Major Milestones!!

We've had quite the week of accomplishments in the Root household!! We've had some hard things going on in our life, which gives us all the more reason to celebrate and enjoy such special moments!! We're pretty excited - first off, Kylee determined in her head that she was ready to ride without training wheels. I don't know what it is about this certain accomplishment - maybe one of the first young feelings of freedom - but it felt BIG! Within days she was riding her bike all throughout the neighborhood, up and down curbs and hills. She loves it. We also loved seeing her brothers come beside her and cheer her on, telling her how excited they are for her. I knew they loved each other! :O)

All three kids have been taking swim lessons the last 2 weeks and we are amazed at the confidence it has instilled in our little swimmers!! At the beginning of summer we had 2 boys who were very independent as long as they had "floaties" on, and a little girl who could swim alright, but didn't want to venture out further than where she could touch. Now? I have 3 kids who jump off the high dive and swim in 12 feet deep water to the edge of the pool!! It has been so fun to see them feel such a sense of accomplishment and bravery. Here they are in action (each on their first jump):

In addition, Kylee had some fun accomplishments in gymnastics this week as well. On Monday, much to my surprise, she managed her first back handspring all on her own! For my little gymnast, it was a big deal, even though she wouldn't give herself full credit because it was on a "squishy mat" and not on the tumble track. She's hard on herself. The following practice, she was able to perform her first successful handstand vault, which has been a hard skill for her to perform. She was beaming ear to ear afterwards, realizing she had finally done it!! Thanks for sharing in these milestones with us - they couldn't have come at a better time, giving us much reason to laugh and smile and celebrate!

Precious moments

Being the last time we are all together for many years, our dear cousin, Kristi, agreed to do a photo session and capture the entire family one last time before Sheila's family's departure. It was so much smoother than we anticipated with all 19 participants being relatively cooperative! We are so grateful to have these memories!

The Ratzlaffs - Travis, Brandee, Connor (7), Logan (5), Hailey (2 3/4)

The Roots - Jim, Terra, Kylee (6), Colson and Kaden (4 1/2)

The Gundersons - Paul, Sheila and Nathan (1 3/4)

The Berglund-Ramirez's - Andres, Chelsea, Tayvan (2) and Jezzirayah (1)

The granddaughters - Jezzi, Kylee and Hailey

The Root boys

The men doing their "CD cover pose"

Nathan - an independent little explorer ready for Indonesia!!

Fun with the cousins

Kaden & Colson 41/2, Hailey 2 3/4, Logan 5, Kylee 6, Connor 7, Tayvan 2

It was pure joy to see the cousins interact with one another after all the time that has past. As they grow older, their ability to play with and enjoy one another increases significantly and it is just so much fun!!! All the "sisters" love to see our kids together, enjoying their family bond as well as friendship.

Kylee, Connor and Nathan (1 3/4) having "story time" with Aunt Sheila

The back patio swing was always a hit with the kids!

Girly-girls: Hailey and Kylee

Nathan, Tayvan, Jezzi, Kaden and Colson taking a break during a photo session


Kylee and Logan enjoying the creek

Trailer ride! Thanks, uncle Trav for the entertainment!

Ring around the rosie

Checking out the Willamette River

The 3 boys born in 2004: Kaden, Logan and Colson

Kaden and Hailey seemed to hit it off together - I guess their personalities complimented one another.

Kaden hugging Tayvan - my usual "silly son" often surprises me with his sweetness

If being 1st cousins wasn't such an issue, Kylee would marry big cousin Connor in a heart beat. :O)
He seemed to tolerate her attention quite well this trip.

At Shotgun Creek with Nathan, Paul and Sheila

Kylee and Nathan

Enjoying a walk together over the river

Kylee and Logan - they had so much fun together!!

Kylee and Connor taking a walk on the beach

the cousins enjoying treats together at a coffee shop

Colson and Hailey setting up the horse farm

one.hard.goodbye.

When people ask me how our 2 week vacation in Oregon went, it has been hard for me to provide an answer. We didn't necessarily get off to a great start - illness and injury set us back and slowed us down from day one. But, despite that and a rather jam packed schedule, we were able to have some fun "vacation" moments - swimming, boating, picnics, horse back riding, backyard bonfires and camp outs, back packing in the mountains, walks along the river, double date nights, reuniting with old friends and exploring parks, creeks and the coast. Even more important, we had a ton of time with our family - whether enjoying activities together, just hanging out around the house, or celebrating birthday parties and life following chemotherapy completion.

Yet, all these moments and fun times were mixed with a tender sadness in our souls. First of all, my dear sister Sheila had just learned that her baby within her womb no longer had a heart beat. We had moments of grieving together where tears fell freely, emotions erupted and prayers were said. However, in the midst of all the activity, I know there were moments where she felt alone in her pain. What a horrible loss. What a terrible ache that accompanied her every waking moment.

And, to top it all off, we knew that there was a dreadful goodbye coming at the end of our time. After years of dreaming, planning, preparing, learning and studying, my sister, Sheila, her husband, Paul, and son, Nathan, were about to depart for full time career missions in Indonesia. It is likely that we will not see them again for 4 years, and we all know how much changes in that time!! We are so excited for them to embark upon this amazing journey God has called them to and are behind them 100 percent, but we will miss them terribly nonetheless.

So, it was under these circumstances that we lived life together while in Oregon. We were so grateful to be there and to share in the celebrations and the pain alike... it's one of the things we miss most living so far from family. These 2 photos depict well two of the main emotions we felt as a family, within mere moments of each other:

tears, sadness, prayer

joy, laughter, togetherness

So, an emotional time for sure and a really difficult good bye at the end. Tears, laughter; pain, celebration - all part of being family, right? Oh, how we thank God for creating family!