New Blog Location

If you’ve been following this blog, thank you!  I’ve really appreciated your interest and comments.  I’ve recently moved this blog to a new location, so that we can be a little more creative in delivering content.  Below is a link to our new blog’s location.  Look it over and let me know what you think.

www.captureyesterday.com

thanks,

milo

Jumpin’ In

Our Neighborhoood Pool

We have a great pool in our subdivision that we use every moment we can.  Thursdays are my day off from checking emails, appointments, and general “busy-ness.”   Going to the pool helps me ignore the ever present need to “get one more thing done.”  We pack a lunch, head out around 11 a.m., and enjoy a relaxing time playing in the water and relaxing in the sun.  This summer Andrew’s been learning to swim without water-wings, and both kids (not so much Bethany) are trusting me to “launch” them into the water.  Below are some photos from our last day at the pool.

Olivia's favorite thing is to run to the edge of the pool and jump in as fast as she can

Andrew eating some lunch at the pool

Olivia looking getting pretty tired.

Olivia's Take Off

Andrew the "Missle"

Symphony on the Prairie

Our friends, Dave & Jan Soper

The other night we enjoyed a double date with our friends David & Jan Soper. We went to Symphony on the Prairie.  It’s an outdoor event that starts at 8p.m. and lasted till 10 p.m.  Dave and Jan got there early to secure our tickets and spots while Bethany and came a little later with the picnic dinner.

The theme was “Heros & Victors: a tribute to the greatest sports films.”  The Symphony played the theme songs to movies like Rocky, the Natural, Hoosiers, and Rudy.  The evening ended with the Symphony playing the Olympic Theme song to the explosion of fireworks.

Symphony & Fireworks

In Bloom

We’ve lived in our home long enough for our flower beds to be maturing the way we had originally envisioned.  Of course when I write “we envisioned” I really mean the way
“Bethany envisioned.”

Almost every evening Bethany heads out to “dead head” the flowers, pull any stray weeds, and bring in small bouquets that adorn various parts of our home.  It’s been wonderful to have these bright colors and gorgeous flowers adorn various parts of our home.

Our First Niece/Cousin

We finally met Macey Grace, our first niece/cousin.  We were on vacation in Oregon and had the chance to spend an entire week with her.  Andrew & Olivia took a liking to her very quickly.

Every night for the last 6 months we would pray for “Uncle Erik, Aunt Mary, and the baby in her tummy.”  When Macey was born the kids were very excited to have a name and face to put with the “baby in the tummy.”

Mary and Erik have been quick to send us photos and there were a few times we saw her via iChat.  But nothing has compared to actually holding her and spending some quality time with her.

When I took the photo to the left, Andrew was sitting on the bed “keeping watch.”  We were packing up our things after a week of vacation and he informed everyone in the room to “shhh, be quite, baby Macey is sleepin’.”

2008 Curtis Family Summer Vacation

The Cabin

Andrew & Olivia eating on the back porch in the shade of the pine trees

Over the last several years we have gotten away with my (Milo’s) side of the family.  We usually find somewhere that we haven’t been, rent a house/condo, and spend the week with one another relaxing and enjoying a slower week with one another.  It’s a highlight for us every year.

This year we took a trip to Sisters, Oregon.  We stayed in the Black Butte Ranch.  We arrived on Monday, June 30th, and left Sunday, July 6th.  We had a wonderful time with one another.

The house we rented backed up against a national forest.  Here was the typical schedule:

Morning – Wake Up
Late Morning – Go to the Pool
Early Afternoon – Return from the pool
Late Afternoon – Read, nap, etc.
Early Evening – Prepare Dinner
After the Kids go down – Play Board/Card Games

Olivia loved the pool. Her favorite was to "jump-in" with all she had!

For more pic’s of our trip checkout my Facebook Page.

Andrew 4.5

Andrew’s birthday is Dec. 26th.  Which means his b-day celebration gets lost in the hype of Christmas.  So this year we decided to celebrate his .5 b-day.  We took a “surprise” trip to McDonalds where he got a Happy Meal and played in the indoor playground.  We then went home and presented him with a  present (that we had bought for Christmas 08 and had stored away).  Needless to say, he was elated and Olivia was pretty excited as well.

Celebrating Andrew's 4.5 B-Day

Camping with Friends

June 6-8 we went camping with 5 other families from our church.  We went to McCormick’s creek and stayed in the primitive sites.  By primitive I mean, there was a running water spicket about 50 yards from our campsite, an outhouse for our toliet, and nicely graded camping beds to pitch our tent on.  No electricity, no showers, and limited cell phone service.

Our borrowed tent kept us sheltered during the 14 hour storm

The weekend we chose to go camping was the same weekend the mid-west got socked in with the worst storm in over 100 years.  It started around 8:30 p.m. Friday night and lasted till 10 a.m. on Saturdurday.  We had over 10 inches of rain downpour during that time.  By early afternoon most of our campsite had dried out, the sun was out, and we resumed our enjoyment of the outdoors.

Olivia gathering attention

We had a great time with one another building positive memories amidst a difficult experience.

This is how the creek normally looks during late spring early summer.

This is what the creek looked like when we were there.

My 1st GI Joe

Andrew is at that age now where I can remember what that age felt like.  I grew up playing with GI Joe figures (3 3/4 inch size).  I loved my GI Joes.  I loved the cartoon.  I loved the comics.  I wore camfolage shirts, pants, belts, hats.  I embraced being an “american hero.”  When I presented Andrew with two of the GI Joes I had stored back for Christmas (he had been exceptionally good at a long meeting) I was just as excited as he was.

I’m turning into that Dad that is reliving his memories thru his son.  Not sure if that’s a good thing, but it is bringing back some great memories.

Haircut – all of them

Haircut BC (Before the Cut)

I shaved my head once in college, and everyone told me it was a bad idea.  I think I was the only one who liked it.  So when I asked Bethany to shave my head again, she was very apprehensive about doing it.  I finally talked her into taking the clippers to my head and Andrews at the same time.

Haircut AC (After Cut)

Why?  That’s the question I get when people first see the change.  The reason is are more vain than I wish it was.  I’ve been slowly losing my hair for the last 8 years, and I figured now was as good a time as any, to wave the white flag of surrender.

Personally, I really like the haircut.  It’s simple.  I could say that its a symbol o my pursuit to decrease the

complexity of my life.  Or, I’m just super cheap and was looking for a way to save $17 a month in haircut fees.  I’ll let you pick my reason.

Andrew not enjoying the haircut