The Important Things

We had quite a scare this last week, as we were given 10 minutes notice to evacuate our home due to an oncoming grass fire. The fire was less than a mile away and was heading right for our subdivision. 

 They evacuated over 8500 homes total. A million things run through your head, as you hear the words mandatory evacuation. The kids and pets were obviously first on my mind, so I quickly and calmly packed them all up (down to the tiny Beta fish). I left the house not knowing if our home would be here, when I came back. The whole experience really makes you think about what's important.

I had do to some explaining as we left the house and Ella was concerned about all our belongings. Well, I think she definitely had a lesson this week about what really matters in life; that we have each other, everything else can be replaced. Luckily, we received news just after dinner that we could return home and the fire was being contained and changed direction. The firefighters managed to extinguish the fire by morning with no damage to any structures, a great relief to everyone.

With the fire behind us and Ken arriving home last Thursday night, Ken and Ella took off skiing Friday.  The ski season is quickly wrapping up, so we wanted Ella and Ken to take advantage of their time on the slopes.  Ella was so excited to have a Daddy-Ella day, after Ken had been traveling all week.  She was especially excited that she was able to ski the entire day with Ken (not in ski school).

Even better, while Ella and Ken were up skiing, so was Maria's sister and her family.  They were able to enjoy lunch together and even skied a few runs together.  Ella did great keeping up with everyone and looks forward to getting up at least once more, before the season ends.

Well, while Ken and Ella had a Daddy-Daughter day, Eric and I had a Mommy - Son day and headed for "Monkey Bizness."  The name says it all, it's a large indoor children's playhouse featuring large playsets and art activities just for kids. Eric had a great time playing with all the kids, running through the obstacle courses and sliding down the monster slides.  I was very impressed by Eric's willingness and ability to wait his turn patiently, share with the other kids, and even ask for help when needed.  He really is growing up so fast!  He even took a break from playing to do some painting.

We both enjoyed our time together and realized we need to do this more often.

The following Saturday (my birthday), Ella and I took a Mommy-Daughter day to "The Wildlife Experience," while Eric and Ken napped.  Ella had fun learning about all the frogs.  Her favorite was the Dart Poison Frogs.  It was so much fun to see Ella reading through all the different descriptions on her own.  She took her time going through the whole exhibit this time, reading through each display.  

We took in the IMAX movie "The Living Sea" together too, enjoying a little popcorn and a movie.  What a great way to spend my birthday, getting to spend some quality time with each of the kids!  Loved it!!  I hope to make more one-one time with the kids, as we all enjoyed this special time with one another.

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Almost Spring!

The kids had been looking forward to bowling, since our last trip out a few weeks ago.  Maria's sister decided to spend an afternoon bowling for her birthday and invited everyone along.  However, when we arrived the wait time was over an hour and a half.  So, we decided to let the kids play in the arcade instead.

Eric couldn't get enough of the racing games!

Ella and Cousin Seth played a good game of Air Hockey!

We can't believe how nice it's been these last few days, feels like Spring is already here.  Spring in Colorado brings about all sorts of weather, from snow suits one day to shorts the next.  Well, we try and take advantage of the nice weather when we can.  So, this past week we spent a lot of time outdoors.  Ken's been home this week, so Monday we all ventured to the neighborhood park for a picnic lunch and some play time.

The kids loved getting outside again (it felt like ages, since we'd really played outdoors).  It's amazing how just a few short months really has changed the dynamic between Ella and Eric.  

They definitely enjoyed each others company outside, were playing together nicely and Eric was climbing up and down the jungle gym with ease.

We sure have missed the warmer weather!

We had another great play day with our friends, the Hightowner's.  

The kids and Maria took a trip to the Art museum on Tuesday where the kids learned about totem poles and Indian ceremony blankets.  They had a wonderful art station, where the kids could even design their own Indian blanket.

Ella chose an Eagle.

Eric chose a Bird.

We had a wonderful sack lunch in the park and afterwards the kids fed and chased the pigeons.  What a great morning out!

Ella and Ken ventured out for another day of skiing on Saturday, as they take advantage of these last few weeks of ski season as the weather is quickly warming up.  Ella has been doing exceptionally well, but we decided to keep her in ski school through one more level.  However, half way through the lesson she wasn't feeling well and Ken pulled her out.  Turns out she just needed something to eat and she was back on the slopes again, this time with Ken.  She did really well and was so happy she was able to finally ski with her Daddy.

All this warm weather makes us think, Spring!  We haven't been to Florida, since our move back to Colorado and wanted to get out to see family.  So, when we received a postcard in the mail a few weeks ago from Disney World it made us start thinking about a trip out there since Eric has been memorized by Mickey Mouse ever since.  I guess Maria telling him that we had to take an airplane to get there, gave him the idea that every airplane is flying to Disney World now.   So, we just scheduled a late spring vacation to spend time with family and to see Mickey Mouse!  We are all very excited!!

Happy Valentines Day!

We had a fun evening with friends from church for a Valentine's party.  Ella was excited to make her friend Blake a Valentine's Card.

Ella had fun helping design and cut out the pieces for the card with our new Cricut personal cutting machine.  She had a great time putting it together and couldn't wait to give it to Blake.

Ken and Ella made these heart shaped Strawberry and Rosemary Scones for the party as well, recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentis.  

They were a hit and very yummy!

Eric was looking rather dapper on Valentine's Weekend with his bow tie, so I had to snag a photo.

Ken was leaving on Valentine's Day for a week long trip to Charleston, so we celebrated Valentine's Day a day early.  We had a full course fondue meal, including chocolate fondue which the kids all loved!

This month is flying by, as we start to wrap up fall and start thinking about Spring.  We were just talking about what are plans might be for our garden this year........

Keeping warm!

We started off the month of February with arctic temperatures, dipping down as far as -15 degrees. The kids and I bunkered down in the house as all of Ella's activities were cancelled due to the severe cold.  The kids and I definitely enjoyed the forced down time.

We read a dozen plus books by the fire, while Ella & Eric read even more.  What a wonderful site to see, Ella reading to her brother.  I realized we needed more days like this, not just snow days.  So, we'll be cutting back on Ella's activities starting next month.

All the cold weather and time indoors, Ella and I were forced to break out our robes in the morning.  Eric was very sad he didn't have a robe of his own and started asking for "my robe?"  Well, what's a mother to do but find her son a robe.  

I purchased Ella a Barefoot Dreams robe when she was 2 and she still wears it today.  So, I found the same robe, in blue for Eric.  Eric asked about his robe constantly, so when we found out it was to arrive on a certain day he was anxiously awaiting.  I told him it would be coming on the mail truck, so he kept asking about the truck all day. 

I had never seen anyone so excited about a robe, as when Eric opened up the box containing his own robe.  He jumped up and down and cheered, "MY ROBE!" He wanted nothing more than to put it on and wore it around for the rest of the evening.

Keeping the kids active during the snowy and freezing temperatures is definitely a challenge. I realized we had never taken the kids bowling and thought Eric was at the right age to join us.  So, we headed off to the Brunzwick Zone on a snowy Saturday afternoon.  The kids had a blast!

Eric couldn't get enough and didn't want to leave.  He enjoyed watching the ball roll down and that he could push the ball down the lane all by himself.  

Ella tried a few different ways to bowl.  She tried the bowling ramp, but she wanted to bowl like everyone else.  She tried hard and had a great time!  Ken impressed me with his bowling, as he was the only one who broke 100.  We will definitely be returning again.

Last week we were invited to the Wildlife Experience, by some friends at church.  They have a little boy Ella's age and the kids love to play together on Wednesday night church dinners and Sunday's at Sunday School.  We had a great time as the kids learned all about the different frogs around our planet.  Ella found out that some times beauty is only skin deep, as the most beautiful frogs were the most poisonous.  The kids all enjoyed watching and learning about Dolphins on the Extreme Screen too.  Who knew that dolphins eyes work independently of each other, so when a dolphin sleeps only one eye is closed at a time?  What a great time and educational to boot.

The kids really enjoyed each others company!

Well looks like the cold weather is on it's way out, as least for now.  The forecast and the weather for today is nice and Sunny, expected temp...the 50's.  Only in Colorado!

Taking on the New Year!

We rang in the New Year with a quiet raclette dinner.  The kids enjoyed helping to cook their own dinner and we had a fun time introducing a new family tradition.



Ella is still enjoying her Art Class, which is a two hour Clay and Drawing Class.  She absolutely adores it.  Although, we're still trying to figure out what to do with all her wonderful projects she brings home.  She is really learning so much from these classes.  However, that left Maria and Eric wondering what to do for two hours each Tuesday morning.

So, Maria decided to enroll Eric in gym class this past October.  She thought it would be a great way for Eric to be with other children and burn some energy in the process. Eric has loved every minute of it.  Eric launched the year off with Show Week at Gym class.  Here he is at The Little Gym, proudly showing off his medal.

Eric is quite the little gymnast and seems right at home at the gym.  He has a great sense of balance and loves to swing like a monkey, on the parallel bars, uneven bars and the rings.

We didn't receive a white Christmas, but snow soon fell just after the start of the new year.  The kids had fun playing in the snow, but Eric just isn't quite sure about the cold temperatures.  I think this southern boy prefers the beach.  He is the first to let out a scream of "Brrrrr, Cold" whenever the temperature drops to below 50.

Regardless of the weather, Eric is always on the go.  We try our best to just keep him busy and luckily he enjoys helping out around the house.  He likes to feed the dogs, set the table, and even though it's cold outside he even likes helping Daddy shovel the snow.

We have been saving up to buy a travel trailer for the family, hoping to dedicate some serious family time in the coming years.  So, we ventured out to the RV show in Denver.  Aunt Teresa, Uncle Brian, and Cousin Seth were able to join us, so the kids had fun walking through all the different RV's.  Their favorite spot was on top of the bunk beds.  They had to check out every one.

You can probably guess what's on the kids wish list for their future travel trailer....

We can't believe we're already full on into the New Year.  The time sure is flying by and we treasure every moment with the kids and at the end of every day thank God for all our blessings. We wish everyone a wonderful New Year!

Blessings for the Holiday's!

I've had these pictures from Christmas here for awhile, just trying to find the time to actually write the blog to go with all these wonderful holiday photos.  December is one of our busiest months, between the actual Holiday's and Birthday's we didn't have much down time.  Let's see if I can sum up our year ....

We received our very own Christmas blessings, during our hunt for a Christmas tree.  We thought it would be fun to cut down our tree in the forest near Woodland Park this year, so we jumped in the car the second weekend in December and headed up.  On our way up, we got lost and decided to turn around and head back.  We thought we would have to find one at a Christmas tree farm instead, as the kids were super excited about cutting down our tree.  Well, on the way back home (in the middle of no where) and somewhere between Sedalia and Castle Rock, as Ella and Maria were getting car sick, and just after Maria had said a prayer, there was the perfect tree waiting for us by the side of the road.  The tree was laid out gently on the ground next to the road.  Perfectly cut, laid out just right, and just beautiful from top to bottom.  A blessing from above!!  The tree fit perfectly in our car and in the house!

Ella will tell you that God sent us our tree that day and I don't think I could argue that one.  A true blessing to start the holiday season and really bring us into the spirit of the season.

The "Spirit" lived on throughout the season, as the kids played and recreated the nativity scene each day.  This large wooden nativity set helped us tell the story about Baby Jesus daily and both the kids had so much fun taking care of Baby Jesus.  Amazingly, all the pieces remained in tact and even the dogs seemed to know not to touch it or eat the little wooden pieces.

We look forward to adding more pieces (animals, wise men, etc) to the nativity through the years, really creating a focal point for the holiday's to remember.

We attempted our first Gingerbread house and had a great time decorating.  Maria had never made one growing up and so we decided to find a premade kit at the store.  The kit came with everything and really made it all pretty effortless, just pretty messy.  Ken even got into the decorating and showed us all how it's supposed to be done.

December also marked Ella's 5th birthday.  Luckily we had some pretty warm weather and Ella's main request for her special day was to go "ride and paint the horses.  I contacted her old riding instructor (we have been taking a break from lessons, since October) and she thought it would be fun to do a riding lesson and have Ella paint "Jubee" her horse.

Each year the Widlife Experience (a wildlife museum) in Parker puts on a light display, complete with Santa village.  The kids had fun making their Santa letters, mailing them off, and visiting with Santa.  They had a great time running through the light exhibits.  Ella even made friends with this Gingerbread Man!

Another first, Ken was finally able to share his passion for skiing with Ella.  Ella's main request since we've been back to Colorado was to go skiing.  Ken had been telling her about it for years, she watched Curious George skiing on TV, and just loves the snow.  Well, she did awesome!  The weather was rough and snow was deep, but she had a great time!  By the end of the day she was skiing down from the magic carpet by herself.  I think our "Little Snow Bunny" has many years of skiing ahead of her!

Ken also celebrated his 33rd birthday.  We had a quiet little party at Maria's parents house, complete with cupcakes and balloons.

A family tradition passed on from Ken's side, is reading "The Night Before Christmas" on Christmas Eve.  Ken and the kids both look forward to it every year.

The kids had a great time with their Cousin Seth on Christmas Eve.  It was really nice to be able to spend the holiday's with all the kids and family.

Ella made sure Santa had enough cookies and milk, carrots for the reindeer, and we even made our special magic flying reindeer food.  Ken placed the magical mix nicely on the rooftop.

Eric's favorite was our outdoor nativity set!  He absolutely loved seeing Baby Jesus and requested to see him constantly.  Every morning we would awake to Eric saying, "see Baby."  The highlight of the day was when Baby Jesus would "wake up" in the evening, when the nativity would come alive for him.  Each night Eric would say goodnight to the "Baby" and give him very gentle pats.

Christmas morning we awoke to Ella singing the "Believe" song from "The Polar Express" movie.  It was so sweet, as she sat on top of the stairs waiting for us to wake up.  We all headed downstairs and they were so excited to see all the gifts.  

Santa delivered an Thomas the Train HO scale set for the kids.  The highlight of their gifts this year.

I couldn't begin to cover all the wonderful events we took part in this year.  We filled stocking for needy boys/girls at Church and help sponsor a family for Christmas as well.  We feel so blessed to be able to give the kids such a nice Christmas and wanted to share with those who needed a little extra help this season.  We were honored to help other families in need.

Ella loved singing for the congregation at church for Christmas Eve services (3 services back to back).  The kids are learning what it means to not only receive, but to have a giving heart as well.  We hope the holiday spirit will continue throughout the coming year.

May your year be filled with blessings, both big and small!

Trains, Trains, and More Trains

I’ve let another month almost escape me, without a blog.  We’ve been taking advantage of these last beautiful weeks left of summer.  Our garden has grown and is leaving us with a great supply of potatoes and tomatoes for the winter.

Eric was outgrowing his crib quickly, as he figured out how to climb out and we felt it was more dangerous to keep him in it.  We ordered his “big boy” bed a couple months ago and Eric was thrilled when it arrived.  

He loves all the new space and of course the train bedding I found, keeps him saying choo choo all night long.

We were excited and surprised to have Aunt Kelly (Ken’s sister) come for a visit for a couple days.  We enjoyed her whirlwind stay, as we kept her busy from morning till night   We ventured out to the Museum of Nature and Science, which the kids just loved. 

Kelly even volunteered to stay with the kids, as Ken and I ventured out to a movie (a rare opportunity).  The kids loved spending time with Aunt Kelly and we sure appreciated the chance to get away briefly as a couple.  Thanks again Aunt Kelly!!

As the last few weeks of summer are coming to a close, we realized we have been so busy running through life we haven’t spent much time together as a family.  We decided to just get away for a weekend, so we headed to Colorado Springs.  Colorado Springs had the most to offer and we took advantage of all the activities for the kids. 

The kids were thrilled to take a ride on the Royal Gorge Route Railroad.  I arranged for breakfast in the Vista Dome car, so we could see the complete view.  

We were also able to walk out into the open air car, during the trip.  The whole trip was one of the highlights of the month.  The scenary was gorgeous, food was great, and the kids had a blast.  Eric and Ella couldn’t get enough of the view.

 After naptime, we took the kids to the Cave of the Winds.  I wasn’t sure how the kids would do, but they really enjoyed it.  Ella learned about all kinds of different rock formations and really wants to go spelunking when she gets older.  I’m sure Eric would be happy to join her, so stay tuned in future years for family adventures in the caves.

We found a great church in Colorado Springs, which we always like to visit when we’re in town.  So, after a morning at Church we decided to spend the rest of the afternoon at Santa’s Workshop.  The last time we were at Santa’s workshop, Ella was just a few months older than Eric is now.  We loved all the rides that both kids were able to enjoy, as the park was really made for the youngest of riders. Ella’s favorite was this twisty slide, which she rode repeatedly.

Ella was also so excited to show Eric all the rides

 We were all exhausted by the end of the weekend, but we had a blast.  The kids did great and we enjoyed spending some much needed quality time together. 

I write this blog less than four weeks from Eric’s 2^nd birthday.  We really don’t know where the time has gone.  In the blink of an eye our baby boy, has turned into a full fledged toddler.  We’re making plans for his Thomas the Train birthday party on October 15th, so mark your calenders. 

A few weeks ago, I saw an ad for a Day Out With Thomas the Train and knew the kids would love to attend.  So, we spent this past Saturday with Thomas at the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden, Colorado.  The kids had fun viewing all the different trains at the museum and they both just lit up when they saw Thomas.  

The Thomas ride didn't compare to the Royal Gorge Ride, but the kids had fun none the less.  They were just thrilled to be riding with Thomas.