Sweet Days of Summer, Part III

Our final stop in Minnesota was visiting Paul's family. Again, we enjoyed a wonderful time and did a lot of fun things. We started our time in the Cities for Paul's family reunion where we caught up with his cousins and extended family. Before we went home, we spent part of a day at the Mall of America where the boys loved exploring the Vikings store and shopping with Grandma at the Lego store.

Once we got to the farm, Paul got to help his brother clean out the bins--a good reminder of why he is a teacher. The boys were so excited because they each got to ride in the semi with Uncle Brian to bring the corn to the elevator! The boys enjoyed visiting Great Grandpa Nelson in the nursing home and getting to feed the fish outside his room and ride in his wheelchair.

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We played lots of games, inside and out, with the Play-doh smash game topping the list as the boys' favorite. Uncle Brian even got down on the floor to play Legos with all the cousins. Thankfully, the weather cooperated so we were able to spend some time at the lake, and we even got in a trip to Dairy Queen with Gpa and Gma N while at the lake.

And this post makes it official that we are now caught up with our 2011 summer vacation adventures. Our time with family is something we always treasure and look forward to each year. 

The Good Life

Growing up in the midwest, California was this far-off place that seemed so exotic. Now that I live here, it is just home. However, there are days where I want to pinch myself when I realize that we live in "exotic" California. Take today, for instance...well, I will just let the pictures show what I mean (and remember, that it is December 30--wintertime):

Doing a little writing with his 90s sunglasses

Proudly trying out Isaac's skateboard and protective gear

We actually had to go inside sooner than we wanted because we were just too hot in the blazing sun. What a tough life! 

Sunbathing beauty--enjoying the good life

And just another joy of living in SoCal

Sweet Days of Summer, Part II

We enjoyed a few days at Mom and Brian's house. It happened to be the hottest week of the summer with the heat index at 115 degrees and higher. Because of that, we spent a lot of our time in the house--playing games, watching movies, fixing puzzles, singing with Brian, and just enjoying catching up with each other. We did manage to spend some time outdoors--playing baseball and also engaging in a colossal water fight with Brian. 

Due to the warm weather, we also got to "enjoy" the annual meet-in-the-basement-in-the-middle-of-the-night because of a tornado warning a little before 4:00 a.m. one of our last nights there. Fortunately, our boys had no clue what a tornado was so they thought it was pretty cool to hang out with everyone in the dark listening to the weather reports; I am okay with not repeating that drill during our visit next summer! No tornado touched down, but we did get some hail (the picture of Paul's hand below shows a piece of hail about the width of his finger).

{Click on the picture above to see an enlarged version of it}

We finished our time with Mom at our family reunion. It was a blast catching up with everyone who was able to come even though it was too short. While we were there, we did a lot of chatting, playing games outside, introducing our kids to all my cousins' kids, and enjoying the general hubbub that comes with a gathering of 62 people (if I added correctly).

It is always a great time to be with family, and we are thankful to be able to spend an extended time with everyone during the summer when Paul has the time off. 

Sweet Days of Summer

We originally intended to create picture videos showing the fun we had this past summer while visiting family and friends. However, since we had issues with sound in our last one, we just kept putting it off and never got to the rest of our vacation.  Because we are nearing the end of this calendar year, I wanted to at least get some of the pictures that have not made it here yet.  

Below is a quick look at our short visit with Brad, Jayne and Cohen. It was so much fun to spend time with them, see where they live and work, relax and catch up with them. The boys loved playing with Cohen, and we were spoiled with a day in Breckenridge with them as well (most of the pix are from there).  The boys really liked being in snow--not something that is typical for these California boys and definitely not typical for any normal August day for us.

{Click on the picture above to see an enlarged version of it}

Thanks, Jansens, for letting us end our vacation with you. We had so much fun!

Sea World

We have gotten a lot of use out of our Sea World passes this year and went one last time before Paul's teacher pass expires. Although it is always cool to see all the exotic creatures, we were spoiled yesterday with a behind-the-scenes pass to see some of the "barn" animals up close with some of our friends. We got to go into the enclosures to pet a porcupine, feed the capybara, pet a horned lizard and a hedgehog, and see a legless lizard (by far the oddest lizard I have ever seen)! It was fun being in the actual exhibit and having people on the other side of the glass watching us. As a souvenir of our time, Kylene (the animal trainer who showed us behind the scenes) gave each of the kids a porcupine quill to take home; boy, is that thing sharp!

Feeding the capybara

Porcupine

Horned lizard

The legless lizard--looks like a snake but has hips and ears

It is also the Winter Wonderland at Sea World so the boys enjoyed playing in the snow and sledding down a very small hill (only Isaac). 

Isaac before taking off on his sled run

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, Part VI

Our Christmas break has been busy with traveling, building the fence and spending time with family. Despite the busyness, it truly has felt like the most wonderful time of the year. Our house has been filled with lots of noise with most of its being joyful.

After the Christmas Eve service at our church, we let the boys open their presents from us and each other. Before bed the kids signed the note to Santa to leave by the cookies and milk. Isaac wrote his own note that said, "I wish you have a good time flying around the world" and signed his name with a heart, Christmas tree and a smile. 

Excited for Christmas morning

Christmas day was a beautiful day with the temperature in the mid-70s so most of us enjoyed lunch outside. What a fun gift after a couple weeks of cool weather!

Kenzie "helping" make the stuffing

The kids' table--every family gathering needs one of these

The big boys

Brad and Zac had a hankering for a root beer float so they headed out on a root beer mission Christmas evening. Since 7-Eleven did not carry a single bottle (small or large) of root beer, they improvised and filled up an empty gallon jug that Brad had in his car at the soda fountain.  The best part is that they did not even ask the cost but filled it up and set it on the counter like it was a normal thing to buy a gallon of root beer. The cashier did not even blink, charged them 99 cents and wished them a merry Christmas.

Got root beer?!?

Christmas Snapshots 2011

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, Part V

Both boys were part of the children’s program at our church a couple weeks ago. They sang a couple songs and recited part of a poem with their Junior Trailblazers class. They both did such a great job holding up their letters for the "Merry Christmas" poem and reciting what their letters stood for. We were not sure how Caleb would do being in front of everyone, but the promise of Cold Stone ice cream if he got “no helps” (just like Isaac for his weekly memory verse) spurred him into action. The lights were a little bright, but he tried to smile and be brave the entire time.  Caleb’s part was, “I is for little old me. I’m the one he loves for all eternity” while Isaac’s was, “R is for the reason why our Savior came to earth. You’re the reason angels sang of his birth.”

Then Isaac had his Christmas program at school the following day. It was a joy to be at this program as a parent and watch him sing with his class. I now understand why the kids wave when they are up there; I admit that I was one of those parents who waved at my child when he went up on the bleachers. 

Isaac is on the top row in the center--chin resting on hands

We not only enjoyed the songs that night but have also enjoyed listening to him sing them at home. I am thankful to be part of a school community that teaches Isaac to know and love Jesus as his Savior. 

Building the Fence

The project of replacing the fence awaited our return from Brad's house. Thankfully, our good friend agreed to help Paul.  I do not think we realized what a job this would turn out to be. Our well-crafted plan was to pick up the lumber, dig holes for the posts and cement them in on day one and to put up the panels on day two with the possibility of finishing up the little details on day three. 

Not sure the Sienna is meant to haul 1000 pounds at a time

Like any well-laid plan, though, one needs to be ready to adjust...especially when the spots for the holes are partially covered in cement. Thankfully, we were able to borrow a small jackhammer from school to help with the job. Day one and day two were spent digging holes, jackhammering and digging some more before finally getting to set the poles. Day three was filled with putting up the braces and finally getting to put up a few panels.

Start of day three

End of day three

On day four Paul had a few more helpers--Mark, Brad and Zac--who were visiting for Christmas. It was the fun day since the fence seemed to appear before our eyes.  Mark and Paul finished putting up panels while Brad and Zac reinforced our neighbor's rotting post and fence and built the gate.

The dogs were ready for the finished fence so they could run freely

You call those work shoes?!?

Final part of the project--the gate

Our other helpers...enjoying Mina's cage

Thanks to everyone who helped Paul complete the project! It looks so good, and it is nice to have our yard enclosed again. And thanks to Paul for giving up his Christmas break to complete this big project. I am always impressed by his willingness to try new things and his good spirit in doing things that are not always fun. Thanks, dear, for all your hard work during your vacation!

The finished gate

Arizona Visit

We have been intending to visit Brad since he moved to Arizona a couple years ago, and we finally made it! After Maddie’s calendar unveiling and a short visit with the Leonards, we headed for Arizona to spend a couple days with Brad. It was fun to finally see his place and get to explore where he lives.

Wide-open spaces

Check out my walking stick

We hiked around the property where he lives the first morning. That afternoon we headed to the lake and campground where he spends a lot of his working time and met some of his volunteers. On our way up the hill we watched the temperature fall starting in the forties and dropping into the mid-thirties by the time we left for home. As we left the campground, it started raining which turned into a blustery snowfall. We pulled off the road so the boys could get out and experience the snow. It was really fun driving through the “storm” and seeing the big snowflakes falling.

It's snowing (and very cold)!

Lighting the BBQ

On Monday we headed to the local Army fort to explore the museums. From there we went into town for lunch (Rodolfo’s Tacos—similar to our Mr. Taco) and to pick up a few supplies. Since it had gotten so cold, we spent the rest of the afternoon inside watching movies and playing games.

It was great seeing where Brad lives and enjoying the wide-open space. The boys loved running around, throwing things for Marley, playing with the pretend rifle, watching deer walking through the front yard, and peeing off the front porch. We were glad that it snowed one night since the boys were really expecting there to be snow at his place and loved bundling up with mittens and hats (all borrowed from Brad). One lesson we took away from our little visit, though, was that hot dogs do not enhance the flavor of spaghetti sauce.

Lunch at Rodolfo's

Thanks, Brad, for your hospitality and for showing us around your place. It was a fun getaway!

Merry Christmas!

Another year is nearly done, and what a year it has been! It has been a year of joy in watching our boys grow, spending time with friends and family, and having meaningful work. It has also been a year with its moments of sadness and pain in having to say goodbye to Grandpa Walker and Aunt Ruth and in watching Maddie go through treatment for cancer.

Thanks for the picture, Mark Leonard!

Through it all, though, it has been a year in which we have been reminded of the many blessings God showers upon us daily—both physically and spiritually. We are part of a church family that loves us and challenges us to grow daily in our faith and to be disciples of Christ in a radical way. We are part of a school community that not only provides Paul with a wonderful working environment and great colleagues but also cares for our child and teaches him to both learn more about the world around him and also that he is a child of God and has a Savior in Jesus Christ. We have a home that is warm and dry, and we have more than we could ever want. I do not like taking out the trash, but it is a reminder that God blesses us with our daily bread and more. We have family and friends whom we love and who care for us. What a blessing!

At Brad's during our AZ visit

And in this Christmas season we are reminded that all of this is really insignificant in comparison to knowing Jesus as our Savior. Everything in our lives has to be about Jesus and center around knowing him and serving him. And that is my hope for this upcoming year—that we might not lose focus of Jesus and continue to grow in him daily.

Merry Christmas from our family to you! We praise God that you are a part of our lives! May you know the peace that comes through Christ not only this Christmas but also in 2012. 

Love, the Lapkas

Happenings

To kick off our whirlwind weekend last week, my cousin Jane came for an evening when she was in town for work. I love catching up with my cousins so it was a fun visit. To make it even more fun, Jill and the girls and Eric (another cousin) and his family also came for dinner. The kids all had a blast playing with each other, and we adults had a great time talking and laughing.

The second cousins

The first cousins

Before Jane flew out on Saturday, we all went to lunch at Five Guys. This was a follow-up to Paul’s declaring on Facebook that he thinks he likes Five Guys better than In-n-Out (I realize we may have just lost a reader or two in stating such an opinion). When Jane commented on never being there, Paul told her he would take her there the next time she was in the area. What joy that she came so soon so we could all enjoy lunch there! (Now, for all you bristling In-n-Out fanatics, Five Guys does make a great burger that is bigger and also has better fries—GASP! that I would dare write this—and has a very cool pop dispenser though the price is better at In-n-Out.)

Besides finishing out our weekend with a full Sunday, we had the joy of looking into our back yard and seeing a big chunk of the greenbelt behind our house since a portion of our fence finally fell over. Guess what we Paul gets to do this week?!? Isaac immediately ran to get his tools to help Paul tear apart the fence.  

Ready to help Dad with demolition

Church in Action

Last Sunday we got to be part of the “church in action.” We were up for praise team to lead worship. After worship, Paul had an elders meeting to hear a profession of faith.

As soon as he was done with the meeting, Isaac and I helped deliver gifts for our church’s Project Amor. This year our church bought gifts for members of a local Spanish-speaking congregation that has a food bank ministry that our youth group helps serve with monthly. The congregation threw a posada with homemade tamales as a thanks for blessing them with Christmas gifts. It was an honor to deliver gifts and get to see the recipients of our congregation’s love. (And the tamales were a wonderful bonus!)

After tamales but before the gift distribution

I got to spend a little over an hour at home before I headed back to church to help the high school youth group with their Soup-Off! fundraiser. As the dinner was wrapping up, I headed into the sanctuary to make sure my middle school youth group was ready for the Christmas play for the children’s program.

The soup line--not sure what is so funny

Quick pause for a picture with Silva

Overall, it was a busy day but one filled with wonderful things. I was tired at the end of the night, but I would not have missed one of the activities of the day. I am glad to be a member of Crossroads church.

Happy Birthday!

Paul turned “21” yesterday. He started the day with our singing “Happy Birthday” to him and then his opening presents. The boys helped me pick out his gifts and did a great job of not telling him what was in the gifts…that is, until Paul started opening gifts and Caleb loudly whispered to me, “Is this one his Wii game?” Paul just smiled—we were so close to having a complete surprise for his opening his gifts.

At school they sang to him during the Pre-K through fifth grade singing time. Thanks to a certain kindergartner, all the kids knew how old he was and found great joy in telling Paul his age. J To celebrate Paul, school had a half-day, and he is now on Christmas break!

After school we headed up to Redlands for the unveiling of Children’s Cancer Foundation’s calendar in which Maddie was Miss February. After the unveiling, she sat at a table and signed people’s calendars. We were impressed with her patience in signing hundreds of calendars…she was the last one in the room finishing up calendars (even the foundation people had left).

Mark took Paul to Hangar 24 for a birthday beer while the rest of us headed back to their house. After dinner we sang to Paul, watched him blow out the candles on his cake, and then enjoyed the cake. 

Caleb playing with Katelyn who doesn't mind the sock he put on her head

I am thankful for my husband. It has been a joy to have him in my life these past 15 years! God has blessed me over and over with a man who is not only a fantastic father to our boys but is a patient (and he needs a lot of that with me) and loving husband to me. Happy Birthday, Paul!