kids grow up fast

I'm wondering when a kid stops being a kid. It seems like they grow up fast anymore. A couple of nights ago while I was getting John's inhaler ready for him,, he opened the bottle for his other asthma medication and got one out. I didn't realize he knew how to get the child proof bottle open. When I asked him about it, he said "you just push down on it and turn it...they give you arrows to show you which way. It's really not that hard." So much for being child proof. He's only 5 years old, but he constantly amazes me.

word problem

Remember word problems from when we were back in school? You know..."if a train leaves New York at 3am heading East at 40mph, and another train leaves..." Bringing back memories (or nightmares)?

I have a word problem for you...

If a family leaves a blue case full of CDs and DVDs on a plane in Denver, Colorado and the plane is cleaned after every flight and all items found are taken to a huge lost and found room as soon as they are found...then where is the blue case full of CDs and DVDs?

The answer? No one knows.

It's been 6 weeks since we left the case on our Frontier flight to Denver, Colorado and they still claim that it has not been found. Kind of makes you wonder...

which one of these things is not like the other?

The other afternoon I was sitting at my desk doing some work on my computer, when Rose walked up to me and handed me my chapstick. She smiled and said "Daddy, here's your glue". I guess to her it looks a lot like her glue stick that she sometimes uses for crafts. My only concern is that if she sees me one too many times using my chapstick, that she will eventually try it herself and glue her lips together.

itching, leaking and streaking

We're in Gatlinburg, Tennessee attending the Timothy Barnabas retreat with Pastor Johnny Hunt from First Baptist Woodstock. We had a great drive down and thankfully that was uneventful.

Last night, we checked in at the conference and they had hors'deurves set up on a long table. It was almost time for dinner, so we only sampled a few. Turns out that one of the small quiche things that I chose had seafood in it. I don't like seafood, but not wanting to have bad manners, I chewed it a few times and swallowed it, followed by something that tasted a whole lot better. The only problem was, as it turns out, I have a slight allergy to shellfish (in this case it was shrimp). Since I don't like seafood, I hardly ever eat it, and had never had a reaction before. Thankfully, the kitchen staff had benedryl that they gave to me and the itching and red spots began to be less noticable throughout the course of the evening.

After the conference, we went back to our room and being somewhat doped up from the benedryl, I was tired and headed to bed pretty quickly. Laurel was watching something on TV and I was drifting in and out of sleep. Suddenly, the air conditioner kicked off and we both heard something that sounded like water running out on the floor of our room. The culprit? Water running out on the floor of our room. Long story short...the AC had issues and wasn't draining outside as it should. It was draining on the floor of our room. The solution? They moved us next door to the suite, which has a king bed, jacuzzi tub, and fireplace.

Overall, it wasn't quite so bad I guess. Especially compared to the guy we sat with at dinner last night. He got to the conference and realized that he had forgotten all of his clothes at home. Since streaking would obviously be frowned on a pastor's conference, they ran to Wal-mart and bought a new shirt and pair of jeans for him. After checking out, he went into the restroom to remove the tags and put the clothes on. The only problem was, that as he was changing, he heard what sounded like a couple of youngs boys talking in the bathroom stalls next to him. Then the reality hit home. Four stalls is a lot of stalls in a men's bathroom. Turns out, he was changing clothes in the woman's bathroom!

garden of the gods

It's pretty much a given. Every year when we're in the Springs, at some point, we make our way over to garden of the gods to walk around. It's beautiful and it's free, so it's pretty hard to resist. Not to mention...it's the only place that I know of where you can see "kissing camels".

John and Rose both really enjoyed walking around and climbing on some of the smaller (and not so small) rocks. We spotted some guys climbing with ropes on the really big rocks and the kids wanted to try it, but I tried to explain that it was not an option for us. John wanted to know when he is a few years older, if we can get some equipment and a rock climbing permit so we can try it. Hmmm...it sounds like fun, but as someone who is scared of heights, I'm not too sure.

an inside look at station #1

It's not everyday that you're invited to see things up close and personal at a fire station. While we were in Colorado Springs on vacation, we had the opportunity (through a friend) to do just that. Richie, one of the fireman at station 1, invited us down for a personal tour.









We thought it was pretty cool that they let us get into the fire truck and put on the headsets so we could hear each other talking, and could even hear stuff that dispatch was saying. (We can only assume and hope that they couldn't hear us talking to each other).

After that, they even let us suit up in their fire gear. John wasn't sure he wanted the whole outfit on, but he did like the hat. They dressed me up in the full gear and even strapped on the 40 pound tank of compressed air and had me breath through the mask. The kids thought that was pretty cool, and to be honest, the big kid inside of me was pretty excited too.











As if that wasn't enough, they also let Laurel and I each go on two separate 911 calls with them that came in while we were there. We strapped ourselves in the truck with four other firemen and off we went with sirens wailing and lights flashing.

talk about a lot of hot air...

This is the first in a series of posts about our recent trip to Colorado. Although we went out primarily to visit with Laurel's grandmother and to help take care of her during our time there, we were also able to sneak in a few really fun outings here and there for an hour or two. (Laurel's grandmother broke her hip about 4 weeks before we arrived and ended up getting out of rehab the day before we arrived. We saw a big improvement in her during the 10 days that we were there).

The following are some pictures from the Colorado Balloon Classic in Colorado Springs, which takes place every Labor Day weekend and is one of the largest in the country.

At night, they have a "balloon glow" which is pretty amazing. They inflate the balloons and fire them, but don't actually take off.

7:30am on the other hand is a very different story...

Balloons of all colors, shapes and sizes take to the Colorado blue sky in flight. We were in utter amazement at the size of the Energizer bunny balloon.















Although Rose really liked to look at all of the balloons and watch them take off, her personal opinion was that the "firing" of the balloons was too loud. (Especially when you are surrounded by them on every side).


One of the long standing traditions at the Colorado Balloon Classic is to dip the baskets of the balloons in the lake at Memorial Park just after takeoff. It looked like some of the passengers actually got a little wet, but I'm sure the cheers of the crowd must make it worth it.

day 1

The backpack has been ready for more than a week and John has been looking forward to this day for even longer. Thankfully he slept well last night, but woke up a little nervous this morning. His first words were "Mom, I can't spell words". (This evidently just occurred to him). Laurel reassured him that they would teach him that at school and that it is all part of the plan. Other kids in his class will be facing the same hurdle.

After a big breakfast of pancakes, scrambled eggs and bacon (John got to use the "celebrate" plate of course), we loaded up into the car and all made our way to Northwest Elementary School for the first day of kindergarten.

Inside the classroom, he found his "cubbie" and hung up his backpack and jacket (since it was just barely 50 degrees this morning).

He was greeted by his teacher, Mrs. Cocklin and began settling in for all of the experiences that day 1 will offer.

We're looking forward to a full report this evening...

All you can eat fish buffet

This evening we were cleaning the house and getting ready for some out of town guests to arrive. We were upstairs working on some things when all of the sudden I realized that Rose was back downstairs by herself. Since she is 2 years old and was being quiet (not usually a good combination) I thought I should go check.

I got to the bottom of the stairs and saw Rose standing by the fish aquarium. When I got closer I discovered that she had climbed up on a chair, gotten out the bottle of fish food, and dumped the entire container into the aquarium. Obviously not very happy with this discovery, I said "Rose Derry, why did you do that?" Her reply, "they were hungry, Daddy".

Through the eyes of a child

It's funny sometimes to realize how children think about or see things. Reality in their world is not always the same as it is in our adult world (and I think that's often a good thing).

A few nights ago, I was putting Rose to bed while Laurel was doing the same with John. After going through the other bedtime rituals that are the standard at our house, it was time to pray. Rose now likes to add bits and pieces of thoughts to the prayer. For example, she likes to say things like "tanks for da milk, an for my plate". Another thing she likes to request prayer for also is "for grampa, cause he feels sick". This night was no exception. She asked prayer for grandpa and then I added "and we pray for Grandma as she helps take care of Grandpa". To which Rose, in a voice most sweet added "yeah....he's heavy".

It took me a few seconds to try and figure out what she meant by her comment, but then I realized that all she has ever known about being sick, is that we carry her around in our arms, while she hugs our neck and snuggles close. I guess that must have been the picture she had in her mind of Grandma taking care of Grandpa.

desperate for food

Yet another adventure of a stay at home Dad...

The other day Laurel got called in to work for the afternoon. They were short handed and we were short funded, so it seemed like a win win situation for everyone involved. I was on a very important phone call and it was time for Laurel to leave for work, so she put a movie on for the kids, knowing that I would be up soon to check on them. Well the call took a little longer than I had planned and I was getting a little nervous because the kids were being so quiet and apparently well behaved. I was hoping that they weren't coloring on the walls or something even worse.

When I got off the phone, I called Laurel to touch base with her on a couple of things, as I headed up the stairs to the kitchen. She informed me that she had made me a sandwich for lunch (which I had missed) and she had left it on the kitchen table. At this point in the conversation, I had already peeked into the living room, very pleased that there was no sign of coloring on the walls. I had also looked for my sandwich, but couldn't locate it, so I asked Laurel again where she had put it for me. She said on the table. I explained that all I saw on the table was a plate with a partially eaten sandwich and what was left of it was somewhat mangled. It looked like one of the kids leftovers that they hadn't finished.

I discovered in a moment that both things were actually true. This was in fact my sandwich, but it had now been reduced to simply the leftovers after Rose had finished with it. She looked up at me with a happy face and announced "Aarrr...I bite it!" How can you argue with a cute face like that?

rose bowl parade

In my last post, I mentioned that my status is now officially listed as "missionary". As such, I am working on raising the financial support needed so I can serve here in NE Ohio. With the economy currently being a little less than desirable, this is a somewhat slow process as you might imagine.

Since my current support level is way below that of the poverty line and my kids like to eat every day, Laurel is currently picking up about 2 days a week with her nursing job and I am staying at home on those two days to take care of the kids. It is somewhat of a challenge for me because I'm not really cut out to be a "stay at home Dad" but it is also a joy to get to spend extra time with the kids while they are small. In addition to pulling my hair out on some days, I also laugh and smile a lot at the things that they do and the memories we are making.

One smile I got last week was from the "rose bowl parade" which took place in our living room. As you can see in the picture below, Rose grabbed a bowl from the kitchen, put it on her head and proceeded to parade around the house humming a happy tune.

missed the boat again

Laurel and I flew to Savannah, Georgia this past weekend to be commissioned as missionaries through the North American Mission Board. (This is part of the process we're going through as we plant a new church in Canal Fulton, Ohio). We stayed at the Westin Savannah Harbor Resort which was across the river from the hisoric riverfront of Savannah. We had a beautiful view from our room and the motel was one of the nicest that we have ever stayed in.

























Numerous times during our stay we took the free water taxi across to the other side to eat in one of the many local restaurants or to explore the historic district of Savannah.

It ran on a schedule (more or less) and we enjoyed it as part of our overall experience. However it became a little frustrating to us on Monday when we went down to get on the water taxi and cross over to the other side for lunch. We walked out the door only to discover that the water taxi was already pulling away, a minute or two ahead of scheule. Since it takes about 30 minutes for it to make one complete trip (there are a total of three stops) we decided to go pack the rest of our stuff, check out early and check our bags at the front desk. Then we would catch the next taxi across the river, have lunch, and head straight to the airport when we got back to the motel.

All went according to plan until we headed out to catch the water taxi again to go across and have lunch. You guessed it. We missed the boat again! It was just pulling away, once again a minute or two ahead of schedule. So we headed to the airport early and had lunch there with another couple from our group before flying to Atlanta and making our connection to continue our trip home. Thankfully we did NOT miss our flight (they were on schedule).

more is not always better

No matter how old I get, there are still lessons to be learned. One particular lesson that I am learning recently is that more is not always better. This is a common misconception among most people today.

Here is my case in point. A year or so ago, John got a box of crayons. It's not a box of 8 or 12 or even 24. I'm talking about the box of 96 crayons with the built in sharpener on the back. This is for those children who are really serious about coloring. And it comes in really handy during those moments where you need burnt umber or chartreuse. At the time we got John the box of crayons it seemed like a good idea. But here-in lies the problem.

Rose is a few weeks short of being 2 and she does not fully comprehend that crayons are for paper. No, in her mind, crayons were created to draw all over any empty space that you might encounter. The wall, the table, the floor, and most recently the front of the microwave in our downstairs kitchenette.

What I'm realizing is that it is nearly impossible to keep track of 96 crayons. Just when you think you have them all safely stored away, she finds a stray one and decorates something with it. I'm pretty sure I could keep track of 8 crayons...maybe even 12. And you can make a decent picture with those basic colors, right? The sky is blue, the grass is green, the trees are brown. In this case, maybe simple is good.

forward thinking

John is at that stage where he is always thinking, and always thinking up new things. For example, the other night, he was playing with his legos before dinner and built this...

What do you mean "what is it"? You can't tell? It's a mobile cell phone tower. This is the very thing that will make it possible in the future for you to never miss another call because you're in a remote area, or drop a call because of a weak signal or a dead spot. "Can you hear me now" will be a thing of the past. All because of John who is a forward thinker.

Now, I know what you're thinking. It's a little large to hook on behind your car, and a little too high to go under the underpasses on the highway. There's always at least one sceptic in every crowd. But are you forgetting that the first computer took up an entire city block? Now you can fit one in your pocket. Keep in mind that this is just the first prototype. The design will keep being tweaked and redesigned over time. And before you know it, everyone will have one. And you'll be able to say that you knew John when....

two words...sticker back

Rose isn't quite talking in full sentences yet (after all she's not quite 2 yet) but she is definately talking. She communicates in broken sentences making all of her wants and wishes known. She's so darn cute and polite (always saying please and thank you) that it's hard not to give in to her every request. Rose stopped by my office (in our basement) yesterday, as she often does when she's in the area, just to say hello and give Daddy a hug. When she came in yesterday, she pointed to my pad of post it notes and said "sticker". She repeated this a few times, until I ripped off the top note, which had a phone number I no longer needed, and handed it to Rose. To which she replied, "no...back!" She wanted me to stick it on her back, which is what they do in the church nursery and at the YMCA when she's in childcare. She wore the post it on her back until it was time for her nap, and then I peeled it off without being detected and snuggled her into her crib to drift off to dreamland.

snow fun

The first words out of John's mouth when he got up this morning at 7:30am were "can we go sledding?" He has been waiting for enough snow to go sledding ever since the first flake fell a couple of months ago. But until today, we hadn't gotten more than an inch or so at a time. Never enough for sledding...

In addition to sledding (and shoveling our long driveway) we also made snow angels and a big honkin' snowman. Then when we came back inside, we all had a cup of hot cocoa. Today was one of those days that good old fashioned family memories are made of.

Two days ago (on Thursday) on the other hand was not one of those days. I took Rose to the YMCA for her parent/baby swim class only to discover that I had forgotten my swimsuit. I left the "Y" and went to the grocery store and then back home...only to discover when I got home that I had left my groceries at the store. I guess it's a good thing that I don't have dentures or a hair piece yet, or I probably wouldn't be able to remember where I left those either.

Hopefully the kids will still have a few more fun days and good memories with Dad before they have to put me in the nursing home.