December 21st- January 9th

Happy 2008!!

We ended up spending Christmas with family. Mike's cousin and his family invited us to go with them to Breckenridge. We had a great time. The kids did a lot of sledding. They had a blast. We had talked about going skiing, but it was just too cold to try to do that with Dylan. Maybe when it gets warmer. Breckenridge is a beautiful place. Lots of snow!! While we were there we went tubing. It is way up on the mountain. You take a gondola up to it! The four of us went down once together, but after that I was frozen, as was Kristian. Mike and Dylan went down once more together and then Mike did a few times by himself. We all had a great time. We really enjoyed getting to spend time with Ryan, Tanya and the girls. We played games pretty much every night and just hung out. It was a lot of fun. The day after Christmas we headed back home. I had woke up not feeling just wonderful, but as long as I had Motrin in me I was fine. We got home around 9 that night, unloaded and hit the hay. On Thursday I felt a lot better, so we went to Chris and Maite's for dinner and then went and picked up groceries for my family's visit. On Friday, I spent the day cleaning and cooking. My family arrived late Friday night, after a very long trip! When you have 3 vehicles carpooling, it doesn't make it easy. On Saturday, the adults went to Walmart, well except me.. I volunteered to hang out with the kids, since they had been cooped up in the car the day before. We had a great time. I took them out to play in the snow, they loved that! When the adults got back, we pulled the kids around on the 4 wheeler. They had a blast. That afternoon we had Christmas dinner and opened gifts. We also spent a lot of time playing Fill or Bust!! Sunday, we took the kids to Chuck E Cheese and then came back home. Kim's husband, Brandon, drove in from Kansas where he was working to spend some time with everyone. Me, Mike, Kim and Brandon stayed up late playing Fill or bust and Guitar Hero. Monday I woke up and felt HORRIBLE! I didn't get out of bed till around noon and then I was back in bed not too long after that. I ended up staying in bed for a week. I went to the doctor on Wednesday they said it was just a virus, gave me some meds and sent me home. On Friday night my ear starting hurting. Finally on Sunday I couldn't take it any longer, so I went back. I had an ear infection! They gave me some antibiotics, cough medicine and a steroid shot. That helped some, but my ear even today is still clogged and driving me nuts! Other than that I am just tired. Luckily no one else has came down with it. The guys have had stuffy noses and coughs, but nothing like what I had and I am greatful for that. Dylan did get an ear infection from his stuffy nose though, but he acted like it was nothing. We didn't even know he had one. Mike took him in for his cough and we found out then. We are starting to think that New Year's just isn't a good time of the year for us. With Mike's appendix bursting last year and this year with me being so sick, I am almost dreading 2009!

We had a wonderful time with my family. They ended up leaving on New Year's Day bright and shiny. I didn't even get a chance to tell them good bye I was so out of it. It was nice to have them all here. The house was full and loud, but it was great to have everyone here at one time and enjoy everyone's company.

The pictures are of the boys sledding here at the house, the tubing hills, Kristian, Sierra, Dylan and Mike bundled up at the tubing hills, Christmas with my family and Pierson with his bull riding shirt on.

Have a great week!

December 11th

Hey everyone,

We are all doing good. Enjoying a little wintry weather this week, finally. It started snowing on Friday night and has been off and on the last couple of days. Saturday was beautiful. For once the wind wasn't blowing so the trees and everything else looked like it has been sprinkled in powdered sugar. As you can see from the pictures.

Last Tuesday was Kristian's Christmas band concert at school. He did a wonderful job. One song she had the bass guitarists, which consists of Kristian and another kid, start the song off. He did it perfectly! We were so proud of him.

Thursday I went into town with the 3 kids and went to Maite's house for a play date. The kids loved having "new" toys to play with. We stayed for lunch and then I went and did grocery shopping with them. I was pretty impressed with myself. They behaved so well!

Friday I went and dropped Max off at the kennel. Came home and packed us all for the night. Kristian was spending the night at Connors, Dylan was going to Tracy's and Mike and I were staying downtown at the Hilton. His work's Christmas party was Friday night and we decided to get a hotel across the street from the restaurant and just make a night of it. The party is always a good time. The food is unbelievably good! Plus we get to catch up with people we haven't seen in a while. After the party we went out for drinks with some friends and then back to the hotel. Unfortunately the people next door were having a "good time" all night long!! So we had to listen to that all night. I was too embarrassed to call the front desk. I mean what do you say... Anyway the next morning Mike surprised me and took me to a furniture store to pick out a new buffet for the dining room. I have been looking for one for a few months now and just hadn't found what I was looking for. I found one and lucky me... it won't be in till January 7th! But oh well at least I found one right? After that we went and had breakfast. It was so nice just to be able to sit and talk and not be interrupted every couple of minutes by the kids. After breakfast we went and picked up the kids, picked up Max and came home.

Sunday we hung out at the house for the most part of the day. In the afternoon we went to the store and had dinner at Applebees. We got home around 7. The boys had to take showers and get ready for school the next day. Around midnight we got a call from Mike's youngest sister, Tayla. She was having really painful stomach pains and was throwing up. She wanted to know what an appendicitis felt like. Mike told her what to do and she was feeling like that was what it was. So Mike told her to go to the emergency room. She got there and they did tests and the ER doctor said that that was what it was, but the radiologists said it wasn't. So they waited. Finally around 3 in the afternoon a surgeon said, well that is probably what it is because she is very tender in that area and there isn't another reason why. You have to love Oklahoma doctors. Anyway they did the surgery and it was in fact her appendix. Luckily it hadn't ruptured yet. But I guess when your appendix becomes infected it excretes bile and that went into her intestines. They said there isn't much they can do for that. I am just glad that they finally figured it out and that she is on her way to recovering.

Yesterday, the school called and said that Kristian wasn't feeling well. He had a mild temp and a head ache. I picked him up and dropped Tracy's kids off to one of her friends. He came home and rested and seems to be doing better today. I am keeping him home just to keep an eye on him.

Well just two more weeks till the big day! I can't believe it. I am pretty much done with my shopping except for the stocking stuffers... Tomorrow we start the 12 days of Christmas with the boys. They get to open a small gift every evening from under their tree upstairs. They are really excited to start. Then on Christmas eve they get to pick one from the BIG tree! My family will be here two weeks from Friday. I am excited for them to come. Tammy has never been to my house before and all of them at one time has never happened either. It will go great and I am sure like any family gathering will have it's ups and downs, but... at least we will all be together.

I guess that is it from us. Hope to be back on here sometime within the next week. The pictures are of Kristian and Dylan before the band concert, us during the snowfall on Saturday, the trees on Saturday, and some out takes of our "Christmas photo shoot"!

December 4th

Hey everyone.

I guess I will start where I left off last time. On Wednesday I put up my Christmas tree and the inside decorations. The boys were a big help carrying stuff up from the basement and unpacking it all. I let them decorate the tree, but I had to rearrange the ornaments because everything was hung on the bottom of the tree on one side. I felt bad moving everything, but... I was afraid it was going to tip over.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with Cat and Brett. Lots of GREAT food. I am still recovering from that day! We played a fun game called Fill or Bust. You must get it. It is very addicting and a blast to play. It lets you see just how much you will actually risk. It is played with 6 dice and a deck of cards. Great to take on a trip because there isn't much to it. I had a hard time finding it. I actually found it at a game store at the mall. It was around $5!! Can't beat it!

Friday morning I was over at Joann's around 5 and we headed out. We went to the newest Walmart in town and it was DEAD! They still had a ton of stuff left, so we got some good deals. After that we went to Bed Bath and Beyond, Dick's Sporting Goods, we walked in and out of Kohls and Toys R Us. The lines were wrapped twice around the store. We went to JcPenny's, Linen and Things and ended at Radio Shack. We got a lot of stuff and I'm pretty much done with the shopping. We grabbed some lunch and headed home, just in time because it started snowing. When I got home and was unloading I realized that not only had I left a bag at Walmart!! they also overcharged me! So FRUSTRATING!! So we headed back over to Walmart to get everything straightened out and luckily it wasn't too much of a hassle. They had my stuff and gave me my money back. I just wonder how many people they had overcharged that day who didn't realize it...

Saturday we went and met Cat and Brett and their kids for lunch. It was Cat's REAL birthday. We ate at a new place called Dave's Famous BQ. It was really good AND they are the only place around here that serves sweet tea! Now some of you may not think that is a big deal, but everywhere back home serves it, so that is what we are used to. After lunch we headed to the mall. Dylan was so excited to see Santa, until we were there. He didn't want to get out of line, but he wouldn't talk or smile and still didn't when he saw Santa. He sat in his lap and just totally ignored Santa talking to him and never once smiled. I bought the pictures anyway because I want to remind him of that someday! I ended up doing some shopping while we were there and bought a dress to where to Mike's Christmas party. By the time we were done with all of that it was dinner time and if you know my kids, they think if they miss one meal they are going to starve to death. So we went to Saltgrass for dinner. Then went by Target and headed home.

I can't remember what we did on Sunday. I think we just hung out at the house.

Monday was back to work and school. It was great to see the kids again, (Jacob and Rebecca) I hadn't seen them all week. They always look like they have grown a foot. I ended up getting a head cold on Tuesday night and felt horrible. I still watched the kids though. I figured I could make it till nap time and then I would just collapse, but out of all the days they decided they were only going to sleep for a little bit. So... I ended up loading them into the car and heading to Walmart to pick up some medicine for me. I swung by KFC to get dinner, headed to the school to pick up Kristian and drop off the kids to Tracy and then home we went. Mick ended up working till around 10 that night, so it was just the boys and I. Thursday was a much better day. I was feeling a lot better. Maite and Grant came over for a play date. We had a great time. The kids all got along really good.

Friday Mick took the day off. We hung out around the house for the first part of the day and then ran to pick up a few groceries. That evening Joann and Phil and the kids came out for dinner. Joann and I worked on a craft for the teachers and then we played..... Fill or Bust. Mike still isn't good at it. He risks every time. And poor Phil... He started off not risking, but by the end of the game, Mike had him risking it all. It was so funny. Joann and I couldn't stop laughing at them two. Out of 3 games I won one and Joann won two. So that just shows how well the guys were at it! They also played Guitar Hero and well she and I AREN'T good at that.

Saturday Mike and Bryan went to Canon City to pickup somethings. Me and the boys hung out around the house and I cleaned. We went to the Festival of Lights parade Saturday night. The boys loved it. It lasted about an hour. We were lucky to find a good place to stand, but next year we are getting there earlier. After the parade we went to dinner, went by Walmart to pick up outdoor Christmas lights and then headed home. Mick and I tried to stay awake to watch Christmas Vacation, but we just couldn't.

Sunday we got up all ready to hang lights and what a pain that was. The lights that we had just bought the night before weren't working right. It was too cold outside to stay out there too long and it was a bad day! What should've taken us a couple of hours to do ended up taking all day. But there are lights on the house and that was the point.

Well I guess that is it. I hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving and are enjoying the Holiday season.

I only have the one picture this time and that is of Dylan and Santa. Isn't it just the greatest picture ever? :)

November 21st

Sorry I haven't blogged in a while. I know I am so late at getting around to doing this, but I just haven't had much time, nor much to talk about.

Things are going good. The weather, up to today, has been beautiful. Warm and sunny. This morning though we woke up to about 3 inches of snow and EXTREMELY cold weather. Of course it could be that I am not yet use to it. I just know it is cold. I spent yesterday baking. I made two pecan pies, a batch of sugar cookies, made a gingerbread train and decorated it with the boys and.... I guess that is it. All I know is I was in the kitchen from 8:30 till around 5:30 yesterday and it was a blast. I love this time of year. Last Sunday we had a surprise 40th birthday party for our friend Cat. She had no idea. She thought she was coming to a Mary Kay party and showed up with no makeup on. But she is one of those people who have a great complexion and don't really need it. We all had a great time. We ended up playing the Movies DVD Scene It game and us girls barely beat the guys, but we did!!

Saturday I went to a couple of craft fairs and had lunch with Joann. I haven't seen her in such a long time. We had a great time. I didn't buy anything, but as usual said many times, I could make that! To which I never do!!

Mike took Dylan to McDonald's on Saturday while I was gone. (Kristian was at a friends house) And he worked on the car. He finally got the frame welded up last weekend. He is so very proud of himself, as am I. He has put a lot of work into that car. I will be so glad when it is done. And I am sure he will be too.

Last Wednesday morning we woke up to a popping sound around 1. It was our refrigerator. Mike unplugged the ice maker and it stopped making the sound. We called and they wouldn't be able to fix it till Monday. That is the only day that they come out this way. Cons of living so far out of town... But it wasn't a big deal since it was just the ice maker. But then on Friday I went to fix the kids some lunch and noticed that the corn dogs seemed a bit softer than usual. After doing a little investigating I realized that the entire fridge had slowly been cooling down, since Wednesday! UUURRRGGGG. So I called the service place and they couldn't get to it till Monday, still. I was in tears! I had the birthday party on Sunday and I had to pick up a cake on Saturday for that. A pretty pricey cake at that! Not to mention all the food I had in my refrigerator!! I called Mike and he said just go look for one in town. So after 4 hours of dragging the kids from one Home Depot and Lowes after another. I finally found one. Mike and a friend from work rented one of those trucks from Home Depot and had it back to the store in less than 2 hours. Heaven forbid Mike have to pay more than he needed to at $5 for every 15 minutes. (Tanya he reminds me of Papaw sometimes!!) We have been wanting another fridge for the garage anyway, but just didn't want to do it right now. I guess someone had other plans though. Anyway, it all worked out and the cake was safe and refrigerated!!

I can't believe tomorrow is Thanksgiving. We are going over to Cat and Brett's house tomorrow but not till 5. In the morning, my plan is to sit and watch the Macy's Thanksgiving parade with the boys, which I am sure after 30 minutes of it... it will be just me on the couch alone, but oh well! I am getting up early on Friday for the big sales. I SWORE I wasn't going to. But Joann coaxed me into it last weekend. Plus I did see a few things that I was interested in. I always enjoy it once I am awake!!! Can you believe that Kohls is opening at 4!!! I don't think so. I remember when Wal-mart would open at 6 and now it is 5! I know the early bird gets the worm.. but at some point the early bird is going to say to *%&$#@ with it!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and eats WAY too much!! Until next time...

The pictures are of the gingerbread train, sugar cookies and Dylan, Jacob and Rebecca.

Hey everyone. Hope you are all doing well.

Things are going good here in Colorado. We haven't gotten anymore snow. Just warm weather. Sunday and Monday it was in the 70's. But unfortunately it will cool down just in time for Halloween! No surprise there. At least it will be in the 30's and not the single digits.

Last Thursday Jacob and Rebecca spent the night with us. Tracy had a conference in Denver on Thursday and then headed out Friday morning for a girl's weekend in Mexico. So we took the kids for her. We had so much fun with them. I know I have them during the week anyway, but it is always fun to have a sleepover. On Friday we just hung out around the house. The kids just wanted to play anyway, especially since Kristian was home.

Friday night we carved pumpkins. Mike could never find a pattern that he liked, so it ended up being me, Kristian and Dylan. I did one with Scooby Doo and one with Sponge bob. Dylan did a Jack O Lantern face and Kristian did a spider holding a jack O lantern. We stayed up till about midnight that night. Unfortunately for Mike he got called into work around 10 and didn't get back home till 1.

Saturday I roasted the pumpkin seeds for the first time ever. I always say I am going to and then just throw them away. They turned out really good! I met up with Cat for lunch at P.F. Changs and then we went shopping. There were a lot of good sales going on. Pottery Barn had their Halloween stuff already marked down 75% so I picked up some of that. They had the cutest little plates and cups for the kids.

Sunday me and the boys headed into town. Kristian wanted to be a Zombie for Halloween. So instead of ripping up any clothes that he has we went to Goodwill instead. He wants to wear just a shirt and bluejeans. I tried to convince him to wear a black suit and white shirt, but he wouldn't go for it. It was so much easier when he was little and I could dress him up in whatever. He has gotten so picky. He doesn't like long sleeves and hates wearing a coat. Of course I have to make him on cold days. After that I took the kids to P.F. Changs. Whenever I go there without them I always hear about it. So I took them. They loved it. We headed home after that and that is when I started feeling sick. I was so glad that I at least made it home. I was in the bathroom most of the evening. I kept thinking 'this will be the last time and I will feel so much better soon', but it never happened. I still felt bad on Monday. Not sure what it was, because the kids felt fine. I hated to, but I had to ask Tracy for the day off. I knew it was going to be a struggle just watching Dylan. And it was, but I made it through.

We got Kristian's report card last week and he had A's and B's. His lowest grade was an 87. We are so proud of him. Yesterday they had the Awards Breakfast at school. I took the 3 little kids. They love going to the school. Plus they get to hang out with the bigger kids for a bit. Mike was able to go with us too. It is so neat that they put so much work into these awards assemblys. The kids work so hard, so it nice to let them have some fun.

Last night we went Trick or Treating with, Tracy and her family, Cat and her family and another family from school. The kids got so much candy and had a blast. Dylan has it all figured out now and was running from house to house. It was a little warmer than last year. So that was nice. Of course the pre-teen kids didn't want to wear their jackets, so... for the first time I let Kristian make up his own mind and he didn't wear one. He wouldn't admit that he was cold, but when we got in the car he did say he couldn't wait to take a hot shower!

The pictures are of the pumpkin carving, me and the kids, Kristian and Dylan at the Awards assembly and the trick or treaters. Until next time...

Last week, was a full 5 day week for me. Kristian had a friend, Connor, come over and spend the night on Thursday. They had a great time just hanging out and being boys. They played Guitar Hero and Sonic the Hedgehog. Dylan just hung out with them and of course let us know when he wasn't being included. Friday I had Tracy's kids, so at least then Dylan had someone his age. Although, Rebecca and Dylan hung out with Kristian and Connor. I know the older two were relieved when the two little ones had a take a nap!

On Saturday, I went and got my hair done. It took 4 hours!! I had her darken it up and cut it. It is shorter than I wanted put it is growing on me.

Saturday night, Mike and I actually had another date night! I can't even remember the last time that we went out two weekends in a row. It had to be before kids, that I do know. We went out with some friends we hadn't seen in a while. Chris and Maite (Mytay) She is due with their second child in 3 weeks. They have a little boy already, Grant, who will be 2 in January. It is always nice to go out with them because they know all the neat places down town to eat. We started off at a French Bistro. We had dinner, drank some wine and just visited. After that we went to another restaurant, just down the street from there, that was actually down in the basement of a downtown building. The atmosphere and decor was awesome. We did a little more drinking and split some desserts. We had such a great time. Heidi, a friend of ours, watched the boys for us. Dylan was a little unsure at first, since he had only met her a couple of times, but he did fine. By the end of the night he wasn't ready to leave and was asking when he could go back.

Sunday we spent most of the day laying around. It was a cold and dreary day. But after a while we got up and around so that I could go buy groceries. From our basket it would've seemed like we were out of everything. Which I pretty much was. I have been putting off buying a lot at once. I HATE going grocery shopping, so anytime I can get in and out of there quickly I will.

Monday I stayed up till midnight watching the Rockies win AGAIN! Now they are headed to the World Series. Their first trip to the World Series, so everyone is pretty excited for them. They have never been that great of a team, but this seems to be a good year for them.

Monday Mike left for L.A. He was gone until Thursday. He had a great trip and was able to meet up with someone we had known in Virginia. So that was nice for him. We met him in town on Thursday when he got back in and had dinner.

Friday I spent the day cleaning the house. That's always fun. Friday evening I ran into town to pick up some wine and other last minute things for our get together Saturday night. We invited the guys from Mike's work over along with their families. There was about 20 of us in all. I cooked two turkeys and then had everyone bring a side or a dessert. We had so much good food. And really enjoyed ourselves. It was nice to see everyone. Some I had not seen since the Christmas party last year. The guys really enjoyed themselves playing Guitar Hero. Us ladies just enjoyed visiting with each other.

Sunday we woke up to 2 inches of snow! Our first for this year. It was so pretty! I got up and cleaned up from the party the night before. I worked on Dylan's Halloween costume. He is going to be a spider. I did some laundry, watched a movie and baked some rolls. Mike... played Guitar Hero all morning long! I couldn't believe it. But apparently when someone turned off the game they didn't save Mike's progress and he had to start ALL over. Boo Hoo! And just so you know, it wasn't me! I think it was Kristian, or at least that is who Mike was blaming.

Sunday afternoon we went over to Brett and Cat's for an early dinner. They had BBQ ribs. It was so good. Chris and Maite were there too. So we got to visit with them again. Their little boy Grant is growing up so fast. He will be two in January! Grant and Dylan had a blast with each other. It was nice because Dylan gets left out a lot with the older kids. But him and Grant were like two peas in a pod.

Monday, Jacob was throwing up, so I didn't have him or Rebecca that day. I dropped Kristian off at school and Dylan and I went to town. We picked up the last few things I needed for Halloween and his costume and a few groceries. That was about it for that day. Which was nice!

Well I guess that is about it for us. This is a really long post! The pictures are of the first snow, Mike and I and Dylan before our date night, the Sand Dunes and Dylan blowing out his candles. Have a great week!

Oct. 10th

We have had a good last couple of weeks. We went to Alamosa for Dylan's birthday. The sand dunes were unbelievable. You have to see them to appreciate them. It is amazing that it is just sand. The tallest one, which we didn't climb, is 750 feet tall! The boys had fun climbing up them and rolling back down. They also had a great time swimming at the hotel pool. It had an indoor water park. Saturday night they swam for 3 1/2 hours. And yes, they did sleep in the next morning. We drove back a different way and saw lots of fall colors. The trees looked so pretty.

Kristian found out the day before we left that he had to read a 200 page biography for the following Monday. So he did a lot of reading on the way there and back. He managed to get it read. I was so proud of him. I picked him up a book about Houdini, since he loves doing magic tricks, I thought it would keep him interested.

Last Friday Dylan went in for his 4 year checkup and he is doing great. He is 42 inches tall and weighs 38 lbs.! He had to get 3 shots also. Since he has a late birthday, he doesn't have to get all the shots for school this year. But he will have to get 3 more next year. He didn't cry at all. Just gasped and held his breath the entire time. When she was done he let out a HUGE sigh of relief. But said he wasn't getting any shots next time!

After his appt. we went to William Sonoma to pick up some pancake molds, then I took him to Toys R Us to get something for doing so well with his shots. After that we met Tracy and the kids for lunch. We were celebrating her birthday. I ran by Target and then headed home.

Kristian had spent the day at a friends house. So Mike and I picked him up on our way over to Tracy's that evening. She was watching the boys for us while we actually went out on a date! We went and saw the Bourne Ultimatum and then had dinner at PF Changs. We had a really good time. On Saturday we went and put new tires on the suburban, had lunch and I ran by the store for a few groceries. We picked up the boys on the way home. We had a quiet evening at home on Saturday. Sunday I caught up on laundry and house cleaning and got ready for Monday morning. Mike worked out in the shop. He is coming along on the '56 wagon. I think he spent most of the day measuring things. He is getting ready to make a very important cut and wants to make sure it is exactly right.

Dylan is still loving his four wheeler, or four liller, is the way he says it. I still worry about him, but Mike has it set up to go as slow as possible.

Well I guess that is it for now. Hope everyone is doing well. I wanted to add more pictures, but the site was having trouble. So I hope to add more next time. The pictures are of the boys at the hotel water park and then attempting to take a serious picture!

Sept. 27th

This week has been all about Dylan it seems. His 4th birthday is on Sunday (30th). He wanted to go to a hotel and he wanted to go fishing. So last weekend we took him fishing. Kristian had a sleep over at a friends house last Friday night, so he didn't get to go with us. We took Dylan up to Manitou lake up by Woodland Park. All he really wanted to do was cast the pole and reel it in. By the end of the day he was a pro at it! He had a great time. Afterwards we went to eat and stopped by Old Colorado City for ice cream. Oh and by the way, we didn't catch anything! But it was still fun and RELAXING!

Last night we gave Dylan his birthday gift since we will be gone this weekend. It was a four wheeler. He loves riding ours, so there was no question what to get him. His of course is much smaller than ours, but fits him perfectly, as you can see in the picture. He rode past the sun going down last night and didn't get off until he ran out of gas! It has a kill switch on it, which is why Mike has a leash hooked to it, so he can't get too far away from us. He kept saying he wanted to go as fast as he wanted. But his dad informed him that wasn't happening just yet! He drove really good! I couldn't believe how well he turned and slowed down. I was impressed.

Kristian is doing well too. He is still liking school and hanging out with his friends. His grades are all good, which I hope that they stay that way, because his dad told him if he gets bad grades, he has to get his hair cut the way his dad wants it! So I think his grades will continue to be good. Although I did remind Mike that his hair wasn't that short in school either. I guess I shouldn't have brought that up in front of Kristian though. Ooops!

We are leaving tomorrow to go to Alamosa for the weekend. It is about 4 1/2 hours southwest of here. We are taking the scenic route and hope to see lots of fall colors along the way. We are going to go to the Great Sand Dunes on Saturday. This is the other part of Dylan's birthday to stay in a hotel, so he can't wait! I will have lots of pictures from this weekend to post.

Well I hope that everyone has a great weekend. Until next time....

September 13th

Hey everyone. Hope that this finds you all doing well.

I guess I will start with Labor Day. Mike's parents came in for the weekend. We had a great visit. Mike and his dad drove down to Canon City to pick up a car that his dad was delivering to Wisconsin. While his parents were here, our well went out again. Talk about a bummer! We were set to have people over that weekend for a BBQ, but we had to cancel it. Mike, his dad and I managed to get the water out of the well pit and Mike hooked up new electrical boxes, since the other ones, that we had just replaced two weeks prior, were toast! But in doing so we did get the water back on. So we were only without water for less than 24 hours! On Monday, actual Labor Day, Mike and just sat around and literally did nothing. We were both exhausted from the day before, dealing with the well. We sat outside on the deck, did a bit of drinking :) and just relaxed. It was so nice. I don't think we have done that since our 10 year anniversary. So it was much needed!

Kristian is still enjoying 6th grade. He told us the other day that he had a playing test in band and he got an A+. He was so thrilled.

Last weekend, Kristian had a birthday party to go to, so it was just me, Mike and Dylan. We went into town and Mike shopped for some new tools, he actually had a list! After that we had lunch and then went for a hike at a local park. I wish I would've had my camera, but... After that we went grocery shopping and then headed home. On Sunday I was going to mow the grass, but it was so cold out. I think the high for that day was in the 50's. I did manage to mow for about an hour and a half, but that was pretty much my limit. Luckily the grass doesn't look all that bad. Mike had plans to work out in the shop on Sunday, but his work had other plans. He was on call and like always, he got called in. He was not happy about it, but it is his job. So what can you do?

Dylan's 4th birthday is coming up on the 30th. I think instead of having a party we are just going to go away for the weekend. We asked him what he would rather do, a party or stay in a hotel. He said stay in a hotel. That's my boy!! Not that I don't enjoy putting together a party and having everyone out, it will be nice for a change.

I am finally getting to have my Pampered Chef party on Saturday. It was supposed to be a month ago, but that is when our well went out the first time and I had to reschedule it. Luckily the majority of everyone could still make it, so that was good. I felt horrible that I had to cancel it, but? I think Mike is going to be delivering a car for a guy out of Canon City this weekend. The same guy his dad delivered a car for. Luckily he only has to take it to Denver though.

Well I guess that is it. I don't have any pictures to post this time. Sorry about that. I will try to take some for next time. Have a great weekend.

August 29th

I can't believe it is almost Labor day! And that it has been almost a month since I have been on here... where to begin...

Kristian started 6th grade and he is loving it. They switch classes every 50 minutes. He really likes that. He has not one bad thing to say about it. Although the first day of school his lock did get stuck on his locker and he couldn't get back in it, but that has been fixed. He is taking band again this year and still playing the bass guitar. We went to Open House the other night and his teachers had nothing but good things to say about him, so that made us feel really proud of him.

Mike has been going back and forth to California the last month. He had a trip there the first week of August and another one the 3rd week, but it keeps him busy. Work seems to be going good for him right now.

Dylan is doing great. He is loving having Rebecca and Jacob over during the week! So far this year the two older ones, (Dylan and Rebecca), have been getting along. Last year at this time, it was he hit me, she hit me, he pushed me, etc, etc, etc. What a difference a year makes.

I have been busy with watching the kiddos. They keep me on my toes that is for sure. Jacob is walking now and so far hasn't shown much interest in climbing our stairs. I have told him no when I see him going for them, so now every time he walks by them I know because he says, no no no no and tells on himself. We have gotten a lot of rain this month, which has been great, except that the yard needs mowing a lot more than usual. It took me all day Sunday to get everything mowed. I was so ready to be done. I spent Sunday evening sniffling and sneezing. Not to mention waking up with a huge head ache!

I had planned a Pampered Chef party for the 18th, but the day before our well messed up, so I had to postpone it till the 15th of September. I was so bummed. But it is a bit hard to have a get together with no water. We were without water for 2 days, but spent the night at a hotel so we could at least take a shower. They replaced everything but the pump and it came back on, but then two days later we had to reset it again. Knock on wood it hasn't messed up anymore.

Last weekend we went to Cheyenne Canon in town. It is so beautiful there and lots of places to hike. There is also a water fall, which was so pretty. We ended up hiking for about 2 hours and letting the boys play in the water. They had so much fun. Afterwards we went to Old Colorado City to the ice cream creamery and had, what else, ice cream. It was a great day!

Well I guess that should about catch everyone up on our goings on. I never did find the pictures from our trip to Oklahoma. Mike said he saved them on the computer, but?? But I do have pictures this time.

I hope everyone has a great Labor Day weekend. Enjoy the last weekend of summer!

Pictures are of Kristian on his first day of school, the boys by the water fall, the boys resting on the hike where Dylan is being his usual silly self and then one of Mike and Dylan.

Our July and Start of August

I will start where I left off many moons ago...





Our trip back to Oklahoma went great. It was uneventful as far as the suburban was concerned. We had a great time visiting with everyone. We had the chance to go and visit my grandma in Bonham where the boys were able to do some fishing with my Uncle Gary. We took them garage selling and to Trades Day. They each had a dollar and in the first few minutes of Trades Day had already spent it. The boys had lots of fun with their cousins and spent most of their time playing in the water, since it was so hot there. They were not ready to come home, but... all good things must come to an end.





The day after I got back my suburban broke down on us! I couldn't believe it. I was so thankful that it waited until my trip was over. It turned out to be the fuel pump, which is what happened with our other one. We are two for two now and doubt that our next vehicle will be a suburban.





My brother rode back with us and spent the next week with us. His girlfriend, who lives a few hours away, came up too. We had a great time. We hung out, went to the movies and went to Manitou Springs for the day. The boys really enjoyed having Matt around. He is like a big kid. He took Dylan for rides on the 4 wheeler anytime he asked. Once Dylan fell asleep on it, but of course woke right up when it stopped.





I decided to do some painting inside the house. I painted our room and then did an accent wall in the dining room. It turned out really good. Mike said he wasn't helping at all, which was fine. I only needed him to help move furniture anyway! He has spent a lot of time working out on the '56 wagon. He just about has it ready for sandblasting. I can tell he is getting very excited about it. Every weekend he goes out and takes pictures of the progress!



Last Friday, Mike and I had a date night. We went out to dinner with some friends and walked around downtown. We were going to go see the new Bourne movie, with Matt Damon, but it was all sold out. So we just came home. It was still nice because it was just Mike and I at the house, which hardly ever happens. On Saturday we went and picked the boys up around noon and took Tracy's kids for a while.

Mike left yesterday for San Jose California. He comes back tomorrow evening, so not too long of a trip.



I started back to watching Tracy's kids today. I can't believe the summer is over!! Where did it go? Kristian starts back to school on Monday. He had to go get two shots yesterday and did just fine. His arms are a little sore today, but not too bad. He now weighs 95 lbs and is half an inch away from being 5 foot! 5 more inches away from being as tall as I am! Yikes!

The pictures are of the rooms I painted. I had pictures of our trip home, but for some reason they aren't on my card. I figure Mike unloaded them somewhere on my computer to make room for his car pictures. I will find out and add them later.

Have a great week!

Happy Fourth of July

I hope that this finds you all safe and sound. I hope that you all had a very Happy Fourth of July.

WE did!

On Sunday I decided that since Mike was going to be going out of town for a week to Germany, that the boys and I would go home and see everyone. We are leaving bright and shiny in the morning to go to Oklahoma. We are going to stay for two weeks. My brother is supposed to ride back with us and spend a week here. We are driving home and hopefully will have an uneventful trip this time. (last time we broke down!) That is the reason I am blogging today. Since I will be gone, I won't have the opportunity to blog until then. But the flip side is I will have lots to share and lots of pictures to post too. So until then, I hope everyone stays safe and continues to enjoy your summer! See you soon.

The pictures are of Max relaxing in his bath. I have never seen a dog that actually liked to take a bath, btw, he is riding home with us tomorrow too! Please keep me in your prayers, a dog, two boys and a 13 hour car trip! Need I say more? The others are from our fourth of July. We went to some friend's house for a get together and then let the kids do some fireworks tonight. Dylan and Kristian actually lit some themselves!

June 30th

Wow, it has been only a week and I am back on here!

We have had a great week. Last Saturday, I went to afternoon tea with Cat at the Broadmoor. It was so nice and relaxing. I really did enjoy it and can see myself going more often.

On Wednesday, Tracy and I took the kids to the zoo in Colorado Springs. It was a perfect day. Not too hot! Which it still hasn't really been this summer. The kids had a great time. Dylan even fed the giraffes. I didn't think he would, but he held the crackers up there for the giraffe to stick its LONG tongue out and eat them. I was surprised. Kristian was disappointed because he didn't get to see the otters. Those are his favorites and we never did get to see them. After the zoo we went to lunch and I did a few errands in town.

On Thursday Cat and the kids came out for lunch and to visit. She bought everything for lunch, including dessert! It was so nice. The kids spent pretty much all afternoon on the trampoline. I know they were exhausted! That evening me and boys went to Russell's baseball game, they won! We had a great time.

On Friday, I met up with Cat and the kids for lunch at Fargos. After that we went to the mall and did some shopping.

On Saturday we hung out here at the house. Mike had a guy come by to pick up some things he sold on Craigslist. He also finally got to use his new welder. He had to go into work for a few hours later in the day. After that me and the kids met up with him to grab some dinner. We went to Wahoo's and sat outside. It was a perfect night. I ran by Target after that and then we headed home.

Today we are just hanging out here too. Mike is welding again, the boys are playing and I am straightening up the house. I hope to get to go mow some today. Mike replaced my blades on the lawnmower the other day. Needless to say, the other ones were beyond repair. I guess I ran over too many things that I shouldn't have. Oops...

I hope you all have a Happy and Safe Fourth of July! Until next time...

The pictures are of me getting ready for tea with Cat. The others are of the trip to the zoo.