Baller Chronicles

Status updates from facebook this past week...(reverse order)

2010-02-18T18:36:00.000-08:00

will--"mom, i need you to come kiss my face." (i did.) will--"don't i smell like yummy chocolate and peanut butter?" yes, he sure did. i guess he found the valentine's candy i hid but how can i possibly be upset about this?

after our yummy vday dinner @ macaroni grill we dropped off my car for service at the toyota shop down the road. following conversation ensued...syd--"who has the fastest car in our family?" katie--"probably dad." syd--"well, God's in our family and i bet His car is faster AND bigger." katie--"yeah, i bet God's car is silver and gold and has pearls on the wheels." syd--"yeah, and i bet every seat has it's own dvd player and there's probably pretty jewels on the lights." katie--"cool, i wish we could have a car like that!"

and finally...

me to kids--"okay guys, time to clean up so we can go to dinner." syd--"where are we going, mc donalds?" me--"no, somewhere nicer for valentine's day." syd--"chick-fil-a?" ha ha...we have our kids well-trained.

Merry Christmas, 2 months late!

2010-02-18T16:51:00.001-08:00

My sister in law and I made this collage to give the grandparents for Christmas. We had a lot of fun with the kids--the dads helped--and it was a very memorable gift!

A first for our family...EVERY kid WANTED to see Santa and all were smiling!

One of my Christmas highlights was going out to a fabulous dinner with some of
my favorite people. Last year we did pot luck...having someone fix it and clean it up
is going to be a new favorite tradition! Love you, girls!

NEW MOON

2010-02-18T16:42:00.001-08:00

I love Twilight. I am not ashamed of it. I went with about a dozen of my favorite people to see the "New Moon" premier at midnight opening night. We had a wonderful dinner at Cheesecake Factory beforehand and then loaded up and all of the wonderful movie treats while we sat in our seats for 2 hours before the movie started. At least we were sitting in the warm theater and not standing in line outside where it was freezing! It was an awesome girls night out, absolutely no calorie counting! Only 131 more days until "Eclipse" comes out!

California

2010-02-18T16:14:00.000-08:00

I do believe it is the happiest place on earth. Especially as the kids get older
we can really go and have fun with fewer meltdowns and more rides together!

Katie LOVES the dolphins. She got to touch one which was super exciting
and she is hoping to swim with one in Hawaii...stay tuned!

Will practiced building sand castles (as opposed to stomping on them last year!)
Coronado is our favorite beach in the continental U.S. We absolutely LOVE it here!

Syd was Mom's sand dollar buddy. We spent several hours over the course of our time
there searching for them, I think we have figured out how to get the best ones!

The last 4 years we have visited San Diego I have wanted to rent the surrey and ride
around Coronado with our kids. This was our lucky year!
Umm...I would not recommend this activity unless your kids are old enough to help
pedal (none of ours had legs long enough to reach the pedals!) It was very fun
(we stopped halfway around the island for ice cream,) but a
LOT of work! PS. A Chinese tourist stopped us and asked if he could take a picture--
for himself--he wanted to show his friends back home an American family. He
kindly offered to take one with our camera, too. I hope we don't show up on
some billboard in Beijing!

2009-09-21T15:21:00.000-07:00

Well, here we are just 45 minutes after school got out...we are in for the night, wearing our pajamas, and sipping hot chocolate--with marshmallows, of course!
Bring on the snow!

(Actually, I could do without the snow for a bit longer; but I am definitely a fan of pajamas during the day and chocolatey drinks!)

Oh boy...

2009-09-21T09:05:00.000-07:00

And now it is SNOWING! Will just declared, "It's Christmas!"
If so, then where's my peppermint white mocha?

Rain, rain, go away!

2009-09-21T07:39:00.001-07:00

I have no idea where the summer went? We had a lot of fun this summer, mostly stuck close to home and played outside with friends. The kids had a blast and I pretty much collapsed into bed at the end of each day--exhausted from the exertion from entertaining three small, busy children. Right before school started we took a last minute trip to OKC to meet up with some of my family, as I had a cousin competing in the AQHA Junior World Championships. We only had one full day there, so that meant a good portion of the 5 days we were gone were spent in the car. The kids did super--we did give them the incentive of hotels with pools for their good behavior--and it worked! On our last night we were blessed to find a BRAND NEW Holiday Inn Express in the middle of nowhere, Oklahoma. Not kidding, brand new! Love this picture of the kids all sharing a bed!
Sometimes Lance asks one of us to walk on his back, it cracks a lot but he insists that it feels good. I guess on this particular morning one chiropractor was just not enough.

Katie on her first day of 2nd grade. Where does the time go?

Syd & Will on the first day of preschool. Fun times!

Up until this morning, we have had consistently beautiful weather. We didn't have one single day in triple digits this summer, what a nice change! This morning at about 4 am it started to rain. It is still raining and it is only forty degrees outside; it was 75 yesterday. I'm not quite ready for fall...

Family Camp

2009-06-25T18:01:00.001-07:00

Our family is blessed to attend the most amazing family camp in the world each summer! Here is our "family portrait," taken on "medieval night." Some lovely ladies in waiting and a knight in shining armor!

Will's first horse ride!

The "Red Rascals."

My very own Robinhood got called out of the crowd to shoot the bow & arrows for our team!

Syd not only got to ride a horse, she got to paint one with paints and markers. Patient horse, bewildered children!

American Idol 2024

2009-06-25T17:42:00.000-07:00

His very own rendition of "How much is that doggy in the window?"

She's HOT!

2009-06-25T17:37:00.000-07:00

My amazing hula-hoopin' daughter...

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

2009-06-21T12:36:00.001-07:00

Dad, you're the best! We miss you! Be safe & come home soon!

(forgot my fill flash, sorry!)

Marie Antoinette

2009-06-20T23:58:00.001-07:00

Half of my lifetime ago I was fortunate enough to go on a 16-day trip all around France to practice speaking the language I had studied, and to and learn about the culture. I was inundated with art & history; I was overwhelmed by the experience. I quite frankly don't remember much of it but what I do remember is that I loved Marie Antoinette's Estate at Versaille. It is magical. It is like stepping into a fairy tale. A brief history lesson is that this place was created for the Queen so that she could have an escape from the rigidity of royalty. It was a place for resting and having fun. (I'm sure there's much more to it than that, but we'll stick with the basics.)

Just as magical as the first time I experienced it. I literally took hundreds of pictures and couldn't even select 5 (the max it will allow me per post,) so I just picked a handful of different ones to give you a sample of the fairy tale.

Versailles, ridiculously opulent and excessive; but beautiful.

2009-06-20T23:35:00.000-07:00

Here we are at the gold gates to Versailles. Seriously, it is hard to imagine anyone even wanting to live this extravegantly, but it is a sight to behold! It even has it's own breathtaking chapel inside with a gorgeous organ, amazing artwork, and gold leafing everywhere, and well, see it for yourself:
This is rounding the corner to head into the famous "Hall of Mirrors." I got a decent shot of the hall itself, but there are literally hundreds of people in it, which kind of takes away from the grandeur. I loved this shot because you can get a good idea of the dozens of matching chandeliers that hang from the hall's ceilings, and you can even see one mirror directly below the chandelier. Just imagine hundreds of those lining the wall opposite of the arched windows you see. It is brilliant with light!
Check out Louis XIV's bedchamber. The top of the bed with its plumes you can see, what I really wanted to capture was the art above the bed. I really cannot even imagine having this stuff over me while I was sleeping. Not to mention a gigantic crystal chandelier with candles.
Directly across from the kings bed, the windows opened up to this view of the gardens. Now this I could so live with. The grounds at Versailles are truly like a slice of heaven. Here you can't even see the fountains and flowers!

Paris Miscellaneousness

2009-06-20T22:58:00.000-07:00

The carousel at the Tuileries. They were also giving pony rides through the gardens...I know 3 small children that would have really enjoyed this park! This made me miss my kids!
I actually think the picture was taken at St. Pancras in London. We took it for Will because he is so interested in trains these days. As a side note, I was terrified to take the Chunnel from London to Paris. But it was really cool. As you are leaving London you go through so many smaller tunnels that when you actually go under the water, it just seems like it's another tunnel. Then it dawns on you that this must be the tunnel and before you can get too stressed you're in the sun again. Very fast; very cool.
Place de la Concorde at night. You can see Cleopatra's needle in the foreground and the Eiffel Tower in the background.
And what would a trip to Paris be without a visit to the "Tour Eiffel?" Well, the first time I went to Paris we skipped it altogether, if that says anything. However we decided we wanted to see it, and it was pretty neat.
After we left the Eiffel Tower we were walking near the Seine and I had a wonderful opportunity to practice my French and asked a nice couple to take a picture of us. They pretended to understand me and smiled politely, and the man held out his hand for the camera...and voila! Not bad.

British Museum & Museum of Natural History in London

2009-06-20T22:47:00.000-07:00

The British Museum houses some of most famous pieces of World History, including the Rosetta Stone and pieces of the Pantheon. Like the art-counterparts in Paris, it is overwhelming. One of my favorite discoveries on this day was this gorgeous gold clock which was once housed in Martin Luther's church. It's old and it still works. Really, I heard it chime with my own ears.

One of the things I found most fascinating is that for such a liberal country, they proudly displayed many beautiful pieces with biblical meaning, and described them in detail on the cards next to each exhibit. It truly moved me.
Not so far away is the Museum of Natural History. Every child's dream come true with the life-sized, reconstructed, animatronic dinosaurs. Perhaps the greatest dinosaur exhibit(s) in the world.
There are several rooms and floors with a variety of exhibits, but honestly the dinos steal the show!

Sainte Chapelle et Notre Dame

2009-06-20T22:31:00.000-07:00

Sainte Chapelle is often overlooked, as it stands less than one hundred yards away from the magnificent Notre Dame. In my opinion, it is equally as magnificent. There are over 1000 stained glass windows that depict stories from the Bible. They are beautiful. The windows seen above are contained in the upper chapel, where only the king and his guests were allowed to worship. The lower chapel, as seen below, had beautiful gold-guilded arches and statues of Christ's disciples.

A stone's throw away is Notre Dame. Here is a rare shot of me in front of the camera. We had just climbed about thousand steps to get to the top to view exterior aerial views of Notre Dame, as well as the city below.
Of course Notre Dame has many well-noted features, including it's own stained glass windows. I personally enjoyed looking at the stone depictions of the many saints and biblical persons that are placed throughout the church.

Le Louvre et Musee d'Orsay

2009-06-20T22:12:00.000-07:00

It is truly impossible to describe the feeling(s) one experiences when you come so close to the famous masterpieces housed in these two museums. It is simply overwhelming. Equally as fascinating to me is the opportunity to "people watch," and listen to words of others as equally overwhelmed as myself, in other languages!
I took countless pictures of the actual artwork, but the buildings themselves are works of art, which is why I'm posting these pictures here. Want to see artwork? Go to the library and check out a book. :)
I did thoroughly enjoy the Napoleon exhibits at the Louvre, I don't recall seeing this part of the museum the last time I was there. Here is a picture of his crown, well, one of them at least.

The grand hall at the Orsay.

Poor, poor Lance. We did both of these museums in the same day and it was a bit exhausting. But even he admitted gladness at seeing all of the things we did...

L' Arc de Triomphe

2009-06-20T22:06:00.000-07:00

It is a beautiful memorial...

Lance wanted to climb to the top, so we did.

As the sun was setting...

Walking back to our hotel, looking down the Champs Elysees at dusk.

Summer is here; Part 3

2009-06-13T21:43:00.001-07:00

We train 'em up young around here...

We also visited the Highlands Ranch annual carnival tonight, complete with the incredible (and expensive!) amusements for kids!
We ran into some friends of ours so Katie was able to ride the roller coaster with her friend, Jensen...they had a blast!
Earlier this morning we waited in line for 2 hours to experience "The Disney Train." Fun...but a 2-hour wait for a 30-minute walk-through was a bit long. The kids were troopers, however, and at the end a nice employee offered to take our picture at Ebeneezer Scrooge's Christmas table.
Will's famous line for the week..."one more bite, Pa." Whatever Pa was eating, Will perched himself on Pa's lap and would ask for one more bite...about 20 times. The only thing Pa offered him that he did not like, was cotton candy. This makes me wonder if he is truly my child? What kid refuses cotton candy?

Summer is here; Part 2.

2009-06-11T20:57:00.001-07:00

A labor of love...Pa, Dad, and Mr. Ray dismantling their Rainbow play structure that they had outgrown and generously offered to our family. Our girls have BEGGED for a swing set and the answer from Dad has always been, "no." But you know, free is pretty hard to say no to. Our wonderful neighbors have single handedly kept Katie in clothes with some to pass on to other friends--we are continually blessed by their generosity and I am always amazed at the things they find to give our family! We did not tell the girls about the play set...so while they were at VBS last night the guys took it apart and mostly got it set up in our yard--we kept the blinds closed so the girls didn't see--and they finished it this morning before they woke up. I wish I had taken a picture of them when we called them to the window this morning with their eyes closed...had them count to three...and then pulled up the blinds right as they opened their eyes! It was magical, I actually captured it on video :)
Our yard prior to construction...this spot practically begged for a play structure!
The troops broke it in ALL day long, even while some minor changes and additions had to be made. I feel confident in saying that this will provide serious enjoyment all summer long; and for many years to come...
Thanks again, Ray, Michelle, Kendra & Regan. Thanks also to Dad and Pa for all of the hard work!

Pink is pretty!

2009-06-10T19:04:00.000-07:00

The great room makeover(s) have commenced. We have dismantled, moved, rearranged, reassembled, painted, and prayed that this would go smoothly...so far so good! I have long desired for my girls to share a room, we just had to wait a bit for Syd to mature enough to handle a "sleepover" every night. So the yellow garden room is no longer just Katie's, it is both of theirs. And they love it. I love it, too. My parents graciously drove a Uhaul from Indiana to Colorado this past weekend with a truckload of my antiques from our family farm. These twin beds have been in our family for a LONG time. My cousin and I slept in them when we were still at home, my mom and her sister slept in them when they were younger, and before that they belonged to my Great grandmother. Pretty cool to pass them on down...
Since I had first formulated this idea 3 years ago, I began to collect miscellaneous bedding for two little girls. It feels pretty exciting to see it all come together and my mom and I have had a lot of fun fluffing and froofing it all...not to mention tucking them in at night is pretty precious!

Summer is here!

2009-06-10T18:59:00.000-07:00

While no one was looking...little man helped himself to our dessert. Cute but the diaper to follow was just downright, quite possibly, the nastiest EVER. Yuck.
He actually looked a little blue after his binge session. But the smile sure was priceless!
Fast friends with Nana, and had no trouble showing her how to work his little boy toys!

A party in heaven for Sydney!

2009-05-19T20:12:00.000-07:00

Happy belated Easter from our family! In typical Colorado fashion, it was about 70 degrees the day before Easter, and we awoke on Easter morning to snow on the ground (and in the air!) A good reminder of Him washing us "white as snow."
This past Saturday, May 16th, was a most important day for Miss Sydney. On our way to Katie's soccer tournament, running late no less, Syd announces that, "today I think I'd like to ask Jesus into my heart." Super!!!!!!!!!!! So we prayed at the Gates Soccer Complex, that Jesus would love Sydney forever, forgive her sins, never leave her, and give her eternal life. The angels were having a party for her in heaven! We celebrated with our very own "come to Jesus" cake, fresh from the Target bakery, lovingly picked out by big sister Katie.
Back to Easter. Lance was gone the week leading up to Easter, so one our super-fun afternoon activities was to dye and paint our very own Easter eggs! Everyone got in on the fun, even little man!
The final products. Remember the days when the only option was to buy the PAAS dye kits? They have so many COOL options for kids these days. We had marbled eggs & glitter eggs, and all of them got custom paint jobs.

There's no place like home!

2009-05-13T05:54:00.000-07:00

I just had one of those incredible opportunities to take a last minute trip with Lance to London. Since things went so smoothly last year we decided that I could go for a full week. I was fine until Mother's Day, missing my kids so much! The girls did great and supposedly Will only asked for me a few times. :) Since I just got back last night, my system is all screwed up and I couldn't sleep past 5:30 this morning. Ugh. So, I am glad to be home and as soon as Lance gets home (he had to stay longer for work,) I will have access to the many fun pictures we took and can share some of the highlights with you. Probably not as historical as last year (I know you are so disappointed!) but we did see some pretty cool stuff. Thanks for your prayers...

Palm Sunday

2009-04-05T11:18:00.001-07:00

"The next day the great crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet Him, shouting, 'Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the King of Israel!'" John 12:12-13

All Boy

2009-04-05T11:09:00.000-07:00

Over spring break our family went skiing. Well, everyone skied except for Will. He did, however, get in on the fun of trying on the gear. I think he looks pretty cool!

Our friend Carly celebrated her 3rd birthday this past week with a party at Chuck E Cheese. Will was in heaven. Especially since he got to ride the monster truck with his buddy Eli.

When I was pregnant with Will my friend Debbie always told me about her son's love of Thomas the Train. I simply did not get it. However, I now have a little boy of my own who eats, sleeps, and breathes Thomas. Watching the show on television is like watching paint dry. But I will admit that we have lots of fun building our tracks, "crashing" them, and building them back up again.

We celebrated in a dive.

2009-03-08T20:02:00.000-07:00

This past week we celebrated our 9th year of marital bliss. Many, many months ago I, with Lance's permission, purchased us tickets on said date, to see Phantom at the Buell. Super excited. The bad news is that Lance ended up being out of town and missed the festivities. The good news is that my wonderful friend, Sue, was able to spend the evening in awe with me--it was a fabulous performance! The 2nd part of the good news is that we finally got to celebrate our anniversary together yesterday, when I surprised Lance with a trip to Skyventure Colorado, where we did some indoor skydiving. It has been on our "to do" list for a long time and it did not disappoint. I'm including a short video of our absolutely crazy instructor, Dan, who mesmerized us all with his acrobatics!

2009-03-08T19:53:00.000-07:00

2009-03-08T19:50:00.000-07:00

Oh, what a beautiful morning!

2009-02-09T07:27:00.001-08:00

Well, these were actually taken in the afternoon. Anyway, we were SO blessed to have the most gorgeous February weather the first handful of days Lance was gone. Although the sun is still shining, the clouds and cold weather have rolled back in as of yesterday. Rain...or snow...is in the air!

Thank you, Lord!

Frogs and snails & puppy dog tails (part II)

2009-02-09T07:19:00.001-08:00

The girls got spoiled yesterday by spending an entire day with their grandparents--complete with a trip to see Disney on Ice. When they left, the little man went nuts! He adores his sisters. Generally speaking, he plays independently quite well. I just think he knew that he was being left out. I'd like to say that I went out of my way to spoil him rotten while they were gone. But I didn't. We did go to church, which he loves. Then we came home and he took a 2 hour nap while I ate some dessert and watched Gilmore Girls. It was a much needed day of quiet for mom! I did take a self-portrait of us before nap time. He is so cute at this age. Minus the occasional tantrum.

Frogs and snails & puppy dog tails...

2009-02-07T14:06:00.001-08:00

How much cuteness can you handle?

Terrified of "Tickle Me Cookie Monster," LOVES the "FurrReal" Puppy! Check out his new spikey-do. Very much a big boy these days!

Sugar & Spice...and everything nice!

2009-02-07T13:50:00.000-08:00

In better late than never news...check out the cutest angels at the Christmas pageant! I wish I'd gotten a closer shot of them holding hands and singing, with the throngs of other children. However, they were so hard to see and ALL 100 angels had redeye--it kind of takes away the angelicness of it all!

Silent Night!

On to the holiday showcase at Colorado School of Dance!

No costumes for this one, just some festive music and lots of cuteness!

Phew! We are on day 8 of dad being out of the country. We have weathered some coughs, sore throats, runny noses, and slight fevers, but we are all still kickin'. Just a handful more days to go, and my sanity is still intact, (barely!) Thank you to all who have checked in on us and prayed for us!

Super Bowl Sunday

2009-02-01T14:02:00.000-08:00

Celebrating Daddy's birthday a few days early...the girls enthusiastically helped wrap the gifts...with lots and LOTS of tape. Anyone have any insight into the childish fascination with tape? (Sorry for the red eye problem--I was using my old camera!)
Our budding artist (well, the youngest one,) colored Dad a special picture from his jumbo Thomas book. Of course, he freaked out when I folded it up and put it in an envelope; and when Lance opened it he said, "No, mine!" We're still working on the attitude of being a cheerful giver.
And after much deliberation, the girls decided that Daddy would most likely want to have a cake with Bronco colors. Coincidentally, Katie's favorite color is blue and Syd's is orange, so they sprinkled his cake lovingly with their respective colors.

Whew! We have had a whirlwind weekend. We crammed in a quick celebration for Dad including dinner at the new HR Bernie's Hot Dog Company, made it to two dance classes on Saturday, and Dad even managed to go to a Super Bowl breakfast with some friends before heading off to the airport. Yup, that's right...gone again. You may remember this post, "Carbs are my friends;" if so, we are in that mode again as Lance just left for 12 days. I am fully stocked on all of my favorite after-the-kids-go-to-bed snacks and have dvr'd about a dozen good chick flicks. It's kind of difficult to feel sorry for him when he gets to visit England, Scotland, and Switzerland during that time. However, he just spent his birthday on an overnight flight, he's missing the Super Bowl on his new big screen HD, and he's sicker than a dog. Part of my birthday gift to him were new boxes of Sudafed and Tylenol PM, which the pharmacist said cannot be taken at the same time--bummer. So maybe it won't be so fun for him after all. To wrap up the pre-Super Bowl festivities, I managed to get myself and all three kids to church on time (at 9 am) this morning. That, my friends, was quite an accomplishment considering I was up watching Gilmore Girls until 2 am.

Crazy for Scooby!

2009-01-26T09:28:00.000-08:00

I've had a little bit of a blogging hiatus. Out of town, sick, tired, trying to get back into our routine...the excuses are endless. So here are a couple of recent updates.

Where are we?

2009-01-26T09:18:00.000-08:00

Okay, I moved from the midwest to get away from this crummy weather! :) The last few days have been very unlike Colorado--overcast, bitterly cold, even foggy! We need the sunshine back!
However, there has been a lot of time for cuddling and enjoying some indoor activities...

Admittedly, we Ballers have never had an aversion to staying in our pajamas all day!

Praise Award

2009-01-26T09:07:00.001-08:00

Every month in Katie's class, they honor a few students for exhibiting a quality, this month's praise awards went to students who exhibit resourcefulness. This is what her teacher, Mrs. Freeman, wrote to Katie:

"Dear Katie, It is my pleasure to honor you for showing the character quality of resourcefulness. Katie, when you were King's Kid, I noticed how so many of your classmates praised you for your creativity. We are all amazed at the projects and creations that you make from simple scraps of paper and other odds and ends. In other words, you are very resourceful! God has certainly blessed you with the gift of creativity. He has a special plan for how you can use your gifts for His glory. In Colossians 3:23, it says that we are to work at things as though we are working for the Lord. We are to do this in every aspect of our life, whether we are creatively making something new or whether we are working hard at making new friends and being a good friend to others. Always remember how much Jesus loves you! Thank you for sharing your resourcefulness and creativity with our class. Congratulations! Love, Mrs. Freeman
Way to go, Doodlebug! We love you and you are such a blessing to our family and so many other people!

"Jingle Bells," by Will

2008-12-17T12:37:00.000-08:00

My Favorite (Christmas) Things (as sung to "Favorite Things" from "The Sound of Music."

2008-12-17T12:27:00.000-08:00

Gingerbread houses and stockings on mantels,

Red Starbucks cups and Christmas Eve candles.

Facebook and postal and email greetings...

These are a few of my favorite things.

Girls in pink dresses and
holiday parties.

Crafting and wrapping and baking some cookies.

Eating then watching some Christmas movies...
These are a few of my favorite things!

When the bills come!
When the flight's late!
When I'm feeling fat...

I simply remember my favorite things
and then I don't feel so bad!

Miscellaneous Festiveness--or Festive Miscellaneousness?!

2008-12-15T13:08:00.000-08:00

Some of my favorite Hillside gals at last night's fellowship evening. Good food, good fun, and good fellowship.

Feel free to copy this idea as long as your kids are not in my kids' classes! I think I have done this about every year, except for last year. 6-packs of IBC rootbeer also work well! If you want to decorate the back reindeer also (sometimes I do, sometimes I don't,) just be sure to use brown "noses." Always a hit, I also like to include a couple packs of flavored microwave popcorn, (my favorites are cheddar and caramel!)

Katie & Madison

2008-12-12T15:09:00.001-08:00

Katie has the sweetest little girlfriend, Madison. They met last year in Kindergarten, when many of the girls were losing interest in Princesses, they formed a fast friendship. They love singing, dancing, dressing up, and all things girly. Yesterday their class made little gingerbread houses, and of course, they worked side by side.

The two of them together on the playground is something else. They are tireless. They run, swing, run, slide, run, jump rope, and run some more.

Thank you, Lord, for special friends. Tomorrow we will celebrate Madison's birthday and we are grateful for her sweet spirit and loving heart. She is a wonderful playmate for our Katie!

Finding the joy...

2008-12-12T15:00:00.000-08:00

Well shucks. Christmas is practically here and I am so not ready. Our designated Christmas decorating week (the one before the week of Thanksgiving) started off with the stomach bug making its way to our home. So we put the decorations on hold. All of our company over turkey day would surely forgive us. Then, with said company being in town, we couldn't seem to find the time to get it done. Please keep in mind that this is basically a one-woman show, as my husband doesn't care to hang lights or do much decorating. Just getting him to set up the tree is an accomplishment. So here we are, preparing to leave town for a bit to celebrate with family in Indiana. I am finding it hard to muster the energy and/or desire to get the show on the road.

Right now, I am drinking gallons of hot cocoa every day (throw in a few visits to 'Bucks every week,) listening to Christmas music around the clock, and eating all things festive. I have been good about having some intentional time with Jesus (come on, He is the reason for the season, after all!) Nevertheless, I am not in decorating mode. So we have made a decision to put the decorations on hold for this year. I have stockings and gifts, of course, and a couple of nativities around the house, but we are not going to do our tree and pull out the rest of the stuff, just this year. Ahh...

I should be relieved, right?

It actually kind of makes me sad. Just a tiny bit. But that is okay. I do want to post a picture of our stockings but I am having trouble getting pix off my camera at this moment in time. So stay tuned...

Her Own Blog

2008-11-26T12:21:00.000-08:00

To keep updated on Aidyn, please check out her blog. www.prayforaidyn.blogspot.com . Thank you for your continued prayers!

Please pray for Aidyn...

2008-11-25T10:11:00.000-08:00

Please join us in praying for the Wooley Family. Matt is the Pastor of the church we have attended the past 3.5 years. Mom is Kristin and youngest daughter is Alissa. Aidyn is 10. A few weeks ago they noticed that Aidyn was having some weakness in her right hand. Then last week she started dragging her right foot. They called their pediatrician who consulted with a neurosurgeon, and they did a MRI yesterday, which showed a tumor developing on her spine, near her neck. This is a very tricky location and surgery will most likely be performed soon. They are consulting with an oncologist today (I think.) Of course, being 10-years-old, Aidyn is fully aware that the word "tumor" is scary. Please pray for this precious family (Aidyn is the one in the middle with glasses.) God bless...

Disciplining a 4-year-old...

2008-11-18T05:07:00.000-08:00

Well, we (Lance & I,) have laughed and laughed over this. The issue itself is not funny (lying,) but I had to put it in writing so that someday when (hopefully!) the disciplining part of it is done, she can laugh about it too. (And no more parenthesis for this posting!)

Sydney is having some problems with not telling the truth. Fortunately, to date, it has not been anything too serious--occasionally she won't take responsibility for hitting her brother or sister--but more oft than not its about not hand washing, not making her bed, not cleaning up, etc.

I feel like we have tried your basic strategies beginning with time outs, building up to spankings, and just about everything in between. Darn it if she isn't cute! Anyway, I have read and heard several friends trying tabasco sauce--I think its kind of our generation's "twist" on getting your mouth washed out with soap. Hey, at least tabasco is a food product, right?

So last week I bought our household an extra large bottle of extra hot tabasco sauce. I put it in the cupboard and was cautiously optimistic that since it had finally been purchased, perhaps I wouldn't even need to use it at all.

It took less than 48 hours for the sauce to be pulled out.

I gave her a somewhat-age-appropriate explanation about the consequence. Something about putting something yucky in her mouth since something yucky came out. That God wants us to have a happy heart and when you have a happy heart, you tell the truth even though it is sometimes hard and may get you into trouble. Furthermore, I explained that I was going to put it in her mouth to remind her that she should use her mouth for good things and not bad.

So, as you can imagine, her large eyes watched me draw the liquid out of the bottle with a syringe/medicine dropper type of thing. Less than 1/2 a teaspoon people, don't call social services on me and let me remind you that this is FOOD--no worse than making a child try broccoli. She braced herself but she did open her mouth. And...she was very quiet and thoughtful...smacked her lips a few times...and declared something along the lines of, "That is pretty good sauce mom, I kind of like it."

Lance bolted out of the room so that she wouldn't hear him laughing. I had the foresight to send her to her room before I ran to the bathroom and laughed hysterically.

Baby no more...

2008-11-17T21:15:00.000-08:00

Well, Little Man turned two today. We just had a small family celebration (probably my last year to get away with that!)

He is a blessing and lights up all of our lives. With that said, he has also crossed the line into the "terrible twos." Well, we hit that a bit ago but anyway...

I just love him to pieces. He also is NOT a big fan of cake (I know, you're thinking how could this child be biologically mine?!) But the good news is that he is happy to share it with his mommy! Happy Birthday, Will Bear!

Trick or Treat

2008-11-06T03:57:00.001-08:00

I guess in all of the excitement I forgot to post some Halloween pictures of the kids. Specifically I didn't get any of just them in their costumes. Oh well. As I mentioned further down in the Disney post, we managed to see every Disney princess on this trip: Cinderella, Ariel, Mulan, Sleeping Beauty, Jasmine, Belle, Pocahontas, and Snow White. This was big stuff for Sydney and Katie, (who was keeping score!)
Alas! A single photo of our little Peter Pan in his homemade costume. (Thanks for the feather, Michelle!)

The Beach!

2008-11-05T16:35:00.000-08:00

We are blessed by some kind and generous friends who extend our family an annual invitation to stay at their condo in San Diego. We first went 3 years ago and they have asked to come again and again; to which we gladly accept! It is fabulous to fly in, grab some groceries on the way, and move into their cityhome for a week or so. The girls share a room, which they love, and we set up Will's bed in the master bedroom closet. So everyone has their own space and it is truly fabulous! Its also a mere 5 minutes from Coronado Beach. We truly love it there...and we especially love the beach.This picture is the perfect "Katie" picture. It completely captures her care-free personality. This child is tenderhearted and compassionate and has a love for all of God's creation. What better place to experience God than the ocean...

These are the loves of my life. I am so blessed.

Will had no fear at the beach. Loved the water, loved the shells, loved the kelp on the shore, loved the toys, loved the sand. That is, until got it all in his eyes, ears, nose and mouth. He kept saying, "Help please," and "YUCK!" Yet somehow he managed to smile through it all.
Syd was a little hesitant about the ocean at first--not the beach and sand--just the ocean. I tried to get a hundred pictures of her but she was always running away from the ripples on the shore. So finally I had her sit down just out of reach from the water and she was happy as a clam.

Our buried treasure.

Something about the vastness of the ocean makes me feel emotional and especially contemplative of God--what He has created, who He is, His greatness... Also as I watch my beautiful children enjoying God's handiwork, I am reminded that we are all His handiwork, too. He delights in us and He created us in His image, to enjoy his creation, and to worship Him.

Psalm 139:1-18
1 O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.

2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.

3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.

4 Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.

5 You hem me in—behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.

7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?

8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, ^[a] you are there.

9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,

10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.

11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,"

12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.

13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

17 How precious to ^[b] me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!

18 Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake,
I am still with you.

Disneyland

2008-11-05T16:20:00.000-08:00

We love Disneyland! It is near impossible to cram two full days there into one short blog, not to mention only 5 pictures. So here are a few favorites. The first is Will meeting Mickey for the first time, which he loved. On our second day there, shortly after the park opened we were approached by a park employee just wanting to get to know us. I held my breathe hoping that maybe we would win a night in the Dream Suite (I've heard they randomly select guests to bestow this privilege upon;) but we didn't win that prize. However, she discovered that my girls loved the princesses, and invited us to a special meet and greet in the princess garden with Snow White. Ironically, between lunch at Ariel's Grott and Trick or Treating the night before, we had seen every princess except Snow White, so the Baller girls were ecstatic!

Snow White was super sweet with my girls. She spent almost 15 minutes with them, talking about dancing, sleep overs, and being best friends. She inquired all about school and where they were from. She made them feel so special and it was really priceless!

We have been to Disneyland or World 4 times and have never seen Donald Duck. He is the one character Katie was determined to "find." That is one of her biggest, brightest smiles, despite sheer exhaustion. I must note that the other two kiddos were fast asleep, as it was 10 pm and we were closing down the park!
I love that there was a ride that our whole family could ride together. A kind employee saw our camera and even offered to take a picture, which surprisingly turned out great!
We were surprised at Syd's determination to go on every ride. There was no hesitation, not even for the Tower of Terror. They actually look quite calm in this picture, but check out the lady in the red behind them!

Lego Land

2008-11-05T16:11:00.000-08:00

Katie thought this was pretty cool!Lego Land opened a new aquarium 2 months ago. It was a very nice aquarium for smaller children, with lots of hands-on exhibits. Syd was fascinated standing in the middle of a million fish!

My son tried to steal a star fish. He pulled it out of the water and took off running shortly after I snapped this picture. We got a nasty look and quickly moved on...
One of the things that is nice about Lego Land is that its very much geared towards smaller children--they can go on just about every ride. Syd was able to go on her first roller coaster ride...she is sitting next to Lance who is wearing an orange shirt, and Katie is right in front of them.
The girls loved driving their pirate ship and "firing" water on everyone. Dad sat in the back of the boat and tried not to get wet!

San Diego Zoo

2008-11-05T16:04:00.000-08:00

For the record, I HATE snakes. But Katie thinks they are cool.

We loved watching the Koala bears climb around, Syd, too!

The panda bears were my favorite. I don't think I have ever seen panda bears in real life before. There are only 4 zoos in the United States that have pandas. This is the baby (I think he is about 1 year old,) taking a little nap in the tree above his mother.

This is momma bear catching a little nap shortly before lunch was going to be served!

The San Diego zoo is a wonderful place and we enjoyed a full day of exploring and marveling about God's beautiful creation!

Downtown San Diego

2008-11-05T15:54:00.000-08:00

The view from the condo where our gracious friends allow us to stay. It is awesome. Especially during baseball season when there are fireworks afterwards. The day before we left some large trucks pulled up and started unloading and setting up a stage. They worked through the night and were still working when we left on Sunday. If we had stayed another 36 hours, we would could have seen Madonna live from "our" patio. No kidding. Not that I would want my kids to see that but it would have been cool!
One morning we had a few hours to kill before Lance needed to do some work. So we stepped aboard the USS Midway, a retired aircraft carrier. We weren't sure how the kids would do, touring a large ship, but they actually did great! They checked out every nook and cranny and really liked "flying" the various aircraft on board. Here is one of my boys on a helicopter.

My loves in the brig.

The girls piloting an airplane.

San Diego top 10

2008-10-26T21:25:00.000-07:00

10. Thankful for friends who are generous and hospitable!
9. Sunshine...and lots of it!
8. Watching my kids LOVE the beach and ocean!
7. Sleeping in (kind of,) and not rushing out the door each morning!
6. My own mini van for a whole week!
5. Amusement parks!
4. Eating out!
3. Having Lance around!
2. Starbucks I can walk to, one block away!
1. Memories...

Yay for McDonald's!

2008-10-22T12:11:00.000-07:00

We love birthday parties at McDonald's! No set up, it's easy on the budget, the kids all love it, and there is no clean up. Not to mention its the birthday girl's favorite place to dine other than Fazoli's. (Yes, I did have to tell her that having a party at Fazoli's was not an option.) Anyhoo...

Celebrating with lots of special friends = lots of fun memories!
I'm pretty sure a good time was had by all.

We did have a small malfunction during the first attempt at blowing out the candles. An overly excited friend and mom tried to help before Syd was ready, (it was a really long wish, I guess.) There might have been some tears but before they could fall we quickly relit the candles and tried again. Whew.

Happy Birthday, Baby Girl!

2008-10-15T20:42:00.000-07:00

Moving backwards through the day...she was so tired from a fun day of celebrating! I just love how they look when they are sleeping, and how they sigh...Happy 4th Birthday, Baby Girl! Where does the time go?

Syd was very excited to have dinner at Red Robin tonight. She seemed a bit shy while they sang to her, but she immediately sat up straighter when it was time to enjoy the ice cream!
"Thanks for the baby horse, Aunt Noni!"
Syd got a Hannah Montana jacket to go with Katie's High School Musical jacket...
The first thing she wanted to do this morning was, of course, open gifts! I love her enthusiasm!
Happy birthday to one of the kindest and funniest little girls this side of the Mississippi. We sure love you and cannot imagine life without you. You're a beautiful blessing...

We're halfway through birthday season...

2008-10-15T20:28:00.000-07:00

Another birthday, another trip down memory lane. I think that there were so many nerves surrounding Katie's birth, that I was perhaps a little more excited for Sydney's arrival. I also longed for Katie to have a sibling, so this was especially precious, having another sweet little girl.
And if there was any doubt that Lance wouldn't be as excited as he was the first time around, I couldn't have been more wrong. (Despite adding another girl to our family meant he would be outnumbered 5 to 1, including our two female dogs!)
Sydney's first birthday.
Her 2nd birthday.
Although she looks very similar now to this picture from her 3rd birthday, she has lost all of her precious baby fat rolls and has grown several inches.

Speech Meet

2008-10-13T07:05:00.000-07:00

I always thought that participating in a speech meet was optional. I, for one, would probably never have participated. Katie's school, which is K-8, requires first graders to participate in their annual Fall speech meet. I love this! One of our goals for Katie this year was to develop her self-confidence, particularly in front of her class. So this will hopefully be a positive experience for her. We just filmed this earlier this morning and there is still some fine tuning to do, but otherwise her selection is coming along great and we couldn't be more proud of her!

So we won't be getting that t.v...

2008-10-06T19:39:00.000-07:00

LB took this pic of me and the kiddos tonight. It was a long day with Will, we have officially hit the terrible two's. He appears to be following the footsteps of Sydney, as he did not nap today--he just played happily in his crib for 2 freakin' hours, but never slept mind you! I am so NOT ready for him to stop napping! However, I just look at his sweet face and my heart melts. Tomorrow is a new day.
The wife of one of Lance's coworkers just had twin girls a couple of weeks ago. They are still in the NICU but doing well, which is awesome considering they were 7 or 8 weeks early! I love babies. I just can't stop finding little things for them, and buying two of everything is twice the fun. Especially when its pink. I used to hate pink but now pink and I have reconciled. Perhaps having two girls weakened my resolve. Plus my mother-in-law says I look good in pink. In this little gift basket are the final purchases I will be making for the bundles of joy--at least until Christmas rolls around! Have I mentioned that I love babies?

Finally, we have been saving and searching for the perfect new, bigger and better t.v. That was until last Sunday when our dishwasher broke. We still ate on real dishes Sunday night. Then I reluctantly dug into my stash of paper products with the full intent of having the kids use those while the adults still used the real deal. That worked for one full day. I did dishes 4 times on Monday. Keep in mind that we only eat 3 meals, I just had no idea how many dishes we actually use! It was overwhelming, therefore I had to spread it out a little. We had a very nice and honest repair man come look at it and he gave a very costly repair option. He also wisely suggested that it might be time to replace it, as it was nearing 10 years old and is run on a daily basis. With that happy news, we bought a new one. I was not happy to hear on Monday night that our new dishwasher could not be delivered and installed until the following Monday. My resolve to be as "green" as possible disappeared come Tuesday morning. I even made a special trip to the store to by paper bowls. I waited as patiently as I could but finally called on Wednesday afternoon to see if they could pretty please have it to us by the weekend. So I was thrilled when it arrived on Friday. Whew.
So there she is. Yes, its a she. Only a good girlfriend would so faithfully serve you without an ounce of complaint, day after day, meal after meal. Thanks to my wonderful husband for putting our t.v. purchase on the back burner for the time being. I think we are all in agreement that our new kitchen help was a necessity in keeping this a happy home. Maybe we'll get that new t.v. in time for the Superbowl?

It was organized chaos

2008-09-28T18:45:00.001-07:00

What do you get when you have twelve 6 & 7 year olds, an almost 4-year-old, lots of sugar and some rock and roll? A party, that's what!
We celebrated Katie's 6th birthday, Hannah Montana style. We had hair glitter + We had H.M. temporary tattoos + We had crafts + We had games + We had pizza + We had cake + We had music = We had FUN!
Did I mention there was a lot of shrill screeching? (Good thing they're so cute!)
Our 2 games and 2 rather intense crafts (jewelry and painting,) did not take up as much time as we had planned on...
...so we turned on the music and I swear to you it was like a vision from the future, these girls LOVE to dance. No kidding, our family room resembled a mosh pit.
In the end, I'm pretty sure a good time was had by all. However, today I promptly took myself to McDonald's to pay for a deposit on Sydney's birthday party. As the last girl walked out the door yesterday, Lance said, "We won't be doing that again anytime soon."

Bon Voyage, Bek!

2008-09-18T20:14:00.001-07:00

Bekah, one of our favorite nannies, babysitters, waterskiing friends, and just plain friend is headed to Germany for a whole year. It's bound to be a difficult period of time for all of us that love her so much! We will really miss you Bek!!!Will's just not that into hugs...

I mean, why hug a pretty girl when you could give her a big kiss?

Be our guest!

2008-09-17T08:58:00.001-07:00

I just returned from taking our special friend, "Aunt Kate," to the airport. We had such a great time with her, we always enjoy having her and although she swears that she doesn't like kids, my kids adore her and I can't help but believe that the feeling is mutual. (She keeps coming back to visit, so that is somewhat of a confirmation!)

We love to have company. We have had a lot of company these last 4 months. Here is the run down:

June 18-23 Aunt Noni here from Baltimore,
June 28-July 5 My parents in town visiting,
July 16-August 6 Cockerhams here from NC, (they only stayed w/ us part of the time, but we had a lot of fun together every day!)
August 16-27 Co-workers here from London and KY, (they only stayed w/ us part of the time, but we did quite a bit of entertaining!)
September 12-17 Kate here from IN.

During this span of time, we also started: 1st grade, preschool, Bible Study, swimming, soccer and ballet, (all of which are still going great!). We also celebrated an important birthday, and Lance managed to travel to London 3 times and Montana twice. (I believe he went on one other trip during this time but without pulling out my calendar to check, I simply cannot remember when or where at this moment.)

So, as I type this I can hear the washer and dryer humming as I get caught up and re-ready the guest room for who? I don't have any guests scheduled at this time, but let us know if you are going to be in the area and we would be happy to have you!

Oh, Happy Day!

2008-09-10T20:17:00.000-07:00

Opening some gifts after school...Aunt Noni sent you a precious miniature glass jewelry box with horses, complete with a teeny baby horse inside. What a treasure, you are sleeping with the baby as I type this!
Well, I said to you, "Strike and pose," and thus I captured this image. When you opened your new High School Musical "varsity" jacket you shrieked with glee and insisted on wearing it, even though it's 80 + degrees outside. (I'm sweating just thinking about it!)
After gifts, our special friends, Sam and Marcia, took us to Pasquini's for dinner!
One of the many highlights of going to Pasquini's is making your own pizza, you had double cheese and extra pepperoni since Syd kindly shared her toppings with you.
And of course, cheesecake for dessert--smothered in chocolate no less--definitely a girl after my own heart! I love you, Birthday girl!!!

2008-09-10T20:08:00.000-07:00

After many long weeks on bedrest, you arrived a little more than 2 weeks early and you were perfect; a true miracle. Sure you were a little jaundiced (note the cruel red marks on the sides of your forehead due to your special shades;) but you were all that we had hoped and prayed for.

Fast forward 6 years to your birthday breakfast. We love your bright eyes and big smile! You are tenderhearted and a wondeful big sister. You love school, you're a good student, and a great friend to many. Your kindergarten teacher said, (and I quote,) "There is no such thing as a perfect kid, but Katie comes pretty close..." You are such a joy. You've grown up right before our very eyes and we can't imagine our lives without you.

Trip down memory lane...

2008-09-10T20:00:00.000-07:00

1st Birthday, loving the cake! We had rented a park pavillion for a Labor Day BBQ, but got rained out. Good thing we still had the cake!

2nd Birthday, we celebrated in Indiana with lots of family & friends.
3rd Birthday, we went to a tea party with some friends, you looked adorable and were such a little lady!
4th Birthday, we had a princess party with a beautiful cake. You love dress up and dancing. Your best friend is your little sister and you are excited to have a baby brother!
5th Birthday, It was a school night, hence the cute little school uniform. We couldn't believe that you were in kindergarten already! Where does the time go? I once heard a great quote regarding parenting small children--"The days are long but the years fly by." So true.

blah blah blah

2008-09-07T20:51:00.000-07:00

Please prepare yourself for what could truly be the most random blog of all time. (Sorry.)

Exhibit A: I made Katie a girly tooth fairy pillow. The poor child was the only kid in her kindergarten class to not lose a single tooth during the entire school year. They even gave out an award on the last day of school to one of her classmates that lost the most teeth during the year--no kidding it was like 7 teeth! Anyhoo, my poor little late bloomer (not to mention the youngest in her class who didn't even get her first tooth until she was almost 14 months old,) has yet to lose a tooth. So with joy we celebrate her first loose tooth. She will be getting this pillow for her birthday later this week.
Exhibit B: Will has a wet suit that fits him just fine. (Thanks to Uncle Ted.) We actually have quite a collection of wetsuits for our children and generally for the children of any friends that accompany us to the lake. However, last weekend when the Wagners went with us (and might I add that it was a fabulous time!), all of the smallish wetsuits were either accidentally left at home or in use by the little ones, so Kyle didn't have one that fit him well. So he wore a small adult one that he was practically swimming in. We realized that in just a few years time that we will need more larger wet suits than we currently possess for the kiddos. Therefore when Lance was at Costco yesterday they had one left so he bought it, size 12, which Will won't need for another 10 years. (But he is quite adorable, is he not?)
Exhibits C & D: After the cold front that blindsided us with which the only consolation was apple crisp and the debut of Pumpkin Spice Lattes, we have welcomed with open arms more warm weather! Yay! Therefore, it necessitated a purchase of flowers to help us celebrate a Colorado-style Fall. Lilies are my favorite, Syd picked out the orange ones and I found the burgundy dahlias were a nice Autumn compliment.
Lance just so happened to surprise us the same night with some sunflowers--Katie's favorite--I think, since he is going to be out of town for her birthday.
Exhibit E: Still loving the fresh fruit that summer brings. The kids and I just can't get enough. I guess if Colorado Falls give you this beautiful bounty and allow you to wash it down with a Pumpkin Spice Latte, one really can't complain.
There you have it.

It's the most wonderful time of the year...almost!

2008-08-31T17:58:00.000-07:00

I love Fall. One of the only things I miss about living in the midwest (other than the people!) is Fall. Purdue Football games, The Feast of the Hunter's Moon, hayrides and hot dog roasts, Brown County, the Fall smell in the air...I could go on and on.

We simply do not have the greatest Falls in Colorado. (Excepting the briefest period during the season when the Aspen trees change to golden...so pretty but so brief.) Anyway, two of my greatest Colorado Fall comforts are yummy Fall-ish food, and those fabulous Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbucks (soon, dear ones...does anyone know the actual date they start selling these babies?)

Back to the story at hand.

So, I made an impromptu trip to the grocery store this afternoon. I was hungry, and you know they say that you should never shop for food while you are hungry. I also noticed some very large storm clouds rolling in and could practically smell the rain in the air. So I picked up a few apples so that I could make one of my favorite Autumn comfort treats--Apple Crisp!

Doesn't it look deliciously golden and crispy? Now, look closely at the opposite corner...
...while it was still piping hot I just couldn't resist a few smallish bites. So fresh out of the oven I even burned my tongue, a small price to pay. It will taste even better with vanilla bean ice cream later this evening! Yum.

Last weekend we had a block party. A huge success thanks to a couple of our awesome neighbors. Lance was (of course,) out of town, so I dared to take the kids by myself. Thank goodness they all still fit in the wagon, and one of the nice dads down the street threw our burgers on the grill with his family's so that we wouldn't starve. A good time was had by all.

So yes, I now consider that Fall is officially here and with that I may indulge in all of the tasty treats that will help me cope with our lack of seasonal changes. It also means that Christmas is right around the corner--Yippee!

Not to be outdone...

2008-08-20T16:14:00.000-07:00

...Sydney also had a great first day of school!
(scraped nose & knee included.)

Backpacks, Helmets and Skates, Oh My!

2008-08-18T13:31:00.001-07:00

Well, all good things (like summer,) must come to an end. Today was Katie's first day of first grade! Unlike last year, she told me which uniform she wanted to wear and how she wanted her hair. She looked pretty cute, complete with her new Hannah Montana Crocs from Daddy.(Sigh.) They grow up too fast.

We are finally coming out of three cold & rainy days. It wasn't even a fun summer rain where you can go outside and puddle jump. We even turned our heat on one of the nights. (Note, this is very unusual weather for Colorado!) We did all sorts of things to entertain each other. Trips to McDonalds & Chick-Fil-A, we visited the Butterfly Pavillion, went roller skating (see below,) and just plain used our imaginations.

Check out our very cool space helmets!

Can't you just hear the Pointer Sisters and Michael Jackson in the background?

Well, perhaps not. But they did get to do the limbo and the Hokey Pokey!

We have homemade jam.

2008-08-13T14:26:00.000-07:00

The first paragraph of this post is probably not for the faint-hearted or queasy-stomached.
(If that is you, please bypass the narrative and go directly to picture #1. Thank you.)

Well, I knew it wasn't rocket science, but thought that it would go more smoothly with the help of an experienced jam-maker. We love to eat toast for breakfast and earlier this summer Katie asked where jam came from. She's been asking that a lot lately--and the answers to "where does steak come from...what is Tilapia...is chicken really a dead chicken"--have been a little surprising and rather unpleasant, I guess for a 5-year-old. I have had to stop mid-bite, during those meals, and suggest that we wait until after dinner to discuss it any further. Ewwwww! Anyway, when she heard that jam was just smashed up fruit and (let me add a LOT of) sugar, she was pleased (and perhaps a little relieved,) and decided that we should try our hand at making some of our own.
We have been on the receiving end of Miss Karleen's delicious jam in past years.
So I thought that she would be a great source for our little jam-making adventure.

Messy but oh-so-much-fun!
I knew that those adorable PBK aprons would come in handy--I got them on clearance then embroidered them myself!
The final result. The strawberry is, of course, scrumdiddlyumptious. Karleen and I were very pleasantly surprised at how incredibly supercalafragilisticexbialadocious the blueberry peach turned out. YUM. (I credit those two very long but appropriate words to Willy Wonka and Mary Poppins, respectively.)

Thanks, Miss Karleen, for spending your afternoon with us!

Syd skis!

2008-08-13T14:24:00.000-07:00

She has successfully done it by herself but would much rather ski with Bekah!!!

Broncos Training Camp

2008-08-13T14:17:00.000-07:00

Every time we drive north on I-25, past Mile High, the girls ask, "Daddy, can we please go to a Broncos game?" Since that is highly unlikely, Lance thought a visit to training camp would suffice.
Gotta love Jay Cutler (he's a hoosier, just like moi.)

We lasted about an hour...thank goodness for binoculars and snacks!

Did I mention that this is a free activity?

Tea for three...

2008-08-04T14:00:00.001-07:00

I always imagined myself the mom of boys, and don't get me wrong, I love my little man; but an afternoon of tea and pretty dresses is so great! (And let me mention that I do LOVE cake!) I really like having girl time.

My special teapot and cups, they were very careful (and oh so cute!)

A few months ago I had these precious photos taken of my little ballerinas! However, when I went to pick it up they had made a few mistakes in the photos and matting. So it has been fixed and we just today picked up the beautiful final product. These are precious memories...

I hear a school bell in the distance...

2008-08-04T13:55:00.000-07:00

We're ready!Even Will got a backpack. (Now he can carry his own diaper bag!)

A day (and night) at Lakeview

2008-07-23T13:08:00.001-07:00

Camping is hard with kids. You seem to need a lot of stuff. Add in tons of water, snakes, snails, frogs, BUGS, and all of that kind of stuff, you need a lot MORE stuff, like sprays, nets, buckets, cages, and lifejackets. (I know I'm forgetting something?!) Roll it all up into one overnight trip and you have a lot of fun memories...

You may or may not know that my husband is an intense and talented water skier.Best friends are we, my sister and me...
No holds barred when it came to making his first mud (and gravel!) pies...
"If you train up a child..."
Perhaps that is a little out of context, so how about, "like father like son?"
(I especially love this last picture!)

2008-07-23T13:03:00.000-07:00

Taking a little walk...looking for butterflies and snails.
Let us introduce you to "Toasty," the resident toad.
"Maybe he'll turn into a prince?!"

2008-07-23T12:59:00.000-07:00

Will's first tube ride.
The water was a balmy 80+ degrees, perfect for lounging around.

2008-07-23T12:56:00.000-07:00

It may look tranquil, but there is still cell coverage!

All-American Boy

2008-07-05T21:35:00.000-07:00

Independence Day

2008-07-05T21:31:00.001-07:00

Not sure how Keelan ended up with someone 1/2 his age...but they looked cute together!
Gotta love the sack races!
No, we were not at the beach.
I think she is going to need a permit to carry that.

Misc. Summer Pix

2008-07-05T21:19:00.000-07:00

Swimming lessons...
Summer colds and ear infections kept us at home for a couple of days.
I just can't resist this face, even when its covered in tomato sauce!
My very own "A River Runs Through It."
The love they have for one another...its priceless!

Visitors

2008-07-05T21:07:00.000-07:00

We love having company...
Especially the family-type who teach our kids "good" habits, like how to shoot one another...
Who also completely spoil our kids with late nights, sleep overs, hugs and kisses, and lots treats that we don't usually give them, (i.e., donuts, pop, candy, etc...hence the late nights.)
We miss you, Nana, Pa & Aunt Noni! Come back soon!!!

Testosterone vs. Estrogen

2008-07-03T14:55:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to post this story for some time, but didn't have any pictures to accompany it so I kept putting it off. However, I just decided that today is as good as any day for a laugh. (Not to mention that I simply cannot find any appropriate pictures to go along...) Imagine us invading the home of Lance's brother Scott, his wife Carrie, and their four boys last month. The kids had a blast together and for the most part, the differences between little boys and little girls were just not a big deal. So on our last day together, Sydney and Will were playing with two plastic light sabers, playfully running around and shreiking, and occasionally swatting at one another. Will dropped his (keep in mind that it is taller than him,) when Syd stoops over to pick it up and hand it to him. She says lovingly, "Here Will, here's your wand." My 3 year old nephew grabs it from her and says, (with pure disgust in his voice,) "That's NOT a WAND, that's a SWORD."

All About Katie

2008-06-17T10:03:00.000-07:00

A brief trip down memory lane (10 months ago...) Katie's 1st day of Kindergarten.My, how time flies!

Katie and her BFF Madison, on the last day of school, doing crafts & bubbles at the party.

Mrs. Schoep & Mrs. Chambers were Katie's wonderful teachers this year. We are so thankful for their Godly example and wisdom in teaching her all of the things she needed to learn this year.

Finally, and most importantly, I got the best birthday present I could ever ask for last week.

At VBS on Thursday, Katie asked Jesus into her heart. She has been asking a lot of questions about God this past 6 or so months, and we actually talked quite a bit about it while we were at camp in Texas, what it means and how you will continue to grow and change for the rest of your life to become more like Jesus. So then that night they were talking about asking Jesus into your heart during their small group time at VBS, and she asked her leader to pray with her. Katie came right away to tell me where I was working in crafts and it was really special. I believe that for almost 6 years old, she has a pretty good understanding of what it’s all about.
Please take a moment just to pray for her to continue to grow in her love and understanding of Christ, and praise Him for another transformed life.

Happy Father's Day!

2008-06-15T16:15:00.000-07:00

TEN REASONS WHY WE LOVE OUR DAD:
1. "When Dad babysits he lets us make a big mess and we don't have to clean it up." -Katie
2. "He does the drying machine after we take baths." -Sydney
3. "He is super silly and makes us all laugh." -Katie
4. He is really just a big kid himself. (me)
5. "He plays basketball with us and I can dunk it." -Sydney
6. "He likes to take us out for ice cream." -Katie
7. "Daadaaadadadaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa." -Will
8. "He catches the most butterflies." -Sydney
9. "He is really strong like a donkey." -Katie (yeah, she really did say that.)
10. He works hard for all of us and we appreciate him! (me)

Highs and lows of the Lone Star state.

2008-06-10T15:05:00.000-07:00

Lows.
1. Texas is really, really hot in the summertime.
2. There are bugs as big as the state...well, almost.
3. It is incredibly humid.
4. Woman in the ER actually had her children on dog leashes and was barking at them. Not kidding.
5. Exhaustion. And then there's heat exhaustion.
6. A crazy horse named "Doc."
7. Did I mention it was either 100 degrees or close to it EVERY DAY?

Highs.
1. Family camp with amazing, Jesus-loving counselors that have cool names like, "Handy Dandy," "Happy Feet," "Spitbawl," "Missie Mouse," "Duck Tale," and "Spaghettio."
2. Syd's crazy curly hair in the humidity.
3. Cold Starbucks beverages.
4. Boutique shopping.
5. My kids having the time of their lives with friends and family.
6. Good conversations, sweet fellowship and fun memories.
7. A crazy horse named "Doc."
8. Sweet Tea.
9. Sam Moon. Enough said.

Monkey see, monkey do!

2008-05-29T12:14:00.000-07:00

Ummm...not quite right. (Bubble courtesy of Katie.)
Getting closer...
Look at those lips!
After many, many attempts (and at least 100 pictures,) he finally figured it out! Yay! I hope that whoever invented the spill-less bubble tumbler won some kind of award!

Memorial Day "Camp Out"

2008-05-29T12:06:00.000-07:00

Thank you Uncle Scott & Aunt Carrie for the fun camping kits! It was a bit too cold to sleep outside so we camped inside. We watched Kipper from our cool inflatable chairs and then we each slept in our own pup tent.

Will thought the chairs were really neat except he couldn't figure out how to sit in it without it sliding out from under him.
Success at last!!!

Final London Post

2008-05-25T12:49:00.001-07:00

Iofina opening the London Stock Exchange on Friday, May 9, 2008.Ringing the bell. The glowing spheres move up and down while the market is open each day.
Us with Julie & David Schneider. We have our hands on the globe/buzzer the guys pushed to open the market. This is what they call, "ringing the bell." Interestingly, after 9/11 happened over here, the London Stock Exchange went to an all-electronic system for safety reasons. They switched buildings in 2003 to a state-of-the-art facility where safety is their top priority. There are no longer traders on the floor, they are in various offices around the main lobby, and shortly after the opening we were all ushered into a private room.
Us with some of the fine folks who helped make this happen. Everyone worked hard and treated us so nicely. It was a wonderful experience. Now Lance says that the really hard work begins...
Richard Webster-Smith from the London Stock Exchange welcoming and congratulating Iofina.

2008-05-25T12:44:00.000-07:00

The entrance to the London Stock Exchange, early morning it was already bustling with activity.The entrance to the Exchange and the rest of Paternoster Square from the top of Saint Pauls Cathedral.
My handsome hubby on the morning of his big day...

We interrupt the history lessons to bring you...

2008-05-21T10:07:00.000-07:00

...A typical Sydney temper tantrum. All I did was ask her to pick up the blocks. Instead of complying, she climbed inside the block tub and screamed her little heart out in protest. A sure-fire way to get her to stop crying? Simply pull out the camera...she is 100% drama queen. Is it not the most pitiful face you've ever seen?
Now onto happier thoughts...Will's favorite new pasttime is carrying around our 30-year-old Fisher Price Medical Kit.Do you recall the days before the fancy label makers...when they had the little hand-crimping label machine, where you would dial to the desired letter then squeeze? Lance's name is hand-crimped on a label that has a permanent home on this FP medical kit--that's how I can figure out it's approximate age!

99 Bottles of...

2008-05-19T18:54:00.001-07:00

Beer. Lots of it. The British love their pubs, and they are everywhere. I hesitated to even post this on the blog, but truly, the pubs are such an important part of London culture! Pubs are not just a drinking destination, they are one of your best bets for a reasonably priced meal and some great local conversation! Every direction you turn, a small alley can be seen, with numerous pub signs all of the way down to the other end, (hard to see in the photo, but I remember counting 3 in this alley.) Many had beautiful signs, often accompanied by flowers. I liked the watercolor sign, it was rather unique. The last one is from "Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese." This pub dates back to the 1200's. A fire destroyed it in the 1600's and the way you see it now is how it was constructed in 1667! It is an "olde" beer stop to the likes of many, many kings and famous Brits. They have a running list inside of the "who's who" that have visited over the centuries. No kidding! We did go down 5 levels of slippery stone steps into the freezing lowest level to sit on ancient benches and have a celebratory drink the night of Iofina's opening! The closest brush to royalty I will ever have since we couldn't even get near the gates at Buckingham! Cheers to a great trip...

More history...are we having fun yet?

2008-05-16T08:16:00.000-07:00

Marble Arch once stood at the entrance to Buckingham Palace. Only the royal family and royal troops are allowed to pass through the arch. It was moved from the Palace because it is said that the Queen's carriage is too large to pass through. It now stands on Speaker's corner, across the street from Hyde Park. Across the street from Marble Arch is the area known to history as "Tyburn," where until the 1783 over 65,000 people were executed! Today the sight is only identified by the three brass triangles and a plaque.
These are the original gates to the City of London, which are now located at Paternoster Square, near the London Stock Exchange. I cannot recall how old they are or where they were originally located (sorry.) But they do look very, very old.
Trafalgar Square, across from Buckingham Palace. A popular place for protests and visitors alike. Once famous for feeding the pigeons, the sale of birdseed at Trafalgar Square was outlawed in 2000, and in 2007 an outright ban on feeding the birds altogether, was secured.
Probably one of my biggest, or perhaps, only disappointments in London, was the changing of the royal guard at Buckingham Palace. Although we arrived an hour early, there was a mob of approximately 100,000 lining the streets. We couldn't even get close to seeing the actual changing of the guard, the closest we came was the gate (pictured below.) However, since they are planning a big bash for the queen's birthday next month, the royal guards have been practicing their parade 3 times a week, so we got to see them marching, bands, horses and all. Not exactly as fun as the Rose Bowl Parade, or the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, but definitely formal and interesting.

Westminster Abbey & Houses of Parliament

2008-05-16T06:47:00.001-07:00

Westminster Abbey, through the trees...unfortunately, it was closed to visitors on this lovely day. There were hundreds of people pressed up against the gate just trying to glimpse in when they would open it's great doors.
I found one window where the sun was shining enough through the building and the window, that I could see it on the other side. This place is simply stunning. Get a load of this--the first Westminster church was founded on this site in 616 A.D. Can you believe that--1400 years ago! The stone abbey was built between 1045-1050, and has and since 1066, housed the coronation of every British monarch with the exception of Henry III in the early 1200's. FASCINATING!
The exterior of the abbey is covered with some of the most beautiful carvings you have ever seen. And as a Christian, they have a profound spiritual impact. Take this one, for example: it shows Christ seated on His heavenly throne surrounded by angels. Below him are His 12 disciples, whom He commissioned to share the good news. Below the 12 disciples, it portrays the people that were touched by the disciples--kings, priests, and the common man--us.
Now, on to the Houses of Parliament. It's buildings contain almost 1,200 rooms, 100 staircases, and 4 miles of hallways.
The exterior of this building is also exquisite. If you look closely, you will see that The Lord's Prayer is written in Latin around the entire building, over and over again.

Theater Fever

2008-05-13T08:52:00.000-07:00

On every corner near Oxford Circus and Picadilly Circus, you can see the marquees to London's famous productions. Then there are about a thousand others that you have never heard of. Our driver told us that in this one square mile of London, there are more theaters than there are on all of the Broadway district in NYC. Here are pictures of 3 of my favorites and 2 others that I've heard good things about--Mama Mia and We Will Rock You. We were given amazing center/8th row seats to The Sound of Music, which is the top show in London right now. I have seen it before, but never to this degree of artistic professionalism. Even my husband was awed by the props and scenery, and he even commented on the music. It was definitely top notch!

Beuller...Beuller...anyone?

2008-05-13T06:49:00.000-07:00

So, are you completely bored with the history lesson thus far? I just cant' help myself, I find it all fascinating. I know I was only over there for 2 full days + 2 half days, but I did manage to drag my camera everywhere we went. Can you identify this famous London landmark? It's good 'ol Big Ben. It became operational in 1859 and survived the nearby blitzes of WWII. It is known for it's very accurate timing and very reliable mechanisms. Big Ben has only stopped keeping perfect time less than a dozen times since it first began working. It holds the title of the "World's largest four-faced chiming clock." Big Ben is a pretty awesome thing to hear and to behold as you stand at the base of it and stare up at it chiming tower. And yes, due to the ground where it is located, it does lean (although they say its naked to the human eye.) Perhaps I am just not a normal human (ha ha,) or maybe its due to the angle of where I was standing and shooting upwards.

View from the Thames

2008-05-12T19:56:00.000-07:00

Since we really had only 1 day to sight see, we thought a little boat ride up the River Thames would be a good way to quickly see a handful of sights in a short period of time. Here are a few of the highlights:

This is a reconstruction of Shakespeare's Globe Theater, thatched roof and all!
The Anchor is a Pub that has been around for centuries and has been a favorite hangout to many in the literary world, including Charles Dickens.
This is one of three of Cleopatra's Needles that have been given as gifts to London, Paris & New York. This was given to London in 1819 although it was not erected until 1878 due to the cost. It also sustained damage during WWII that was not repaired, as a reminder of what so many lost.
This fine building was once home to the Billingsgate Fish Market. It has since been moved (around 2005,) to another part of London. However, it was founded at this sight in the 1600's and this building was established in 1875. It is now used as a convention center but still has the gold fishes at the top as a reminder of what was once a world-famous fish market.
The London Eye is currently London's most popular paid tourist attraction. Lance has been on it but we simply didn't have time on this trip. It has 32 pods which represent the 32 burroughs of London. Each pod holds up to 25 people each. It is also called the "Millennium Wheel," as it took it's first spin on December 31, 1999.

The Tower and Tower Bridge

2008-05-12T18:08:00.000-07:00

This is the Tower Bridge, not to be confused as London Bridge.
These steps lead from the Thames River up to the Tower. The Tower has served as a fortress, royal palace and a prison, housing (and executing!) many famous persons since 1078 A.D., when the original portion of the building was construced by William the Conqueror. Also, since 1303, it has been home to the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom.
The only "pretty" picture I took on the Tower property.
A corner shot of the compound...the green at the bottom was once a very treacherous moat, formidable to cross!
Check out my cool shades. Lance says they make me look like a fly. Ha ha.

Saint Paul's Cathedral

2008-05-12T14:27:00.001-07:00

Unfortunately, one is not supposed to take pictures inside of St. Paul's. I did manage to snap one before entering the gate and the guard not-so-kindly told me to "put it away." Oh well, perhaps it will give you an idea of how HUGE this place really is...
This picture I actually took through the grated windows while attempting to climb the stairs to the top (see below.) You can see that they used an enormous amount of gold inside, and you can see a portion of the dome on the right.
A picture from the base of the steps looking up the exterior before we went in. Somehow I managed to get these out of order, sorry!
The statue in front of St. Paul's. The inscription reads, " This original statue was erected on this spot in the year 1712 to commemorate the completion of Saint Pauls Cathedral- Francis Bird, Sculptor." Parts of St. Paul's actually date back to 1060 A.D. ONE THOUSAND YEARS AGO. Isn't that remarkable?
Ok, back to the inside. I tried to take a picture of the many, many steps we had to climb to reach the various galleries at the top of the dome. Some of the steps were stone or concrete of sorts, and some were iron. They were all very narrow, circular staircases that were also built for short people, my head was touching most of the time! It was nearly impossible to stop and try to take a picture, but maybe this will give you an idea...

Views from the top of St. Paul's Cathedral

2008-05-12T14:13:00.001-07:00

I just want you to know that I climbed almost 1,000 steps to take these pictures. No joke. And I was dressed up. But we had free passes from our event at the Exchange, and it was an offer we could not pass up. We went directly after the opening on Friday late morning. Remember those steps I had to climb? Well, it was very much worth it...
The entrance of the London Stock Exchange from the top of St. Paul's Cathedral.
Looking down on other portions of the building from the walkway around the dome.
A small garden lot adjoins the beautiful Cathedral. Did you know this is the church where Princess Diana got married? One of my first memories of seeing something "big" on television, was her walking down the enormous aisle of Saint Paul's Cathedral. The vastness of this holy place is awe-inspiring.
In case you didn't know, London is extremely rainy. Fortunately, we did not experience one drop of rain in the duration of our visit. It was somewhat overcast during much of our stay, so these picures are not the clearest of pictures. However, it gives you an idea of how far you can see from the top of the Cathedral, you may notice many of London's famous landmarks.

This is ice cream, I swear!

2008-05-12T12:58:00.000-07:00

Lance & David wanted to take us to Ciao, an Italian Dessert Cafe near Picadilly Circus. They told us we would be surprised by the interesting desserts that are served...Lance ordered the Spaghetti, Ice cream "noodles" with strawberry "sauce" and garnished with parmesan-looking grated white chocolate. It was really, really tasty.
The rest of us opted for more traditional looking sundaes. Me with Josh, David & Julie Schneider.