Splish Splash

One of Eliza's favorite activities at the Colorado house was splashing in the ditch.  Even though the water was pretty darn cold - she didn't seem to mind.  If we had let her, I think she would have stayed in the water for hours. 

She did have a few problems with her boots though.  They were too big for her and she sometimes had problems walking in them.  Her favorite part of playing in the ditch was when Bob joined in on the splashing.

Father's Day

Eliza had a great time today cuddling with two of her favorite guys . . . . her Daddy and her Grandpa. She loved the time she spent in the pool with her Dad and she and Grandpa had a ball playing with her school bus and her schoolhouse. She also helped me prepare a great lunch for her guys.

This is my 11th Father's Day without my Dad. For the majority of those 11 years, I have done my very best to ignore the day with the ostrich approach of burying my head in the proverbial sand until the day passes. I miss my Dad everyday, but days like today make my heart ache in a whole different way. Days like today really hit home because I feel so very sad that my Dad never had a chance to meet Stephen and Eliza and that they never had the opportunity to know him.

I know without a doubt that it would have been a love fest all around. My Dad would have loved these two as much as I do. He would have been impressed with what a genuinely kind, funny, generous and loving father and husband Stephen is. He would have been charmed, enthralled and entertained by Eliza, and I have no doubt that she would have adored him as well. I have so many stories that I can't wait to tell her as she grows up.

Even though, a day like today brings a flood of tears with it, I feel so blessed and humbled to have been raised and loved by a man like my Dad. I feel doubly blessed that my daughter has a father who loves her unconditionally and will continue to raise her with honor and integrity.

Happy Father's Day Dad.

The Colorado House

During a vacation in the 1950's, Stephen's grandparents purchased a house and land in the Durango area. His mom and her sisters spent their summers in this house as did Stephen. This house holds many special memories for Stephen and he was eager to share this place with his precious girl. We took Eliza there for the first time when she was 4 months old, and we couldn't get over how much she enjoyed being outside.


A lot has changed since the last time Eliza visited the Colorado house but one thing stayed the same - this little girl LOVED being outside!







This house is a Victorian that was built in the late 1800's. My favorite thing about it is the wrap around porch. I could just sit for hours and stare at the amazing views. This picture doesn't really so justice to the beautiful landscape you see from the porch.



The grounds of this house are home to some pretty spectacular trees- or as Eliza calls them "the forests." She had a grand time running around these trees, chasing all the dogs and hiding from her parents.

Eliza was also impressed with the flower gardens. She picked about a million daisies. I think it is probably a good thing that these poppies have prickly stems, or she would have picked all of them as well!

I was really in love with these gorgeous pink peonies. I would LOVE to have some in my garden at home, but I don't think they would like the brutal Texas sun!

Just in case you were wondering . . .

We have not fallen off the face of the earth or been abducted by aliens. We have just been super super B - U - S - Y! The end of the school year always kicks me in the booty (after 16 years, you would think I would learn) and as soon as school was over, we packed our bags and hit the open road. We had a marvelous vacation and I have TONS of pictures to share soon.