Matthew's Journal

June 29, 2011
What a strange summer we've had so far! After several months of commuting several days a week to Upton, Wyoming (for a plant start-up), Daddy got word that they needed him there full time for 6-7 weeks. Then they put him on six day a week night shift! We decided to bring the whole family to Wyoming so that we'd be able to see him sometimes. So we are renting a little house in Newcastle.

In the mornings I try to keep you all very quiet (not that you know the meaning of the word): we eat breakfast then go for a walk so Daddy can sleep. Then we get to spend 9:30-12:30 in the morning with him. We've been having fun trying out new playgrounds, bike paths, and library. It's getting pretty hot and there's no a/c in the house, so I bought you guys a little wading pool and squirt guns to use in the yard. The a/c is broken on the van too, so I was amazed at how well you all have done with the 1.5 hour commute. We've done fun things on the way – ice cream in Custer, a tour at Jewel Cave, stops at Old MacDonald's Farm – to keep it interesting. But no doubt it's been a little hard to live two places! I'm thankful that you sleep through the night wherever you are, though you continue to wake up early and/or skip naps. You've also experimented with getting out of the port-a-crib in Newcastle, so that has been lots of fun. At least you stopped at twelve times in a row (your brother went past fifty).

Last week we really mixed it up and spent two days near Valentine, Nebraska. My high school friend was visiting her childhood home (a ranch!) so Natalie and the cousins caravaned with us to see my friend Joye and her four children. Between all of us (plus Joye's brother) we had thirteen children seven and under! It rained much of the time, but you still got to swim in a waterfall the first day! Actually, the other kids swam and you shivered and whined on the side. The second day we wore trash bags for ponchos while alternating between huddling by the fire and getting towed on a sled by the four-wheeler. You really liked that! The night we slept there was spent with Natalie, me and all seven cousins in one bedroom! Memories for sure.

Sometimes I wonder if you will be a runner someday. Most walks I have to confine you to the stroller because you'll say, “I wanna run, Mama!” and then you do. You set an impressive pace yet it's very measured and you're able to keep it up for a long time. Last night while the big kids were in VBS, you and I walked on the track at the high school and you just RAN. I felt like maybe I was seeing the future? Yet everyone is so convinced that you'll be an engineer (mechanical?) You are very taken with trucks, motorcycles and tools. The other day you watched a track hoe digging for nearly half an hour. Whenever you find something with screws in it, you fetch a screwdriver, convinced that if you could only unscrew it, you could put batteries in it and it would do something cool!

I just heard you repeatedly asking Dad for something (after he had already said no) and I was reminded of the story in the Bible where the woman gets what she wants just because she asked the judge SO MANY TIMES that he got annoyed and gave in. You are SO determined to get your way. May God use your persistence for his glory – may you wrestle with Him and so know him better than I ever will.