Bethel Came to Visit!

So fun to see Erica and her boy Adam as they were driving across the country last Friday. It seems to work out well that we live one minute off of I-70 and so many people have to drive right past us.

Open invite...if you are ever driving across the country on I-70 and need a sweet set of bunk beds to crash in, the Brandt B&B is always open!

Rafting

Times Justin has rafted this season : probably a dozen

Times Melinda has rafted this season : once!!!!!!

We are fortunate to have awesome friends, the Cardens, that own a 4 person raft. And we are even more fortunate that they like us enough to invite us to go rafting! Justin has been going a lot this year already. But, with little Mack, I have not gotten to go yet...until last week! Last Thursday, Verita invited me to go rafting with Daniel (above in a precious pic before the trip) and Justin while she hung out with Macklin. It was awesome and I was so grateful to get on the water, even though we did a little run because Melody (above), Daniel's daughter, came with us. They have a precious new daughter named Ellawese (I don't know if that is how they spell it).

It was so much fun to be doing something together with Justin! That is the one part of the active lifestyle that is hindered a bit by a new baby. We can still be active and have our hobbies, but now we have to do things separately. Kinda stinky but totally worth it to have our little man!

The other exciting part of our day last Thursday included the dogs! The Cardens have a German Shepard named Ada. We took the dogs down to the river to play after we got done putting the raft away. Baxter will jump in the water and swim after sticks...he is actually quite a good swimmer. But, the Cardens say that Ada isn't much of a swimmer by choice. So, my favorite part of our time was when Justin dives into the Colorado River and calls Baxter out. Bax jumps in and Ada follows him! Daniel jumps in behind and all four of them swim clear to the other side of the river, through the current (it was a slow moving area, no big rapids or anything). It was awesome! And they all made it back. No longer is Ada "not a swimmer." It was a proud dog-owning moment and so cool to watch! The pups were rock stars. I wish I would have had my camera!

Pool Day #2

We had a great day at the pool last week with Scott and Cara and their kids Asher (2) and Hannah (almost 4). It wasn't a long time together. We were late (big surprise). And they were ready for naps early. We played for a couple of minutes. Then, a kid puked in the pool = out for an hour. The Leonards had to jet for their naps, so I fed Macklin and then we got to play a bit more. While the pool was closed, we got to snap a few more pics...some of which are now my favorite ones!

Check out another video clip.

Pool Day with Mack

Macklin Loves Your Gifts!!!

I feel as though I just have to take a picture of Macklin in every outfit! I think this will fill up my IPhoto library rather quickly, but it is so fun for me! Sorry to my next kids who probably won't get to have this intense documentation of their lives.

So, here are a few outfits that I wanted to say thanks for.....

Thank you Miss Katie Bragg for this sweet overalls! I love them!

Thank you Auntie Jessica for this sweet Monkey outfit!

Thank you Salem for allowing my baby to advertise for you! Very soft and comfy!

The retro Jogger outfit is a Justin hand-me-down. Yes, that is right. It was Justin's when he was a child. Had to get it on Mack at least once. It is awesome! Way to go Grandma Kathy for saving everything!

Thank you Ally and Olivia for his nice bath robe and matching booties. He looks very nice in it!

YL Camp Recap

Justin was able to go with the crew to Young Life camp a week ago. About 26 kids went from Eagle Valley, making about 65 kids total from the whole Vail Valley. They had a blast and were able to take a serious look at their lives while they were there. Here is a short video that shows some shots from camp. There is a picture of Justin's cabin of guys along with the cabin of girls I wish I could have been with. The Lord is good. I was where I needed to be (with my son), but I still missed being with my girls.

Biggest Praises: A couple of boys committed their lives to Christ while at camp

Some girls were able to share their struggles and recommit their lives to Christ

Prayers: Please pray that kids would continue to evaluate their lives now that they are home and decide how they want to live. Also pray that Justin and I can have time to catch up with them and continue our relationships with them now that they are home!

YL Recap --Video, click on it!

Week with Mimi and Papa

I am so grateful that my mom and dad came to hang out with me while Justin was at camp. They said they would do some projects, but they didn't really know what I had in mind. Here is a little taste....

TO-DO List

(all of this really was completed!)

caulk baseboards and trim

paint baseboards and trim

fix washer

paint dinning room light

make mirror frame in master bath

fix trim on yellow room door

clean out and organize shed

straighten master bath light

fix dryer

hang drying line

fix front window trim

add extra shelf to laundry room

fix wobbly table

clean living room

clean the welcome bench

put post back on fence

play with macklin (a lot!)

wash shower curtain

put door stop on J's closet

put door stop on master bedroom

clean out drain

clean trash cans

clean behind sofas

fill in coat rack hole

put laundry shelves back in order

changes hindges in master bath

clean side yard

wash melinda's car

pick up doggie poop

fix little glass angel

wash diapers

Don't worry, we had some fun as well. Here are some clips...

Week with Mimi and Papa

Check out this video I made with Animoto; just click above! Great way to show a bunch of pics at once and 30 second videos are free!

Happy 4th of July!!!!

This must have been one of my favorite Fourth of Julys EVER! I don't even know what fireworks went off because I was so busy watching Macklin! He was fixated on the glowing lights in the sky, not scared one bit by the big booms! He was awesome!

Saturday night Cara Leonard and I took our little ones to the Avon fireworks. Now, I am from big time St. Louis where fireworks are awesome and I have to say....Avon does a great job! So much fun, lots of people, big finales! Since Justin was just coming back from camp, we watched the Eagle fireworks on Sunday (not as good, but not too shabby). Justin got to see little Mack's face as he watched them again! Can't wait until the next 4th!