Caught red-handed

Who knew a stroller could be so fun?

Sent from my iPhone

Sent from my iPhone

Sent from my iPhone

Has anyone else seen this phenomenon in their own home?

Every time I come home from work I find all the TP off the roll for some reason...

Happy Pioneer Day!

Pioneer Day was July 24th.  In Utah it's about the biggest holiday ever, celebrating the trek of the mormons cross country back in 1847.  You can read more about it here if you'd like.  The pioneer's trek is quite the human story.  However, most of my colleagues are not mormon, so we celebrated Pie 'n Beer Day last Friday with pizza and root beer in the office.  My sister and family were in town on their way to Yellowstone, along with my folks on their way back to Phoenix from a long trip.  My favorite part of the holiday - along with July 4th, fireworks are legal!

Still works Jason, but not nearly as much fun without you...

A little pre-show fun

I've got them all set up just like my Grandpa Bakker used to do.

Getting ready the night before.  I think I look like my uncle Bill in this picture.

Tommy LOVES fireworks.  He claps his hands after the really loud ones go off.  I couldn't be happier!

My nephew Josh enjoyed the sparklers.

So pretty.  We started a little early so the kids weren't up too late.

One of my favorites - burning steel wool swung on a long string.  The picture doesn't do it justice.  It's actually quite beautiful.

Tommy's everything but walking right now - pushing his stroller, boxes, and furniture around, standing, walking along things he can steady himself on, and climbing up stairs, ladders, stools, baricades, etc.  I think by the time he's actually walking he'll be able to run too...

This was Granda Pat's (and Grandma's) birthday gift for Tommy.  He spends more time pushing it around the house than riding, but he does drive too.  So fun!

Hangin' with Grandma

The kiddie pool is a very popular summer activity for Tom.

Thanks to my dad I have some good pictures from last weekend!  However, that means there are no photos of him but for reflections in the background...

Dis & Dat

I guess it's been just over a month since my last posting - my apologies go out to the 4 families that follow us. Grandma Kamstra passed away last month. I'm very sad, and it was difficult to say goodbye, though we've all been saying goodbye for years as she tried to fight through dimentia. It was particularly hard to watch such a strong, beautiful, and capable woman wither away and lose her memories. As an accomplished nurse, it must have been terrifiying for her, as she knew exactly what was coming. Of course, the juxtaposition of her oh-so-frail body & mind, somehow makes my joy all the sweeter today knowing that Jesus has redeemed her and made her new.  “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  I miss you Grandma, but we'll see you again real soon.

Life has been busy in the last month. Just before Grandma died, Katie and I volunteered through our church on "Serve West Bountiful". Through the course of a week, over 500 volunteers worked to restore 22 homes in our community - mostly landscaping & paint, but also some new roofs, porches, siding, etc. It was pretty fun, and you can see some pictures here though the video is pretty long.


Serve West Bountiful from The Heights Community on Vimeo.

Tommy continues to grow up at an alarming rate. He's mastered a couple of key words in addition to mama and dada - No, Yeah, Dis & Dat, all of which are accompanied by hand/head movements. No is paired with an exaggerated head shake. Yeah (yes), usually includes an excited shaking/wiggling of his bum and is almost always seen in the morning when you ask if he wants pancakes (just like his dad, yum!). The rest of the day he employs his pointer finger liberally, asking dis? or dat? As in, what's this and what's that. The pointer finger also means, bring said item to me, or carry my body over there. Most mornings when he gets up, he points excitedly at his (real) puppy standing in the doorway and makes his "woof-woof" noise which sounds more like a puppy whining softly than barking. Tom is one cute boy.

Dat?

Dis?

Dis?

Pool time's over.

Katie and I also did a quick bathroom remodel, which I describe as a soft remodel: moving an outlet, adding a light, repairing the fan, new lights, wall repair & paint, new floor, new vanity/counter. Any time I don't have to move plumbing or install a shower/tub it's a good thing. I regret not taking a few more before pictures, but didn't want to feel obligated to post on my blog before now. I guess I needed a few weeks away from here mentally.
Enjoy the few photos we did manage to take recently.