This and That

We went to our first costume party...for a dog...last week. Matea went as a ballerina, Samuel went as a soldier, and Elijah and Isaac both went as cowboy/prince/king/gladiator hybrids. They just couldn't be defined by one costume, ya know? :)

Samuel has been plugging away at school. Basketball season just started, so between the variety of basketball crowds Adam runs with, plus coaching Samuel's team (and we think Elijah will be starting up here pretty soon too!), our life suddenly revolves around basketball, which is a dream come true for Adam!

Matea has two new favorite words. "Dog," and "no." Which I just love (insert eye roll here). I wouldn't mind so much if she could at least use "no" in a normal voice. It seems to always come out in a scream.


Our weather has been so beautiful. It seems funny that it's finally that time of year when we can enjoy the outdoors again. Growing up in Oregon has conditioned me into thinking that July and August were the months for that.


We've been taking walks, playing at the park, and having picnics in the backyard. This has proved to be wonderful for Elijah's newly emerging Spanish vocabulary. A couple of days ago he was so excited to show me the mariposa that he found. I think the poor thing had just emerged from its cocoon and didn't have the ability to fly yet. But to Elijah, that mariposa was his amiga!




Today we took a walk around Town Lake and I loved hearing him wonder out loud, "I wonder where all the tortugas have gone?" And, "I wouldn't say that one is very grande. That one is pocito."


Isaac is at such a fun age. Even at 3, he is learning some self-control, and it's fun to see this newly emerging boy come out. He loves to be sung to. I Love You songs, silly songs, church songs, made up songs, it really doesn't matter to Isaac. Right now his regular request at naptime is a story, a scratch on the back and the belly, and two songs, "I Love You a Bushel and a Peck," and, "I Love You to the Moon," which is one of our made up songs.

Next week is Thanksgiving, and we have so much to give thanks for. More on that note later.

Past week

I just came back from a very fun weekend with my bestie in Seattle, but unfortunately, very few pictures were taken. So instead, here are a few from the past couple of weeks:

Matea was being such a ham when I took these.

Our house!

This is what crazy fun looks like

Eight children under one roof for the weekend...crazy fun. :)
We love these kids.

Lunches and Loves

Sunday nights are lunch-packing nights for Samuel and Elijah, because they both have school the next day. I watched Elijah assemble the following lunch tonight:

*peanut butter, honey and bee pollen sandwich on ezekiel bread
*plain yogurt
*hard-boiled egg
*banana
*his daily vitamins

It's not always this good, but I love when he picks healthy things for his lunch (without me reminding him)! Lest you begin to think I am a supermom, here's what Samuel packed himself:


*kettle chips
*yogurt-covered pretzels
*banana
*a random Capri Sun he found in our pantry leftover from a baseball game
*applesauce
*2 pieces of junky candy that I had previously asked him not to include
*some other "healthier" candy that I had previously asked him not to include
*a piece of raw vegan fudge (don't knock it til you try it!) that I had previously asked him not to include

Hmmm. Sense a pattern?

In other news, we just finished a fabulous weekend with our Floridian family. With our two households combined under one roof (and one motorhome), we had 5 adults, one 9-year-old, two 5-year-olds, two 3-year-olds, one 2 year-old and two 1-year-olds. That is a grand total of 8, in a perfect balance of 4 boys and 4 girls. It was so much fun!!! We love them. And we miss them.

Just as soon as they left, Adam took off for ICSC in San Antonio. He tells us that he is going for work, but then he sends me pictures of this:



That's OK. The kids and I are going to live it up while he's gone. Do crazy things like read books, get caught up on laundry, eat granola for dinner, and maybe even go to bed early.

Dreaming of Adventure

Samuel has been reading about and studying the mid-19th century in school, and it's messing with his head. Seriously, it's torture to tantalize young boys with stories of kids their age skipping out on school to fight wars and farm crops. This is the conversation we had this morning.

SAMUEL: I don't want to go to school anymore. I'm done with school. I just want to move out to the wilderness and farm my own land. Hunt deer. Live off the land.

ME: That might have worked out okay 200 years ago, but people don't live that way anymore.

SAMUEL: Why not? You could just farm your own food and hunt and chop down trees and build your own log cabin. We could do that. All I'd need is a hunting rifle.

ME: And a gun license and a hunting permit. I'm not sure they issue those to 9-year-olds.

What about a car? How would you pay for that?

SAMUEL: We wouldn't need a car. We'd have a horse.

ME: How would you pay for the horse?

SAMUEL: Savings. One-time expense.

ME: Insurance? What would we do if someone got sick?

SAMUEL: We'd grow herbs. And faith - are you saying you don't think God would take care of us?

ME: OK, what about church? How would you be growing in God's word and living in community?

SAMUEL: I would invite a couple of my friends to come along too. We'd have our Bibles. We'd do our own church. And when we meet homeless people in the woods, we'd invite them to come over.

ME: Farming is really hard work, Samuel. You've never done it before.

SAMUEL: Dad would teach me.

ME: Dad knows nothing about farming.

SAMUEL: Well, he would learn. And then he'd teach me.

ME: How would you pay for stuff? It would be hard enough to grow and hunt enough food to feed one family, let alone enough to produce enough extra to generate an income. There's lots of other stuff in life that requires money, even if you chose to live a really simple life. How would you pay for electricity and water, and what about when you needed new clothes?

SAMUEL: You don't NEED electricity, Mom. We'd just bring lots of candles and light them at night. We'd live near a creek so we'd have water. And when we needed new clothes, you'd just have to make them. See, there's a solution to everything, Mom, you're just not thinking it through. You're not being resourceful.

Ahhh, there's my problem....I just wasn't thinking resourcefully!

Matea is 15 Months

Family Pictures

We had family pictures taken a couple of weeks ago by a very talented photographer who also happens to be my sister-in-law. Didn't they turn out well? I loved how she used a variety of different poses and edits. We got a lot of really good pictures.






































































































































































































































































Nicole has an artistic eye for photography, she's personable and she also great with kids (trust me - it's no small task to photograph all 6 of us!). So if you're looking for a photographer in the Austin area, she is your woman.
http://www.ogdenphotography.blogspot.com/
nicole.ogden2 [at] gmail [dot] com

To cut or not to cut...that is the question

Matea's hair is growing and growing, and being a newbie with baby girl hair, I have no idea what to do with hers. While I like the idea of long hair, and I love her curls, her hair just seems to be getting messier and tanglier. So I'm wondering...should we cut it, or should we leave it as it is? It's pretty even in the sense that she doesn't struggle with she-mullet issues, but it's straight on top and curly on the ends and mostly just sticks out wildly however it wants to. I guess I'm thinking that if we trim it up, it will lay better and grow out nicer in the long run?

What do you think? Cut it, or leave it alone?

more from the aquarium

Beach Bums

Beach Bums...that is what we are. After a few weeks of having lots of activity, something planned (or unplanned!) almost every single night of September, we decided to take a weekend off and drive to the gulf coast for some downtime. We stayed in a cute little 2 bedroom condo in Port Aransas and had a glorious 48 hours of fun on the beach. I now believe that September must be the perfect month for a Port A visit...rates were cheap, and the weather was perfect!

On the beach, the kids enjoyed jumping waves, riding their "boogie" boards, finding shells and hermit crabs, and building sandcastles.

We walked around the pier, where we climbed rocks and got to see several dolphins and turtles, jumping and swimming.

We stopped at the aquarium on our way home. The kids loved the dolphins, again. I attribute this to the fact that we own the very BEST dolphin documentary. I love it at least as much as the kids do. And not just because Sting does the soundtrack.

Ducks in a row.

Another favorite activity was feeding the seagulls off our balcony.

It was a great weekend filled with lots of family time! And Emma came down with us, so not only did we get to have fun hanging with her, but Adam and I got to go out on dates each night! What a perfect weekend.

Big Girl

So much big personality packed into such a little body. I love this girl.

Every Child is Unique

Here is a glimpse into our fridge. Isaac values conservation. Especially when it involves his food. His latest "thing" is a preoccupation with saving food. His little habit is slowly taking over our fridge. We have to laugh every time we open our refrigerator - we never know what Isaac's saved from a previous meal, or how much shelf space he's left the rest of us!

Matea is 14 Months Old

In all her 9-toothed, fuzzy-haired glory, here is Matea at 14 months old:

September Happenings

Elijah had his first day at his new Spanish immersion preschool. His teachers say everything in Spanish, and repeat in English as necessary these first several weeks. By around November, they will be speaking entirely in Spanish. Lije is so excited to learn Spanish, and "to teach Daddy to speak Spanish too."

Samuel turned in his football jersey for a baseball bat this month, joining our local Little League team.
He loves baseball so far, but then again, Samuel has yet to meet a sport he doesn't love!
The boys ran in their first race... the St. John 5k and Kids Mile to support affordable housing in the St. John's neighborhood. They did great! The morning was gloriously rainy...a discouragement to some runners, perhaps, but not to these Northwesterners! Samuel outdid us all by running the 5k AND the kids mile.
The boys are hooked, and are excited for their next race.

Did I say that?

Sometimes I hear something come out of my mouth and think to myself, Could I ever have imagined I'd be saying this one day? I've been saving up such moments for the past several months. Kids are free comedy.

*I don't care how funny it looks. Babies do not like being spun around in circles.



*Yes, I know what a strong boy you are. You still can't wear Matea in the backpack.



*You really had no idea that was a bad word?



*Your snakes can't take a bath with you.



*Duct taping your little brothers to the trampoline is not a good idea. Even if they're willing.



*No, Elijah, Samuel cannot duct tape you to the tree instead.



*Samuel, you can put the duct tape away now or you can be grounded from it.
(grounding a kid from duct tape?)



*Who locked Matea in the dog kennel?!




*Calling someone shut-up-dang-it-stupid-head is not nice.





*Please don't color on the baby.



*We don't spit on our brothers.



*We don't pee on our brothers.



*Trampolines aren't meant for babies. Especially with three boys jumping.



*Please don't put floaties in anyone's water but your own.



*Just because Samuel tells you to do it does not mean it's a good idea. He is not a grown-up.



*He told you what? No, Samuel is not half-kid-half-grown-up. He is all kid, and even when he is a grown up, he will never be your parent.



*Yes, I know you're usually the boss, Isaac, but right now I'm going to be the boss, OK?



*Taking a shower doesn't count unless you wash yourself. Try again, dude.



*Washing yourself doesn't count unless you use soap. Back in the shower. For the third time.



*Did Isaac just say dammit?



*Who left Matea on the tire swing outside all by herself?!

*Daddy does not make a living by robbing money from bad guys. I think you're confusing him with Robin Hood.


*No, I don't think we should turn the heat on. Because it's over 100 degrees outside.


*Umm....I see you got into my eyeshadow.


*Climbing onto the roof (or tree, or ladder, or anything else you can think of) to jump onto the trampoline is not a good idea.

Look Who's in 4th Grade Already!

That's right, it's Sam Bam the Popcorn Man, looking too cool for school, as always! Yesterday we were busy hunting down folders and composition books, getting haircuts and choosing school snacks. Today is his first day back to school as a FOURTH GRADER! He is excited to see his friends regularly again, but not happy about having to wake up at 7:00. We met his new teacher earlier this week, and think she will be a great fit for Samuel. Here he is last year, on his first day of 3rd grade:

Samuel's highlights of the summer were visiting New Mexico, Arizona, California and Colorado in the motorhome with Honeydo and Big Dave, swimming lessons, reading (this boy put away about 50 books this summer!) and learning to play the piano. This fall, he is looking forward to playing flag football in a new Austin league. He is also petitioning me to go through a Spanish curriculum with him so that he can keep up with Elijah, who begins his new (Spanish) school in a couple of weeks. I can't believe it's already time to go back to school!

Wilson Weekend 2009

As it turned out, Wilson Weekend 2009 turned out to actually be 5 fun-filled days of Zimel/Wilson togetherness. We were all so excited that a more extended trip worked out, because just a weekend with best friends is not long enough!

To start the time off, Adam and John got up at the crack of dawn to play basketball. During the game, John broke his foot...only he didn't find out about it until after he had walked on it all day and decided to go in and have it x-rayed. High pain tolerance? Yes! So poor John had to spend the remainder of the trip on crutches. Luckily, it seemed like all of our remaining activities worked out pretty well even though he had to hobble around.

We went to Barton Springs for a swim before hitting The Music Man performance at Zilker Park. It was a great show!

The future generation of Zimels and Wilsons: Isaac, Matea, Samantha, Elijah, Samuel and Drew

Sam and the little boys posing in front of the Austin skyline (and Elijah trying to hold his brother, who only weighs 4 pounds less than him!)

One of the most memorable things we did was kayaking on Town Lake. We spent a few hours rowing up and down the lake. We saw lots of turtles and fish, and even what we think was a baby water moccasin (he is no more, thanks to John's paddle)! Missi, Adam, Samuel and I took turns bridge jumping, and it was Samuel's first taste of this sort of adrenaline rush. I think he's hooked.

And the kids spent lots of time playing in yard, on the tire swing and on the zip line.

It was a great 5 days, and we can't WAIT for the next opportunity to hang together!

Love These Two

Our dear friends John and Missi put themselves their children on a plane to spend several days with us. We love these two. And their kids. It was a weekend full of laughing, playing, eating, dressing up as knights, playing chess, uno, basketball, legos, pedicures, coffee, kayaking, wrestling, talking, and being thoroughly (and wonderfully) busy catching up on lost time. Throw in a broken foot, one pukey kid, and lots of sweating in the Texas heat, and we had a great dose of reality and God's grace in all if it. More pictures to come.

A Week of Celebrations

Honeybee came in for a visit this week, and was a big help during these past several days of busyness. We had Sports Camp, Speed Camp, education week at school, playdates, a birthday, an anniversary, church stuff, dates with friends, and even a trauma that included Isaac, a sharp pair of garden shears, and Elijah's bare foot. Oh, what a week! Thanks for being such a huge help and a good sport about the chaos, Honeybee!

July is our busy month for celebrating. This week Adam and I celebrated 8 years (seriously, by the grace of God, this thing's been going on for 8 years) of marriage. Wow. Doesn't that sound like a lot? On one hand, I want to ask where those 8 years have gone. On the other hand, it feels like we've been together forever. Either way, it's all good...
We celebrated with some good live music and great Italian food.


Later this week, our big 4-year-old turned 5! We always love seeing Elijah get special treatment because he is so gracious about it...sweet boy. He is just so thrilled to be the center of attention. This marks a full year of being obsessed with all things medieval. Especially princesses and princes. See below.
One of his birthday gifts was a full prince's costume, complete with a sparkly robe, sword and bejeweled crown. Oh, does this costume make him happy.
And another big hit was a new bike from Emma! This means that soon he will be learning to ride with no training wheels!

AND....we have a family picture! I don't care that Isaac looks like a deer in the headlights and Elijah's about to fall asleep, it includes all 4 of our children and I can see all of their cute little faces! And as an added bonus, I am even wearing makeup! Thank you, Honeybee, for documenting this rare moment of normalcy in our life!

Cousins!

Cousins! We had cousins in town these past couple of weeks, and the kids got to do many fun things together. Some of the highlights included tree climbing, an all-inclusive cousin birthday party, and swimming....lots of swimming. We all loved squeezing in so much good family time while they were here!

Girls and Dirt

Matea loves dirt. She loves feeling it, she loves patting it on her skin and pouring it in her hair, and she especially loves eating it. I keep telling her it's not very ladylike, but I guess it's unreasonable to expect propriety given her rolemodels.

I love that I put the effort into dressing her in a cute little matching outfit and even a coordinating hair accessory! Who am I kidding? She's just like one of the boys!

He Would Have Been Pretty

Several days ago Isaac was supposed to be buckling himself into his carseat while I finished packing up the diaperbag inside. Evidently the lipstick tucked away in the center console was calling his name. The next thing he knew, Samuel was ratting him out and I was scrambling for the camera.

End of the road

vacation journals, part II

MESA VERDE, CO

SCZ: "The first day we went to this thing were it's 800 to 900 years old. After that we are dinner and went to bed. The next day I woke up at 6:30 AM. I could of fallen asleep in the worst thunderstorm I was so tired."

DURANGO & SILVERTON, CO

EMZ: "COLORADO! WE HIKED. WE WENT UNDR GROND. WE WENT IN THE MOUNTAINS. WE WENT ON A TRAN. WE SO TREES. WE SO PEEPL AND CARS.

SCZ: "So then we left in the motorhome to a train and we rode the train for 3 hrs to silverton and when we got to silverton we ate lunch and then we drove home and went to bed."

(A French-German girl we befriended on the train...she loved Matea, and we communicated via a mixture of English, French and sign!)

SILVERTON, CO

IWBZ: "I made a hole in my mouth."

"What kind of mountains are these in Colorado?"

"You can't find these mountains when you're in Texas."

"In Colorado, the bears are sleeping in their caves. Are there bears in Texas?"

vacation journals, part I

These are random entries from each of the boys' journals, spelling errors intact (because, you know, I want to remember those). I wrote for Isaac, or he just drew a picture, but Elijah and Samuel wrote their own. (I'll decipher Elijah's at the end of his entries.)

DAY 1: Ft. Stockton, TX
SCZ: "Got up early, packed up and said goodbue and we were off. We drove for aobut 5 hrs then we camped at an RV camp. We put on our swim truncks and we swam and after that we set up the tent and watched a movie."

DAY 2: Lordsberg, NM
EMZ: "We slep in the cabn int we got up we took off we so a wodwunr we so a jacrabet" (We slept in the cabin. We got up. We took off. We saw a roadrunner. We saw a jackrabbit.)

DAY 3: Yuma, AZ

IWBZ: "Climbing the mountain with Samuel and Lije. Taking a shower and wearing my clean clothes. The duck ate food from my hand and bit my finger but didn't bite off my big finger. It was just a nibble."

DAY 4: La Palma, CA
SCZ:"We just woke up...and we opened up some preasents and we got : microskop, woki toki, a rainbow maker and another one of those and then we went swimming and came back."

DAY 5: Anaheim, CA
SCZ: "Today we went to disneyland and we had a blast. We went on space mountain and splash mountain. Boy I can't tell you how much fun we had. O and I got a gun. And its so fun. That night we stayed up til midnight. (Wich is 2:00 AM in Texas.)
EMZ: "I stad up tel mednit. I so meree popens. I so brt. I so dansers at Disneyland. I went on wids." (I stayed up til midnight. I saw Mary Poppins. I saw Burt. I saw dancers at Disneyland. I went on rides.)

DAY 6 & 7: La Palma and Huntington Beach, CA

IWBZ: "I saw an airplane."

SCZ: "Today I woke up and we ate breakfast. We went to the liquer store and then we ate pizza and then we tried to go to the beach but all the parking spots were filled up so we went back home and ate dinner and went to bed. The next day...I woke up and ate breakfast and went to church and then we ate dinner and did sparklers and went to bed, well I didn't I looked at photo albums until 9:30."

MAZ first birthday celebration

These are some of last night's pictures for the grandparents. Adam mentioned a craving for Greek food, so Honeydo and I made lots of yummy Athenian-style foods for Matea's birthday dinner. Lamb on the grill, pitas, chopped olives and feta, dolmas, tzatziki, grapes, and a big salad. Oh, it was good. And it turns out that Matea shares her Daddy's love for Greek food.

Matea is showing us, "one!"



And of course, she enjoyed her cake. We tried a new recipe (deviating from our standard oh-so-good carrot cake that we've made for each of the boys' first birthdays). The cake was made from millet, spelt and egg whites, and the orange frosting was from sweet potatoes and grade B maple syrup. The guys got a laugh out of it, but everyone ate seconds! It was delicious.

I have to include this video that was shot toward the end of the night. It reminds me so much of how things change between the first child and the fourth child. Please don't watch if you're a germiphobe - this will gross you out.

A Year of Matea Addison

And who knows but that you have come for such a time as this? Esther 4:14

Oh my girl. She is a precious blend of toughness and sweetness.

What a year it's been with our baby girl. 12 months go by faster and faster with each child. We were happy and content with our boys, and then God saw fit to bless us with a girl. Thank you, Jesus.

May God bless the path those wobbly little legs will take her.

In the Mountains

We had a little tour of an old gold and silver mine.
On the way back we stopped to let the kids stretch and play in a mountain stream.
Honeydo showed us medicinal herbs that grow wild in the mountains.
We took historic train from Durango to Silverton. The entire trip was 3 1/2 hours each way, but some of the most beautiful scenery you can imagine. The kids loved the train ride!

Family Time in California

I wanted to go back and expand on our family time in California with my grandmother, and also share pictures for any interested family members who might be tracking with us. Upon our arrival, Grandmother had staged a gold mine for the boys to "pan for gold" in, complete with costumes for them to wear (she was in character too, of course!). They loved playing in the gold mine each day.

Grandmother wore dark sunglasses often because of her recent eye surgery. Samuel found her stash and began rapping. So I had to take a picture.

We had a family dinner with LaDonna and Paul, Tracy and David....when did my little cousins get so big?!

And of course we all posed in front of the tree before we left. We had such a good time all together with Grandmother and with Pop.

Colorado

The last few days have been filled with some of the most beautiful sites we've seen in a loooong time! Had we known what a beautiful state Colorado is, we would have made a trip here sooner!

This is me and the kids at Four Corners.










We had to take a picture under the Colorado state sign. A sidenote here is that Elijah has been quite preoccupied with Colorado ever since one of his teachers at church talked to the kids about moving there. He has had Colorado on the brain for months and was so thrilled to find out we would be driving there. He has announced to us all that he is no longer Elijah of Texas, but Solomon of Colorado. (And he's also the wisest man in the world.) We have dutifully transitioned to "Solomon" as often as we can remember.

Our first surprise in Colorado was that Adam hopped on a flight and joined us here! A tribute to his spontaneous and fun-loving personality, he just couldn't stand to be away from us any longer. I'm glad he's joined us.

Our first real destination here was Mesa Verde, where we got to see the remains of the homes of the descendants of the Navajo and Ute tribes, which were built right into the side of the mountain. So cool.

After that, we went on to Durango and Silverton, but that's a post for another day! We are loving this clean, crisp mountain air and can't get enough of the mountains and trees all around us. Today we pulled over for the kids to play in a mountain spring that was ice cold. They loved it, and Samuel couldn't get over how good the water tasted.

Road Trippin'

We are in California right now enjoying the BEAUTIFUL West Coast weather! Even though I feel like an Oregonian, there is a childhood piece of my heart that always feels at home in California. It's sunny, warm, and I love that constant ocean breeze!

We left Texas about a week ago and camped through New Mexico and Arizona en route to my grandmother's house in California. The kids are at a great age to travel in a motorhome. We experienced lots of wildlife, desert conditions, and our first experience with (I kid you not) 120 degree weather. That is what you call H-O-T. The kids had a great time and made some wonderful memories. Their journal entries and more pictures will be posted later.

We have had such a good time here at my grandmother's house visiting with her and my dad, who flew in the day we arrived. Yesterday my dad and I took the kids to The Happiest Place On Earth, which we also learned is The Place Where Dreams Come True. During our visit, Elijah kept wondering why his dreams weren't coming true, but other than that, the kids were all troopers and everyone had a blast! We got there early, came home for naps and food, and then went back and stayed until 11:30! Yes, my dad and I managed to convince a 9, 4, 3 and 11-month old to be reasonably happy until 11:30 pm! I was quite impressed with that. And so glad my dad was there to help me! I now realize that there is no way that I would have been able to keep 4 young children with me in chaotic mayhem that is Disneyland.

Elijah got to ride Space Mountain for the first time, and although Isaac wasn't tall enough for that one, he was happy to discover that he WAS tall enough for the Matterhorn. I am so happy that all my boys love rollercoasters. I can tell that Matea will love them too.

As we rode the tram back to the parking structure, Elijah leaned over and asked my dad, "Pop, would you teach me how to smoke?" My dad told him that smoking is not good for you. Elijah replied, "Don't worry, Pop, I won't do it all the time. Just when bad guys are around." I think Adventureland got to his head. Elijah was at a perfect age for Disney. I loved seeing his eyes light up at all the characters and special effects throughout the day.

We are staying here in California for a couple of more days, and then we're headed East again, where among other things, we are going to hike and camp in the Colorado mountains!

Limbo

We are in limbo.

Sunday, we got to visit with Adam's Aunt Debbie, who was in the area for work and decided to hang out with us for the day! Can you believe that? She came bearing gifts for everyone, read with the kids, played games, tolerated (and even enjoyed) Lucca giving her kisses, and then took us all out to dinner. What a woman! We all loved having you visit, Aunt Debbie, and know that anytime you are in the area again, we would LOVE having you again!

And we're in limbo because we thought we'd be gone by now. The kids and I are waiting for Honeydo and Big Dave to get here in the motorhome and whisk us away. Our departure date has been postponed because of engine troubles, and we are all anxious to get this road trip underway. My boys have a permanent place in their hearts for that particular home on wheels, and I think our one trip in it has created a lifelong wanderlust in them. They love new places, they love the thought of adventure. We'll see if Matea agrees with them or not.

When we get to California, the kids and I are going to spend several days with my grandmother. We haven't seen her since we originally left Oregon for Florida (I mean, Texas), 2 and 1/2 years ago. Isaac was a baby, and Matea, as the kids like to put it, was still just a thought in God's brain. So needless to say, it will be good catch-up time.

Until then, this is the first week of sports camp! This has been such a big part of our lives lately, and I've neglected to write about it here simply because I don't think my words can do justice to how deeply God is working in our hearts and lives here. So, my feeble explanation is just that God is good, and by his grace he is giving us a heart for His work here in this impoverished neighborhood. Adam is there every day for a few hours, and will be for the next 6 weeks, coaching basketball and hopefully building mentoring relationships with the high school boys. Anyone who knows my husband can understand how thrilled he is at the prospect of combining basketball, mentoring and ministry. He's been waiting YEARS for this kind of opportunity, and I am excited to see what it will evolve into for him! I have come and hung out at sports camp with the kids off and on to break it up, and although I know this will be a stretch for my chaos-abhoring, homebody self, I have all the hope in the world that this will be a good thing for all of us.

Next stop, motorhome!

A Family Man

I talked to the kids about their dad a few days ago. The overarching theme was that they love him because he's the best dad in the world. He plays with them. He laughs with them. He spends lots of time with them. He teaches them. When he runs an errand, he takes them. As Samuel put it, he's just a whole lot nicer than most other dads he knows.

These kids are blessed to have someone who considers it a joy to invest his time, love and energy into their lives every single day. He holds nothing back for himself. He is a giver.

What a man.

Summertime Sampling

One of Elijah's teachers at church, a firefighter, was gracious enough to offer us a tour of his firestation. The boys learned all kinds of cool and interesting things, and each one of them promptly changed their future vocations to include fighting fires.

An outdoor concert at Zilker Park last weekend. We packed a blanket and a cooler full of water and popsicles, because 8 pm outside is hot, hot, HOT! You may wonder, if it's so hot, why is Elijah in long sleeves and Isaac in sweatpants? Because they are crazy and they like to sweat. Something about cleansing their bodies of toxins. I don't know where they get these ideas. Anyway, the kids loved the freedom to move around and dance. Following is a video of Isaac and Elijah choreographing their movements to the music. Another family had given them some glow sticks, which were quickly transformed into swords, then conductor's batons. Isaac is conducting music with the orange glow stick, Elijah is the blue one.

One of Matea's favorite new games: sharing her food with her loved ones. Yum.

We are often at the neighborhood pool. And Matea often goes without her still-needed morning nap. Here she is falling asleep in the floatie.