Papa JACK comes to visit!

Cole, Dad, Reed

Dad came through Texas on his way back to Florida from RAGBRAI! RAGRAI is a ride across the state of Iowa which Karen and Jay ride annually. He rode between 60 and 80 miles per day for two of the five days of RAGBRAI...on a five speed bike! Amazing. Following his ride, he brought his friend Gayle and Peanut for some R&R in blazing hot Texas!

Good times for all!

AZ Summer 2010

Big GREEN Machine

Cars are overrated. They cost a fortune either way....buying or keeping them up. And, recently we have spent WAY to much money maintaining one. Not any more! GONE. No tears or regrets. But this one is different. I have grown to love this one more and more with each road she has taken us down...all 164,000 miles of them. She could get herself to Florida or Arizona with her lights off! If her doors could talk, they would share countless memories. First rides home from hospitals, first road trips, camping stories, first loads to college, victory rides after sporting wins, first trips to the ocean, chariot rescues, she's been a closet...bathroom...and dinner table, and she has even had to be an ambulance a time or two. Some of the most intimate "family meetings" have taken place inside her doors during our long journeys. She has listened to our laughter, screams, cries, singing, snores, and our prayers. Once again, we will all (not many of these times left, we sadly realize) climb inside her doors, pray our traveling tradition Rosary, and journey to The Grand Canyon State.

We love you, Big Green Machine.

"Boring Blog"

I received a text message today. It said simply: "Your blog is boring." Boring! Please. While she is busy in her nephrology world, she takes time out in her "slammed" day to tell me our blog is boring! Sad thing is, I concur. It IS just the blog, however, that has been boring! Life still seems to flash by at lightning speed...and most of the times we don't even have the camera on hand! So Karen, I love how you look to those who are most dear to you, sitting lazily at the pool for the 100th time this summer, and miles away, to "destress" your day... this one is for you!

Summer began with Craig's scouting. He and Mike traveled down to Big Bend to hike, swim, look at stars, see the bats, and camp with his Troop. Craig is weeks away from becoming a LIFE scout on his journey to EAGLE. Like his Uncle Brad, he "spidermaned" up the mountain...7500 feet!! Amazing that with asthma and his "out of shape/summer mode" heart, he didn't hesitate on his journey up. We are so proud of his accomplishments.

Coming down...Craig is the one blazing a trail in front!

The view!

Craig's Troop

Craig, Matthew, Jacob
Craig and Dad in tent...BEFORE the snoring began!

Scout camp was followed by baseball. Reed had a fun time playing "low-key" t-ball (which was hard on Dad) and Cole's team, the Lugnuts, came in 2nd in the season, and 1st in the championship tournament.

Reed, Daddy, Cole Cole and Jacob
Coach "Dad", Cole, Jacob, Coach Mix (Jacob's dad)

Cole's baseball season led to All Stars where he played short stop and second base for the The Branch! He loved playing sports into July...and so did his coach! :)

Pfaff men a.k.a. Cole's Fan Club

And then, recently we celebrated the 4th of July with friends and family. Annual Irving parade and swim with the Arringtons, followed by celebrating with family! Fun times.

Reed and Max

Walter and daddy, Mike

Before and After...the jump!

Mike and mom

So, there you have it! Summer through mid July in one post. Boring...nah. Slacker..yes ma'am!

Father Michael and Cole

First Communion, April 2

Here is the only picture on this laptop of First Communion. We have many, many others. See issue in post below to find out why they aren't here.

Godmother Kricky, this is for you.

Life

Who truly has time for this? I am somewhat disappointed that Mike and I have not kept this blog up. I have picture after picture of some really powerful spiritual and athletic moments that have happended recently in our family and not a clue how to get them from camera to computer. Well, that isn't all true. I know how to IF they are stored on the little camera storage disc. But then, that requires the little dealy that the storage disc goes into...and who knows where that is!!! I very quickly, as this lapse in time shows, go to "I'm done"...before I even start. :) Weak, maybe, but true.

Our lives this summer have been filled with pool, golf, religion online class, baseball, scouts, girlfriends, World Cup, lacrosse, friends, sleeping in, and a little bit of school. Still working on the house...which I have a great "new" picture of that I'll get up someday. Larry did an amazing job which you will see when I get the pictures loaded!! Now, Mike and David are redoing the master shower because we had our THIRD (in 11 years) shower pan leak just as Larry was finishing his work! :(

We are counting the days to our return PHX trip...it's been TEN years! Crazy. And, somehow, someway, I want to journey to introduce my precious new, well not-so-new really, niece, Ellis, to our boys. Mike and I had a blast meeting her and surprising Karen back in January, and are anxious about getting the boys to meet her!!

All in all, God is so very good. He is so forgiving of and patient with us....as we still struggle from day to day trying to figure out how to best lift one another to the Light.

First Communion

It is not a coincidence that the last post we made was “Opening Day”. Baseball season has come with a vengeance this year. It is our first year in a new league (different city) and the league does not play on Saturdays. I was a little torn about that. I love spending the day at the ballpark, but it is also nice to have a real weekend in the spring for yardwork and dog walking and going to the park. Unfortunately, with the rain we’ve had we have baseball games almost every night. Soooo, no time to post. We just got back from Cole’s game, Reed has one tomorrow and Cole has one Wed./Thurs. and Fri. Normally I would have fallen in to bed and been asleep by now, but Reed is in with Kim and I don’t feel like moving him, so here I sit.

I do have a story to tell. Cole had his First Communion a few weeks ago (April 10th). The school he attends does it as a class, so there were 60 boys and girls in their Sunday best with beaming parents all around. Cole, Kim and I had a good discussion about the Eucharist and said a prayer together before heading over to church. It was a great day. The Sunday before that day was Easter and after Mass Cole was very excited that “this is the last Sunday I’ll have to do this” as he placed his hands on opposite shoulders. The Mass was moving and the family celebration afterward was fantastic. Everyone was proud of Cole and our family felt close to each other and our God.

The only possible exception was Reed. He was not at all pleased that he was the only one in the family that was unable to receive Communion. He was a little pouty later that day and said it was not fair, he wanted to do it, all the normal things the youngest child says when they want to be like their older siblings. After a few days it subsided and all was back to normal. On Sunday, we loaded up the family and headed to Mass. At Communion we walked up in line, Craig, Cole, Reed, Kim and Mike. This is where things get interesting. We get to the front of the line. Kim and I proceed forward to Fr. Michael, we reverence the Eucharist and extend our hands (we receive together). As I start to turn to my left I see Reed step away from a Eucharistic Minister, place something in his mouth and cross himself. I almost fell over! When we get back to the pew I see Reed with his mouth open, Eucharist on his tongue. He swallows it, looks at me, shrugs his shoulders, smiles and says, “He gave it to me.”

My mind races. Of course, he knows how to go up and receive Communion, he has seen us do it hundreds of times. He knows how to extend his hands, what to say and what to do. Crap! But….who would give Communion to a 5-year-old!! Turns out it was an older gentleman who probably figured, “The kid knows what he’s doing. Sure, he looks young, but they all do to me nowadays.” I was flabbergasted.

After Mass we had a loooong talk with our youngest about lots of things. It hasn’t happened again and I have a pretty good feeling that it won’t until it’s his turn to sit in a packed church with his second grade classmates and receive his Second Communion