keeping up with the Howards

another one bites the dust...

2012-02-01T09:14:00.000-08:00

Drum Roll please.....JACK lost tooth #2. It was exactly one week ago that he lost his first tooth! He's changing so quickly. This time dad got to pull it, and that made for one proud daddy. He pulls teeth all the time, but it's different when it's your own kid. Way to go Jack! You're getting so big!

The only 'down-side' to losing a tooth is that it means the tooth fairy comes during the night. Which in turn, means that Jack wakes us up at the crack of dawn by running in to our room to show us the $ she magically left under his pillow. I am tired.

Jack also gave his first talk in Primary last Sunday.

Well, he stood up on the stand...I ended up giving his talk for him as he was all of a sudden was too shy.

But at least he held up the pictures and said "Amen" at the end. :)

milestone...

2012-01-25T09:24:00.000-08:00

Jack is growing. He just lost his first tooth last night!!! It has been loose for a couple of weeks now, but he did not want Dan or I to touch it! But last night as I was brushing his teeth, I just pushed it backwards to see how loose it was and it just popped out, it was ready! He was a little bit freaked out at first when he saw the blood, but quickly changed his attitude when I told him about the tooth fairy. He's saving his $ for a new Nintendo DS game so he was excited this morning to find some $ under his pillow.

I also got him dressed this morning for school and his pants were 'high-waters'. I swear those jeans just fit him last week. We've got a growing little boy. :)

Tid Bits...

2012-01-11T10:04:00.000-08:00

I hate to admit it, but I was SOOO ready for the kids to go back to school after 3 weeks of Christmas Break. The kids and I do better on a routine! I've never felt that way before, but we kept very busy during break and so it's nice to have some time to catch up, and get my house back in order. It was like a constant tornado in our house for three straight weeks. Things are finally starting to 'settle'. Here are a few of the things (besides all the Christmas stuff) that kept us busy...

We went to an Avalanche game (this was actually a while ago, but I never posted pics from it)...

Dan's work gave us 4 tickets! Their company buys season tickets and sponsors the team so each office takes turns going, it was fun! Thanks Britt for watching Olivia for us!

The boys started karate...

They have only earned their white belts, but it is so much fun seeing them out there on the mat! KJ gets really in to it. Jack...not so much!

Dan and Keaton went shooting...

We tried ice skating for the first time as a family...

Jack wasn't too thrilled with the idea but did enjoy sitting on the cone while we pushed him around the rink. KJ was a pro and needed no help from mom or dad. And little Liv now wants to be a figure skater. She had no fear and raced around that rink. And no, we don't typically go out in public in all matching 'Duck' gear, but the ducks had their bowl game that day!

The Ducks won their bowl game...

Which made for a happy home!

We found a new and fun park to play at...

where Jack FINALLY learned how to do the Monkey bars (a BIG accomplishment)...

We went swimming...

I love a good 'community' pool center!

We also went to a few movies, which is always the kids favorite thing to do. We loved them all! We saw the new Muppet Movie, Puss In Boots, and Adventures of TinTin. All GREAT movies that I'd recommend seeing!!!

Now I'm off to start cleaning out closets and secretly weeding thru unused toys. It's that time of year I like to de-clutter.

Hope you all have a great New Year! We are ready for the New Year that lies ahead of us...let's hope it's another great one!

"The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other - Burton Hillis

2011-12-28T12:17:00.000-08:00

All the stockings were hung by the chimney with care....well at least they were until today when I took all the pretty Christmas Decorations down. I always hate the feeling of the house the week after Christmas decorations are packed away, it always feels so bare. There seems to be a certain magical feeling with the house adorned with lights, garland, trees, frosty the snowman, elves and baby Jesus sitting in the manger scene. Not to mention the Christmas music, which to me, is the best part of all! I LOVE Christmas music. I take FULL advantage of playing it ALL month long! Although the house feels bare now, we had a fabulous Christmas this year! I figure I had better get this post done now because the kids are decorating a cardboard house and that might be the only chance I get to sit and type now that they are on Christmas break and they keep things very busy around here. Never a dull moment when they are home all day. :)

I had the chance to go to 3 classroom parties this year! Luckily none of them were scheduled at the same time, which is usually the case. So I got to stay the whole time and help out. Let's just say, I am grateful for the kids' teachers this time of year because the kids were wild, excited, and all on major sugar highs. I bet they are taking full advantage of their Christmas vacations!

Olivia's Preschool class party.

They opened gifts, made desserts with candles and sang Happy Birthday to baby Jesus, played some Christmas games, made ornaments, etc.

Jack's class played games and made gingerbread houses. Jack LOVED decorating his house. It had candy piled as high as he could get it. :) It was also Pajama day at the elementary school and Jack was thrilled to get to wear his Super Mario Galaxy PJ's and slippers.

KJ was also excited to get to wear his Oregon PJ's. They had a reindeer toss off their teacher's head, made gingerbread men, a parent's gift, and had a yummy table full of snacks. He has a good group of buddies.

We also made Sugar cookies for Santa. That is always a mess. Sprinkles ended up everywhere. And Dan and I couldn't help but laugh at Jack. He just ended up pouring the whole bowls of sprinkles on top of one cookie. Would you like some cookie with your sprinkles?!

On Christmas Eve we had the Gilley's over! Britt and I tried to re-create mom's traditional Christmas Eve dinner. Even though it wasn't quite the same as Christmas Eve at my parent's house, it was pretty darn close with lots of yummy food, and some pretty excited little ones running around. Shawn was a trooper to come as he had only had surgery a few days prior on his shoulder and I know he was hurting. Thanks for sharing our Christmas Eve with us Gilley's!

We also made some gingerbread houses. Even little Lucy got in on the action! She loved the squishy icing on her fingers!

And then it was the traditional Christmas Eve Pajama time!!! We read the Christmas story, put the cookies and milk out for santa, and tried to get the kids to go to bed cause Santa was on his way!! The holiday's are so much more exciting with little ones around. It gives us adults an excuse to act like kids again!

I think everyone got exactly what they wanted! Jack, of course, wanted anything that had to do with Mario and he got the Mario Brother's Bed that he's been wanting for months now. Jack wanted a picture on the stairs with all his new mario stuff. He lined it all up so carefully.

KJ got a Nintendo DS and a flying helicopter, both of which have already racked up hours of use.

And Olivia wanted a Belle Doll and Baby Carriage. She carefully puts her baby dolls in there every night and we all have to whisper because her 'babies are sleeping'.

There is a quote that I read a few years back and I just LOVE it! It says,

"One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. Don't clean it up too quickly." ~Andy Rooney

How true that is.

Merry (belated) CHRISTmas Everyone!!!

We love you all!

And in case you didn't receive our family Christmas card this year, here you go~

My little one...

2011-12-20T10:53:00.000-08:00

My sweet and spunky little one turned FIVE last week. 5. A Whole Hand. She just doesn't listen to me when I tell her to slow down!

Where in the world does the time go?

She went from this ...... to this.....

in the blink of an eye.

All I can say is that this little girl has changed our family. She is the best of both worlds. She is sweet and loves to dress up and play with dolls, yet she doesn't mind going out and playing football with a bunch of the neighborhood BOYS. Seriously, she wears her princess outfits and gets right in there and plays like it's totally normal to wear pink and plastic high heels to play football.

I love it. I love her. I love having another little girl around here. She is my buddy, my other-half and my best friend. We love Olivia around here and she certainly loves us right back.

I will list some things off the top of my head that I've observed over that past year, feel free to skip the list. I'm sure it'll be too long, there is lots to love about cute Liv. But I want to remember them when she's older. I really should keep a piece of paper handy to write stuff down as the year goes on because I always forget so much.

This past year she has grown so much:

She's tall for her age, she wears a size 6. She's solid, she weighs exactly 42 lbs.

She wears a size 12-13 shoe. She LOVES shoes, just like her mom.

Her hair grows like a weed (I've given her several big hair cuts this past year and it is still as long as ever). She likes her hair best when it's curly and always loves a bow in her hair. She loses at least one hair bow a week.

She can hold her own in a fight with her brothers.

She's very Independent.

She's tough.

She's sensitive.

She still runs to the door every night that dad comes home and yells, "Daddy's home!"

She rarely cries about things, but when she does, it can break your heart.

She's our 'salty-and-sweet' one.

She used to want to marry Justin Bieber but the past few months she said she doesn't want to get married anymore because she wants to stay a little kid forever and live with mom and dad. That sounds good to me. ;)

She got her ears pierced and was very brave. No tears.

Sometimes she thinks she's in charge of the 'boys' as she calls them. She really likes telling them what to do, they, on the other hand do not. She's in a tattle-tale phase, we are working on that.

She's great at making messes. Our house is always a mess with her dolls, barbies, tea sets, toys, play food everywhere.

She always wants her toes and fingers painted with glitter nail polish. Aunt Heidi gave her the cutest little sparkle nail polish kit for her birthday, you would have thought she opened $100. :)

She loves big bubble baths with mom. She likes to spike her hair with shampoo bubbles, and give us bubble beards, she thinks it's so funny. She loves it when I let her finger paint with the shaving cream. The baths with me will have to stop soon, very soon, but I love them too.

She likes to style and blow dry my hair. She preferres my hair curly. She tells me if she thinks my outfit is 'weird'.

She is not shy at all. She will go up to anyone and talk to them, she always has a lot to say. After a minute with them, she has a new best friend.

She likes to take pictures. Every time I download pictures on my computer, I have tons of pictures of feet, or stuffed animals and barbies, or the ceiling or even silly faces of herself.

She learned to swim, roller skate, pump on the swing, and ride her bike without training wheels this year.

She rides her pink princess bike on the dirt bike track with all the boys. She's always the only girl out there and she's always the littlest one on the track. She has no fear.

She always wants to go running with her dad. He usually takes her around the block and she will come home and give me a high five. Then she waits for him to finish his run.

Her and I have a secret handshake.

She is learning her letters and numbers, and she LOVES to draw and color and really loves her preschool class. She's made some great friends there. She brings a card or picture to give to someone every day that she has preschool. Her teacher said she will get down and wrestle with the boys one minute, and the next minute she's playing kitchen with the girls.

She has a cute/full/round rear-end that Dan and I love to pinch! She hates that. Especially when we pinch her on the way up the stairs. She says, "ugh, that drives me crazy!"

She really wishes she had a little brother or sister to take care of. For now, she will have to take care of little Lucy and Russell her newest niece and nephew.

She loves to catch Rolly-polly bugs and spiders and make houses for them.

She has discolored front teeth from a fall she had as a toddler. It reminds me of her adventurous toddler years when she climbed on everything. I have a feeling by her next birthday she will have lost her front teeth. She had a couple of cavities filled this year (oops) and wasn't scared one bit.

She wishes she could wear her swimsuit or her disney princess dresses every day.

She changes her clothes multiple times a day which drives me nuts. But her tutu and leg warmers eventually get 'itchy' so she has to get a new set every few hours. I told her to wear a certain pair of tights for church one day and she did NOT want to and told me, "I'll Do what I Want!" Oh boy!

She loves to sing and dance. She is so cute when she plays Just Dance. She knows how to shake it! We love dance parties in our bedroom on Sunday nights. Last week we had a Muppet's soundtrack Dance party. (great new soundtrack by-the-way)
She will skip everywhere she goes.

She LOVES her stuffed animals and has WAY TOO MANY in her room.

She asked Santa for a pink teddy bear with a pink bow in it's ear.

She makes sure that she always has 3 animals in bed with her and always makes sure that they have a pillow and blanket covering them so that they don't get cold.

She has a couple of boys in her class who have mini crushes on her and we love to tease her about that. She brought home her first 'love' note/picture last week from Luke. Keaton did not like that, he is already protective of his little sister. He wants to meet the boys and tell them to stay away from her!

She has a crush on Justin Bieber and asked for his perfume for her birthday present.

She thinks she's old enough to dress herself and she is very sure about what she wants to wear every day. It's almost impossible to change her mind once it's made up about something, and her outfits rarely include jeans.

She eats her lipgloss because it tastes good.

She still loves princess movies and cartoons.

She is drawn to anything with glitter on it. She loves to wear it, do art with it. Anything. It's so 'BEAUTIFUL' if it's shiny!

She will spend hours playing with playdoh.

Her best friends here are Shiori, Lilly, and DeLorey.

Her favorite family activity is going to the movies or to the library.

She loves to go shopping with mom. Her favorite store is Target.

She has the cutest little lisp when she talks. She doesn't always say her L's right, they are usually W's. So it's Wuke, not Luke, I Wuv you, and Wittle Wucy. We had her speech tested and she passed just fine. She will outgrow it, she's already starting to, but for now, I think it's pretty cute.

She memorized her Christmas program line for school and her Primary Program part. She loves to perform and doesn't get scared at the microphone.

Her favorite food is lettuce wraps.

She sings with me in the car.

She looks out the window every morning in hopes for a big snow storm. She loves the snow.

She says the sweetest prayers every night. She always prays that she hopes Jesus is happy and that she was glad he was born. She loves church and Primary. She NEVER lets us forget to bless our food.

Her favorite song for me to sing at bedtime is "You are my Sunshine".

Her favorite song to sing to me is "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star".

Her favorite color right now is purple. But that could change next week.

She loves to help cook in the kitchen.

Her new favorite word is 'absolutely'. Or absowutely!

When she grows up she wants to design clothes. A fashion designer. I think she's watched the Barbie Fashion Fairytale movie too many times.

She is anxious to be in Kindergarten next year. I am not. I will miss her by my side all day. But she will be a great student and friend.

She is really, really good about giving hugs and kisses.

She is really good at holding grudges.

She is my only 'morning' child. In fact, she's the only 'morning person' in our house. She's always the first one to fall asleep at night and the first one up in the mornings and I love it when she comes and cuddles in bed. She always scratches my back. It's very sweet.

She eats her cereal dry. No milk. But her favorite drink is steamed milk.

She loves watching football with her dad, she also loves going to sporting events, especially baseball games.

She really wants to go to Disneyland this year and meet the princesses. Her favorite is Ariel.

Her goal this year is to get a new puppy. We will see about that one.

We just love that little bundle of joy.

Right now, I hear her singing along with Dora The Explorer. She makes me happy.

Here are some pictures of her big 5th birthday.

She was very specific on what she wanted for breakfast in bed. Bacon and LINK sausage, Eggs, and Strawberries and oranges.

The one activity she wanted to do on her birthday was go to Build-A-Bear. She made a bear and named her 'Heart-y'.

She was completely spoiled! Thank you to everyone who sent gifts. She loved everything!

Her 'party' day was on a Saturday. We made a whole day out of it. Britt and Shawn came in the morning and we went to her Preschool program at school. We had lunch at Red Robin. We went to see Santa. Then we ended the day at Chuck-E-Cheese. It was a fun-filled day full of all things Olivia.

Here is her Preschool Christmas Program. She was a lamb.

Red Robin and Chuck-E-Cheese. Notice the bottom right pictures on the collage. Olivia got some tattoos from Britt and Olivia wanted matching tattoos with Lucy on their cheeks. :)

I still can't believe my baby is 5. What a big milestone. We love you little one.

Let us be thankful...

2011-12-06T10:45:00.001-08:00

I love this time of year. It seems as if everyone really ponders the good in their lives and everyone seems a bit more friendly and grateful. I think Thanksgiving time is a blessing for me in my life because it really makes me reflect on my life and when I do so, I feel the overwhelming feeling of gratitude for my life and all that I've been blessed with. It's a great way to feel when entering the holiday season. It's also a nice reminder to remember what really is important and not to get too stressed about the business of the Christmas season. Things can tend to get overwhelming when you continuously see the ads for 'stuff' on TV that your kids 'have' to have, when you are busy trying to organize class parties, decorating your house, making it to the Christmas programs at school, spending hours addressing Christmas cards and making holiday treats, standing in super long lines at the post office, spending your spare time wrapping gifts, just to name a few. But last night as I was snuggled up on my couch with the temperature right around 1* outside, I was mostly grateful for the simple things. I was grateful that we are all healthy. I was grateful that we had a warm house to come home to. I was grateful to have the glow from our Christmas tree light the room and I was grateful to be sipping on hot cocoa while watching my favorite TV show. The other day I was complaining to Dan about our teeny-tiny pantry, fridge, and freezer after coming home from the grocery store and then it hit me...I had NOTHING to complain about. Complaining about not having enough space for all our food??? Are you kidding me? Then I felt embarrassed. What would a family struggling to keep food on the table think of my attitude? From that moment on, I realized that I needed to always try to have a better attitude. So, that night at karate, we donated food to the food drive they were having.

It was a good reminder for me of what really matters.

We had a bit of an usual Thanksgiving this year. We originally planned on going to Dan's parent's house for the holiday and then got a letter from my mom telling us that Jesse's mission farewell had been scheduled for that same Thanksgiving weekend and also my little nephew's baby blessing would be on the same day since family would be in town. So, after lots of thought we decided that it was still important to try to do both. KJ and I went up to Boise and Dan took Jack and Liv to Grandma and Grandpa Howard's house in Illinois. I just couldn't miss my only baby brother's mission farewell. My brother and KJ are extremely close and it was important for KJ to be there for one last good-bye. Jesse leaves in exactly one week and will be down in Brazil serving a mission for our church for two whole years. Which feels like forever in KJ's eyes. We knew this day was coming as he's always planned on serving a mission when the time came, so we shed many tears, both happy tears and sad tears. We know he will do great and the people of Brazil will be lucky to have him! I just hate good-byes.

Dan had a great time visiting his family. Jack and Olivia loved seeing their cousins. And since Dan was in charge of pictures, we don't have any from their trip. :) BUT, my cute niece Emily did take a few pictures of some of the cousins together. Thanks Emily! Here are all the pictures she sent me.

But as for me...I always go overboard with pictures. Let's just say, I had plenty from our trip.

It was actually really nice to have some alone time with KJ. To just chat one-on-one, it doesn't happen very often anymore. We had to leave our house at 3 am (I went to bed at 1am) to make it to the shuttle on time to make it to our 'way-too-early-flight'. I need to remember that around the holidays, flights book quickly. Needless to say, I was exhausted but KJ was wide awake and excited to go on an airplane. It was kind of nice to see the sunrise over Utah. The pilot let him sit in his seat and he thought it was awesome to get to push some of the control buttons. :)

We also FINALLY got to meet my new nephew Russell!!!! I was so anxious to meet him, he was already 6 weeks old and I couldn't wait to hold him for the first time! He is an amazing baby. He already smiles and is so happy all the time. AND he already SLEEPS THRU THE NIGHT! He got a lot of love from all of us, he was a sweetheart. I miss him already.

We enjoyed our Thanksgiving with a lot of the family. We stuffed ourselves full.

Dan also said he had the best food at his mom's house! They had ham and turkey and all he kept talking about was how good his mom's roasted ham was. Thanks Judy for feeding my family so well!!! Dan always misses his mom's cooking.

We were some of the crazy people that decided to attempt black friday shopping at

Toys R' Us. It was actually a lot of fun. Most of the others stayed out all night and also went to Kohls and Target. I was done after the toy madness. But it was fun. Just so you know, we were #884 in line to get in. We were tired and got a little creative while waiting, hence the huge pet store window decal stickers. Although it was madness, it was fun hanging out with my mom, brother, cousins and aunts. It's also fun to people-watch those who are really in to the whole thing. We were just there for fun, but some of those people are just plain crazy.

(Bottom middle picture is all of us all looking thru the ads after dinner)

The next couple of days we just enjoyed being around everyone. We had a nice Just Dance party and KJ enjoyed his time with some of his cousins.

Our last day there was very bitter-sweet. Nicole and Jason's baby was blessed. It was a beautiful blessing and very special. Then we had Jesse's farewell meeting where he gave a wonderful talk and my cousin Bradley did an amazing musical number. After the meeting we went to my mom's house for a big going-away party. We are sure proud of Jess and the man that he has become. He is a great example to my little ones. I'm grateful for that too because my kids really look up to him. He will do great! I can't wait to hear about his adventures over the next 2 years. He will be an awesome missionary!

We also had Dan's Birthday the night before we left for our trip.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY OLD MAN!!!

We are sure GRATEFUL for you! You are the best! We LOVE YOU LOTS!

Happy 70th Birthday!!

2011-11-16T20:26:00.000-08:00

Sending Grandma Howard very special Happy Birthday wishes today!
We hope you know how much we love you and appreciate you.
We feel so blessed to have you in our lives.
You've been the BEST Grandma to our little ones, the best mom to my hubby,
and the best mother-in-law and friend to me!
You've been nothing short of amazing!
I hope you were completely spoiled today, you certainly deserve it.
We love you to the moon and back!

Happy 70th Birthday!

school days...

2011-11-11T22:02:00.001-08:00

The annual school pictures have arrived...

They aren't the best pictures of the kids, but hey, what do you expect from a school photographer!?! But who cares, when I look at these pictures, I smile. I sure do love my little ones (most of the time) and I hope I always remember what they were like at this very point in time.

I want to remember KJ's crooked teeth, his hair spiked the way he likes it, and his super cute freckles.

I want to remember Jack's always crooked glasses, his curled up earlobes and his teeny tiny teeth.

I want to remember Olivia's shiny blond hair, how she smiles with her eyes, and her love for girly accessories.

Snow, Pirates and Ducks....OH MY!

2011-11-03T13:58:00.000-07:00

We had the pleasure of having lots of company last week!! My Nana and Pops Smidt flew down from CdA, Idaho and stayed 6 whole days! My parents and my brother Jesse flew down from Boise, Idaho and stayed over a week! It was SO awesome! I really love having a house full. I also loved that I didn't have to do any dishes, sweeping, or clearing the table. I didn't have to do the whole bedtime routine because all of those types of things were taken care of with Nana and Mom around! I also got out of playing dolls or dress-up with Liv, she was the puppet master for all the company and they did whatever they were commanded to do. I'd sneak some of those pictures in, but promised that I wouldn't post those dress up pictures. But just know that Pops Smidt looks great in funny fake teeth, pink blankets and red ladies sunglasses! ha!

We were able to cram a lot of fun things in to this one short week, but I will just highlight a few of our favorites or this blog will take me all afternoon!

There were a couple of reasons we planned this trip. One being that my little brother Jess will be leaving on a mission for church soon and will be down in Brazil serving others for 2 years. He wanted to come and spend some time with the kids before he left. I am so glad he came. The kids were literally in heaven all week. There is never a dull moment with Jess around. I've never met anyone who has the gift to be able to play with kids so well! (he will be an awesome dad someday) They all slept in one room together (on non-school nights), they played Nintendo, football, snowball fights, carved pumpkins, watched super-hero movies, and now that Jess is gone, our house seems so BORING! KJ cried when we dropped him off at the airport, it was a sad day for him. They are great friends and Jess is a great example to my little ones and I really appreciate that! I hope they can grow up to be as good a person as he is. And he looks great in 6 inch stiletto heels. HA!

The second reason for this trip is that the Oregon Ducks were down here playing! All the guys went to the game while the girls went Christmas Shopping. Shopping with girls is always a fun time!

We also had a big Sunday dinner with everyone and Britt, Shawn and Lucy came! It was nice to have so many people that I love under one roof!

On Monday we had a very exciting day! We found real pirate treasure!! ;) My parents and Jess brought a cool old box filled with 'pirate treasure' and my dad and Jess buried it and made a cool map. So, we went up to Horsetooth Reservoir for FHE and a BBQ picnic dinner. We went on a nice hike where KJ found a glass bottle buried in the sand. He couldn't believe his discovery! He opened the bottle to find this old pirate treasure map. He was squealing with excitement. He kept saying things like, "someone pinch me, I must be dreaming" and "I think I'll be on the news because this is the greatest discovery of my time." This kid always says the funniest phrases. So, we all followed the map, and eventually found the treasure. As we were looking through the treasures he was saying that he couldn't wait to tell his class and then after he realized that the $ in the treasure box really was old REAL money he decided that he better keep it a secret or someone may come and try to steal it. :) Jack was excited that he found the Chaos Emerald Diamond (I think it's from a nintendo game?) And Liv loves her new pirate necklace and eye patch! All the kids divvied up the goodies and have them hidden in their rooms so that someday they can be RICH! This was definitely the kids highlight of the week. It was magical. Thanks to Dad for the idea! It will be something they will never forget.

(I tried to scan the map but it was way too big. But you can see part of it. It really does look old with the burned edges)

Just going on an every day type of hike, or so they think!

Then KJ found the map!

Here is where they discovered the box buried under rocks and dirt.

The unveiling!

This picture is great because it captures KJ's excitement! He was thrilled!

Happy Happy Kiddos!

The Monday we had the hike it was 84* and we were all HOT! Then by Wednesday we had a huge swing in temperature and it was in the 30's and we woke up to a foot of snow! It was nuts. The kids stayed home from school and they played in the snow for hours and hours. Snow is always more fun with Jess around too. He helped them build a snow fort!

Liv caught this snow ball right in the face! Nice shot Jack!

And Dan's 3 highlights of the week were: 1. His St.Louis Cardinals won the world series! 2. The McRib is back at McDonalds! 3. The Ducks won!

A good week was had by all! Please come back to visit soon! We miss you already!

A Spooktacular Day!

2011-11-01T13:14:00.000-07:00

We had a great Halloween this year! (We've actually had an exciting last couple of weeks. But since I am running short on spare time this afternoon, those posts will come later this week) My sister Britt brought her little one and came up to visit and share the day with us. It was great to have the chance to be with little Lucy on her first Halloween! She is the cutest doll, I wish she were mine!

Lucy and Britt for the day, sunshiny-warm weather, loads and loads of candy, a lunch date, school parties, 3 super excited kids, chili for dinner...what more could you ask for? It was a great day.

Olivia had her share day at preschool and wanted to share her cousin with her preschool class. She loves her and keeps asking why she can't have a little sister just like Lucy.

It was great having the Colorado cousins spend some time together! I am so glad I have part of my family close enough to be able to do this!

We carved pumpkins last week while my brother Jesse was here.

School parties!!!!

Our little pink flamingo! Liv got to sport 2 different outfits. Britt and I got matching outfits for our girls (strawberries) and then my friend sent me an outfit to borrow for trick-or-treating!

Our little Donkey Kong!
The only way we could talk him out of wearing a Mario costume again this year was to find a DK costume.

And of course, Keaton spent the night as his favorite charactrer, Harry Potter. He was casting spooky spells all night.

Dan wore this freaky mask and while we made a round through part of the neighborhood, he just stood behind the bushes in the field staring at people. He got a few good scares out of people. He looked very creepy just watching everyone. He loves Halloween as much as the kids.

This holiday is a dentist's worst nightmare. Here are the kids with their 'loot'.

Field Trip x 3...

2011-10-17T09:28:00.000-07:00

One of the perks of being a stay-at-home mom is that I get the chance to help out at school whenever I can. The past couple of weeks I've been able to go on a field trip with each of my little munchkins! We rode the bus, it was weird to be back on a school bus after so many years. They still smell the same, the vinyl seats still stick to your skin, the loud kids still sit in the very back, and the windows are still just as fun to click down. We all had a great time. I love being around all these kiddos, they keep me young!

Olivia went to the community garden center.

They LOVED getting to 'pet' the fish.

A lesson on flowers.

My cutie pie!

Here's Olivia's cute little preschool class.

Keaton went on a trip to the CSU farms.

Here is KJ's class!

They got to watch a sheep get sheared. They all kept a little baggie of wool.

Loved petting the horses.

This wasn't at the field trip...but I wanted to add it because if you can tell, KJ's teacher shaved his head in a checkerboard pattern because the kids all earned enough good behavior points. KJ is loving having a male teacher that is so much fun.

Jack went to an Old farm that was donated to the Parks and Rec program here in the city.

Jack's class!

The hay ride.

This is little Lucy. Jack has a little crush on her. She's so cute!

Each kid got to pick a pumpkin.

Even Liv got a pumpkin!

Jack loved playing on the old tractors the most.

A plea for all moms...

2011-10-14T08:58:00.000-07:00

As of 45 minutes ago, my heart is aching. My heart hurts for my little Jack. When I take the boys to school every morning, I make sure and walk Jack to his classroom door to make sure he makes it there with his lunch and his backpack. But this morning wasn't as smooth going as our typical days. This morning slapped me in to reality and made me very aware of the mean that can happen in this world. I know all little kids can be mean at times, but it always hurts when someone is mean toward your own child. A helpless little kid. A little boy in his class was behind him in line to go to class and kept taunting Jack and finally said, "I'll NEVER be your friend, Jack, because you are so weird. You make other people feel weird." And then proceeded to cut him in line. I SO wanted to run up and slap that little boy. I just went up to him and quietly said, "Do you know how much you just hurt Jack's feelings? That was a very mean thing you said to Jack." Then I looked back at Jack, his big puppy dog eyes welling up with tears. There was nothing I could do or say to take that sadness away from him. I felt a little bit helpless. Jack is already starting to realize that he is 'different'. He wonders why it's not so easy for him to make friends on the playground when it is second nature to his older brother and younger sister. I just hugged him, told him to have a Fantastic Friday and try to play with kids that are nice to him. He said there is only one boy that is nice to him, Marcus. I was so thankful for Marcus and his parents at that moment for teaching their son to be kind to everyone. I wanted to break down and cry, but I saved that 'til I got in the car to come home. I had to send Jack in to the world with sad eyes and it broke my heart. I called and told his teacher to be extra kind to Jack today because he was a bit sensitive this morning, she said she would make sure to. So my plea to all the mother's that read my blog, teach your kids to be kind. Teach them that just because someone may act or think differently than your kid, that they still have feelings, that they can still feel hurt and alone. Teach them to love one another. Teach them to respect other's feelings. Teach them to be patient. Teach them to be aware of differences. Teach them to try to include everyone. Teach them to say Hello to someone who may be all alone. I hate that I had to leave Jack this morning. I just wanted to scoop him up, hold him, and take him on a special date. Take him to McDonalds for his favorite treat, a yogurt parfait. But instead, I sent him to school, because he must learn the hard lessons in life. He must learn that life can be hard at times. He must learn to be independent. I will plan on going to lunch to see how he's doing in a couple of hours. Until then, I will be worried and sad. I know that this is just a part of life, but it still just doesn't seem fair.

Dust yourself off and try again...

2011-10-06T10:02:00.000-07:00

I wasn't planning on posting about this most recent child bike wreck, but KJ was looking thru our old blog book and found the pictures of his stitches from his fall a couple of years ago. He told me he was glad I wrote about it and took pictures so that he could remember what had happened. How quickly we tend to forget our 'owies'. So, KJ, this is for you, so that one day you will remember that when you fall, you ALWAYS get up and try, try again. :)

So, Dan and KJ went on their typical Friday after school run/bike ride. (Dan runs while KJ rides) Their plan was to ride over the the dirt bike track where Dan would run around the field while KJ rode. KJ has tackled this track many, many times and he really loves to jump and race his new bike.

Here's the track he loves.

Anyway, I started dinner and got a call from an unknown number. I almost didn't answer, but did, and it was from a lady's cell phone at the track telling me to come and pick up KJ NOW, he wrecked his bike! As a mother, I instantly went in to panic mode and thought the worst. Gathered the kids, hopped in the car and drove over to the track. (I did leave dinner cooking on the stove...oops!) When I got there, KJ's handle bars were bent/turned around backwards, and he was sitting on the dirt ground with blood pouring off his chin (the face bleeds a LOT). Poor guy. He was really shaken up and was in shock. We brought him home, checked him out (no broken bones or busted teeth) and had him sit in a warm bath. After he was cleaned up he looked MUCH better, like a tough macho man! He had a smoothie for dinner, and relaxed to Nacho Libre. He was pretty bruised up, sore wrists, split/swollen lips, headache and sore/swollen nose, but 2 weeks later he's all back to normal. His scabs just fell off a couple of days ago. Just in time for our family pictures this weekend (which I had to postpone)!

One quick and cute/sad story...later that night KJ told me that when he flipped over his handle bars he kind of blacked out and he could taste the blood that he was swallowing. He said, "You know when people die, blood comes out of their mouths...When I was swallowing all that blood, I thought that meant I was dying." Poor guy.

Here is his face after being cleaned up. It actually looked worse the next day.

He's one tough cookie. He didn't complain once, except to tell me it hurt when his lip kept re-cracking during the week.

After pictures this weekend, we plan to take him back.
"Cowboy Up". Get back on the horse and keep riding.

Happy Birthday Mom...

2011-09-29T19:40:00.000-07:00

We hope you had a fabulous day! We all love you as big as the beach!

Soccer mom...

2011-09-22T21:53:00.000-07:00

I grew up playing soccer. I started playing when I was 6 years old for a team called the Pink Panthers and ever since those early childhood days I have loved soccer and all that it entails. I played for most of my childhood and into my high school years. I was never the star of the team, but I really loved soccer.

My very first soccer team...notice my dad. He looks exactly like my little brother Jess!

Gotta love the 80's!

(I am on the bottom left and my sister Heidi is on the bottom, 3rd one from the right)

The Firecrackers!

And my high school soccer days.

I started KJ in soccer lessons at the age of 3. He played a couple of years and then told me that soccer wasn't really his 'thing'. WHAT?!? Not your 'thing'?? My whole pregnancy I had visions of being a soccer mom, I planned to always be the volunteer soccer coach just like my dad always was.

I just didn't understand.

Here is KJ at 3 years old! He was so little!!!

Here he is at 6 years old.

KJ has since found a new sport that he really likes. He has just started playing Lacrosse. And I do have to admit, it is a FUN sport to watch and very similar to soccer, so I guess I will just have to become a Lacrosse mom for now!! We have learned that Lacrosse is a very popular/competitive/BIG sport here in Fort Collins.

Jack is more of an individual sports kind-of-guy. We are thinking along the lines of karate, cross country/track, rock climbing, tennis, swimming, etc.

He does have good form!!

And loves to climb.

I still have hope that my little Liv will be my soccer star!
She certainly has the strong legs to be a good sweeper!

But, she may stick to ballet and gymnastics!

Slow down little one...

2011-09-15T11:42:00.000-07:00

I wish so badly that I had the power to slow the hands of time and be able to enjoy these moments of my children's lives a little longer before they so quickly pass by. I do admit that each new phase in their lives is just as fun and exciting as the last, I just wish it didn't pass by so rapidly. Why do you ask am I writing this now? My baby is now in preschool (Pre-K) 3 days a week. I know that this is a great thing and people just don't understand why this makes me sad, but it has been over 9 years now that I've had at least one child at home with me at all times during the day. Tugging on my leg, asking to play, telling me they love me, wanting to watch a cartoon, or asking for snacks and lunch. I have always wanted to be a mother, and I know I always will be, but as my kids grow they don't seem to need me as much. I guess I like to be needed. Maybe I should see a therapist about that!!! They are gaining their own set of life skills and independence and I know this is a fabulous and necessary thing and I am so proud of all of them. I guess I have learned to realize that all those times I said, "BE QUIET, IT'S ALWAYS SO NOISY AROUND HERE!!!" are the times I miss. I never, ever thought I would say that! When Olivia is gone and the boys are at school all day, it is so quiet and I don't like it! I'm sure I'll grow to like it, and maybe, just maybe, I'll be more organized and have a clean house. But probably not! This quiet is so new to me and I miss the noise of children. So, while she is away, I find myself not wanting to stay at home where it is quiet. I want to be running errands (which, I might add is much easier and faster without little ones. But I am always feeling like I'm forgetting something when it's just me at the store), or listening to my music, or watching TV just so it's not so quiet. I was beginning to think that I was going nuts because EVERYONE I have talked to about this keeps telling me that they are jealous, that they can't wait to have some alone time, and that I should just enjoy it. I guess it's time I start a new hobby. Time to find a new passion. Time to find something that will keep me occupied. Not something that will keep me busy, I'm always extremely busy, but something that keeps my mind working. So if any of you mom's have any ideas, send them my way! Until I do find a new passion, I will be anxious to hear the NOISE that comes after 3:30 in the afternoon and lasts until 8:30 at night.

Here are some pictures of my sweet little one on her first day of school. She was EXTREMELY excited to start school. She was so ready. She is my social little butterfly and hasn't ever met anyone she doesn't like or call her friend. I am so glad that she isn't shy. I'm so glad she is anxious to go to school and to learn and be social. I love driving to pick her up and see her playing on the playground with her friends. I love to see my kids happy.

This was her choice of backpack.

I wanted her to choose the cute polka-dot one, but here again is an example of her independence. :)

She did however ask me if I could just "drop her off at the door because I know where my class is" on the first day of school. Um....NO....I don't think so! She also had to pick out her own outfit, not the special one I bought her for her first day of school. She didn't want to wear purple, she wanted black and pink, and she didn't want to wear her cute mary jane shoes, she wanted her Vans. Oh boy. She is my little independent/stubborn one. And I'm not sure if one day I will love this trait or hate it!

We shall see.

Her school is Very cool! It was the old high-school in town (1931) so it has a gym, and old wood floors, I love it inside!

Here is Olivia with her teacher, Mrs. Hunter. She LOVES her!

My little Jack-Jack turns 6...

2011-09-09T15:31:00.000-07:00

It was an unordinary birthday this year for our little Jack. He officially turned SIX years old in Witchita Kansas! We drove down to Texas for the big Oregon football game and it just happened to land on Jack's birthday weekend so we tried to make it a fun trip for him. He loves to stay in hotels, so he thought he was pretty cool. This is the first year ever that he hasn't had breakfast in bed on his birthday. We will be sure to do that for him tomorrow morning! The reason he didn't is because we bid on a hotel on Priceline and got a smoking deal on a room at a fancy schmancy hotel (Hyatt Regency) and it really was super nice but the only problem with fancy hotels is that you don't get the typical Continental Breakfast. You had to order room service or eat down in their fancy restaurant. We didn't feel like paying $12 for toast, so we went down the street hoping to eat at an Ihop or something similar and Jack saw a Long John Silvers and wanted to go there. Not my idea of a great 'breakfast' option, but it was his day so what-do-you-do. We opened some of his gifts which really was perfect timing to help keep him occupied for our next 5 hours in the car! He got a Nintendo DS game system and a few games. His favorites being anything mario, sonic and the oldschool pac-man/galaga. He's been talking about getting a Nintendo forever so he was very excited! It was the perfect birthday present for a road trip birthday!

We got to my Aunt Lori and Uncle Scott's house in Allen, TX and they made pizza and watermelon for dinner. Jack's favorite foods! Then we had cupcakes, the kids did some swimming, and we opened some more birthday presents from family. Despite the unusual birthday activities, he still had a great day.

I did get to go to his class with cupcake treats and we sang to him!

He feels a sense of entitlement now that he's 6. He wants to dish up his own food and pour his own milk, he wants to cross the street by himself, he wants to wear a hat to school (even though they aren't supposed to), he doesn't want to put his clothes away, he only wants to wear character type shirts (which I hate), he wants to stay up late and watch movies, he wants to play his Nintendo when it's homework time, he wants to start karate and soccer, he wants to make his own school lunches, he doesn't want to wear his glasses, he wants to go to Disneyland to ride on the big kid rides, all because "I'm SIX now!"
What a neat and special little boy he is. He has a certain quality about him that draws people to him. Everyone who knows Jack, loves Jack. What would I ever do without him? He really is my favorite little six year old in the whole wide world. There are times I'd like to pull my hair out and throw a temper-tantrum to compare to his, but he really does make my life complete. I love him as big as the beach, he has stolen my heart.

We had to stop in Russell, Kansas on our way home to snap a couple of pictures of Jack! It is his middle name and his dad calls him Russell every now and then! Yes, you read that right. Jack Russell. Like the dog. It was the ONLY compromise Dan and I could come up with for boy names. Dan is famous for liking really unusual names. His real name is Jackson so it doesn't look too funny at school or on his Birth Certificate! Russell is a family name and I had to use it. It is my Great-Grandma's maiden name and my dad's middle name. Dan thinks it would be so cool one day to be a famous athlete with the name 'Jack Russell'.
(and my soon-to-be nephew will also be Russell. Jack thinks his cousin is being named after him!)
It's such a great name!

Happy 6th Birthday little Jack!

PS---
We tried to get a 'state sign' picture when we would cross the border, but my camera isn't fast enough or there was always a semi truck blocking the picture. Oh well. Here are some that we did get! Keaton was excited to have a sign with his name on it because there is never anything with his name on it!

I still love my Ducks...

2011-09-09T13:54:00.000-07:00

Picture this....

Getting ready to go see our Ducks play in our green and yellow at my Aunt Lori's house in Allen, TX...

a sold out Dallas Cowboys stadium...

a super HOT day in Dallas, Texas...

singing the national anthem with over 80,000 die-hard football fans...

watching Puddles kick some tail in the mascot dance off

(he really is the best mascot in the country, hands down)...

watching the game on the biggest,

HUGEST (i know that isn't a word, but the screen really was that big)

JUMBO screen I've ever seen...

Watching our family's favorite football (UofO) team play LSU...

With my favorite people...

And we lost.

But it was still a fun, exciting, HOT, kind of day. A once-in-a-lifetime type of game. Let's just hope this isn't an indication of how our season will go. But even if it is...we still love our Ducks! I have a feeling we will do fine even though our team is young this year.

I'm ready for some football, how about you!?!

back to school...

2011-08-23T13:01:00.000-07:00

We survived yet another first day of school!!! I always DREAD this day. I try so hard to be calm so that the boys don't sense my anxiety, but as soon as the first bell rings and they head in to their classrooms, I instantly get watery eyes. It did help that this year they were both super excited to start school. Not sure why, I like summer vacation much better. Maybe it's the fact that they are going to a school this year called BACON Elementary. :)

(Bob Bacon who the school is named after is a Senator here in Colorado)

When we were first looking at moving to this area we thought it would be so funny to have the kids go to this school. Anyone who knows Dan knows why this is so ironic. Anyway...turns out that this school was recommended by everyone in the area as having the best program for kids with Aspergers. So our quest was to find a good rental in the school district and we did! So far the school has been amazing. It has great resource/therapy/aid help, is very organized, all the teachers are very friendly, it is state-of-the-art being so new, the principle already knows our names, I signed on to help in the PTA and as a classroom helper in both the boys classes, and they have a HUGE playground which is the most important thing according to KJ. KJ has a male teacher which he was thrilled about! This is his teacher's first year of teaching which can either be good or bad. We think it will be good, he's very excited and enthusiastic about teaching and has lots and lots of good ideas for fun learning! When we met his teacher we learned that he has wanted to be a third grade teacher for the past 14 years, when he himself was a third grader, which makes him about 22-23 years old, which makes me feel very, very old. KJ got 'student-of-the-day' on the first day of school so he got to sit in the special 'black' chair! We met some great kids while waiting in the class line and by the time school started KJ said he had already made 3 new friends. When I picked him up from school he said this is the COOLEST school he's ever been to and that this year will be his favorite year EVER. He gets to be on the 2nd floor with the 'older' classes, so he thinks he's pretty cool. Let's hope it stays that way.

As for Jack, he is the one that had me most nervous. Dan keeps telling me that he will do just fine, but I worry about all the little things. I worry that he wont eat enough at lunch (which is bad because of his metabolic disorder), I worry the nurse wont give him his meds on time, I worry he may feel left out at recess, I worry people wont be as patient with him as they should be, I worry he wont know how to tell the teacher if he is behind or struggling with something, I worry he wont be able to put the straw in his juice box or open his string cheese, with Jack I worry about all the little things that are so normal for typical kids. He is my baby. He's needed me a little bit more that my other 2 children and he has required much, much more attention, so having him gone all day instead of just a few hours at a time is a very big adjustment for me. He's been my focus for the past 5 years. He definitely holds a special place in my heart and it's only 1:40 in the afternoon and I'm already missing him dearly. But I also know that this Independence is just what he needs. He needs to learn to be social, he needs to learn to share, he needs to learn all kinds of things on his own...without me guiding him. I know he will have a great year. He was most excited that he sits by a girl named Lucy which is his newest cousins name. He is also excited that he gets to eat lunch at school out of a Mario Kart lunch box. It's the little things that make Jack happy and I will definitely miss that during the day. I have a couple more weeks of Olivia all to myself before she starts Pre-K, 3 half-days a week. I am definitely going to have to start a new hobby next year when all three kids are in school all day. But for now, I will work 2 days a week at the school and play catch-up on my one free half-day of the week! I'm sure there will be many more school day posts....stay tuned!

The traditional first day of school picture!

I had to get a picture in front of the school sign,
it's too cool of a name not to!

Testing out the playground before school!

Third graders lining up for the first bell. His new teacher
is in the blue shirt.

His new friends! YAY!

Jack is just too cool for school!
Love this little guy!

Excited to be a Bacon Bulldog!

This will probably be Jack's favorite subject...recess!

Having popsicles after I picked them up! They survived their
first day!

summer va-cay

2011-08-16T22:02:00.000-07:00

We just got home from our 2 week summer vacation to Idaho and I am SO tired. It was just me and the kids and we drove and drove and then drove some more. We went to Boise for a week, Riggins for a long weekend, and then up to Coeur d'Alene for 6 days and then drove all the way back home to Colorado! I get tired just thinking about it! In fact, I really don't have the motivation to do this post, but with school starting soon I know I need to get it done ASAP. So get ready for a whole lot of pictures and not a whole lot of words. I'm too tired to think of what to say. But pictures are worth a thousand words right?!?

It's always great to get together with the Boise family for a good old fashioned Sunday dinner! I seriously think I have the best family in the world. I am so lucky!

We had a day at the lake where we swam, tubed, and water skied. I hadn't slalom skied in probably 10+ years, so I was happy that I got up this year! I wont wait as long before I get out there again.

We had a mini-family-baby-shower for Coley while we were there. It was just family and it was so much fun. We can't wait to meet little Russell in less than 2 months!

While I was in Coeur d'Alene I had the chance to meet up with some of my oldest and best friends from way back when! We spent one afternoon playing at my friend Lexs' house and it was so much fun to see my friends children. It's weird that we are all growing up and have families of our own! I also got to see my HATS girls (Hana-Alexis-Tiff-Shawna). We try to get together whenever we can, the four of us have remained close since high school and I love those ladies. We took an evening hike around Tubbs Hill and then walked around downtown. I love old friends that you can get together with after long times apart and it feels as if we were hanging out like old times.

We spent one day in Coeur d'Alene being tourists. We went to the Fort Sherman park, went to the 'beach', walked around downtown and went to a super fun toy store to let the kids pick a souvenir. We tried going to Hudson's for a famous Hamburger but the line was out the door so we went to Paul Bunyan's for a burger and a shake. I love this part of Idaho, it is so beautiful and I forget just how beautiful it is until I go back 'home' to visit.

We also spent a day at SILVERWOOD!!!! This was the kids highlight of the trip up to Nana Smidt's! They were in complete heaven. I loved having Pops there with me to ride all the big roller coasters!!! It was a great day!

Nana was so cute to get down and play with the kids. Her and Olivia spent a lot of time creating chalk masterpieces!

I thought this was so sweet. After all these years of marriage, they still like to hold hands in the park. I hope Dan and I will be like them someday! I love them to death.

I also got to meet my newest cousin, Maggie. She's a doll and a super easy, content, sweet baby!

And now begins the whole reason for our trip to Idaho....RIGGINS!!!!!! This is the one tradition that my kids will hold me to. This is their 'all-time' favorite place to be. And we had to make the trip up this year because my little brother will be leaving on a mission for church and will be gone for 2 years. His last family vacation choice was camping at Riggins. What we love is that we can camp on white sand beaches, there are porta-potty's, we can swim, we can kayak, we cook great camp food, we can fish, we roast marshmallows and starbursts, and the list goes on and on. It was a great way to spend time with family and especially Jess before he leave for Brazil.

Kayaking...

White sand...

The dogs had just as much fun as we did!

We always love Jack's tan line!!

This was the sunset we saw each night from our campsite.

It really is one of God's greatest creations!

Thanks to everyone who made the trip so much fun and so memorable!

Goodbye Idaho....until next time.

Nine Years Already?

2011-07-29T13:16:00.000-07:00

At 2:41pm nine years ago (on July 21st) a little boy named Keaton James came in to my life and forever changed me. He gave me that perfect gift of motherhood and I knew at the very moment the nurse placed him in my arms, it would be impossible to ever be more filled with joy and love. Suddenly the 41 hours of labor, sickness, pain and eventual C-Section stress melted away and I held the most perfect and precious little man. I knew he was sent to me straight from heaven. He was perfect and pure. I am forever grateful for him. He is still the sweetest thing and is growing MUCH MUCH too quickly. He keeps telling me he's halfway to becoming an adult and this will be his last year in single digits ever. While he's anxious to grow up, I would like him to be my little baby forever. And he will be. He'll always be my little baby boy, even when he outgrows me by height, weight and shoe size. :)

Since we are brand new to the area, we had a little family party for him in a Harry Potter theme the weekend before his 'Real' Birthday. It was a really fun day. We had my 2 little sisters, their hubby's, and sweet little Lucy here to help us celebrate! We even had butterbeer the official drink of Harry Potter Fans everywhere.

And we all went to the pool!

Keaton has been saving up his money for years to buy something really cool. He decided that he was ready to make his first real BIG purchase. He went and bought himself a really nice new shiny Trek Bike. He was very specific on what he wanted. He wanted a front shock, 21 speeds, a kick stand, etc. He was able to get exactly what he wanted and he is now OBSESSED. He wants to ride all the time. I know it was a perfect purchase and one he will always remember. (I still remember my first big purchase. An old school nintendo with a power pad and 2 guns for the game Duck Hunt)

(Notice we were counting the $ that has had his piggy bank full the past couple of years! The nice bike shop was more than happy to have all those quarters and $2 bills I'm sure!)

On his real birthday, we had the typical breakfast in bed.

We went on a bike ride to the dirt bike park.

We stopped and ate a snow cone!

We went out to lunch at his favorite place, Noodles.

We went to spend the extra $ he got for his birthday. He had enough from family to get his very first digital camera. Another great purchase that gets used lots and lots.

We went to a party at Dan's new dental office where about 50 people sang to him and totally made him blush! (Dan had a ribbon cutting for his new office and we made it seem like a party for KJ. The Chamber of Commerce scheduled this months ago and we couldn't change it. It was fun. It was catered with YUMMY food and desserts and we had prizes, etc.)

We ordered pizza and had cake and ice cream.

We opened gifts.

We watched Harry Potter.

Then we went to bed and I, as usual, got a little misty eyed. I don't know why, but every time I put the birthday boy/girl to bed I get all sentimental. I guess it's a mom thing.

I think he had a great birthday! I can't believe I have a nine year old. Holy cow!

Happy Birthday Bud! We love you more than you'll ever know!

my trip to my grandma and grandpa's house (written by Keaton)

2011-07-26T15:45:00.000-07:00

I got to take a trip to my grandparents house a few weeks ago all by myself. I got to stay with them for 2 whole weeks. I drove to Nebraska with my dad and little brother, it seemed like a day til we got to Nebraska. When we were in Nebraska late that night we talked to Sam a little then went to bed. Sam is my cousin and he is 9 years old like me but he is almost 10. After that first night we went to the zoo and we ate lunch at Cracker Barrel. I got a grilled cheese sandwich with 2 pickles on each slice. Sam got chicken and dumplings. We got to swim twice at the hotel. I had pancakes for breakfast and at 10:00am Jack and my dad drove home to colorado. And I drove to Illinois with Sam, Grandma and Grandpa. I got to do a lot of things with my grandma and grandpa.

*I got to drive Grandpa's tractor twice. And my dad didn't get to until he was 12 years old. The second time I drove it, I was pulling logs to this place in their backyard where they burn wood.

*I got to sleep at Uncle Brian's barn with my cousins and we had fun when we were playing his Wii.

*We got to go to Toys R Us.

*We went to the Abraham Lincoln Museum in Springfield, Illinois. This was my favorite thing that we did. We went to this place in the museum called AT&T, there was this guy who talked about the people from the past. My favorite place there was in this movie theater and what we watched was called Lincoln's Eyes. My favorite part in the movie is when they shot a cannon on the screen and real smoke rings came at us from the sides of the theater and the seats shook. It was very cool. We actually got to look at real things that Abraham Lincoln and his friends used. And we saw their real clothes. There were those things that they put on the bad guys legs to keep them in a place that they want them to stay. It only looked like it was 90 years old but it was really about 218 years old. I liked his log cabin, I liked the ghosts in the library, and I liked all the wax figures. They looked so real. We had fun there and we learned a lot.

*We saw Fireworks at the Elmwood park. Firemen shot up fireworks and when they exploded they were about as big as a tractor. I spent the 4th of July there.

*I ate at Steak and Shake. This is my dad's favorite place.

*I had pizza at Monicals. This is the best pizza in the world.

*I helped Grandpa on the train and rode a safari bus around the Wildlife Prairie State Park. Grandpa is in charge of the train at the park. We saw bison, deer, squirrels and a goat. Grandpa and grandma bought me a really cool wolf t-shirt souvenier and an arrowhead necklace.

*I rode bikes with Sam.

*We went to the movies and saw Cars2 in 3D and I liked it very much.

*A few days later I caught a LOT of fireflies with Sam. We put them in a lightbulb shaped cage and we hung it on a hook on grandma's house.

*We went swimming 3 times at the neighbors house.

*And on both the Sundays, we went to a band concert at the park. My favorite was the first time. Because they played a Star Wars song.

*I went to go see my cousins Emily and Sam's softball and baseball games.

*I got to see my other Uncle Tim and Sheyenne, my other cousin. Sheyenne stayed at Grandma's house for a few days. We played the Wii a lot. We played baseball a lot too.

*On our drive back to Nebraska to meet my mom and dad, we stopped at the Amana colonies in Iowa. We ate lunch there. We ate saurkraut, popcorn chicken and I dipped it in Honey. It was yummy. I never dipped my chicken in honey before.

When we got back to Nebraska we met my family at a hotel. The hotel had waterslides. It was fun.

Then we all went out to my favorite place to eat. We went to Red Lobster and I got crab legs. I love it when I get crab legs.

We watched Night at the Museum at the hotel and had popcorn. I was happy to see my brother and sister again. I love staying in hotels.

I had the most fun on this trip than ever. I hope I get to do it again on another summer vacation. I love you Grandma and Grandpa. Thanks for all the fun.

10 years ago today...

2011-07-12T09:13:00.000-07:00

...we tied the knot!!

And 10 years later...life is still good!

Happy 10th Anniversary Babe! I love you to the moon and back!

We have this picture/quote hanging in our bedroom and it is so true. Dan and I share so much joy and that's why we have been so happy after all these years! Can't wait to see what the future holds for us.

The first 39 days...

2011-07-07T11:47:00.000-07:00

I'm BAAAAAAACK! We have already had 39 days of summer break and it has literally just flown by. I hope it slows down a bit...I'm not ready for these summer days to come to an end just yet! Since I haven't blogged in a few weeks, I thought I'd pick the top 10 events of the last 39 days. They are in no particular order and I'm keeping it short and sweet because so much has happened, if I blogged in detail about everything, I'd be on this computer for hours and I want to get back to playing with my kiddos! (who are currently baking me some yummy lunch in Olivia's play kitchen) We have a date to go to the park this afternoon and I don't like to keep them waiting!

(remember, click on any collage to see larger)

#1 - Met cousins for the first time -

I have a cousin David (whom I adore) who lives in Texas and it's been so long since I've seen him that I haven't had to chance to meet his adorable wife and 3 little kids! It might be the fact that he's been in dental school for the past 4 years which has kept him pretty busy! They came up to visit us last month and we had so much fun hanging out! It was as if we had been friends for life. And the kids love their 'new' cousins!

#2 - Cub Scout Camp for KJ

KJ was super excited about this one and had been looking forward to it for months! A whole week of fun, dirt, hikes, rock climbing, fishing, archery, building, hanging out with friends, leather work, kickball, knot tying, etc. etc. etc. It was packed full of all things that make 8 year old boys happy! I was able to volunteer for a day and helped about 80 eight-year-olds build their own step stool. We had a great time and it was fun to spend the day with Keaton. He's such a super-duper kid. We learned new camp songs and learned how to be stronger in Body, Mind and Spirit.

#3 - Ears Pierced -
Olivia got her ears pierced! I'm a little bit scared to post this because our whole 'family' tradition is to wait til you're 8 years old to get pierced ears, but I just couldn't wait anymore...sorry mom! We were shopping for clip-on's for her and just decided to 'go-for-it'. So I called Coley to come and be there for the big moment (because she threatened to kill me if I didn't) and it was so exciting for all of us! She was super brave, didn't cry at all and she looks adorable with cute little silver balls in her ears! Coley, Liv and I all got matching earrings. Have I ever mentioned I love having a little girl?!?

#4 - Leaving the hood -
I took one last picture of the neighborhood kids playing together. Our last neighborhood was full of little kids and they loved to get together on those hot summer days to play around. We will miss them (well, most of them). Good-bye Kent Creek Kids! :)

#5 - Time at the park -

My children could live at the park. It's their favorite every-day summer activity (besides the pool). We love to search for new parks in the city since everything is so new to us. Here is one evening at the park.

#6 - Our new home -

I'm a little embarrassed about this one....we moved...again. I swear our family calls us gypsies. Yes, over the past few years we have moved a few times. We are hoping we can call Fort Collins home from now on. Yes, we just moved last June to Colorado Springs, but to make a LONG story short...it didn't pan out for us there. Dan has started a new practice here in Fort Collins and so far we really like it here. We moved in to a small/cozy home (much smaller than I'm used to) until we get our feet on the ground, get the practice up and running and decide on what neighborhood we want to ultimately end up in. We picked our current neighborhood simply because of one thing...An Aspergers program at the elementary school. It sounds great, we are hoping for the best! Turns out the neighborhood is actually great. Close to shopping, lots of green space and trails, a park directly across the street, and a neighborhood pool which we've taken FULL advantage of the past couple of weeks! So this is where we call home. We are slowly getting unpacked and organized. One good thing about moving so much the past couple of years is that all our clutter and junk gets weeded out and I love that! I hate clutter!

#7 - My 30th -

I turned 30. I have had a lot of people asking me if it was a 'hard' birthday, but it really wasn't. I actually feel happy to start a new decade of life! Like a new excitement in a way. It's hard to explain. The only reason I was sad to be done with my 20's is because those past 10 years have brought me so many amazing and wonderful things and I have a feeling none of them will be able to be topped! I got married, had 3 amazing little ones, became an aunt multiple times, traveled to some of the most beautiful places in the world, moved to lots of different places, have made spectacular friends and I feel like I have learned a wealth of information about life whether it be good or bad. I mean for heaven's sakes, 4 years ago on my birthday my friend Rebecca flew my family to Maui on her private Gulfstream jet where we had our own personal flight attendants to change diapers, make lunch, and spray us with Evian water (seriously, that really happened), and then she put us up in a $5,000/night hotel suite. I know THAT will NEVER happen again in my lifetime. Unless I happen to win the lottery! I have had the opportunity to have done a lot of really fun stuff! But I do think with the 30's, I know that I have lots more to learn, I will love watching my children grow (holy smokes, I just realized I'll have an adult by the time I exit my 30's), look forward to discovering more about life and love, I look forward to making new friends and keeping in touch with old friends, I look forward to helping/supporting my hubby grow his new practice, I have a new desire to start a new hobby, I'd like to go back to school when all my kids are in school (which scares me, but I can't wait), I want to travel more, I will also need to start shopping for anti-aging creams, and possibly have to start to cover up some gray hair. :)

Here's to a new decade!!!!

On my 'real' birthday, Dan surprised me by taking the day off of work and we just played and spent the whole day together which is exactly what I wanted. KJ is gone staying at Grandma and Grandpa's house for the past couple of weeks in Illinois and comes home this weekend. So we missed him, but he's having a blast! I'm sure I'll blog about that later. Or let him blog about it!

We ended the fun-filled day with a ferris-wheel ride. I love them!

#8 - Birthday (day) party -

All I wanted to do for my birthday party was to spend the day outside. I didn't want some fussy/fancy party. I'm more about the laid-back, relaxed type of day! My sister and 2 brother-in-laws came to town to celebrate with me!!

We went to my FAVORITE new pizza place. It's right across the street from the college campus, which means it's cheap, busy, delicious, loud and EXACTLY what I wanted! :)

Then we walked around our new down-town area. I was actually impressed. I love a good downtown. It's not too huge, not too small, but just right.

Then we came home and went SWIMMING! Being in the water and sun is my favorite thing to do. We spent a long time at the pool. Mostly watching the guys try to hit the beach ball 50 times in a row without letting it drop. Ha! It was fun though and Jack and Liv loved showing off their swimming skills to their aunt and uncles.

#9 - Spoiled for the night -

My brother-in-law Jason is an amazing chef. I'm not kidding, everything he makes is my new favorite food. So for my gift from him, he spent the night preparing me a birthday dinner! It was AMAZING! Coley was his sous chef for the night and decorated the house with fun 30 party type stuff! :)

Then we had dessert, gifts, and a slumber party. Everyone spent the night. It was a blast. Just what I wanted. I just need to turn '30' every year!

(and look how my birthday cake is smoking, haha!)

I just realized that my 30th birthday got 3 posts...which is okay right?!?

and lastly...

#10 - Let Freedom Ring! The 4th of July -

We had a jam-packed day! Ate a lot of junk food and frozen yogurt, found awesome running trails, a new splash park, went to the pool for the neighborhood party, watched fireworks at night, and had our own little fireworks show to end our day!
I love the 4th of July. We missed KJ but we will see him this Saturday...we can't wait to have him back!!!!!

Hope you are all enjoying your summer!
And sorry for the long post! Moving just messed up my regular routines!
We are off to enjoy some sun...

we're going a little crazy....

2011-06-13T15:15:00.001-07:00

We are going a little nuts around here with packing, moving, scout camp, kids home from school, company, a trip to Grandma and Grandpa's, a garage sale, switching over utilities, cleaning, etc. etc. etc. Because of all this...we are taking a break from the blogging world til things get a little bit more settled. We hope to be back in action in a few weeks! I'm sure we'll have plenty to blog about when we come back!

Enjoy your summer breaks everyone....

School's out for summer....

2011-06-02T22:24:00.000-07:00

We survived another school year!

I think I was more excited than the kids to be done for the year.

Jack's Kindergarten 'Graduation' program! I am SOO proud of this little guy making it thru this school year!

And while the boys were in school, Olivia loved to hang out with these cute little ladies. We were so lucky to find such a fun group of girls all the same age with brothers all in the same kindergarten class! Made for fun weekly play dates and our running/walking mornings to have so many little girls around!

My sister Nicole and I crashed the 2nd grade lunch table and spent the lunch hour with Keaton and all his little buddies. I know he loved having us there, even if he did get a tad embarrassed at certain points!

After the last day of school, some friends from Jack's class all met at the park for some celebrating!

KJ chose to go bowling with his friend Reece after school was out! We had a fun and busy afternoon!

Now it's time to relax and enjoy our summer break....wait...nevermind. Now it's time to pack and move! Shoot. We will get to relax in a few weeks! Congrats to my cute boys for finishing up another successful school year!

blue skies and red rocks.

2011-05-26T20:34:00.000-07:00

What's the best way to spend a sunny Saturday afternoon? Enjoying the outdoors!! It was a perfect Saturday.

The perfect walking trail. (with a pit stop along the way for Jack!)

The perfect tree for climbing.

The perfect rocks for climbing.

The perfect afternoon with my favorite people.

Rudy's BBQ...the perfect ending.

Good-bye my love...

2011-05-24T21:04:00.000-07:00

Very sad post for our family. We had to say good-bye to our beloved dog because we will be moving in a few weeks and our new rental is a 'no-dogs-allowed' house. We said our good-byes and he went to a very good home. He'll still have kids to play with (which he loves), and hikes to go on almost every morning, a big backyard, and so we know he will be happy at his new home. We will miss our Mikey. He was such a cuddly little thing.

can you say competitive???

2011-05-18T20:50:00.000-07:00

I'm not quite sure what to think about my daughter's competitive nature. She is by far the most competitive one in our family. She HATES to lose at anything...the game of Life, race to get the car seats buckled, race to get jammies on before bed (you get the point)...she can NOT stand to lose to her brothers. I don't know if this is a good thing or will cause trouble when she's older. Jack learned to ride his bike without training wheels a few weeks ago and ever since that day Olivia has wanted to catch up with him and learn to ride her 2 wheels. I told her that when she turned 5 years old, I'd let her take them off. Well, after a couple of weeks of begging, I finally gave in thinking that she'd get frustrated and want them back on. I was wrong. She hopped on, and rode. She didn't even need my help. What the heck??? It was the easiest thing ever. When that girl sets her mind to something, there is no stopping her. I have a feeling I'm not going to like that during the pre-teen/teen years. After we came inside she asked, "are you proud of me now like you were proud of Jack when he learned?" Of course I am! I'm also not sure whether I like the fact that there are no more training wheels in our house. That means my kids are growing up too fast!

Here's my little dare-devil princess with her 2-wheel debut.

you are worth it all...

2011-05-09T20:59:00.001-07:00

Last night (Mother's Day) after the kids were sound asleep in bed and I had some quiet time I started thinking about just how crazy each day of motherhood is for me personally.

Yesterday the kids were all chasing each other around with foam swords and they kept running behind my 'rear-end' as if it was a giant shield of protection. That is never a good sign. It's also never good when your daughter pinches the loose skin on your tummy and says, "squishy, squishy" (this actually happened today while we were in line at the Post Office). Nice. Some parts of my body will never be the same after motherhood. There are many parts that I'd like to get tucked and tightened, but that's just not practical when I'm running around all day just wishing that I had been blessed with a 3rd arm.

Here are some other things that seem to keep my life pretty crazy....I'm sure most mom's out there can relate :

The middle of the night nightmares that require cuddle time and patience when I'm extra tired. Or the middle of the night sheet change that is sometimes required.
All the Saturday mornings that are no longer 'sleeping-in' days. Actually make that every morning. I miss sleeping in.
I keep wishing I had my pre-baby skin back. I'm tired of the stretch-marks that tend to make certain areas look more like a road map!
I miss my car being clean without cheez-it's or goldfish smashed in the carpet and all the creases of the car seats.
I get discouraged when I see the mountain of laundry calling my name and chuckle a bit when I see rocks or 'treasures' in the bottom of the washing machine.
I miss the times when I could actually have a peaceful phone conversation. There seems to be something imbedded in my children that when I get on the phone, fighting and crying immediately break out. I usually find myself talking in the bathroom or pantry or any other small place that can drown out their noise!
There are times when I just need to find a quiet place to get 5 minutes of peace.
I miss grocery shopping with a list and having time to actually look down each aisle. I usually get half-way done with shopping when someone has to use the potty .... NOW!
I usually have a very sticky or dirty phone because the kids love games and I cave because sometimes I just need a sanity moment.
I miss being able to check-out at the store without my children begging for a treat at the register. (Whoever came up with the idea of marketing candy and treats at check-out must have not had children of their own!)
I miss watching Ellen or Dr. Phil...now I'm nagging the kids to get their homework done.
I'm tired of asking: You're doing a potty dance...do you need to go potty? Did you flush the toilet? Did you wash your hands? DID YOU ACTUALLY GET ANY OF THE PEE 'IN' THE TOILET?!?
I'm tired of telling them they have to finish all of their dinner and then eventually setting the timer for 5 minutes.
I don't know how many times a day I have to say, "tell them you're sorry". No more hitting.
We sing the ABC's countless amounts of times, we listen to kids movies or kids music all the time. I miss my grown-up music.

And all of this is just in one day, and will have to be done all over again tomorrow.

Yet, no matter how tired and worn out I am, the GOOD-NIGHT kisses at night seem to make it all worth it.

My only hope this Mother's Day is that my kids will grow up and know that no matter what, their mom loves them. Not only loves them, but ADORES them. Being a mom is the the hardest yet greatest thing I've ever accomplished in my life. So today (the day after Mother's Day) I want to thank them for giving me the gift of being their mom.

I had a great day yesterday and was completely spoiled. It was so nice to have breakfast in bed, homemade gifts, a nice long foot rub, a simple and delicious dinner without dishes, and lots and lots of "I LOVE YOU's".

I also can't go without sending a BIG thank you to all the 'mom's' in my life. No words can express the gratitude I have for all of you. For what you've done to make our lives so great, and the love that you continue to show for us unconditionally. You exemplify what Mother's are supposed to be. Your examples have been such an impact on the way we live our lives.

"A Mother is the truest friend we have." - Washington Irving.

Happy Mother's Day!

This necklace is my new treasure. Olivia made this all on her own, and it literally took her hours. She was so proud of it and I am so in love with it. I will treasure it always. Her little fingers beading away was so cute. She is one determined little girl.

Tea for two...and two for tea...

2011-05-03T20:19:00.000-07:00

*This post is in honor of the recent Royal Wedding*

What's more fun than a tea party with your cute little 4 year old daughter??

Nothing.

She makes me so happy.

We also had to throw in a fun photo shoot!

This little girl loves the camera spotlight and has an attitude to go with it!

Rarrrrrrr.....

2-wheels for Jack...

2011-04-25T07:46:00.001-07:00

I know I just posted last night about Easter, but I wanted to share Jack's latest accomplishment before it gets brushed under the rug. Jack learned how to ride his bike WITHOUT the training wheels last Saturday!!! GO JACK! He was so proud of himself. We thought this would be a stressful process, but he got it within 10 minutes. Never fell down once. I think he's been ready, we just didn't get around to taking his wheels off early enough. Now, all he wants to do is ride around...only problem is that it's been cold and wet ever since. Here's hoping for warmer weather and no skinned knees.

I think Jack is getting too big for this bike, but it works for now!

Beautiful Easter Sunday...

2011-04-24T21:42:00.000-07:00

Although we woke up to a layer of white snow (which didn't make me very happy) our Easter Sunday ended up being a perfectly beautiful day. We had an Easter breakfast, talked to the kids about the real reason for this Easter Holiday while they snacked on all the goodies from the Easter Bunny. Then we went to church which really was my favorite highlight of the day! I can't imagine the holiday passing without being spiritually fed and showing my gratitude to the Savior. Refilling my spiritual tank was exactly what I needed today. The children and youth sang, and we heard some beautiful talks. I feel like my life would have so much less meaning and depth if I didn't have the gospel to rely on, as my strength...my rock. Coley and Jason both came with us today. It's such a great gift to have them there with my family. ALL 3 kids fought over who got to sit on their laps. They obviously love having them come too! I am grateful for the Savior, His life, His example, the Atonement and most of all the Resurrection. What an amazing event in History. What an amazing gift.

We came home and had a fabulous Easter feast!! We dyed eggs, had an Easter Egg hunt and as usual just enjoyed each other's company!

These are the four people I love more than anything else in the world!!

I read this quote tonight and loved it. I just thought I'd share.

“Each of us will have our own Fridays—those days when the universe itself seems shattered and the shards of our world lie littered about us in pieces. We all will experience those broken times when it seems we can never be put together again. We will all have our Fridays.

“But I testify to you in the name of the One who conquered death—Sunday will come. In the darkness of our sorrow, Sunday will come.

“No matter our desperation, no matter our grief, in this life or the next, Sunday will come.”

~Joseph B. Wirthlin

Hope you all had a great Easter as well and I especially hope you all had the opportunity to be with those you love.

The day I was a corncob.

2011-04-19T17:10:00.000-07:00

*This post is written by Keaton. He wanted to take a crack at writing his own blog post about his school play. He chose the pictures and all the words. Enjoy!

Hi my name is Keaton Howard. I did a play on April 12, 2011. The teacher's classes who performed the play are Mrs. Walker, Mrs. Sward, and Mrs. Mannon. They are all 2nd grade teachers. The part that I spoke at the play that was my favorite was "lets hear a song from the flowers. They love to swoon and croon. They usually sing right in tune." The play was about about a garden with lots of vegetables, fruits and flowers and weeds. There were lots of songs that we sang. There were about 6 songs. The weeds were rapper weeds. I got to choose what vegetable I wanted to be. I wanted to be a corncob. My mom made my costume for me and I liked it. I wasn't scared up on the stage but I was glad when it was finished. After my play when I got home, I got a present because I did really good. It was a lego Harry Potter Quiddich set. I built it in about 10 minutes.

The End.

This is my brother and sister with me after the play was done.

I am not doing my part. It looks like I am, but I'm not. My mom took this picture after the play but the microphone was already gone.

That is what I meant about the Harry Potter Lego set.

*And just to let you know...I was very proud of KJ!! He did great and didn't miss any of his lines as he was one of the main speakers!

Denver Bound...

2011-04-17T21:03:00.000-07:00

Dan and I were given a WONDERFUL gift a few weeks ago from my cute little Sister and her handsome hubby! They gave us a weekend get-away! 'Away' was only 64 miles, to Denver, but it was just far enough to feel like we were on a mini vacation! They watched the kids, and we had a much needed kid-free weekend. When I was thinking back to the last time Dan and I went away with no kids I realized that it's been close to 5 years. We went to Mexico when I was very pregnant with little Olivia. Does that count as kid-free?!? Kind of, I guess. We've had trips here and there, but none with just him and I for far too long. And it was, shall I say, Heavenly. We stayed out late, slept in, ate at restaurants without kiddie menus, went country line dancing, and just enjoyed each other's company. The hotel they got us was right in the heart of downtown which was nice because we were able to walk everywhere. We were especially lucky to have fabulous weather which made walking around very enjoyable! I can't wait to do this again!

I think it should be mandatory for all couples with children.

So a HUGE thank you to Coley and Jason! We owe you big time...

Here are some pictures we snapped to remember our 'relaxing' weekend.

The Warwick Hotel - Denver

Dan was trying to be George from Seinfeld...little did he know I was going to post this!!

We found this super cute and little dessert place downtown call D bar. Had the best desserts. We shared Creme Brulee and it was divine.

I finally got to try PINKBERRY!!! It was so de-lish! We actually went twice...in one day.

*On a quick side note. If you are wondering why we had blue ribbons on, it was because it was Autism Awareness day! Just showing our support for these special little kids. All day it struck up conversation about Autism with various people, so we were definitely helping with the 'awareness' part! I am so proud of our little Jackie Boy!

One of our favorite Food Network shows is Diners Drive-ins and Dives. We got to taste test some of their famous dishes. It really was worthy of being featured on the show, their pork was so good. Fun and cheap...my favorite combo!

Dan is a car nut. So when we heard the Denver Auto Show was just down the street, we had to go check it out. They had pretty much every new car you can think of (including a stretch Toyota mini-van complete with hardwood floors and large screen TV's), these were a couple of our favorite 'dream' cars. Well, these and the Range/Land Rovers! The one Dan is in front of was only $274,000. Pocket change, right?!

One of my favorite things was that our hotel had a rooftop pool! And it was heated and felt like a bath-tub. It was perfect weather too! We had a freak 81* day that day which made swimming and catching some sun rays super enjoyable.

Here's Dan on the Widow-Maker. I think he wishes he were a real cowboy.

Line dancing was so much fun. Although I was one of the ones who didn't know what the heck I was doing out there. I used to know them all, but have forgotten everything! Dan and I had a blast here, something we've never done together. We've still got the moves! If you are ever in Denver you've got to try the Grizzly Rose. Fun place.

Now the only question is...When can we go again?

once upon a time...

2011-04-12T21:07:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting here tonight taking a break from my usual 'after-the-kids-go-to-bed' cleaning routine. I am looking at a sink full of dishes, and have 3 loads of laundry waiting to be folded on my bed and I am having dreams of where I was a couple of weeks ago and longing to be back!

Once upon a time, my sister Coley and I thought it would be a brilliant idea to spend our Spring Break up in Idaho to see family and to have the chance to be at Britt's baby shower. So we loaded up the car with 2 chatty sisters, 3 wild kids, and 2 furry dogs for a 912 mile drive.

We were off to a magical place where we didn't have to cook, clean, do dishes, fold laundry or really do anything but relax and enjoy life and each other for a whole week! Sometimes I wonder why I ever moved out...it's great to be taken care of, and have a personal chef!

(olivia and ninny making homemade pizza)

Chapter one...

Ninny treated us to a day at the Discovery center. The kids always have a great time here and remembered it well from when we lived there.

Chapter two...

Britt, my baby sister, turned 24...and what's a better birthday night than American Idol and facial masks with the ladies!?!

Chapter three...

Britt's Baby Shower for Lucy! (this 'shower' phrase was tough to try to explain to Jack, who takes words very literal) He didn't understand why Lucy would need a shower inside Britt's tummy. Anyway...we were so glad to make the trip up for this highlight. The food was de-lish and little Lucy got completely spoiled.

Chapter four...

We spent a rainy day at the movie theater. Olivia has a MAJOR crush on a certain little singer named Justin Bieber. Ever heard of him?!? I have...about 97 times a day! She's obsessed with his music and knows exactly where to find it in my ipod. Anyway, we went to see his Never Say Never movie in 3D and she was enthralled with the whole thing. And...I hate to admit it, but I actually got teary a few times, is that pathetic or what? Then we stayed to watch Tangled. SO CUTE. Fun, relaxing day!

The moral...

Bed time stories are always better when Ninny is reading them.

And hanging out with Papa on the couch makes an 8 year old feel cool.

Conclusion...

We loved our week up in Boise, which is no surprise. We are so blessed to be so close and so loved by my parents. On our long drive home, we picked up another passenger (Shawn) and a chirping lovebird. What a sight and what a relief to be OUT of that car!

Now it's back to reality.

*Although I did have a chance to have a fabulous weekend away with Dan the very next weekend after we got home, but the dishes are calling my name, so that story will have to wait til next time.

THE END

*And remember, you can always click on the collages to enlarge! I cram-packed the pictures in!

breaking news...

2011-04-07T18:32:00.000-07:00

Breaking news...hot off the press...KJ got glasses today!

I was thinking, "poor guy, he's gonna be so sad to have to wear glasses his whole life." So when I asked him how he felt about having to wear glasses, I was surprised to hear that he was excited because "he will look like Harry Potter". He's obviously going thru a Harry Potter phase.

It's funny because I remember a specific conversation I had with Dan when I was pregnant with Keaton about how our baby boy would have 'awesome' vision because neither Dan or I have to wear glasses!! Much to my surprise 2 out of 3 of our little ones didn't get our good vision!

I'm just hoping KJ will be a bit more responsible with his glasses than his little brother...I already spend way TOO much time trying to track Jack's down.

But he does look pretty cute if I do say so myself. Here's my handsome, 'smarter' looking little man.

Lucky got away...

2011-03-29T19:43:00.000-07:00

We really love holiday's in our house! I think it's because it lets me pretend I'm a kid for a little while and my kids get really in to them too! Plus, when my kids are grown and have their own families, they will remember our traditions and hopefully keep them up with their little ones.

The Monday before St. Patrick's Day Keaton had a brilliant idea to build a leprechaun trap. He drew out a blueprint, and then got working. Here is what he came up with.

He came up with this writing all on his own. I thought it was so hilarious!! What a cutie pie!

St. Patty's day morning KJ woke up to this...

Lucky got away again this year! We'll have to be more creative next time!

But he did leave some goodies behind!

We didn't have school this year on St. Patrick's Day so we got to play all day!

Breakfast....(traditional lucky charms with green milk)

Lunch....(they each picked their favorite green food). Keaton picked green scrambled eggs, Olivia picked the kiwi and Jack picked 'Gaspargagus'!

And dinner...the traditional corned beef and cabbage.

And we baked green ciabatta bread to deliver to a few houses!

This bread is so yummy and SUPER easy and cheap to make!

Go ahead and try it...it was a hit!

4 cups flour

2 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. yeast + 2 cups water

(put water and yeast in microwave for 30 seconds)

Mix all ingredients together just until moist.

Cover with plastic wrap and leave on your counter for 8-12 hours

(we let it sit overnight)

pour on greased cookie sheet and gently form into one loaf.

Bake at 400* for 35-40 minutes.

Did I mention how much I love my little Leprechauns?!?!

Cereal & Sleeping Beauty

2011-03-15T11:55:00.000-07:00

If having kids has taught me anything, it's that life is unpredictable and never boring.

I got the dreaded phone call from the school nurse that Jack was sick and had thrown-up in the classroom. I quickly went to school to pick him up and he was very embarrassed that all his friends had seen him get sick (all over his teacher's desk apparently). And he was even more upset that his friend Austin had brought the class birthday treats and he would miss out on that too. Anyway...we got him home, he took a bath, got all snuggled up in sweats and sipping on gatorade and I asked what movie he wanted to watch. He said he wanted to watch the cereal movie. Cereal movie?? What could that possibly be? After lots of looking and detective work I realized that he wanted to watch the Flintstones. Of course, the Fruity Pebbles cereal box has a picture of the Flintstones on it right? I didn't even know we had that movie, but little Jack remembers the craziest of things. He was right, we do own it, and so he's quietly laying on the couch watching his 'Cereal' movie.

I told Olivia that we needed to be quiet so that Jack could get some rest, she went upstairs to play. Or so I thought. The little sweetheart put herself to bed...Princess crown and all. I've got my very own Sleeping Beauty. There is just something about watching your kids sleep that seems to melt the worries of your day away. I think every mom can attest to that. This whole day-light savings thing has us all missing our extra hour of sleep, so maybe this is her way of catching up. Either way, right now at this very moment I am happy that my kids are happy. Let's just hope Jack gets well soon and that no one else catches the 'bug'.

9am races on a Saturday = Heaven for KJ

2011-03-14T07:55:00.000-07:00

What's more exciting to an 8 year old boy than to race your very own custom built pine-wood derby car down the race track?? Nothing. It was the highlight of KJ's weekend. Him and Dan painted this car weeks ago and he's been anxious to race it down the track for quite a while. It was exactly where he wanted to be on a Saturday morning. When KJ's happy, it makes me happy. And although we didn't come away with a win, we still had fun. And he was excited to walk away with a 6th place ribbon and a certificate! Jack and Olivia were excited to walk away with powdered doughnuts. :) We did learn some tricks for next year, like where to place the weights. Yes, KJ is already talking about the shape and kind of car he wants to build for next time. BOYS.

Enjoy the pictures!

KJ sizing up the competition...

The track...

Some of his buddies...

Showing off his loot...

KJ's biggest fans...

Right after the races we headed for a birthday party for cute little Austin. He and Jack are in the same class at school and we've really come to love him and his cute family!

Happy 6th Birthday Buddy!

fresh mountain air...

2011-03-03T08:04:00.000-08:00

A little fresh mountain air always seems to be good for the soul! We spent some time last weekend doing something a little different, we tried ice fishing! It's not for the faint of heart. It takes a lot of patience...something I certainly don't have! But the good news is that Keaton sure does. He sat there for hours just waiting and waiting and waiting (the reason for him not being in the picture above). He got a few tugs on the pole, and almost pulled a fish out of the hole in the ice, but it wiggled free at the very last second. He did however, have a lot of fun. He can't wait to go again. We also had a fun time playing broom hockey on the lake, climbing rocks, sliding across the icy lake, and just exploring in the beautiful mountains of Colorado!

Olivia loved having these spikes for her shoes!

The guys would spin this barrel around and slide it across the lake. KJ got a kick out of that!

Drill baby drill....

Patiently waiting...

Olivia loved cleaning the newly formed ice out of the fishing hole...

And I just thought I'd end with this picture cause it was my favorite picture of the day. Jake thought he'd slide across the lake on his belly. It might have been one of those 'you-just-had-to-be-there' type of pictures, but it still makes me laugh!

Go fly a kite...

2011-02-22T12:02:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the perfect day for kite flying!! It was nice and sunny, the kids were out of school, we had friends over to play, and there was the perfect amount of wind! Flying kites brings out the best in all of us....until it gets caught in the neighbor's tree!

*I apologize if the pictures are grainy...I used my cell phone camera*

life is hard when you're a kid...

2011-02-18T08:08:00.001-08:00

It's pretty hard to stay mad at your daughter when she is just so darn cute. (I wasn't really Mad, just making a point that we don't jump off the back of the couch on top of your brother)

Just because of her cuteness, her time-out was pretty quick!! I remember when life seemed so hard as a child and now, looking back, I would love to have such carefree days!

"To every thing there is a season...."

My little love bugs....

2011-02-15T10:15:00.000-08:00

Our Valentine's Day was a little bit different this year. We woke up at 5am and drove Dan to the Denver airport, where he was flying to sunny, warm, Southern California for a dental course (lucky him). So we were all really tired but made it back in time for school and the much anticipated school V-Day parties. The boys have been looking forward to this day for a while now. I love how exciting all holidays are for little ones. And really, it helped me out too, their happiness is contagious! While one was off enjoying the warmth of California, my 3 little love bugs were warming my heart right here at home!

For dinner we made heart-shaped pizzas. It was a hit!

After dinner, for our FHE night, we decorated sugar cookies and delivered a few plates! One to a neighbor, one to Coley&Jason, and another to a good friend from church. The kids love to deliver goodies to someone's door. And actually, I remember doing that as a kid and loving it too! Not sure what it is, maybe it's just the feeling of sharing the LOVE!

We came home, and opened two packages that came in the mail! One from G&G Howard and one from Ninny&Papa. I swear, the kids were as excited as they were on Christmas morning! We are grateful for their thoughtfulness and the awesome goodies that are still being enjoyed by us all!

Since Dan was gone for the "REAL" V-day, we had a V-Day dinner Sunday with Coley and Jason. It was yummy! We had spinach-mushroom manicotti, caesar salad, garlic cheese bread, and pineapple. The kids decorated the table so it was nice and festive!

And if you love rich/dark chocolate, this is the perfect dessert for you. I thought I had died and went to chocolate heaven. I'm not sure what it was (mousse-y, creamy, dense), but my sister brought it from Whole Foods and it is my new favorite. The best part about it is that it was too rich for the kids and so it was ALL mine!

We hope you all know how much we love you!!! Isn't it great to have a holiday to help remind us of all the ones we love in life?

xoxo

one 'CRAPPY' cake...

2011-02-10T08:15:00.000-08:00

Keaton had his scout Blue & Gold banquet last week and each scout was asked to bake a cake for a cake contest! Of course, with Dan being in charge, it wasn't just any old regular cake. Let's just say that KJ won the 'crappiest cake' contest. It was a hit! When it was time for dessert, we heard the scouts run up to KJ's cake and say, "I get a piece of poop"! It made KJ smile. I was such a proud mom. ;)

KJ is a pro at cracking eggs, no shells. It's his favorite part of cooking.

Here is where the fine decorating skills came in...

Tootsie rolls (slightly warmed in microwave) carefully molded and placed over a bed of crushed Golden Oreos, pudding and chocolate. Don't worry, this was a brand new dish box and a brand new kitty litter scoop! The dollar store is very handy in situations like this!

The finished product! A kitty litter box cake.

Keaton getting his new awards. Isn't he a cutie pie?!

And not to be forgotten, here are the other 2 little rascals...

One SAUCY post...

2011-01-27T11:59:00.000-08:00

No, not the saucy you're thinking of! I don't even know if the correct spelling is Saucey or saucy...but that's beside the point. The point of this post is that I LOVE food. A lot. I love to cook, go grocery shopping, prep, I like it all! I do not however enjoy chopping onions or doing the dishes! And all who know me well, know that my favorite food is salad, not just any salad, but a GOOD or unique salad. Good lettuce (preferably butter lettuce or baby spinach), good toppings (strong cheese, real bacon, smoked salmon, red onion, hard boiled eggs, etc.), and most importantly a good dressing. One thing I am learning that I can't stand is store bought dressing. I may be turning in to a food snob, I don't know. It is nice and convenient, but if you read the back carefully you'll find things like: High Fructose Corn Syrup, Guar gum, Xanthan Gum, modified food starch, all sorts of different preservatives, and sometimes even food coloring. Yes, food coloring. Who would've thought!

I had a friend (Paula) share a new dressing recipe with me last week and I was so excited to try something new, that I thought it would be fun to 'pay-it-forward' and share my latest 3 favorite salad dressings of the month (they tend to change frequently). So if you are like me and sick of the normal, everyday store shelf dressings, get ready to write these down...I know you'll enjoy them! Well, at least I hope so, I'm not making any promises.

I made all 3 of these this morning and it only took me about 30 minutes total. I always throw everything in the blender and it's quick and easy, with a quick and easy clean up. After you're done, you'll be glad to have 3 new kinds of dressing (all very different) in your fridge and they will last your family at least a week or two! Easy peasy. And keep in mind, you can easily adjust the amount of vinegar, oil or spices to your liking!

Cilantro Dressing ~ Compliments of my friend Paula

2-3 seeded jalepenos (depending on size)

1/2 bunch of cilantro

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

1-2 cloves of garlic

1 tsp salt

1 TB sour cream

1-2 green onions

2/3 cup olive oil - Add slowly to blender to emulsify - makes the dressing thicker

(I like the taste of a light olive oil for this dressing, the dark olive oil can be a little strong)

I waited to add the cilantro until last and turned the blender speed down a bit so that you can still see the Cilantro leaves a bit.

If you like Limes, you can also squeeze the juice of one lime in the dressing.

Poppy Seed Dressing~

1/2 cup sugar (or you can use less if you prefer)

1/4 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. dry mustard

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup cider vinegar

3/4 cup salad oil

2 tsp. poppy seeds (wait to add these until the end)

At low speed add first 5 ingredients. At medium speed slowly add oil until thickened. Add poppy seeds and stir!

This is the dressing my kids like most. Makes a great spinach salad with bacon, feta cheese, egg, red onions and croutons.

And last....but not least

Balsamic Dressing~

8 oz. olive oil

2 TB Lemon Juice

1/2 cup Balsamic Vinegar

3 cloves garlic

1 TB + 1 tsp. Italian Seasoning

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. pepper

Blend until it begins to thicken!

And there you have it....3 happy little bottles of dressing. Enjoy!

quack quack...bang.

2011-01-17T14:56:00.000-08:00

The long awaited BCS Championship game has come and gone and sadly, we were not victorious. The Ducks lost in the last 2 seconds of the game to Auburn....by a field goal. It was a sad, sad moment in our house. But all kidding aside, besides what the scoreboard said, we did have a great night. My parents flew down here to visit and we had a Duck party. I think we may have had some of the top Duck fans right in our living room. My dad, Jason and Dan.

My 'new' brother Jason turns the big 3-0 TODAY!!! We had a nice little birthday party for him while my parents were in town and he had a huge rice crispy for his "cake" since he loves those delicious chewy dessert squares! Happy Happy 30th Birthday J-Baum!

I wasn't very good about taking pictures while they were here. Surprise, surprise....I usually always OVER do pictures. Anyway, just know we were busy, enjoyed each other's company, had a girls day out of shopping, yummy eatin', late nights, gym classes, Just Dance on the Wii, school lunch dates, exploring, laughing, school snow day, etc. And I have to say that on the day we had the girls day out, the boys lost Jack. Yes, in Denver, in a busy mall, Jack disappeared for a while. Picture mall security, security camera's and all. I'm just glad I didn't know a thing about it until late that night, I would have FREAKED! Jack told me that the lady that found him ALL the way across the mall at Nordstrom kept asking what his Dad's name was. He just kept saying, "my dad's name is Dad." Poor guy. I actually think KJ was more shaken up than Jack. He told Dan that if Jack was gone, it would take him 4 whole years to teach Olivia to play the Wii as good as Jack can. haha! Brotherly love at it's finest!

I did however keep a little momento that I would like to share so that I can remember it. When Keaton found out that his 'ninny and papa' were coming he came up with a list of things he wanted to do with papa.

They were able to accomplish all but a couple of things. They had a great time and KJ had a hard time after they left. I wish we could all live close, it would make things much easier! His top 2 favorite things that they did were hiking and shooting his bb gun. He's such a boy!

We always get so spoiled having them here and the kids go thru attention 'withdrawals' after they've gone.

The day they left we went to a birthday party at this place called Art Sports...it was amazing! Happy 6th Birthday Kyle!

A kids paradise. 29 indoor trampolines, bungee jumping cords, zip-lines, foam pits, etc. FUN!

Now that company is gone, it's back to life as usual. Catching up on laundry, homework, piano practice...all the boring stuff you get to set aside while company is in town.

Off to fold some laundry....

JOY to the world...

2010-12-28T21:31:00.001-08:00

We hope you all had a FABULOUS Christmas this year! I still feel like I'm trying to play 'catch up' and now that the little ones are snuggled in bed I thought I'd post a few (or more than a few) of our Christmas festivities! They will mostly be photo collages (cause I always take WAY too many pictures) so strap on your boots and get ready for a picture 'overload'. Seriously....

*Click on any collage to see larger*

On our way home from Grandma and Grandpa's house we made a 'pit' stop at Bass Pro Shop in Altoona, Iowa and Santa was there! So, we had our 'white trash' santa pictures with road trip clothing on! The kids loved it and told Santa exactly what they wanted! I'm still not sure if they were naughty or nice this year!?!

And the annual building of the Ginger Bread house...

Dan's office had 2 Christmas parties. One was adults only with a nice sit down dinner. The other party was for the whole family. It was a fun night! Games, dinner, gift exchange, etc.

The tree has a story this year. I was talking to my mom and she was talking about how she decorated the tree without any of her daughters this year and that she was really sad about it. I told her at least it was going to look like a beautiful tree without little 'helpers' around that love to hang the ornaments in uneven/big clumps down low! She told me that someday I would miss that. Usually I do the lights (lots of them) and let the kids help with hanging ornaments and then when they are asleep, I rearrange the ornaments so that they are evenly spaced out. I think it's the little bit of perfectionist I have in me. Anyway, after I was done talking to my mom I decided to let the kids do the whole tree all by themselves. They picked out large colored lights (I like the little white twinkly ones) and they went thru my ornament box and picked out all the ornaments they wanted to use. The kids did the whole tree by themselves this year and they were so proud of it. It isn't the 'prettiest' tree, it's not color coodinated, but I actually really loved all the imperfections. And our tree is still up, I am dreading taking it down, it still smells delicious!

We had a night out at Chuck E Cheeses' with the kids from our play group and we decided to make it an 'informal' birthday party for Olivia! It's always a fun time and a big waste of quarters! A fun thing to do during Christmas break!

This year, Christmas Eve was a little bit sad because it is the first year we haven't been around family. I woke up that day feeling a little bit down and was worried because I had yet to feel the Christmas 'Spirit'. We still had a wonderful day. The kids picked our dinner menu. They wanted Crepes. So we had our Christmas Crepes and Dan made his own bacon. He bought the pork belly, brined it in a 'rub' for a week, and smoked it in the smoker. It was the best bacon we've ever had. Dan is a total bacon connoisseur, anyone who knows him knows that, and he also said it was the best he's ever had! After dinner we read our usual Christmas stories, played Christmas songs on the piano, sang songs, unwrapped the traditional PJ's, put the kiddos to bed and Dan and I got to work! It was a Santa's workshop til about 1:00am. By the end of the night, I realized that the Christmas Spirit had finally found me!

Drum roll please.....

CHRISTMAS MORNING!!!

The thing I love best about Christmas morning is how 'magical' children make it! We had the perfect day. Everyone was healthy, we knew all our family was happy and surrounded by love, and we felt very blessed to have had a fabulous yet crazy year. We were especially grateful for the true meaning of the day. The day Christ was born and for all that His life means to us. Now is the time to take down all the garland and stockings from the fireplace mantle, I only hope that we can all feel the Christmas 'giving' spirit all year. We are grateful for all the friends and family in our lives and we love each and every one of you!

Pheww....you made it to the end! You deserve a prize for your endurance! Thanks for looking!

My baby turns four...

2010-12-21T09:25:00.001-08:00

It's absolutely crazy how busy we have been the past few weeks. The term 'hustle and bustle' of the year is a complete and utter understatement! I just realized that it has been close to a month since my last post, which is unusual for me since I try to post every week or so. It really is the most wonderful, but busy, time of the year. I will cut out a few posts that I had planned on doing, but I HAVE to make time to post about our little Liv's 4th birthday! Dan took my car to work today and since I am stuck at home, I am taking advantage of the computer while the kids are entertained with a Christmas movie on TV. Although it's not like I don't have anything to do...laundry, last minute Christmas cards addressed, haircuts for the boys, cleaning, baking goodies for neighbors and friends, wrapping gifts, etc. etc. etc....

But before Christmas sneaks up on me, I wanted to get Olivia's birthday post done. So here it goes...

Her Birthday was on a school/work day so we had to rush our morning, but we still had time for the 'traditional' breakfast in bed.

This is a girl who knows what she wants...She was VERY specific on what she wanted for Breakfast. Blackberries and bananas, plain toast with butter only, and Lucky Charms. At least she can make decisions, something I have a very hard time with! After Breakfast she opened her 'one' gift. The kids always get something to wear for their birthday. She loves sweater dresses. She would be happy if she never had to wear jeans another day of her life. Like I said...opinionated!

We took the boys to school and the class sang 'Happy Birthday' to her which made her feel special. Then it was date time with her and I. We went to Target to spend her birthday money from Nana, then we went to Dad's office to show off her birthday crown to everyone, then we went out and sipped on some hot cocoa (her favorite treat). It is always fun spending some good quality time with her. I love our 'girl-only' mornings!

Later that night we had our family party. We had Coley and Jason over for dinner, cake and presents! She was completely spoiled once again. She got some very cute things...THANKS to everyone who gave her a gift, the thank you cards are in the mail!

Click here to see the post from her 2nd birthday. It's amazing how quickly time passes. I feel like I just made that list of things she has taught me. Of course, most have stayed the same, but there are also a few new ones to add to the list. This little girl seems to be the final piece of our family's puzzle. She makes us complete and I'm so blessed that she is ours. We all can't get enough of her. Well, at least most of the time! Her and Jack are still like water and vinegar. But I keep hoping that one day they will be best of friends! Only 15 months apart...it's bound to happen, right?!? I prayed and prayed for a little girl and I got her! Attitude, sweetness, drama and all!

I think all my kids have picked Red Robin for their birthday dinners at one point or another. Of course, I think they just like the balloons, and the fact that they get a song sung to them with their birthday Sundae!

And for reminiscent purposes, here are Olivia's Birthday photos from the past!

Starting with her real 'BIRTH day'....

I have said this before, but the first moment you see your baby for the first time is hands down the best moment in the world! I get teary when I see this picture...I wish I could go back and have that feeling again. Thank goodness for photos that can bring you back to those sweet and precious moments.

Her first birthday...

it's my party I can cry if I want to...

Her second Birthday...

Can't get enough of her baby blues!

Her 3rd Birthday...

Okay, you can stop growing any time now! Thanks Olivia for making the past 4 years so much fun! I love all the pink, spunky, frilly, sweetness you bring to our lives (and the sassiness too!). We love you to the moon and back!

A week full of Thanks....

2010-11-30T21:17:00.001-08:00

-God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today,

have you used one to say "thank you"?

- William Ward

We've had a lot to be thankful for this past week.

First off, it was Dan's Birthday! We are definitely thankful for him! We took him to Buca di Beppo, his favorite restaurant for a delicious dinner. And he chose Peanut Butter Cookies instead of a birthday cake. (Don't you love his plaid pj's?!) Happy Birthday Danny Boy, we LOVE you!

For Dan's Birthday gift he got a ticket to go to the Oregon/Cal game with my dad, pops Smidt, Jess, Jason and Shawn. It was definitely a 'guys' weekend and they all had a great time. Everyone knows what a BIG fan Dan is of Duck Football so it was a good thing they were victorious! (still undefeated) He kept saying it was the best week of his life having the Duck's ranked at #1 in the BCS polls and also that the McRib was back at McDonalds. (yuck) What a nut! The game was special for Pops Smidt too because he actually used to play for Cal Bears back in the day! So they were able to walk thru campus with pops and learn some history about his college days.

We made the long drive to Illinois for Turkey Day. We were so lucky to have dry roads the whole week, which made the trip nice and easy. The kids were fabulous and we found a couple of good hotels (one with an indoor water park), so they were in heaven. I'm just so thankful that we have a DVD player in the car, I think that makes all the difference! We had such a nice time at Grandma and Grandpa's house. It was so much fun to have everyone all together, it's been a long time since that has happened. Dan's brother and his family are back living in Illinois after living in Japan and France for the past 7 or so years. So it was really nice having all the cousins around to play and get to know each other better. They are all best buds now! I also had a great time hanging out with my cute nieces and nephew! Thank you to Grandma and Grandpa for the wonderful week! And all the DELICIOUS food! By the end of the week we were back to wearing our elastic sweats!

I know we all try to be thankful all year round, but I really love that this time of year we all take the time to reflect on what we have all been blessed with in life. It's great to just pause and have a whole day of Thanks. I am so thankful that we had such a great Thanksgiving week.

(click on collages to enlarge)

Favorite Picture of the year...

2010-11-20T12:31:00.000-08:00

I just finished making our Christmas cards on the computer and as I was scrolling thru the past year of pictures, I found my favorite picture of the year, it makes me laugh every time I see it.

I just love Jack!

This was taken in Steamboat Springs, CO.

Let it snow!

2010-11-09T19:52:00.000-08:00

The weatherman said there was a chance of snow this afternoon and I checked the temp and it said 60* around lunch time, so I figured he was just about as accurate as every other weatherman and didn't believe him. We came home from school with no coats, and within 40 minutes, the weather dropped 20*. The clouds started rolling over the mountains and BOOM....snowflakes started to fall. The kids were extremely excited, and I was....well, I was so NOT excited. I am not ready for the cold, wet, winter weather. I like it in the mountains, but hate the hassle of driving in it. But it was cute to see the kids excitement. So, in the kids' minds, this is the highlight of our week.

The kids played outside for a few minutes while I finished making dinner.

I sent the kids upstairs to get their snow stuff on while Dan and I cleaned up after dinner. We had this much snow fall so quickly! But please notice their choice of 'snow attire'. Jack's just cracked us up! That kid sure has an imagination!

They came inside and were so cold, so we warmed up with some hot chocolate. Automatically they started asking how many days until Christmas. The snow always lets them know that Christmas is always right around the corner. So, we made the traditional paper chain.

Excited for Christmas?? We are!

Only 45 days or 1,082 hours or 64,967 minutes 'til Christmas!!

Sugar Sugar....

2010-11-01T09:01:00.000-07:00

I am so exhausted. We had an extremely busy week chock-full of all things Halloween! I am seriously in a 'fun-sized-candy-bar' induced coma. Let's just say that the 7:00am alarm this morning came WAY too early. I had a love/hate relationship with my snooze button this morning. I'll spare you all the details of the week, but just know that there were a few too many parties, and WAY too much candy involved. I think my kids will be on a sugar high til next Thursday.

The cast of Super Mario Brothers!

Jack as Luigi - Olivia as Princess Peach - KJ as Mario

no re-takes this year...

2010-10-26T14:00:00.000-07:00

When I try to take pictures of my kids....I usually get something like this:

Where they are not paying attention.

And sometimes something like this:

Where they are trying to be silly.

When what I usually really want is something in between the two!

So when Jack and KJ had school pictures last month, I was a little bit worried that they would sport their infamous 'cheesy' smiles. Well, we got the pictures back last week and I was pleasantly surprised! They actually turned out just fine! Pheww...no re-takes this year! Yay for OTHER people taking my kids' pics!

Jack - Kindergarten

Keaton - 2nd Grade

So Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles....look for these to be arriving in your mailboxes soon!