New York, New York

A few weekends ago Shawn, Laura and I joined my parents in a trip to Long Island to visit family. I had one cousin graduating from college and the other cousin graduating from high school. They were having a joint party so we were excited to attend as well as let my dad's side of the family meet Laura. Somehow I didn't end up with any pictures of the entire family - but needless to say - we had a great time visiting with everyone.

On Friday morning, my mom and I thought it would be fun to take the Staten Island ferry to Manhattan, have lunch, and then drive back to Long Island. I mean it is only a 40 mile drive, how long could it take? We packed up the car and hit the road with mom, dad, Shawn, Laura, Aunt Heidi, cousin Jenny, and me at about 10:00am. It took about 90 minutes to get to the ferry -- not bad, we thought. We all really enjoyed the ride and the views that it offered. We had a nice lunch in Battery Park and then took the ferry back to Staten Island. This time we had a wonderful view of the Statue of Liberty. We got to the car at around 2:00 and started to head home. Not long into our trip we realized that we were in for a looooooong ride. At just about 5:40 we pulled into our destination on Long Island -- almost 4 hours to go 40 miles!!! Laura had run out of food and entertainment several hours earlier and all of our ears were ringing from her cries. The fun of the ferry ride was almost forgotten due to the never-ending drive home...but it will always give us something fun to talk about!

We are looking forward to seeing everyone again next summer as we celebrate Grandma's 80th birthday!!

Check back in a few days to see pictures of my grandparents and aunt's visit in June.

Happy 4th of July!!

I know it has been a long time since I last posted...but I have a good excuse! We have been crazy busy since the summer started. Things are slowing down just a bit for the next few weeks, but then pick up again at the end of the month.

Anyway...we hope you all had a great 4th of July celebration weekend. Shawn, Laura, and I spent the weekend with my parents at the lake. We participated in the small parade that goes around their neighborhood -- thus the decorated stroller and funny hat! (I think Laura thought we were all crazy!!) My mom, Laura and I had a really good time walking the route, while Granddad and Shawn took pictures, video, and waved like crazy when we walked by. We didn't win any prizes, but a good time was still had by all!

Laura also had a chance to see her first fireworks display. One of the more popular ways to view the fireworks at the lake is by boat. We did this several years ago -- and while it was fun and unique -- the drive home in the pitch black with hundreds of other boats was a little too frightening to try with Laura. And we weren't sure how she would react to the fireworks, anyway.

So Shawn, Laura and I decided to try to drive to the bridge where they shoot them off and see if we could get close enough to see anything. We were very surprised to find a grassy hill with a band playing and a place to lay out blankets and lawn chairs to enjoy the show. Laura had a great time people-watching and playing while we waited.

Once the fireworks started she was enthralled. She pointed several times at the lights and made her little "ooooo" sound. Unfortunately, she got bored after about 10 minutes and we had to keep her actively engaged by pointing out the colors, shapes, noises, etc. Since it is a smaller town the show wasn't too long and we were home and ready for bed by 10pm. Overall, it was a great day!

To catch up on the all the pictures and stories from our recent travels, I will be blogging several times this week. Check back in a few days to see pics from our quick trip to Long Island and NYC.

Fatherly Thoughts: My first Father’s Day!

I must admit. My first Father’s Day was a
little anticlimactic. I was out of town on a writing assignment and missed out on the festivities. You seemed to be pretty understanding about it. Thanks for your patience. I know this is a little late, but I just had to write about how excited I am to be a Dad. What a blessing!

There were those days when I didn’t know if I’d ever get to be a Dad, and now I’m blessed with a wonderful daughter. You’re growing and changing so much every day.


You and your mother got me a great Father’s Day gift. It’s a copy of “Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters.” It’s a great read so far. I’ve been plugging away on it and learning all kinds of cool stuff about being a good dad. What a great responsibility it is to be a Dad. I’m reading more and more about the important role a father plays on a child.

I know that my dad — your Pe Pa — played an important role in my life. He went on to heaven more than four years ago. I wish you could have met him. He definitely would have loved to have met you. He was a Godly man. He taught me a lot about living out my faith and what it means to be a man. I included a photo of him and your Me Ma when they went to see my brother and his family in Kenya years ago.

I still can hear his voice when I’m singing hymns in church or when he used to call me “Shawner.” I remember how we used to throw the football around in the yard. I also remember him reading the Bible every night before he went to bed. He had a tremendous influence on my life, and I want to do the same for you. I want you to grow up to be a Godly young woman who stands up for your faith and values. I’ll do my best to teach you what I can.

Hopefully, you won’t pick up too many bad habits along the way. I know I have a few. Maybe you’ll grow up to be a big football fan like your mom and dad -- Go Rams! Your mother would prefer you to be a Steelers fan ... but we'll see about that.

Either way, thanks Laura for being such a blessing in our lives.

Fatherly thoughts: Sick days happen

I didn't believe it at first.

When a coworker told me you had a high fever and were being taken to the doctor, I thought it was a joke. He said your mother had called while I was away from my desk. After I asked if he was really serious, he said he'd never joke about something like that. At that point I believed him, but I was still surprised.

So far we have been pretty blessed that you haven't gotten so much as a sniffle since we returned to our house from Colombia more than 6 months ago. Your mother and I also have tried not to worry too much about germs and sanitizers, mopping and constantly cleaning every inch of the house to avoid germs.

Germs happen.

Kids get sick ... usually a lot. That's how they build up their immune system, and we're well aware that it's going to happen. And this week it did.

You came down with an ear infection and Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease. Or is it foot, mouth and lip? Or is it elbow, eyelid and toe? Daddy can't keep up with it. First off, the name sounds absolutely horrible. Could doctors not come up with something a little better for a common illness that children get? Could they not make the name just a little more ... well ... kid friendly? It sounds like something right up there with Mad Cow Disease or something else started by barnyard animals. Don't even get me started with the whole Swine Flu fiasco?

Anyway, it sounds like something you wouldn't want to get within a 100-mile radius of.

So when I got home that day, you -- my little dynamo who is usually singing, babbling and making your 50th climb up the stairs or remodeling the living room with toys -- were sitting quietly on your mother's lap. You were just sitting there, staring at Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network. You looked totally whooped. I picked you up and all you wanted to do was lay your head on my shoulder. As much as I enjoyed it, that's totally not you.

That night, things only spiraled down hill as the sores in your throat got worse. None of us slept much that night. Pretty much all you could get down was medicine, a Popsicle and a little ice cream ... Hearing you make that crunch sound as you bit into the Popsicle was priceless. We were just relieved to be getting some fluids into you since you wouldn't take your bottle.

The whole thing made your mother and I feel pretty helpless.

We know there will be those times when you will experience sickness and pain. We'll pray you through it and support you the best we can. Sometimes prayer is all we can do ... but it's definitely one of the best things we can do for you.

The good news is that your back to business as usual -- doing all of the climbing, crawling and babbling that you normally do. Although snugly and quiet has its benefits, we much prefer a healthy Laura ... even if that means you're working our living room like a hurricane. Laura, not the stairs again!