It's 9:20 on Sunday morning, and Will and I are sitting on the couch downstairs together. He is next to me, happily playing with his new monster truck. Dan, Hallie and Tristan are all still asleep!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This NEVER happens! Tristan is ALWAYS up by 7:30;  usually it's between 6:15 and 7. Hallie is usually up early too, though she has pulled the occasional late-morning thing. (Those of you who know Dan know that this would be his preferred Sunday morning habit were it not for our lovely children! )

I guess we'll be going to the late service this morning. We usually go to the 9:45 one so we are home before lunch and naps. But today naps will be pushed back considerably... ...what in the world?? I am almost tempted to go check on T, but I really don't want to wake him up.

~~~~
In other, more exciting news, two friends from STL are due (with babies 4 & 1) in 3-4 weeks, and they both recently decided to try a natural delivery! I've been on the phone and emailing them with pep-talks and being the all-around YOU CAN DO THIS! encourager person. It's so fun! I suppose having 3 natural deliveries makes me sort of the go-to-girl with related questions and worries... I just wish I was there to do it in person. I have never experienced a high like I have after delivering my babies. It is just.so.incredible!! I am just so happy for them. (Though Dan and I are planning to go sky-diving with Dan's brother next month, so.... that adrenaline rush may rival giving birth-- we shall see!!! )

Well, it's 9:30 and all's still quiet. Amazing.

Have a great day, everyone!

Hallie, on tipetoes, looking at the plate of sliced tomatoes with balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and basil sitting on the counter:

"Eww! Eww! Ewwie! Yuck, get me away from that stuff!!"

Me: "Hallie, what's wrong? You like tomatoes!"

"Yeah, but I don't like that... (hands wrenching and fluttering)... sparkly stuff!"

It's 10:15 and the house is quiet. The kids (and Dan) are all asleep,
and for some reason, I'm not tired, so I'm down here poking around
online.

I like evenings like this when it's so peaceful and still. And cool-- I
am still adjusting to living in the mountains. Here it is mid-July, and
we've had the AC on twice. In
STL we would be into our second month of 24/7 AC usage, and nary an
open window to be found. Here we have the windows and sliding doors
open all the time. It's so nice, but it's strange, too. I'm just not used to it. The other weird thing is that the nights are cold. Like, goosebumps and cold feet kind of cold. I almost miss the still Missouri nights, where you could walk outside out of the coldish AC into the warm, muggy night and hear the crickets chirping and the street lights buzzing in the dark. Here the days are hot , but once the sun goes down.... it's a different story. I hear it's mountain weather, though, so...  You'd think I'd be used to it, having grown up here, but... I guess having spent all my adult years in St. Louis, that's become my reference point.

Anyway, I really should get to bed. Morning comes early, unfortunately.

"God didn't obey the Jesus, so Jesus went to heaven and then he died. And then he saw a white moon and a white star."

~Hallie reading her Bible aloud to herself

:: All last week Dan's parents, his two sisters, two brothers, their three spouses and their 7 kids were here in Bear Creek with us. It was SUCH A BLAST! I love seeing all 10 grandkids together-- they are all so cute and have such distinct personalities! I also loved being with the entire extended family. We went quading, swimming (almost every day!) played games, went for multiple walks, chatted, cooked meals, went out to eat... it was really all-in-all a terrific week. I also really enjoyed being with my three sisters in law. We four so rarely all have the chance to hang out together. Just being with them was so much fun!

:: This morning Dan had minor surgery to remove a foreign object from his shin area. The doc thought that it might have been a piece of safety glass from a car accident Dan was in when he was 18. He's recovering well, but is still groggy and tired from the anesthesia. He and I were going to watch a movie tonight, but we'll see how that goes.

:: My sisters in law and I started a blog. We all enjoy cooking, reading, baking, good movies, etc., so we started a blog to share these things we recommend. You can see it here.

:: The end of an era has commenced. It makes us-- the extended Haas family-- a little sad, because we know that it will never be the same family company again. But hey, such is life, right?

:: Next weekend is my dad's side of the family reunion. It will another crazy, hectic, FUN time!

:: Last night my dad, Dan & I, and three sibs drove to Philly to see my dad's cousin in a Sherlock Homes play. It was hilarious!! If you are in the Philly area, I highly recommend you see it.

:: Summer here is just SO great. We are at the lake almost every day, and I end up doing dinner there as well. Dan is terrific on the grill, and sides are easy enough to throw together. I love the laid-back easyness of summer cooking.

:: And that's it. I know I have been terrible at keeping up with this blog; likely this fall when the chilly air hits, I'll be here updating daily. But I am just so busy these days... getting on the computer to blog seems almost... wrong. I know it's not, but somehow I just don't end up getting on here, for whatever reason. I guess it means I'm busy doing other things, and (in this season, at least) I'm ok with that.

So yes, New York was awesome. 

The Phantom was amazing!!!!!!!!!!! Like, so, SO good. I was/am IN LOVE with it, and the actors.

We had breakfast at Norma's-- $110 worth. *gasp* I know. But it was aMAYzing, and so worth it. We didn't eat the rest of the day, which also helped.

We went on a carriage ride in Central Park, and walked to Times Square and down Broadway. I can't believe I've lived only 2 hours from NYC my whole life and have never really done NYC before. I mean... what gives??? I totally HAVE to go back again sometime, maybe in a year or two, and do/see/experience MORE. It was addicting! All the people, the sights, the sounds, smells, etc. etc. I am such a country girl. I felt like I was gawking the whole trip. And I talked to to three different cops who were all VERY nice and accomodating, which was nice. I really had such a blast.... I wish I could go back again every weekend.

But then I came back to three very cute kids and a sweet husband and a house in the woods with a waterfall out back and the sun in the trees, and a mountain that is a real mountain behind us and.... yep, I'm happy here too. As amazing and experiential as NYC was, I'm glad I don't live there. I'm happy just pretending to be a city-girl every once in awhile.

Oh yes I am!! In about 15 minutes I'm leaving to meet up with my sister and mom in New York City. Never mind that I'll be back in about 22 hours, I am so excited to be going!!! This will be the first night I've spent away from my kids in... almost 2 years! We are going to dinner tonight, and then to see The Phantom of the Opera.

As is my norm lately, I haven't written in awhile, and yet I have nothing striking or unusual to report.

Will is asleep. He's really past napping now, unless he's really really tired from late nights/ early mornings or fighting a cold. All of which he is, so he's sacked out in my bed, sound asleep. Tristan's up from his nap, partly watching a bible songs video and partly pushing his bike around the living room. Hallie went to a friend's house, alone, for the first time ever. I was actually really shocked she went! She is our family girl, who never, ever goes anywhere (including the church nursery) without a parent along. She was super excited to go, though, so.... maybe she's finally breaking out of her shell.

My dad is due to come home from rehab on Monday the 30th. My mom is trying to get him home on Friday the 27th, because Dan's whole family is showing up on Saturday. He is getting really adept at getting around in his wheelchair, and is working hard in therapy. We are all very proud of him and how well he doing. He has kept a superb attitude throughout this whole ordeal. Sometimes late at night (when I am tired and more emotional anyway) this whole thing just hits me really hard. Earlier today, though, I was reminded of a family I'm friends with, who lost their 5-yr.-old daughter recently. And also, a close friend from highschool, whose mom died of cancer and never got to see her wedding. How much would these folks give to have their loved ones back-- even in a wheelchair? I'm sure a lot. I need to be thankful-- our situation could be really, so much worse.

Tristan has diverted to playing with Play-Doh... and is dropping it in chunks all over the floor. *sigh* When Will gets up, I'm going to take the boys for a bike ride. It's beautiful out, even if it's not the amazingly hot  swimming weather we had last week. The mountain laurel is blooming all over the place here, and it is so beautiful. I am so glad we live in the mountains.

Last Wednesday my dad went into the hospital with extreme back pain. Thursday he had emergency surgery for a shattered vertebrae-- a large piece of which had been pressing against his spinal cord, rendering him completely paralyzed from the waist down. Going into surgery, things looked very grim. The surgeons said that there was a 1-2% chance he would walk again.

Yesterday, five days after surgery, the surgeon told my mom that he thinks that dad will walk again. He is able to move both legs slightly, has regained bowel function, and has touch sensation in almost every area of his legs. His strength is returning more every day, and his spirits are high. He will be discharged today to rehab, either Allied (in Scranton, about 30 min. away) or McGee in Philly (2 hrs. away). We are hoping he'll be able to stay closer, but of course want him to go where the rehab will be the absolute best possible. His rehab will be intense, off and on for pretty much 8 hours a day. The surgeon said to expect full recovery to take up to a year, so we are all adjusting to our new "normal".

We take turns going down to visit, sitting with him, talking, watching movies, bringing food, typing emails as he dictates. Emily, Anna and I have taken on the 5 younger ones... I've hosted and coordinated multiple sleepovers and cookouts and playdates. I also was able to get a list of people who were willing to bring dinners, and so have meals taken care of for the next week +! (Thanks, everyone!!!) Mom is spending most early mornings and evenings with dad, and the rest of us (and lots of other people) fill in the days. But it's good-- we're all super busy and running here and there, but dad is getting better, so it's all worth it.

Coming home from my parents' tonight, a big porcupine crossed the road ahead of us. I pointed it out to the kids, and after admiring it, Will stated: "Mommy, we better never touch porcupines, alligators, sharks, poisonous frogs, or poison ivy, because all those things are very very poisonous!!!"