New Year's Resolution - a month early

Okay, so Facebook has taken over and thus, I have not been posting on the blog.  The instant feedback at just a few clicks of the mouse or just writing a simple sentence has been hard to beat.  With the blog, it is much harder for others to give feedback and I don't know who is looking at it so...I don't get that instant gratification.  There, I said it.  I sense God is telling me to get back to the blog even though I can't get 10 comments minutes later.  It's almost as though there is more value with the blog, somehow...maybe it's because I know that there are some out there who do read it and they are all, though maybe a small group, very dear to me and to our family. It also takes greater sacrifice to do the blog because it's more time and brain cells.  However, I do so enjoy relaying stories to loved ones, especially when I'm bubbling over wanting to share them.  Here's my outlet...and it's not a one liner or a string of pictures...not this post anyway:).

My first story back to the blog is about our family time tonight.  It wasn't a complete family time because it doesn't have Max here with us although he was brought up many times and the kids heard his voice coming from the computer between book-readings.  Max called before work...hearing Daddy's voice on the computer is a normal thing now for the kids which is great because we never had that (or maybe just didn't use it) in passed deployments.  Daddy is still a part of their lives even if it's Mommy abandoning the book she is reading to the kids to catch Daddy's call on the computer.  Evelyn (3 years old and last saw Daddy boarding a plane 5 months ago) is still confused as to whether Daddy is on his airplane or in Mommy's computer...she's probably thinking "both" at this point...and it seems fine with her.  My answer of "in another country" doesn't cut it with her.  She needs something more concrete.

We love you, Daddy!  Can't wait to have "roast beast" with you!

I cut off gadget/screen time at 7:30pm, whether it was Adventures in Odyssey-listening on G's tablet or "Learning with Leap" on the Leapsters or Gmail on the kids' computer - it all was turned off and put up (look at me and my Southern talk - military wife thang) and I told the kids it was a reading night.  I think sometimes that cut-off from gadgets and screens is very important because then the kids can just know that that is NOT a possibility and settle into reading time (my thinking "out loud" right now).  It seemed to work tonight anyway.

Evelyn was first to chose a book and it was a cardboard "Baby's First Bible".  Gloria got into that one with us and then brought a book about a princess who had this precious gift - her first kiss - and was saving that for her husband - a book on purity in fairytale form.  JB joined in at this point after stopping a game of war with Benaiah.  Then came out Dragon Knight, which I read a few pages of before I realized that Max might have tried to call, which he had, thus, the abandoned book and dash for the computer.  After having Daddy's voice in the house with us for a bit before he headed to work, I had the kids get their jammies on and teeth brushed.

Today was the first day we had built a fire in our woodstove on the second floor of this strange, but uniquely wonderful house we bought.  It is on the bedroom level, which is kind of weird since we don't have one on the first level - but I am having fun making the most of it.  We tested it out this morning in the midst of the craziness of getting back into homeschooling after Thanksgiving break - Gloria easily did her homework in front of it whereas JB could NOT do his homeschooling in front of it...way too much of a distraction - he loves "tending" to fires and can't just sit idly by while one burns safely in a wood stove.  Thus, JB had to go into my bedroom with a closed door to do his math.  The woodstove test was a success...we didn't have smoke bellowing into the house instead of up the chimney...perfect day for it today as it never got above 40 degrees and was cloudy for most of the day with beautiful hoarfrost on the pine trees.  Just gorgeous - the view was a main reason we bought this house and I soaked it in today, hardly able to keep my eyes from glancing out the Southern-facing windows (one of the few days that the sun wasn't heating up the house and blasting into the house - I do love that it warms and brightens the house, it's just nice to have an excuse for using the wood stove.)

This morning testing the woodstove - with extinguisher handy!

on the bedroom level - yes, that's a deflated balloon hanging from the  loft

Back to bedtime...I told the kids if they got ready for bed swiftly that I would read them books in front of the fire of the woodstove.  Well, they didn't get ready so swiftly...some more like a distracted squirrel, others flitting about.  Let's just say it wasn't swift.  I decided to read one story that Benaiah picked out since he hadn't been involved in the reading earlier.  He was ready for bed so I started "The Grinch" Dr Seuss book, which seemed perfect having recently set up the Christmas tree and being in front of a wood stove with a warm fire going.  It was also another time Daddy was "there" with us because of the "roast beast" mentioned and we all had that "aha" moment of "that's where Daddy got that from".  There was another saying in the book that Daddy says that we recognized but I cannot recall it now.  It was a joyous, warm time of reading to all four of them in from the the wood stove.  I think I might be able to get used to this fire and reading before bed.

I finished that book then broke the news that we couldn't read anymore even though the fire was crackling away because they had taken too much time to get ready for bed.  There were groans but they started to head toward their bedrooms, which are off of the large top-of-stair landing area where the wood stove mysteriously resides.  JB then had an idea - "why don't you read to us while we are all in bed from the loft and then we all can hear you?".  That actually was not a bad idea - they would be in bed and we would get to continue Dragon Knight (which I get into) and they all could hear me from one, high-up spot.  Another oddity about our house - there is a loft that connects the kids' bedrooms.  I did read to them a chapter-and-a-half from the loft and they were quiet and could hear me even as I read at a normal volume.  Benaiah fell asleep as I was reading and I could tell the others were settled and relaxed.  I was (and still am) a happy and settled Mama too.  That was fun and cozy - and now I get to share that with my Beloved, my Hubby, in the form of a blog post.  I am SOOOO thankful for technology that allows me to be so connected to my husband even though he's half way around the world.  I share this post with whoever else wants to read it too:).

Hi Max!

Thanks for "listening" as you get a glimpse of our crazy house in many ways - architecturally, kid-induced, and Daddy-less for now, yet still here in our conversation, our adventurous ways, and sometimes seen and heard on the computer.  We can't wait to have him back doing crazy life with us - believe me, it's even more crazy-fun with Daddy around - lots more!

At the top of the Crags

The Max Bremer Family...missing Max, but hoping he's living vicariously through us here in dazzling Colorado (and Colorful).  We love you and miss you, Max.

As we have come to be called..."Bremer North" (us) and "Bremer South" (the grandparents)

EV and I at the top

Here's Benaiah literally at the top of A Crag

Ta Dah!

Gloria at the top in a twisty tree

And JB literally at the top of A Crag

Ahhhh....JB in a cradle!  Go to sleep JB poo...

Almost to the Top!

Still a mystery...how does a tree get this way?

On the way up the Crags - Colorado

Max's Uncle Walter - a tree hugger

Benaiah helping Evelyn 

A Gorgeous Hike

Now....three! Aug 31, 2012

So proud of herself that she learned how to show that she's three!

EV's favorite part - sucking the frosting off the candles!

opening her new "Bitty Baby"

Peace and War...all in the same picture

So what is Benaiah about to do to the cat?  

Little button blue eyes series (Evelyn - still 2)

JB's Joyous Job

JB's finally way excited about a chore and I'm excited too because it is very helpful to me.  He gets to take his newly fixed 4-wheeler with bungeed-down box on the back to the dumpsters at the bottom of the mountain to take the trash!

Our kitchen trash has to be taken down to the dumpsters as soon as the trash is full because if I put it in the garage it attracts mice and it could attract bears.  It surely attracts our Boykin Spaniel, Zephyr, too, who is usually the one to start the holes in the bags.  Thus, it has been a big and stinky chore for me to constantly load up the garbage into the back of the van as we are headed somewhere.  The worst thing is when I would forget I had it in the car and have to drive around with garbage in the back of the  van.

Our good friend, Bob, graciously and painstakingly fixed the 4-wheeler for JB after he had run the 4-wheeler without oil, which ruined the engine.  It also had some other problems, but it's running well now!  I'm excited because I get an excited 9-year-old boy who wants to take the trash down.  The main attraction for him:  getting to ride on the road all the way to the dumpsters!

 JB taking a bag of trash to the dumpster.  We rigged a bin on the back of his 4-wheeler with bungee cords...so far it's working!

 I had JB break down a lot of the cardboard boxes and take them to the dumpsters.  This cleared out our garage a lot!

 He looks miserable to be doing this chore, doesn't he?

There he goes down the driveway and onto the road...

a 5-year old's prayer

I had already prayed with all the kids and quickly and stealthily made my way to the stairs before another request could be made.  Max is 9 hours ahead where he is stationed right now and if I get the kids to bed before about 9:30pm, we can usually have a good talk before he goes to work in his morning (my night).  However, as I stuck my toe over the top step to make my way downstairs I heard from the boys' room, "Mom, you didn't pray with me!".  Actually, I had prayed with him, but he was in his own little world and didn't pay attention to my prayer.  God heard it and that's the important thing.  Maybe it's God's way of increasing my prayer life when I have to go pray with my 5-year-old twice.  Hoping it wouldn't take too long so I could still catch my hubby on Skype, I went back to his bed and prayed that he would have a good sleep and would grow into a mighty warrior for God.  I said amen, but Benaiah said he wanted to pray.  This is a very good thing, but I know how long his prayers can be, so I thought I would let him know my predicament.  I asked him to please keep his prayer short so that I would be able to talk to Daddy before he went to work.  Benaiah said okay and proceeded to pray:

"Dear God, I pray that Mommy can make it downstairs in time to talk to Daddy.  I pray that Daddy doesn't go to work before Mommy can talk to him.  God, please help Mommy to run downstairs so that she doesn't miss Daddy.  Dear God, help Mommy to go quickly so that she can talk to Daddy before he goes to work.  I pray that Mommy and Daddy would be able to talk to each other tonight.  I pray that Daddy is really slow in getting ready to go to work so that Mommy can catch him on the computer....".

This went on for a while and it made me smile because no matter how long he prayed, God could make it happen that I would still be able to talk to Max...and then I had a story for Max when I did talk to him that night.  Thank you, Benaiah, for your many prayers that I wouldn't miss Daddy.  What a sweet and cute 5-year-old.

The Ultimate Creek and Beaver Dam Day

 Looking for the beaver dams

 Found the first beaver dam

 It was scary getting into the dammed up creek water at first because I couldn't see the bottom and in a lot of places it was either mucky or slippery.  I decided to be brave and follow the kids who wanted to wade/swim  as far as they could go down the stream.  We ended up going over at least 12 beaver dams on the way.  It was a lot of fun and refreshing on a hot day.  The kids had a blast and now have a great memory with their cousins - Bethany, Samuel, and Naomi.

 Gloria and Naomi had a great time together the whole time they were visiting.

 The first beaver dam.

 Some of the parts were too deep for Benaiah to walk so he was my little monkey clinging to me.:)

 Gloria with train in the background

The kids called these hotdogs...or corn dogs.  Not very good for eating though...kinda fuzzy on the inside.