Snowshoeing at Bear Lake

It was a beautiful drive to Estes Park today! We saw tons of fishermen on the icy river, so cool. The scenery was awesome. Once we got into town we rented our gear and went on to Rocky Mountain National Park. Now that Mr. Titanium is good to go we plan to visit more this summer, so we bought a season pass. We made our way to Bear Lake and then circled the parking lot forever looking for a parking place. It sure was the place to be today since it was so nice out... 53 degrees up there. We strapped on our snowshoes and off we went. How cool was it for all of us to walk across Bear Lake. It was so beautiful.

Our 3 Ducks in a Row... they kept us laughing for sure.

We had to turn around and take Nana & GP Skip's car... don't ask.

The descent into Estes Park! WOW!

My 2 guys getting fitted for their snowshoes.

Praise God that they fit a size 15 guy with no problems.

Nice big snow mound in the parking lot.

The trek begins!!

On Bear Lake... so wild!

Across the lake, this was the big attraction! It was so neat up close.

This was just to the side of all that ice.

It was no small feat getting all 3 up that slippery hill.

One more thing Mr. Titanium has conquered!

We're all so excited for Scott.

Team Kissel!

To think it started 17 years ago with just the two of us...

and probably the old Levi's I'm wearing.

I think we'll be buying some snowshoes sooner than later. It was so fun, so easy and such a blast. We hiked up into the woods and couldn't have done it without the snowshoes. It was a great new memory for us! We could have stayed all day.

SNOW much fun!!!

Our Shameful Bag of Bones

We brought this adorable dog home to our family in October. We named her Moka Flo Kazoo and have all fallen in love with her...

We have taken her to the vet to make sure she is healthy, put her on meds for worms (disgusting) and even had her spayed. We feed her, give her water, brush her, have had her groomed, and walk her. And what does this dog do in return?

Eats entire pens & leaves the remains on the carpet...

She is so lucky that ink didn't explode.

And her new fave thing is getting the t.p. from the downstairs bathroom.

Shameful Bag of Bones

What?

OK, I'm sorry!

These items were in her crate just last night.

He's covered in t.p. Maybe it is like Ranch for Moka, a little

t.p. makes everything taste better?!



We often call her The Chizzler! One of our family's favorite movies is Cheaper by the Dozen 2. When the Baker family gets to the cabin at lake Winetka they see the same pack rat from years ago, The Chizzler. He's still up to his same antics stealing their keys, shoes, toys... and then runs into a hole in the wall with his goods. Later the wall gets destroyed and there is a lifetime of memories inside.

It is like that with Moka. She does this hop skip and a jump type of run and you know she has something. Almost every night Scott, all 6' 7" of him, gets down on his knees and looks through her crate in a sing-song voice saying, "What's in there?" Once I found my Starbucks gift card tucked under the blanket... what was she planning on doing with that?

Her other quirky thing? When it is dark out and she sees her reflection she goes crazy. She thinks it is another dog!! What a nut!

Its OK Moka... she won't get you!

Until she grows up she will always be our favorite Shameful Bag of Bones. This is a term of endearment I learned growing up - each of our dogs was called it at one time or another!

My First Love and My True Love

I'm not sure where this all started, but I fell in love with Albert Einstein when I was in Junior High. I think I was taken with his crazy hair and quirky looks. I love his quote "Imagination is more important than knowledge", because I firmly believe this myself... but don't tell my kids. Coming from Mr. E=MC2, I took that as a sign that he was my kind of guy... smart and creative. I had posters of him on my walls in college, I still own a table top book of him & photos and look, a mug!!

Even Al loves coffee, his mug says so!

"Coffee makes me smart". If that isn't the truth!!

I came to my senses when I met Scott as a freshman in college. Unfortunately he didn't have the crazy hair and didn't have smarty-pants quotes like Al, but he was athletic, loved Jesus and he liked me just the way I was. So I fell hard for him, my true love.

Scott went on a trip to Washington, DC a couple years ago with a few pastors from church. When he sent me this picture I knew 2 things: 1. My two true loves were too cute together. 2. Scott knows me so well! He knew that a picture of him and Al would make my day.

So there you have it. My first love and my true love, together at last.

They almost have the same size feet!!

Gravity cannot be held responsible for people falling in love.
~ Albert Einstein ~

Now You See 'Em, Now You Don't

On March 22, 2010 Whitney got braces on her top 4 teeth, not so horrible. Although 4 brackets still equalled a lot of visits to the dentist... as well as poking wires, wax and pain from adjustments. 11 months later the big day finally came!! Whitney and I went to celebrate over a bagel breakfast and then got them off!

Now you see 'em....

With Moka in a Christmas ribbon!

At the beach on Balboa Island.

Whitney Hope in downtown LA.

Playing volleyball... never got hit in the mouth!

With her sister at Halloween... a fellow brace face.

With a future brace face I'm sure... he was thanking her for finding

his lost tooth in his cereal bowl.

On the morning they were taken off!

Now you don't...

That slick feeling of being braces-free!!

Until round 2... some time from now!

Great Job Whitney! You look beautiful as always!



Bittersweet Day

Five weeks ago we brought home Baby-Joy, today we said good-bye. For five weeks I heard, Isn't it going to be hard to let her go? At first I was just so excited to hand over this sweet package to a family who wanted her so badly, that I'd say I didn't think it would be hard. Two weeks into it reality hit. Tennison asked if we could adopt her, Reagan called her her little sista, Whitney would change her diaper and outfit like a seasoned veteran. The kisses were in abundance and the love was thick. So yes, yes it is going to kill me to let her go... it is going to kill all of us.
Well, I'm happy to report it didn't kill me, but I have an ache in my heart and a lump in my throat. Today we handed over our (yes our) sweet little package, our littlest friend. She has a piece of hearts forever. Here is a look into our journey over the past 5 weeks.

At the hospital - we both had colds so we wore masks.

We brought her home to 3 very curious kids!

Our whiteboard on the back door recorded many messages about Baby-Joy these past weeks.

That yummy face, that yummy dimple!

Baby-Joy loved the car seat, her favorite nap spot. And that hat - I could lick her!

Love.

Bliss.

Happiness.

All said and done I took a mere 539 pictures capturing our time together.

From head to wrinkly toe we loved this little girl.

A precious moment... Tennison looks like Peter Pan doing I Love You in the shadow.

We did our best to hold it together yesterday at the placement. We all had our moments of crying. It was either done the night before, right in front of everyone, or in the quiet of our hearts. We met her parents, Ryan and Kim, and know she'll be great. After a hard time getting pregnant they started the adoption process, but put it on hold when they found out they were pregnant. When their daughter Kyla was born, February 5, 2010 she was not breathing. She was flight-for-lifed to Children's Hospital in Denver and passed away on February 10th. In the fall they were in the process of adopting when the birth mother changed her mind. Due to the heartaches this couple has faced the agency felt they needed to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Baby-Joy was theirs. That is why we were given the honor of standing in the gap. And now she is theirs!! After a one year memorial for Kyla Saturday, we met them the following morning. This is full circle for me as an adoptee.

Kim, Ryan and Makyla Joy!

They kept Joy - I cried.

Scott looking like the dad over all of us. That hand on Ryan's shoulder is squeezing tight saying, "You take care of that baby, I'm watchin' you." Just kiddin'. Look how happy they are.

Our sweet boy drew a picture at the agency of him holding Makyla Joy.

Scott & I are beyond proud of our kids for how they took on this adventure. Not once did they complain. They always helped out, either grabbing a diaper, changing an outfit, putting in the nuk, loading her in the carseat, whatever it took. This was their baby as much as ours. I want to thank Scott for joining me in another adventure in our lives. Without your support it would have never happened. And to our friends and family, thanks for taking care of us through this time - we appreciate your words of encouragement, meals, coffee treats, and prayers. This is a journey we will never forget and hope to maybe do again. If we don't it was all worth it for her!

But for now we shall sleep!!

The Great State of Colorado

Wow, things change fast around here with the weather! One day it's hot, the next it's not. On Friday we were above 60 degrees. I tried to prove it with a photo but in order to get it at 61 I would have crashed, so this is close enough...

After I took this photo we went home and as I rounded the corner to our house I see Scott outside with Whit and Ten throwing the football. Crazy I tell ya!! My poor sister in Minnesota said they'd be lucky to get above 30 that day. Sorry Shelly!!

Then on Monday night we get a phone call from the school district telling us school will be closed the next day due to the cold weather. THE COLD! We have named it a cold day instead of a snow day. I thought it was weird, Scott thought we were wimps. My mountain man husband thinks we're pansies for not going to school because it's cold - sorry if you practically went to school on snowmobiles, but we're citified wimps! When I got up Tuesday to feed the baby I saw the weather at 2:49 a.m. on my go-to site:

Right Now	Next 36 Hours

	Today	Tonight	Tomorrow
Mostly Cloudy	AM Snow Showers	Partly Cloudy	Mostly Sunny
-4°F	5°	-11°	14°
Feels Like: -23°

That is why we didn't go to school!! -23 WOW!! The district claims it is dangerous for kids to walk in that weather, teachers to drive in it and then what about the buses, will they even start? Scott, who thinks we are weak, got to stay home however. The church runs on the schools closure schedule so he got to hunker down with us and stay warm.

Last night we got another call... school is closed again, its too cold. Ok, I'm with Scott. That is pathetic. GO TO SCHOOL! Not that I want them gone, but really. It isn't that cold today... ok, -19 isn't as cold as -23, but still. The church decided not to close, so Scott is back to work.

I guess we get another day in. Baking some more cookies, watching movies, rough housing, bickering, laughing, and maybe today some kids I know will get out of their pj's.

STAY WARM WHEREVER YOU ARE!!