Dunham Family and My Stroke Story!

Here's a video clip of Ethan enjoying himself in Squaw Valley, California. Don't tell Grandma about this one!

We're attending a meeting at the Squaw Creek Resort near Squaw Valley in California, and while Mark's in meetings, Heather and Ethan enjoyed the kids' activities including a kind of bungee jumper which he loved!

At the Tamarack Mountain Resort, they opened up the chairlift for a couple of hours for conference goers, and we took Ethan on his first ride not knowing if the heights would scare him. He did get upset...because we wouldn't let him go over and over and over! Skiing is in his future!

We're attending a conference at an Idaho mountain resort, and I had a couple free hours one afternoon to spend with Heather and Ethan. Sometimes when Ethan and I are alone, he will say "Sure is a beautiful day Daddy!" Last night I read a blog posting of a friend who has a child graduating from high school, and she reprinted an old poem called "Hold Fast the Summer" by Mary W. Abel. I read it having just spent a glorious day with my 3 year old son who continues to be excited about his emerging world. As I read the poem, I couldn't help but think "Sure is a beautiful day, Ethan." Here's the poem: "Hold fast the summer. It is the beauty of the day and all it contains.The laughter and work and finally the sleep. The quiet.Oh September, do not put your weight upon my mind.For I know he will be going. This son of mine who is now a man -- he must go.Time will lace my thoughts with joyous years. The walls will echo his 'Hello.'His car...

Though Ethan is expressing his individuality and independence -- often proclaiming "I can do it myself" or "I need my privacy" or "I want to ride down the street alone," there are times when he is a daddy's boy and wants nothing more than to curl up in my lap. There's really nothing better than that, and I know the years will rush by. I'm enjoying these special moments as I can.

Kirk Sullivan was defeated in his bid to retain his seat as GOP State Chairman at the party convention, and Atlas Shrugged. So, Who Is John Galt anyway?

We had our garage sale last Saturday, and today we can get two cars in the garage for the first time in over one year. We got rid of a lot of stuff which was great considering we had friends and family contribute to the "product" that we were selling. We had a pretty steady stream of people throughout the day, and we were all glad to see the big stuff sell so we didn't have to move it again. We took a couple pick-up loads to the Idaho Youth Ranch after all was said and done. We were very proud of Ethan who gamely watched many of his old toys groped and sold. We kept telling him he would get a scooter if he made enough money on the sale. He cleared about 70 bucks (OK, we didn't charge him overhead such as a percentage of the ad and the tables we rented, but 3 years olds don't grasp fractions or math very well), so next Monday, he will take delivery of his new scooter that coincidentally for boys only comes in Boise State University Blue and Orange. Fate had a hand ...

This morning as I was leaving a Jackson's Food Store with my morning beverage, a car pulled in beside me. There were two small kids in the backseat, and I immediately noticed one of them looked young and/or small enough to be in a booster seat as required by Idaho law. I also noticed that the windows in the car were tightly shut, and the two adults (sic...) in the front seat were both smoking. The male unit of what seemed to be a parental couple dashed inside and emerged with two packs of cigarettes and quickly lit another as he got into the car. I happened to catch the eye of the younger child, and he looked miserable. Who knows what goes on behind closed doors. Maybe those adults are great parents. Maybe those kids are very happy. But, behind the closed doors of that car with windows dingy from cigarette smoke, that poor little kid looked at me from behind clouds of second hand smoke, and he looked miserable and sad. And so was I.

How do you convince a 3 year old to sell some of his possessions at a garage sale? Our annual garage sale is Saturday, and, as we sort through forgotten boxes, nooks, and crannies, Ethan finds some dusty old baby toy and exclaims with glee that "I like that! We can't sell that!" We're slowly getting his agreement to sell some of his old stuff so he can get new stuff. Case in point is the pink scooter in this picture. It's a VERY COOL "Micro-Scooter," but is is pink. That's because it belongs to neighbor Amelia. Ethan loves it, and rides it everywhere even doing some impressive tricks. I showed him that there is a male version (in Boise State blue and orange no less), and told him we might get him one if we sell enough stuff. He is now processing his own three year old cost-benefit analysis because he wants a "BSU Scooter" and a new "fort bed" with a slide. We'll see.

I'm already getting tired of presidential politics, but I might vote for Captain Kirk of the USS Enterprise! Check out this video by clicking the arrow.

Summertime on our street for the past two seasons means the "Gator" is charged and the kids are raring to go! They speed around the culdesac at full throttle, and minor accidents are of no consequence. Ethan in particular weaves in and out of mailboxes, parked cars, and assorted other obstacles.

Last summer, we added onto the back our house which literally ruined most of Heather's beautiful backyard. As we (OK, as Heather) spends what little free time she has planting and tending, Ethan and neighbor Elizabeth play in the loads of dirt we are literally bringing in by the truckload. We see m to need more baths this time of year....

We took Ethan and our neighbor Elizabeth to a school carnival the other night. We took them the year before as well, but what a difference a year makes! Though they are too young to go to this school, they will eventually. But this year, they both participated, climbed, stood in lines patiently for 10 minutes for 1 minute of fun. They had a lot of fun! And so did Heather and I.