Last Friday Richard and Patsy sailed in from Canada on the Crown Princess cruise ship. I took the day off of work and we drove up to Mt. Desert Island Thursday evening. It was very nice to see both of them. We walked around Bar Harbor, ate lunch at Geddy’s and enjoyed each other’s company. It was a nice few hours.

When they got back on the boat in the afternoon we drove up to the summit of Cadillac Mountain where we took pictures and ran around the rocky slope.

Jenna Loves Whales

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Yesterday was a brilliant Maine day. Temperatures were in the upper 50 °F with partly cloudy skies. Perfect. Kirsten had to work so the girls and I headed out to explore and enjoy the big outdoors.

First we went to nearby Saco Heath Preserve, which is a short 3.6 miles from our house. The hike through the woods and out into the heath were ideal. Skye and Hayley took copious notes on every sensation they experienced, including smell, touch, see and hear. They frequently stopped to sit on the boardwalk to search for frogs or to snack on the trail mix they had each prepared prior to our departure.

Jenna explores the Saco Heath Preserve

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Yesterday the girls and I spent some time at Fort Williams while we waited for Kirsten to be moved to a proper bed on the sixth floor. We had a great time climbing on the rocks and playing wiffleball.

Supra-Orbital Craniotomy
Kirsten Uhler, Cogitations, August 23, 2009

We climbed on the rocks before playing wiffleball

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This past Saturday we headed out early to Lisbon Falls, Maine where we watched the Moxie Festival parade. After the parade we spent several hours at Fort Williams State Park where the girls played on the rocks while Kirsten and I read and talked.

We’ve had so many rainy days this summer it is almost a requirement that we spend non-rainy days engaged in outdoor activities. :)

The Moxie Festival Parade in Lisbon Falls, Maine

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Members of a family have a history together and a bond. No matter what happens, there will always be that connection and love for each other. We have the benefits of giving and receiving support. We share every joy and every grief. We challenge each other and help each other to become better. We are constantly discovering the uniqueness and value of one another. I love how we are each individuals with unique qualities to offer, and we’re also a team.

I value the close relationship that Brent and I have with each other. We have something special that no one or nothing could take away. As parents we want to provide our girls with appropriate ways to accumulate the experience and education they need to be able to make good decisions. We try to create a loving environment of acceptance and trust, so that the girls will feel able to talk with us. Open communication and honesty have been so beneficial and vital. I am thankful for the great fulfillment and joy my brings me.

Some families like each other and some do not. Boys in your family are dad, brother or son. Girls in your family are called mom, daughter or sister.

Families are important because you can be happy. You’ll be really sad if your family died because you couldn’t wrestle and run around. Running around helps your body. If you don’t run around you could die. I don’t want to die.

Families are for keeping yourself protected. Families love each other. Parents are especially made for keeping you safe.

Families are the most fun to play with. Families aren’t just the people you live with, they include cousins, uncles, aunts, grandfathers, and grandmothers. People out of your family can’t be your twin.

A non-grown-up boy who is in your family is called your son or brother. A non-grown-up girl who is in your family is called your daughter or sister. An adult male who is in your family is called dad or daddy or father. An adult female is called mum (aka mommy, aka mother, aka mom).

They help each other and love each other. Families touch you in good ways and sometimes mean ways: they can wrestle, hug, kiss, slap on the back, high five and other ways.

Pets are part of your family.

Sometimes the families have silly names (e.g. Silly Family, Short Family, Yucky Family…funny things like that).

I like that families work together like a team.

If I didn’t have a family right now I would not have a house and food. And the most important, I could be lonely and sad.

I’m glad I have a family.

I’m writing this blog post to tell you the meaning of family and why it’s important. You need a mom and dad to pay the bills and buy the food. You need brothers and sisters to tease and play with.

Mom and dad are the most important because they are the ones to get you in this world. What they do is have sex. When your mom and dad have sex they mix a sperm cell and egg cell to fertilize the egg. That egg keeps dividing into more and more cells to make a baby. Then the baby comes out of the mom’s tummy. That’s when a new baby comes into the world.

It’s also important to have a mom and dad because they can care for you. If someone is going to kill you, you have a mother and father to guard you.

Sisters and brothers are also very important because if you didn’t have them you would be bored. You couldn’t play with anybody exept your friends. It’s always good to have someone to play with when your friends are not there.

Now you know why it’s good to have a family: to care for you and buy your food. Just remember that they are always there for you.

Human relationships are what make life great! They can be sources of joy, pleasure, inspiration, anguish and sorrow.

I’ve thought a lot about what makes family relationships special. I don’t have an answer that satisfies me. I am perplexed by feelings of fondness for family members for whom I would probably not care if we didn’t have common ancestry. From where do those feelings come?

I love our Danler family. Kirsten and I “get” each other. We have forged a bond that is very tight. I need her. I feel in many ways like we complete each other. The girls are also very important to me and are a source of tremendous happiness and satisfaction. We laugh and play and cry together. We lean on each other.

Like any relationship, bonding with family takes time and effort and mutual desire. It isn’t automatic; it won’t happen by itself. There are no guarantees.

I’m so glad we had the opportunity to travel to Florida to see Richard, Patsy, and all of Brent’s siblings as well as most of their families. It has been a long time since everyone has been together, and it was great hanging out and visiting with everybody.

We headed to Kennedy Space Center one day with Brent’s brother Scott and wife Kelly, and his brother Michael and girlfriend Kim. To our disappointment it is no longer free to enter the main part of the museum. We hung out and took pictures outside before going to Ron Jon’s Surf Shop.

Scott, Michael, and Brent at Kennedy Space Center.