Goodbye to our Dear Friend

Today we had to put our dear friend, Lu, to sleep. She got very sick very fast, and the vet said there weren't really any happy days left for her. She was a truly wonderful dog, and we'll miss her very, very much.

Stegall Family Vacation: Part 2

We'll back up a bit for this post, and go to the beginning of the vacation. Nathan, Z, Lu and I took several days to get to Colorado, since we decided to drive through the Black Hills of South Dakota and spend a couple of days enjoying them.

Here's the backseat gang.

We drove the wildlife loop in Custer State Park and saw lots of fun animals, including "wild" donkeys. They really enjoyed Lu's dogfood.

Mother and baby.

We stopped several times in Custer just to get out and hike a little. So beautiful! These two aren't bad looking either!

Hiking. You can see Lu a little further up than Nathan and Z if you look closely.

This is the church in Jefferson, CO where we spent our Sunday morning. I think our family doubled the normal number of the attendees.

Cute little Katy.

Charis, Z and Grady watching a movie. I don't think Charis is asleep, we just caught her blinking (so like Yaya!). Z and Grady are obviously engrossed.

Here we are at the Continental Divide, about halfway between Breckinridge and our cabin.

The day we went to Breckinridge we stopped for gas and got Z his own bag of Cheetos as a treat. Once back in the car, as Nathan and I examined the map, I asked Z if he wanted me to open the bag for him. He said, "No, not until the car is going." He wanted to save the treat for the road!

There was a beautiful stream running right through Breckinridge, just inviting us to put our feet in.

Stegall Family Vacation: Part 1

The entire Stegall family gathered near Jefferson, CO this month to enjoy a family vacation. My parents very graciously rented a cabin for us, and all 18 found spots within. This post features two highlights of the trip -- a hike around Jefferson Lake and Z's third birthday, on July 15.

Jefferson Lake. The internet site we found said the trail around it was "Easy." I think most of us would disagree with that. But, it was certainly beautiful, and we all made it all the way around.

Jake was a great help with the little kids. Here he is giving Z a ride.

On the trail -- Z, Grady, Charis and Christie.

Z enjoying the wild flowers.

Jake, Caleb, Simon and Ann.

Caleb, Charis, Mom and Ann taking a break. Everyone is wearing Dad's clothes, because the wind at the lake was very chilly, and no one had brought sweatshirts. Dad's suitcase was in the trunk of the car, so the troops broke it open and distributed what was within.

Z and I.

Nathan and Z on a snowbank. We took a different car than everyone else, so didn't know Dad's clothes were being handed out. We just suffered until the hike warmed us up. When Z saw the snow he started to cry and said, "I'm going to be chilly!" You can see from his face he's still not happy about it.

And the birthday -- 3 years old! He got a t-ball set, which he and all the kids LOVED!

Crazy Daddy at the birthday party. He looks like that demented clown everyone is scared to death of.

Opening the presents with the cousins gathered round.

In March, Aunt Christie offered to make Z's birthday cake, and Z looked forward to it for months! Here is is: a Vikings football helmet. The artist with her fans -- Grady, Charis and Z.

And a close-up. Isn't it wonderful? Z loved it!

Enjoying turning three!

Z Sings

Lazarus sings Psalm 150:

Make Way for Ducklings!

This morning Z and I were out in the backyard when we noticed a family of ducks in the yard right behind us! The ducklings were brand new and very tiny -- probably about ten of them. The mother was wildly running around the fenced in yard trying to find a way out. I have no idea how the whole family got in there in the first place. She wasn't a mallard -- she looked more like the duck in the picture above.

Anyway, after a couple of minutes of her running around and all ten of the babies running after her, she flew over the fence into our backyard. Then she was quite frantic, because the babies couldn't get over the fence and didn't know where she had gone. The peeping! The mother ran all over our yard quacking her head off. Z and I tried to show her where her babies were, but that just seemed to upset her more. Then, we noticed a cat in the other yard, stalking the babies. Oh no! Fortunately, just as it was about to pounce, the babies all ran right through the chain link fence into the other yard. The cat then turned his attention to the mother, who immediately led him on a wild goose (or duck, in this case) chase down the block.

The poor babies had now attracted the attention of some more of our neighbors, and Z and I had called Nathan over. Two of the babies got separated and came into our yard. Nathan caught one of them and I caught the other. By that time, the other babies had been reunited with their mother. We put one of the babies we'd caught in our little swimming pool. While it was swimming around I ran inside to get the camera, but just as I got back outside, it jumped out of the pool and went running off to find mother. So no pictures. But what an adventure -- wild kingdom in our backyard!

Mutual Education

Z caught me (Nathan) urinating today, and, like most two year-olds, he decided to watch and contemplate the whole act. I figured it was as good a time as any for a teachable moment. Here was the conversation:

N: "Z, do you know why you go pee? Because your body needs to get the bad stuff out, and when you go pee, all the bad things in your body get into the water, and then you pee out the bad stuff with the water. That's why you go pee."

Z: [pause] "And then you get a treat."

Just a Picture