Family Photos

So this FALL I took some family photos but apparently never posted them as I must have forgotten I had a blog or something.

In any case here are a few of my favorites but certainly not all of them.











If you do nothing else check out this last photo of my in-laws and their grandchildren. This is absolutely the best picture of all the ones we took. Having said that please check out MY younger daughter there on the left.

Yes. It truly is the best picture.

Playing in the snow

This winter in Colorado has been mild to say the least. We've had, until recently, very little snow and weather that never got below freezing. Our Christmas was pretty brown and un-holiday like.

Luckily the end of January came and FINALLY Colorado remembered that it's Colorado and not, say, Florida and we got some snow.

Of course we had to run outside and play in it.

Needed to bring a drink with him. Does not care that that it will freeze out here.

I love that picture. The children are in mid-stride running from the evil snow blower. Which they chased and then ran away from multiple times that day.

Couldn't get out of the way fast enough.

Drive way snow angel's are the easiest ones to photograph.

Snot's going on?

While we are not a particularly religious household we do subscribe to the idea of Proverbs 22:6 "Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it."

Which is to say we broke out snow shoveling equipment and set them to it.

Taking a moment for a little snow shovel guitar.

This is how you clean off Mommy's car - pay attention!

In all we had fun playing in the long awaited snow which melted a few days later. By then we were over that whole below freezing and warming up the cars thing anyways.



It sure was fun having our snow days though. Even Micah enjoyed it.


Don't tell him I posted that.

15 year olds make awesome parents

Not too long ago a 15 year old got some really disturbing news. She was pregnant by her boyfriend of only a short time who was older than she was. She was scared and anxious but she was also strong and resilient.

She decided to keep her baby when abortion would have been an easy option.

She made the best of her life and tried to make it work with her baby's father as long as she could until she just couldn't anymore.

She worked hard, long hours, sometimes at multiple jobs just to make a better life for herself and her children.

She got very lucky when her oldest child was a young teenager and met the man of her dreams. In a whirlwind relationship they got married and it appears that they will live happily ever after.

Today her oldest child turns 36. (Or 38 if you ask him how old he feels)

Because you see, this isn't my story. Yet. Although it has all the beginnings of mine in some sense.

This story is about my mother in law, Leslie.

On this day in 1974 she gave birth at the ripe old age of 16 to my wonderful husband. She named him Micah after the book and prophet in the Bible. She took him to church, she played with him, she raised him and his brother with love and grace despite some really, really, hard times.

She gave me the best gift I could have ever asked for.

She continues to be one of my people who offer guidance and inspiration on how to live an honest and worthy life.

She gave birth to my best friend. She nursed the kindest man I know. She rocked to sleep my rock. She raised the love of my life.

Thank you Leslie.

Happy Birthday my sweetheart.

Fairplay photos

Fairplay is a city in Colorado, not just good sportsmanship!

Micah's parents have property in the area between Fairplay and BuenaVista (known as Ranch of the Rockies) and so we went up there Sunday for birthday pictures, family pictures.

I tell people such detailed information about where we went because they ask. A lot. I'm killing birds with stones people.

We took a little over 500 pictures. They are not all winners. In fact, a large majority of them are not.

But the odds are in your favor when you take that many picture that a few will turn out well.

We got a LOT of good ones so for the next few days I'm just going to post one subject (aka child) and their photos and maybe tell a story or two about them.

It's not calling it in because I have to upload pictures.

I now present...the jump photo's.

I had this great idea to take pictures of all of us jumping in the air separately and then framing them in a mat.

Coaxing Kylie to jump was like begging a bull to give milk. It was tough. Unlike the bull scenario however, it was not impossible. There are probably 50 photo's leading up to this one and when Kylie sees that I've posted it on the Internet she'll likely freak out. Oh well. It's a cute photo.

Unlike her sister Lizzie needed no prodding and could not WAIT to do the jump picture. Sadly, because she is so light and tiny she didn't get much height but if you look you can JUST see her little pink feet emerging from the scrub brush.



Don't tell Micah I posted this picture. It's not his proudest moment. He says. I think it's awesome. He's holding The Boy and jumping in the air...no small feat for an adult.

Even Will got in on the jumping action...and LOVED it. Dad's throw babies better than Mom's that's for sure.

So I'm sure now you're ready for my picture. Except, here's the thing. I forgot to take a picture of myself jumping. Or even to have Micah take a picture of the jumping that I would have done. Just, plain forgot.

So I may still frame those jump shots for this year and redo the theme next year, we'll see.

All in all though, the picture taking up in Fairplay made me very, very, Hoppy. (Ha! Couldn't resist!)

It skips a gender

When I was a wee lass (side note - when I was younger I had SEVERAL people ask me my name and think I said Lassie instead of Lacy. They also thought it was funny that my name was Lassie. People can be really lame.) I was what you may call a Tom Boy. I generally played better with boys in a social setting rather than girls. Girls are mean. They really, really are.

Naturally on the playground there was always roughhousing and running around and playing "war" and "cowboys and Indians" and "cops and robbers" etc. My role in these games always shifted, as they generally do for all the kids involved. Sometimes your the bad guy, sometimes your the good guy but there is almost ALWAYS guns and weapons of mass destruction involved.

While I was EXCELLENT at running around and hiding and strategy (lets hide under the tires!) I did have one VERY pronounced shortcoming that made me a semi-outcast in these games.

I can't make the noises.

I can't make the sound of a gun or fighter engine or tank or motorboat or speeding race car or ANYTHING of the sort. At least not convincingly.

Where the boys would make noises that sound exactly like what they are portraying and typed out look like "PSHHHHHBEERRRRRBAM" my noises were sad little "pow pow" and "bang bang" and in the case of all motorized vehicles "vroom vroom".

My male friends attempted occasionally to teach me the cool noises. When I asked HOW they made them they would normally shrug and just say "I dunno" and go on making their fighter planes drop massive nuclear weapons on my little ponies or Bar*bies or whatever.

Thankfully during the outside games they normally allowed me to play along despite my obvious handicap and instead gave me silent roles. I OFTEN played "spy".

The other night Micah and I were sitting on the couch when suddenly I heard a VERY familiar sound coming from the play pen. I looked around and saw Will crawling out of his corner making, I kid you not, race car noises. VERRRRRRRRRMMMMMMMMMM is what it would look like.

I looked at Micah and asked "How does he know how to make that sound?"

Micah's response was a shoulder shrug and "I dunno".

Conversations with Micah

Lacy: *gets off the couch and knees creak*

Micah: My old lady

Lacy: I know, I'm already 31. Can you believe it?

Micah: I know! I'm 36.

Lacy: Actually, you're 35.

Micah: Well they say you're as old as you feel.

It's the little things

I did not end up eating caramel filled cookies. I still didn't post my goofy pictures either though. Sorry.

One of the best things in life, I think, is having someone you can be goofy with. A problem comes up though when your partner is in charge of the camera for the entire vacation and while you both are acting goofy together, only ONE of you ends up on film being goofy.

Without further ado....

Looking in a fake child's window at the Alaska Museum

I thought for sure that stuffed bear was going to get me

Aye Aye Captain

Not sure I can drive this wooden boat at the Alaska Sealife Center

Oh no! I'm falling! (not really)

Micah thinks he's safe because he had the camera for the majority of the trip. Little does he know...my iPhone had a camera. And he had one silly moment.

Look out! There is a moose behind you! At the souvenir store in downtown Anchorage.

A few Alaska pictures

I have some better ones at home waiting to be posted. Maybe I'll get those up tonight. Maybe I'll eat Carmel filled chocolate chip cookies instead. It's a crap shoot.

By better I mean pictures of me and Micah (okay mostly just me) acting silly on our vacation because while I love the pictures of us standing in front of the glacier or in front of the ocean or in front of whatever I especially love the pictures of me being goofy while on vacation. I love that Micah loves them and loves to take them.

I have enough self confidence to be okay with goofy pictures and posting them on the internet.

BUT. Those pictures have to wait.

Instead let me show you Micah and Lacy at Beluga Point on our drive to Seward Alaska.

Also just me standing on a large rock at Beluga Point:

Behind me is Hope, Alaska. Population - not much.

Here is a picture of Micah and I in front of Matanuska Glacier. We were supposed to land on Ruth Glacier after a flight from Talkeetna to see Denali. That, however, was a failure and we did not get to fly or see the glacier. So instead we drove to Matanuska Glacier which is the opposite direction entirely. We paid an exorbitant amount of money and we got to climb all over the Glacier to our hearts content.



We did manage to enjoy our time in Seward and we visited the Sealife Center including a behind the scenes Marine Mammal Tour. This tour was so cool because we got to get up close with some Harbor Seals and a Stellar Sea lion named Sugar. I even got to feed the Harbor Seal Tik aka Tikani.

We stayed at the worlds most awesome Bed & Breakfast, Berry Patch B&B in Seward and I highly recommend it.

Micah enjoyed the Hammock.....



which may remind you of our trip to Cancun last year...

I did some reading....

Overall we had a good time in AK, it was predictably too short and I enjoying seeing my Uncle Larry as well as Nana.

We did miss Will a ton though and luckily he does not seem to have learned to crawl in our absence. Or he's hiding it well.

Anniversary

I wont be able to write this tomorrow because we will be on our honeymoon. I realize that must sound odd since we got married a year ago tomorrow but I was all pregnant and freaking out constantly about money and we had the girls full time and blah blah blah, we never took a honey moon.

So about a month ago, maybe a month and a half we decided to go to Alaska for our honeymoon.

Internet, if you are thinking about going by my house to rob it be warned. I have booby traps set up. And a killer cat. And rabid attack guard dogs. And someone checking on the house everyday. And an ex husband who needs extra cash and is willing to kill for it.

Just sayin'. Don't try to go by my house and steal stuff.

Micah and I will be flying tonight to the state of my birth. I'm excited to show him ME and where I CAME FROM and where I went to school and tell stories (because I am AWESOME at story telling, as you all know) and just being with my husband in general.

On the flip side, this is the first time I will be away from the boy since he was born. Ever. I feel physically ill just typing that. I was exhausted last night and yet I still picked him up and rocked him for as long as he would let me looking at his face and telling him to stay small for me. No growing.

I also left strict instructions with my mother in law, who will be caring for him while I'm out.

Do not put him on his belly. Or back. Because he will flip over onto his belly. And from his belly he has figured out how to get his knees under him. It's only a matter of time until he will figure out how to go forward. So no crawling until I get back.

She has informed me that she will follow my instructions to the letter. OR, in the worst case scenario (read: most likely scenario) she just wont tell me and when we get home and he starts crawling all around the house she'll act shocked and say he never did anything of the sort at her house.

I love a mother in law who will lie to me.

Also, Happy Anniversary Micah.

When I was married the first time I swore I would never get married again because the first year of marriage with Brian was so heinous I wanted to kill him. The entire year. And into the second some.

Thanks for showing me that not all first years of marriage suck.

You're awesome.

Lauv.

Conversations with Micah

Me: Look what I found.

Micah: *looks at orange bottle* What is it?

Me: Sunscreen! SPF 100! I am ready for summer!

Micah: I didn't know mud came in a bottle.

Father/Son Talk

Micah: Hey Will, can I talk to you for a second?


Will: Who me?
Micah: Yes you.


Will: I love talking to YOU Daddy!

Micah: I want to talk to you about being a man. I want to talk to you about being gentle all the time and firm when you need to be. I want to talk to you about how to treat women with respect, how to honor your parents, treasure your grandparents, protect your daughters like they are rare jewels and love your sons like you wear your favorite shirt; often and with fondness. I want you to cherish your family, love your neighbor and be an honorable man.

Will: Daddy you so silly!

Micah: I'm serious now Will. I want to talk to you about being a hard worker. I want you to always try your best, work your hardest. Don't take the easy road, no matter what others are doing. Learn from your mistakes and become a better man for it. Don't take shortcuts, especially when it matters the most. And it always matters the most.

Will: Shhhh Daddy. Let me tell you about how much I love you.