...where has summer gone?!

Here we are, the end of July. [gulp!]  Summer is over half way through.  In fact, most of our friends only have 2 weeks left until school starts, so it's feels like summer's end is coming faster than it really is.  We'll start school the last week of August to give us a chance to really enjoy the last few weeks before we dive in.

BUT, before I dive in to what our summer has been about, I have to update you, quickly, on April & May. (and to be frank, i'm not sure how much longer this blog will stay alive.  I just don't seem to have the time anymore to keep at it.  and really, I do it more for myself to keep track of our lives and as the boys change less and less I'm seeing less and less of a need to keep up a blog.  just putting that out there for those who even read this!)

OK.  April.  Drew's 6th birthday was great, we had a small family get together and he felt very special and loved his American flag cake (a cinch to put together!).  The boys both got rollerblades, and while Evan loved them from the get-go, Drew was a little slower to start on them.  Now, the end of July, they're both racing around them in the cul-de-sac every chance they get!  We had a big snow mid-April, which meant sledding and snowmen.  Again.  The boys loved it, I was over it by then.  Oh wait...this happened again in May!  This year we celebrated both Easter (with friends and my folks) and for the first time, Passover, in honor of how I was raised and because we love to symbolism the traditional celebration holds.

First tooth out!

May held [mostly] better weather.  We went to the zoo twice, the gardens once, and a nice hike up to Devil's Head Lookout!  It was a slower month and oh so enjoyable (looking back).  Oh, we did a TON of yard work...like 5 solid days worth.  The front of our house (with the addition of a new roof) is almost unrecognizable!

At the top of Devil's Head Lookout

Evan has decided he wants to become "good at making pancakes".  So he practices.

June was our busiest (and most fun!) month.  With the arrival of our good friends the Wilseys, we each traveled to the other's house once a week for 5 weeks,..that 10 day-long visits in 10 weeks.  it made the weeks full, but so worth it.  Add into that mix Memorial Day (where we went to a very special and respectful ceremony to honor the fallen), a 3-day camping trip which included a 15 mile hike around a very large reservoir, VBS, and ended (pretty much) with celebrating Evan's 8th birthday and 4th of July, it was a BUSY 5 weeks!  Evan had a wonderful birthday -- he loved all the family time and going bowling with friends.  The 4th was great with a parade and hike with my folks and long-time friends coming to stay for the night as they were passing through on a family vacation!

All 7 crazies...all month long!

Family hike for Father's Day

Camping and hiking -- our summertime favorite

Half-way around the 15-mile perimeter of the reservoir!

And for the first time, he requested a "regular" cake...not a "shape cake".  Sniff.

July itself has been less busy than June, but still full.  We camped for 4 days just outside of Aspen.  It was GEORGEOUS.  The hikes were more strenuous and technical than we anticipated, but the boys did great and we all loved it.  When we returned from that trip, the boys went strait into a week-long soccer camp where they learned a ton and went to bed early every night!  My grama (mom's mom) came into town a little over a week ago to visit and be here for my nephew's 2nd birthday, so that's been nice to see her a few times.  We were able to get a nice 4-generations picture today at the twin's party, too, which i'm thankful for!  The boys put on a little piano recital for her this past week, complete with an intermission which included tea and cookies!  Evan lost both top teeth this past week and I think he looks years older with them out.

4 Generations!

Feb & Mar

Looks likes I can't manage to get on here monthly, so every-other month I go.

People will often ask me "what's new?!" -- they use it as a friendly greeting or inquiry.  I stop and think, and then usually say something to the effect of "not much".  It's true.  We're in a routine with life and school and there's not much new.  The boys are no longer little enough to see changes around every corner.  Although, sometimes they'll do something, like reach into a cabinet all by themselves and I'll notice that they're not on their tip-toes anymore and realize they've grown.  We have more intellectual conversations.  They're learning how to tell jokes (it's slow going, let me tell ya!) and they're still best friends. 

One new thing, I will say, is that Evan is reading now.  As in, he's tearing through chapter books.  One week he was sounding words out, the next he was reading whole books to Drew.  It's incredible.  We have about 6 weeks left of school and I think by the time "summer" comes he'll be even more fluent!

Life has been it's usual ebb and flow of activity.   Our big "event" was the Pinewood Derby race for cub Scouts.  Evan won 2nd place for his den with a car he designed, painted, and attached weights to himself (with ticky-tack).  We were very proud of him, especially since the 1st place guy was .001 second ahead, and he'd had maybe not just a little help on his car.  It was a good lesson learned, that's for sure.  Drew raced against all the siblings, including a little 3 year old brother who won.  There was only a first place winner in that category and Drew was not it, which as he said was "really hard to handle", but he did a [fairly] good job and was able to move on. An extra fun part of the day was that Jared and his family, along with my folks, were able to come up and help us cheer!

March saw us enjoying days of 70 and sunshine, and turning around to snow and freezing temps the week after.  Such is March in Colorado and you get used to it -- but it is a tease!  We opted to forfeit an official spring break in exchange for getting out of school a week early in May so we can, Lord willing, go camping at the Sand Dunes.  We did have a little more fun mid-March, though, when all our friends had spring break!  We were blessed with some nice days and every day had something fun and extra in it.

We also got a totally relaxing weekend when Scot was home all weekend with no work to do and no plans on the calendar.  Oh...it was so lovely. 

Oh.  Easter.  It was lovely and fabulous and quiet.  My folks came up for the day and we enjoyed a simple, but simply delicious, meal with mutual friends. 

Jan 2016

It's hard to believe that the first month of 2016 has come and gone already.  I feel like the holidays were forever ago, but it was only a mere 5 weeks.  We've since taken down all our decorations.  Purged the house. Gotten sick.  Cleaned/disinfected the house. Fallen back into a good routine with life and school.  Enjoyed unseasonably warm days as well as snowy ones.  Overall, January was good. 

A few highlights, though...
#1) A quick visit from my grandfather.  He came to see my folks, and we popped down one afternoon to make sure some generational pictures were taken.  I'm thankful for the technology to take multiple pictures at a rapid pace -- especially when two 17-month-olds are involved!  It was a good, but short, trip down.  The boys loved visiting with the great-grandfather and making memories with him.

#2) We also got to go to a metal recycling plant with a small group of kids and tour the facility.  The Lord blessed us with a gorgeous day and we learned so much about how metal is recycled and even got to watch as a double city bus was demolished in under 10 minutes.  Seriously incredible.

#3) Scot and I got a date-day in this past weekend.  It was low-key, but much needed and enjoyed.  (the boys had a blast with Grammy and Grandude!)  It also left me pretty refreshed going into our church's annual Ladies Tea -- a wonderful couple hours of fellowship and delicious tea-time goodies.  Think gourmet scones & clotted creams, tea sandwiches, and lots of tea!  It's always a highlight and this year is was nice that my mom was able to join me!

Ok!  On to pictures!

 5 Generations

 At the recycle plant next to "the claw" -- it can hold 5 cars at ONE time!

 The boys were properly attired, making bright and safe and completely adorable

 Drew was the one to fall ill -- and I quarantined him because I was that determined to not have any of the rest of us fall prey to the sickness!  Out of 24 hrs he spent in bed, 15 of them were sleeping, and the other 9 were mostly laying down listening to an audio book.  This was near the end of the containment when he actually felt well enough to sit up.  Whew...are we glad that's over!  (and no, none of the rest of us got it -- praise the Lord!)

 And because it's Colorado, we can have 65 degrees one day (pictured), and snow two days later!  We like to enjoy both as much as possible!

Happy Holidays (Nov & Dec 2015)

I figured I'd do one longer post to cover both major holidays!  It's going to be a lot, so hang on!

The beginning of November was almost like an Indian summer -- the days were gorgeous, it was a surprise to see so many leaves on the ground.  The boys enjoyed the last few days riding their bikes and Kett Cars.  (in fact, we had warm days sprinkled throughout November -- I remember because we were going to go to the theaters to watch a movie for my birthday at the end of the month, but the day was almost 70, so we hit the trail near our house instead and hung our Christmas lights!)  Needless to say, the boys loved the mild days and the HUGE pile of leaves I raked one afternoon.

And of course, since we live in Colorado, one day mid-November, we woke up to snow.  It was bright and sunny mid-day (the schools were kicking themselves for canceling that day!) and the boys had a great time building snowmen and having snow fights.  The snow storm we had mid-Decemeber gave us much more snow, and since Scot was home that day, the boys spent an entire morning sledding!  They love the snow and any chance to play in it.

Thanksgiving found us eating our actual dinner with Scot at the hospital.  I brought everything we needed for a simple Thanksgiving feast and I was very proud of the success -- things were still so hot we had to blow on them.  It didn't matter that we were without a tablecloth or eating with plastic forks on [cute] paper plates -- we were together as a family and that's what it's all about!  After lunch, though, the boys and I drove down to my folks in time for dessert and hanging out.  We stayed and enjoyed the weekend together.  One of the boys' favorite things at my mom's is the old record player my brother and I used to use -- they listen to the old "audio books" we used to.  It's great.

 Oh yeah...we renovated our basement in the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  No big deal (NOT!).  Not sure what I was thinking, but I will say that we're ALL enjoying having the basement back and in better condition.  We went from cement floors and 2 small rooms (one for playing, one for storage/TV watching) to one great room that's carpeted.  We painted everything, got new lighting (good-bye florescent tubes!), and new windows! The boys love having so much space to play in!

Out of all the December traditions we have, some of the favorites are these.

1) Our "Tree" decorating party.  Graham cracker & ice cream cones + frosting & toppings = fabulous fun!   It's easier than gingerbread houses and more fun (so I'm told) than cookies. :D

2) Our traditional weekend at Grammy's where the boys bake and decorate cookies with her, read stories around her tree, so a Christmas craft, and go do something "Christmas-y".  This year, due to a scheduling mix-up, we did TWO Christmas-y things!  We walked around the Broadmoor to enjoy the lights both inside and out, and then stand amazed at the giant REAL gingerbread house.  Evan's comment when he saw it (and realized it was made out of real things): Oh man!  This is my dream house!  The original Christmas activity ended up being a night later than we thought, but we were still able to make it work -- an evening at an old ranch, complete with hot cocoa, cookies, a bonfire with carolers, and a wagon ride.  I think it may be a new tradition.

3) Our white breakfast.  Every year on the first day on Winter we have a special "White Breakfast" where everything is white -- both what we eat and what we're eating it on.  The boys love it (maybe for the white hot cocoa?) and its such a simple and sweet tradition I can't imagine December without it.

Christmas this year was great.  The perfect mix of quiet and chaotic.  Christmas Eve my folks came up and enjoyed a big dinner with us and a candle-light Christmas eve service -- it's potentially my favorite part of Christmas and I love that they can share it with us.  They spent the night and we had a nice slow morning together with stockings and some gifts.  We then headed down to their house where Jared and his family met us for the rest of the day.  We had a blast hanging out, opening presents, and just being a family.  They were able to join us all day Saturday, too, which was great -- the boys especially love that their cousins are now old enough to play with.  Like I said, it was a wonderful mix and brought back memories of my childhood Christmases.

While down at my folks, my brother was able to take some time out and show us around his Apache.  I think it may have been the highlight of their (and Scot's!) week.

Christmas Letter 2015

Eskestrand Escapades: 10th Edition

 

Merry Christmas! We have much to be thankful for as we look back on 2015 -- it wasn't as crazy-busy as last year, but it was still a full year, wrought with love and laughter as well as tears and pain.  We are learning that in our weakness, HE is strong. We are ever grateful for HIS surpassing peace and tender love.  Our hope is that you experience it as well.

 

A major highlight of this past year was our summer.  We hiked and camped as much as possible.  Three long camping trips along with lots of day trips to hike had us out exploring this beautiful state and enjoying quality family time away from the rush of life.  We got to see a fair number of far-away friends & family, too, which is always a treat!

 

The boys (Evan,7 - Drew,5) continue to grow, both in inches and maturity.  We are ever amazed at their independence, love for the Lord, and food consumption.  They are both thriving in school and have really taken to their extracurricular activities -- piano lessons and LEGO League are the favorites.  They love playing together outside, "guy-time" with Scot, cooking with me, and being read to by anyone.  Their annual highlights include: camping, VBS, soccer, time at Grammy & Grandude's (especially bonfires & marshmallows), and starting Cub Scouts for Evan.  We love that they're buds & bros!

 

Scot had quite the year.  The Lord saw fit to allow him to transfer hospitals, so he now works 15 minutes from home as opposed to 50!  He utilizes the trail system by our house on foot and bike, is involved in church and a men's group, and pleasure reads on occasion.  He loves his days at home with the family and time available to fix-up the house himself.

 

Very shortly, my life is simple and I have come to enjoy it that way.  Homeschooling is more regimented this year which means less on our social calendar-- not necessarily a fun transition, but we're figuring it out.  When I can, I'm involved with church activities & outreach, keeping up with friends, and trips to my folks.   Please visit if you're in the area!

 

Merry Christmas and a very happy New Year,

Scot, Sarah, Evan and Drew

September...and [most of] October

Hello, hello!  My hope is that I really can stay on top of this little teeny-tiny space and update it monthly, but I'm starting to wonder if that's realistic anymore.  Maybe for 2016 I'll aim for quarterly...

September and October have been full for us.  We're into the swing of things for school.  We added  Cub Scouts to our "life-education" curriculum and while it's not as structured as I remember my brother's being 20 years ago, we think it will still be beneficial and we're going to give it a go.  Only Evan is allowed right now, but Drew can go with him and participate alongside and that's been great.  We also added a STEM-type extracurricular to our schooling: Jr FIRST Lego League -- a lot less about the legos than the name suggests, and a lot more teamwork exercises and engineering type lessons.  We've had one official class of that, but it was a lot of fun and we're excited for the "season". 

Let's see...Scot is working a lot of days out of the month right now, but he's able to be home earlier in the evening which makes it bearable.  We do make the most of his home days, though, with hikes and family time.  We were able to get down to the springs for the annual Hot Air Balloon fest they have, which is always a treat!  And...we were able to get up into the mountains on PEAK weekend for the Aspens...it was a gorgeous hike and we are so thankful we were able to get up there to enjoy the bright and brilliant yellows and oranges.  No, nothing like a North-east autumn, but it's Colorado's own type of beauty. 

I went and visited my dear friend, Rebecca, out in a little Midwest farming town the beginning of the month and it was wonderful.  Sweet times of fellowship, long walks, breathing in the clean air, and just slowing life down a little.  My mom kept the boys, so they had a blast while I was gone -- we called it their fall-break.  Needless to say, I came back feeling rejuvenated and rested.  Which is a good thing, because our church hosted a women's conference for a nationally known speaker/author just a few days after I landed, and I ended up being the point person for it all...so...all that rest was really needed and put to good use. 

Now it's almost the last week of October and there's nothing much on the horizon.   Just the regular schedule and I can't tell you how thankful I am for it!

Now for a few pictures...

At the balloons...we get there early to see them all start getting blown up! 
We bring our breakfast and hot cocoa along...the boys love it!



Evan, the Tiger-Cub

Oh, and Drew broke his wrist. I told him to not test gravity, but he did.
(The cast is off now after 4 weeks and he's doing great!)

                                                                           Aspens!

 

 A family hike on a Sunday afternoon exploring our wonderful state!

 

My dear friend, Rebecca!

Another hike, this one up near Boulder.  It was foggy that morning...

...but it burned off and we were able to see this view and the Flatirons!

Each month, Scot or I take each boy on a "date" -- October was my month and Evan chose to bake cookies
and play a game for his date.  My, do I love the sweet nature the Lord has given this guy!

This guy chose for his date an "adventure walk", which landed us at the park all by ourselves. 
We played and then walked, skipped, sang, and even stopped to "explore" a huge tow truck that was parked
near a semi with a bad radiator!