes everything a little better, right!! When I'm done with my cone, I tell her what a good idea that was and how yummy my ice cream was. She says to me,"It was my pleasure to think of it!!" What a ham!

Reconciliation!

Sometimes great blessings come from great sorrow. As was the case at Jean's funeral on August 3rd. Mike & his middle son, Michael Jr., had been estranged for about 13 years until they reunited at Jean's funeral mass. I had never met Michael, nor had Katelyn. We were informed by Mike's daughter, Shelbey, that Michael planned to attend his grandmother's funeral. I thought to myself, well, this will either be a disaster or an opportunity for reconciliation between father and son. Thank GOD it was the latter. Michael was obviously very stricken over the loss of his grandmother. As Michael wept, Mike went up to him and I'm not sure what he said, but father and son embraced. I still get teary-eyed when I think about the power of that embrace. There was so much pain, and time lost, and sadness in that embrace; but ultimately there was forgiveness, relief, and hope. Reconciliation.

Michael was nothing like I had imagined he would be. He was warm and kind, open, funny, and gregarious. Shortly after his arrival, he made his way to Katelyn and introduced himself to her as her big brother & the two of them were nearly inseparable for the rest of the day. Michael embraced me numerous times as well. While beside the gravesite, I went to Michael to offer comfort and he embraced me. I whispered to him that his grandmother loved him, asked about him every time we saw her, and that it was her wish to have him and his father reunited. He said to me, "Well, she got it!"

Shane, Mike's oldest son, & Gina, Shane's wife, also attended the funeral. Mike and Shane also recently reconciled after working together 4 years ago ended badly. It was wonderful to be with them again. I have so many wonderful memories of the time we shared together & now I have many more memories to look forward to. Again, Katelyn was surprised to learn she has another big brother and big sister. Gina also shared with me that she and Shane are trying to get pregnant. Soon we may have another grandchild to love. The Lord works in mysterious ways, but one way or another, HE does answer our prayers.

Right now I am feeling so full of hope. I'm looking forward to big holiday gatherings and backyard barbecues with all of our family around us. I'm excited for Katelyn to know her older siblings. To share birthdays together. To hold grandbabies. My cup runneth over! You know at nearly 40, I'm not so very wise, but I have learned a few things about life: first when you love someone, you should tell them to their face and often; second when you hurt someone, you should say your sorry; and the third? Well, it's never too late to do the first or second until it is TOO late. Omnia vincit amor, nos et cedamus amori.


Now I'd like to introduce you to our family!

from left to right
Katelyn, age 5
Michael Jr., 29
me
Shelbey, 23
Sean, 14 months
Gina, 32
Mike
Shane, 32



Dad, Michael, Katelyn


Shane & Gina (married 8 years)


Mike's brother Scott, wife Terry, and daughter Danielle & their little adoptee!


Grandson Sean

Good-bye Jean

Katelyn(about 2 1/2) and Jean


Step-son Shane's wedding 8 years ago. Pictured are me, Jean, Mike, Mike's bro Scott & wife Terry, and their daughter Danielle.


Jean as a young woman~wasn't she beautiful!!


Jean as a young child~can you tell she was a real stinker!!

My mother-in-law, MarJean, passed away on July 30th. "Jean" was 80 years old. It was my privelege to know her and love her-she was a wonderful mother and an awesome grandma! From the moment I married her son almost 11 years ago, she embraced me and welcomed me to her family~always referred to me as her daughter. We will all miss her!

Jean was born July 21, 1929 in Grand island NE. She was mother to 3 children: Renee, Mike, and Scott. She had 9 grandchildren & 3 great-grandchildren. Jean adored her grandchildren, was very generous with them, and just showered them with love. Her grandchildren and great-grandchildren adored her too!

We arrived in Scottsbluff on Saturday the 1st of Aug. We had a wonderful dinner that evening with Scott & Terry. On Sunday the 2nd we went to Jean's visitation at the funeral home. It's a very hard thing to view your loved one in their coffin, but we all agreed that Jean looked absolutely beautiful and at peace. After a very long illness, with much suffering, she looked like our mom/grandma again. On Monday August 3rd we attended Jean's funeral mass at Christ the King Catholic Church in Gering, NE. It was a beautiful service and honored Jean's life perfectly. After the burial service, we all gathered at the country club for lunch. Nothing would have made Jean happier than having (almost) all of her family together. I know she is in heaven with a great big smile on her face!

Jean-thank you for the many ways you blessed all of our lives. We will always keep our memories of you close to our hearts. We thank our merciful Lord for bringing you home and giving you eternal peace. We will miss you. We love you. Good-bye(for now).