Colorado Craft Crew

The Reality Sets In

2010-08-18T12:32:00.000-06:00

Aidan and Sarah started the new school year yesterday and it was a successful day for both of them. Aidan is now in third grade and Sarah in first grade. This is Sarah's first year of full day school and while she was super excited about finally getting to eat in the cafeteria and ride the bus both to and from school, she was a bit apprehensive about being away from me all day, stating she would miss me. I have a feeling she's given me no thought throughout the day yesterday or so far today. However, here is where the reality is for her right now: Yesterday within minutes of arriving home at almost 4:00 p.m. she asked with much dramatic flare, "Mommy, can I watch a show? Because I'm ex-haust-ed!" Then last night at bedtime, with a school career totaling 2 years and 1 day, I heard the words I never thought I'd hear from her:

Sarah: I don't want to go to school tomorrow. (with a big tired sigh)
Me: Why not?

Sarah: It's hard work! I got all hot and tired all day.

This is from the girl who has loved school until this point. In pre-K and Kindergarten she would actually cry if there was a day off school or she was sick and had to miss. I know there is a world of difference between going to Kindergarten for less than three hours and 1st grade for 6.5 hours but I don't think Sarah was quite prepared for it. I know she will adjust, but I'm expecting a very tired girl for the next couple weeks.

On the flip side of this...after just a day and a half, I love having two of them in school all day! I adore all four of my children and wouldn't trade the "bustle" of having a big family for anything, but things are so much easier with only two at home--especially Katie and Jonah. They are self proclaimed best friends and play wonderfully together. Not to mention they are fabulous "shoppers." Truly the worst part of summer is grocery shopping and errands in general with four kids in tow. I would do whatever I could to avoid taking all four of them with me this summer, but for the most part, it was unavoidable. I loathed heading out with all four of them to do my stuff... However, both yesterday and today, Katie, Jonah and I have run errands and it's been, dare I say, blissful in comparision!

Katie will be starting pre-K in three weeks which means it will be just Jonah and I for three mornings a week. I wonder if we'll even know what to do with ourselves during that time? I'm definitely looking forward to one on one time with Jonah and errands with only ONE child-I can't begin to imagine what that will be like!

Camping!

2010-08-17T18:17:00.000-06:00

We went on our first family camping trip this past weekend and we all had a blast! Since we were late in making a reservation we had to just take what was available in the camp site we wanted and it couldn't have been more perfect for our family. We had an oversized tent pad, where near the restrooms (I use that term loosely), a view of the lake and plenty of safe areas for the kids to explore.

Jonah's favorite two things to do were play with his dump truck and sweep the rocks at our site. He also loved watching the chipmunks eat the sunflower seeds we put out for them.

The girls fell in love with the hammock we strung between two trees. This hammock is extra special because it is the one Jeremy's brother Andrew used on his camping trips. All the kids had fun with the hammock but the girls spent the majority of the time on it (or fighting over it).

Aidan's favorite thing to do was wander in the trees near our campsite. He spent most of his time wandering and having conversations with himself.

The campfire in the evenings was of course all a big hit with all the kids, and the first night we made s'mores and the kids told "ghost" stories. The second night we roasted hot dogs.

We attempted our hand at fishing for trout but I think our location at the lake as well as a lack of patience led to empty lines--except for Aidan. He got a tug on his line and quickly reeled it in to find not a trout at the end but a giant crawdad (or crawfish for those of you from the south).

The kids were all major troopers through the entire weekend. At first we heard many cries of pain as one or the other of them tripped over rocks and fell but after a few admonitions of "when you're camping you have to be tough and just get up and keep going", they all bucked up and took the scrapes and bruises like true outdoorsmen!

The one major downside of the trip was the COLD nights. It dropped to the low 40's and silly me thought that since our sleeping bags were graded for 20-40 degree weather that we'd be just fine in normal pajammas. We all froze the first night and had a quite a restless sleep. The second night we bundled in sweatpants, jackets and socks and had a much better sleep.

On the way home we stopped along part of a river that has a secluded sandy beach area. I am truly enchanted by this area due to the mix of black and tan sand (which is the softest, finest sand I've ever felt) as well as the gorgeous views and perfect areas for wading into the river.

On the way home we stopped at this restaurant and Jeremy was in heaven! I dare say this was his favorite part of the whole trip! I have to admit it was seriously good bbq-about the best I've ever had. Too bad it's almost an hour from our house... My nephew is attending college in the city near the restaurant so I'm sure we'll find some way to meet him there for dinner at least once or twice.

Overall the trip was considered a huge success and loved by all. We definitely have many more camping trips in our future. To view the rest of our camping pictures click here.

First Family Vacation

2010-07-07T09:48:00.000-06:00

We had a blast! This past weekend we took a trip to Colorado Springs, which is about an hour and a half away. The cabin we stayed in took closer to 2 1/2 hours to get to. It was a great cabin, tucked away in the mountains with not another sole around. The trek up the mountain to get to the cabin was a 30 minute drive up a steep, twisty, narrow (very narrow, in many places) dirt road and we had more than a couple close calls around corners with cars coming from the other direction. It was definitely an adventure just getting to and from the cabin. It was worth it though! The cabin was a perfect mix of rustic and modern and the perfect size for our family of six.

This ladder led up to the kids sleeping loft. The first time up and down scared Jonah immensely

but then he discovered the joy of climbing up and down and by the end of the trip declared the

ladder his favorite part of the trip.

The sunroom was the favorite hang for the kids, aside from exploring outside.

On Friday night we grilled chicken at the cabin and just hung and out explored the area. There was a little pond and stream close by.

The cabin had two hummingbird feeders that were in constant use. We would have to fill them twice a day to keep the hummingbirds happy. There were so many hummingbirds that they would be hovering around waiting for their turn at the feeder and fussing at others for taking too long. When they fly right by your head they sound like Light Sabers.

On Saturday we rode the Pikes Peak Cogway up to the top of Pikes Peak. The train ride was over an hour one way and very beautiful. At the top we were allowed only 40 minutes or less due to the altitude. Unfortunately that really wasn't enough time to enjoy the views, take a bathroom break and grab a snack. Next time we will plan to drive ourselves to the top so that we can stay as long as we'd like.

Saturday evening we headed to the Flying W Ranch for a cowboy meal and show. This was definitely one of the highlights of our trip for all of us. We were blessed with basically front row seats and couldn't have asked for a better experience all the way around. The "grandpa" type guy in the singing group even called Katie out from the stage, pointing out the "cute little girl over there" and waving at her and Sarah.

On Sunday we visited Seven Falls and Cave of the Winds. Seven Falls is truly spectacular in itself. But due to the high commercialization of the area it lost some of it's natural splendor. It was quite a trek up to the top using stairs but our kids were quite the troopers.

Once we climbed the 224 steps to the top of Seven Falls we took a short hike to

Midnight Falls where there was a little cave the kids could sit in.

Cave of the Winds was Aidan's favorite attraction and the other kids enjoyed it too. Unfortunately we didn't get a very good tour guide and it there were so many tours going on simultaneously that it wasn't the most enjoyable experience for Jeremy and I. We were constantly having to wait for one tour group or another to pass by or finish in one of the cave rooms before we could proceed and it was quite noisy in the cave with some many different groups in there at the same time.

Sunday evening called for major thunderstorms in the area and we debated and debated about whether to make the trek down the mountain to view fireworks. We were concerned about what the dirt road would be like traversing home in the rain. We decided to give it a try and were glad we did. The rain held off and the spot we picked to watch fireworks from turned out to be amazing. We didn't know exactly where they would be launched from and so we just picked a high point in the city of Manitou Springs, pulled off the highway and set up our chairs on the grass on the side of the road. It ended up that the fireworks were shot off literally 50 yards directly in front of us. We could see them launching them and it was quite an up close and personal (and loud) experience. It also was the easily drive home from a fireworks display we've ever experienced. The thunderstorms and hail hit at about 11:00 p.m. once we were all tucked safely in our beds at the cabin.

Monday morning we packed up and said good-by to the cabin, then headed to the Ghost Town Museum. The kids really wanted to go to this, and even though it didn't really interest Jeremy and I, we decided to oblige them. The kids did seem to enjoy it, but as we suspected it was not really worth the time and we should have skipped it all together. Afterwards we headed to Garden of the Gods and walked the trails, taking pictures and thoroughly enjoying God's amazing creativity. Then we went for a quick lunch at The Mason Jar before heading to the Garden of the Gods Trading Post, a massive souvenir shop, before heading home.

Over all it was a fantastic trip and a great experience for our first official family vacation. Jonah wins the "trooper" award. At 3 1/2, we weren't sure how well he'd do but there was hardly a complaint from his lips the entire time...the girls, however, didn't fully appreciate all of the hiking and walking involved, which I expected. Our only regret was not having more time to enjoy just hanging out at the cabin. We thought we'd scheduled in quite a bit of relaxation time but with the length of the drive and many of the attractions taking a longer amount of time that expected we had very little time at the cabin other than while we were sleeping. We will plan better for that part on our next trip!

What time is it? Summertime! Anticipation!

2010-05-27T09:10:00.000-06:00

For those of you who don't know, the title is a quote from a song in "High School Musical 2". My kids sing it all the time, even in the middle of winter. It's so cute hearing Jonah say sing "anticipation"...anyway, I digress, this post is really not meant to be all about the song...

Today is the last day of school and I have to say I'm super excited for the summer. I love not having a set routine, I love not having to drive back and forth to school at the same time every day, I love watching my kids play together. They are finally at great ages to actually play all together now and I love seeing what the four of them come up with.

Last Friday there were several happenings at their school. The school was celebrating it's 10th anniversary which included a pep rally and Aidan received a "Pride" award for the second year in a row. For a description of the award, check here. We are so proud of Aidan's excellence in school!

The kindergarten classes hosted a "Teddy Bear Picnic" which consisted of a concert and cookies outside. I was really impressed with the kindergartners music skills, they truly sounded and looked great. The music teacher gets an A+ from me! Sarah was adorable when doing the motions. Jeremy was unable to attend due to work and it makes me really regret that we've never invested in a camcorder.

This was a demonstration of their mad faces

She worked so hard to mimic the teacher's exact expressions!

At the end of the day the PTA hosted a free ice cream social in honor of the end of the year as well as the 10th Anniversary.

And now I say: bring on the hot weather, swim lessons, baseball tournament, park days and lazy days!

Hoping to motivate...

2010-03-31T09:15:00.005-06:00

myself...

In the past 2 1/2 years since moving to Colorado I have lost 75 lbs. I still have about 20 lbs to go and since last July I have lost nothing and in fact over the past two months I have gained several pounds back, which is definitely not the direction I want to be going. I'm blaming the gain on stress and while I'm still very stressed out about Jeremy's job situation I know I can't let that sink me back into body I had two years ago--I don't plan to ever be that heavy again! I'll admit I haven't really done anything drastic in the past nine months to try to loose this last 20 lbs, but now I'd really like it gone in time for summer clothing-which around here is not until the end of May. This morning I started back up with my Jillian Michaels workout and I'm hoping that will help me to get my eating back on track. I figure by putting it out here for the "world" to see, I will have to follow through or it will be very obvious that I haven't!

Here are some pictures to show my progress. Hopefully this May I'll have a new one to add!
May 2007 May 2008 May 2009

Feel free to share any weight loss success stories or tips with me! I would love to know what actually works for others!

A Mama's Pride!

2010-03-19T13:28:00.000-06:00

Yesterday Jeremy and I had the privilege of attendning an all-school assembly to watch Sarah receive a Coyote P.R.I.D.E. award. It's basically like a Student of the Year award. Each teacher picks two students from their class to receive it. Aidan received this same award last year. Coyote PRIDE is the school motto and stands for P-Positve, R-Responsible, I-Inclusive, D-Dependable and E-Engaged. Here is what her teacher wrote on her nomination form:

"Sarah is one of the most positive students you will ever meet. She is positive about her work and her friends. She comes in with a smile on her face and it is contagious!"

Way to go Sarah---we are so proud of you!

Unfortunately, we didn't have the best view from where we were at.

I also have to share a moment of pride in Aidan as well. On February 12th he decided on his own to start reading the Bible from the beginning. He has read like crazy every day and updates me with his progress. I'm sure he doesn't understand every single thing he reads and there were a few times he asked me what something means but he's very determined to work is way through. Last night he completed the book of Genesis--we are talking 50 chapters in 34 days! Amazing! How many of us adults struggle to read even one chapter a day? He is excted to get started on Exodus tonight!

And now I leave you with a view of our St. Patrick's Day supper:

I could make a pun about "going green", since that's what we all did the next day

but that wouldn't be very classy... =)

A-lo-ha!

2010-02-08T14:20:00.003-07:00

I know what you are thinking based on my title but no, we are not going to Hawaii...maybe someday in the far off future though!

About a year and a half ago I had Hawaiian BBQ for the first time at a catered dinner theater my nephew starred in. It was sooo good! Little did I know at the time that it would become one of my cravings. Unfortunately the restaurant it came from is quite a distance from our house. I don't crave it often--maybe every 3-4 months--but when it hits, it doesn't go away until I get some. About a year ago we found a restaurant, Rumbi Island Grill, about 15 minutes away that meets my need. The only thing I ever get is the Luau Pork Plate. Jeremy has tried various things there and has not been that impressed but he's never tried the Luau Pork Plate. Early last week Jeremy showed me a coupon for a different Hawaiian BBQ restaurant about 25 minutes from us and that was all it took to set off my craving. I thought about it all week and decided that rather than head to the restaurant I would try to make my own at home, hoping for half-way decent results. It turned out fabulous! And it was easy! Jeremy also thought it was amazing and said I should definitely make it again. All the kids liked it too.

I searched on the internet and pulled recipes from various places. I adjusted the sauce recipe to my taste and made up my own recipe for the rice. So, here they are. These recipes fed 3 adults and 4 children with enough leftovers to have another complete meal. I wanted this for our Sunday lunch, so I put the pork in the crock pot around 4 pm on Saturday (to be done around noon on Sunday), made the sauce and rice Saturday evening and then reheated it on Sunday when we got home from church.

Kalua Pork
2 1/2 lb pork roast (can be pork butt, pork loin or whatever is cheapest at the time)
3/4 Tbs Sea Salt (called for Hawaiian Sea Salt but I didn't have any on hand so I used what I did have)
1/2 Tbs Liquid Smoke

Place pork in crock pot. Pierce all over with a fork, rub with salt and then with Liquid Smoke. Cook on low for 16-20 hours. Shred with forks and mix in sauce to taste, let heat through.

Hawaiian BBQ Sauce (this is tripled from the orginal)
1 C Pineapple Juice
3/4-1 C Teriyaki Sauce
2/3 C Ketchup
2-3 Garlic Cloves
3-4 Tbs Brown Sugar
3 Tbs fresh ginger, minced

Place all ingredients in a sauce pan, except ginger. Bring to a boil, let boil for 10 minutes. Stir in ginger and remove from heat. I strained the garlic and ginger out just before pouring it over the pork.

Coconut Rice
2 C uncooked brown rice
3/4 C coconut milk
1 1/4 C water
pinch of salt

Bring water and coconut milk to boil, stir in rice. Simmer for 45-50 minutes. Rice may be a bit "gooey", if so you can saute it in a skillet for a few minutes to evaporate some of the stickiness. (I made it Sat. night and we reheated in a skillet on Sunday and it was perfect.)

Other needed Ingredients:
Crushed Pineapple
2 cans of Red Beans

Serve Kalua Pork, red beans and pineapple over rice. Traditionally Macaroni salad and Asian Slaw are served with this. I bought some Macaroni Salad at the deli to go with it, but really just the pork and rice are enough to make me happy. We also ate Kings Hawaiian rolls with ours. And we topped the meal off with a mixture of Pineapple Juice and Sprite to drink. I wish I'd taken a picture of it. Perhaps I will take on when we have leftovers and then post it here.

I "aloha" Hawaiian BBQ and I'm so happy to be able to satisfy my craving at home!

Tonight we are having homemade Gumbo in honor of the Saints win yesterday---Yum-o!

The Ulitimate Wish List

2010-01-24T17:43:00.000-07:00

Jonah will turn three on January 30th. The other day I asked him what he'd like for his birthday and this is exactly what he told me:
Shoes for my feet

A Car that goes by itself

Chocolate Ice Cream in a cone I can eat

and red bows on everything.

Out of the mouths of babes

2010-01-13T15:00:00.001-07:00

The other night the kids and I were cleaning up their toys in preparation for a family game night. Sarah wasn't doing her share. I said she wouldn't be allowed to play games if she didn't do her part in the cleaning. Here is the conversation that followed:
Aidan (8): Yeah Sarah, you'll be forbidden from playing games.
Sarah (6): Well, it doesn't matter. Wait, what is forbidden?
Me: What do you think it means?
Sarah: I don't know!
Katie (4): It means not allowed!
10 points to the four year old for her vocab skills!

Later that same night as the kids were brushing teeth:
Sarah: Oh great honorable Mother?
Me: Yes, my dear.
Sarah: Wait, what does that mean?
Me: Highly honored and respected.
Sarah: Oh, never mind then. I'll just call you Mommy.

On a more poignant note...
Today in the car we were listening to a song about heaven.
Katie: I want to die right now!
Me: Why?
Katie: Because I want to be with Papa Terry, I just miss him so much!
Me: Well, it would be wonderful to be with Papa Terry but if you went to heaven right now I would really miss you.
Katie: Why did Papa Terry die? (this has been addressed multiple times before but she's still trying to figure it all out)
Me: He got very, very, very sick and the doctors couldn't make him better. So, God choose to take him to heaven.
Jonah: Yeah, and Papa Terry opened his eyes and he was better! (Jonah will turn 3 in a couple weeks.)

I cried the rest of the way home...I love the view from a child's eyes.

Happy Birthday Jesus!

2009-12-25T08:21:00.004-07:00

Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday Day Jesus! Yesterday as we were making all our foods for our Christmas celebration today Jonah was watching and asking what each thing was that was being made. After a while he asked Jeremy who was bringing the cake. Jeremy said there wasn't going to be any cake, that there would be pies and other goodies but no cake? Jonah was puzzled and insisted that we needed to bring a cake and finally Jeremy asked him why. Jonah's response, "Because it's God's Birthday!"

We hope you enjoy a blessed day with your family and remember The One who gave us the greatest gift ever--the birth of a Savior.

Katie loves to make faces for the camera!

Aidan's Turn!

2009-12-24T20:13:00.000-07:00

Aidan Christopher 3 1/2 months

15 1/2 months

2 years 3 1/2 months

3 years

4 years

5 years

6 years

7 years

8 years

Sarah's Stocking Pictures!

2009-12-23T21:21:00.001-07:00

Sarah Rose

3 1/2 Months

15 1/2 Months

2 yrs 3 1/2 Months

3 yrs 3 1/2 months

4 yrs

5 yrs

6 yrs

Snowy Day Pictures

2009-12-23T14:58:00.001-07:00

It's snowing on Christmas Eve Eve! Which means it'll be a White Christmas here because it won't get warm enough to melt by Christmas Day. Yay! The kids have been out playing in the snow for over an hour--they all seem to love it and have quite the stamina for playing in it.

Aidan found this footprint sticking up out of the snow and decided to pick it up...

and it actually stayed intact when he did!

Picture perfect snowflakes--something you don't see with every snow...

most of the time they are too fine or too clumped together to see the details.

You can click on the pictures to enlarge them and really see the fine details.

Stocking Pictures-Katie

2009-12-22T19:44:00.000-07:00

Katie Lynn

3 1/2 Months

15 1/2 Months

2 years 3 1/2 months

3 years 4 months

4 years 4 months

The queen of cross-eyes! She loves making silly faces for pictures!

Annual Stocking Pictures-Jonah

2009-12-21T12:13:00.002-07:00

Every year we take pictures of the kids with their stockings so show their growth. Enjoy!

2007 - 10 1/2 months

2008 - 1 year 10 1/2 month

2009 - 2 years 10 1/2 months

2009 - Silly Face!

Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?

2009-12-09T10:27:00.000-07:00

Just before Thanksgiving break Sarah's Kindergarten Class performed a Brown Bear, Brown Bear play. Sarah was the Purple Cat. She was visibly nervous before it was time for her to say her lines but when it was her turn she did really well. After her lines were said you could see her relax and enjoy it more.

Sarah and her best school friend, Kaja

This past Saturday night we had my sister's birthday party here and earlier in the day my kids decided they wanted to perform the Brown Bear play with their cousins at the party. We already had Purple Cat, Striped Zebra, Pink Flamingo and Brown Bear and White Rabbit hats on hand and I helped them construct Blue Horse and Yellow Duck hats before the party. We called the cousins to ask them to wear clothes the colors of their character. It was very cute but poor Sarah messed up her line and couldn't recover, spending the rest of the play crying with her head in her hands. After having said "Blue Horse, Blue Horse, what do you see?" in her school play that's what came out of her mouth in the cousins' play, only she was standing next to the Pink Flamingo this time. Had I thought it through and remembered what she'd said at school we could have easily placed her next the Blue Horse for the second play as well. I felt so bad for her. Katie, the White Bunny bowed out shortly before the play was to start--I'm really not sure why, as she is our little performer but she was very happy to sit and watch.

Seth, Sarah, Rachel, Avery, Jonah and Aidan

What a waste

2009-12-08T08:43:00.002-07:00

As I mentioned yesterday we are in the midst of a major arctic cold front. Currently it is 5 degrees and snowing! Last night the kids were super wound up due to not being able to play outside for days and days. I think I'm going to need to find an indoor playground and fast!

A few nights ago as we were getting ready for bed I asked Katie if she wanted to wear her "footie" pajamas since it was going to be super cold that night. She had just worn them the night before, but this was her response, in typical Katie fashion, "Well...that would be a waste of all those covers," as she gestures toward her bed...

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let's eat Snow!

2009-12-07T08:28:00.002-07:00

We have been in the middle of an arctic cold front for days and days now and it will continue through Wednesday. The highs have been in the teens and when we awoke this morning it was only 5 degrees--tomorrow morning it's expected to be even lower than that.

All day yesterday it snowed, accummulating several inches of fluffy, powdery fine snow. Last night on a whim we decided to have a snow snack.

After Halloween Jeremy had bought on clearance several bottles of flavored drink syrups, which he likes to mix with Sprite.

First we scooped bowls of snow from our back porch.

Then added the syrups. Peach, Apple and Blueberry flavors.

Let's eat snow!

No Spookiness--Just Cuteness!

2009-11-01T13:43:00.003-07:00

Here's our costumed crew! I had a lot fun making their costumes this year.

Jonah chose to be "Pizza Pat". "Pizza Pat" is a book that is an all time-favorite in our family.

Sarah made the pizza, complete with a strap for Jonah to hold.

Katie chose to be an astronaut. Thanks goes to Aunt Amy (who is a flight training manager for the real astronauts) for providing the NASA "meatball" patch and her own personal Flight Patch (we choose to use the patch from Amy's most favorite flight). I made this costume out of flannel to keep Katie cozy and comfy. I didn't have a pattern, but it didn't turn out to be as difficult as I expected.

Sarah's favorite animal is a flamingo so that was a natural choice for her. I didn't have any kind of a pattern for this costume either. I used one of Sarah's dress-up tutus, sewed it together in the back to creat a pointed tail and then sewed boas and large feathers to it. The beak was a bit more challenging and took some trial and error but we were overall happy with the outcome.

Aidan's second favorite animal (after the moose) is a zebra and when we saw an idea for this costume in a magazine we knew it was a must. It's made from black sweats, white and black duct tape and black and with craft foam. I elaborated quite a bit on the stripes from what was shown in the magazine and also alter the ears (theirs looked like rabbit ears). Apparently, Aidan was the talk of the second grade parents at school on Friday!

Here's the whole gang!

I have to say, I enjoy making costumes more than making birthday cakes! I wonder if I could work out a trade-off with the kids somehow??? Probably not!

Sarah the Sweet

2009-10-13T13:46:00.001-06:00

I know I've mentioned before Sarah's compassionate and generous spirit and even though I know those are very strong qualities in her I am still amazed how compassionate and generous she is at the age of six. She loves to draw pictures as well as create three deminsional artwork and the vast majority of the time it is made with someone in mind to give it away to--her siblings, her friends, her teachers, her parents, etc. She has no problem letting go of her treasures if she knows it will bring someone else joy.

Aidan got a baseball key chain in his party "goody" bag for his birthday in August. It is a cheap keychain from the Michael's dollar bins. (BTW Michael's has awesome dollar stuff all year round, but especially at Christmas!) As soon as Aidan saw it he knew he wanted to hang it on one of the zippers on his backpack. About three weeks ago he was looking at it on the bus and it broke off. Sarah was there to witness it and she could see how sad Aidan was. She would mention it from time to time over the next few weeks, about how she wished she could get him a new one and about how sad he was. Aidan never mentioned it to me after the day it happened, though he may have been thinking about it. So one morning last week while Aidan was at school, we were in the van running errands. Out of the blue Sarah says, at Christmas when we draw names for gifts for the cousins I hope I get Aidan. That way I can buy him a new baseball key chain." That alone melted my heart, but it gets better. We happened to be going to Michael's next, though Sarah didn't know that. When we got there I told her she could look for a new key chain for Aidan. She was so overjoyed! As it turns out they were on clearance so it cost me a whopping 54 cents. Sarah has no clue how much it cost, only that it was special to Aidan. She was sad that she didn't have her own money to pay for it and I said she could do a couple chores for me instead. She was completely thrilled with that idea.

When we got home from our errands she set to work making wrapping paper and a tag for the key chain.

When she was done wrapping it she tucked away in a hiding spot and managed to keep quiet about it on the bus with Aidan and all the way until Jeremy got home. She gave it to Aidan at supper. Aidan totally had no clue what it could be and the delight on his face when he opened it was priceless.

The bond between brother and sister was definitely deepened that day. Aidan found Sarah later and gave her a hug and told her thank you again with all sincerity. He even went in to her bed and said I love you and good night to her at bed time--not a typical occurance around here!

Fabulous Fall

2009-10-07T14:54:00.002-06:00

It isn't called Colorful Colorado for nothing! (That would be Colorful Colored when translated.) Fall foliage is at it's height here and I am in awe everytime I drive through our town. God's creativity is not lost on me.

All of these pictures were taken along the route from our house to Aidan and Sarah's school.

Also taken on the route to the school-the pumpkin farm just down the road.

This is at the highest point in Broomfield-facing west (obviously since the mountains are in the background.)

This is a view of the farm looking North from the kids bus stop,

which is just around the corner from our house. Last week on the way to take Sarah to school there was a four foot bull snake climbing from the road onto the sidewalk right at the bus stop.

When we arrived home from our picture taking journey there were hawks circling literally above our house. These were taken while standing in our front yard. This is at least third time time in the past week that they have circled and called to each other directly above our house.

Unfortunately I couldn't seem to get all four of them

in the same picture but at least I got three together.

I wonder if one of them is the same hawk who perched on our back fence a few weeks ago:

I wish I knew how to enlarge these pictures even more but this seems to be the best this blog site can do.

We are so blessed to live next to an enormous nature preserve where we can see such a variety wildlife, plantlife and an amazing view of the mountains. There are of course dangers in the form of rattlesnakes, coyotes and one time my dad even saw a mountain lion. I have personally never encountered a rattlesnake and so far the only encounters with coyotes have been listening to them howl late into the night.

Long Overdue

2009-10-03T10:54:00.000-06:00

Life has been so full over the past couple months and it doesn't seem to be slowing down any time soon. Having two in school now has literally doubled the activity. Sarah is in afternoon kindergarten so my days are cut in half with 11-12:45 everyday being all about lunch and driving her to school. I'm thankful for the bus as I can't imagine making three round trips to school every day. I also am the co-director for a brand new Bible Study at our church. We kicked it off on Sept. 1st and it's amazing how much planning and prep are needed each time--but I'm loving it and it's definitely where I'm supposed to be. I am heading up a Craft Fair on Nov. 7th at our church which is sponsered by the Bible Study group so that will keep me hopping and popping until then. At the end of August I also started teaching a group of middle school girls on Wednesday nights and it is the highlight of my week! I love that age group and these girls are a lot of fun! I'm actually looking forward to the holidays this year--when our Bible Study will take a break and I hope things will actually be a bit calmer...yeah, right! =)

So here is what has been happening in our family in recent weeks. Aidan was baptized (by my brother!) on August 23rd-just one day shy of him turning eight.

The kids had great birthdays and it's been weird for me to now say I have kids that are 8, 6, 4 and 2 1/2--where has the time flown to?!

My mom, the kids and I went to a park at the base of the foothills on Labor Day called Chautauqua Park. Jeremy was stuck working on contracts at Frontier-boo! =( There are a lot of hiking trails but the kids were worn out after playing on the playground and exploring the wooded areas so we made it only to the trail head and had to turn around. In their explorations the kids came upon a deer and were literally within feet of it. It loped out into a cul-de-sac and then sauntered in a yard and began munching apples that had fallen to the ground. The kids were so thrilled to be so up close!

We were super excited to have Aunt Amy visit in mid-September. We spent a day in the mountains and the aspens were just about at their peak and the weather was gorgeous! I will share more about that weekend in another post.

I think we are all feeling good about the routine of school and all our many other activities but even with a routine in place it always feels very busy! Oh, and did I mention Sarah started dance lessons once a week and Aidan has been selected to be on Student Council, which meets twice a month before school? I just can't even begin to imagine all the activity when I have all four in school! Katie and Jonah have become wonderful playmates and Katie seems to thoroughly enjoy the quiet time she has to herself in the afternoons when Jonah is napping and the other two are at school. I enjoy that time too!

Jonah's "Smokes"

2009-08-10T19:55:00.002-06:00

On Friday night we were getting ready for snack time and Jonah says, "I want a smoke!" I looked at him curiously knowing that he'd never heard that term before and not having any idea what he could be referring to. He continued on for several minutes saying, "I want a smoke" or "Mommy, give me a smoke for snack" and finally adamantly saying, "Mommy, I need my smokes!" I went through a list of foods-s'mores, lil' smokies, cookies to which he said no each time. It finally dawned on my that earlier that day I had made him a smoothie to drink when he sat with me, my mom, my sister and my 19 year old nephew while we were drinking Starbucks. He had felt so big being the only kid at the table and having a "big" drink like everyone around him. So, I finally figured out he was meaning smoothie, asked him if that's what he wanted and was met with a big grin. I'm not sure how smoothie translated into "smoke" in his head but it was pretty funny coming from a 2 year old. The next night he was again asking for his "smokes". I would love to see people's expressions if he ever asks for a smoke while we're out in public!

Ready, set, read!

2009-06-29T15:22:00.003-06:00

So, poor Aidan's baseball post keeps getting pushed back, but I couldn't wait to share this news!

Sarah has made several attempts over the past few months at reading but I could tell each time that she just wasn't ready. She didn't have that determination and perseverance to work at it. I've also figured it could still be a while before she grasps reading because she doesn't always recognize all her lower case letters and writes quite a few of them backwards.

Today we were getting ready to leave the house and she brought a book to me while I was doing my hair and said, "I want to read this." It wasn't really an "easy" reader but I didn't discourage her. Before I knew it she has sounded out the first line of words. She tried a few more words which were a bit challenging, and she didn't get frustrated, but decided to look for something easier. This afternoon we pulled out a "Read with Dick and Jane" book, which we borrowed from Grma Peggy's house in March. She read through 22 pages of it, with several lines on each page.

So, we have another reader in our house before starting Kindergarten! Go Sarah!

A Legacy

2009-06-26T06:00:00.000-06:00

I have been thinking about my dad a lot lately--today marks one year since my dad flew blissfully into the arms of Jesus. How I would love to be worshipping with him at this moment!

I know I said I'd be posting about Aidan's baseball today, but I can't let this day pass without sharing my dad's legacy with you.

My dad was a very passionate man and he was passionate about many things: Airplanes, his Corvette, playing basketball, his wife, his children, to name a few. But, the one thing he was most passionate about was ministering to the hurting, broken, down-trodden and sick.

In any given situation-church, work, social gatherings, a walk in the park-he was constantly looking for that one person who needed a personal touch. He didn't care if the person was someone he knew well or a complete stranger. He would do whatever he could to meet that person's need, whether it be financial, physical, emotional or spiritual. He wore his heart on his sleeve and there was never any doubt how deeply he was moved by those in need. His deepest desire was show the love of God, and His compassion and mercy to anyone and everyone who crossed his path. The stories are too numerous to recount, or even count, of his outreach to the world, but I will share one with you.

I remember one Mother’s Day when I was around six years old, we saw a man in a wheel chair selling flowers on a street corner. My dad pulled the car over and went to buy flowers for my mom. As the man leaned over to get the flowers he fell out of his wheel chair. My dad gently and lovingly helped him back in to his chair and then came back to the car with tears literally streaming down his face. His compassion and pain for the man in the wheelchair is my earliest recollection of his heart for the hurting and is an image that shall never leave my mind. I knew on that day my dad was someone very special.

He lived much of his adult life bothered that he'd never fulfilled his calling to be a full-time missionary and he searched for ways to make it happen even up until a year before he died. What he may have never realized while on earth is that he was a missionary in the truest since of the word and I have no doubt he heard those words we all long for when he entered heaven, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

My heart's desire is to be a woman after God's own heart, but also a woman after my dad's heart. That I would carry on the legacy he has set before me of reaching out to those who are "the least of these" in the world. I can think of no greater honor than to be told, "You remind me of your dad."

Lookout Mountain

2009-06-25T08:32:00.011-06:00

Yesterday the kids and I decided to take a half day trip up to Lookout Mountain, which is about 45 minutes from our house. I was only slightly nervous making my first trip into the mountains with all four kids but without Jeremy. My main concern was keeping track of them while trying to take pictures at the same time. They all did amazingly well and were very cooperative and there was No whining or fussing on the entire trip! (I usually get "I'm bored" a lot in the car from Katie and "I'm tired of walking" from any of the youngest three.) Only Jonah seemed to be out of energy by the end. For the last five minutes as we were walking up the trail toward the car he said over and over, "I need my car." "Where's my car?"

Here are some of the highlights in pictures.

Our first stop at a scenic overlook was one of our favorites on the trip. There we saw literally hundreds of ladybugs in large groupings on one of the trails. It was interesting to note that many adults went past us on the trail totally oblivious to the huge population of ladybugs but because I had little people with me and the ladybugs were all at their eye level we got immense enjoyment out of them. The largest grouping were on poison ivy bushes so I refrained from trying to get a close up of those but here is a small sampling of them. How many ladybugs can you "spot"? Aidan and I each counted several times and came up with the same number. I will reveal the answer tomorrow. (You might want to save the picture to your computer and enlarge it.)

Our picnic lunch:

Aidan said his favorite part was all the flowers. He has an amazing appreciation for the different varieties of wildflowers and how they look grouped together with varying colors of brush and leafy plants. So, here are a few of the flowers we saw along the way. He was totally wild about the orange flowers with puffy red centers in the first picture. I'm not sure what all of the flowers are but I do know that the red flowers are poppies and the blue are columbines.

At the top of Lookout Mountain is the historic Boettcher Mansion where Jeremy and I almost got married--we'd put a deposit down and then realized it wouldn't hold the number of people that would attend. So it was a bit nostalgic for me. I love the stone architecture of this gazebo, which matches the stone of the mansion (I failed to get a picture of the outside of the mansion.) Aidan loved that the inside also has stone walls and felt like a castle.

This mushroom was enormous-the top was at least the size of my spread out hand.
It was a very happy trip and we will be returning very soon--hopefully with Jeremy!

I have lots of "catch-up" blogs to post and think I will have time over the next several days to do one a day so stay tuned! Next up: Aidan's Baseball Season

The Sweet Talker

2009-05-26T18:25:00.003-06:00

I mentioned previously about Jonah becoming a "Sasser" but recently his talk has turned much sweeter and we are enjoying it immensely!

On Sunday when Jonah saw my mom dressed for church he immediately said, "You're beautiful!"

Yesterday was a bit emotional for our family as we visited my dad's grave for the first time since the headstone was placed last week. My mom had bought flowers in the morning to place in the affixed vase and after she had arranged them here at home she was sitting quietly at the table. Jonah came along and sincerely and gently asked, "What you thinking 'bout Gramma Neece?" It was so sensitive and insightful of him. He frequenly asks us "What you doing?" but I'd never heard him ask "What you thinking 'bout?" before.

This afternoon he showed a bit of sass and sweetness combined. I said to him, "It's nap time time, Jonah" and he calmly replied, "No, thank you." He has to be the most polite two year old I've ever known, using please and thank you constantly. Even his church teachers have commented on what a polite child he is.

I'm glad the sass is on the way out and sweetness is taking over!

I have lots of pictures I want to share on here I'm just trying to find the time to do it. Hopefully I'll have them up by the end of the week.

Thumb Update and Jesus Songs

2009-05-14T09:01:00.007-06:00

Apparently a huge blister on the end of your thumb is not a deterrent for sucking it-at least not for Katie. Katie's thumb-sucking days are definitely not over...just the opposite happened from what I expected. She fussed about her thumb all day on the day she burned it, but by bedtime that night she was sucking it again. I expected her to be miserable with it for several days but she didn't complain about it once after the first day. In fact, it would seem that thumb-sucking is repairative. The burn and blister were completely healed up in three days. There is absolutely no trace of the burn left. Who knew? I've heard of dog saliva having healing properties--perhaps it's true of humans too...

On another note...Katie is very into singing and making up her own songs these days and they are super sweet. Some songs have to do with her wonderful family or trees and flowers and butterflies but most often they are about her love for God. Here are the first few lines of a song she made up last night:

The best king is Jesus
and Jesus is the Savior
and He is my favorite-ist guy!

The song when on in this way for about five minutes straight while we were in the car. I love it!

When we got home Jonah picked up where Katie left off and here is a little video of his singing:

(Sorry for the poor quality, I was using my phone. His words are "Jesus Love Me! Jesus Love You! Jesus!)

PS-I'm so thankful for blogger's auto save! I was finished with this post yesterday except for adding the video when our power unexpectedly went out and remained out for three hours.

Make the Earth Happy Part 2

2009-05-04T15:00:00.002-06:00

On Saturday Katie informed me that she no longer wants to be a mommy and pilot when she grows up--she wants to be a "Trash Ma'am". She wants to fly around the world in a trash mobile and make the whole earth clean--her words, not mine. Also, today while we were in the car she told me to look out the window at the tiny leaves that are finally growing on the trees around here. She said, "The trees at our house have lots of leaves already. The must be feeling very happy right now." I love these little moments the kids remind me to take to appreciate the amazing gift God has given us in the form of nature.

Katie seems very spiritually aware for being only three and a half. The prayers she says at night just tug on my heart strings. She says things such as thank you God for being God and for sending your love to us. She asks for help in doing the right things and for forgiveness for the things she does wrong. When we were in Houston in March we were at Kohl's with Grandma Peggy and Aunt Amy. I was off in another part of the store when Peggy saw someone she knew and they began to talk. This woman was going through a rough time and telling Peggy about it. All of a sudden Katie gave the woman a big hug and it seemed to make the woman's day. Both Peggy and Amy said they thought Katie could sense the woman's need for comfort and she just acted on it without hesitation. It never gets old watching my children's personalities blossom and learning more about the unique person God has created them to be.

In other Katie news we may be at the end of her thumb sucking days...she got a nasty burn this morning on the thumb that she sucks. I hope nobody turns me in for negligence on this one but I plugged in my flat iron to heat up and left the bathroom. She came along to wash her hands and decided to touch it. She knows very well that it is extremely hot, in fact I've used it on her hair and she's felt the heat coming from it when I do. But for whatever reason curiosity got the better of her today. So now she's got a huge blister at the top of her thumb. Of course she immediately stuck it in her mouth to soothe herself and found out right away that didn't work well. Her thumb is in her mouth about 75% of the day so this is a major thing. I managed to get her through her initial pain and first thumb sucking craving with a Toostie Pop. It was a couple hours later before it hit her again and this time I pacified with gum-which is a favorite of hers. However, I don't think I can continue to dole out suckers and gum whenever she is upset about not being able to suck over the next few days. She's just going to have to "suck it up" and get through this. =) Bedtime tonight is probably going to be torturous--I'm not even trying to get her down for a nap this afternoon. But maybe in the end we'll have a wonderful result of being thumb sucking free! Sarah also went through having a major owie on her thumb at this age and it stopped her sucking for a couple weeks and then she was right back at it (though she quite on her own several months after that). Here's to hoping!

The Sassy Talker

2009-05-01T09:02:00.002-06:00

Nope, it's not one of the girls...this time anyway...

I have mentioned before that Jonah is the late talker of the group. He waited until he was almost two to say any words and now at 27 months is putting together 4-6 words sentences. Along with that, he's wasted no time in learning how to talk back. He has several phrases that he does this with but my favorite is, "yes, uh huh!" For example, yesterday at Aidan's game we were walking up a steep dirt hill to the playground and this is our conversation:

Jonah: It's muddy.
Me: No, it's just dirt. It's not muddy right now.
Jonah: Yes, uh huh! It's muddy, Mama!
(It definitely was not muddy.)

Another thing he picked up quickly is the answer of "nothing." One day I was upstairs getting ready for the day and heard a lot of noise coming from the kitchen. I peaked down the stairs and saw him rummaging in the silverware drawer. I called down the stairs, "Whatcha doing Jonah? He quickly turned around and without missing a beat said, "Nothing!" I wondered where he had picked that up from as I couldn't really recall the other kids saying it much. Then on Wednesday just he and I were in the car. I was getting a piece a gum and didn't want him to ask for a piece but apparently I wasn't as sneaky as I thought. As I'm unwrapping it I hear a "What you doing, Mama?" from behind me. And what was my quick response? "Nothing, Jonah." Busted on both counts-getting gum and lying! You would think that by my fourth child I would be better at watching my responses...

Make the Earth Happy!

2009-04-22T09:24:00.008-06:00

I have a feeling I've lost most of my readers, considering that I haven't posted anything in almost two months. Hopefully, I have a few interested parties still lurking. I guess I just have the blog blahs. Hopefully with summer just around the corner I will have more inspiration and time. Ok, who am I kidding--there will not be more time during the summer with four busy children running the house all day. I guess I'll stick with the hopes of more inspiration.
Anyway, on to the topic of today's post. Here is a conversation the kids and I had on the way home from Aidan's baseball game last night.

Sarah: Mommy, tomorrow is Earth Day.

Me: Yes, it is. Do you know what that means?

Sarah: No, I just heard someone else say it.

Me: It's a day for us to be thankful for the beautiful earth God created for us and to remember to be kind to the earth. What can we do to show kindness to the earth?

Sarah: Pick up trash.

Me: Right.

Sarah: Plant trees.

Me: Right.

Katie: Yeah, because the trees tickle the earth! And flowers tickle the earth too, don't they mommy?

Me: Well, I suppose they probably do...

I guess to a three year old, tickling is a major form of kindness. So get on out there and think of what you can do to bring the earth some joy and laughter!

Barr Lake State Park

2009-02-26T10:52:00.007-07:00

The past few weeks here have been unseasonable warm--it actually got in the low 70's one day this week. Crazy! We are trying hard not to be lulled into a false sense of thinking Spring has arrived though. Considering that March is typically the snowiest month of the year we know there is bound to be more winter weather in the near future.

On MLK day we decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather since Aidan and Sarah didn't have school. We picked Jeremy up from work at lunch time and had a picnic at Barr Lake State park which is about 15 minutes from where he works and about 25 minutes from our house. So here are some pictures to commemorate the day.

Jonah was trying so hard to keep up with the other he had one arm swinging just as fast and hard as he possibly could while he was running. It really had Jeremy and I laughing.

Stuff and Things

2009-02-20T09:09:00.009-07:00

I know it's been a week now since Valentines Day but I haven't had a chance to post since then. We had a great weekend here at the Craft household. Aidan and Sarah had parties at school on the 13th and both had a blast. Can I just say that Valentines Day has gotten to be almost as bad as Halloween with the amount of candy they got! (Of course-our kids gave out cards with candy attached so we are guilty in contributing to this!) We gave the kids a few little gifts mostly from the dollar spot at Target--love that place! But they also got candy and gifts from other family members and were definitely on sugar overload by the end of the weekend.

On Friday Jeremy came home with two bouquets of flowers-one for me which were my favorites-tulips! He hand picked an incredible mosaic vase and then chose the two bouquets of tulips to complement the vase and he did an amazing job. I LOVE this vase!

The other bouquet Jeremy brought were white roses for my mom. He's brought flowers to my mom on several occasions and it was especially sweet to remember her this year since it's her first without my dad. My brother had also brought my mom roses earlier that day-his were a variegated pink and I have to say that the combo of the white and pink together were stunning.

On Saturday my mom took all the kids over to my sisters for supper and play time. Jeremy and I got to have a date! We went out for Hawaiian BBQ--yum! This was my second time for Hawaiian BBQ and Jeremy's first. I am sooo hooked! I'm already craving it again-less than a week later. Since we got to the restaurant at 4:00 and no one else was there we were out of there by 5:00 and headed home to watch a movie in a quiet house. We had about four hours at home before the kids returned and it was bliss! I loved being at home without the kids and I loved watching an entire movie in one sitting without three kids climbing all over me. It was a perfect date!

At one point during the weekend Sarah asked me what a Valentine is-or why do we call other people our Valentines. So I explained to her that is a term for some one that we love very much and is very dear to us and her response was, "Well then, Jesus is my Valentine!" I love hearing things like that from my kids.

I feel like I haven't given fair time to Katie on my blog and I guess it's partly because a lot of times I can't relay in typed words the joy she is to our family. Her command of grammar and language at the age of three is amazing and I wish I would take more time to write down some of the incredible things she says but then again I'm not sure how they would translate while being read. My hope is to have an all about Katie post in the very near future.

I have been holding on to this next information for over two weeks debating whether I should share it here or not. Basically my hesitation is because this is purely a bragging moment but here goes...

As I have mentioned in a previous post Aidan is currently in 1st grade and has been placed in 3rd grade math this year. In third grade math they pre-assess every student before they begin a new unit. For every unit so far Aidan has been place in the "Challenge" group which is the highest level--basically they are working at a fourth grade level. Every few weeks I will ask Aidan how he's doing with math--is he feeling overwhelmed, is he understanding it, is it too hard? He always says he's doing fine but sometimes it's hard to really tell with him. So, a couple weeks ago we had a parent-teacher conference with his 1st grade teacher and she told us that Aidan currently has the highest math grade in the entire third grade---I guess he was telling me truth when he said he's doing OK. His teacher also shared with us a ten page story he had written during his free time in class about a couple men that had lived in the Antarctic and then traveled to China. It was incredible! The plot was well developed and the names of characters and places were very realistic and well thought out. He is currently reading at an end of fifth grade reading level and continually blows us away with his academics. During the conference Jeremy and I continually just looked at each other in unbelief and wondered where this Whiz Kid came from. We are so proud of Aidan and know that God has amazing plans for him!

More on Jonah

2009-02-09T10:11:00.005-07:00

Jonah thoroughly enjoyed his birthday this year and seemed to understand there were presents and happiness just for him. He will happily tell you he is two when asked and seems to understand that he is bigger now.

The day after his birthday we took down his crib and set up his toddler bed and he is loving it!

We had his party a week after his birthday and even though we'd talked about the party I don't think he really grasped it until he walked downstairs after his nap on Saturday and saw all the people and balloons and presents. He was thrilled! He saw the presents and immediately said, "mine!" We had been talking about his bus cake for weeks but I guess he didn't quite get the concept at first. I made the cake the day before and he watched me put it together and apply the initial layer of frosting and then I finished it when he was napping. I showed him the finished product when he woke up and he was excited and said bus cake but then immediately thrust his fingers into the top of it-I think he was trying to pick it up like a toy. When he saw his frosting covered fingers and realized what he'd done he was broken hearted and sobbed and sobbed! I easily repaired it but wish I'd taken some pictures of the cake and his sobbing while holding out his messy hand.

Eating a chip at his party and looking cool at the same time!

When we sat him down with his cake and put the candle on he started tapping his fingers on the table saying, "happy, happy, happy" because he realized what would be coming next. He seemed to love being sang to.

I'm excited to see what Jonah adventures await us in the coming year!

Jonah's Happy Day!

2009-01-30T10:36:00.003-07:00

My final baby is two years old today. I am filled with a mix of happiness and sadness. Sad about being totally done with the baby days--even though he's not technically been a baby for a year now I've still thought of him as one. A year ago he still relied on me for basically everything and now he can feed himself, clearly state his wants and needs (sometimes with screaming and tantrums!), he can mostly dress himself, he goes potty and brushes his teeth, and walks everywhere instead of being carried. Thankfully he is still full of cuddles and kisses! As much as I miss having a baby in the house (after 7 straight years), I am more excited about entering a new phase as a family. As Jonah grows so do the possibilities of things we can do as a family. I love to watch him learning how to interact with the other three as they all play together. I love hearing new words tumble from his mouth day by day. I love seeing his personality really begin to emerge--he is quite a little ham and so full of expression!

On another note--I have thought about posting on here all month long but seem to have been suffering from "blog block". Hopefully with this post I will have gotten past that and return to regular blogging again.

Have a happy day!

Happy Birthday Jesus!

2008-12-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

These pictures are from a few years ago but I couldn't resist sharing them. I only wish that Jonah could be a part of them too--perhaps I could figure out a way to super-impose him as an angel or something! Aidan is 4, Sarah 2, and Katie 3 1/2 months.

I hope you have a very blessed Christmas. Hold your loved ones close today!

Stocking Stuff part 4

2008-12-24T06:00:00.002-07:00

Jonah-Joe's turn! It's so weird to look at his pictures since his ages at Christmas are different than the other three.

2007 - 10 1/2 months

2008 - almost 23 months

We had opened presents a few days before these pictures were taken and when I handed Jonah his stocking he was quite disappointed that there wasn't anything in it this time.

Stocking Stuff part 3

2008-12-23T06:00:00.003-07:00

Katie's turn - Our smiley girl!

2005 - 3 1/2 months

2006 - 16 months

2007 - 2 years

2008 - 3 years

Stocking Stuff part 2

2008-12-22T06:00:00.004-07:00

Here are Sarah's pics--looking at these really makes me miss her curls!

2003 - 3 1/2 months

2004 - 16 months

2005 - 2 years

2006 - 3 years

2007 - 4 years

2008 - 5 years

Stocking Stuff

2008-12-21T11:30:00.003-07:00

Each year we have taken pictures of each of the kids with their stockings as a way to mark their growth. I'll be sharing those photos over the next four posts. Here are Aidan's pics - Enjoy!

2001 - 3 1/1 months old

2002 - 16 months old

2003 - 2 years

2004 - 3 years

2005 - 4 years

2006 - 5 years

2007 - 6 years

2008 - 7 years

A Tribute

2008-12-20T23:26:00.007-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posting this week...it's not for a lack of wanting to. It has just been crazy busy with trying to get ready for our trip to Houston as well as the sickness that has continued to make a pest of itself in our household.

This will be our first Christmas without my dad (Dec. 26th will be the six month mark of his death) and I've been thinking of him and missing him a lot these past few weeks so I thought it would be fun to share some pictures of him from Christmas past. These are in very random order and I won't put captions on all of them but for reference-I'm the youngest of the three children in our family. I'm sure my sister and brother will not be thanking me for sharing some of these...

My dad and I seemed to have a thing for accessorizing

with the tree decorations as seen in the next three pictures.

This picture was taken last Christmas-one month before

my dad was diagnosed with stage IV Colon Cancer.

(Notice Jonah is chewing on a dog toy--at least he got to it before the dog did!)

Love you Dad!

Wekend Recap

2008-12-15T16:37:00.001-07:00

We had a busy and fun weekend! Jeremy and I had a wonderful time shopping on Friday. It was eight blissful hours of just the two of us. I'm very excited that finished all our shopping for the kids and most of the shopping for the rest of our families. We also enjoyed a quiet, leisurely dinner at The Outback-yum!

Saturday evening we went to an event called Bethlehem Journey at the church where our kids go for AWANAS. It is was somewhat of a tour with stops at the Temple where Zechariah went mute, Mary's house where she was visited by the angel Gabriel and Elizabeth's house where the babe within her leaped for joy upon hearing Mary's voice. Following those stops we headed into Bethlehem but not before being stopped by Roman soldiers and paying our taxes to Cesar. We were given plastic coins to drop into a chest and which the kids thought was great fun. We then entered an area that was set up as Bethlehem would have appeared so long ago. Complete with an innkeeper and live sheep, goats and donkey to pet. There was also demonstrations of blacksmithing, pottery spinning and mat weaving where the kids could make their own "pinch pots" and weave a paper mat. There were authentic samples of bread from that time and other items used during that time. Also the kids got to play the game of Dreidel and bring a dreidel home with them. After spending time in the city of Bethlehem we headed outside where we met the shepherds, complete with live, sheep, who had been visited by the host of angels and then finally we entered the "stable" where Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus were found. It was a really neat experience and the kids really enjoyed the hands on part of it and seeing what it was like when Jesus came into our world. The church did a really nice job of making the sets and scenery and costumes to bring the experience alive.

It became extremely cold overnight. Sunday dawned with a couple inches of newly fallen snow and temps in the single digits. Jeremy was working during the morning and I decided not to venture out on my own with the kids to church so we enjoyed a cozy morning at home. Temps continued to drop throughout the day and we were in the negative numbers by evening. We built a fire and continued to cozy up for the rest of the day. I spent the afternoon wrapping presents and and am mostly done with wrapping which is great since it will be a busy week with getting ready to head to Houston on Sunday.

The temperature dipped to -17 during the night---a new record for Denver and it was -10 when we woke this morning. It has not crept above zero all day. Due to the extreme cold Jeremy's car would not start, even after having roadside assistance come out to help. So we've enjoyed having him home with us today. Aidan and Sarah still had school though-thankfully the van started just fine. Jonah began to show signs of being sick yesterday and today woke up with a high fever so I headed to the doctor with him this afternoon to confirm that he now has strep. I'm really praying that Aidan and Sarah won't get it this time around--especially with us heading out of town in a few days.

It is supposed to warm up to 32 tomorrow-which, if it actually happens, will be surprising since it was supposed to get up to 13 today and didn't make it anywhere close to that. We are supposed to get another few inches of snow overnight as well--add that to roads that are still icy from yesterday's snow and things could be pretty treacherous in the morning. (btw-treacherous seems to Aidan's favorite word these days.) Jeremy will likely be taking my van to work tomorrow as his car is unlikely to work until it is well thawed out.

Sorry to be long-winded but I had to make up for missing the previous two days. =) Be looking for funny sayings from Katie and Sarah in tomorrow's post.

The Twelve Days of Christmas like never before

2008-12-12T13:23:00.002-07:00

I heard the end of this song on the radio today and knew I needed to hear the rest so Jeremy sweetly searched it out for me and did one step better than the audio version by finding it on youtube. Truly entertaining!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Fe11OlMiz8

Have a wonderful weekend! I'm heading out for Christmas Shopping and dinner with Jeremy and NO kids! It doesn't get much better than that! Jeremy and I love shopping together and it's been quite a while since we've had a date so this will be heavenly!

Easy Recipe

2008-12-11T09:06:00.006-07:00

This recipe comes from my dear friend Cristyn. I made it for the first time last year and was instantly hooked. It is super easy (a good thing!) and one of those treats that you just can't stay away from (a bad thing!).

White Christmas Candy

1 pkg. 24 oz. Almond Bark

2 Cups peanut butter Cap'n Crunch cereal

2 Cups rice crispies

2 Cups dry roasted unsalted peanuts

Melt almond bark in microwave. Stir in other ingredients until well coated. Drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper. Allow to cool. One batch makes about 40 pieces. Note-don't take too long to spoon out of bowl as the almond bark hardens quickly.

Enjoy!

Good Read

2008-12-10T07:15:00.011-07:00

I am always on the look out for great children's Christmas books-especially books that are Christian themed. Last year we purchased this book :

It quickly became a favorite. I love everything about it. From the illustrations to the adventurous story line which weaves together God's amazing creativity in nature with the reason why Jesus needed to come to earth as a baby to save us. It can be purchased in most stores-I'm pretty sure we got ours at Target. For more info you can visit the author's web site: http://www.lisatawnbergren.com/books.html

Christmas Survey Revisited

2008-12-09T17:04:00.006-07:00

Since I was so serious with my survey answers I thought I would entertain you with Jeremy's answers to the same questions. One of the things I love most about him is his amusing sense of humor--even though it is a bit whacked..I mean wacky! And while I'm talking about my sweet hubby I just want to say that he's been a gem over the last several days. I have been dealing with the nastiest case of Strep throat that I've ever had and as he put it, it has me "sawing logs like a lumberjack". So he's been sleeping on the couch for four days and will probably be back there tonight-but he hasn't complained a bit and he's been helpful to boot! I'm ready to be done with this horrid stuff and ready to have my hubby back by my side! Unfortunately, also during this time Sarah had a nasty stomach bug that kept her and I up half of one night, and now Katie has strep and it kept her and I up half of last night. I'm ready to have a sick-free home and some good sleep!

And now back to the survey:

Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Fried Eggs with Grits, a Side of Bacon, some Buttermilk Biscuits, and a tall glass of Chocolate Milk

Does Santa wrap presents or set them under the tree? Santa? Where’s the Jolly Old Elf when the Littlest Pet Shop Pink Puppy Palace needs “some assembly required,” has 9,000,000 tiny parts, and comes with instructions written entirely in Mandarin?

Colored lights on tree or white? Black Lights – Florescent Neon Tree

When do you put your decorations up? December 26 (Boxing Day) – Everything goes back into its box.

What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Heavy Duty Dixie Plate with 3 compartments.

Favorite Holiday memory as a child: Testing every bulb on the strand to see which one may or may not be the culprit.

When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? The Enquirer, December 2007. Scandalous!

Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Sacrilege! Although we do typically open one on December 23 in honor of the Japanese Emperor’s Birthday.

How do you decorate your Christmas tree? By sitting across the room with a sling-shot…

Snow! Love it or Dread it? Snow-shmow… the real excitement of the holiday season comes with black ice!

Can you ice skate? I’ve got a Dorothy Hamill wedge haircut, does that count?

Do you remember your favorite gift? Nope. I forgot after being abducted by the Ghost of Christmas Past.

What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Cream colored ponies and crisp apple streudels; Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles; Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings; These are a few of my favorite things…

What is your favorite Holiday Dessert or snack? Peeps

What is your favorite tradition? Petitioning the government to disallow images of Santa in public places.

Which do you prefer, Giving or Receiving? Giving…Receiving… who cares? I just want to dance!

What is your favorite Christmas Song? Perry Homes for Christmas (Anita Kerr Singers)

Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? I think a more appropriate question would be: Candy Canes – Fact or Fiction?

Ever recycled a Christmas present? I put a particularly loathsome one in a wood chipper once – does that count?

Christmas Riddles

2008-12-08T08:18:00.005-07:00

Here are some riddles to give you a Ho Ho Holiday Chuckle...in honor of Aidan, who is currently really into these type of "play on word" jokes. Enjoy!

Q: What do elves learn in school?

A: The elf-abet

lllllllll

Q: What is the difference between the Christmas alphabet and the ordinary alphabet?
A: The Christmas alphabet has No L (Noel)

lllllllll

Q: What Christmas Carol is a favorite of parents?

A: Silent Night

lllllllll

Q: Why does Santa have three gardens?

A: So he can Hoe Hoe Hoe

lllllllll

Q: What do Snowmen eat for breakfast?

A: Frosted Flakes

lllllllll

Q: What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire?

A: Frostbite

lllllllll

Q: What kind of bird can write?

A: A pen-guin

lllllllll

Q: What did the ghost say to Santa Claus?

A: I’ll have a boo Christmas without you…

lllllllll

Q: How do sheep in Mexico say Merry Christmas?

A: Fleece Navidad!

lllllllll

Q: What does a cat on the beach have in common with Christmas?

A: Sandy Claws!

lllllllll

Q: What do you get if Santa goes down the chimney when a fire is lit?

A: Crisp Cringle

lllllllll

Q: What kind of candle burns longer, a red candle or a green candle?

A: Neither! Candles always burn shorter!

lllllllll

Q: Why was Santa’s little helper depressed?

A: He had low elf-esteem

lllllllll

Q: What do you call people who are afraid of Santa Claus?

A: Claustrophobic

You can find these jokes and other fun Christmas stuff for kids HERE.

Cakey-cakes

2008-12-07T12:41:00.005-07:00

I love to bake and create in the kitchen and in the past few days I've made two cakes that were both a lot of fun to do.

On Friday Aidan finished up a unit on Mexico at school and they had a Mexican Fiesta. When it was time to pick the food item we would contribute I let Aidan take his pick. I should have known he would pick the dessert. I racked my brain and came up with a few ideas but none of them were working out because Mexican food is a little scarce where we live. If we were still living in Houston this wouldn't have been a problem at all. Then I remembered Pastel de Tres Leches-or Cake of Three Milks. I searched on the Internet and found an easy version on foodnetwork.com that seemed perfect for a 1st grade fiesta. You can view the recipe here. I omitted the rum and added a bit of almond extract. It received rave reviews from the kids as well as the moms and Aidan's teacher. Here's my finished product:

Last night we celebrated my sister's birthday and I made a chocolate raspberry cheesecake. Jeremy is really the cheesecake baker extraordinaire in our family but he was unable to do it for this particular event so I stepped in. I had fun making the decorations for the top and it was really quite easy to do.

A cozy evening

2008-12-06T07:35:00.006-07:00

Last night was the perfect night to put on comfy PJ's, build a fire, watch a Christmas movie (we chose The Santa Clause) and make Smores! Roasting marshmallows in the fireplace was a tradition during winter when I was a child so it always brings me warm fuzzys.

Winter Wonderland

2008-12-05T07:27:00.001-07:00

We finally got a really good snow yesterday-I love the crispness and silence snow brings. As I was outside taking these pictures I hollered just to hear the echo that only occurs in a snowy white world.

This is a sand pail that was was mostly visible when we woke

up. This picture was taken around 1:00 p.m.

I love this tree-definitely my favorite picture.

Katie Bunny-who was very happy to stay inside

rather than being a snow bunny

And a very Merry, Happy Birthday to my sister Robin--I love how our relationship has blossomed over the past year. You are so special to me!

Christmas Survey

2008-12-04T07:25:00.008-07:00

I was tagged by Erica over at haphazardhappenstances for a "Deck the Halls" Christmas meme and apparently I have a lot to say on the subject so settle in... =)

Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot chocolate-especially gourmet kinds. I actually had my very first taste of Egg Nog this week-it was fresh from a local dairy and while I didn’t find it nasty, it’s not something I really care to ever taste again.

Does Santa wrap presents or set them under the tree? Santa doesn’t really visit our house-we wrap one present “from Santa” for each of the kids but they all know “Santa” is a pretend character by our design.

Colored lights on tree or white? Colored on the main tree but I do like having a small “decorator” tree somewhere in the house.

When do you put your decorations up? As soon as possible after Thanksgiving

What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? This is a toughie for me-not sure I have a specific favorite. I love all the traditional dishes (minus the candied sweet potatoes) and I also love the finger food smorgasbord that Jeremy’s family does on Christmas day. It’s so fun to graze on dips and goodies ALL DAY LONG!

Favorite Holiday memory as a child: My Grandpa having all us grandchildren gathered around him as he read the Christmas Story from the Bible.

When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? My parents told us from the beginning that Santa wasn’t real but we always had one present from Santa under the tree. I’m glad they did it this way-I don’t feel deprived at all from not believing in Santa. As I see it, our children understand that God has blessed us to be able to provide gifts for them at Christmas and we hope that we are laying a foundation of true joy and appreciation in them.

Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Yes-one small one each. Usually it is PJ’s or something else the kids can wear on Christmas morning.

How do you decorate your Christmas tree? By hanging each ornament on it’s own branch. =) We have a very eclectic selection of ornaments-most with special meanings from throughout the years. Each child gets a new ornament every year which coordinates with the stocking they’ve had since their first Christmas.

Snow! Love it or Dread it? Love it, Love it, Love it! Let it snow! In fact it is snowing here in Colorado right now!

Can you ice skate? I haven’t been in about 20+ years, so probably not. I’d much rather slide around on the ice in tennis shoes while playing “broom ball”!

Do you remember your favorite gift? I don’t know that I have one specific favorite gift-but finding out I was pregnant during Christmas week in 2000 (Dec. 18th), 2002 (Dec. 23rd) and 2004 (Dec. 24th) would each rank up at the top!

What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Remembering our Savior’s amazing journey into our world and the incredible life and death He went through for us.

What is your favorite Holiday Dessert or snack? All of them! I especially love my mom’s toffee recipe and my friend Cristyn’s “White Christmas” candy

What is your favorite tradition? The reading of Luke chapter 2 on Christmas morning followed by singing a few Christmas carols with our extended family.

Which do you prefer, Giving or Receiving? LOVE both!

What is your favorite Christmas Song? This is another toughie—we are Christmas Music maniacs with over 70 Christmas CD’s in our collection. I guess I would have to say anything that my super talented hubby sings. I do have a Fav Album though-Avalon “Joy” – probably because Jeremy sang several of their songs in an amazing foursome at our church in Houston.

Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? I like them ok and have maybe one a year but prefer the fruity kind rather than mint.

Elvish Impersonators

2008-12-03T08:05:00.003-07:00

Enjoy some Holiday Cheer in the two posts below!

The Cute Couple

2008-12-03T07:58:00.001-07:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Crafty Kid Elves

2008-12-03T07:56:00.001-07:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Snow People

2008-12-02T13:42:00.005-07:00

Sarah received this stuffed snowman for her first Christmas and it is brought out every year with our Christmas decorations.

Here is our conversation from the other day regarding it:

Sarah: I put my Snowman up on my bed. (At least this is what I thought I heard.)

Me: That's a good place for your Snowman.

Sarah: No Mama, I said my Snow Ma'am--because it's a girl!

Christmas Blogging

2008-12-01T10:47:00.015-07:00

My friend Erica has issued a "25 Days of Christmas Blogging" challenge and I've decided to give it a try! I may not manage a new post every day but I'll give it my best effort.

Sarah seems to be our future architect because she can easily think up a design and execute it well-whether she is drawing it on paper or building with Legos or any other material she can find to construct with.

Apparently Mary and Joseph decided to take the show on the road this year...

introducing the Mangermobile!

The Salted King

2008-11-12T15:32:00.003-07:00

Late last night, as the kids and I were driving home from the airport after spending a few days in Houston, we were listening to a Kids Worship CD. Katie was the only one that managed to stay awake and I think the reason is that she seemed to be listening quite intently to the words of the music. She asked many questions about what she was hearing. wanting to understand words such as exalted, majesty and glory-which are not easy words to explain to a three year old. Today when we got in the van the same CD was still playing and Katie asks me, "Why did the king get salted, Mommy?" Apparently my definitions weren't so great...

Costume Cuties

2008-11-05T13:46:00.000-07:00

Aidan has every intention of playing

for the Houston Astros in about 15 years!

Princess Sarah-sweet as a rose!

Katie Bunny-for the second year running!

Jonah's favorite word these days is "woof" so it was only

appropriate for him to be a dog. When he got the first glimpse of

himself in the mirror he loved it and didn't want to leave the mirror.

We attended "Trick or Treat on Our Street" at the church where my mom attends and my brother, Tim, is one of the pastors. At the end of the night they had a raffle for a chance to throw a pie in one of the pastors faces. My Grandma bought three tickets and wouldn't you know it...one of her numbers got picked when it was my brothers turn. She very thoroughly enjoyed the experience!

Sarah on...The Election

2008-11-04T12:43:00.003-07:00

A few minutes ago I told Sarah I would be heading out soon to vote.

Sarah: Who are you going to vote for? Daddy?
Me: I would love to vote for Daddy but he doesn't want to be the president at this time.

It melted my heart that Sarah wants "Daddy for President"! Just think Jeremy, in 13 or so years, your name just may get written on at least one ballot!

Aidan on...The Election

2008-11-03T21:25:00.002-07:00

Tonight we were talking with Aidan about the election and the presidental candidates and he wanted to know who we were voting for. Before we answered and knowing that he's been studying in school about the election and who the candidates are Jeremy asked him a couple questions.

Jeremy: Who would you vote for?
Aidan: I can't vote, I'm not 18.
Jeremy: If you were 18 who would you vote for?
Aidan: I don't know, I haven't heard their speeches...

We're glad to know he won't be swayed by outside influences when the time comes for him to vote in 11 years!

Sarah-Bearah

2008-10-29T10:26:00.006-06:00

I love watching my children's unique personalities unfold and take flight and want to share a few of my observations about our Sarah Bear. Sarah is the trickster of the family. She loves to pull a good gag from saying things like, "Mommy, the most beautiful butterfly ever is right above your head!" to telling me she isn't dressed yet because she was too busy playing and then immediately popping out of her room fully clothed. It always ends with her saying, "Tricked ya!" In fact she is so into this that I've come to expect what she says to be a trick before I'll buy it as truth. She says she doesn't do this with her teacher and friends and I'm OK with it as long as it stays at home. On the other side of things she is also our sympathetic soul. She is the first one to run and get Jonah's blue raggies when he is in need of comfort. She says things like, "I feel so bad for Aidan" when he is sick and she is the one that frequently prays, "Jesus, please take good care of Papa Terry in Heaven." She worries a lot about who she'll marry (she's hoping for Drew Moreno-a friend from Houston) and what she'll be when she grows up-switching between a softball player, an artist and a fairy princess on a regular basis. She's smart and picks new things up quickly. The other day we were driving to school noticing the beautiful fall colors on the trees. When we passed one that had lost all it's leaves already, out of the blue she says, "That tree is dormant." I then asked her where she heard that and what dormant means. She said her teacher mentioned it on the playground one day and then Sarah gave me the definition perfectly.

Here's one more funny story about Sarah. Back in September Grandma Peggy came to visit us and we took a trip into the mountains in hopes of seeing the Aspens in golden splendor--unfortunately we were a bit too early for this year but it was beautiful none the less. There is a small chapel off the road we travel on that is part of a Catholic Retreat Center. In the past when we've stopped the chapel has been locked but we took a chance again and this time it was open.

After exploring the chapel Katie was in need of a potty break so we headed to the main lodge of the retreat center. As we approached the entrance there was a sign posted on the door which Aidan began reading out loud, "Beware! There is currently a bear on our property..." and Sarah immediately jumps in with, "So run for your lives!!!!!" Her quick wit had all of us laughing and needing a potty break! (FYI-the sign actually read something to the effect of "Beware! There is currently a bear on our property so please don't leave any food outside or in your cars and take caution.")

This is a Narcissus (Paper White) bulb that Sarah "planted" a few weeks ago at school. All they did was stick the bulb on top of some pea gravel in a plastic cup. We've dutifully watered it and it has been amazing to watch it grow. Definitely our best take home seed project ever.

I love the Pumpkin Time of year!

2008-10-27T10:17:00.011-06:00

The Rock Creek Pumpkin Farm is literally just down the

hill from our house-it can be seen from Aidan's bus stop.

Is this one good?

Katie's found just the one.

Aidan and Jonah

Sarah and Katie

Aidan watches as Jeremy carves his pumpkin,

Aidan created the design himself!

Yum-pumpkin goo!

Our Little Pumpkins!

Responsibility and Math

2008-10-20T18:11:00.005-06:00

Most days I get up around 6:00 a.m. while Jeremy is getting ready for work but on Friday my alarm didn't go off, and I fell back asleep after Jeremy kissed me good-bye. I usually wake Aidan up around 7:15 to get ready for school. At 7:30 I woke up with a jolt and rushed out of our room to go wake Aidan up only to find he was already out of bed. In fact he'd taken matters into is own hands and made himself breakfast. He'd used the bathroom step stool to reach the top shelf of the pantry for the cereal and was calmly eating when I came downstairs. I asked how long he'd been awake and he said since 7:12. He didn't want to disturb me. I helped him finish getting ready for school and then told him I needed a shower before the other kids woke up and asked if he could manage getting out the door for the bus at 8:03 by himself. He was OK with doing that and yelled bye to me through the bathroom door at the appointed time. It makes me wonder if he would have woken me up at all had I continued to sleep or if he would have just seen to everything himself and gone on his way...

While I'm on the subject of Aidan I want to say that we have a math maniac on our hands-he's always had a thing for numbers-when he was four, I'd put him down for a nap and he would lay there and count as high as he could (into the thousands) instead of sleeping if he wasn't tired. He's been assessed extensively at school with regards to math. He's currently in first grade, and it was decided that he would accelerate to third grade math this year. He is doing wonderfully well with the third graders and it seems to be providing the challenge he needs in this area. They have been working on "Number Sense"recently which includes writing numbers in various forms and one day when he came home from school and wrote 1,111 on a paper and then proceeded to come up with all the ways that number can be written-expanded form: 1000 + 100 + 10 + 1, written form: one thousand one hundred eleven; etc. He did all five of the ways they'd worked on in school and wanted to come up with one more and remembered Roman Numerals as a way to write numbers, so we headed to the Internet to look them up which made him quite happy. That is a serious love of numbers!

Diaper Days are DONE!

2008-10-14T13:05:00.000-06:00

On Friday night I walked out of our bedroom to see Jonah opening the bathroom door and his buns were bare! He had pulled off his pants and diaper and wanted to sit on the potty. So I put him on and he seemed thrilled with sitting there. He went through the same motions two more times that night but did not produce anything in the potty. Jonah is 20 months old and I really wasn't sure he was ready to potty train so I kept a onsie type outfit on him through the weekend to keep him from removing his diaper by himself-because at some point that could turn disastrous. Yesterday morning when I was putting clothes on him, his diaper was dry so I thought we'd give the potty another try and he had immediate success! He kept his diaper dry all day (including during nap time!) and would come to me and pull me towards the potty when he needed to go. He is the first of my children to approach potty training with enthusiasm and willingness and I am embracing it wholeheartedly! Today he has been in underwear all day and even though he's had a couple accidents he definitely knows what's going on and I have no doubt in two-three days he will be accident free. I'm sure we will be continuing diapers at night time for a while longer but that's no big deal. I am so excited to think that after seven straight years of changing diapers-frequently having two children in diapers at the same time-my diaper days are just about done---and we'll have about $40 more in the grocery budget each month!

I have several stories to share about the kids but can't seem to find the time to sit and type them up. I promise they will be coming soon...

Summer Swim Lessons

2008-09-11T09:52:00.000-06:00

To start out I want to let all our family and friends in the Houston area know that we are praying for you and your homes as you are at the moment either evacuating or hunkering down to weather the hurricane at home. We love you and pray for God's grace and protection to cover you!

It would seem that for a while I may be relating history on this blog rather than current events as I try to catch up on our recent happenings. Aidan and Sarah both took swim lessons for the first time this summer and they were both champs in the water. They loved, loved, loved swimming lessons and couldn't get enough of them. I am so thankful that they inherited my love of swimming and water and not their dad's total dislike of swimming. Here are a couple videos taken with my cell phone-which means the quality is poor but you should still be able to get the idea.

I could not believe that half way through his lessons Aidan was already jumping off the diving board in to 10 foot deep water and then swimming to the edge completely unassisted!

Sarah learned and tried many things and even jumped off the edge in the deep end while holding on to the rope swing and her teacher. The frog board seemed to be a favorite activity as well.

Recent Highlights

2008-09-08T10:03:00.000-06:00

As I begin this blog I realize that I am not the best thought putter-downer in the world but hopefully this will at least serve the purpose of keeping family and friends in the loop about our lives--especially those who live far from us.

So, here are some random thoughts from the past couple weeks.

Aidan started 1st grade almost three weeks ago and is super thrilled that homework day has finally arrived. He's been waiting for homework since day one and I will not at all be surprised if he gets home from school and immediately whips out his homework folder and completes everything in it in one fell swoop--even though it's not due back until Friday.

Sarah started Pre-K last week and is loving it! She made me quite proud on Friday when I came in to the classroom to pick her up. Without any prompting from anyone she walked up to the mom who had provided the snack for that day and gently got her attention, then said "Thank you for bringing the cupcakes, they were yummy!" I was amazed with the pose and manners Sarah showed while talking to an adult and the bravery to do it all on her own!

Katie and Jonah are doing well with the older two in school. They do keep me on my toes though-especially Jonah, as his preferred toys are the vacuum, the broom and anything else bigger than he is and that he shouldn't have.

On Friday night Aidan and I were able to go to the Rockies/Astros game thanks to tickets given us by Jeremy's boss. The seats were right behind the Astros dugout and it was really cool to be just a couple rows away from the Astros players as they warmed up to bat. Other than it being a bit chilly (51 degrees) we had an amazing time! The Astros catcher, Quintero, had occasionally been tossing balls up to the fans if the inning ended in a strikeout leaving the pitched ball in his hand. At the end of the 7th inning Aidan and I decided to attempt getting a game ball. As Quintero walked up to the dugout he motioned to all the kids that he wasn't going to throw the ball this time and then he spotted Aidan standing there, decked out in his Astros gear and he intentionally pointed to him and rolled the ball across the top of the dugout straight in to Aidan's hand. Aidan grinned from ear to ear for the rest of the game. Thanks Quintero for making a 7 year old's heart sing!