Christmas 2008

Well Christmas is over...whew. It has been freezing here in Montana, however it must have warmed up some because it is snowing. It has been snowing and it just keeps snowing... ugh. Esther, Michael, Ruth and Kennedy went outside for awhile this morning to play in the snow but have been inside ever since playing with all their wonderful Christmas gifts. Since 3 of the grand kids are girls my parents house looks like a giant pink princessy Dora play house. Last night they had a karaoke camping trip in the back bedroom. It was cook and kind of crazy. Michael has been busy with his slime and science kit doing experiments and stuff. He needs another boy to play with. Here are some pictures from Christmas Eve, yesterday at my parents and some from Matt's moms also.

Mom, Debra and Brittany Knitting...just cute

Esther and Bubbles playing on Christmas

Esther on Christmas Eve

Esther and Daddy opening presents from Santa

Playing with the pillow book from Aunt Rose

Well school is over and the Christmas season is upon us. I am happy with how the semester ended and am looking forward to getting my last semester out of the way. I have decided to apply for a post grad fellowship out east. Pray for guidance in that decision.

Matt, Esther, and I just spent a few days in Highlands Ranch with my Aunt Lucy and Uncle Dwight. We had a blast. We took the train down to 16th St. Mall, ate, shopped some and looked at lights. We also did some shopping at the Outlets at Castle Rock and just got to relax.

We are now in Montana at my parents looking forward to everybody coming down from Billings. We got here first so we grabbed the only available bedroom. I figured we drove the farthest and still got here first so I took it (he he he). We are going to Aunt Sally's tonight for our traditional Christmas Eve meal. I will post pictures some time this week.

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas.

Hello to all my wonderful friends and family

So it has definitely been more than a month since I last posted (sorry ha ha), I guess that is grad school for ya. A lot has happened since I spoke to you all last. Esther learned how to ride a bike (yaaaa) we gave her a bigger bike for a present after learning how to ride her tiny one, but she likes her little one and keeps riding it.







Esther turned 4 on the 9th of October. She was sick on her birthday and stayed home from school. I had my internship all day, then had class. I was a little bummed, but she spent the day with her daddy and then our neighbor, Christine, took her out to dinner. We had her birthday party on the 11th (Aunt Sally's birthday, Happy birthday). Per Esther's request it was a princess/superhero birthday. She invited 16 friends ( a lot I know, but last year nobody she invited could make it, so we wanted to be sure somebody showed up). We had 2 superheroes and about 12 or 13 princesses. It was a blast.



Matt's grandma Evangeline died in October as well. It was a sad time for all of us. Esther took it especially hard and being a little older understood and started asking about others that have died. She still cries periodically for her great grandma, and others including her great grandpa and grandma Barnes. We did have a chance to spend time with family and Esther had a good time with her cousins.






Esther also got her first hair cut:



I also got a little trim:



We spent Thanksgiving at Uncle Bob and Aunt Renae's. We had fun, ate too much, watched football and played games. We are looking forward to spending Christmas with our families in Montana. Please remember to pray for our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq who cannot be with their families this holiday season (especially Philip) and their families who are spending the holidays without them.

School is winding down and I am procrastinating more and more. I hope to finish one paper this weekend and then another one on Wednesday. My group and I are defending our research proposal on the 8th at 10 am so please pray for us.

My plans for the break include cleaning the apartment from top to bottom, throwing things out and packing the stuff that we want to keep but won't need. I am graduating in May and we are praying for guidance on our next steps so please keep us in your prayers.

That's all for now...any bets on how long it will take me to post again?

I think it is safe to say that my weekly blog posts have fallen by the waste side. Looking at my workload for classes this semester and everything else I will probably only post about once a month, hopefully twice. But who knows this blog may be my short escape from otherwise tedious or stressful work (nothing ever seems to fall in the middle).

The semester started on the 26th. So far I cannot judge how the classes are going to be. I am praying that they are more engaging than some of the classes I endured last year and hopefully I can leave the grad school experience with other thoughts other than a waste of my time. My internship is going great. I love it. So if nothing else, at least I have this experience to take with me.

My internship is at the substance abuse program on campus. I work with some amazing people who are very good at what they do. I have enjoyed meeting the students we work with and learning new techniques for working with this population. I am hoping to be at least a CAC I (certified addictions counselor) before I leave there, but that depends a lot on the reciprocity between Colorado and Montana. Although, we may not move back to Montana there is that chance and I don't want to spend time completing the classes if they won't transfer.

Esther started "pre-kindergarten". We switched her pre-schools and to prevent the months of endless questions as to why we did this (I have already been told that I "ruin [her] life" and "just don't understand" about various other things) we told her she was moving from pre-school to pre-kindergarten. She is quit to correct anybody who calls her new school pre-school or heaven forbid daycare. She loves it. She gets to ride the bus to gymnastics once a week. This was an answer to my prayers, since she has been wanting to do gymnastics since watching the olympics and I don't have time to take her.

Matt is starting a new job on Monday through custodial at CSU. It is less money, but offers insurance and benefits so well worth it. We were also right on the line before where we made too much money for any assistance, so hopefully now we can get something, as least while I am in school and paying for childcare (which as a grad student could be homeless and eating out of a dumpster and the state still would not help with). Working on campus will be more convenient and save us money on gas so this is an answer to prayers.

Matt and I have a good friend with a severe corn allergy. She has started a blog of her own where she talks about her reactions and experiences she gathers as she educates and interacts with people about this life changing allergy. On this blog she references Esther in some pretty funny (true) stories. So for those of you who are looking to educate yourselves on this allergy and read some funny stories about my wonderful daughter you can read it at http://www.cornallergic.blogspot.com.

Philip called me last night. I almost ignored the call because I did not recognize the number, but felt that internal nudge to just answer it. I did not recognize his voice at first and asked a couple times who it was before I figured it out. As a sister I felt really bad, but just happy to hear from him. He sounded tired but reported doing okay. Please keep in him your prayers.

We are starting a series call the Truth Project on church on Wednesday night. I am excited as it looks like a really good series. I will keep you all updated on how it is going for me.

My Adventures This Summer

So I will have to say that my summer was pretty good. It didn't help that I did not have to work and got to stay home with my daughter everyday. Debra and her kids left on Monday a week ago, so needless to say, my house has been pretty quiet. We had an exciting time while Debra was here. Where visited the farm at Lee Martinez Park, The Aquarium, Eliches and the Denver Zoo. My cousins came from Colorado Springs for dinner, which was fun, considering I had not seen them for several years. I decided that there were way to many cool pictures to upload so I made a slide show. I hope you all enjoy it.

I started my internship this past Monday. It has been an interesting information filled week. We have Crow Fair next week and then school starts. I will try to post again after Crow Fair. Realistically it is not working for me to post every week, or sometimes even every other week, but I will at least on a monthly basis.

Hi all. It has definitely been a busy couple of weeks. Ruth and Michael have been staying with us, and let me tell you that having 3 kids around is truly interesting. It is especially fun trying to keep track of all 3 of them, like where they are playing in the courtyard or whose house they are at.

The kids have been busy at summer camp 3 days a week. We went to the Children's Museum last weekend and today they went to a slip and slide party in the courtyard. I bought a small pool that we have been filling up everyday so they could swim and attempt to stay cool. They don't appreciate the warm weather like I do.

Debra is coming on Wednesday and we have some fun things planned so stay tuned for pictures and the exciting details on my next blog. My cousin from Colorado Springs and his wife are coming up for a barbecue on Wednesday evening. I haven't seen them for several years, so I am excited about that.

My little brother left for Afghanistan on the 11th. I keep telling myself that this is what he joined the army for and he wants to be there, but it is still hard. Please keep not only him but his entire unit, as well as the rest of our troops in your prayers.

Sorry there are no pictures this time, but there will be next time.

Hi and Wecome to my busy life....

Well a lot has happened since I last updated everybody. We left Colorado on the 20th and plan on returning home on the 7th. My baby sister got married on the 22nd. I had the opportunity to see a lot of family and had a good time. Although they didn't make it to the wedding my uncle Pete and Aunt Loise visited from California so I got to spend some time with them a couple of days after the wedding. I have pretty much spent the last two weeks in the swimming pool and riding bikes with the kids. Needless to say I have lost 10 pounds and need to figure out how to keep it off after returning to Colorado.














Dressing up brides at the Bridal shower

















Kennedy and Esther getting their hair fixed for the wedding




I don't have pictures from the Aquarium yet, but I have posted some pictures from the wedding and some of the kids. Hope you enjoy

Summer is here

Well summer is definitely here. With the exception of a few rainy and windy days, the weather has been very nice. Esther has enjoyed playing outside and the independence (sort of) that she gets from that. Several people have moved out and just as many are moving in. There are new faces everywhere.

All has not been great however, Grandma Barnes, (the grandmother at our church in Montana) passed away on the 28th of May. We took the trip to Montana to say our good byes. It was a hard time for both Matt and I, as she touched our lives greatly and will be missed. Please say prayers for the Barnes family, especially Grandpa who was married to her for over 50 years.

While in Montana we learned that our pastor and his family were planning a vacation to Denver (yea). We spent a day of fun in the sun (mostly in the sun) with them on Monday. We first went to the Aquarium (not sunny, but very coo) and then to Elich's. We had tons of fun and were reminded how much (yea I'm going to say it) we miss some things about Montana. Matt even said afterwards that there was a possibility we would be moving back to Billings--we'll just have to see where God takes us.

Sunday we are planning another trip to Elich's for fathers day--if anybody is in the area they are more than welcome to meet us there. Let us know you are coming and we will keep our eyes out for ya.

For those who enjoy stories from my little angel (hahahaha) here is the latest....This morning I could not find the flashcards for her hooked on phonics. She assured me she saw them on the computer desk with the CD. When I asked Matt he told me that Esther was playing with them yesterday and he told her to put them away. We searched and searched...I had finally decided she probably threw them away considering the fact that hooked on phonics is not her favorite activity. I gave up looking for them and went about my daily business. After lunch I left to run an errand and when I came back, Matt informed me that the missing cards were found--on Esther's bed. When we asked her where she found them, she informed us they found themselves and she still swears that she doesn't know where they were at. I guess we'll let her keep that secret...this time.

Sorry I don't have pictures from the Aquarium we left our camera in Montana.

Pictures and Video I promised

These are the pictures from the Tastes and Sights of Native America that I promised in my
last entry. I can't figure out how to label them, so if you have any questions, just ask

Sorry it's been a while

So I'm sorry it has been a while since I posted. I will try to remember everything from the last couple of weeks to catch everybody up.

I took my last final on the 13th. Esther spent the day with Aunt Renae, Uncle Bob and Cousin Cayla. They were supposed to go to the zoo, but it rained all day. She still had fun. When we went to pick her up she didn't want to leave, asking if she could just stay for a couple more hours. Of course we did, who can pass up Uncle Bob's cooking especially after a day of finals.

I spent the remainder of the week shuttling Sam and Kennedy and my parents back and forth to the airport so they could go visit Philip. By the time last Sunday came around I started to think that the people working in the toll booths recognized me. Esther enjoyed the trips to the airport and even though I tried to leave her home a couple of times she didn't let me. Although, she was sad by the short visits and asked several times why everybody had to go see Uncle Philip. I explained to her that Uncle Philip was going to Afghanistan for a long time and they wanted to see him before he left. I also explained the war (in 3 year old terms) and told her we had to remember to pray for all the soldiers over seas, not just Uncle Philip. Apparently I didn't explain it very well, because now she tells people they have to pray for us because we live far away in Colorado America. Esther had fun with Kennedy for the short time she was here and continues to ask when we are going to Montana to so she could see her again.

Thursday the 22nd, Northern Colorado was hit by a series of tornadoes. I worried a little bit as they seemed to be all around Fort Collins and we live in an upstairs apartment, but the worries left after some time in prayer. That evening we picked Sam up at the airport and Esther dreamed about tornadoes while she was sleeping in the car. She woke up warning me that a tornado had hit down (pointing to the left of us) "right over there." I tried reasoning with her, but she was convinced. I finally just told her it was a good thing the tornado hit "over there", since we were "over here." She agreed and the subject was easily changed.

Tragically this same evening our worship leader at church was killed in a car accident. She was 20 years old and a part of both the youth and college groups. Also in the car were other members of the youth group, who were treated for injuries, but survived the accident. Although she is in a much better place, the church is grieving, especially the youth, so please pray for them, as well as her parents and siblings.

Saturday the 24th Aggie Village did Tastes and Sights of Native America. Matt helped organize the event. Ram Nation, CSU's drum group, was there, as well as other dancers Matt had lined up. Esther also danced. With the help of Women's Club we made 4 pots of stew and about 300 pieces of fry bread. I posted pictures of us cooking, I will hopefully be able to post pictures of Matt and Esther dancing later. (I also finished her moccasins and posted pictures of them)

Yesterday was had the annual fire inspection on our apartment. They were here for probably less than 5 minutes to check the smoke alarm and fire extinguisher. She told me they encouraged parents to discuss a safety plan with heir kids and proceeded to tell me of a fire in University Village where the entire apartment was engulfed in flames, one parent jumped out a second story window and the parent made it out the front door. However, these parents did not know where their 10 year old was, worried that he was inside, but later found out he was at his friends house. Esther is now worried that our apartment in going to burn down. She has asked me what will happen to our stuff and will we still get to keep it, etc. I told her that God will provide and IF our stuff burns God will give us new stuff. I must have convinced her because now she is asking when the fire is going to happen. Hopefully after a few days she will forget about tornadoes and fires and just get back to playing.

Hi Again

So this week was not quite as crazy as last week, but almost. Esther went back to pre school on Monday. Tuesday I had a talk with her Master Teacher as well as the Director about some concerns I had. Being the end of the year, it seemed as though some of the student teachers had checked out and weren't as concerned about the kids' safety as they should have been.

Tuesday Esther got her stitches out. It was much worse then getting them in. We had to restrain her in a blanket and hold down her legs and her head (it took me and 3 nurses just to hold her down). Her lip looks pretty good, but there is going to be a scar. The Early Childhood Center is looking into their liability insurance to see if they will pay for it. I was told that they have not had to file a claim in the past 10 years, so the Director did not know how to do it, but was going to find out how. I thought this was very kind of them, since it did happen when they were supposed to be watching her.

I had a final on Monday and have another one on the 13th. On Tuesday I turned in my last paper and my research proposal, my last 2 assignments this semester. It was a relief to get them done and over with. Friday was Esther's last day of pre school. We are now on a search to find cheaper childcare arrangements for next year.

I don't really have a lot to say this week. I did forget to tell you last week that we are now official Colorado residents. I posted a picture of our license plates as proof. I also finished beading Esther's moccasins and have them mostly sewed together. I will post a picture next week when I have the bottoms sewed on.

What a Crazy Week

Well this has definitely been a busy/crazy week. I am thankful that the semester is nearly over and I have no first year teachers next year. I like to give everybody the benefit of the doubt, but I am a strong believer that graduate students should not be guinea pigs and new professors should have to get some experience with the undergrad students before taking on a Master's level course.

Tuesday we received a call from the Early Childhood Center asking either Matt or I to pick up Esther because she split her lip open. When I got there there was blood all over her white shirt and yes quite a split in her lip. The 4 (maybe it was only 3) student teachers in the kitchen with her told me she was hit in the face with a tire swing. I expected a little bit more of an explanation...was she on the swing and fell off?...was she pushing somebody else?...was she playing alone or with other kids?... and most importantly of all was there somebody watching them? None of these questions were answered. I kept her home the rest of the week and am having a hard time with the fact that I have to send her back tomorrow.

I have one final tomorrow. It is the last day of class for two of my classes and I could not be happy enough. I have the final draft of my research proposal due on Tuesday and haven't even looked at it since last Tuesday. I suppose that is what I will be doing this afternoon. In my free time this week (between studying for my final and keeping up with Esther) I finished her hair ties. They aren't edged yet, Matt is working on that. I think they look alright since they were my first ones, so I included a picture. I also had a chance to start her moccasins. Hopefully they will be done by the time I post next week.

Well we are off to church. I'll chat with you all next week.

Spring

Spring is finally here. We can now expect that a 70 degree day will not be followed by snow, but another nice day. It has rained a couple of times. It is a lot more refreshing than snow. Unfortunately, however the heat in our apartment, which we cannot control, is still on. This makes the cool spring days warm and the warm spring days hot. Snow has been in the forecast a couple of times this week, but we haven't seen any. (ha ha, Esther informed me about 10 minutes ago it was snowing. I answered her with a "whatever" and laughed. I just looked outside and....it's snowing) I added a couple of pictures of the trees outside our door. They are more beautiful in person, but I thought I would share them anyway.

Spring also means the end of the school year. Wednesday afternoon Matt received an award for volunteering with residence life and was inducted into the International honorary for Leadership in the University Apartment Communities. He has been teaching the women at Women's Club, mostly internationals, how to bead. They are currently working on making a pair of moccasins. The women love him and are appreciative of his time.

School is winding down. I finished my last paper on Wednesday (Thank you Paige for your "interview") and am currently finishing up the final draft of my research proposal. I have two final exams, one on the 5th and another on the 13th. We have spent almost 1/2 the semester in my macro theory practice class discussing the final exam. Not what is going to be on it, but what type of test it will be. Rumor has it, that there is no test and the discussions are supposed to serve the purpose of teaching us what group work is truly like when working on community change. Although I can see the point and have probably learned more from the test discussion than the lecture on the actual readings, etc. I am still going to study as though we are having a final. We were told at the beginning of fall semester that we would most likely not have any more than 4 tests throughout the whole 2 years that it would mostly be papers and projects. There has been a fair share of papers and projects, but we had 6 tests last semester and will have two this semester. I hope this means that next year there will be no tests:).

Well that's all for now...I'll talk at ya next week.

Hopefully this will help keep people updated.

Hello from beautiful Fort Collins. I was reading Philip and Megan's blog and decided that it would be a perfect way to keep everybody updated on us here. We miss everybody so much, but do really love this area. School has been hectic, but well worth it. We are in the process of looking for more affordable child care next year. Although Esther loves the Early Childhood Center and it is convenient to walk her across the street for preschool everyday we cannot afford it for another full year. A lot of our free time has been spent at pow wows. Esther loves to dance and there are a ton of opportunities for it around here.

Matt and I have been debating applying for a Community Coordinator position here at Aggie Village. The most attractive part to the position is that rent is paid. The least attractive part is that we would have to move to another courtyard. Esther has made several friends in our current courtyard and best of all the play ground is right outside. So...I'm not exactly excited about having to move. Please pray that we have the wisdom to make the right decision.

We look forward to visits from family and friends so if you're ever in the area, stop by and see us. I included a picture of Esther and Matt at NCIPA pow wow, a picture of Esther and Uncle Bob and a picture of Esther and her cousin Skyla.