In Colorado at our hotel. Joseph came up to me lugging a full gallon of milk and 2 empty bottles which he put down at my feet. Peter beside him nodded emphatically. Guess they wanted bottles! Ha! I filled them, then closed the lid, curious to what he would do. He handed a bottle to Peter, stuck his in his mouth, then picked up the jug to lug back to the hotel mini fridge! :)
Elijah got his first tie shoes today, and is getting his first lesson in tying. One of those "growing up" experiences, isn't it? Sweet moment for Father and Son.
We took the kids to the Petroglyphs where they joined the Junior Ranger program for kids, put on by national and state parks. There are so many state and national parks and monuments nearby, we decided to take advantage of this great learning experience. We went with Elijah and Eva's friends Luke and Eleanor, and they learned all about the making of Petroglyphs, as well as some local plants and animals.
Luke and Eleanor's mother Erin had us over the next week where the kids researched petroglyphs, looked at pictures of famous petroglyph symbols, drew them, then went outside to crush rock, mix it with oil, and paint it on the rocks outside to make our own petroglyphs! Erin has great ideas and energy, and the kids loved it! It worked pretty well. Elijah and Eva loved the rock-crushing part, and Peter and Joseph were desperate to join in! Instead they ate their body weight in goldfish crackers to distract them from the destruction, haha! We are so thankful for Erin's joy in discovering these field trips, and inviting us along! :)
Field trip to the fantastic Coronado State Monument and museum. We've been twice in the past 2 weeks with our friends. The kids worked on the Junior Ranger packets the park service provided, got to see pueblo ruins, climb down into a Kiva, see 13th century art, try on armour, feel rooster feather blankets and corn husk shoes... The Rangers are fantastic and have given us in depth and kid friendly tours.
I got to take just Elijah and Eva for the day, today. We started our morning with coffee and pastry, went to our coop science class, then off to lunch at McDonald's (kids choice!) and down to UNM for a showing of "Piggie and Elephant Are in a Play." We love the books by Mo Willems, and the play was hilarious, very much in the same spirit. The kids roared with laughter. We had so much fun! There is nothing like a live show, and the kids were in awe of the singing and dancing.
David had the little boys today at a park and Chick Fil A, so they had a special day, too. :)
We're calling Joseph and Peter "The Twinadoes." They climb everything that isn't air, work together to push furniture so they can climb what they can't reach, dump any container that is filled, screech when they are misunderstood, and according to Elijah, their favorite thing is destroying. Ha! And just this week they learned to climb out of their cribs... They are keeping us on our toes!
The boys are super attached to David. Peter will start calling/crying for Daddy about 3pm... He gets Joseph going, and they harmonize for a couple of hours. But nothing is better than when Daddy walks in the door!! Full face, full body shouting "DADA!!!" Squeals, flapping arms, scampering little feet for the best Welcome Home ever!
And...
They are so cute!! Peter has learned to say Joseph's name, and he'll call "ZhoZha!" They know Joseph gets the green bottle and Peter the blue, and will take both to give it to the other. They share (some of the time. Peter did say his first phrase, which was "MY book!" as he tugged it from his little bro.) We find them sitting side by side "bookending", or climbing into a box together. Their delight is chasing each other around and around the couch, giggling. They wave "Bye Bye" to passing cars, or people as we leave a store. They adore their bath and chant "Bubba!" for more bubbles. They love their blankies (carried just like Linus). Today Peter snuck his blanky into his bath and was delighted that it got soaked and dripped water. They love to be read to. Eva especially loves being a little Mommy to them (they've always seemed to her as her own personal babies to play with). She will "read" them books, put them on her lap, hold their hands, get what they need for them, and even open baby gates to restricted areas for them when they ask! Ha!
Here's a few cute and spontaneous pictures of the little boys from today. :)
Elijah learned about Michaelangelo painting the Sistene Chapel, perhaps lying on his back on a scaffolding. To give the students the feel of what this might have been like, his teacher had them lay on their backs and color the famous "finger of God giving life to Adam" picture she had taped under their tables.
I love that I assist in Elijah's class, because I got to observe him do this, and listen to a discussion between him and his buddy about what color they should color God's finger (they decided on purple, a royal color) and what color Adam's finger should be (they decided red because of several reasons: the apple, sin, and blood.) Symbolism through color in 1st grade.
This is a hard blog post to write.
This weekend I traveled to Knoxville, Tennessee for the funeral of Jaxson, the 2 and a half year old son of my cousin Julia and her husband Corey. They tell Jax's story so beautifully in their Caringbridge blog:
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jaxmoles
It's a story of an extraordinarily difficult journey, and of a powerful and sustaining faith. Simply put and as I understand it, Jax was born with Hurlers Syndrome, which was discovered just after his first birthday. In order for his body to make a necessary enzyme, he required a bone marrow transplant. His body fought the transplant and he contracted GVH (Guest versus Host) disease. He courageously fought this battle for a year and a half in the hospital, and finally passed away February 2, 2016. Through this time he was surrounded by family, his parents always at his side. Someone who loved him was with him every minute of his life.
We were never able to meet Jax, but we prayed for him every day, many times a day. Something happens when you pray for someone, when you intercede for them. Incredibly, you begin to love them with God's love for them, you feel for them, you long for updates to know how to better pray and share the journey with them. That's what happened with Jax. We loved him. Eva, especially, loved to draw him pictures which I tried to send, though some got covered in sticky food before I could get a chance...
I won't go into details of the funeral, but will simply say it was beautiful. As their pastor said in his eulogy, it was the story of Jaxson and it was the story of Jesus, and how those two stories intersected. We learned more about this remarkable little boy, and we were inspired by his parents in their sustaining faith. Love was present: family love, friendship, maternal and paternal love, and God's love even in the midst of deep sorrow.
We continue to pray for the family, and remember the courage Jax taught us, and the example of love his story is.
