mamsypamsy

...for Papa

...here we go...

Well, we are off to Monterey, California tomorrow.  I'm not taking the computer, so I won't have any new photos to upload until at least Thursday.  In the meantime you may enjoy the following.  If you don't enjoy it, you can go here for something more entertaining.

San Diego Fun...

Well, we had a great time in San Diego with the family.  Our hosts (Nicholas' Aunt and Uncle) were more than gracious, especially considering that we brought a total of 10 people, four of whom were five years old or younger. 

While visiting we took the opportunity to survey the San Diego Zoo to see what the fuss was all about.  We saw some wonderful animals including polar bears, sea lions, pandas, and a bunch of hummingbirds.  We also took away a few postcards and pretty well defined farmer's tans. 

argh...Polar Bears!

Pretty bird, pretty bird.

Awww, baby panda.

....5 months going on 18.....

Our boy is five months old today....he's 20 lbs. of fun!

 

...a little worn out

Well, today we had a big day at the San Diego Zoo.  Needless to say we are pretty wiped out.  Kate put herself to bed at about 4:45 this afternoon and got up only to eat a little dinner then she went right back to bed.  I guess the San Diego Zoo requires a lot of walking for a five year old. 

So, because I'm tired, too, and becuase I'm not quite ready to sift through my photos, I offer the following plinky plunky video from the archives:

"Hey baby, let's go for a spin!"

....fun in the sun...

Everyone knows I'm crazy about my husband, but have I ever mentioned that I'm crazy about his family, too?  Well, then, just for the record, I love my in-laws.  I know this somehow makes me un-American or something,  but this crazy group of people has made my life better than I ever thought it could be.  They're always encouraging, always forgiving, always loving and since there are so many of them someone's always up for fun.  Of course, it makes sense that a wonderful husband would come along with a wonderful family. 

Here's an example of what I mean.  Today when we arrived at our host's home in San Diego, we wasted no time and immediately raided the fridge.  Then we jumped in the hot tub.  In my experience, it takes a very special person to plunge into a frigid pool just to please a pre-schooler. 

 

   Also, I love this picture.

...manifest destiny....

It's now official.  We've made our way across the entire southern portion of the US.  Coast to Coast, baby!  From the soaring pines in the Deep South, we've driven past the big sky of Texas, through the deserts of the Southwest and straight on to the Pacific Ocean.   

If you're keeping track, after we left Texas we spent a week in New Mexico.  Two days ago we saw the Hoover Dam and visited Vegas. Today we landed in San Diego...or as Kate understands it, Sandy Ago.  She wants to know where all the sand went.  I told her they swept it all out to the beach. 

On the way out to Cali we stopped in Las Vegas for two nights and visited Kate's and Joseph's Great Grandma and Grandpa. Then we spent the afternoon at the pool until the desert gales blew us back up to our rooms.  It was seriously windy.  Here are some pics just to prove that my story is true:

Kate and her Grandpa take a closer look at the Hoover Dam.

Here's Kate and Joseph with their great grandparents and cousins.

   

My favorite shot of the day:  Grandpa Joe with baby Joe. 

And just for fun, Swimming!

...something to watch

For the benefit of our favorite dad, here's a video clip of some recent silliness...

...reducing footprint?

In the interest of environmental stewardship and to offset the ecological footprint I've left in the interest of financial stewardship at CVS,  I offer the following link courtesy of my dear friend, Karen.

The Story of Stuff

Granted, I'm fairly sure the messengers oppose everything our family otherwise believes, but, we are conservatives and it is a conservation message. 

happy green day....

Did you ever notice that most cultures throughout history called upon the divine to mitigate wonky weather patterns?  Don't you find it telling that our culture calls upon itself to heal the earth?

So, in honor of Earth Day 2008, I submit the following perspective from our old friend Oswald Chambers:

The people of God in Isaiah's day had starved their imagination by looking on the face of idols, and Isaiah made them look up at the heavens, that is, he made them begin to use their imaginations aright.  Nature to a Saint is sacramental.  If we are children of God, we have a tremendous treasure in nature.  In every wind that blows, in every night of the year, in every sign of the sky, in every blossoming and in every withering of the earth, there is a real coming of God to us if we will simply use our starved imagination to realize it.

Observe the starvation of this culture's imagination:  The popular narrative thirsts for originality, family life hungers for meaning, and the civic conscience gropes for authenticity.  I hope the zeal expended today on the earth's behalf soon yields an inspired rediscovery of the purest power of all-- the Creator's love.