Many apologies for our "blog absence" over the last month. Now that the summer is winding down, maybe we'll do a bit better about keeping our electronic umbilical cord connected to you all...maybe. :)
Whew! What a summer it has been! It has been a crazy few months that is for sure. Nothing too unusual for us, but it was especially difficult this year for some reason - probably a combination of things. However, looking back it was still a good summer filled with memories and experiences that we're glad we have.
I went coast to coast this summer on mission trips with students from our youth ministry. We did trips to Orlando and LA this year. Each experience was amazing and I saw many lives impacted both lives of people living in those cities and ours. It was tough to be away from home this summer. With Caleb getting more and more active, exploring and learning in more and more ways, I felt like I was missing more this summer being gone from him. When he was a little, immobile baby, I figured all I was missing was a couple of kicks and a few laughs because of gas bubbles. I came back from the trips this year and he had gotten his driver's license and had a girlfriend...just kidding - but do you know what I mean? It was just different this year. Plus, I know the sacrifices Joye has to make when I'm gone on these trips - especially when the little man gets sick while I'm away. Nothing I can do to help. On the upside though, while I was away on these trips, Joye got to experience the amazing family we have. She was blown away (so was I) by how during some of life's most difficult times her family really rallied together to overcome some major challenges (that's a story for another place and time). Nonetheless, we are blessed. We are lucky to have the support system near us that we have and see God's grace and love work through people.
A week and a half after I returned from LA, Joye got to go to Alaska for 10 days to fish and hang out with her family. That's right, I said she GOT to go, not she HAD to go. :) Well, maybe Joye doesn't think she GOT to go, but I do because I missed being up their this summer. It was a good "get-a-way" for Joye. She was able to get some much needed R & R, reconnect with some family, get a little manual labor in, pick fish, play games, laugh, and just BE for a while. It was a nice change of pace for her. I was jealous the whole time she was gone, but I was so glad she got to go.
While she was out...Caleb and I had 10 days of man time back at home. This was also a nice change of pace for me. After a crazy month of traveling, it was nice to be home and know I wasn't going anywhere for a while, and the best part, the best part was that I got to hang out with Caleb for 10 days. What did we do? Well, we did man stuff. I mean, as much man stuff as you can with a two year old, right?
The best thing we did was we went fishing together. I took Caleb fishing for the first time to a little pond in town that they keep stocked with bass and bluegill. I went fully expecting not to catch anything except Caleb as he would try running into the water - he is fearless! I also had to catch him as he tried attacking a gaggle of geese twice his size - again, fearless! It was so fun though.
The best part was when he tried to cast the line from his pole for the first time. Here is the succession of pictures that may explain what happened without words:
Yup, you got it. He pulled back, flung forward, and let go...of the whole pole. Into the water it went. It was quite funny actually. We had a great time fishing and for the next week or so went back several times at his request. He was diggin' the worms.
Then, we went home and made a little fire in the back yard and roasted hot dogs. We were going to camp out that night in the back yard, but this was the week where it was over 100 degrees for consecutive days and even at 9pm it was in the 90s - not pleasant.
I also took Caleb to Roaring Springs for the first time and he LOVED it. His favorite thing to do was to go down the big racing slide with the blue mat. He had perma-grin the whole time and that's all he wanted to do. "One more, one more." Tons of fun.
Caleb and I did a couple of "While You Were Out" projects for Joye while she was in Alaska. We built a little cubby, shelf-type thing in our utility room so as to keep our stuff a little more organized by one of our entries - it was a fun little project.
We also organized our closet - finally! No, this is not a picture of Savers, this is our closet. See that little section on the nearest right side? Ya...that's my part of the closet. :) Caleb was a big helper on this project too, as you can see.
To top the summer off, Joye and I went with our youth group up to Riggins for a camping and rafting trip on the Salmon River. We had so much fun. Caleb got to stay with the Wolfs and hang out with his cousins Allison and Andi. He had a really good time and hasn't stopped saying their names since.
We would be lying if we said we were bummed the summer was coming to an end, but mostly because we are so excited for things coming down the line this fall. I think it is a pretty good place to be when you can have a fun summer, but continue to be excited for the fall. Please pray for our family, for our youth ministry, and for our church as we begin to implement some changes - changes we are thrilled about!
You know what else we are thrilled about? We are thrilled about our cherry tomatoes! Yesssss, we actually grew something and we harvested our first batch yesterday. Joye taste tested them (because I can't stand the nasty things) and gave them two thumbs up - Caleb also approves.
Here are some more random pictures for you to enjoy. On this particular morning, Caleb felt the need to put all of his favorite things on the table with his breakfast to keep him company. Handy Manny blanket - check. Handy Manny tools - check. Jack in the box - check. Tractor & ball - check. Geoffry & baby Geoffry - check. Elmo book - check. Airplane - check. At least he's not picky. :)
We're obviously teaching him how to have good manners at the table, especially when a camera shows up.
We look forward to seeing you all and wish we could see you more often. Have a great rest of August!
We love you.
JJC
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