A New Perspective

I was going through my church handouts and I found this. It really puts things into perspective so I thought I would share it! (It's really for me more than anything.)

What God Won't Ask

God won't ask what kind of fancy car you drive. He will ask how many people you took to church who didn't have a car.

God won't ask the square feet of your house. He will ask how many people you helped who didn't have a house.

God won't ask what social class you are in. He will ask what kind of "class" you displayed.

God won't ask how many material possessions you had. He will ask whether those material possessions dictated your life.

God won't ask how much overtime you worked. He will ask if you worked overtime for your family.

God won't ask how many degrees you had. He will ask how may people you thanked for helping you get those degrees.

God won't ask what your parents did to help you. He will ask what you did to help your parents.

God won't ask what you did to help yourself. He will ask what you did to help others.

Pumkin Patch

Marky had a field trip to the pumkin patch on Friday and Daddy took a couple hours off work to go along. They went on a hay ride, picked a pumpkin off the vine (and a nicer one to bring home and carve) and had a picnic at the ranch. Marky talked about how fun it was all weekend! Maybe next year we will have to make it a family trip!

Boys Night Out

Last weekend Mark was given tickets to the Fresno State game, so he took both boys and mom had the night off! It was pretty cold, but the boys really enjoyed it. Daddy came home exhausted after carrying Kevin through the stadium!

Fresno Fair

A couple of weeks ago we attended the Fresno Fair and got our fill of BBQ, Funnel Cakes, Cotton Candy, Pig Races, and Lloyd Mabry. Both boys played a dart game, which they are way to small to ever win, but the guy running the booth let them cheat so they could each get a stuufed animal! They were so excited to get their prize! The weather was perfect and there was lots of exhibits and things for the kids. Good Times!

Colorado Week 2

After Mark was done "working" at CSU, the entire family headed to the mountains for some much needed clean air and relaxation. Mark's parents took us to this beautiful cabin outside Estes Park for a few days, and it was great to be away from everything for awhile.

The first day we hiked around Bear Lake, which is just a small trail that goes in a circle around a beautiful little lake. The next day we were feeling a little more adventurous, and decided to take the longer hike up to some falls. The hike turned out to be over 2 miles, but the kids did great! Marky walked the whole thing by himself, and Kevin did about 3/4 of it on his own. The walk was well worth it when we got to the top and saw the gorgeous waterfall, and all the trees turning colors. The kids fell asleep on the bus ride back to the car, and we had a nice quiet drive back!

Next, we visited the fishing hole in Estes Park. It's a place that has a pond stocked with trout, so you are guaranteed to catch a fish pretty fast. They give you all the supplies you need, and then you just buy the fish you take home, so it's a great place for children. Kevin had a blast, and was very interested in his fish. After he caught it, he wanted to touch it and never let it out of his sight until we took it in to be cleaned and gutted. Marky had a great time fishing, but wasn't to excited about touching it when it was flopping all over the place. He actually watched them clean an cut it, and I was shocked that he didn't throw up! On the way home, we explained to the boys that we were going to eat the fish they caught for dinner, which sparked major inquiries about eating animals. Marky wanted to know all of the animals we eat and why. That was interesting, but he seems to be doing ok with the new information.

Of course there were many other activities that I don't have time (or pictures) to list, but we are very grateful to have had a wonderful experience in Colorado this summer. It was the perfect vacation and Mark and I really needed it! I am eternally grateful to Mark's parents for all they have done for us. They are amazing people, and we are so blessed to have them in our lives. We love you Grandma and Grandpa!

Casa Bonita

The second week of our trip started with Mark arriving Saturday, and all of us making the trip to Denver to pick him up. We missed him a lot that first week, so everyone was very excited to see him! Right after the the airport we decided to go have a late lunch at Casa Bonita. This "restaurant" is 3 stories high, with everything you can think of inside. They have a big waterfall that divers jump from, and they do shows where someone always lands in the water. They also have games, a little haunted house, gift shop, and lots more. The food really isn't that good, but you go for the experience! This place is special to us because Mark and I had our very first date there MANY years ago for my 16th birthday, and it was neat to now take our kids there.