The Chatraws in Idaho

Valentine's Day Scavenger Hunt

2010-02-14T12:01:00.002-07:00

For Valentine's Day, Janel and I created a scavenger hunt for the girls, complete with loving affirmations along with the clues to find the next clue ... until the final surprise gift at the end. It was fun!

Faith & Julia's New Year's Resolutions

2010-01-02T18:24:00.002-07:00

Faith and Julia decided to make a video to share with everyone their New Year's Resolutions for 2010. Enjoy!

Julia is 1!

2009-06-18T20:53:00.011-07:00

I can't believe it has been a year since I birthed my sweet little Julianna Ruth. She has been such a joy to our lives. I remember thinking...how can I possibly love any child as much as I love Faith? Well, it is possible and amazing to see how deep love can just multiply. I love my two little girls with all my heart and am so thankful for both of them.

We had a party for Julia when my parents were in town. Uncle Aaron was and my parents were there, and Granddaddy and Nonna checked in on Skype. We had a delightful dinner and I was happy to see that she dug in to the super duper healthy cake I made for her, topped with kiwi and strawberries (some of her favorite foods).

Nonnie and Papa and the grand girls.

Birthday party crafts--making placemats

Julia and her cake

Here is some video footage of the happy 1 year old at her party. Disclaimer: My singing is meant for sillyness and Julia is perfectly fine after the "incident."

For Julia's actual birthday (1 day later), after work, Jason and I took the girls on a bike ride on the Boise Greenbelt. They loved it. I think they liked being able to go fast!

To finish up the evening of Julia's birthday, we all went to the Old Spaghetti Factory for dinner. It was a fun few days and I hope to remember it all! We love you Julia!

Faith singing baby Julia to sleep

2009-05-27T11:47:00.005-07:00

We went on vacation last week to the great state of California. I am going to blog about it later, but wanted to put this video up of Faith singing to Julia. Julia was having a hard time on our hike. She was really tired and wouldn't stop crying. So, I stopped on the side of the trail and started rocking her. Faith started singing this song on her own. Sweet sisters!

Sweet times

2009-05-05T08:39:00.004-07:00

I am writing this to keep some of these memories alive because they are so precious and because they may be forgotten over time. A few Sundays ago, I was helping lead worship at our church, the Boise Vineyard. While I was up there singing, Jason was holding Julia out in the congregation, and she saw me and started signing the sign for "milk". So sweet that she was able to see that her mama was up there and that she wanted me. After the service, Jason went to pick Faith up from Sunday school. I was singing at the end of the service too and right when it was over, Faith ran up on stage with the biggest smile on her face, saying, "Mommy, I want to sing with you!" Times like these bring me such joy and remind me of how impressionable these little girls that were given to me are! Sometimes it is really hard being a Mommy, but it is good to keep things in perspective and good to be reminded that I have the ABSOLUTE best job in the world! I love being a Mommy and love my little girls so much.

Our Garden

2009-05-04T14:16:00.004-07:00

Ok, this is the year of the garden. Last year, while great with child (Julia) and after giving birth to her, I had my first garden, consisting of tomatoes and basil. And I would say it did pretty well. I had so many tomatoes that we had pizza sauce for the next 6 months! This year, I decided I had a little more time and energy to more stuff. I planted 12 strawberry plants and have prepared a bed for some herbs. And the biggest thing is my square foot garden! I have already started mesclun lettuce, bibb lettuce, spinach, radishes, carrots, and onions in it. Broccoli, tomatoes, basil, and peppers that I have started inside are waiting until the last frost date to be planted outside! In addition to the above, I plan on growing swiss chard, zucchini and possibly sugar peas.

Here are a few pics of what we have been up to with our garden! Here Faith is raking the area we are going to put the raised beds that Jason built.

And here, Faith is initiating the beautiful 4 x 4 boxes Jason built for our garden.

Me, mixing the soil to put in the beds...

Mixing more dirt

The finished product

Faith and Julia working in the garden

over a week later...sprouts...!

Faith's first snowman

2008-12-17T13:48:00.004-07:00

Have we mentioned that we LOVE it here in Boise? Even though I (Janel) love warmth, I can't complain too much, because we have had a pretty mild fall and winter so far. The sun pretty much shines every day, and I have never experienced so much sun anywhere else I have lived. It rocks! And now that it is getting colder, we have some snow! How fun! Here Faith is building her first snowman.

What is cute is that today, when Faith and I went to get the mail, we discovered that the snowman's rock eye had fallen out. I told Faith we could put it back on. So, as I tried to put it back on, the snowman's head fell off. You should have seen the look of horror on Faith's face. She was so sad and frightened about it. It was cute. I had to hug her and tell her that I could fix the snowman. So I put his head back on, and everything was much better:)

Julia' s first haircut and 6 month pictures

2008-12-17T13:24:00.005-07:00

Julia was born with a good bit of hair, not as much as Faith, but she did have some. It was also all different lengths. Now that she is 6 months old, I decided it was time to rid her of her mullet. I cut about 2 inches off of random strands that she had growing in the back.

Julia had some professional pics taken of her, but we don't have them back yet. So, I took some of my own. Here she is at 6 months old! We love to see how her little personality is emerging. She has lots of toothless smiles, lots of kicking and playing and high pitched squeals...what a little girl baby! I can't believe how fast this time has gone with her! I love you sweetie!

Silly, love dove girls

2008-12-17T13:13:00.006-07:00

Here are my two super silly girls. We had friends over the other night, and Camille (our friend) made this hat for Faith out of our napkins. Faith loved it and had to wear it for breakfast the next morning. I put it on Julia and she seemed to like it too.

Julia has been into kicking a lot while on her back. Faith wanted to do it with Julia and at the same time as Julia.

They just adore each other. Faith is a complete cuddle bug and loves to cuddle and kiss Julia. One day I let her get in Julia's crib with her.

One more picture of silly Julia with Strawberry Shortcake glasses on.

Faith's first video

2008-11-21T19:41:00.003-07:00

Faith got sick today, so I decided to cheer her up by watching videos. Then we decided to make our own. There's one portion of the video where Faith begins giggling and can't stop. Please make your guesses in the comments section and I'll let you know the answer ...

Julia can sit up!

2008-11-20T22:49:00.004-07:00

So, Julia just turned 5 months, and I am amazed that she can balance and sit up for 10 seconds or so. Here is a video clip of one of her first times sitting up unassisted. Next time, I will put some pillows around her!

Pumpkin fun!

2008-11-13T19:23:00.005-07:00

There are so many interesting things you can do to a pumpkin. I realized how cool they were just recently. I mean, you have all the pumpkin flavored food in the fall and for Thanksgiving...pumpkin pie, pumpkin banana bread (my own recipe...pretty good!), pumpkin lattes, etc. We decorate or carve pumpkins for the fall. And of course, it is an event in and of itself to visit the pumpkin patch. They usually have mazes, hayrides or wagons and we get to pick out our own pumpkin.

Faith and I decided to make some fun out of a pumpkin we had picked from the "punk patch". First we cut the pumpkin open and took out all of the seeds. Faith thought it was a little slimy and would talk about it being "dirty". Here she is picking seeds out.

So, we took the seeds, cleaned them off and roasted them in the oven. Did you know pumpkin seed are also known as pepitas? You can put all sorts of flavors on the pumpkin seeds. Here are just a few types.

Italian Style Pumpkin Seeds -- Italian Seasoning Blend, Parmesan Cheese, Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper

Pumpkin Pie Pumpkin Seeds -- Cinnamon, Ground Ginger and Pinch of Nutmeg, Butter

Greek Style -- Lemon Pepper Seasoning Blend, Oregano, Salt, Olive Oil

Buffalo Wings Pumpkin Seeds -- Butter, Tabasco Sauce, Salt

We did the Italian style. Faith loved them, as you can tell from the picture.

Then we took the pumpkin and put it in the oven and made some homemade macaroni and cheese and served it inside the pumpkin. Apparently you can put many things in the pumpkin...soup, stew, meatloaf, etc. The mac and cheese was good, but next time I probably will put something else in the pumpkin....Jason thought it looked like the pumpkin had worms in it!:) Here is Faith ready to eat one of her favorite foods!

The pumpkin thumb sucker!

2008-11-06T11:46:00.006-07:00

When tragedy strikes, what do you do? Well, for this little pumpkin, her thumb came to the rescue. She was sitting up in the leaves and all of a sudden, she tumbled over into the leaves. No crying, no screaming...everything was ok, because she had her thumb!

Kisses

2008-11-06T11:36:00.003-07:00

Faith is such a sweet girl. Yesterday she asked me to close my eyes. So, I did, trusting that nothing bad would happen. When I did, I got a big kiss right on the lips from her. I opened my eyes and she squealed with delight. Here are some kissing pics of Faith.

Julia knows Faith is coming in for the big kiss...when they are sick, it is so hard to keep Faith from kissing Julia! She loves her little sissy so much!

Our Anniversary--6 years!!!

2008-09-14T13:18:00.024-07:00

Jason and I celebrated 6 years of marriage with a wonderful day exploring Idaho. Jason got a babysitter for Faith all day on Saturday, while Jason and I and Julia took off on a fun exploration day of hiking! It was almost like when we didn't have kids, except Julia was there:) She was a trooper! Such a good baby. We love getting to do stuff like this, but it has been difficult since we started having kids. So this was a real treat for me! Thanks, Jason, for the idea and for organizing it! As you can see from this first picture, we started out on a trail that, well, wasn't quite a trail. What you don't see are the two guys "guarding" the entrance to this hike with their high-powered rifles sitting on their 4-wheelers. After hiking on an extreme uphill grade with underbrush and fallen trees, we couldn't find the trail. We decided this adventure was best done without an infant in tow (it was slightly dangerous)!

We all had burrs all over our clothes and socks...even baby Julia had burrs on her socks!

We decided that we would head to the Sawtooth Mountains. We heard they were breathtaking. On the way, we stopped to take some pictures of the clear blue water of the south fork of the Payette River.

And, wow! Here are the Sawtooth mountains! Isn't God creative?

We had heard so much about a city called Stanley, ID, and were really excited to see it. I thought it might be like the north Georgia town of Helen. We were surprised to find out that it had a population of 100 and very few stores ... and no paved roads except the state highway running through it. Why more people don't live here is beyond me though. It was awesome. Here is a picture of one of the stores. In these parts, stores aren't "closed"; they are "shut".

We stopped for at a pizza restaurant for a snack and then headed on our way to do a "quick" 4-mile hike (before sunset).

Here is a collection of baby Julia pictures. She is a wonderful hiking partner!

Our hike was beautiful and easy...here is the end of the hike (it could go on for a few more miles, but the sun was setting very quickly, so we needed to hustle back.

A mountain lake...and reflection.

Driving home...

Faith & the Horse Track

2008-08-09T07:48:00.008-07:00

Now that we live in Idaho, Faith thinks that seeing horses should be an everyday occurrence. And, well, those aren't really unrealistic expectations either. Despite living just inside the Boise city limits, we can drive one mile in every direction and find farming landscape, some of which is dotted by cows and horses.

However, there's one place Faith knows she can find horsies ... the horse track. Faith's enthusiasm reaches a boiling point where that's all she talks about. Sadly, there are only two more weekends of horse racing here in Boise, so we had to get in at least one more trip to the track.

Faith gets very excited about going to the horse track that she tries to get into the car all by herself.

You can get so close to the action at Les Bois Race Track. Faith likes to sit on the railing and watch the horses thunder by.

And down the stretch they come ...

And we have a winner!

Little Faith had a ton of fun, especially when she made her fish face!

Cuddle bugs

2008-07-06T21:05:00.002-07:00

Faith is such a sweet sister. She is able to hold Julia and get her to stop crying. She loves to kiss her on the cheek and feet and hands. It is so fun to see them interact.

4th of July weekend

2008-07-06T20:13:00.009-07:00

We had a fun-filled weekend this 4th. The girls were all dressed in their red, white and blue, to celebrate.

Jason spent all day putting together a play house for Faith. My parents got this for Faith...and she LOVES it. No one seemed to think Jason could put it together though. My mom, dad and sister all commented on how Jason may not be able to put it together. It was a complicated structure with tons of parts and Jason isn't super handy. But, Jason set out to prove them all wrong. I am pretty impressed. He didn't have any problems at all and Faith had so much fun "helping" him.

Here, I caught Faith, "measuring" her car.

Here is the finished play house--and Faith showing her appreciation for Jason putting it up for her. She is such a little love bug:) Afterward, our neighbors Ella and Claire came over and played in the playhouse with Faith. She was so proud to have something to share with some of her friends.

Later, Faith and I went over to our neighbors for a firework extravaganza. We had so much fun. Faith loved the fireworks, but was still a little scared and had to cuddle with me when they went off.
On Saturday we went to a splash park. There were huge xylophones at the park too. Faith had fun making music. Here are some pics from that.

Meanwhile, Julia slept away in her stroller.

Faith's shoes

2008-07-06T18:09:00.002-07:00

Ok, so Faith put on her shoes by herself the other day. I was pretty impressed. However, they were put on the wrong feet. It made me wonder...don't most kids seem to put them on the wrong feet? I wonder why...these are the things I ponder as an overtired Mommy with a newborn who likes to wake up several times at night:)

On a Swing and a Prayer

2008-05-17T12:07:00.013-07:00

Every once in a while, I get to play Super Dad with Faith. Mom leaves the house and we're left to entertain ourselves. Unfortunately, most of the things I like to entertain myself with, such as watching sports, is off limits to Faith for the time being. However, she loves to go to the park and has become the pied piper of the neighborhood parks.

If Faith is going to the park, little girls up and down the street want to join her. I don't really get this phenomenon, to be honest. What makes 4- and 5-year-old girls want to tag along with Faith to the park? Who knows? But then there are those days when Faith just wants to ask everyone to go with her ... like this morning.

Her friend Grace was gone, so she had to see if our neighbors Ella and Claire wanted to go with her. The result was entertaining enough for both me and Faith.

Someone was raring to go once we arrived at the park.

Ella gives Faith a shove to get up onto the jungle gym.

Hey, look! There goes Claire down the tube slide!

Whoo! It's hot! Time for a water break. Claire has a "gigantic water bottle" but it's only for big people.

Only for "big people", huh? I'll show you I'm a big people, too!

Everybody wants to give me a push!

Who am I going to push?

Higher, Ella! Higher!

Everybody's swinging!

Whew! What a day! Ella makes sure I make it home safely.

When we came home, Faith and I ate lunch. Faith was a little confused since she loves to hold hands and say the blessing with both of us--but when there was no mommy to hold hands with, what was she to do? Hold both hands with daddy? That did the trick and got a giant "AMEN!" at the end of the prayer.

And They're Off ...

2008-05-11T20:49:00.014-07:00

I made my first trip to a horse track when I was a freshman in college while traveling to a Georgia football game in Lexington. It was the final weekend of racing at Keeneland and the late autumn day with temperatures in the mid 60s and an array of colors on display in the wooded backdrop made for a spectacular setting.

Being the poor college student that I was with a solid Baptist background, there was no way I was going to be broke and destitute after a day of gambling on horse racing ... so I only bet $5 ... once. I chose a horse named "Can't Lose." Since I've always been a sucker for trite phrases, I thought, "Why not?"

"Can't Lose" placed (finished second) and I won $25 bucks. My dad's major area of concern with my new gambling habit was if I was going to tithe on my winnings. Of course, I answered in the affirmative (and later followed through on my intentions).

So, when we moved to Idaho and I discovered there was a race track five blocks from my office, I couldn't wait to take Faith and experience this fun sport up close. There would be no gambling, but there sure would be a gorgeous backdrop for watching streamlined thoroughbreds race at blazing speeds around a track. When I first took her a week ago, we treated it like the Kentucky Derby for Faith, getting her all dolled up. What I didn't realize is the drastic approach to the sport people in Idaho take versus the high society Kentuckians.

For most of the people at the track, it was just a step above a tractor pull. Attire consisting of cut off t-shirts, leather pants, and cigarettes in rolled up sleeves indicated to me that gambling was the main purpose of the track. I couldn't even find mint juleps! There was one woman with a funky hat on who came stumbling by us near the paddock. I remarked that she must have been the winner in the track's "Kentucky Derby Hat Contest." She assured me she was indeed the contest winner, more than likely, I assumed, because the only other hats I saw were do-rags.

One of the highlights for me was watching Faith pick up on the track customs, such as screaming your head off for a horse you have absolutely no emotional tie to except for the $10 bucks you just wagered on it. With programs rolled up and tightly clasped in clenched fists, people yell, "Go! Go! Go!" for their horse, shaking their programs in the air. After one race, Faith had this down and was joining the chorus of "Go! Go!" chanters as the horses streaked past us at the finish line. However, Faith has now incorporated that language into her everyday vocabulary, using it whenever she wants to go somewhere fast and would appreciate her parents joining her. It makes me giggle every time she does it, especially when she pumps her fist just like the fans at the track.

We went again as a family this weekend and here are some of the pictures to document our outing.

The No. 5 horse, "Checkher," in the paddock. After finishing next to last, maybe they should rename her "Slowher." Janel's horse, "Streakin' Cherry Cola", showed (finished third), while my horse, "JC a Special Spirit," finished sixth.

Faith patiently awaits the horses to be loaded into the starting gate.

... and still waiting.

Finally loaded ...

... and they're off! These quarter horses look kind of scrawny, but they can still move fast.

Faith passes the time in between races with a little thumb-sucking action ...

and posing for a photo op with Janel ... and her little sister to be.

Janel and Faith got ready for the final race (of our short trip to the track). Janel went with Snazzy Special Lead, while I chose Iona Corona. Janel outguessed me again, as her horse placed, while mine showed. Janel picked her second favorite horse for Faith, which was Bectello, who came in out of the money at sixth.

This isn't exactly the photo finish it appears to be ... it's actually those loser horses legging it out for next to last. But it shows the speed at which these beautiful animals can move.

As excited as Faith gets when we go to the track, who knows? Maybe she'll be a little horse jockey one day.

Bird houses

2008-04-23T20:38:00.004-07:00

Jason and Faith put up the bird feeder yesterday. We have some food for the birds, but need to get some more. Here they are in action!

Putting up the bird feeder

Walking around with a stick

Opening the bird food

Faith helping put the bird food in the feeder.

The two bird-feeder-putter-uppers posing after their task was done.

Dancing about in the yard, happy that the bird feeder is finally up!

The tomato and basil plant update

2008-04-23T20:20:00.003-07:00

So the tomato plants are doing well. Since Faith and I separated each plant into its own container, they started developing true leaves. This first picture shows what the cotyledons look like (first leaves). The second picture shows what our first true leaves look like. See the difference.

Diamond Darling

2008-04-18T20:10:00.008-07:00

For those of you who have known me for a long time probably know at some point that I dreamed of playing professional baseball. Those dreams fizzled out quicker than my fastball transformed into a change up by the time it reached home plate. Nevertheless, I never let those dreams keep me away from the game.

On Friday, I took Faith to her first baseball game, mostly because I'm having withdrawal from not covering the Braves this spring. And while I have no intention of being one of those parents who tries to live out his dreams through his kids, I thought it would be fun to take her to a game and see how she reacted.

Trying to keep Faith in one place for even short periods of time is like trying to catch wind in a jar. Just when you think you've got her ... BAM! She's gone! But she was complacent for about a half an inning, which lasted forever because the poor kid on the mound was serving up beach balls that forced his outfielders to run sprints.

Once the final out was finally made, Faith's face lit up when she heard the warm-up music blaring over the loud speakers. Faith immediately climbed out of my lap and found an area in the bleachers that was unoccupied. She looked around to gain an audience (something that's easy for a red-headed toddler) and found a few willing to give her their attention. Then she began dancing.

While we don't have a lengthy baby-sitter list, taking Faith to a public place where there are many teenage girls is almost always a sure fire way to have people come over and volunteer to baby sit her. Sticking with our baseball theme, we struck out. But not before Faith managed to get three teeny boppers to oogle over her for about a minute. (Seriously, any of my single friends are more than welcome to take her to the park. I'm sure she could attract 20-somethings, too.)

After that, she darted off for the bullpen, the perfect place to keep her corralled for a few moments. Then it dawned on me that Faith's penchant for cleaning off surfaces makes her the perfect candidate for an umpire. Here she is in action, dusting off home plate.
After she cleaned off home plate, she needed a ball. So, she raced toward the batting cages to pick up a few. However, she wanted to give it to the players on the field, whom she managed to distract from the game as well. Of course, who could blame them? When you're getting shelled 13-1, watching a toddler dance during the coach's trips to the mound is much more entertaining that figuring out what cut off man you're supposed to hit after the next batter bangs a double to the alley. Here's Faith trying to throw a ball onto the field ... and getting frustrated.

Of course, she's just not tall enough nor does she possess the arm strength necessary to pitch the ball over the fence, the latter of which was an unfortunate "skill" she inherited from her daddy. So, she did what any smart toddler does. She asked her daddy to do it.

All in all, it was a fun day at the park. Faith got a little taste of America's favorite pastime, and she still got to dance. What's not to love about the ball park?

Faith and Sheep Herding

2008-04-16T17:48:00.002-07:00

We took Faith to a festival where there were some dogs sheep herding. She had fun watching them. Here she is up close and personal to the sheep, before they let them out.

Here the sheep are, being herded!

Faith was just walking around like a big girl at the festival.

In fact, she had a little too much fun running around and jumping in place.... she ended up doing a face plant on the pavement and scraped her face. It was only the side of her nose that got it real good!

Faith's and My Tomato and Basil Gardening Project

2008-04-16T15:37:00.006-07:00

Faith and I are trying our hand at gardening this year. It is the first year we have lived somewhere that gets tons of sun in the back yard, so we are planting tomatoes and basil! Here is what we have been doing the past month with our green thumbs. Let's see if they end up living!

Here is Faith after we planted our seeds. She brought dirt to cover the seeds, and she sprinkled seeds in each well. Finally, she got out the water bucket to water our newly planted tomato and basil seeds.

A few weeks later, as we were scoping out the yard for our future tomato and basil plants, Faith discovered an earthworm. It was so sweet that she just picked it up and handed it to me. I had to teach her that we handled earthworms very gently and that we gave them love pats very gently. The word "gently" didn't sink in until it was too late, I am sad to report. Here she is giving the worm a love pat.

In this picture Faith is just tuckered out after all of the watering she has been doing for our other plants in our yard.

Here Faith is collecting leaves that have just blown into our yard. I think she felt it necessary to keep a tidy lawn. She is very proud of her work, as you can tell.

So, at about 4-5 weeks later, our tomato plants and basil have all sprouted! They are majorly overcrowded. Here is Faith and dolly with the overcrowded plants.

Faith and I had to separate the plants out and replant each individual tomato plant into styrofoam cups, so they could do a better job at growing. I hope it worked and that we didn't kill them by transplanting them. Look forward to more postings on our Tomato and Basil Gardening project.

Florida Trip

2008-03-10T12:56:00.007-07:00

Faith and I (Janel) went to Naples, FL to visit family. We had so much fun visiting. Faith really enjoyed playing with her cousins Ethan (3 1/2 yrs) and Ella (2 yrs). Here they are reading books with Papa.

Aunt "tuh" (Tia), Ethan, Ella and Faith and I went to the Naples Zoo. Faith started out in her stroller and Ethan and Ella got a cool wagon that they rode in. Soon, they all started pushing the wagon, once they realized they really wanted to put a little muscle into it.

Swimming was a blast too. All the kids had fun!

Oh, and Faith loved the beach...I mean LOVED the beach! All she wanted to do was make a quick getaway towards the water. And once she got to the water, she wanted to go deeper and deeper. Never mind the waves being bigger than she was and knocking her down. She would just get back up and try to go in the water further.

Can Your Kid Do This?

2008-02-21T21:52:00.003-07:00

I'm sure at some point we've all been in a conversation with parents where they start bragging about how brilliant their kids are. I'm not naive enough to think my kid is the brightest and/or most talented, but it kind of would be cool if Faith was some superhuman prodigy and I could break out with an "I walked on the moon" story like Brian Regan tells.

However, we all know pictures don't lie, so I just had to post this one of Faith performing a two-handed dunk at some of our new neighbors' house today. We went to the park and were swinging. While I was lost in thought, wondering if that Nationwide commercial about life coming at your fast was going to be my reality, Faith begins pointing at a teenage brother and sister combination shooting hoops. It only took a few minutes before she made friends and was suddenly engaged in a friendly game of horse.

Now, before you think Faith is superhuman, dunking on a 10-foot goal, her new best friend, the teenage boy, lowered the goal to 8-feet. Before I knew it, she was throwing down two-handed dunks she learned while watching an NBA game without me (mostly because I don't watch the NBA anymore due to continual abuse from being forced to watch the Hawks while living in Atlanta). Me and her new friends begged her to try some nasty one-handed slams, but she told us to "Get real! My hands aren't big enough to palm the ball yet!" Any minute now, I'm expecting a call from Pat Summit.

OK, OK. Faith isn't really that articulate yet nor did she jump up on her own. Here's what really happened.

However, she needed no coaxing to know what to do around the basket. She was jamming away, much to the delight of her new friends.

But who knows? Maybe one day, Faith will be running a team from the point or even palming the ball. The sky is the limit.

A tribute to Faith...

2008-02-19T20:45:00.005-07:00

So, Faith has thoroughly enjoyed moving...or not. It means she doesn't get as much attention from Momma as she usually gets. So, she invents new games and creative things to do, to pass the time. Like in these pictures, for instance. She takes this puzzle box out of the drawer, moves it to the desired spot, steps up on it, makes sure she is balanced and then watches what is going on with her thumb in her mouth.

I will have to give Faith some credit in helping us move. It is hard, when you are a baby and you are not getting the amount of attention you usually get. She has definitely been a trooper. If it weren't for her, I don't think we could have done the move! Here she is climbing in the closet shelves, to make sure they are sturdy enough for us to put our sweaters. In this second picture, She is helping Daddy hammer her crib back together again. And in the third picture, she is just being plain cute (which is a stress relief for all of us:)

Life from 2 Feet off the Ground

2008-02-11T21:43:00.000-07:00

When it comes to perspective, there's nothing like getting a dose of it from someone three and a half feet shorter than you. One minute you're thinking that your view from 73 inches off the ground is a mighty fine one and that you can see all you need to see. The next minute you're squatting down next to your toddler and peering at the strangest things, wondering why you never noticed it in quite that way before.

These days, Faith likes to point at things and utter sometimes incomprehensible words. I'm doing OK on learning the Toddler language, which at this point slightly edges out my grasp of Vulcan. That's why the pointing helps. If I didn't understand her unintelligible squeak, at least I know what's on her mind. It's very similar to how I behave when traveling in Latin America and I just have no idea how to ask for directions to a town we should've seen miles ago. So, I pull out a map and point to the town I want to go to and with full inflexion deliver, "Dirrecion?"

At this point in her life, Faith's most useful words are those that describe how she feels and what she wants. "Eat" is quite popular these days as is "water." But when it comes to dotted lines that appear three feet apart on the walking path, it's just so much easier to point and squeal.

... at every one of them ... for miles.

... or stomp on them, another one of Faith's favorite pastimes. But there's only so much a parent can take, which is why she got the honor of riding piggy back for the rest of the way home.

Faith obviously didn't mind too much. ... Who knew white lines dividing a walking path could be so interesting?

Like a Kid in a Candy Store ...

2008-01-31T09:00:00.000-07:00

Now I've heard that phrase before and generally understood what it meant--but, friends, there's a big difference between hearing a concept and seeing it in action. Part of my inability to grasp the full context of this punchy phrase is that candy stores are about as common as gas prices lower than $2.50 a gallon. However, we found one at Bown Crossing, this throwback neighborhood community reminiscent of Beaver Cleaver's old stomping grounds.

As soon as we walked into this place, I was overcome with a Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory tune (the ORIGINAL movie, not the recent remade creepfest with Johnny Depp). It made me want to buy a Willy Wonka chocolate bar and see if I won the final golden ticket. But before I could indulge in such delicious childhood fantasies, little Faith was off and running.

Now, I still have no idea what Faith is going to be when she grows up, but if she wound up as an accountant or some other job where re-organization is a necessity, I would not be surprised. She constantly moves toys from one place to another ... and then back again. For those of you who know me (Jason), you know she didn't inherit such qualities from me, the master at utilizing every last inch of cubic space in my closet by cramming it inside and quickly securing the door.

So by the time I caught up with Faith, she was reorganizing the candy buckets. I can only imagine what was going on in her brain: Sugar Daddies? In the Smarties basket? What two-year-old thinks this sick joke is funny? Everyone knows the Sugar Daddies go in this bucket and the Smarties go in this one!

What made the situation even more comical was that I was trying to control Faith, more like contain her ("You can't stop him; you can only hope to contain him!" ... classic Dan Patrick), while Janel swilled small scoops of ice cream in her mouth trying to decide which gelato flavor would suit her pregnant fancy.

Meanwhile, Janel's college friend Sharon, who was in town visiting us, just laughed at the situation. After all, what could you do? It was a kid in a candy store. Who could contain themselves? I couldn't, getting suckered to the tune of nine bucks and some change. But this Sugar Daddy I'm eating is worth it--I may think otherwise when I'm flossing later, but for now it's a perfect memory. Hope you enjoy the video!

A Bird on the Hand Is Worth Two ...

2008-01-27T15:55:00.000-07:00

Familiarity may breed contempt, but familiarity also has a way of slowly wringing the awe and wonder out of life. Just leave it to a toddler to make it all fresh and anew.

While Janel was busy with some of her other responsibilities (She's now a published author--check out her latest article on Pilates), Faith and I spent the day together doing the mundane (running errands) and the not-so-mundane (getting within inches of the fastest moving animal on the planet -- a Peregrine Falcon.) When we approached the first bird (a Hawk shown above) at a local park, Faith was a little scared. The poor bird handler in the picture above thought it was him. But since Faith has never met a person she didn't like, I knew better. After a moment, Faith warmed up to the bird.

Then, we moved along to check out the Peregrine Falcon. By this time, Faith was so comfortable with the birds that her inhibition began to fade. I could see the little wheels turning in her brain as she thought the Falcon's eyes looked like her little baby doll's eyes ... which she likes to poke with her index finger. In a flash, I had a terrifying vision of the Falcon snatching Faith with his talons while Faith did the sign for "bird." I quickly stepped backward to avert disaster, resulting in a displeasing whimper from Faith.

The temperature soared to a scorching 41 degrees that afternoon, so we decided to cap off our adventure with birds by taking a walk in the snow-covered woods surrounding the park, much to Faith's delight. She loves to stomp on all clumps of snow in the parking lot, which left her indecisive about which direction to go in the woods as it was a wonderland of clumps. Here she is above surveying which clump to attack next.

Now that Faith preferred mode of transportation is walking, she has no qualms about grabbing any pair of jean legs she can find when she wants to take a break. When she first began doing this, I thought it was because she couldn't decipher my jeans from anyone else's. But now I realize that just doesn't care whose legs occupy the jeans as long as she can steady herself to catch her breath. Here she is using my legs for a pit stop.

All in all, we had a pretty fun day ... except for the resistance I met while trying to pose Faith in the snow for some of the pictures I took below.

Faith's fun pictures!

2008-01-24T15:39:00.000-07:00

Faith is doing so many fun things this month. Here is a recap of the last few weeks. Not only does she feed her Baby in her highchair, Faith can feed herself with a spoon also!

The next picture is of Faith trying out a new hairstyle--pigtails before we go to sunny FL in Feb.

Here she is, doing one of her most favorite things this month....begging and crying and pulling on Momma's leg so Momma will pick her "up".

She is helping Mommy research the Beatles for a story Mommy is writing. She seems very interested in their lives:)

Mommy and Faith cuddling--one of our favorite things to do!!!

Miss daredevil!

Lastly, we made some home made playdo! It was fun and very easy to do and turned out great. Here Faith and Baby are playing with it and all of the utensils!

Walking & Talking

2008-01-20T21:24:00.000-07:00

Faith has gone into warp drive with both her motor skills and her motor mouth. Here's a taste of what we've been experiencing over the past week. Enjoy!

The Ride Home

2008-01-10T21:09:00.001-07:00

Many of you have asked about my bike ride home each day from the office and what it's like. So, I have heard the masses and want to satiate your desires to see what I see on a daily basis (well, almost every day--sometimes, it's just too cold). I've also included a picture of Bronco Stadium's blue turf that isn't so blue from my lens--more like a blanket of white.

I hope you enjoy this visual montage through my stunning photography! (OK, just kidding about the stunning photography--it's just a few snapshots.)

Last but not least, the cross at the top of the hill near where we live--it's what guides me home each day. I love it.

Take Your Daughter to Work Day

2008-01-09T22:43:00.000-07:00

Poor little Faith. I must admit that "Take Your Daughter to Work" days for her must seem less like a reward and more like punishment. Instead of getting to watch her father do something exciting, she gets to crawl around in a 15 x 10 area and watch me talk on the phone (to which she signs the word "phone" repeatedly). Or she gets to watch me type--wow, how exciting. Daddy typing on the computer! Who knows what passions are already stirring in that little heart of hers, but I can tell you that "publisher" almost certainly isn't at the top of the list.

However, there are some fun things Faith enjoys about coming to work with me--or at least staying with me while mommy goes to the dentist. She's just learning to talk--and she likes to put to use every word she knows repeatedly. Therefore, coming to work with me means she gets to point and say one of her new favorite words: box. Now, this may seem like an odd word for a little girl to learn, but it makes good sense for two reasons.

First, Faith's favorite toy isn't the little bear that sings 12 different songs or the pig that laughs when you push its nose (although they're both a close second)--it's a box. Yes, a giant Pampers box. She tries to crawl in and begs me to push her down the hall, which I do until my either my back gives way or she giggles so hard that she can't laugh any more. Second, she's decided that she will learn all "b" sounding words first. "Baby" is another "b" word she likes to say until those four letters begin to lose their meaning.

So, my work is an emporium of boxes and books (another "b" word which she hasn't said yet but signs all the time). I couldn't resist the opportunity of snapping a few photos of her sitting on some of the boxes reading one of her new favorite books.

Today, we went outside for a few moments and I had one of those teachable moments with her at such a young age. There was a big pile of snow outside the door, which she instinctively grabbed and began putting in her mouth. I grabbed her hand before anything disastrous happened and brushed the snow away. "Never eat brown snow," I told her. Oh, the things you learn at work with your dad.

80s Fashion, Faith Style

2008-01-04T20:38:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while when Janel edges near stir crazy after being cooped up in the apartment all week, I get the opportunity to give her a break by staying home with little Faith. I must admit that my time with her probably is borderline Will Ferrell comedyesque. We see just how many stupid and silly things we can do in the two hours Janel spends on her never-ending quest to find a new pair of pants.

One of Faith's newest obsessions is sliding her arms through these "building blocks" and wearing them as bracelets. Our conversation goes something like this:

Me: "Faith, put the triangle in the block like this." (followed by a visual demonstration)

Faith: (tosses triangle aside as I hand it to her) "Let's see if my arm is the same shape as a triangle."

OK, she doesn't really say that, but if her vocabulary was that big, I guarantee you that's what she would be saying. Within seconds, she lodges them well up her arm -- which would be permanently were it not for my presence in the room to respond to her squealing grunts within a few minutes to remove them. (Yes, I'm learning toddler as a foreign language, and I've deduced that squealing grunts by a toddler with two building blocks firmly lodged on her arm means she's either frustrated that she can't get the blocks off her arm or frustrated because she can't suck her thumb due to the girth of the blocks.)

I had to get a few extra pictures of her, too, with her newly discovered accessories.

While Faith's newfound fad is cute, it is strangely reminiscent of the terrible fashion era of the 1980s.

I just hope jams never come back in. Those flower print shorts were hideous and were my only outlet for escaping the warm spring days in the South when my principal decided it would be fun to designate every Friday as "Jam Day." "Shorts Day" would've been much easier, plus it would've prevented me from having to beg my mom to waste some of our family's precious money on the most hideous fashion statements since leisure suits. People made fun of my chicken legs enough already--why torture my classmates by topping off my chicken legs with a Hawaiian fruit basket print that turned my lower torso into a hideous pineapple with frail appendages. No wonder the girls wouldn't talk to me? But I digress.

In preparation for the arrival of her new sibling, Faith has started practicing her big sister skills on "baby." Yes, that's the imaginative name we came up with for her newest baby doll. However, it's one Faith can actually say. And she says it over and over and over. Here's a picture of Faith tending to "baby."

I've been warned by other parents that we're now entering the deliciously cute stage of little Faith's life--and I couldn't agree more. I'm just hoping her sense of style improves by the time she's five.

It Snow Problem!

2007-12-28T11:19:00.000-07:00

I know that many of you have been worried about me coping with the cold weather out here in the great Northwest and probably went from yellow to orange alert status if you happened to see today's forecast. Yes, snow--and lots of it. How would I ever make it to work on my bike in the snow?

Well, I wanted to allay your fears and let you know that I arrived safely without any major incidents, although there is a minor one that bears repeating. While the city of Boise plows the Green Belt which I ride each morning, the wooden bridges remain untouched. As I approached the first wooden bridge in my six-mile trek to work in front of one of only five pedestrians I saw this morning, it dawned on me what those signs near bridges in the south meant.

One of the biggest waste of tax payers money in Dixie are the signs that read, "Bridge ices before road." Given the fact that it gets cold enough to ice over a bridge about as often as the Cubs win the World Series, the signs might as well read, "Bridge wet when raining." However, as I approached the bridge, my back tire started sliding furiously to the right while my front tire disagreed and insisted left was the best direction to go. Then there was me, caught in the middle of a petty little tire fight with nothing to do but hold on. Fortunately, the two came to a resolution before I ate the bridge for breakfast.

For all of you out there expressing your concern, thank you. However, I'm re-adjusting just fine. Remember, there was a time in my childhood when I lived in jolly old England where my dad and I built igloos in the backyard for fun. Three inches of snow is nothing. :)

Long time, big news!

2007-12-11T21:02:00.000-07:00

So, it has been a while since we have blogged. Well, today was a fun day, since we were able to hear the heartbeat of our little baby in my tummy! Yes, I am pregnant! About 13 1/2 weeks and the little one is due on Father's Day (fun for Jason). He/she could come on my birthday as well, if he/she decides to come 10 days early:) Faith has been so cute since she has found out about being a big sister (Ok, she is only 15 months and she probably doesn't have the capacity to understand anything like this yet, but let's not underestimate her abilities.) Here are some of her cute little things she does, now that she is preparing to be a big sister!

1. She was very overjoyed when she looked at the pregnancy stick and saw that Mommy was pregnant (see picture below--excuse her bedhead).

2. Aunt Malinda and Uncle Tim gave Faith a baby doll for Christmas (early) and she has been loving, kissing, cradling, hugging, sucking the baby's thumb, and love patting her new baby doll named "Baby". (see picture below) (note: she has also been driving Baby's face into the carpet while crawling and poking her very real looking eyes.)

Faith cradling Baby

Faith love patting Baby

Faith reading to Baby

Faith kissing Baby

3. When we heard our baby's heart beat for the first time, today, Faith started dancing to they rhythm of the 150 beats per minute. Unfortunately, I have no picture for this most adorable act, that I will cherish and always remember!

Faith and the Smurf Turf

2007-11-03T21:36:00.000-07:00

Knowing Faith's reputation for never having met a crowd that she didn't like (or having met a crowd that didn't like her, for that matter), I decided to take her to a Boise State football game while Janel worked on a paper for the Journal of Nutrition.

Right after we put her down for her afternoon nap, I pedaled my bike a mile to the Boise State stadium in search of one cheap ticket. And I learned two interesting things:
1. It's so much easier to scalp for tickets on a bike. You can cover vast amounts of ground fast.
2. Boise State fans don't understand the art of ticket scalping.

I rode around on my bike with my finger in the air asking if anyone had an extra ticket. After about two minutes, I realized nobody else was using my method of scalping. One woman even yelled, "Yeah, Boise State's No. 1!", thinking that's how I support my team--riding around on a bike in silence with my index finger in the air.

After circling the stadium once, one guy just gave me his ticket. These were actually pretty good seats, too. I immediately pedaled home and waited for Faith to awaken from her nap.

We got to the game near the start of the second half where Boise State was putting a 21-7 beatdown on San Jose State. Faith had no idea what was going on, but quickly gathered an audience in about a two-row radius. At first I thought maybe the other fans believed Faith was the new Boise State mascot as she began to get passed through the stands. Sure, I was nervous--but Faith loved it. That is, until this lady started pinching her cheeks. Priceless.

I sat next to some great people, many of whom were grandparents and were ready to take Faith home to join their collection of grandkids. One grandma gave Faith some beads, which she was enjoying after the game.

Faith was also taken by the band as she started bopping every time Boise State scored, which was a lot in its 42-7 romp over San Jose State. Near the end of the game, I took her down to hang out near the band so she could boogey without the distraction of all the interested grandparents. She loved it. Here is a picture from behind the band.

We had a great time. I just hope I can take Faith to a Georgia game one day soon so she doesn't grow up her entire life thinking college football is played on blue turf.

Lumberjack & Long Hikes

2007-10-28T21:18:00.000-07:00

So, our lives are different now. For the past umpteen years on the final Saturday in October, I've either made a trek to Jacksonville or huddled around a television to watch the so-called rivalry game between Georgia and Florida. No more! This year, we went to High Valley in south central Idaho to hang out with some of our new friends at a rustic cabin. It was so rustic that it had no electricity and was heated by a wood stove.

Instead of agonizing over a football game for three hours, I was playing Paul Bunyan with Frank and Brook. What was originally supposed to include a mountain biking trip in the Boise National Forest turned into a burn pile, stick gathering, tree cutting extravaganza along the side of a mountain, interrupted only by text messages from fellow Georgia fans feeding me the exciting news of the Bulldogs' stomping of the Gators. So, just for all of you out there who don't believe me, here is a picture of me with a chain saw felling my first tree as Brook shoves it over.

On Saturday night, we slept upstairs in the loft of the cabin, which is also the preferred sleeping location for Dudley, the incredible snoring dog. After about one hour of him trying to wake the dead at the foot of our bed, Janel asked me to relegate Dudley to the living room downstairs. Kate and Frank both told us Dudley wouldn't mind. So, there I was, scooping up the snoring machine and transporting him down the stairs in the middle of the night in the pitch black. Dudley didn't wake up or even flinch, for that matter. But he did keep snoring. All night. ... Here's the unsuspecting snorer on the trail.

My new friend Frank is one bad dude. He jumps out of airplanes and helps fight wildfires. He's also a great leader, understanding his crews' strengths and weaknesses. He quickly recognized my inefficiency with a hack saw and switched me to pick-up-sticks detail. If there's one thing I can do, it's pick up sticks. Cutting down the tree with a chainsaw was my reward. I'm hoping to do more of that in the future. Now, before you freak out and think I've abandoned my environmentalist activism, thinning trees is actually a healthy thing for the environment.

On Sunday, we went for a hike with Frank and his wife, Kate, in the Boise National Forest. I forgot the baby carrier so Frank graciously requested to help carry Faith. We traded her back and forth--and as you can see, Faith made a new friend, too.

We had a chance to take in some of the beautiful Idaho mountain scenery, including traipsing through some early season snow.

On the way back, I had one of my favorite fatherhood moments to date when for the first time since Faith was an infant, she fell asleep in my arms like a sack of Idaho potatoes. I think she slept on my shoulder for at least a mile of the hike before I placed her in her car seat. She still didn't wake from her slumber.

Faith and Alphonso, the Bear!

2007-10-15T12:10:00.000-07:00

So, poor little Faith has been so sick this past month! She has had cryptosporidia (a water-borne parasite) and had to go to the emergency room because she was not quite herself--she ended up having a 104 degree temp and a viral infection that just needed to resolve. Well, at the emergency room, everyone was so sweet to her, and the nurse gave her Alfonso the bear. When she was sick, she held very closely to this little bear. Now, she loves him, but is busy feeling better and busy tending to other activities. Here is a picture of her with Alfonso (named for St Alphonsus hospital that we went to).

Man Tag

2007-10-15T11:29:00.000-07:00

MAN TAG:

1. Who is your man? Jason

2. How long have you been married? 5 years

3. How long dated? 1 year 3 months

4. How old is your man? 33 today!!!

5. Who eats more? I do!

6. Who said “I love you” first? Jason, 5 months before I did:)

7. Who is taller? Jason

8. Who sings better? I do

9. Who is smarter? Hmmm.. that is a toss up....in some things he is smarter, some I am.

10. Whose temper is worse? toss up also

11. Who does the laundry? Both...in this stage of marriage he does most of it.

12. Who takes out the garbage? Jason... but Heather, I have to remind him:)

13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do, when your are laying down.

14. Who pays the bills? He does!

15. Who is better with the computer? Jason

16. Who mows the lawn? Neither, we are in an apartment!

17. Who cooks dinner? 99% of the time, I do! I love to cook!!!

18. Who drives when you are together? Mostly, Jason

19. Who pays when you go out? Usually, Jason

20. Who is most stubborn? Probably me! But he can definitely be stubborn at times too:)

21. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Jason, but sometimes me!

22. Whose parents do you see the most? Ummm...probably my parents, my whole family lives in one spot, so it makes it easier to see every one on the same visit!

23. Who kissed who first? Jason kissed me! the nerve!

24. Who asked who out? Jason asked me out.

25. Who proposed? Jason, at Jake's icecream place!

26. Who is more sensitive? Me, but he is pretty sensitive for a guy.

27. Who has more friends? He does has a lot of people he keeps in contact with, I mean HUNDREDS!!! So, I would have to say, definitely him!!!

28. Who has more siblings? Jason does--he has 2, I have 1.

29. Who wears the pants in the family? Jason, I like wearing skirts at times.

I tag, Tia aka Christina!

Ten to Two ... and Tights

2007-10-04T21:24:00.000-07:00

During our trip to Syringa, Janel surprised me with a guided fly fishing float trip down the Clearwater River. When the guide rolled up, I must confess that I was a bit bewildered by his appearance. It was kind of like Mikhail Baryshnikov meets Bill Dance. He was wearing tights underneath his shorts (it was 45 degrees), a strange complement to the pinch of Copenhagen smokeless tobacco bulging from his bottom lip. I didn't really know what to make of him and wondered if he was about to take me on Idaho's version of snipe hunting.

Nevertheless, I decided to climb into the boat with him and learn the art of fly fishing. One of the most important things I learned is that fly casting is like sawing a board while flicking your wrist between the 10 (on the back cast) and 2 (on the foreword cast) positions. I did OK, but started getting the hang of it when I switched from using my right hand to my left hand. (Being ambidextrous, it's difficult sometimes to decide whether the left or right is best.) Here I am in action.

But then the jokes started coming. At least, my guide called them jokes. I would respectfully call them type casting fables. And when he found out I wasn't a Mormon (Idaho has the most Mormons per capita in the U.S.), he started telling Mormon jokes like they powered the boat. That's when I began pondering just how cold it would be to dive into the water and swim for shore. But I thought better of it and tried to switch the subject.

While I didn't catch any fish, I did get a great philosophy lesson from my tight-wearin', snuff dippin', fly fishin' guide. Some of the things I learned can't be repeated (what happens in the mountains of Idaho, stays in the mountains of Idaho), but most of what could be repeated isn't worth repeating. Maybe next time I'll get a guide who will just help me fish in peace.

Fly Fishing, Flags & Fall

2007-10-01T20:02:00.000-07:00

Since we've arrived in Idaho, I must confess that I still feel like I did in the seventh grade when I started attending a new school. It's awkward. You're trying to fit in, hoping people don't notice the big zit on the end of your nose. These days, it's hoping people don't notice I talk like I just walked off the set of Gone with the Wind. But, frankly, I ... digress.

This weekend, Janel and I headed north to Syringa, a small community nestled on the Clearwater River, to celebrate our five-year anniversary. Faith decided it wouldn't be fun staying home alone, so she decided to join us.

On our way up to Syringa, we made a pit stop in New Meadows, population: 543. While I am accustomed to watching Janel stop conversation in a room when she walks in, I'm not accustomed to having that happen for myself. But while trying to turn in my comment card at the BBQ joint we stopped at, I moseyed into the bar where four ranchers were yukking it up with the hostess. Suddenly, their laughing stopped and they all stared at me like I was a three-headed cow. I couldn't figure out why until I walked outside and looked down at my hands. Janel took this picture of me outside the restaurant. Can you figure out why they stopped talking?

It's probably not everyday they see a man with what appears to be a giant, fluffy pink purse. In fact, it's a floppy seat for Faith when she sits in a highchair, but I understand the confused looks now.

We drove for what seemed like forever. And I must admit that at 32 years old, I'm just now realizing how vast our planet is. Several years ago, I stood on the equator near Quito, Ecuador. On our road trip, we posed for this photo at the 45th parallel--halfway between the north pole and the equator.

When we finally arrived in Syringa at our cabin, the view was surreal. Wispy clouds had drifted down to our level and were climbing up the mountain. Check out a view of the mountains just above our cabin.

The last thing I noticed before we entered the house was the presence of a tattered Confederate flag flying on a fenced property near the cabins. I couldn't believe it!

Idaho didn't even receive statehood until 1890, so what in the world was this guy thinking by flying it high over his double-wide? Who knows.

And while you're probably bored--or still in shock that I would carry a giant, fluffy pink purse-looking contraption around--I'll just tantalize you with the topic of my next post: Janel's gift to me of a guided fly-fishing trip down the Clearwater River. Oh, the stories those guides tell!

Old pictures

2007-09-25T13:33:00.001-07:00

So, I found these two rolls of film that had not been developed. I was wondering, "What is on these rolls?" and for the life of me, I couldn't remember. So, I went ahead and had them developed. On one roll of film, I had taken pictures of our Spain trip 2005, in celebration of my completion of the big PhD. They were beautiful pictures and made me want to go on another trip, but then again, everything makes me want to go on a trip....I love adventure, relaxing, seeing and experiencing new things and new cultures.

But, the next roll of film was, by far, my favorite. It took me back to the fun and carefree days when I lived in sunny California. Back then, life was simple. No worries. Sharon and I lived in an apartment that backed up to a used car lot (I jokingly call 'the ghetto') and substitute taught in schools in the ghetto. I also tutored after school. Making money/saving money was not a goal, it was just a way to pay the bills. In the meantime, I lived life fully. If I thought I could afford to take a day off from subbing, I would take the day off and go on an adventure. The adventure would be either hiking in the mountains to enjoy God's creation (45 minutes away), going to the beach to surf or read or be with God(45 min away), biking around town, going to the park to read, walking to Whole Foods (about 4 miles away), whatever! It is so easy to forget that life should be carefree and simple like that. Yes, I have more responsibilities now, but I am not going to use those as an excuse to not live a free life God wants me to live, enjoying his presence, his beauty in nature, and his fellowship he wants me to have with others. Living in Boise, ID has made it simpler to get back to the bare basics of life, for me. Here are some of the pictures I found on my roll of film. It was a time that Tia came and visited and Sharon, Tia and I went surfing!

Elk, Snakes & Deer

2007-09-17T22:08:00.001-07:00

So, I know everyone thinks we live in the sticks now, but seriously, we live in the big city--it's just that the sticks like to come to us. Like last week, for example. I'm riding to work on my bike and I find out that I better beware of a big elk on the loose. Now, the only thing I know about Elks is that they have many lodges in the South where I used to live. But a real elk? I was hoping I would come across him on my morning bike commute to work. That's him in the picture above. He didn't last long before some Barney Fife police officer shot him.

Then on my way home that day, I almost ran over a snake. I say almost because I actually slowed up when I saw him and put my feet in the air like a little girl and squealed. I quickly turned around to see if anyone saw my scaredy-cat act, but I noticed only a couple of squirrels.

Less than a half a mile later, I passed a handful of people acting extremely strange along the banks of the Boise River. I slowed down to see if I could figure out what was going on before I saw a huge deer panting for water in the river. It was great.

OK, so there's still traffic on my commute in the mornings. Those Broncos and Jaguars driven by angry and rude people in metro Atlanta have been replaced by elk, deer and snakes, who have no desire to cut me off or flip me the bird. Now, if I can just find that orange vest of mine ...

Faith's 1st Birthday!

2007-09-09T20:25:00.001-07:00

Faith's birthday was actually over a week ago, and I am just now getting to post pictures. Here is a picture of her a year ago. Wow has so much changed in a year! See how much she has grown!

We celebrated Faith's birthday when my parents came into town, so the actual DAY of her birthday, was pretty low-key. In the morning we took her to the Boise Zoo. She loved looking at the animals. Here she is with the leopard and sitting on a baby tiger:)

Ok, so it is not a REAL baby tiger, but she obviously thought it was fun anyway. The main reason we went to the zoo was because they had a special butterfly exhibit. Faith LOVES butterflies, even as a tiny baby she had a butterfly mobile above her crib which would entertain her for long stretches of time. This butterfly exhibit was awesome! Jason had two butterflies riding on him the entire time he was in there. Faith even had a few land on her. Even though she looks serious in these pictures, she really liked the exhibit.

Last, but not least, she opened some boxes that she had been sent in the mail. And, of course we gave her some books (she really likes books). Here is a shot I have been trying to capture for some time now. Whenever I ask if she wants to eat or more to eat, she makes this cute, adorable face.

After capturing the picture of her doing her sign for more to eat, she then decided to change it to sticking her tongue in and out, much like a lizard. What a silly one year old!

Poses & Bees

2007-09-03T21:26:00.000-07:00

Our Labor Day weekend consisted of the usual outdoor activity as well as some interesting happenings indoors. In leaving Atlanta, I was happy to escape the Yellow Jacket fans who whine incessantly about how their football program isn't as good as Georgia's because of their rigorous academic standards make it difficult to lure the same caliber of athlete to their campus. The only thing more obnoxious than Yellow Jacket fans are actual yellow jackets, which besieged our Labor Day picnic in grand fashion. I know they may seem like odd pictures, but I had to include them to accurately depict the swarm surrounding our food.

Most of my timidity with yellow jackets surrounds the painful memory in my childhood when our beagle stirred up a nest of the critters which descended upon me like the paparazzi on Paris Hilton. Playing with my dog and my dad a block and a half away from our house, my dad chased me home, beating the yellow jackets off of me with his t-shirt as I screamed in agony. That's one day I'm sure the neighbors looked our their window and thought, "At least we're not rednecks like the Chatraws." I'm also sure that it started a rumor mill like the time my mom pulled me out of a baseball game we were winning by 20 runs because my blood-thirsty coach wanted to squash the other team. By Sunday at church, the word on the street was my mom had cussed out the umpire. (I smarted for a week because I never got my post-game soda.) But in the aftermath of our yellow jacket attack, I never heard any rumors of a redneck pastor whipping his son with a t-shirt for two blocks--so I'm guessing the neighbors were all inside watching Jerry Springer that day and couldn't distinguish reality from the TV.

But I digress ... I tried to highlight some of the yellow jackets so the picture doesn't look so weird. Look for the red checks ... I counted 10 and 3. Can you find more? Pretend it's a puzzle in the newspaper and everyone will think you're really smart if you find more. Just be sure to comment with your description of where the extra yellow jackets are.

Now, on to more fun things ... like family portraits. When I was younger, family portraits were on the same level of going to the dentist. Some strange photographer tried to make me laugh by making jokes about my girlfriend, which I didn't have. However, this time I went with a good attitude and had a great experience for Faith's one year pictures and our family portrait. And I was doing pretty good until the photographer forced me into some cheesy poses. When I walked into the studio, I snickered at some of the horribly cheesy photos some dads took with their children, unbeknownst to me that moments later I would assume those same poses. Fortunately, Faith would not comply as she scuttled away looking for something to put into her mouth. (foreshadowing) You might think I was pinching her, but think what you like. I was just happy there were no such cheesy portraits for us to even consider buying.

Later on that day, Janel took some pictures of Faith in her classic pose: putting something in her mouth. We decided to cool off along the banks of the Boise River from the torrid Labor Day heat when I dipped Faith toward the water. Little did we realize she was preparing to battle Goliath by picking up five smooth stones and putting them into her mouth. Many people have commented about the size of Faith's cheeks--now I believe it is quite possible that there still might be a rock or two in there causing the irresistible bulges on both sides of her face. Enjoy!

Isabella~Consecrated to God Faith~Firm believer

2007-08-29T19:47:00.000-07:00

Faith was dedicated Aug 26, 2007 at our church in Boise. Pastor Tri and Nancy, Jason, me and my parents were all there and were able to pray over our little blessing. Faith's first name is Isabella, which means "Consecrated to God". I pray all of the time, that I will to give her over to God and trust him with her life. God has given her to us to raise and I am so very thankful for that.

In a way, I feel like Hannah in the Bible (I Samuel 1--note: it is the 9th book of the Bible, 1st chapter). God gave her Samuel after she wanted a baby so badly. She made a promise to God that she would dedicate Samuel to Him. So once Samuel was weaned (probably around 3 years old), she went to the temple and gave Samuel to the priest, Eli, so that he could serve God. What gratefulness, what sacrifice and what love!!! I really feel like, as a mother, I need to follow in Hannah's footsteps. I don't mean that I need to give Faith away to a priest, but I do mean that I need to trust God in her life. I need to seek God as I raise her and pray for her daily. I need to cultivate my relationship with God, so that I can better understand his love and better model what I know of His love to my daughter. Trusting God with her life starts early on when she is a baby, but I am sure it gets more difficult as she enters adulthood. Right now, she needs me to survive. And I cherish every moment, because I know it won’t last—but that is ok. Later on, as she gains more independence, she will need me less. And I think this is a gradual process. As she needs me less and less, I pray that she will rely upon God more and more. I know that it is very difficult letting go, but I want to be able to do this freely and without worry, because I am leaving her in the best hands possible—Jesus’. When Faith becomes an adult, I want her to have the ability to make healthy decisions, seeking only God’s approval and not my or anyone else’s approval. This is my prayer for my daughter’s life. It is a simple prayer but needs the power of Jesus to execute. Again, I Samuel is the 9th book of the Bible and the 1st chapter of it tells of Hannah’s story. And I think it is pretty neat that Faith was born on 9/1/2006.

The Idaho Western State Fair

2007-08-29T19:13:00.000-07:00

So, my parents came and surprised us with a visit for Faith's dedication and for her birthday celebration. We also went to the state fair and here is a little video of our time there!

Soccer in Boise

2007-08-28T20:39:00.000-07:00

This weekend was jam packed with excitement, beginning with Janel's parents' surprise visit to Boise--well, it was a surprise to her since I was in on the little secret from the get-go. You must go to great lengths to surprise Janel; however, I believe her little investigative personality (one which is already emerging in little Faith) likes to solve the mystery of surprise. But this one left her baffled and dumbfounded.

I'll let Janel have the honors of sharing about our adventure to the Western Idaho State Fair (yee haw!) and Faith's dedication at church, but I couldn't resist from posting this little family portrait first. Now, never mind that the horse looks like someone just dumped a gallon of Texas Pete hot sauce into his bucket of oats and that I retook this photo from one that we were snookered into buying at the fair--it's just plum cute. I was almost waiting for Faith to toss her hat and give us a big whoop!

Now, I know nobody cares about my soccer league I'm playing in here in Boise, but I feel compelled to write about it, much like I journaled about my sandlot exploits in first grade while living in jolly old England. They usually consist of a sentence about how many goals I scored and that we won, which happened to be the most important thing to me as a child and has followed me into my adult life. At the ripe old age of 32, I'm beginning to realize that winning isn't that important--that's what all the losers say, right? But the real reason I'm writing about it is because Janel's dad, Ed, took some of the best action shots of a recreational soccer game I've seen in a long time. And since they happen to be of me, I thought I'd post them here.

Don't get too excited just yet. There's no happy ending to this picture because pulling my leg back like that took about as long as it did for communism to fall in Russia. So, by the time I made my perfect strike, aiming to curl the ball around the ranging keeper and into the left corner of the net, he was in position to make a diving save. Oh, well. I probably should've passed the ball to my open teammate seen in the far right corner.

This other great action-stopping photo by Ed captured a guy fouling me from behind. You get yellow cards in most leagues for such a challenge, but in the three-inch, jungle-thick grass we play on in Boise, chances are that you just tripped on the grass long before another player slid in and challenged you from behind. However, I am an actor and managed to roll around and grabbed my knee to earn the foul. It made me happy to know that good gamesmanship lives here, too.

And, oh, yeah ... I didn't score a goal and we lost 3-1.

Faith's Saturday

2007-08-21T13:41:00.000-07:00

Here is a video of what we did on Saturday. We are enjoying living here in Boise so much. There are so many outdoor type things to do and it is such a family friendly city. This was Faith's first dog show (and mine too). Half of the excitement was getting there. I definitely got a workout pushing her in the stroller while rollerblading. Faith had fun wizzing by in her stroller. And it was so cute that she clapped after every dog came down the runway...but she clapped about 5 seconds AFTER everyone else was done clapping:) Enjoy!

Flat Out of Luck

2007-08-16T21:10:00.000-07:00

Today was another rough day on the Green Belt, as in flat tire No. 2. And in the immortal words of one Thomas Magnum, I know what you're thinking. Jason, stop driving over nails! ... Well, it's not nails--it's Idaho brambles the size of tennis balls. Maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but apparently, I haven't learned that those are common in these parts.

Last night when I was in Fred Meyers searching for a replacement tube, we'll call him Joe from sporting goods tried to give me some helpful hints about the best way to fix flat tire No. 1. He said, "I would use the goop [aka "Slime"] unless you went offroading and picked up a bunch of those huge briars." He added that last part like there was no way I would be stupid enough to do that on a road bike. Just as he was launching into something else, I mustered up enough humility and said, "Actually, that's what I did." He paused and said, "Oh ... well, good luck!"

In Georgia, briars don't stick to your tires. In fact, you hardly notice them. Here, they're like small satellites orbiting the weeds. So, today my front tire went flat after I got to work for flat No. 2. I'm looking into some steel-belted radials for my road bike.

The Idaho Crawler

2007-08-15T20:48:00.000-07:00

I know many of you want to know how Faith is doing. OK, I know she's never spoken two consecutive cognitive words to you, but she really does care how you're doing. Anyway, here is the latest video I made of her documenting her next exploits in Idaho.

Our New Life

2007-08-15T20:32:00.000-07:00

When I was growing up, it was my dream to live in Atlanta. After eight years of living there--three of which were spent sitting in traffic instead of actually living my life--we began looking for green pastures. Honestly, pale green would do in order to trump the concrete jungle.

So, we settled on Boise, Idaho. It really wasn't that hard since to decide since it had everything we were looking for--a slower pace of life, a smaller community, a great church (the Boise Vineyard), and activities outdoor galore. After some prayerful consideration, Janel and I felt like this community is what the Lord had for us next.

Instead of fighting traffic in the ATL, these days I ride my bike 5.5 miles along the Boise River on the city's Green Belt. Here are a few pictures from our apartment in the morning as Janel and I sometimes get out the door early enough to watch the sun rise.

Janel took these shots. I especially like the first one of the sun cresting over the mountains of the Boise foothills with the biker speeding away.

So, check back in from time to time for updates on the Chatraw family in Idaho.