Colorado

We left for Colorado Thursday (8/1) at noon. The trip out went much better than I expected...following our Arkansas trip, my expectations were very low..so I'm glad it exceeded expectations! 

Not too long after we passed into CO, we saw something in the short distance that looked like a cloud of smoke or a trail of dust from a truck going down a dirt road. The closer we got, the bigger it was. It was a dust storm..that looked something like this (I took this right after we were through it).

After some minor bathroom issues (Christian...but he told us "not to worry about it")...we arrived in Woodland Park. We met Ben's parents and Sam there, and we stayed at Tim & Faith's place there. It is a very nice 4 bedroom, 5 1/2 bathroom house.

Grandpa H and Christian being silly "loft monkeys"...in the loft that was in our room.

Friday...Christian's 4th Birthday!!!

We enjoyed the beautiful day outside. We went for a mild hike..which was probably best...I was carrying Noah in the carrier, Diana just had hip surgery the beginning of June, and Christian was just done with the glamorous idea of "hiking" right after we turned around to head back. It was the perfect amount of time and length of a hike...and such a pretty day!

Noah did well..he fell asleep on the way to the trail...and stayed sleeping in the carrier for quite awhile. 

It was a pleasant surprise :)

Sam and Christian

4 fingers for Christian's birthday!

After the boys took naps..Christian got a couple presents...and we blew bubbles outside.

Christian likes to blow the bubbles on Noah's feet...it makes them both laugh!

We had spaghetti and garlic bread for supper (one of Christian's favorite meals) and then ice cream for dessert!! He had a great birthday!

The day was complete with a rainbow next to Pike's Peak...the view from the balcony. 

Truly awesome.

Saturday we went to a dinosaur museum in Woodland Park. We walked around a bit. There were alot of people in town for various types of events...so we weren't able to have a picnic like we thought. We came back to the house, ate our lunch, and then hung out inside most the day since it was rainy.

Sunday morning we ate breakfast and then got our things around to head back home. It was a nice treat to get to go spend time with Grandpa and Grandma H and Sam in such a peaceful and beautiful setting!

Drive-In ~ Birthday ~ Anniversary

We had a fun filled weekend.

After Ben got off work on Friday we went for a walk (Christian rode his bike of course!) around Crosswinds. We've been going on walks/rides more routinely either at the Arboretum or Crosswinds...Christian especially loves to be able to ride his "super-fast-bike". The other day, he turned back to look at Noah and me to say, "Are you comin' slow pokes?"

On this particular outing, Christian was tired and hot..and needed a break from riding his bike...and Noah was tired and hot...and desperately wanted out of the stroller. I had stopped to get my hair out of my face...and this image just made me want to freeze time. "Super Dad" holding Noah..while pushing the bike...everything was now right (for at least 5 minutes).

Then we decided to go to the drive-in in Wichita...to see "Planes". What an adventure. We ate supper, then took baths, got our PJ's on...then headed out. We stopped at Walmart for just a couple snacks, and I let Christian come in with me to use birthday money ($5) to either pick out a car or a plane...he chose a  car, and was SUPER excited. He was also so taken back by the fact that he was going into Walmart with his pajamas on...when we were walking in, he looked up and said, "Mommy, this is SO funny. I am wearing my PAJAMAS in WALMART!!" ....I nearly lost it. What a foreign concept to a four-year old...but grown adults do this every single day. (I actually have a picture of an example from just a couple weeks ago...but maybe that's not nice to put on here..) At any rate, I thought it was funny he thought of that.

A very unclear picture...but here's the boys waiting for the movie to start. It looks really bright..I think that's because the flash went off on my phone. The movie was good..we all enjoyed our time (even Noah..he fell asleep, and sleep peacefully during the movie!). And now we hear all about Dusty Crophopper and Jolly Wrenches. 

Saturday morning, we found out there was a parade going on in town...so we went with our friends, the Hofstetters! The parade was to celebrate 90 years of the Gleaner combine...very exciting, you know :) We saw many, many combines...from over the years. Christian was especially grateful for Karl's ("the candy man"...sorry, just kidding Karl) personal candy stash...as we were toward the end of the parade...1 piece for each kid was thrown...total. A parade just doesn't seem complete without candy....I guess getting to see all the combines was good enough (hmm?).

The boys...ready to see these combines!

Saturday evening, we went to Mark & Beth's house outside of Inman to celebrate Mark's 60th birthday. 

It was a perfect evening. Due to the next day's celebration...there were family members from out-of-state that could come, so it was extra special. Christian brought his bat and ball...Grandpa H. played with him before supper.

They have a very woodsy view surrounding their house, which they just moved in this year. I liked it..it's crazy how un-Kansas certain areas can feel like when there are alot of trees.

Sunday morning, we were up bright and early to go to first service. All the Hershberger clan was going to be there, in honor of Howard and Martha's 65th wedding anniversary celebration (on 8.15.13). We then continued the celebration at the Water's Edge building, for a good meal and program. It is so special to see a marriage that gets to last this long, not only because they are still alive...but because they have and still love each other for 65 years!! I hope in another 60 years, Ben and I can have a big ol' celebration with a room full of our family and friends!!! Definitely something worth celebrating....so congratulations to you Grandpa and Grandma Hershberger!

Not the best picture...but its the only one I had of the event (somehow my arms were full or chasing after a certain somebody). Martha was directing everyone in singing a hymn. A program was put on by Tim and Daniel Penner; part of it included poems to each other, and the original wedding vows were read by John (their oldest child) and Jana (their oldest grandchild). It was a very nice way to honor and celebrate their 65 years together. 

Interview with CMH [age 4]

What is your name? Chris-shen. Chris-shen Mitchell Hersh-burg-er. My name starts with a C.

What color is your hair? Brown

What color are your eyes? Brown. And I can see!

What is your favorite food? Cereal.

What song do you like to sing? Madagascar...because its my favorite (I Like to Move it, Move it)

What are your favorite treats? Let me see here....hmmmm....maybe..Gobstoppers (thank you very much Grandma).

What is your favorite color? (looking down at his shirt..that is grey today) hmmm... Silver?

What animals do you like? The one with the mask at Tanganiyka. The one with the colorful bootie. It's the monkey with the mask.

What books do you like to read? Ahhh....ahhh....maybe....ahhh...I don't know. The Truck Book (the one Grandpa reads, with the purple truck and the red truck)

What is your favorite Bible story? Jonah

What do you like to do with Daddy? Play with him. Cars

What do you like to do with Mommy? Read books.

What is your favorite movie? Madagascar (he recently saw this for the first time!)

What is your favorite store? "The grocery store. I like to pick out fruit. Say what kind of fruit?" -what kind of fruit? Watermelon...sandia." (apparently that's how you say watermelon in spanish)

Who are your cousins? Maddox, Ava, and Kade, and Maddox (funny, because usually Ava is listed twice..but not today)

Who are your friends? Maddox, Ava and Kade, and Ava.
Owen, Grant, Briiiley.

What do you like to play inside? Cars.

What do you like to play with outside? Baseball, sand, and pick stuff in the garden..but I get kinda hot. Kinda not fun to get hot. I put a shade hat on, and I go in the sprinkler.

What do you want to be when you grow up? A grown up. And wash dishes. (Because that's what grown ups do!)

What makes you laugh? Pictures. Funny pictures.

Who do you like to spend time with? Grandma. Because we LOVE to go to grandma's house.

What are you afraid of? Saws. Because they are loud and they scare me when I hear the loud noise!

What makes you happy? Playing out in the snow. (random)

Where do you live? In Hesston.

Ben's Summer "Jobs"

While getting paid to do a summer job would be nice...

it was equally nice to have Ben at home to finish some bigger projects.

1. The Bathroom

(this may get a few separate posts of its own to remind us how it got to this point)

From the partial bathroom that it started as...it was gutted with the rest of the basement last year. This past spring he started doing the walls...and took all of June to complete the rest.

I'm a big fan...its so handy to have a functioning and clean/new bathroom downstairs!

2. The New Paint Job

Oh, and my I am ever so happy for this to be finished. The outside of our house has always been one of the biggest things I wanted changed. He power washed and caulked every single piece of siding underneath and all over the windows....lots of caulking (I think he said around 17 tubes). Then painted it with the paint sprayer. The garage doors are either yet to be painted or replaced...we'll see.

3. The Closets

The closets in the basement were left unfinished last summer. A "collection" has started to accumulate in various areas that need a home...but no place to be organized. The solution is underway. He finished the closets...now I "just" need to organize!

4. The Raised Beds

He did this at the beginning of the summer. Built raised beds out of scrap wood boxes from a local shop. Then he covered them with thicker plywood and put in irrigation tubing. It ended up that we didn't need the irrigation but for just a couple weeks! I have enjoyed this way of gardening much more than on the ground...of course there is always things to be tweaked, but that's part of the fun of figuring it out. All of our plants got very LARGE this year...the zucchini and tomato plants looked like they were on steroids! We had filled in the raised beds with dirt Dad dropped off from the shop...I guess it was good stuff!

These are the ones I deemed as bigger projects...he has been a handy husband/daddy to have around on a daily basis. I'm glad he has a job he gets paid to do during the school year...but I am grateful for all he's accomplished here too!

Break's Over

Well, our summer break has come to an end..Ben returns to school tomorrow.

It has felt so un-summer like lately as far as weather goes.

I'm definitely not complaining, it just has been weird to see so MUCH water, and our lawn is so GREEN, and LONG..that I actually wonder when it will be dry enough to mow?!

(the "pond" that is by our road...now more like a lake)

On this last evening before Ben heads back to school, we went into town to the Arboretum.

We brought along Christian's bike as a surprise...he's getting so good on it!

Of course he likes to refer to himself as "super fast".

Noah was a huge mess from eating supper...he ate pizza. Lately he's been preferring our food over his delicious baby food. 

It's been a good summer break.

I've been so lucky to have such a helpful and handy husband around...we will all miss him during the day!

Christian [4 years old]

Christian...

four years old (going on forty...some days with the way you talk!).

Life is never dull with you around. You keep us on our toes, you keep our minds going, and you keep us laughing daily!

You are such a good big brother. You are able to make Noah laugh like nobody else...and once he starts, it makes you start giggling like crazy! You have your fair share of moments that you get frustrated with his mobility and not wanting to share your toys with him...but overall, you are pretty patient with him and like to help him out. "Hey Buddy!" (you usually refer to him like this, especially when he just wakes up!)

You are such a helper. Often you want to try to help doing whatever it is we are doing...especially Daddy. We hear, "I can handle it," or "Don't worry....I can handle it." Lately, its been, "Well, I am BIG, I am four. I can handle it." And every now and then, you will use that phrase to get out of doing something you actually could handle...but would rather not do. "Ah, I don't think I can handle that."

You are very determined/negotiator and will attempt to reason with us..as long as we will listen. I will give you credit, that often your logic does following quite the path.
A different side of this is when you figure out how things work/run/operate, sometimes without us explaining...and other times, you will ask a very detailed question to figure it out. If you don't get a "satisfactory" answer, you don't give up...you rephrase the question until you get whatever it is figured out. You will not settle for "just because" or some quick (made up) answer usually. You will repeat the answer at any given time..so it is probably a good idea we don't just make something up.
As far as negotiating goes...it is a little crazy at times. Some of the most common phrases..."I would rather not.", "No. No. No....that is not a good idea." "I have a good idea." "I do not prefer that." "Five more minutes. (the ultimate amount of time in your mind...usually when asking to play before nap/bed time)."

You love cars...the movie Cars, and the characters that are included in that movie are your favorite.
You also like to build with blocks, legos, marbles.
You seem to have a short attention span for markers or coloring. But you can put together 48 piece puzzles in one sitting when you are in the mood.

You love to play outside...soccer, golf, bike riding, bubbles, sand, sticks, dirt, swimming, and digging with your shovel.

You love books. At night, Daddy reads you a Bible story before bed...and you definitely have your favorites..Daniel, Joshua, and Jonah. Often you try to get "one more book" read...whether its at home or by Grandpa.

You have a memory like a steel trap. Whether it be songs, stories (told by your Daddy and/or Grandpa),  directions (you seem to know which way it is from our stop sign to go to "church-left", "grandma's house- straight", "Minnesota- right", etc), logos (Braums, Dillons, the "danger sign"= caution/dangerous (and you will find the smallest sign that has this and ask why it needs a caution sign). If there is a sign, you really "need" to know what it is saying and then you will remind us of it each time we see it...or ask again, just to make sure that is indeed what we said it is. When we are in the car, you like to just look out the window...you observe EVERYTHING, and then you either talk about what you see or bring it up later. If its something you aren't sure about...you start off by saying, "Remember that place that you said that people go to Heaven? Remember? Ah, what's that called again? -a cemetery- "Yeah. A cemetery. Do we like those?"

You sleep in your bed (which is still on the floor..you kind of sprawl all over the place still). You take a nap in the afternoon for a little over an hour usually. You sleep with your TWO blankets...green and brown...and they have to be opened up 'just so' on your pillow. Sometimes you get to sleep with a toy for a special treat. You sleep with your Christmas lullaby CD that you have had playing every night since you were VERY little!! (I think we all have those songs tucked away in our minds for life!) Daddy reads to you and tucks you in (and sometimes falls asleep next to you for awhile). You go to bed around 9:30 or so and get up about 8.
You have a detailed imagination. When you talk for your toys...you have full on conversations....and it is hilarious. I'd say most the time, you really like if someone is in the room with you when you are playing...but for the rest of the time, when you play by yourself...I thoroughly enjoy listening to you interact with your toys!

You are not the best eater...you have started doing better in the last several months. We have to get creative with our ways to get you to eat...often using voices to pretend we are cars, or animals, etc. Whatever works!
Spaghetti, hamburger, bread, cereal, yogurt, pizza, pineapple, strawberries, grapes, and usually applesauce are your favorites.

As a rule you are very social. On the rare occasion or around certain people...you inform us you are going to "be shy." You greet people with a wave and say hello to them. You definitely enjoy talking to our neighbors..especially Bill. I am never actually nervous about what you will tell people...but I never know how much information you are going to give out while we are in public...children's time at church in particular. Some days you are just off in general (as we all can be guilty of)...and you get fussy...and VERY hard to get out of the funk. I'm glad that these days are not the norm...but I have to search in your mouth to see if the real "Christian" is still in there when you get like this for too long. As long as I can get a smile out...I know you're still there, and remind you that I love you...and I'd like the real Christian to come back to stay!

Random phrases you say sometimes....
many of them are said with your head tilted, your eyes squinted, and your mouth all funny...something like these pictures below.

"Oh my goodness."

"What in the dickens??"

"Don't worry..."

"I bet this is SUPER FAST!" (a very common reference towards toys, clothing, shoes, that means you give your seal of approval!)

"Wellll......."


"Whhhaatt??...you MUST be kidding me!"

"Hmmmm, let me see." (tapping your first finger to your face)

"That smells horrr-ble!"

"Construc-quen", "Instruc-quen", "Direc-quen" (you can't really say the "tion" part of these words)


Oh Christian. I can't believe you are already FOUR years old and going to be a preschooler! You are a sweet, funny, and smart little (but oh so BIG) boy! We love you so much!