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Finally sleeping!  I don't know if it was Uncle Andrew's contagious personality also sharing the backseat or if he just wasn't tired till a few minutes ago ... 
We're on our way back from Leavenworth, wa where we spent a great weekend with Andrew.  Thanks for meeting us, Bro!!

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Yes it's spaghetti ... Reason number 45 why we need to get around to putting in cupboard locks!!

Well hello there!

Hello. It's hard to know what to share sometimes ... and I have been intentionally weeding out some things that require extra effort. You haven't seen us on Facebook in quite a while either, I know. I do check the blog just about daily, as if to see if I've posted anything more - really, it's to see if any of our friends have. If you haven't checked out our friends' blogs, please do! Lots of stories of joy, fulfillment, kiddos, happiness ... they're great. It's great to be able to get a glimpse into the thinking of our friends and the special - or sometimes simply normal - events going on in their lives. Because I enjoy your posts so much, I suppose we should share one in return.

We realized recently that summer is just about over. Oh wait, it IS over! September 22, right? The official first day of FALL? Well not for us - we're busting out the barbeque, enjoying burgers, steaks, corn on the cob, biking as a family, and enjoying walks in the city on Sunday afternoons. We tried fishing one day a few weeks ago, but it was quite anti-climactic.

My analysis on our allowing summer to pass us by? Aside from the loss of my dad, I used to have a huge picture window in my office, which would inspire creative summer behaviors in years past ... this year I'm sequestered away in a little box where my only window to the outside world is outside of my door, and across 5 rows of cubicles - just a small sliver of a window, really. I'm going to try working from home one day a week during the fall; we'll see if I can get more exposure to light at the kitchen table.

Graham gets more and more precious every day. I am, of course, including pictures - enjoy them, I'm hoping there will be more. I have not downloaded since the beginning of August, again, it was something that got "weeded" out for a time, but now I'm feeling more in the mood to share ... and taking advantage of it while it lasts.

Love you all, and thanks for your prayers!

This is at the coast with friends in August - Graham loved reading with Kurt!

... at the coast with friends in August

... waiting for Daddy in the car before leaving for the coast with friends in August :)

... still waiting ...

Graham's favorite place right now - the couch and trunk make this quite the cozy little book nook; and he's content quietly turning pages and reading to himself. Hasn't torn a page yet!(okay, maybe just one when Uncle Andrew was here)

Just hanging out playing ...

Our first family fishing trip!

Little fisherman ...

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Test message number 1!!

What I read this morning ... speaks to me on many levels

Psalm 16:5-11

The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
Thou does support my lot.
The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Indeed my heritage is beautiful to me.

I will bless the Lord who has couseled me;
Indeed my mind instructs me in the night.
I have set the Lord continually before me;
Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will dwell securely.
For Thou wilt not abandon my soul to Sheol;
Neither wilt Thou allow Thy Holy One to undergo decay.

Thou wilt make known to me the path of life;
In Thy presence is fulness of joy;
In Thy right hand there are pleasures forever.




Some of my thoughts/reflections

The Lord is the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
God is what I have. He is what I have been given, the most important of all. I could say I have inherited a passion and desire for Him from both of my parents.

Thou does support my lot.
He is with me, walks with me through the path and journey I am on.


The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Indeed my heritage is beautiful to me.
I love these lines. I love the way this is written. These lines remind me that I have had a blessed amazing life, and am so fortunate to have been fathered by such an amazing dad.

I will bless the Lord who has couseled me;
Indeed my mind instructs me in the night.
Thank you Lord for counseling me and guiding my mind when it's out of my control ... thank you that when I wake up I wake up feeling at peace. Thank you for desiring to be with me and walk with me through all of my pain forever.

I have set the Lord continually before me;
Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
It is a given. I may shake, I may quake, but I will not be shaken.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will dwell securely.
I have reason to be happy, my heart can find reasons to glory in things around me, the people, the flowers, the rain, the sun, the cascading layers of hills along the horizon ... my husband who reminds me of my dad. It is nice that God reminds us that not only can our spirit dwell securely, but so can our flesh, and He desires that for us.

For Thou wilt not abandon my soul to Sheol;
Neither wilt Thou allow Thy Holy One to undergo decay.
I am His, and He will protect me for all of eternity.

Thou wilt make known to me the path of life;
In Thy presence is fulness of joy;
In Thy right hand there are pleasures forever.
Again, he presents me with reasons for, and sources of, joy, and He tells me it is fine and good, wonderful and beautiful to rejoice in them. And to rejoice and revel in the love, care, and eternal peace He holds for me.

Fun times in Minneanapolis (that's how I used to say it ...)

We Love You, Grandma Esther!!

This weekend we travelled to Minneapolis where we buried my Grandma's ashes next to my Grandpa Victor at Fort Snelling. She passed away in Pella, Iowa, where we celebrated her life back in November. We have had this trip planned for a few months, and it was great to have everyone together. I know my dad was really looking forward to this trip, and he would have been pleased by the quality time we all spent together. It's the second time in three months that we have been together, and man, does it feel good.

Pat and I met my mom in the MSP airport and we got into our rental car to head for our hotel in Vadnais Heights. We spent some time with family, then crashed into bed.

The next day was Friday. We spent the morning trying to figure out where to go in the Mall of America for lunch, then racing there and eating fast enough so we could make it to Fort Snelling for our 25 minutes in the shelter we were assigned. That is quite the operation ... they have you in and out; must have something to do with the high volume of folks who reside there (lots of white tombstones).

After our 25 minutes reminiscing and praying in the shelter, we wanted to wait in the neighborhood while they put her ashes into the ground. So we tried to hang out in two hotel lobbies (we ended up at the Holiday Inn) where those of us who hadn't eaten at the MOA were able to get some food. Then back to the cemetery where we visited Grandpa and Grandma's site together. You can see the pictures below.

That night we ate pizza together at Warren Olsen's house, my Aunt Pam's dad. He was a gracious host to a huge group of people. I think we numbered at least 21 at that point! We went back to the hotel where Pat and I joined our youngest cousins, Joshua (14), and Jakob & Brita (10) in the pool, having a blast on the water slide. My body is still scolding me for acting so young! All this time, Graham was sleeping, with Grandmother Kathy watching over him.

On Saturday, we had a shelter/pavilion rented for the day at Bald Eagle Lake, so we enjoyed hanging out together in the not-as-warm-as-we-had-thought weather. I got out on the water for a while, but realized too late that I had forgotten to buy the all-important fishing license! At least I got to watch my cousins catch fish!

Graham enjoyed crawling around with his Baby Legs on, going from loving cousin to loving aunt, back and forth and forth and back ... one highlight of the day was when our long-lost cousin "Neil" came to visit us from the Oshkosh overall factory where he worked as a midget model for their suspender pants. Amazing how much he looked like Andy! Graham wasn't too sure about this new character and cried when we tried to get him to share a hug with cousin Neil.

On Sunday we visited Woodland Heights church, where my cousin Brittany goes, then went to lunch at Perkins. Then we said our lengthy goodbyes and headed for the airport. Before we left, we talked about doing this again next year ... and I am already looking forward to it.


There are a lot of photos in this post, and I hope you enjoy them ... I am putting them here as much for me (and Graham!) as for all of you ... it's good to have a record of our times, and this is our record.


Headed for the rental car, riding with Grandmother Kathy -
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With cousin Caitlin, waiting for the Fort Snelling associate to come and take us to our assigned shelter.

Daddy catching Graham's eye in the mirror. Even now G is laughing at this picture as he sees it on the computer monitor.

With cousin Tim as we were waiting at Fort Snelling ...

This is us in the shelter as we're sharing thoughts and memories of Grandma. Also in the picture is my cousin Brittany and her boyfriend Matt.

This is my littlest cousin Brita, who played a recorder version of Grandma's favorite song.

Graham with Grandma's box.

Hanging out in the hotel lobby ... with Brita.

The girl cousins! Molly, Brita, Brittany, and Caitlin. Go ladies!!

Our sweet family.

I had to ask for this picture to be taken ... Graham is not a cuddler, but for about 5 minutes while we were at the graveside, he totally nuzzled in and took comfort ... Mr. Monkers and I took good care of him.

Top row: Left to right, Cheryl (dad's baby sister), Ken (dad's second brother), Pam, Ryan, Joshua, Andrew, Mom, Carol, Caitlin, Tim, Michael, Dan (dad's third brother), and Shelly
Bottom row: Jakob, Molly, Pat, Graham, Brita, Brittany

One night, Graham woke up in the middle of the night and the only thing that would placate him was Uncle Andrew singing "I'm My Own Grandpa," over and over (so long that Andrew fell asleep singing, words slurring as he neared slumber). I set Graham down on Andy's couch bed for the rest of the night, and you can see a picture below of all the men-folk resting together in the morning.

Aunt Shelly and cousin Brittany kissing and loving on Baby G.

This is Brittany working on her unofficial assignment to help Graham learn to walk ... I helped her learn many years ago!

And here, for your enjoyment, is our long-lost cousin Neil!

We'll miss you, little buddy!!

This week we said "see you later" to some new friends. Old friends to Graham, since Jack is Graham's first little best buddy. Jack's mom, T, got a good new job, but it meant moving the family to Bingen, WA (that's right, Bingen, I know it's a funny name, but that's seriously what it's called!).

Since the beginning of Jack's daycare days, Graham and Jack entertained each other in the infant room at daycare; we received daily reports of how they would make each other laugh, or climb all over each other ... pretty good times for two little boys. And I have really enjoyed getting to know T, and sharing mothering ideas and getting a second opinion on boy stuff. We had just started getting to know T's husband E ... All this to say we will miss you all, and hopefully will see you soon, either in Vancouver or in Bingen!

T and Jack spent the night here on Wednesday, just before we left for Minneapolis for the weekend. So Graham had his first little slumber party. It was pretty uneventful, complete with two happy moms rejoicing downstairs when the room stayed quiet after the first few minutes. We went in to check before we went to bed and we found both boys on their tummies with their little booty diaper bottoms in the air. Too precious. I regretted the darkness which prevented me from capturing the moment on "film."

The wake up moments were pretty sweet: a lively exchange of Hi Hi Hi Hi! across the cribs, and a lot of snickering laughter. Pretty sweet!

See you soon! Here are some fun pics of our time together.

It may seem strange ... <3<3 (those are supposed to be hearts)

It may seem funny to some of you that I get a little twinge of excitement when I open my desk drawer to pull out my calculator. But that's indeed what has been happening recently. I'll think, yeah, that's too complex for my head alone, I need some help .... oh! Dad's classic HP calculator!

Then I'll reach in the drawer and pull out this dinosaur. I only call it a dinosaur because this particular unit has been around the block a few times. But I think I've seen these old classics still being sold! And that's because they're so straightforward ... and antique-feeling ;) wink wink.

Mom found that she had two in the desk drawer after Dad died, so she let me take this one. I love using this baby and smiling as I remember Dad trying to explain how the "stacks" work and the special way of entering the numbers. I didn't grasp it then, but once I "got" how it works, I found that it totally works for me. Plus, I just love being part of the "in" club.

Thank you for loving us ... and update

My Book Club friends, "The Book Slots" (another story for another time) just left. Before they left, one of them coaxed me into letting them empty my dishwasher ("I'll just empty it, I won't fill it! I know where the stuff goes!") and then while my friend Monica chatted me up about meal planning, the others proceeded to clean my kitchen. I mean spraying the counters and everything. To a girl who loves nothing better than a clean kitchen in the morning, this was very meaningful. Know this: I was fully prepared to bed down and leave it in a very dirty state ... this has been quite the week, and I had no desire to clean my kitchen. I am so thankful for the friends surrounding me.

I had big plans for dinner, but only made it as far as getting the soup made (roasted elephant garlic soup with pesto - much easier than it might sound, and incredibly delicious). I had a couple of unpleasant realities with the pasta (including moldy broccoli) so I scrapped it and I had one of the Book Slots stop for pizza on the way. I decided it just wasn't worth the trouble to try and pull something together last minute. I needed a rest, and I needed to be intentional about relaxing with my good friends. I have been tired this month. While tiring, it sure has been fun!

Pat's sister Erin and her husband Tom, with their 3-year old daughter Olivia, came into town on Sunday. They were in Seattle for a business meeting so came down to PDX for a few days). I had to leave Monday night for a 3-day training in San Jose, but we were able to fit in a quick visit to the zoo on Monday. Very fun, but Graham missed his midday nap (which might have been the setting-out point for a tough week). We were so thankful to share our home and time with Erin & Tom! Quality time is so hard to find. We hope they come every year for this annual meeting!

My training in San Jose was good and I learned a lot, but on Wednesday evening I learned an even more important lesson about trusting in my husband's capabilities. On Wednesday Graham's daycare called Pat to tell him that Graham had a 102 degree fever. It was the end of the day and Pat was already on his way to pick Graham up, but having had the fever at daycare meant he couldn't come back the next day. And I was still in San Jose. We scrambled and had some help from our friend Nicole watching Graham for the morning so Pat could attend a meeting, then Pat worked from home in the afternoon while Graham napped.

Pat accomplished a lot in those three days, kind of a crash course I suppose! And he did so well! I learned a lot about what a great dad he is. And also what a loving patient husband he is, as he encouraged me, so many miles away listening Graham crying on the phone.

And now back to the Book Slots, I have to get a few words in. I need to say thank you, ladies. Thank you for ~six years (WOW!) and thank you for love. Thank you for quietly sharing your time and knowing when to ask how I'm doing and when to let sleeping tears lie. Thank you for hugs and books and sharing in my Tear Soup. Thank you for loving my mom. Thanks for letting my husband be quiet or share, as he chooses, and thanks for letting me share endless stories about my boy.

I like having a clean house, just because I like it that way, but I am finding my priorities are changing. Because I haven't had much home time this week, it was nice to be with you all evening knowing that you didn't mind the stacks of stuff on the other end of the table, or that there was a pot of forsaken pasta rigate on the stove. It has taken time for me to find this kind of ease, and it feels so good to have it with you. Thanks for being you and for letting me be me.

And a note to the rest of you readers - thank you also for loving us! Thank you for the care you have given us over the last two months (and over all the months prior!). Thank you too for all the times you let me be me ... and the love you share with us daily. We love and appreciate you so much.

Recent videos ...

There is a post with an update for today below this, in case you're wondering what we're up to. Here's a post with a few videos for your enjoyment. The first two are pretty quick to watch. The last two are longer ... some of Graham's crib antics from Tuesday - he probably spent a full 20 minutes hanging out and learning new skills in his little den!

So what have we been up to?

The big occasion we recently celebrated was ... Graham's ONE YEAR BIRTHDAY!! Incredible. We had a great time. I had been a bit apprehensive about whether or not I would really enjoy the party and have fun. Honestly, I wish I could keep Graham right where he is right now. He is such a pleasure and a joy to be with. But I remember several times over the past year where I had the same thought and emotion ... and look at him now! If he'd stopped growing up at 6 months, where would we be now?

While we kept the party small, we had a good mix of friends - old friends, friends from the neighborhood, from church, and from daycare. All the kiddos seemed to have fun decorating our little car-shaped cakes, and some of the adults joined in the fun too. We all enjoyed Graham's antics as he enjoyed his cake. It was pretty sweet. Unfortunately, I don't have pictures on my camera, so I am depending on friends and my mom to send me pics to update the blog! I'm sorry about that- I know how much fun first birthday pics can be!!

We think Graham is getting close to walking. We're not rushing him, I'm content to let him crawl as long as he wants to - he'll learn to walk sooner rather than later :) I haven't yet seen a High School graduate crawling across the stage on hands and knees. We're going to Idaho this weekend - maybe it will happen while we're there. That would be fun for Mom, and for Uncle Dan and Aunt Shelly, who will be there too. In fact, my cousin Brittany will be there too, and I still remember standing her up by the TV in their family room, and walking across the room to the couch where I would coax her to walk across the room. What a passage of time. Amazing.

We still miss my dad. With my mom here last weekend, it was impossible not to think of him. And it was good to feel those feelings. When my mom and I were heading home from some errand or outing, I felt myself thinking, "I wonder what Dad's doing," or "I wonder what he'll think of our outing," or "I can't wait to tell him ..." anticipating the sound of his laugh or what he would say. And I hope that continues. Again, I welcome those feelings. I try not to talk myself out of having them.

On another front, our garden is doing really well. We planted lettuce this year, and it has been so wonderful to have, and so satisfying to watch. We supplement with what we get from our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture, we're a member of Purple Rain Vineyards http://www.purplerainvineyard.com/), and we're enjoying amazing produce. I can't wait for our brussels sprouts and fava beans ... and pole beans, and tomatoes ... wowowow. We've already enjoyed a plethora of strawberries and cherries - We have picked more than 16 pints of cherries from our tree; thanks to a net that Pat worked hard to pull over the tree so we wouldn't have to watch the birds slowly eat the cherries right as they turned red!

Here are some pics for you ...

This is us in Boise with my Great Uncle Walter, Graham's Great-Great Uncle. He is my Dad's uncle, and he was very special to my dad, and he's special to us too.

I just made this sign to go on my office wall:

My heart HURTS
And I am SAD
And that is OKAY.
It is OKAY, it's even healthy, for me to be SAD.

I've had several conversations recently that remind me that even as time goes on, my feeling of loss will remain. And while I may not always be as sad as I am now, I will always miss my dad and think of things he would enjoy or appreciate. This has been important for me to hear. I had been seeking closure, when really, I think this process is very open-ended. It may be that I will miss him until my own dying day. And that is OKAY, and even good.

But in this time, for the forseeable future, I can be sad - I need to be sad. I need to remind myself that this is acceptable and normal, and healthy. It doesn't mean I won't laugh, and it doesn't mean I won't appreciate blue skies, making Graham laugh, and sunny days at the beach. It just means that it's okay to tear up every now and then, or to feel a big sigh come on out of the blue. That's okay.

We have seen so many evidences of God's grace in all of this. Grace as in undeserved favor, or in my context, unanticipated blessing. Or unanticipated goodness. My mom is keeping a list, and she has told me that it's healing for her. I started my own, and I'm finding I add to it daily. We can see that God has prepared us for this; we can see blessings that have made this easier to handle, easier to move forward and through this season. But at the same time that this is comforting, it's also confusing. It's easy to ask "why this way," and "why my dad?" But again, God's grace is bigger, and I really feel his arms holding me. Every day. And I am thankful that I am loved - by a God who exceeds all my comprehensions.

Yesterday my brother Andrew shared this passage with me; one that has had special meaning for him lately (emphasis mine): "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean NOT on YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and HE WILL DIRECT YOUR PATHS." Prov. 3:5-6.

Thanks for your love and prayers. Just in case you're wondering what Graham is up to, here are a couple of pics. The first is of him with his little buddy at school.

Where we are now ...

We got home here at about 8 pm. We were excited to be returning home (I was eager to see check on progress in the garden) but we both heaved a sigh of dread at returning to reality, with a different perspective. A friend of mine recently shared a comment that I liked. We make our return to reality and we start going again just like it's normal, but I feel like I should be able to wear a sign that says, My Dad Just Died. I know I will find my own personal way to wear a sign of sorts that allows me to honor his memory and keep him close to me.

Anyway, the point of this post is to share our thankfulness for amazing friends. We walked into our house expecting a healthy dose of reality - the kind that comes when you walk into a house full of the madness that comes when you quickly left a week ago.

But to my surprise, our house is spotless. Everything is in order, stacks are in place, the diapers that were in the dryer are stacked in a laundry basket, even the kitchen faucet is shinier than it's been since we viewed the house with our realtor! And the fridge is stocked with milk & eggs (my staple requirements for a happy morning), and the counter has bananas & avocados. The stairs are vacuumed. And there are enchiladas in the fridge.

To my dear friend or friends who helped with this project, THANK YOU. Thank you for knowing what I need to help be able to sit quietly and process. I am looking forward to a quiet and relaxed evening - and weekend - because of you.

And thank you to the Hagertys for your support in Boise. Thanks for helping to host a houseful of people and for protecting us from too many phone calls and dirty dishes.

We are so blessed. 'Nuff said.

My comments from the memorial service

For purpose of posterity, and for those of you who weren't able to attend the memorial service, here are the notes I used for my words honoring my dad.

Several months ago, when my son Graham was about 6 weeks old, and my parents were visiting, I walked into Graham’s room in the morning while he was still sleeping. I found my dad standing in his old familiar pajamas with a gleeful and slightly sheepish smile on his face. He was standing at the closet looking through the clothes hanging on the rod. “There are so many!” he said, “They’re so tiny and soon they’ll be too small!”

My dad loved to sneak into Graham’s room at the first sound he made, and I think he secretly hoped I wouldn’t hear Graham stirring over the baby monitor, so that he could pull him out of his crib, and snuggle with him. Later he loved to make him laugh … we have quite a few videos recording the antics my dad would employ to get a big smile / chortle or waving arms in response. I still have a gmail chat on record from a couple of days before he died, where he was checking on the progress Graham was making to the question, “where’s your nose.” We are still working on it with him, and we're hoping he'll soon stop pointing to his mouth.

I loved to watch my dad love my son. And I loved to watch my dad love me. I felt my dad’s love in so many ways. Even as recently as the last time we were in Boise, he would often hold my hand when we were walking together. He would ask me if I wanted to go for a walk or a run, and we’d hustle on down Mountain View … walking more slowly on the return, and he’d take my hand in his big paw and tell me how happy he was to be my dad, that I was doing a good job with Graham, and that we seemed to be in pretty good shape as a little family. I could count on him for an optimistic long-term outlook on current circumstances or the crises we faced as a nation or as the world. It never felt unmanageable when he explained it.

He had an incredible soft, big, full-faced smile, and I thrilled every time I saw it. I’ll miss his hands and that smile. … And his big eyebrows and his forehead and the way crumbs would hover in his mustache, but those are different stories. I’m going to miss my dad at Graham’s birthday party in a couple of weeks, and on Father’s Day; I’m going to miss him singing with my mom on my birthday next year, and I recognize that all the years to come will be incredibly different without him. I’ll miss the way he answers the phone (“Hello, hello!”), and the voicemails he leaves for us. I’ll miss hearing from Pat, “So, your dad called …” and chuckling about what funny things he called to share with us. I will always remember the love he shared with my mom, and still continue to set them up as an example of a longterm passionate relationship.

I ache. I miss all these things now, and I know the list will grow in the next few months. I don’t understand God’s timing or plan. I wanted so much more from my dad, for me and my brother, for my husband, for all of our children, and for my mom. I wanted a life full of memories and experiences and laughter and tears. I don’t understand the plan, but I know there is a plan. I don’t understand the circumstances or the brutality, but I’m working to forgive the situation which took my dad away. The rest of my life, while different and fully changed, will still be full of good things and new memories. While it’s not what I expected, I do know that God’s blessings will prevail, and although it’s hard to conceive now, I know the future will be better than it looks from my current perspective.

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/IdahoStatesman/obituary.aspx?n=Thomas-Dale-Bettger&pid=127650089

Update

We're doing well. Today it rained a light rain, enough to wet the ground and raise up a strong smell of healthy rain. That really helped me feel good. I had a much better morning just because it started off cool and smelled so amazing. We went to church as a family, with my dad's brother Dan, wife Shelly and the two of their four kids who were able to make it into town. It was hard, as we kind of expected, but good because we knew there isn't anywhere my mom would rather be on a Sunday morning.

Our friends the Hagertys are here with us. We're so thankful for their support! Nicole is doing a lot of the dish-washing and slicking up, setting out food for the group and making sure all of us are eating and drinking. Not to mention the occasional gut checks and reminding us to find time to step away from all the activity and find time to be quiet and process through things.

My dad's middle brother, Ken, came in tonight with his wife Pam and their three kids. They used to live here in Boise. Tonight was hard having everyone together and realizing that Dad wasn't going to walk around the corner to join in the reunion. I actually needed to leave the house for a while to process again the fact that things are going to be very different for us going forward.

Tomorrow we're all having dinner with Pastor Bruce at my Uncle Ric's house (my mom's brother), to reminisce together and talk about the service. I'm looking forward to that.

I am so thankful for the time that my Dad had with Graham.

Hard News

I am typing with heavy hands and afraid to say hard words that are only too true. My dad was killed last night as he was riding his bike to Home Depot to run an errand. I feel like I'm exaggerating, except that there's no exaggeration. My dad died. My dad died.

I am finding peace at moments, and aching deeply at so many others. Please pray for us. Pray for Pat, pray for Graham, and pray for me. We are here in Boise, and we are glad to be with family.

See these photos of my dad on my brother's blog: http://neckbeard.wordpress.com/. Also, you can find a news report from our local station on this website (http://www.2news.tv/news/local/45882772.html - right now it's on their home page at www.2news.tv). It has a pretty incredible picture of my dad biking many years ago. I couldn't believe it was him.

We love him so much! And I am so thankful for all the days and years we had ... and I don't know what else to say right now.

thank you,

What's going on ...

We have a house full of family this weekend. Grandmother & Granddad (Bettger) and Grandma and Grandpa (Rank) are here, as is Uncle Andrew, and Cousin Greg will be showing up soon.

Graham is getting dedicated at church on Sunday. Dedication is the time when we commit before our church family that we plan to do our best to raise Graham in a godly manner, and the church prays together for us and Graham, and they also have the opportunity to agree to help us raise Graham and be a part of his life as he grows to know Jesus as his personal Lord. I am really looking forward to this, and I am so pleased that so many family will be here to be a part of the day and the prayers involved. And how special that it's also MOTHER'S DAY!

Yesterday we went down to Picture People in Clackamas and had pictures of Graham with all of us, with both sets of Grandparents, and one each of Graham with me and my Mom and with Pat and Laura. They all look great. A special Mother's Day gift.

We're having a great time, everyone fits into the house, and we're eating well! This morning I made a great Monte Cristo Bread Pudding, and Laura is going to make us brats today ... boiled in beer & onions just like her son-in-law Jode makes them ... we've had them before and they are SO GOOD!

Here are some pictures to whet your possible appetite for more.


Graham had an accident crawling off the bed. His nose was pretty tender for a while; unfortunately he had a cold complete with thick excretions for a while ... made for some intense crying sessions and feeling bad on our part.

We got a new baby pack, and Pat is already putting it to use taking Graham along on walks to the park to run Lazslow. As you can see, Graham enjoys it!

Lazslow and Graham both enjoy crawling through this little tunnel on their circuits around the house.

No comment, except to say, isn't this the classic baby moment!?

With all the sun we had a couple weekends ago, we decided to protect Graham's eyes ... they worked for about 3 minutes, until we noticed how his eyeballs weren't really appreciating his long eyelashes!

The next three are from Easter weekend. We had lunch/dinner with Andy's girlfriend Lauren's family in Portland. Grandma Rank had sent us an Easter necktie for Graham, and Pat and I figured as long as Graham was getting dressed up, we should doll ourselves up! We had a great time.