I'm a BIG Kid Now!!

Ella and I had a date to see Sleeping Beauty, but we were taken off guard when Ken was called out of town.  I was able to find an extra ticket and decided to take Eric with us, making this his first ballet.  I made sure to read Sleeping Beauty, before we left for the ballet and it seemed to really help him follow along.

The kids did an awesome job and really enjoyed the performance.  Eric followed along really well as I whispered what was happening throughout the performance.  I was so proud of them!  They can't wait to attend their next ballet!

Ella and Eric wrapped up their fall soccer season this week, 

they both received ribbons and had a great season!  Ella really improved on her game, learning to play all the different positions.  While Eric, really learned the fundamentals of the game and started to learn really good ball control.

They both decided to take a break from soccer for the winter, but can't wait to start again in the spring.

Eric celebrated his 4th birthday this past weekend in Hot Wheels style! 

Eric was so excited for his birthday party and for his friends/family to come over and celebrate.  Unfortunately, after inviting four friends from our homeschool group and karate class the majority of kids couldn't make the party.  However, we went on as party as usual and the kids had a great time!  We planned a "pin the car on the race track" game, which the kids enjoyed.

We put a Hot Wheels wall race track up for the kids to race each other and they couldn't get enough of it.  The track will be moving to Eric's room later this week.  

Always a favorite, the pinata!  The weather was a bit wet and cold outside, so we decided to improvise and have them have a go inside.  This was actually a pull string pinata, but of course the kids wanted to each take a turn trying to hit it first.  The kids hit it so hard the hook fell off, so we ended up having to pull the stings to release all the goodies inside.

Eric's main request was for a "race car cake."  We started the cake a few days earlier, thinking it might take a while to make and we were right.  This was our first full fondant cake and topped it off with four hot wheel cars.

Ken was a great help as he chhipped in and helped roll out all the fondant for me and assisted in cutting out all the pieces.  We were so happy that Eric loved his cake! Of course, the best part was that each kid was able to take home a hot wheels car.

The kids enjoyed playing with all of Eric's new presents.

Sunday, Eric received his present from Mommy and Daddy.

He can't get enough of his Power Wheels Arctic Cat!  However, it's so nice that the kids love to ride together and Eric doesn't even mind sharing with big sister.  

The back of the Arctic Cat even has a nice open bed, which the kids have used to haul trash, pick up pinecones, and I'm sure will find even more uses for it over the next year or two.  

When asking Eric how he feels being four years old now....he says, "I'm a BIG kid now!!

Season Wrap-Up

We marked our last camping trip at the end of September, with a quick trip to Breckenridge.  The weather was perfectly cool and a nice break from the heat.  The scenery was beautiful as we made it just in time to see the leaves changing.

 We only had a short weekend planned, as we only had one full day to enjoy.  We took advantage of every moment!  Our first stop, Sapphire Point.

We brought plenty of sunflower seeds for the squirrels!

Always a sweet spot for us and so wonderful to share it with the kids every visit.  We hope the kids will remember our time here for years to come.  

We decided to try out our new bikes, as we took a family bike ride into Breckenridge for lunch.  We ended up going 9 miles roundtrip and were amazed how well the kids did.  It was slow going on the way up to Breckenridge, but after we powered up with lunch at "Downstairs at Eric's" they were ready for the ride back.

We were all pretty tired after our day, so enjoyed some down time back at camp.

We surprised the kids with a fun trip to the Marina Park Playground in Dillon, the next morning.  They had a blast!

Ella really enjoyed spinning herself dizzy on the tulip. 

While Eric, enjoyed the twisty slide and making the rounds at the park.

We are so glad we took the time to stop, before we headed home.

Eric is wrapping up his Spring Soccer season and is doing very well.  He has good ball control and understands the game well.  He's starting to really get the hang of stealing the ball too, which is a tough concept for lots of kids to get at this age.

Eric started Karate this past month as well.  He is doing very well for his age and really enjoying being with the other boys in class. It's a great class to teach him how to focus more and to listen attentively, but also engage in more structured activity. 

Eric is growing so fast!  It is quite eye opening to realize that Eric is now the age Ella was when we moved back to Colorado.  We can't believe how time has flown.   As we wrap up the season, we are always aware how precious each moment is and blessed to be able to enjoy them all as a family.