This Moment

 

 A Friday ritual inspired by Soulemama and others. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Oregon

We're heading to Oregon in three weeks. I'm super excited to experience Oregon weather, go to the coast, see friends and family. Also, I'm excited for the slight chance that my sister Beth will have her baby early and I can meet my niece! We fly home just a little more than week before her due date. By the way, my sister Beth is pregnant if you didn't know that already.

These pictures are from June when Chloe and I were visiting Beth in Portland.

Beth and Cesar, parents to be.

Beth and Chloe at the fountain in Portland.

I love this photo.

...and this one. Chloe was a lot chubbier back in June. Boy, I miss the arms!

Looking at these photos makes me miss little parts of summer. But not the heat. I love the crisp fall weather. Unfortunately, the weather here in Colorado isn't very crisp. It's been in the 80's all week and today it's supposed to be 88 for the high. What? Is this for reals? Enjoy your fall while I try to not melt. I know, I'm being a baby.

The Body "Pojet"

Chloe loves doing "pojets" or as we would say, projects. What can I say, she's like her mama. Plus, doing little projects is a good time to not be on the computer or watching tv.

One of our projects was outlining her body and coloring it in. I remember doing this in school and all the time with my sisters using sidewalk chalk while playing outside. Doesn't every kid do this at some point?

Oops, her body looks a little wonky and yes, it may have been naked time. Or as Chloe likes to say, "gankin time!"

Do you see her nail polish?

All done!

Chloe is very proud of her body project. Any time someone comes over she shows it off. It's hard to miss, since it's hanging on the wall as you enter the apartment. She has also kissed herself. So funny! And, do you also notice the green lip gloss?

Geneva - Part 2

Two weeks ago I posted about YFCamp Geneva, but I didn't share all the pictures of Chloe! Hello! Here are just a few in comparison to the amount I took.

Cory and Chloe for Western Night. Every time there is a Western Night, I think Cory mistakes it for Redneck Night.

Chloe and her goggles. She is obsessed with wearing goggles.

There was a splash park in the pool area at the camp. We went everyday, Chloe loved it.

This was taken with my phone. This is the view of Lake Michigan from the shore at camp. So beautiful!

Running around camp, loving the freedom.

Spinning with mama.

Chloe loved tether ball. She played with it almost every night.

I love these dirty feet, so cute.

Being at camp means eating candy at all times of the day and being dirty.

Like I said, that was just a "few" pictures of Chloe at camp. Chloe has been to camp every summer of her life. I wonder where we will go next year. I can't wait for summer, except for the whole heat thing.

This Moment

I know the rules say no words, but this moment was so sweet. Chloe told me she was going to work like daddy. So she grabbed her moose pen, the one Cory got for her on one of his trips, and she started writing. She sat there for about 20 minutes, just doodling, only stopping for the occasional water chug.

 

  

A Friday ritual inspired by Soulemama and others. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

A Little Project: Face Wash Holder

Our face wash lately has been a facial bar, we may have or haven't of got from a hotel. I hate letting the bar sit on the shower ledge, wasting away as the water hits it. So, I saw a little sewing project that I thought was perfect for us.

I started out with one of Chloe's baby wash clothes. From that I basically sewed a pocket.

From there I added a scrap piece of ribbon and wha-la! Now our face wash won't be wasted which equals saving money.

Mini Photo Session

I have been wanting to do a mini photo session with Chloe in Colorado. And, the opportunity came when I had my parents' camera and few minutes before going to dinner with friends. I found a little spot near a school. I am always surprised at the amount of open space Colorado has between all the housing developments. I am also enjoying the amount of open sky in these pictures.

I love seeing Chloe tromping around the field with her tan body and chubby arms.

Yay, I finally figured out how to change the size of pictures on blogger. I'm learning more and more about this whole web formatting thing-a-ma-jig.

Two Years Ago

The other day I was going through some old photos and stumbled upon some from September 2009. I missed my little squishy babe so much! I just want to eat her and you will too.

Getting ready to go to a wedding. This is when we lived in the "country". I miss living where the only noise we heard was the obnoxious ducks and an occasional cow or horse.

This bouncer was my life saver.

 

Well, it's Monday. We are cleaning up the apartment from the weekend mess, running errands and doing a library run. Then, hopefully this evening Cory and I can take Chloe on a little walk/run to get some exercise in. Have a good week!

this moment

A Friday ritual inspired by Soulemama and others. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Geneva Part 1

Part of Cory's job is being a part Youth for Christ Camp (YFCamp). Chloe and I got the privilege to come along to one of the camps and serve as the camp photographer. I would never call myself a professional photographer, but I do enjoy taking photos. I wish we had a super duper nice camera that I could operate in full manual mode, but I don't. BUT, for camp my awesome parents let me borrow their camera. Thanks bunches Mom and Dad.

We were able to go to Camp Geneva in Holland, Michigan. The camp was located on the shore of Lake Michigan. It was so beautiful. This was the farthest east I have been in the United States, before that it was Colorado. Sad, I know.

Here are some photos I took for YFCamp at Geneva.

Worship in the club room

I would have loved to go down this slide.

Cory with Adam doing a skit of some sorts...

This is Crud Wars. If you have never experienced it, you're missing out. The basic concept is an organized food fight/battle. It starts out with water balloons and often ends with oatmeal, chocolate syrup, ketchup, flour bombs and who knows what else. It's fun, really messy and fun, lots of fun.

Cory in the middle of Crud Wars. I think he wants his shorts shorter. I wouldn't object.

Chloe with "Pops", Dan the President of YFC USA.

On the last night of camp, the kids have "solo" time. It's pretty short, about 20 minutes or so. It's an opportunity for the kids to sit quietly, reflect on their week and listen to God. It's such an awesome time to watch and be a part of. At the end of the time, worship music played and the kids had the opportunity to respond, by shouting "YES!" They were responding by making first time decisions, rededicating their lives, or just taking one step closer toward a relationship with Jesus. 

The day before, the camp speaker, Don, gave all the campers a rock to hold on to. This rock represented something they had been carrying with them-- for some it represented family problems, addictions, distractions or something else they were holding onto. Along with the chance to shout "YES!", the kids could also throw their rock into Lake Michigan and be free of whatever was weighing them down. 

It really touched my heart to hear these kids shout "YES!" and to see them throw their rocks into the lake. A lot of them come to camp with so many problems and pressures in their lives. For some of them, to leave home and come to camp is their only chance to be free and for them to just be kids. Then to see them stand up, where everyone could see them, be vulnerable, walk to the water and throw their rock, was something I will never forget. The courage they have to take a step toward Jesus is why I feel so privileged to be a part of YFCamp.

If you would like to view more photos from Geneva you can go to the YFC USA Flickr.

I will be back later with another post about Chloe at camp.