Halloween

I love Halloween! Our family starts to plan our costumes way back in September. This year the girls decided they wanted to be princessess (of course) and they wanted me to be a witch. Then I got the idea that it would be fun to be a princess myself and have Blake be our prince charming. It took some convincing, but Blake decided he would make me happy and go in on our theme cosutmes. Prince Charming was a little hard to come up with, as we didn't want to buy anything for it, so we decided he could wear his tux from his brothers wedding. I can't believe it still fit them as that was 8 years ago! Anyway, Britton took a long time deciding what he wanted to be, but then suprised me one day when he said he wanted to be the guy from Scream. He reminded me that he had seen a guy last year that scared him that was wearing the scream mask and that this year he wanted to be the one that was scaring people. How a year changes things- last year Britton was Troy Bolton, this year the scream dude. Too funny.

We had fun dressing up for the ward party and going trunk or treating. Maycee and Abby won best costumes for the Primary aged children. They were very excited.

A Fall of Firsts

Our Saturdays this fall have been spent watching Britton play flag football and Abby play soccer. Britton hasn't played organized flag football before and nor Abby with soccer. They both ended up loving it!


Abby picked up the game pretty easily and in one game she scored 3 goals.. She was pretty excited!


Britton had so much fun playing football. He had a great coach that really taught them the game. They and several different plays and the coach really expected a lot of the boys. Ever since Britton started playing, he loves to watch football on Tv with Blake. He loves to figure out what plays they are doing.
Britton's last game was today and he scored his first touchdown! It was awesome. Of course Britton was all about business and didn't even crack a smile when he scored.

Take That, Dad

I got laughing tonight thinking about a comment that Britton made to Blake a few weeks back, and decided I needed to blog about it so I don't forget it...It was so classic.

I need to preface this story by saying, incase you don't understand the humor in this story, that I am married to a master of energy saving techniques. When I first married Blake, I never really understood why in the world anyone would hose down the back of a house, or put a huge, loud fan at the bottom of the stairs (and one at the top of the stairs, too), or why in the world you would open every single door and window at 6 am "to let all the cool air in" (I mean isn't that what an air conditioning unit is for?)

Now that we have been married 9+ years, I have really grown to appreciate Blake's efforts to conserve energy, plus save some money too. His efforts always pay off, for our energy bills are quite low. His habits have grown on me and I find myself doing the same things, and our kids are in on it too...

So with that background here is the story I can't stop giggling about.


I can't remember the exact sequence of events, but Blake was getting after Britton for doing something, or not doing something- but anyway Britton was getting pretty angry at Blake for getting after him.

Instead of arguing, Blake started to walk down the hallway, however, Britton did not want to be finished with the argument. He was going to get the last word in.... So all of the sudden I hear Britton walk over to the fridge, open up the freezer and the fridge, and yell down to his dad, "Well, oh yeah dad, look at me, I just opened up the fridge and the freezer and I am going to leave them open and let all the cool air out of them" ...(another no-no at our house..)

It was so great. I could hear Blake down the hall just bust out laughing.

Sunny San Diego

This past weekend Blake and I were able to take advantage of his frequent flyer miles, frequent rental car points, etc etc and take a pretty darn cheap vacation to San Diego...without kids!! We haven't had a weekend away in about three years, since I was pregnant with Maycee- this weekend was long overdue! My wonderful mother agreed to stay with the kids over the weekend while we went and stayed for 3 nights in California...

Our main reason for picking San Diego is that there was a Dave Matthews Band concert there- and he is by far my most favorite person to watch perform..So we planned our trip around this concert (which was AMAZING!!!)


We spent the first morning in La Jolla, which was beautiful and we attempted to go snorkeling. This cove is supposed to be one of the best for snorkeling, but the day we went, the tide was super high and the water was merkey..Most everyone was coming out of the water disapoinnted in not being able to see anything. But it was still fun to swim in the ocean and lay on the beach. The weather was perfect...
Before the concert we went to Coronado Island to have dinner...another amazing place...


We were also able to go to a Rockies vs. Padres game, which was probably the highlight of the trip for Blake. We sat right on first base in the front row, so he was very excited to be that close to the players. I have to admit, it did make the game much more enjoyable to be able to see everything up close and personal....Plus the garlic fries and diet coke were AWESOME and we got to watch a drunk lady get escorted out my the police (oh and watched a grown man steal a foul ball from a little kid) There was all sorts of drama!!

The last night we were there we had dinner in Pacific Beach, walked (actually Blake ran a lot) down the beach in the dark, and then got up at 4 am to catch our flight home. It went by too fast...

I have to say that although I missed my kiddos, it was sooooo much fun to hang out with Blake for 72 hours...it was hard to come home and go back to "real" life... Although real life is pretty darn good...

Can't wait until our next weekend away!!!!!

p.s. Grandma did awesome with the kids...I don't think they even missed us.. Grandma is too much fun!!

So sad to see Summer end....

We had such a fun summer that I have honestly been sad that school is back in session. Although it is always a challenge keeping the kiddos entertained during the summer, I truly enjoyed all of our fun times together this summer. We got to go to Wyoming THREE times, we had lots of cousins and aunts and uncles come and visit, and we had lots of time to spend together as a family. Now that Britton is back in school, the days are quieter, a little less busy, but we miss him while he is in school....

Britton was very apprehensive about meeting his teacher the week before school started. He actually got really teary and didn't want to go in the school. I am not sure what his anxiety is about meeting his new teachers (he did the same thing last year), but once I finally got him in the building, he saw his teacher from last year (thank goodness) and she reassured him he was going to love this years teacher! She was right! One week into school and Britton is having a ball! It is hard to believe that I have a second grader, but he assures me that "second grade is very cool, cause they get to play tether ball!) Apparently it is the thing to do at recess, because I went and had lunch with Britton on Friday and the line to play tether ball is quite long. The PE teacher has taught them all the rules and how to have an organized system during recess. It is actually rather impressive to watch 20something 2nd graders organize themselves in a loser out game of tether ball. One of the rules is that they can't cheer for one person. So all of them shout "Go whoever wins, go whoever wins!" It was classic..

Britton was so appaled that I made him stand on the front porch for our traditional first day of school picture. He is funny- this year he requested- no characters on any of his stuff- shirts, backpacks, etc..I guess that means he is growing up???
I am so proud of him! He is such a great kid! I am excited for all he will learn this year!

I did it!!!!

At the beginning of 2008, one of my new years resolutions was to run a half marathon...Well, needless to say, the year came and went and I didn't meet that goal...So this year I had to make it happen. Last Saturday, one of my good friends and running partner and I ran in the Georgetown to Idaho Springs Half-marathon...

I started training at the beginning of the summer so I felt ready for the race...It was such a beautiful course and I love the atmosphere of races because there are so many other people who really love to run and are very excited about running 13 miles! Crazy! I felt really, really good the entire race up until about mile 10...Miles 10 and 11 were very hard---I was thankful that Natasha was running by my side, this kept me going..The last mile was a little easier as I knew it was our last! We finished right at 2 hours and 14 minutes.

One week later, my toenails are still bruised, but I am currently looking for another half-marathon to run..possibly the Moab race in March!!

3 week Party

My sister Kim and her three children left early this morning, marking the end of our 3 week straight- no sleep, fun filled, junk food, endless cans of diet coke, constant entertainment-Party!!! Needless to say, we had LOTS of fun...

Kim and her kids arrived three weeks ago, with my brother Brett following a few days later. We had a few days with them here at our house and then the next week we headed up to Custer, South Dakota. After spending a few days there we were back up in Casper for another week with all of my five siblings and each of my 10 nieces and nephews.

I can honestly say I truly enjoy being around each of my siblings and my parents and all of the kids. We had so much fun together. There were lots of laughs, story telling, and member whens. My kids had so much fun with their cousins- they all get along so well!

Now it is back to real life. But today I am thankful for wonderful parents and my awesome sisters and brothers and so thankful that we are all still close after all these years. I love them each so much!!!

Best of Friends-most of the time

Maycee and Abby can really entertain each other- as long as they are both in the right mood. Last week they decided to get their swimsuits on and play in the back yard and bring every barbie they own and put them in the little pool. They stayed very entertained with one another and I caught them giggling hysterically a few times. It warms my heart so much when they enjoy one another. I also love these pictures because my backyard is so green this year and my garden is doing so well!! Yeah for the rain!

How did she not wake up?

Last night was Maycee's first night not sleeping in her crib....And this is how I found her this morning. She looks so peaceful and comfortable- yet not at the same time. We all giggled over these pictures this morning. I guess we need to put the railing up!

Love from my Sibs

We have been so lucky to have two of my siblings come and visit us unexpectedly in the past few weeks. Seeing my brothers and sisters makes me very happy- they are all such fun people to be around....On Memorial Day I was feeling yucky and lying in bed and there was a knock on my door and much to my surprise it was my sister Brittnee and her cute little baby Logan!!!! What an AWESOME surprise! Within moments my stomach ache was gone- it was so fun to have her at my house...She had made a last minute decision to come see us- we had a fun few days and I loved seeing her baby Logan. He is a cute little guy and my kids loved seeing baby yogan and Aunt Itne too. Logan put up with some tormenting from Maycee- a few blind sided smacks on the head. Maycee has some work to do on expressing her feelings verbally instead of physically.
One day we went to the zoo- it was a beautiful day in Denver and the kids had a blast seeing all the animals. My mom was down this week, too, so she joined us at the zoo. We also had an unforgettable evening at Costa Vida- and not because the food was good... I mean it was good, but it was hard to enjoy after watching Maycee take down 2 trays as she feel off her chair. Gotta love taking 2 year olds out to eat.


Last week my brother Brett decided to come see us as he had a few days off before starting to teach summer school... We had a great time with Uncle Brett....One thing I love about Brett he that he is full of great one liners. My favorites from this visit were the "torture chamber" (referring to Abby's room as that is where she "plays" with our kittens) and my other favorite is when he was talking about someone "being all up in his buizness" too funny. He makes me laugh. Brett has great taste in music and he put some great music on my computer that I can't wait to get on my ipod. On Sunday I managed to get Blake and Brett to watch Twilight.. Secretly, I think they loved it as much as I did. As payback, Blake and Brett made me go out for BBQ last night. There is a place called Serious Texas BBQ that Blake was really jazzed about... The kids couldn't stop making comments about how they were eating pig. They downed the pork- I stayed away. The best part about the meal was the Bluebell Ice Cream which is Brett's favorite. We were lucky enough to find it twice while he was here as the had a place in Estes Park where we indulged as well.

Abby's Dance Recital

Last weekend our main event was Abby's spring recital. Abby has taken ballet/tap combo class since the beginning of the school year. She has had so much fun in this class. Her favorite friend, Eden, has been in the class with her and I think this is why she likes it so much. Her and Eden are such good friends and they love to giggle. These pictures were taken by Eden's mom right after their professional pictures were taken. I wished I would have hired her, because these pictures look pretty professional to me! They are sooo cute!!


The night of the recital was exciting not only because Abby was a hit on stage, but Maycee decided to throw up everywhere in the auditorium. She couldn't let Abby have all the attention- right??

Abby's ballet number was to "You are My Sunshine." It was adorable and Abby performed the dance perfectly! We were so proud of her and all left quickly after her performance smelling like throw up. Gotta love it.

When he's Famous

On Tuesday we visited Britton's school, as they were doing their traditional end of year field day and author's tea. Both Blake and I were able to go and left the girls with a friend, which was so nice to be able to have that time to give to Britton and not have to chase the girls around. Blake and I were talking to Britton's teacher, who lives in and grew up in the little farming community we live in- and she was telling us how she loves to see her previous students working at the local store, etc. Blake said to her something about seeing Britton when he is older and her reply was, "Oh yes, I already told Britton he has to come see me when he is Famous." We laughed- she thinks Britton is a talented student/writer and I thought that was such a cute compliment!

As of tomorrow, Britton is done with first grade. I am anticipating some tears- similar to last year, he doesn't want school to end. This is one sensitive kid- I can't believe how hard he cried last week when Danny Goeky got voted off American Idol- wow! Anyway, he has had a super year and Blake and I had fun cheering him on at field day and listening to him read his stories at his author's tea. We are super proud of him and so glad he had a good year!

Sweet Surprise

I received a HUGE surprise on mothers day, courtesy of my sweet husband. Our household is no longer i-pod less, and am no longer an i tunes virgin. I love it!

Please Come Home, Soon......

Last night out of nowhere- looked at me and said, "Where is dad?" Um, he has been gone since Sunday Abby- he is on a trip. "Oh, I HATE trips!" I was quietly thinking- me, too!

I don't think I will ever get used to Blake being gone when he has to travel for work. Our days and nights just aren't the same with out daddy around. I do have to hand it to Britton though- who takes he role of being "The man of the house" very seriously when Blake is gone. He is so good for his mommmy- his sister on the other hand.....

I was really missing him today- as I had to go to the store to get some last minute items for a baby shower I was hosting this evening- Abby began to throw a fit in Wal-mart because I wouldn't buy her anything. We were about to pay and she decided she wanted some tic tacs. Well I said no, becuase that would lead to Maycee wanting some, then they would spill, etc, etc. Well Abby threw herself on the ground and started crying (mixed in with some screams). the high school chick that was checking me out probably thought I was a complete nut case as I stood there are completely ignoring this insane child that was making a huge scene. I was so proud of myself for not totally losing it in Wal-Mart and basically walking out with a smile on my face, because really, in that situation- what am I going to do, but laugh at the complete insanity of the picture.

As we were getting in the car, Abby said, "I'm tired. I think I need a nap." Ya think? Seriously.

Bye-bye, Pas

As of last Thursday, Maycee is officially pacifier free. I have known for awhile now that I have needed to do this, but have resisted because it helps her sleep, comforts her when sad, and plus, I Don't want my baby to grow up. But I told myself when they were all lost, I would buy no more. Well that day came and she is doing great! She had a weak moment when she found a picture of herself as an infant and she had it in her mouth and she got a sad face and said,"My pas, my pas" It melted my heart. But she has been sleeping great and after a week of it I think she officially knows how to fall asleep with out it. My baby is growing up- Now onto potty training- YIKES!

The cutest forced laugh.....

I took this video on Easter Sunday as we were sitting at the table listening to Uncle Brian's story about herman the worm. The kids were giggling and Maycee quickly picked up on where she should start laughing...it was so cute!

B-Dog's Birthday........and everything else I have missed!

Wow, I have really slacked this past month as far as my blog goes.. It certainly isn't because we haven't been up to much, just do to my lack of wanting to sit at the computer! In addition, I lost (or shall I say misplaced) my camera cord that connects to my computer, but finally found it today! Yeah!!!


First and most important is that last week we celebrated Britton's 7th birthday! He has been anxiously awaiting this day probably since the day after he turned 6, so needless to say on April 4th, 2009 he was very excited to start the day. We left it up to him as to how he wanted to celebrate his birthday and he chose to go to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. This is one of Britton's favorite places to go. We had a very fun day, as they had added two new exhibits since we had been there in January, the Expedition Health, and the Weather Unleashed Exhibit. He was in heaven. Britton loves everything science- he and Blake went to the IMAX while I took the girls to the kid friendly places. He kept saying, "This is the best birthday ever!"

I can't believe he is seven! Britton has always been a curious boy with a huge imagination. I love that about him. He also has a very cute sense of humor and one thing I love about him getting older is how adult like our conversations can be. He asks questions about EVERYTHING and expects more than a one word answer. He wants DETAILS!!! I love going into Britton's classroom and seeing him "in action." He is such a great kid and such a nice friend to his peers. Britton is also a great older brother. He takes his job of "being the man of the house" when Blake is gone, very seriously.

Two funny things that Britton has said lately that I have wanted to write down so I don't forget- Whenever Abby is in diva mode (see earlier post), Britton tends to get a little annoyed. A few weeks ago he looked at her and said, "Abby, quit acting famous." Apparently he knows what famous people act like and he doesn't want his sister to do that! Last weekend we went skiing and stopped at a park after..Britton wanted to go hiking (did I mention he never stops moving?) I said to him, "Aren't you tired- we just skiied the whole day and you didn't take one break!?" He looked at me and said, "Mom, I guess I should tell you I store action- in case I need it later. So I used some action skiing, but I now have more stored for hiking. " Wow!!!!

And last but not least- Britton finally lost a tooth!!! I can't tell you how excited I am that I don't have to hear about how he is the only one in his class that hasn't lost a tooth!