Pikes Peak

When Uncle Craig was here earlier this month, the Strucks made their first trip to Pikes Peak, even though we have lived here for 3 years. We had Miss Becca with us as well, whom the girls both really love, so it was very exciting. The trip up was interesting- the last few miles were really hard for Allison because of the fact that there was no guard rail- giving the feeling that you could fall off the side of the mountain at any time.

Anyway, when we made it to the top, it was a lot of fun. Ryan worried that the girls were going to jump off of a rock into the mountains below. Both Grace and Faith loved climbing all over the rocks (even if they weren't really dressed for hiking).

On the way back down the mountain, our brakes had gotten hot, so we had to stop at the rest stop for them to cool off. Faith was not interested in having her picture taken for most of the day, and this stop was no exception. I don't know why she was so upset when we had our picture taken together.

Does anyone else think the picture of Grace with her hand on her hip against the background of mountains should be used in Marketing for Pikes Peak?

Back To School

Today was the first day back to school for the girls. Faith has actually been going to the Preschool Summer Program since the beginning of August, but this was the official start for both of them. Baby Faith is thrilled to be in Pre-K this year, and has decided she will be able to read books by herself in 6 days. She is also glad to be one of the "big kids" in the preschool this year.

Grace is wearing a shirt she and Grammie picked out while we were in DC, although this shirt is more Gracie's choice than Grammie's. Still, she says that it is her favorite of her new clothes and that she is really thankful that she was with Grammie, because Mama would not have let her have this particular shirt. We can't believe she is starting 2nd grade- the time is flying by.

Anyway, we look forward to a great year for both of the girls. We are thankful that they enjoy school, and that they are able to be in a Christian school right now. If anyone ever has a lot of time, give Faith a call and ask her to tell you about Daniel in the Lion's Den. It is a very descriptive paraphrase.

My Brown-Eyed Girl

Well, it is hard to believe that our brown-eyed girl is 7. Her birthday was a couple of weeks ago, and I am just now getting around to posting about it. We went to pizza for her actual birthday, then she had a "backyard campout" with some of her friends. Unfortunately, the campout itself had to be moved indoors, due to some high wind here in Colorado Springs. The birthday party was lots of fun, and Grace was really blessed to get some great presents, among them a scooter from both sets of grandparents. She had two homemade cakes. And yes, her mother made one of them. My good friend Erin, has her sister Becca visiting this summer. Becca is an art major, so you can probably guess which is her cake, and which is mine.

We are very proud of Grace and who she is becoming. She did so well in school this year...her ITBS scores rank her in the 89th percentile nationwide. Her reading surpassed everyone's expectations, and she excels at art and math. I am posting one of her most recent pieces of art for you. I call this "Club Ruls". I don't know who is invited to join, but the rules are very creative. For those who need some assistance, Rule #8 says, "have a baby brother". We love Grace and are so thankful for the gift that she is to our family.

Around the Town with Grace and Faith

Since it's been awhile since I posted, I thought just a few pictures would be nice. Here are some of the girls from the past couple of months. We have been busy trying to get settled in our new house, so things have been a little chaotic. This is the last day of school, so we are excited about the summer.

Spirit Week

Well, here I am, back to blogging. My apologies for being away from this...April has been a very busy month. In any case, we just finished National Lutheran Schools Week, and I got the notice last week about Spirit Week this week. So, it means another week of hassle-I mean fun- in dressing up. Earlier in the week was pajama day, crazy hair day and sparkle day. However, both girls were most excited about Hawaiian Day, after I let them pick out some new accessories at Party City.

Faith is as upset as she looks in these pictures. It was a combination of things this morning, from not wanting to get out of bed, to wanting to wear flip-flops that don't fit her, to wanting to feed Oreo after Grace had already done it. So, she was not happy about having to pose for a picture. I decided we were taking them anyway.

Once we got to school, we tried one more time. First, she put her fist over her face and said no, then finally said, "FINE!- I'll take a picture" and then smiled. So, here are the results. And yes, for those wondering, it is another goose-egg/bruise on her forehead. Apparently when Faith falls, she just lets her face break her fall. It is very strange.

All Dogs Go to Heaven

It has been just over two weeks since our beloved Aggie went to heaven. It was an agonizing decision for everyone, and it is still hard to believe she is gone. Ryan and our friend Katie were there with Aggie until the end, and I am very thankful that they were both willing to take care of this last, difficult decision. It has been very hard, especially over the past year, to watch our Aggie decline. In the end, it was a decision of compassion and love, and a desire to not have her suffer.

In our house, trying to help the girls understand this death has been very difficult. Before Aggie was put down, we tried to explain it to the girls. We told them that Aggie was very, very old and sick and couldn't get any better. We told them that she was going to live with Jesus in Heaven and that she wouldn't live with us anymore. Faith said," Why? I love Aggie". We explained that in Heaven, Aggie's eyes and ears would work again and that her legs wouldn't hurt her and she could run and play. Grace sat quietly, not wanting to discuss it.

Since then, there has been significant talk in our house about death. Faith wants to know why Jesus needs her dog, and when will God bring Aggie home. Faith has asked why dogs have to get old and die. She asked about a week ago when Aggie was coming home and Grace sharply responded:"Aggie is DEAD and NEVER coming home!". Finally, Grace in a quiet moment while she was looking at Aggie's collar, asked,"If heaven is so happy, why am I so sad?"

Fairy Tale Day

Friday was a favorite in our home, because the girls were able to dress up as princesses. The only problem came when I realized we only had one functional crown, and it was Faith's. In any case, they both looked so pretty and Faith said "it is fun to wear dress-up to school".