"cheese" 365/46

Apparently I take a lot of pictures of my kids because without prompting Carter will say, "cheese" as soon as he sees the camera, which you can see being mouthed from him here.

Cowboy 365/45

We were very fortunate to watch some cowboys herd their cattle across Rocky Hill.

Wysteria 365/43

Peeking Carter 365/42

Blake was helping me get everyone situated so I could snap a picture and I looked down to see Carter sitting and smiling so nicely through Blake's legs.

Ripped 365/41

This is what happens to my pants and shorts because I'm a "scooter" instead of a crawler. It might be nice in the summer to have a little air conditioning.

Girl Power 365/40

The girls were having fun overlapping hands while they waited for food.

Snow Bunnies 365/39

Before going to Kora's Snow Day with the Zylstras.

B&W Kenna 365/38

Poor Kenny, she got shots today. A lot of them too. Today marked a milestone for Kenna. She had her Kindergarten check up. It was fun to watch her get weighed and tell her ABC's to the Dr. I especially enjoyed seeing the surprise on his face when he asked her who the president was to which she responded, "Barack Obama". He accused me of prepping her before the appointment but I am proud to say she knew that answer all by herself. All of the appointment was fun and made me realize how fast they grow up. There's a downside to this appointment however. She got 5 shots, a TB test, a prick on her finger and a urinalysis. Hmmm...there's something quite horrifying to me and I'm pretty sure to her too when I have to pin my daughter down while the nurse continually inflicts pain on her one needle at a time. I hope, years down the road, she'll understand that this was for her ultimate good and the pain on her legs and arms will diminish along with the memory of her mommy pinning her down.

Check on Bay 1 365/37 - #37- dreams for my sons-in-law

Compilation Sunday: that special time of week when picture and prose become as one.


It’s the same thought process that every dad of daughters goes through multiple times in their lives. I’m no different. I wonder what kind of men my daughters will marry and what kind of a motley crew I’ll inherit as sons-in-law. When I think about these boys soon to be men, who could be as near as down the street or as far away as the other side of the world, if not the womb, right now, I have basically three stipulations for them.

First, they need to be Godly men. I want Jacie and Kenna and Avery to find and marry men who are passionately lovers of Christ. I want sons-in-law who are on fire for the Lord, who have no greater purpose or calling in love then to follow where the Spirit leads. I can only imagine the joy I’ll know in seeing these soul mates of my daughters devoted to the Lord.

Second, they need to love my daughters more than they love themselves. And as I know firsthand the basic self-centeredness and selfishness of the Human Male, this is no small task in itself. Nevertheless, I desire for them to be enraptured by the exquisite loveliness of my little princesses and to never be lacking in their desire to treasure and cherish them. I look forward to hearing bits and pieces of the special things they do to make my girls feel special, even decades after their wedding day.

Third, and this may seem like a minor thing compared to the first two, I want one to be a mechanic. I want to be able to call him up and say, “Son, I’ve been having a problem with my car.” And seeing as how he’ll honor and respect me as his father-in-law, he won’t make me feel inadequate and more stupid than dirt when I have no idea how to explain the grinding or whistling or “chunk-chunk-chunk” sound it’s been making. He’ll simply say, “Sure, Dad, I’ll take a look at it first thing in the morning.” And then he’ll pick it up and run some diagnostics, figure out exactly the problem, fix it the right way and return it, free of charge.

One reading this column with more extensive knowledge of Team Hiemstra might be tempted to say that I not only have three daughters, but also a son, who could grow up to be an intelligent mechanic or fix-it man in his own right. But, seeing as how Carter will inherit the same basic body of knowledge regarding all things mechanical that I inherited from my dad, certain careers paths might be a little hard to traverse for him. I’m not extremely gifted in this area. I have a hard enough time driving a car, let alone trying to figure out what’s wrong with it.

My point in all of this, referenced by my beloved wife’s photo of the Jiffy Lube, is that car problems suck. Cars are a necessary evil in this world, fraught with problems and difficulties designed to make life harder than it should be. Having car problems sure make life in China look attractive where bikes would be the preferred form of transportation. Of course, with strict governmental population requirements in China, moving there would mean deciding which two children to part with, which would definitely be difficult to choose.

Yes, I know that our car problems will be solved, we’ll have less money to have to worry about in our bank account and life will move on. I just wish that the process were easier, like when my son-in-law changes the rotors on my brakes, and I have no idea what that means, but I don’t care because if I have any more problems, I’ll just call him back up.

By the way, I want one son-in-law to be a mechanic. The other two I’m not so picky about, but since I’m dreaming here, let’s have one be the General Manager of the Raiders and the other be the Course Superintendent at Pebble Beach. Sitting in a luxury box in Oakland or walking the plush fairways of the Monterey peninsula would sure assuage any lingering pain from the car problems I’m having now.

Sunset Park 365/36

Whoever says the last child doesn't get enough pictures taken of them does not live in our home. Carter is enjoying the swing asking, "'gin, gin"

Avery's 3rd 365/35.5

I really couldn't pass up putting one of her pictures up for today, it IS her birthday, artistic or not. Notice all the dirt on her face! I'm really surprised she didn't ask for a "bodick" (washcloth) all night!!!!

Avery Tricycle 365/35

Avery turned 3 today and for the casual observer one wouldn't notice that this picture isn't actually from today. It's a few months old but I didn't have any really "cool" shots of today other than the regular candid shots of everyone at the party and Avery opening presents (when I say, "Avery opening presents" I mean "Jacie and Kenna opening her presents" and "allowing" her to maybe catch a glimpse of her present here or there. Oh to turn three, being Miss Congeniality and being 3rd in line...

Sprinkler 365/34

Our sprinklers were on yesterday and it created a beautiful rainbow.

Mist Oak 365/33

It was a beautiful misty morning. The mighty Oak tree stands by itself.

Cappuccino Blasts 365/32

"Daddy, can I have one sip...please?"

Avery's free scoop 365/31

Enjoying her free scoop of ice cream. Thanks Baskin Robbins!

Glasses on Carter 365/30 - #30- turning the blind eye

Compilation Sunday- that special time of week when picture and prose become as one.

In a home with two busy adults and four little eager beavers life might just be described as a series of crisis moments offset by brief intervals of tranquility. The severity of the crises varies from a few tears and the need to share to call the police and take no prisoners. (I’m not sure of the effectiveness of the mixed metaphors. Perhaps it’s really clever and makes sense. Perhaps not.) Anyways, this weekend we had a crisis nearing the more dire side of things. Carla came home from her quick jaunt to LA sans her glasses. A thorough check of her purse and suitcase and a series of phone calls to the Sheraton left her like a motorist out of gas on the side of the road leading to nowhere: empty and hopeless.

Now, such a crisis might not qualify for “sound the alarm” status were it not for the fact that without spectacles, Carla and Stevie Wonder suddenly have a lot in common, and it’s not the braided hair or the singing voice. Put it this way. When she doesn’t have glasses on, I check her cognizance not by holding up a number of fingers, but rather a number of arms.

With no known whereabouts for her glasses, we were forced to take action. Enter Lenscrafters, that commercialized savior of instant vision. A few short hours later, and Carla can now take in my body once again in all its blessed beauty. The jury’s still out on whether that’s a positive or negative.

The whole episode has got me thinking about sight and blindness. Physical sight is huge. To not be able to see is a cause for extreme consternation. It’s something that’s taken for granted until it’s in danger of being lost. At that point one takes whatever steps necessary in order to see, be it corrective lenses, surgery or the like. Of all the sense, it would probably be one of the toughest to lose.

I wonder though if spiritual blindness is even more catastrophic than physical blindness. To not be able to see the needs in front of me, to not see the ways of God’s working in the world- how tragic. To turn a blind eye to those in need- how sad. To have my soul’s vision blurred by all the useless stuff of life, the mundane and unimportant details- how depressing.

I know the urgency that we felt today in trying to make sure Carla could see. It felt somewhat all-consuming. I wish I felt that kind of urgency more often spiritually. I wish that I could sing “Open the eyes of my heart” with more fervor and earnestness.

Maybe every time I put my glasses on or my contacts in, I should say a quick prayer to ask God to lift the blinders and allow me to see. I wonder what kind of an impact that would have on my life, on my sensitivity to others, on my overall compassion quotient.

I guess the whole episode in the last 24 hours has made me want to be a little more like Mary Magdalene. After Jesus appeared to her at the empty tomb, she went to the disciples and had the complete absence of spiritual blindness. The Bible uses an exclamation (and notice, all your renegade punctuationeers who like to use multiple marks that it only uses one, even for the greatest event in the history of the world) so I’m guessing it was a joyful, can’t contain herself shout when she said, “I have seen the Lord.”

I can understand that. I think if I found the missing eyeglasses for my heart and was able to truly see the Lord, I’d shout too.

Father of the Bride 365/29

If any of you are fans of Father of the Bride like I am you would appreciate this house. This is the house from the movie and it was quite fitting today because it was also the day I was able to see one of my college friends get married. Unfortunately, her dad, Howard, was unable to be in the picture. It's not a great shot or artistic by any means but just a fun little "brush with fame".

Garbage "Tuck" 365/28

There's evidence of a boy in this house!

1st loose tooth 365/27

Jacie has her 6-year molars in and sealed by the dentist. She also has a loose tooth. Quite the fun adventure for a 6-year old, however not quite so fun for a 36-year old to go to the dentist and find out I have to return to get a partial crown, not of royalty, mind you, but rather a painful, long, drawn-out affair of which to no avail has not fulfilled it's dental duties. I must return and get a root canal. Not the Suez or even the Kern, just a common practice of pain and torture which "they" label as taking care of your teeth.

Bravo Farms 365/26

There's a fun cheese place around here. They have some pretty neat things to check out behind and throughout their store. There were chickens running around and alot of antiques in the seating area outside. What a fun find in the Valley.

yellow blossom 365/25

windmill 365/24

Carter's moustache 365/23

Contrasting Clouds 365/22

Black and white clouds floating through town the other day.

Silhouette 365/21