I am not even sure where to start this post. I have wrestled with God on this subject more times than I care to admit. But He won’t let it go…of course, He shouldn’t let it go. I’ve even talked to Anita about it. I have the best of intentions, but I am failing once again. And I’m failing at something that I cannot fail at…it’s too important.

So I am once again (not this is not the first time: Exhibit A) confessing my failure and asking for your prayers to do better…to ACTUALLY do better.

At the beginning of the year (or the end of last year if you want to be technical) I set out two resolutions for the year (you can read the entire post here):

1. Getting to Know God Better: This one has actually been a huge success…thank you Lord!
2. Developing better Family Devotional Habits: This one is where I am failing. I just cannot seem to make this one stick…and it is my responsibility. I can’t point the finger at anyone else. My only excuse? BUSY. How stupid is that? I can find time for all sorts of other things, but not one of the most critically important things in my life–my kid’s spiritual development????  W.R.O.N.G

So, I begin again. I admit that I am starting with a serious lack of confidence on my part. I am going to try to make things much simpler…no gimmicks, no “fancy” devotional book. I simply want to spend time as a family reading God’s Word, talking about it and Him, sharing what’s going on in our lives, andspending time with God in prayer together. I want my kids to know, love, andwalk with God—that really is the deepest desire of my heart.

Perhaps I am making it more difficult than it has to be. For sure, this is a spiritual battle (that I have lost up to this point). So I leave the results in God’s hands, but I have to get moving. Too much is at stake. Sigh…pray for me!

Tonight was one of those impromptu family nights that I absolutely love. They seem to come around more often in the fall when the weather turns a little colder and everyone just wants to huddle up together.

Our theme tonight was waffles and Knight Rider. For dinner I made “from scratch” waffles (they were AWESOME). After dinner we all sat down to watch the new version of Knight Rider. I remember watching this 80’s version with my family. No, it’s not quite the same but the boys love the car and the action—and we are all together.

Family memories are built on stuff like waffles and Knight Rider. Even if the kids don’t remember it…I know I will. Just enjoying each other’s company makes it worth while. And did I mention the waffles were good?

So…what are some of your favorite family memories?

Starting yesterday (Thursday) at about 4:30 pm I became a bachelor (with 3 kids) until Sunday afternoon. Maybe it’s more accurate to say that I became  quasi-single dad (since the kids are having sleep-overs and staying with their grandma at different intervals)? Anita is spending the time with a few of her girlfriends in Breckenridge…time away from the rat race.

What am I going to do with the time? PARTY!!!

I wish! First on the agenda is to get some sleep since I’m up again tonight (all night) at work.

Next…shuffle the kids around to their various appointments.

Then…spend some time with the kids all together. Might even make it to a movie and some fast food (you know…’cause they like that stuff).

I am actually looking forward to spending time with the kids and getting some rest. It’s an unusual weekend, but that’s good to have every once in awhile.

BTW, my first hunt of the year is coming up…more to come on that topic…

I must preface this post by admitting that what follows is insufficient, incomplete, and inadequate. But it’s true none-the-less.

God has truly blessed me with a wife I do not deserve. How do I know this (aside from her telling me?  Let me count the ways…

1. She is my best friend in the whole world.
2. She is a great lover (no details, even if you ask)
3. She is the best mom to our kids..and it’s no easy job
4. She has a sense of humor that I envy and get to enjoy every day
5. She is a Proverbs 31 woman
6. She loves God with all of her heart, soul, and mind
7. She thinks she is better at Bible trivia than I am
8. She is better at poker than I am
9. She is a Republican (more specifically she is a Libertarian that votes Republican)
10. She likes funny, goofy movies like Dumb and Dumber
11. She shares a guilty pleasure for vampire movies
12. She puts up with all of my &$%#@
13. She makes a mean Pumpkin Pie
14. She is a Broncos Fan
15. She is one sexy gal!
16. She puts her family ahead of herself on a consistent basis

Here’s what it boils down to…God created her for me and she is more than I could have ever hoped for. God knows what He’s doing (always has). I thank God for giving me such a beautiful, charming, sacrificial, and loving wife. I am the better for it; she truly is my better half!

It has been awhile since I blogged…needless to say it has been a busy week. I am in the last week of my current class and life in general has just been busier than usual (which is usually pretty busy). So blogging has been the odd man out, but I haven’t gone anywhere and things should settle back down after this week.

That said, I did get an email this week that I thought I would share. I assume this isn’t true, but the lesson here is still valid and critical for all parents (moms and dads). I dare you not to take this to heart of you are a parent…

Can I Borrow $25?

A man came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find his 5-year old son waiting for him at the door.

SON: ‘Daddy, may I ask you a question?’
DAD: ‘Yeah sure, what it is?’ replied the man.
SON: ‘Daddy, how much do you make an hour?’
DAD: ‘That’s none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?’ the man said angrily.
SON: ‘I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?’
DAD: ‘If you must know, I make $50 an hour.’
SON: ‘Oh,’ the little boy replied, with his head down.
SON: ‘Daddy, may I please borrow $25?’

The father was furious, ‘If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I don’t work hard every day for such childish frivolities.’ The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door.

The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy’s questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money? After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down , and  started to think: Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $25 and he really didn’t ask for money very often. The man went to the door of the little boy’s room and opened the door. ‘Are you asleep, son?’ He asked.

‘No daddy, I’m awake,’ replied the boy.
‘I’ve been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier’ said the man ‘It’s been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here’s the $25 you asked for.’

The little boy sat straight up, smiling. ‘Oh, thank you daddy!’ He yelled. Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills. The man saw that the boy already had money, started to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up at his father. ‘Why do you want more money if you already have some?’ the father grumbled.

Because I didn’t have enough, but now I do,’ the little boy replied. ’Daddy, I have $50 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you.’

The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little son, and he begged for his forgiveness. It’s just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life. We should not let time slip through our fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts. Do remember to share that $50 worth of your time with someone you love.

If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of hours. But the family & friends we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives. 

Something for all of us to think about…

For the past two days I have been a proverbial “bachelor” while my family has been in Wyoming visiting my wife’s parents. I know it sounds great…house to myself…schedule free to do anything I want…yada yada yada.

But it just ain’t so. It S-U-C-K-E-D! First, my lifeis plenty busy that I didn’t exactly get to do anything overly exciting (unless you count homework and boring TV exciting). And I flat out miss my family. They are a part of me and I love being with them. I have the greatest wife on the planet and I missed being with her and sharing my day with her. I have great kids and truly enjoy hanging out with them…they are just fun to be with (most of the time).

And to top it all off, I couldn’t sleep worth a &%^$#! It has been a long time since my work-travel days when I got used to sleeping alone. It doesn’t feel right and I couldn’t get used to it.

The good news? They are all home again! Life is back to “normal” (whatever that means). We are back together again…it feel right!

PS: After some more thought and discussion, here is the list of Manhood Principles we settled on:

1. A Real Man Knows and Walks with God
2. A Real Man Lives by Biblical Standards «We have a list of 12, but that’s another post
3. A Real Man Works for Something Bigger than Himself
4. A Real Man Loves and Protects His Wife and Family

Would still love your feedback and thoughts before it becomes “set in stone” this weekend”…

 9 years ago today my first baby boy came onto the scene!
I became a father of a bouncing baby boy and we had our package (one boy,one girl).
9 years ago today, Logan David Baumgartner was born!

I remember thinking forward to all the great times we would have as a father and son duo. All the camping trips. All the hunting trips. All of the fart and burping contests. All of the times learning about life, girls, and God (not necessarily in that order). I remember once again feeling completely inadequate to the task…totally freaked out!

And once again, I blinked and my baby boy is now 9 years old. I love him more today than on that first day (and I didn’t think that was possible). I love the young man that he is becoming. He has a heart of gold, compassion like I’ve never seen before, and a love for his family that I could only have dreamed and prayed for. I can’t wait for him to continue to grow and become a young man…the journey is just beginning!

Happy Birthday Logan!
I love you!

Now, some of my favorite Logan pictures…

Logan’s Birth Picture

 
My Little Outlaw

 
His First Fish

 
Flying with Larry
(this was a truly great day)

 
En Guard!

 
Logan and Amy
(his favorite pet)

 
He has learned to ride his bike…FREEDOM!

We just got back from three days at Jackson Lake (just 1.5 hours NE of Denver). We went with three other families…one of which has a boat! I absolutely L.O.V.E. getting away with family and friends! It feeds my soul and is always a great time. We went last year too, but we were alone then…fun, but it’s also good share the fun.

This particular weekend was spent with Greg & Susie (and their 3 girls), Michael & Amanda (and their son Noah), and Lindale & Briana (sp?) (and their son and daughter…this was the first time we’d met them…great family). All told we had 8 adults and 9 kids. Does it get an better?

Of course it was a hot weekend, but we spent most of it at the beach or on the boat. The first night sucked royally…wind blew hard all night…nobody got any more than a couple hours of sleep (and most didn’t get any sleep at all). But the next day paid the rewards as we water-skied and tubed for most of the day (thanks to Greg & Susie for pulling us around the lake).

I tried to be manly and get up on the wake board, but it was nothing doing. I did get up on the skis twice (but if you blinked you might have missed it). Nothing like trying something manly to keep you humble!  Lindsay was able to get up on the training skis once (she was up on the skis but couldn’t quite stand up). Always fun to watch your kids try something new and exciting and love every second of it…they especially loved being pulled by the tube!

We didn’t get a single picture…but our friends did so as soon as they post them we will share. Now we take it easy for the rest of the evening and get back to the “real world” of school (math is over for me, but I’m right back to it this week), work (ugh!), and the mundane parts of life that make it real. I always have a hard time getting to my devotions over a long weekend, but still feel connected with God anyway…He’s so good!

Oh yeah…almost forgot, Logan (our 8 year old) also learned to ride his bike this weekend! Now, of course, we can hardly get him off of it. It was a long time coming, but he picked it up fast once he put his mind to it (sounds like someone else I know…that would be me in case I was being to obtuse ). I’m so proud of him!

Every year we make a trek up to some private land in Como, CO. The tradition is that we go on Memorial and Labor Day weekend, but this year the snow kept us from getting there over Memorial so we pushed the trip to this past weekend. I must admit it was much warmer (day and night), but that’s not to say it didn’t have a few new wrinkles (see the last photo).

We always have fun with family and friends. The view is unbelievable and the fishing is usually out of this world (I caught 9 trout this year). The weekend typically includes poker, s’mores, rides on a recreational vehicle of some kind (this year it was a motorcycle thanks to my buddy Justin), working on the pond (see photos), and just taking it easy by the fire. This year was no exception…we had two new couples/families and had a great time. We missed some of the “old guard” (i.e.: Bill & Cindy and Larry & Shelley) but we are truly blessed to be able to use this pristine land and just get away from it all for a few days. If you’d like to join us just drop me a line…the more the merrier!

Here are some of the more memorable photos from the weekend…

 
The Busy Campsite

 
The Amazing View!

 
Some of the Gang hanging out by the fire.

 
Paul chilling out with some camp coffee
(not sure what the one glove thing was about?)

 
Food Fight!

 
Don’t they look like they love each other?

 
Does it get any better than this?

 
Logan & Kyle getting some good sleep.

 
Beavers have nothing on us man!
(Of course this broke about 2 hours later…but we’ll fix that)

 
Just as we were getting packed up to leave this hail storm pounded
us for about 5-8 minutes. That was a new one for us…now we’ve seen it all!