Sunday, December 28, 2008
Hideous Holiday Sweaters
Last night we had friends over for a Hideous Holiday Sweater Party. We invited Jody and Whitney, warning them that they were the only invitees without kids. They gamely said they'd still stop in for a while.
They lasted about 30 minutes before taking off. Preschoolers can be a bit much if you're not used to them all the time.
Anyways, I didn't take many pictures, but here is my friend Maranda looking hot:
Andrew sporting an awesome dickie and sequined poinsettia vest:
My sweater, festive turtleneck and Christmas tree earrings: 
That's right, I have a partridge in a pear tree, two turtle doves, three french hens...the entire 12 days of Christmas are appliqued on my lovely sweater in felt and sequins. The designer (I use that term loosely) even used the sleeves to be sure and fit all 12 days on the sweater: 
And the kiddos even got some light-up shirts too: 
They lasted about 30 minutes before taking off. Preschoolers can be a bit much if you're not used to them all the time.
Anyways, I didn't take many pictures, but here is my friend Maranda looking hot:
Andrew sporting an awesome dickie and sequined poinsettia vest:
My sweater, festive turtleneck and Christmas tree earrings: 
That's right, I have a partridge in a pear tree, two turtle doves, three french hens...the entire 12 days of Christmas are appliqued on my lovely sweater in felt and sequins. The designer (I use that term loosely) even used the sleeves to be sure and fit all 12 days on the sweater: 
And the kiddos even got some light-up shirts too: 
Friday, December 26, 2008
Christmas day pics
We had an awesome Christmas day, joined my mom and dad, Jody and Whitney, and Lloyd and Barbara. Here are some pictures from Christmas morning, before the rest of the crew arrived.
The tree:
Ready, set, go! 
The scooters from Santa were a huge hit. The boys scooted around the house on them all day. Ben kept saying "I got my very own scooter. I got my very own scooter."
Andrew, in his new I'm-a-dad-with-small-kids-so-I'm-a-porter-backpack:
Awww, the snuggly blankets were a big hit:
Hope you had a lovely day too!
The tree:
Ready, set, go! The scooters from Santa were a huge hit. The boys scooted around the house on them all day. Ben kept saying "I got my very own scooter. I got my very own scooter."Andrew, in his new I'm-a-dad-with-small-kids-so-I'm-a-porter-backpack:Awww, the snuggly blankets were a big hit:Hope you had a lovely day too!
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
This brings the total to...
...10 dozen of these little cookies that I've made over this last week!
These have quickly become our family's favorite cookie since we first tasted them courtesy of Laurinda. (Although this batch is not nearly as pretty as hers...still tastes delicious though!)
These have quickly become our family's favorite cookie since we first tasted them courtesy of Laurinda. (Although this batch is not nearly as pretty as hers...still tastes delicious though!)
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Week o' Programs
Some pics from the oh-so-cute Christmas County Spelling Bee on Sunday:
And some from the preschool program on Wednesday: 
I'd write more, but I have a cold this week. It's not even a bad cold, but it leaves me with zero extra energy. The boys are resting now so I'm going to take advantage of the time and just lay still while nobody needs me.
And some from the preschool program on Wednesday: 
I'd write more, but I have a cold this week. It's not even a bad cold, but it leaves me with zero extra energy. The boys are resting now so I'm going to take advantage of the time and just lay still while nobody needs me.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Holiday Spirit Runneth Over
I'm feeling very Norman Rockwell-ish with all of the fun holiday activities the town of Parker and our church have put together. Downtown Parker has some really fun little activities for Friday and Saturday evenings in December, and we went down last night to check it out before the arctic cold they've been warning us about arrives tonight. All of the activities are totally free too - bonus! There were carriage rides,
visits with Santa,
little bonfires up and down the sidewalk, carolers, popcorn and cider...all very high on the quaint scale. And we didn't even see everything, like the coffee shop where librarians were telling holiday stories like The Polar Express because Max wanted to get home and see Frosty on TV. I know. Priorities. It was just fun to see so many people downtown against the beautiful backdrop of all the lights - working to build a sense of community and all that (and yes, I know, drum up business for the downtown merchants).
Then this afternoon we headed over to our church for A Night in Bethlehem, something that I think they started while we lived in Utah and I think we missed last year due to a ski trip. It was a very well-done "Jewish village" with tons of hands-on activities for the kids, like making rope, making sandals, grinding grain with rocks (Max really enjoyed this), petting animals, etc.
Here's Max making a mosaic, 
and here he is making jewelry. 
Shocker that Ben didn't want to do any of the crafts. He was more interested in collecting the gold coins that the angels were dropping and occasionally having to pay the tax collectors. What a cool idea to bring Bethlehem to life for the kids (and adults too for that matter)! We've always been thankful for our church and all that it has to offer, but especially after our year in Utah, we're just grateful for all of the neat things going on in our church.
And tomorrow morning, Max has his Christmas pageant, The Christmas County Spelling Bee. His line: "And the government will be upon his shoulders" plus all of the songs with the angel choir. So excited!
A totally different subject: Andrew and I reversed the handle on our fridge door today so that it no longer clunks into the counter about a hundred times a day. We figure it is only going to take us about 10 years to get used to grabbing the other side of the door!
visits with Santa,little bonfires up and down the sidewalk, carolers, popcorn and cider...all very high on the quaint scale. And we didn't even see everything, like the coffee shop where librarians were telling holiday stories like The Polar Express because Max wanted to get home and see Frosty on TV. I know. Priorities. It was just fun to see so many people downtown against the beautiful backdrop of all the lights - working to build a sense of community and all that (and yes, I know, drum up business for the downtown merchants).Then this afternoon we headed over to our church for A Night in Bethlehem, something that I think they started while we lived in Utah and I think we missed last year due to a ski trip. It was a very well-done "Jewish village" with tons of hands-on activities for the kids, like making rope, making sandals, grinding grain with rocks (Max really enjoyed this), petting animals, etc.
Here's Max making a mosaic, and here he is making jewelry. Shocker that Ben didn't want to do any of the crafts. He was more interested in collecting the gold coins that the angels were dropping and occasionally having to pay the tax collectors. What a cool idea to bring Bethlehem to life for the kids (and adults too for that matter)! We've always been thankful for our church and all that it has to offer, but especially after our year in Utah, we're just grateful for all of the neat things going on in our church.And tomorrow morning, Max has his Christmas pageant, The Christmas County Spelling Bee. His line: "And the government will be upon his shoulders" plus all of the songs with the angel choir. So excited!
A totally different subject: Andrew and I reversed the handle on our fridge door today so that it no longer clunks into the counter about a hundred times a day. We figure it is only going to take us about 10 years to get used to grabbing the other side of the door!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Yes, I enjoy the food
Christmas came a little early today. Andrew OK'd me busting out the crockpot from him, Max & Ben. Behold:
Today I am cooking a roast and needed the extra room in the 6 qt. crock pot so the roast could cook horizontally instead of vertically in my old 4 qt. cooker. I first saw this crockpot advertised on the Food Network (told ya, I like the food). It's the Hamilton Beach Stay or Go, loaded with cool features, such as a rubber seal around the lid, little latches on the side that clamp the lid on securely, extra large carrying handles, and the handy little spoon rest on top. So now you can take it to whatever gathering you may have to go to without worrying about slopping your food all over the car on the way. Awesome!
Today I am cooking a roast and needed the extra room in the 6 qt. crock pot so the roast could cook horizontally instead of vertically in my old 4 qt. cooker. I first saw this crockpot advertised on the Food Network (told ya, I like the food). It's the Hamilton Beach Stay or Go, loaded with cool features, such as a rubber seal around the lid, little latches on the side that clamp the lid on securely, extra large carrying handles, and the handy little spoon rest on top. So now you can take it to whatever gathering you may have to go to without worrying about slopping your food all over the car on the way. Awesome! And my other recommendation: 
I checked the book out from the library to preview it and decide if it's worth purchasing. I ran out of sticky-notes for all of the recipes I want to try. So far, I've liked everything I've tried: sauerbraten, cheesy italian tortellini, and we'll see how the caramelized onion pot roast goes over tonight. Mmmm!
I checked the book out from the library to preview it and decide if it's worth purchasing. I ran out of sticky-notes for all of the recipes I want to try. So far, I've liked everything I've tried: sauerbraten, cheesy italian tortellini, and we'll see how the caramelized onion pot roast goes over tonight. Mmmm!Tuesday, December 09, 2008
Fun in the snow!
We got several inches of snow overnight. The boys got after it right after breakfast this morning:
Then inside to warm up with some hot chocolate with marshmallows:
Then back out for some more fun:
I tell ya, building a snowman with Colorado's "champagne powder" is not an easy task! I thought the snow seemed a little wet this morning when I shoveled so I hoped we could build a big ol' snowman, but it turned out to still be pretty powdery, so this is the best we could do today. 
And, I have to say, even though it makes for crummy snowmen, I still prefer the powder to the slushy stuff.
And Happy Birthday to my mom!
Then inside to warm up with some hot chocolate with marshmallows:
Then back out for some more fun:
I tell ya, building a snowman with Colorado's "champagne powder" is not an easy task! I thought the snow seemed a little wet this morning when I shoveled so I hoped we could build a big ol' snowman, but it turned out to still be pretty powdery, so this is the best we could do today. 
And, I have to say, even though it makes for crummy snowmen, I still prefer the powder to the slushy stuff.And Happy Birthday to my mom!
Sunday, December 07, 2008
Gingerbread houses
Here are some pics from yesterday when Grandma Jill came by to make gingerbread houses with the boys. (Why do I keep typing "gingerbreak" instead of "gingerbread"? Annoying.)
Both boys, but especially Ben, were big fans of the unfettered access to candy and frosting. In fact, as I typed this post, we have put Ben in time-out twice and hid his gingerbread house because he CANNOT leave it alone.
This morning I filled in for the 3-year-old Sunday school class. I had Maiya, McKenna, Mira, Max (because he wanted to stay with his mama), and Ben, my only non-M. Try running down that roster 5 times quickly. Almost every parent dropped off his/her child with a nervous smile, saying "She's in her big girl undies today. She should be fine." Ahhh, outings with newly potty-trained kids, such a leap of faith. And, for the record, everyone did just fine.
On the drive home, Max said, "You know mama?"
"What buddy?"
"You know, you're pretty good at that teaching."
"Gee thanks, little buddy."
Both boys, but especially Ben, were big fans of the unfettered access to candy and frosting. In fact, as I typed this post, we have put Ben in time-out twice and hid his gingerbread house because he CANNOT leave it alone.
This morning I filled in for the 3-year-old Sunday school class. I had Maiya, McKenna, Mira, Max (because he wanted to stay with his mama), and Ben, my only non-M. Try running down that roster 5 times quickly. Almost every parent dropped off his/her child with a nervous smile, saying "She's in her big girl undies today. She should be fine." Ahhh, outings with newly potty-trained kids, such a leap of faith. And, for the record, everyone did just fine.
On the drive home, Max said, "You know mama?"
"What buddy?"
"You know, you're pretty good at that teaching."
"Gee thanks, little buddy."
Monday, December 01, 2008
Silver City
Here are some pictures from our Thanksgiving trip to Silver City to visit Andrew's parents. We enjoyed a delicious Thanksgiving feast that Sue cooked up. Here is Andrew enjoying a new libation, New Mexico style, prickly pear margarita. 
Sue juices the prickly pear cacti in her yard and then mixes up the margaritas. They were delicious and such a pretty color!
We stopped into their church Saturday to help decorate since we were leaving early Sunday morning and they wanted us to say "hi" to some of their friends.
Both dogs made the journey too; they were excellent travelers. 
Cedar is convinced he is a lap dog.
We had a smooth drive down and almost all the way home. We had horribly slick, snowy roads for the last bit of our trip. It took us 3 hours (usually about 1 hour) to get from Colorado Springs to home! But we made it safely, and for that I am thankful.
Here are the dogs all sacked out tonight at home:
Hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving too!
Sue juices the prickly pear cacti in her yard and then mixes up the margaritas. They were delicious and such a pretty color!We stopped into their church Saturday to help decorate since we were leaving early Sunday morning and they wanted us to say "hi" to some of their friends.
Both dogs made the journey too; they were excellent travelers. Cedar is convinced he is a lap dog. We had a smooth drive down and almost all the way home. We had horribly slick, snowy roads for the last bit of our trip. It took us 3 hours (usually about 1 hour) to get from Colorado Springs to home! But we made it safely, and for that I am thankful.Here are the dogs all sacked out tonight at home:
Hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving too!
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