My baby daddy

This one made him a father first.  (And she might or might not look just a little bit like him.)

He has been a wonderful daddy since the day she came into our lives.  He's kind and patient, holds them gently, makes them laugh, plays pretend better than Bill Cosby, tucks them in and tells impromptu bedtime stories.

This year we celebrated Father's Day by taking him (and us!) out for ice cream at Collins Lake.

The boys checked out the big fish that have been caught at the lake so far this summer.

Then I tried to get a picture of Jono with all the kids.

They love to torture me.

And this is the best one.

Thanks for being a fantabuloso dad, Jono!

We love you!

Two-Faced

(left pic) field staff                   property staff (right pic)

While we were at the Young Life conference in Orlando, Jono had the opportunity to help one of the speakers.  He was illustrating some differences between Young Life field staff and property staff. 

Those on field staff spend hours with teenagers on a daily basis and need camouflage that is relevant to, say, a high school lunchroom.  Thus, you have designer jeans and satchel/man bag.  But, they also have to look respectable for the donors who support their ministry.  Thus, the clean shaven face and collared shirt.

When you look at the right picture, you see the property staff version.  Plaid flannel shirt, boots, and bushy beard are naturally found on someone who spends most of their life in the middle of the woods, booniesville, usa.  You might find property staff wearing designer jeans but that is because they were pulled out of lost and found after last summer.

In all seriousness, we have the utmost respect for our partners in ministry who are going out daily in pursuit of lost teenagers.  The jobs may look a lot different but the heart behind both is the same--to share God's grace and forgiveness with kids.  If you'd like to find out more about the ministry of Young Life, you can visit their website here.  If you would like to find out more about Woodleaf, the camp where we live (and work), you can go to that website here.

You may cast your vote for clean-shaven or bearded Jonathan in the comment section below.

Voting will close in one week.

My Valentine

 I

this guy.

 No really.  I do.

Did you see the uber-romantic poem he wrote for me?

Uh. Huh.

I hope your Valentine is as sweet as mine!

A Little Birthday Celebration

Jono had his birthday recently.

 That's a three-four.

The four will be reused in December when Trek turns four.  He's pretty stoked that he and his dad are the "same".  Call me practical.  Call me a cheapskate.  Whatev.

Joe helped to light the candles.

He struck the match and lit all the candles all by himself.

Then directly blew out the match and candles all by himself!

Eventually, we got them all lit and over to the table for the waiting birthday boy.

I love celebrating birthdays.  Especially for the people I love.

I am so blessed that they were born, so of course, their birthdays are a holiday for me!

I have to share with you a little something I made for my man on his bithday.

I was inspired by I am Momma Hear Me Roar. 

She made some super cool upcycled t-shirt hats for her boys. 

I want to make one for everybody in the fam!  When time allows, I suppose.

But Jono had requested that I make him one for his birthday. 

So, I went to work.

She has a great tutorial, complete with patterns, on her blog.

I made just a couple adjustments.

Jono asked that I line it with some fleece for added warmth.  Which I did with some material that I upcycled from a pullover. And seeing as I was making it for a full grown boy and not a four-year-old I thought I should add an inch of height to each section. 

Now in my defense, I was making this as a present and I couldn't very well have Jono try it on after every step of the process.

So, this was the result.

You can see I over calculated a bit.

The hat is more suited for one of the coneheads from Saturday Night Live.

As soon as he put it on, we both just burst out laughing!

I offered to fix it but my sweet husband refused.

He said because it was my first one it made it even more special!

And he'll wear it, too. 

With style and swagger. 

Because he's cool like that.

And he loves me.

Aren't I a lucky girl?

The Official Food of San Francisco

Possibly one of the best discoveries we have made in California.  

The It's-It.

"a scoop of vanilla ice cream between two old fashioned oatmeal cookies 

and then lavishly dipped into dark chocolate coating"

mmm, m-mmm, MMMmmmm!

Here is how to eat an It's It...

 Here is how you feel after eating an It's-It.

 And, let's be honest...

He learned it by watching you, ok?!

For most of the 20th century, these were only available in the San Francisco bay area.  However, my non-Californian friends, you can now order them online and have them delivered to your front door!  Just click here.

11 Years Ago

11 years ago I married this guy!

Don't we look happy?!

We've been through a lot since that day.  Different jobs, different towns, added some kids.

We've been married a third of our lives.

How do we look now?

picture by lexie bush (www.lybphots.com)

Happier than ever!

He's loving and generous, fun and creative. 

It has been an amazing adventure.

I love living life with you, Jonathan Gardner!

Shaven.

Jono only shaves once a year.  That usually applies to haircuts as well but I think he missed that yearly appointment.  He always makes sure to include the kids at this yearly event because it changes his appearance so drastically.  He doesn't want to scare them.  They each took a turn with the electric razor.

My husband is a brave, brave man.

The Shaving seems to always fall near Cinco de Mayo when there is the Shaving Part 1...

which is quickly followed by the Shaving Part 2 because I will not go to bed with him looking like that.  This year we missed the in between stage (and when I say 'we' I mean 'only him') and the final product was this debonair young gentleman...

I wish his dad could have been here to see it.  He would have been so pleased.  But there is a very small window of opportunity, because next year's beard starts growing immediately. 

So, make plans for next May, Charley!