We're Back!

Here are the top 10 pictures from my 4-month blogging vacation - it was really quite eventful!


10. Is this the cutest (and SASSIEST) turkey you've ever seen or what?

9. Adyson's new-found love...ROCK CLIMBING! I'm sure she will make many memories rock climbing with her dad!

8. Blake with Otis after his (Otis') Petsmart obedience class graduation!

7. Mary and Joseph in our Nativity play on Christmas Eve.

6. Christmas Eve pajama party!

5. Playhouse Disney with mom!

4. We definitely have a princess in our house now!

3. Adyson had a great YMCA basketball season - she had career high 8 points for the season!

2. Our baby turned 3 on Tuesday! She loved her pink & purple Dora cake and had a fun time playing with PlayDoh and her Leapster all day long!

1. How could this NOT be the #1 picture from the last 4 months? Do I even need to comment on this one?

Happy trails to you!

We took another family day hike up into a canyon near Boulder. The first sign we came upon said WARNING: Mountain Lions. Okay - I'm not particularly fond of wildlife - it scares me to death, but I especially dislike wild cats (and domesticated ones as well!) So, we read the sign of what to do and what NOT to do and headed up the trail. The trail followed a dry creek which, in the summer, is full of cool, refreshing mountain water.

Drew stopped at each rock to pose for a picture - this is just one of MANY photos like this!

I almost jumped off the trail in fright when I heard a squirrel chattering in a tree and Scott got a good laugh at that. Hey, in my defense, I don't know what a mountain lion sounds like and hope to never find out, but the chattering caught me off guard. Blake found a sharp stick and assured me I was safe with him - what a brave son I have!


Self portrait my Adyson & Mom!

The kids had fun climbing on rocks and racing downtrail on the way back. I too had fun chasing kids and jumping from rock to rock across the stream (we were make-believing it was full of water). I'm excited to head back this summer and get my feet wet with the kids!

Blake's attempt at photography- this one won't be going out as our family Christmas photo, but not bad for a 4-year old!

Happy Haunting!

Our zombie soccer player, Star Wars Clone Trooper and fairy witch made quite a haul this Halloween! Last Saturday we ventured out with our friends, the Jensen's, to the Boo at the Zoo event. I think we may have only paused long enough to see one animal - oh well, candy was more important! We had a great time and will probably make this a tradition as long as our kids aren't too cool for the zoo....

Blake posing with fellow Troopers at the Zoo!

Our fairy witch, lost in thought...Hmmmm, how can I get MORE candy?!

Everyone who knows Adyson well won't be surprised by her choice in costume - she was WAY into her character as you can see!

Last night we went trunk-or-treating at the elementary school and and enjoyed watching Drew's face as she checked out all of the gruesomely-decorated trunks. Tonight we did some trick-or-treating in our neighborhood and then headed over the to the Jensen's for a pizza/pasta/salad/candy dinner. The kids hit up their neighborhood for MORE candy. Needless to say - I will be sending POUNDS of candy with Scott to work on Monday!


Blake with his pre-school friends!

This afternoon we carved pumpkins, decorated halloween buckets and played soccer in the backyard (in 80 degree weather!) We can't remember ever having a Halloween without layers of clothing under our costumes...it was a nice treat!

This is a REAL black widow spider. I found it in the back of my van a few days ago and FREAKED out! After killing it, I completely gutted my van in search of others - didn't find any, but I sure did clean out some junk!

Election 2008

We've decided to hold our own "What's for Dinner?" elections on Tuesday. Voters will have one vote for each category - could turn out to be quite an interesting dinner combo! I saw this idea in a magazine and thought my kids would have fun with it, since they've been asking so many questions as we drive past campaign yard signs....."Who's that? Who are you going to vote for? Why would somebody vote for the him?"

Adyson has been campaigning heavily - thus her campaign sign (pictured below) encouraging all to "Vote for what I vote for. PLEASE!" Tonight she quizzed Blake and Drew about what they were going to vote for - I have a feeling she may be stalking all voters on Tuesday. We'll post the results next week!

Here we have Idaho!

For Labor Day we made the trek back to Idaho! We ended up driving until 2 am to get there since the kids were much easier asleep than awake :) We all had a great time visiting with family and friends that we've missed since our move. I'm grateful we will always have family there to visit so we can stay in close contact with the wonderful friends we have there too!

The kids enjoyed spending time on the 4-wheeler with Grandpa, playing playdo and card games with Grandma, playing in the ditch and dirt with cousins and reuniting with old friends. Scott and I enjoyed time away from home and work and realized just how many people we love and miss in Idaho.




One thing I've learned from our move to Colorado is that the Lord knows where we need to be at each stage of our lives. I can't imagine my life without the experiences I had and friends I made in Idaho - they were truly life-changing times and I made forever friends. Likewise, I can't imagine not living here in Colorado amidst the wonderful friends we've made - I can't believe I already feel so "at home". I love living here and know that we'll have the experiences and friendships we need to help us grow and learn.

School and Soccer Begin!

Sorry for the infrequent posts - I keep taking pictures and feeling bogged down to post everything we do, so then I don't post. I've decided to blog our most recent happenings and not worry about all the rest. Maybe I'll do better this school year (maybe not!) :)

Adyson started 2nd grade and is really enjoying her class and new teacher. She loves to read and has started saving up her spending money to make trips to Barnes & Noble - she has quite a book collection going!

Blake is in preschool with 3 other kiddos we know. Us four moms are taking turns teaching one week per month. My turn is this coming week and I have to admit I'm really looking forward to it! They are cute kids and he loves going to school (or more likely to play) at his friend's house each week.

Drew and I are enjoying our "free" time together each week running errands or just hanging out at home together. She's so playful and full of life and energy. She loves to take pictures - so here's a self portrait we took one lazy afternoon!

Soccer started up at the beginning of the month and the kids are loving it! Adyson has practice twice a week with a Saturday game and Blake just has 1 hour each Saturday with a 1/2 hour practice and then a 1/2 hour 3 on 3 game - which is the cutest and most entertaining thing I've seen in a long time. Half of the time the coaches are either soothing hurt feelings or motivating the players to stand up and run! Super cute!

I've captured this loving relationship now - in hopes that someday when the love isn't flowing quite so freely, this will remind them that they do indeed love each other - LOTS!

Blake in action!

Here's the other team - seriously - this was in the middle of the game - I have a feeling we scored on this possession!

Parks, Parks, Parks!

We have been to all kinds of parks this summer and they've all been within a 30-minute drive from home! One very impressive summer vacation if you ask me :) Here are some highlights from some of our favorite park memories...

Belleview Park - we enjoyed 5 hours of fun with the Marx family! We had a picnic lunch under a big shade tree and played in the creek for hours. The kids worked hard to move rocks all morning to create a dam and then Adyson & Lindsey constructed a beautiful castle for their rock princesses. Blake (a.k.a. Leonardo from TMNT) chased Jacob (a.k.a. Indiana Jones) and Zach (a.k.a. Kirby from Chicken Little) all over the park, while Drew went back and forth between the water and the Cheetoes.

Lakeside Amusement Park - As part of the local library summer reading program, all three kids earned a free pass with unlimited rides at a 100 year-old amusement park. We decided to count this as our annual "fair" experience - we can only handle "carnies" once a year! We had yummy fair food, rode lots of rides (including the Cyclone rollercoaster - sure hope that isn't 100 yrs. old), and had topped it off with cotton candy. We had a really fun time as a family. Adyson asked, "Can we come here EVERY day?" I think she enjoyed herself the most!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Pirate's Cove Water Park - the Friday before Adyson's 7th birthday, we travelled south to this fun park with 4 other moms and their kids. We spent the entire day in and out of the water and enormous sand box. I only lost track of Blake 5 times and he only had to be "rescued" by lifeguard once - wow! What a stellar mom I am! All-in-all an amazingly fun day in the sun!

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

To catch up on the past month I'm going to break down our July & August little by little.

We had our first bit of girl fun at the annual Mother/Daughter Pajama party! We made tiaras, painted fingernails, decorated "girly" sugar cookies, ate lots of popcorn & treats and enjoyed karaoke at its best. I was also the lucky recipient of an incredible hair make-over - a one-of-a-kind creation by the talented Adyson. I hesitated posting these pictures only because I knew it would make you ladies out there insanely jealous :)

Our second wave of GIRL fun came with a visit from our good friends (well, may I say BFFs) Celeste and Hannah! They came to visit for a few days and we had so much fun swimming, playing at the Children's Museum, making crafts, chatting, and having a Saturday all to ourselves - no boys allowed!!!

Saturday morning Celeste & I treated ourselves to pedicures and some great shopping at the Nordstrom Anniversary sale! We returned home to pick-up our dates (Adyson & Hannah) for a mommy/daughter girls night out! We had a blast at the Build-A-Bear workshop, where Sleepy the Koala and Scruffy the Dog were born! Next we had dinner at Red Robin and stopped by the candy shop for dessert. Our last stop was at Claire's jewelry shop where Adyson the Brave got her ears pierced...and she didn't even cry! Way to go, Ady! Hannah held her hand the entire time - what a good friend! We couldn't ask for better friends...we love and miss you, Celeste & Hannah! Thanks for your visit!

Meet Scruffy & Sleepy!

Preparing for the big moment - thank goodness there were two employees there to pierce both ears at the same time!

You can't tell from her face, but she loves her pierced ears and is keeping good care of them!