Sunday Afternoons

Last Sunday, Daemon and Dylan really wanted to ride their "motorcross" bikes, so Karlene and I took them up and down the block. Notice the snow on the ground. Nothing keeps them from going outside!!

The funny thing was, they wanted to push their bikes instead of ride them the whole time. You never know what is going on inside the mind of a 4 year old.

My favorite part is when I said, "Say bye to the camera"

and Dylan answered..."BYE Camera!"

Daemon & Dylan

This is Daemon and Dylan.

They came into our lives four years ago when our niece, Maggie, gave birth to these beautiful baby boys. On their first birthday, Maggie contracted transverse myelitis and was paralyzed from the shoulders down by the end of the day. She was flown to Seattle for over three months as she tried to regain control of her breathing. During that time, Karlene and I decided to begin keeping Daemon and Dylan overnight on Saturday night to help while Maggie was out of town.

Three years later, those two little boogers have wiggled their way deep into our hearts. They have their own room in our house, and love coming to visit Uncle Adam and Tee-tee on the weekend. Just recently they have started taking turns sleeping on the top bunk. Another advantage to getting them on Saturday night is that we get to take them to church with us on Sunday morning, and they love their teachers and friends there.

I can't imagine not having Daemon and Dylan in our lives. They bring a joy to Karlene and I that no other child ever has. Just ask anyone who has ever been around them...they are addicting! We look forward to watching them grow physically, mentally, and most of all spiritually.

The Smiley Face

I mark my desk calendar with a smiley face.

You know how some people "X" out their days on a calendar when those days are expired? Well, I have always placed a smiley face on my calendars. I have done this ever since I can remember. There are many reasons why I do this: it makes me smile; it looks better than an "X"; this is America and I can express myself any way that I want to. There is one main reason though that I do this that I would like to explain.

Barbara and Denny Brown are very significant people in my life. They came into my life just before I turned a year old, and we have been family ever since. When I lived in Louisville (properly pronounced Lull-vull), I would travel to Barb and Denny's house in Indianapolis in the summer time to visit. You know how car rides can seem like an eternity to kids? Well, the two hour drive seemed like forever to me when I was young. I knew that I was close though when we would pass this large holding tank (I still have no idea what was in that tank) on I-65 that was painted with a smiley face. Every time we passed it, whether mom was driving or Barb & Denny, they would point and say, "There's the smiley face." As dumb as it sounds, it brought joy and peace to my life to see that smiley. Ever since, I have tried to point out the "smileys" in other people's lives, and continue to spread the joy.

That's why my calendar will always be marked up with smiley faces.

S.N.O.W. yup...snow.

So today is October 8th, 2008 and yesterday it SNOWED!

Wow. Snow already. Amazing.

That's what you get when you live in Alaska though. Now mind you we only accumulated about an inch, but it was enough that people were building snowmen in their front yards.

So I frantically began "winterizing" our yard. Which means that I rearranged all the stuff in the two small sheds that we have to free up room for all the outside stuff that needs to be inside. Like the 4-wheeler, the motorcycles, the lawn mower...wait...there's a thought...at least with the snow I am done mowing the grass for the rest of the year!! Yee-haw!