Mt. Tallac

The next day the men (Ryan, Aaron and John) decided to spend the morning and afternoon climbing the 11-mile trek to the summit of Mt. Tallac and back. It was the tallest peak they could see from our place, so they had their eyes on it from the first day.

This was the goal. 9,735 feet up! Not many trees up there... they were pumped.

I was so proud of Ryan for taking our little digi-cam along and capturing all these pictures with the self-timer. He's awesome!

Here they are at the top! Lunch consisted of PB&J sandwiches and some fig newtons on the edge of a shale cliff. Ryan texted me from the summit and said something along the lines of "don't wait up, we're going to hang out up here for awhile," ...and they did.

Meanwhile, back at the homestead, all the lady folk (Angela, Tracy and I) sat around talking about how thankful we are that our husbands love each other so much.

Such great men. Such a great day.

Emerald Bay Hike

Our 2nd day in Tahoe we drove around the south end of the lake into California for a day hike around Emerald Bay. John and Ryan loaded the babies into backpack carriers and we were off!

Emerald Bay is incredible. The view from the Rubicon trail was even more incredible.

We hiked to Vikingsholm Castle, built in 1928. It was a private residence until the state of California bought it in 1953.

MS Dixie Paddlewheeler

This family picture makes me feel so patriotic! If there was sound, you could hear us chanting "U.S.A! U.S.A!"

Our first full day in Tahoe was glorious. We took a tour of the lake on the MS Dixie Paddlewheeler from Zephyr Cove to Emerald Bay and back. I love that we did this so early in our trip because it gave us a chance to take a look at our surroundings from the water.

Lake Tahoe is BEAUTIFUL!! It was a pretty chilly ride, especially during the part of the trip we were heading straight into the wind. Of course, we hurried aboard to get seats on the top deck in the front... we quickly realized the decision made for a FRIGID ride. Luckily Angela and I had hoods and hot chocolate was readily available! When the wind wasn't whipping, it was actually quite pleasant in the sun.

The babies alternated between the lower decks and inside the cabin. Staying out on deck made for some wind-burned cheeks and really messy windblown hair. Ryan's hair was especially wind-blown, as you can see in this picture of Aaron, Tracy, Ryan and I.

In other news, I love everything about this picture of my mom and dad. They are so awesome, they're madly in love and they actually have fun being together. This picture reminds me of all those things about them.

Beeson Family Vacation!

It's our first day back from the Beeson Family Vacation and I'm so excited to share some pictures and stories from our trip!

This week was the "reconnect with family" leg of my Dad's sabbatical. We were blessed to spend 7 days together on the shores of unbelievably gorgeous Lake Tahoe, relaxing, hiking, grilling, and spending quality time together as a family. None of us had ever been there... which made it even more special.

John, Ang and Lydia flew out of Grand Rapids with us, we met up with Aaron and Tracy at the Denver airport and mom and dad picked us up in Reno in a huge, maroon 16 passenger van. Can you picture it? It was awesometown! From there, we drove into the mountains to Lake Tahoe - which really, truly might be the most beautiful place I've ever been in this hemisphere.

Dad took a picture of this bear on our first morning there... he wrote more about it on his blog.

fo-nah

It's breathtakingly BEAUTIFUL weather in Michigan right now. Sunny skies, brisk breezes, cool air and some leaves are beginning to turn. Yesterday we spent a little time in the park by Reeds Lake.

Ruby played with her ball, walked around in the grass and of course "talked" on the cell phone. I love her face looking at Ryan talking on the phone.

When she says "phone" she puts a great deal of emphasis on the "ne" at the end. Phone (fo-nah) has 2 syllables when she says it. Hilarious.

In other news, Ruby had her 15-month check-up this morning and her weight is following right along the 10th percentile on the growth curve. She was 50th for height and 90th for head size. Our pediatrician says she is destined to be "long and lean" - which is good news for her since neither of those words would be used to describe either of her parents.

As for me and my house...

We are home after a whirlwind trip to Florida for Ava's Memorial Service. Her life was celebrated by thousands of people who knew her and loved her... and by thousands more who never met her, but were marked by her life, and by the life of her dad Josh and her mom Lisa. I'm so thankful that Ryan and I could be there with our family to grieve together, to remember Ava, and to celebrate that she is in Heaven, with no more pain and no more cancer.

Revelation 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

My cousin Isaac's message was phenomenal. The Bible says, "Blessed are those who mourn," We were blessed by God's gift of Ava and we mourn so deeply precisely because we were blessed so deeply. Isaac reminded us of Ava's courage, her love for others, her moxie. He made us laugh, told stories and wrapped it all in what matters most - that Jesus was honored by Ava's life, That Jesus is the Way, the Truth, the Life and we have hope because Jesus is exactly who He said he was - our Savior, our Redeemer, ever-present help in times of trouble, our Comforter, and our God.

Because of Ava, today I am holding Ryan and Ruby tighter, valuing my time more and trying to love well. I want to trust Jesus more, cherish the moments I have with the people I love, live in the moment and let disappointments go more easily. I've never been more aware of how valuable time is here on earth, but I love what my Uncle Hunter said at the end of Ava's Memorial Service.

If Psalm 90:4 is true, if 'a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday' she will no sooner get her eyes open then all of us who follow Christ will be with her. There will be no time in Heaven that she spends without us. We are on our way. Heaven is all of us who believe in Christ, together.

So choose ye this day whom you will serve - if it be the gods of the culture that seek to maximize pleasure and minimize pain, so be it. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord, the Lord who brings good out of every circumstance and has brought good to us today.

Pray Pray Pray

I know that many of you have been praying for our precious Ava over these last 8 weeks. I cannot express how we covet your continued prayers. I'm asking you to please continue praying. She's fighting. We are hopeful. God is good. As my my cousin Josh said in his blog last night;

"We don't know much about the days ahead,

but we know God owns them.".

Psalm 103:1-5

Praise the Lord, O my soul;

all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

Praise the Lord, O my soul,

and forget not all his benefits -

who forgives all your sins

and heals all your diseases

who redeems your life from the pit

and crowns you with love and compassion,

who satisfies your desires with good things

so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

Ruby Dawn

Ryan's brother Chris is an incredible photographer. I've mentioned him before, but wanted to link you to him again so you can see more of his recent work shooting film.

Chris took these amazing shots a few weeks ago, you can see more on his photo blog. I love that he turned our weedy backyard into an artsy backdrop for this pics. He is brilliant.

FIRST STEPS!!!

You guys, this post totally flies in the face of everything I promised you yesterday... but seriously - Ruby took her first steps tonight! Of course, the camera was rolling. She's 14 months old... certainly on the "higher-end" of the age range, but we are so proud none the less!

Immediately following her first steps she face-planted onto her two front teeth, giving herself quite a swollen and bloody lip... I guess that's just part of the walking thing.

8 months old - the lost footage

This is the last Ruby baby video I'll post because I know you're all thinking, "Oh great, how did this occasionally humorous and interesting blog become so completely 'momish'? I wish Amber would go back to being interesting again..."

I will, I will... just give me a sec to show you one more minute of lost footage.