Things I don't have to do ...

...because he always does them for me.
    

Background:  I'm stealing this idea from my friend, Jean.  Check out her blog, Living for the Sonrise.  I feel like I can relate to her on so many levels, because she and I are in very similar circumstances these days!  We both have two young girls, both staying home with our kiddos (ok I am sort of staying home), both have great hubbies that deserve to be known as such!  She recently posted a list of things her hubby does for her.  I decided to do the same.

So here goes ....

- Take out the trash  (I recently realized how much I should appreciate this when Tim was gone and I had to contend with maggots in the garbage!)

- Mow the yard

- Feed, water and let the dog out

- Take the dog to the vet and take care of his shots, baths and medicines

- Pick up dog poop (enough said)

- Pay the bills and generally take care of all the financials

- Take or pick up the girls from the sitter on Thursdays

- Take the recycling out

-  Go to work everyday

- Take care of home maintenance - like plugged drains, toilets that won't flush, windows that get stuck, garages needing cleaning, downspouts full of leaves, light bulbs needing replaced, etc.

Typically the rest of the household duties are shared.  Sure there are things I typically do, but if I ever, ever, ask Tim to help me vacuum, do laundry, scrub a toilet, change a diaper, get a binkie at midnight, do the dishes, unload the dishwasher, get groceries, bathe the girls, read stories at bedtime or just about anything else he is willing to help out. 

In a world where conversation about our spouses is often reserved for bashing them, joking about their faults and imperfections, and generally speaking about the worst in them ... I am happy to join in a dialogue about what I appreciate about Tim.  His efforts to take care of me, our family, and our home do not go unnoticed or unappreciated. 
He is a good husband and a wonderful daddy to our sweet girls.  We love him to bits.

(Too bad he'll never read this!Ha!)

Loving the Bike

Hey all (5 of you readers) ... oh well! :)

Check it out!  My story about RAGBRAI landed me in the "Look who's Loving the Bike" section of this really cool website called Loving the Bike    Thanks, Darryl!   

I'm hoping to land on the back of a slightly newer tandem for a day of RAGBRAI coming up here really soon!!

Adventureland!

It had changed very little from the time I was last there, which was probably more than 10 years ago!  Yikes!  How is it that I'm not 17 anymore?!  Anyway ... as total gluttons for punishment we packed up the girls on July 4th weekend and took them over to Adventureland.  My mom and dad, my younger sister, Jessi and her family, my cousin Hilleri and her girls ( and her mom (my aunt Judi) all went too!  This was actually the brain child of my mom and dad ... and it ended up being tons of fun!  The little kids got to ride a ton of rides, and us big kids enjoyed a few roller coasters too!  Thanks Grandma and Papa for a very fun weekend!

  Us girls on the Carousel

Brynn kept shouting "her-seys"

The kiddos driving the lady-bugs

Ella and mommy on Puff the Magic Dragon

Colorado 2010

Its been a crazy busy summer so far between Tim's training for his forty mile run this summer (the guy knows how to celebrate a birthday in style, huh?!), my jury duty summons, work, trips to the pool, trips to see grandma, and the like.  But, we did take a break from the usual routine and headed out to Frisco, CO just a couple of weeks ago.  It was wonderful.  We totally loved the slower pace, the beautiful scenery, and lots of fun activities as a family.  We stayed in a condo that was literally right on the side of the mountains with a winding, babbling brook running right behind.  It looked like something out of a painting.  The girls did great with the flights, being off schedule more often than not, and being drug all over ski country for the week!  Ella got a pair of little pin-on wings from the "pirate" of the plane and was ecstatic about them!  We laughed for days about the "pirate" comment! 

Here are some snap shots from the week.  The highlights were biking down to Frisco from Vail Pass, breakfast at the Log Cabin in Frisco on Father's Day, shopping in Breckenridge, hiking to Rainbow Lake, the chuck wagon ride complete with fantastic BBQ and wild west show, the farmer's market in Vail, and seeing the trailer where Tim lived when he worked in Beavercreek back in the early 90s.

We're back in the swing of things here in MP again, although July is proving to be a very busy month!