Audrey's Surgery Part 2

They finally took Audrey back and got started. We spent a couple of hours waiting for the doctor to arrive. He was held up at some other procedures earlier in the morning so he was running way behind. Holly wheeled Audrey around in a wheelchair for a long time to keep her occupied. She didn't seem to be too nervous. By the time they were ready for her to go back she had already managed to locate and place about a dozen band-aids on different places on her body.

They finally took her back at about 2:30. She seemed to get a little more nervous when she say Holly and I in our little bunny suits. Holly managed to keep her calm until we walked her back to the OR. Once there we quickly got her connected to the gas mask and she drifted off pretty quick. She was only awake long enough for me to make some big promises about fantastically fun things we'll do when she wakes us (hopefully she won't remember any of that). We hope she will be done between 4:00 and 4:30. Will report in later.

Audrey's Surgery Part 1

We're at the hospital right now waiting for them to take us back for Audrey's surgery. I'm hoping there won't be many updates. Just enough to say that everything went well and it's over. Will update as things progress. So far Audrey isn't nervous because she doesn't have a clue what's going on. I just hope that it stays that way. It's always so hard to watch them "gas" your kid.

Budding Meteorologist

Claire made it on TV tonight so I thought I would share it. She was on 9 News during the weather segment. Here's a link to the video. I'm not sure how long this video will be available.

9 News Video

Men Are Bums

No, this isn't the ranting website of your local suburban femi-Nazi...

Modern American culture defines men as people who drink beer, watch football, enjoy the occasional use of power tools and fart when and where they please. However, the book I've been reading has really opened my eyes to see that we're pretty pathetic if that's how we define manhood.

Every other week I get together with 5 or 6 other guys and we discuss The Christian Husband by Bob Lepine. It has really challenged us to look at what we think it means to "be a man". I've always known that God calls men to be much more then what our culture tells us, but reading this book has been a humbling experience. The book addresses all the things you would expect: Bible study, prayer, meditation and memorization. But in the second part of the book, Bob challenges the reader to consider the real role of a man in the family. The real role model for manhood is Jesus Christ. According to the Calvin, Jesus fulfills his role as the head of his church by serving as the prophet, priest and King. If we (as men) are to be the head of our wives and families as Christ is the head of his church, then as Bob Lepine suggests, we must then understand the, "...prophetic, priestly and kingly roles we are to fulfill."

That sounds all nice and doctrine-ey, but when Bob lays out the reality of those roles, it humbles you to the core. Bob then begins to describe the responsibilities of each role as prophet, priest and King. It's not just prayer, it's leading your family in regular worship and being an intercessor for your family. It's not just trying to listen to the voice of God, it's hearing him speak, building the families doctrinal foundation, proclaiming the truth of God in your home every day, confronting sin and encouraging through the truth and love of God.

And it doesn't stop there. I stop there because I don't want a 20-page post on my blog. We've got this life all wrong as men. We're not here to be served, watch football and gain weight around our middles. We're called to be leaders. Don't be fooled, this is hard stuff. We need to put the remote control away and stop pretending we can lead a wife and a family from the recliner. The next time you're tempted to plop down in the armchair and turn on the TV, go pray with your wife instead. The next time you want to fiddle around in the garage on nothing in particular, go lead your children in worship. When you commute to work, turn off the radio and intercede for your family. The time we have on Earth isn't me time, it's lead time. I just pray I can accept my own challenge.

Surviving the Sniffles

Well, since the beginning of December we've seen 70-some inches of snow and had about five major illnesses beat up the whole family. We've had the flu, strep and various "common" colds. I guess this is the short term reward I get for putting my 3-year old in school! This past weekend we've battled thru yet another cold. Fortunately this one hasn't been too hard on us; just a few sore throats, coughing and congestion.

All of a sudden summer is looking nice. No one's in school so I think that means we'll be healthy for a few months. I've also got to decide whether or not to attend my 10 year high school reunion this summer. I'm thinking not because I'm still in denial that I'm that old. Anyway, we're alive. Maybe when we're all better I will post more then once a month...

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Dashing through the snow...

...in a 275-hp, turbocharged suburban sleigh...

Finally, a real snow storm. With Christmas just around the corner, I was extremely happy to welcome the Blizzard of 2006. It may not have been as big as some past blizzards, but my sore back is telling me that it was big enough! Here in Highlands Ranch we got 33 inches of fresh champagne powder. Above is a picture of the snow on the back deck and patio furniture taken from the comfort and warmth of the kitchen.

I spent 6 hours shoveling over the course of two days just to get the driveway cleared off. I haven't tackled the snow on the deck as of yet. It was so quiet and peaceful on Thursday morning as we awoke to all the new snow. Only a handful of huge trucks with chains even dared venture out. The rest of us enjoyed the pause from the Christmas rush.

I took Claire out in the sled for a couple of hours and we just tromped through the neighborhood and had friendly exchanges with neighbors we've never seen before. Everyone is so friendly after a big snow. Maybe because they know they're going to need help digging their cars out! Fortunately we don't own too much junk so we have room in the garage for actual automobiles. Those stuck shoveling their cars out had a tough time. This was another one of those times when I was really thankful to have a 4x4. We got stuck more then once even in the SUV, but were always able to manage a way out; not true for a few thousand other folks. There are abandoned cars everywhere and many will be unreachable for weeks (at least without a skid loader or something).

I guess our hopes for a white Christmas have come true this year. This is one tradition that I could live with every year! Here are a few more pics of the snow. One more on the back deck and two looking at a large tumor of snow that is our Bar-B-Q grill! Merry Christmas!

November Already

I can't believe it's November already. Turkey Day has come and gone and I'm still eating leftovers. Praise Jesus for Pizza yesterday because I don't think I could handle another night of leftovers. Thanksgiving is over but there's no rest for the weary. I gotta go out and meet the guys tonight for a Christmas-shopping-for-the-wives party. I imagine it will be a testosterone fueled fury to see how fast we can get from one end of the mall to the other buying as much as possible along the way. I guess we'll be like a swarm of shopping locusts devouring everything in our path. Look out retailers, here we come and we're on a mission!