lenten season

let's just pretend it hasnt been so long since i last blogged. it's been two months of glorious weather here in Denver. warm, beautiful days where we have played outside for hours and just enough snow to remind us we are still in winter around here!
church planting is a busy life. we have people in our home at least every other night in some form or fashion. i lead our women's bible study and we host our city group...most days i feel like i am cleaning for people coming over and while i am cooking dinner the kids common question is-who is coming over tonight?
I love that that's their assumption. i want them to see us having all sorts of people in our home. people like us, people not like us, hard to love, easy to love...i think that will help shape their worldview of what it means to be hospitable.
it's exhausting work, thats why i am so thankful for the lenten season. its a reflective time. we gave up meat as a family this year and its been such a great thing. obviously, as the meal planner, its on my mind alot. we opted for meat b/c its the first year that they get "giving" up something for Lent. they didnt want to give up sugar as a family and we didnt want their first year fasting to be something that as forced. so giving meat up was something that we could do as a family and that they'd be aware of it. we've had seasons of cooking vegetarian before but this feels different. we have "feasted" on sundays with meat and it truly does feel like a feast. much like i assume those in earlier times felt like when they got to have meat in their meals.
here are a few snapshots of the past two months, apparently we were busy!

Abe busted his head while we were having a family swim day. he is just so gorgeous here!!!

we can walk to this park and it never gets old.

i took the older two to see the "Dancing Horses" at the annual Stock show.

my hiking buddy

                                              our "go to" hiking spot. not bad at all, eh?

  our sweet friends who are church planting in Colorado Springs. We meet in the the middle and have dinner sometimes with them and here we are celebrating Kara's chemo being done!

crazy husband snow shoeing with a bunch of guys in a blizzard.

baby on my back.

snow shoeing date with my valentine.

               this is leighann who lived with us for a few months and babysat all the time. yessssssssss.

rare moment alone in the wilderness as i waited for mojo to traverse a high mtn i was too lazy to do.:)

                                         maggie and her beautiful face all ready for sledding.

                                             new hiking spot we tried out. we liked it!

Harriet is most happy in the snow!

                                                             snow forts!!!!