Time

I have 3 blog posts nearly written. I have taken pictures, uploaded them to iPhoto, and all I have to do is move them to a folder and upload them to appropriate post.

Oh this month has been fun! A 9 year anniversary and thirty-something birthday! A party with our friends and a trip to the State Fair! Swimming lessons! Kindergarten! A first JV Football game for an 8th grader! All documented in photos.

But this business of living? Of child raising and cleaning and cooking and gardening and sweeping and laundry and working and meal planning and the rare opportunity to sit on the couch and watch TV without a child asking to watch Spongebob or the other who has just learned to hold his arms up and YELL mama!

woo wee.

Blogging is the thing that has suffered. I just can't seem to find the time. I'm thinking I may just put up a mass photo dump - if for no other reason than to please my mom.

Rediscovering Jesus

Sophie has been wandering around the house singing, "All day, all night, angels watching over me my lord". When I found it in my Rise Up Singing you would've thought I had just announced that it would be her birthday for the next 2 months.

I'll be the first to admit that I have hang ups about religion. This is largely due to my own experiences with the exclusive, guilt inducing cliques from high school, the intolerance and hypocrisy that I see from so many Christians, and my own beloved Mennonite Church's stance on homosexuality... truly, I could go on and on.

My belief in God has never faltered, but I hadn't regularly attended church since I was 18 (unless you count Friday Mass at the Catholic Worker, so let's say 19). After Sophie was born I started church shopping, only to get discouraged by the fire and brimstone, the electrified services, the Big! Screen! with the songs and the preacher... so I kind of gave up. While that is exactly what some people love about worship, that's just not for me.

We found out about St. Michael's at a cocktail party (good omen) and we went the very next day. Soon after, Roy and I started taking communion. Now we kneel. We pray. We share the peace. We are enjoying the community and focused quiet that comes with church. And we are certainly enjoying the inclusive, peace-loving, Believe Out Loud church that we and our children will soon become members of.

Still, when my daughter brings home a Jesus Loves Me coloring book, my instinct is to shrink into a corner. And once a week, when she asks me about Jesus, what do I say?

This has been a cathartic exercise for me. I channel my dad who always focused on Jesus the teacher, not Jesus the savior. "Jesus was a rebel" I tell her. "He preached love and peace and tolerance and asked the rich to give away all of their things to the poor. And he was killed because of it." We sing "Jesus Christ" by Woody Guthrie and talk about justice, goodness, turning the other cheek.

In the past we've talked to Sophie about peace, but let's face it - it doesn't really come up. She's a good kid who doesn't fight with others. We don't talk about Israel or the Middle East. We don't talk about the killing of Bin Laden or the conflict so many of us felt at his death. So talking about Jesus is the perfect opportunity to instil the values of justice in my kind (and impressionable) little girl.

And it's a good reminder for me, too.

The Lake

After a couple of days in Freeman, we headed off to Okoboji, IA We rented a big condo on the lake and my folks, Jeremy, and his kids joined us a day later. At the end of vacation, I asked Roy what the highlight of our vacation was. He said drinking his morning coffee on the deck.
Prior to the rest of my family's arrival we took in some mini golf ( I won) and go cart riding.


I'll post another blog featuring the amazing pictures my brother took from our day on the boat, but other than that, this pretty much sums it up.
I have no idea what mom is reading to Oliver in this picture. I like to think it's Redbook.
While there I purchased a very large hat to shield me from the sun. It was one of the most useful purchases I have made. I think Miller agrees.
As I've grown I've realized how much I enjoy vacationing with my family. No one is imposing on anyone else, no one has deadlines or work responsibilities. I highly recommend this way of connecting with those you love.

Comment of the Day

I'm implementing a new feature on my blog: The Comment of the Day. It may not be humorous to anyone but me and Roy, and it certainly won't be every day, but I need SOMEWHERE to write them down and I'm on the computer a lot. So now, without further adieu, today's Comment of the Day.

Riley, rationalizing to us why we should turn of KET (Our Public TV Station):

"Why do you need to watch KET? You're already educated."

followed very closely by,

"You can't ask a house anything!"

There's no place like home.

I've always thought I grew up on the prettiest street in town.
Our original plan was to go to Colorado this summer, but as I thought about it I felt more and more drawn to my hometown. We spent a few days in Freeman, then went to Lake Okiboji, IA (another post), then back to Freeman for a few more. Still, almost all the pictures I took were on the first day when my folks set up the pool in the back yard.
Miller was content to stay out of the pool and observe.

and Riley quickly found a spot to be a teenager.With all the time we spent at the pool, walking in the arboretum, and even our trip to the Lake, THIS is what I was looking for on our trip home. And we got it in spades.