If a family ever needed a day out in the gorgeous Colorado mountains, it was us. After enduring a month of LICE HELL, as we affectionately call it around here, we headed to the Breckenridge area with 5 kids, 4 bikes, and 2 bike trailers, impressively packed in to one Land Cruiser. Smile. We had a marvelous 15-mile ride from Breckenridge to Frisco and back, then enjoyed hours of splashing and searching for treasures in Lake Dillon. Our dear friends joined us for pizza and play time at the newly revamped gazillion-dollar playground up there -- it arguably has the best view of any park in North America. What a wonderful day. We arrived home tired, dirty, but really refreshed.
Booker is enjoying 5th grade and is now running a couple of miles with Brant and I to condition for tackle football, which starts in 1 week. He's so excited he can hardly sleep! The kid was born for sports, and it's fun to share in his enthusiasm.
Brooklyn is a 2nd grader now and is completely conscientious about her school work. She is also Bella's unofficial tutor, a role she created for herself. Bella enjoys the attention from her, and I think Brooklyn is a natural -- she has the patience of Job. Her hair is a newly dyed brownish color, and THANKFULLY, she didn't freak out about it. She's just grateful to be rid of the lice eggs.
Bella is eating up kindergarten and has brought home meticulous school work so far. Her teacher is so excited to have her in class, and is such a teammate in helping Bella succeed. Good teachers are such a gift! Bella is really asserting herself these days, and I'm enjoying watching her personality surface... she's a spitfire, something I recognize and celebrate in a girl! Smile.
Brock isn't going to get a choice about potty training anymore. Tomorrow is the BIG DAY and pull-ups are going to disappear. I may try to train Bode at the same time to see if the competition drives Brock towards the potty chair! Whatever works!!! Smile. Brock is such a lover... full of kisses and hugs and kind words for all. I adore him, and have such a hard time being mad at him about the failed potty training. Hee-hee.
Bode continues to smile his way through the day, cuddly as a bear, and his English is coming along quite nicely as well. He rarely speaks Amharic anymore, and while I'm glad he's assimilating, I'm sorry to watch it disappear. His accent remains, as does Bella's, and I hope those darling inflections stick around for a long while.
I am hoping to recover this week from the near-depression that set in from LICE HELL, and actually get to my long list of things to be accomplished. But if I don't, oh well. I have a loving husband and five beautiful children... and for them, I'm happy to accomplish nothing of worldly importance, but instead to assist them as they bloom. Someone recently said to me, after I'd nearly fallen apart over the lice mess and the summer it stole from us, "You know, Karen, mothering isn't all the fun stuff you take your kids to do... it's the every day, in-and-out work you do to help them grow. And picking nits out of their hair shows you'd rather be with them, helping them, than anywhere else in the world." Wise woman, that girl. Love my friends.
Brant is busy with work, work, parenting, and more work. It is so satisfying to me to watch him enjoy the fruits of his MBA and those long, crazy nights he spent procuring that degree. We are just so thankful that God continues to use him to provide for our family. He loves what he does...
We love all of you, and are REALLY missing our friends and family after being holed up so long over here. We hope to see you soon! Hugs... Karen
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