The first 39 days...

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....

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....

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.

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...

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???

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...

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...

*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.....