July to August... it went too fast!

We are pretty much all moved in, and love the new house. The big backyard is great. Peyton and Bridger now have a safe place to romp. We also enjoy having a tub for Bridger and room for him to run around. There's an actual hallway, and our couch is in the middle of a room so there are loops, straightaways, and generally lots of opportunities for great games of chase. Perhaps our favorite part is having both a garbage disposal in the sink, and a dish washer! It's actually a really fun thing to be so excited about things we took for granted before. We are really looking forward to having a washer and dryer again (INDOORS!!). Holly's parents have graciously offered to bring ours out over labor day weekend, so a little patience will pay off.

Tip: If you ever want to feel like you're living in the lap of luxury, just spend the preceding year living in a tiny cabin with around 500 square feet of living space on the main floor and a toddler. And you have to climb a ladder through a hole in the ceiling to go to bed. And another adult spent the summer there, sharing a bedroom with the toddler. And the toddler bathes in a Rubbermaid tub. And there's no dishwasher or garbage disposal. So sometimes the drain clogs. And you have to shovel a path through the snow in order to get to the laundry shed. Which you have to thaw with a hair dryer from time to time when the lines freeze in the winter. And our neighbors got arrested for re-selling prescription drugs. Yep, we're happy to have moved.

This past week we cleaned the cabin to return to the landlord. We took our first trip to Twin Falls. We hadn't been to a Target since we were in Ames last December. We spent over 6 hours in Costco and Target alone strategizing on what was essential to purchase in bulk. Really.

With our big trip to Costco, Holly was busy after work this week canning. She also dehydrated cherries for her homemade granola, and dehydrated banana chips and mushrooms. On Sunday I awoke to her baking cinnamon rolls and bread.

Bridger has had some mile stones. He pooped in the toilet for the first time a few weeks ago. He is in the habit to let us know when he needs to go 'poo-poo'. Even if it means climbing down his ladder, into our room, in the middle of the night to wake us up and tell us. He is very interested in the potty training, underwear, and the 'big boy' seat. So, we are just going with it. He's also saying a lot more. "I brush teeth," Moo (both for movies and cows), "a bickigogigo" is Bridger-yodel word for bicycle. Kiki is a lamp. He knows the word for (and how to use, scarily enough) keys. He's figured out how to insert them into the ignition of the cars, so we've quit giving them to him when he's play-driving. "I go," "a shoe," are pretty solid. Working on "shirt." "Mine" and "I want that" are also solid, and ones that we are encouraging him to minimize the use of...

"MINE!!" -- "No, that is not yours. It belongs to God, and he lets us use it, but we must be generous with what He's given us." -- "I want THAT!" -- "Bridger, we need to be patient when we don't get what we want." He often gets his will under control, but sometimes this continues and a spanking follows. There is not a lot that breaks my heart more than having to take my son over my knee.

Holly is super busy with day camp. They have had record numbers of kids this year and she has made an impact on the program in a really good way. She is happy with how camp has been, but feels that 93+ kids every day leaves her feeling exhausted when she is done at work and some days out of patience. I have seen her in action with a large group of kids, and she has definitely found her niche in the world. Loving on kids is her 'thing'. She brings home a lot of wild stories and has fun bringing new experiences to the campers lives.

My work is in a slower season. I am working on a bunch of different projects that I didn't have enough time for during my busy season. Things will ramp back up soon with school starting. Much of my focus this summer has been on spiritual growth. I am glad that we have found a new church family that we've gotten involved with. We have gained a lot of new family out here. I am thankful for the men that I've been getting to know and spending time with. These relationships have been challenging me to grow as a father, husband, and leader of my family.

We are looking forward to a new season, once school begins in less than a month. I'll be back on the Safe Routes to School routine, and Holly will be back to her after-school program.

We are anticipating Bridger's second birthday and can not believe how quick that has gone. Seems like only yesterday he was cutting his teeth on Jim-Dear's slippers. And now he's on two wheels. He LOVES rides on Daddy's bike. He sits on the top tube, feet on the fork crown, and hands on the bars. We rode around the neighborhood for almost an hour tonight and he still wanted more when we got back.

Lots of words, no pictures. Sorry Tom! And Nora! And probably the rest of you, too that were hoping to see photos of Bridger and Idaho and instead had to listen to me ramble on about real life instead of adventures in the mountains. But, we've been living real life lately, so that's all I've got to report.

-Eric (and Holly, Bridger, and Peyton)