GIVE ME A MINUTE OR TWO

Vacation

2009-07-03T08:54:00.000-07:00

The kids and I took on the long journey up to Montana for our summer vacation, they were rockstar travelers for the whole 2300 miles. Here are some pictures~

Easter fun

2009-04-15T08:08:00.000-07:00

I didn't even get a picture of them in their cute Easter attire, I'll make them wear it next week and take on then!

We had a great Easter even though it was blustery cold and snowy outside!

Wrestling is fun, who knew?

2009-04-15T07:42:00.000-07:00

Our neighbor is a High School wrestling coach, and he has mentioned that Drew and Tyler would be great wrestlers, and that they should do this wrestling clinic he puts on. I thought that would be fun for them to do, nothing major, not a lot of commitment, just a couple of months of getting to know about the sport. Well then came the tournaments, and it was a whole different feeling! The boys wanted to do it so bad, so we took them and when we walked in the gym we saw all these boys in their singlets and headgear and special shoes, they all looked like they had been born and bread for this sport and nothing else. Then there was Drew and Tyler and a few other boys that were in their group "The Stingers", with their long shorts and T-shirts and tennis shoes, and I felt a little like the mother of Nacho Libre! So we wait for a couple hours for the thing to even start and the boys are just sitting there watching all of these "professionals" practice and I know their nerves were going crazy! Once the tournament started, Andrew did great on his first go round, he didn't win, but he felt so much more confident after he had one under his belt. Tyler kinda froze and forgot all the moves he had been learning, so he was just trying to stay off his back the whole time. Andrew did so much better the second time, but lost by two points. Tyler, after a little coaching in between rounds, ended up taking second place in his weight group. I ended up really getting into it, but wow were we all physically and mentally exhausted by the time we got home!

Tyler on the winners stand! He said next time he will be on top!!!

Sprng Break Skiing~ BRRRR

2009-04-15T07:36:00.000-07:00

Going skiing during Spring Break is supposed to be sunny and warm, no such luck for us! We had a great time, but as you can see I didn't get any pictures of us actually on the Mountain, my camera would have frozen to my fingers or blown away in the crazy wind! So we spent time in the lodge sipping hot chocolate and dreaming of sunnier days!

2009-03-27T11:30:00.000-07:00

Finally, a picture of Tyler in his new glasses. He always has to be silly!

I have a great recipe for rolls, it makes so much dough I can get 3 dozen rolls, plus 2 1/2 dozen cinnamon rolls! It only takes about an hour to make the dough, and wahllaa~!!

Friday morning after the snow storm, we really need this moisture, but man is it frigid outside! Andrew and Rick were supposed to go on their scout campout tonight, thankfully they cancelled it!

What I love most about Spring!

I hope you all have a great weekend. We are going up to the ski hill on Monday, I am keeping my fingers crossed for some sunshine! The kids have one more week of Spring break, I am trying to find cheap, fun things to do, but those two words often don't go hand in hand!

Andrew had his GI doctor appt. yesterday, he will go in for blood work, and get an ultrasound and a test that looks at his upper GI as liquid is going down. I will let you know what the results are after his follow up appt. in April.

2009-03-11T13:29:00.000-07:00

So today I am cleansing.

I have been doing Isagenix for a little over a month now, I have lost about 8 pounds, but to truely get the effects of the program, you should cleanse at least every 9 days. Well I have only done it 2 times. It is so hard to find a day that works for me, the first time I did the cleanse I was so set on doing it 100% that I took a really long walk (Bad Idea) to get my mind off the task at hand! Well needless to say, I am staying home this time, I have a headache, my stomach is growling, and I have no motivation to do the 50 things I should be doing around the house. Sounds like fun, right!? Well I guess when I wake up tomorrow morning and step on the scale, I will feel triumph over my hunger pains! I just hope tomorrow comes soon!

Well back to my online shopping~ I have to admit this does make me feel better! When the packages start coming, I will truely be able to tell Rick I was not in my right mind when I was purchasing these adorable sandals!

My long Hiatus!

2009-02-25T07:45:00.000-08:00

So I have been away for awhile, but I haven't been doing anything that merits a grand posting on my blog!

So I'll just let you all know that we are still alive, we have just been going about our daily lives.

Tyler has some news, he recently added glasses to his charm and good looks! He loves them, and has adjusted well, he has to also sport a patch for a few hours a day. I haven't downloaded my picture of his new look yet, but hopefully soon!

Madelynn has been working really hard at school, she joined choir, and is as social as ever! What else can I say about my little sweetheart, she is easy and fun to have around!

Andrew has been enjoying the down time he has had since basketball is over. He is going to run the Bolder Boulder with Rick and I in May, so he is getting psyched up to start training for that. He gets to sport new braces this summer, so hopefully acne won't follow! (as a mom, I vow never to let the "awkward stage"of adolescents get the best of my children)

As for Rick, he has been the GM as well as the Superintendent for 7 months now, and is doing an amazing job of cutting costs way down and proving to the owner that the course is still worth his investment! I complain about the never ending work, but he reminds me that at least he is fortunate to still have a great job! So I am anxiously awaiting summer, at least when we are golfing, and swimming, we will be that much closer to dad! (if anyone needs a place to swim this summer, memberships are at an all time low)

I am chugging along with my daily duties. I have been reading the Fablehaven books, I have been exercising 5 days a week to get in shape for the summer and be able to keep up with my son in the 10K, I have been helping Tyler learn to read, I have been painting and redecorating my house.

That is just a quick update, sorry no pictures!

Merry Christmas/ Happy New Year~

2009-01-02T17:47:00.000-08:00

Wow, does time fly when your having fun!

It seems like we have been going non stop since school let out on the 18th of December
(Kids in their Christmas jammies, yes I did make the bottoms, and yes two of them have ripped holes in the bum already!)

We had a fabulous Christmas at home, complete with lots of food, lots of presents, and lots of fun! Grandma and Grandpa came and took us to the movie Marley

and Me (cute show, made me not ever want a dog)! Then we traveled up to their house in Denver for a fun night of riding the train downtown to go to dinner (we would have done shopping, but the frigid cold put a halt to that idea).Saturday we spent the day skiing, it was a cold day, but after Tyler and Madelynn got the hang of snowplowing again, there was no stopping us!

This last week of vacation has been full of play dates, sleepovers, more movies, lots more food, and cleaning up the Christmas decor (I love it)!!

New Years day was spent with dad at the golf course. Now that Rick is the main man out there, he has way too much responsibility (he loves it though)! We helped him pick the driving range, we were there just long enough to get some golfers out on the course and make a few bucks for the big man! Then we were off to see Bedtime Stories at the theater.

New Years Eve we played lots of games, our new one is called Sorry Sliders!

This is one of my new rugs that I got for Christmas, next comes paint and accessories! I'll do before and after pics!

I hope everyone had a great Holiday, and I hope you all have a very prosperous 2009~ good luck with all your resolutions, as soon as all the chocolate is gone in the house, I should be well on my way with one of mine!

That's the One!!!

2008-12-19T12:06:00.000-08:00

Look at those.......BRAnches!! (what did you think I was going to say)

Well here it is in all the glory of the forest, before we chopped it to the ground! Our 5th annual tree cutting trip was successful again, we did have a few more tears and whiney children this year, but I am choosing to forget that part so that I will want to do it again next year.

We were on a mission to find a soft Douglas Fir, mainly because of the neverending pokes and scratches from our last years tree as we were trying to decorate it without drawing blood!

The kids found this cute little cabin to play around in!

We all loved spending time, we had lots of laughs, a few tears, and every year wouldn't be the same without this tradition!

Random pictures!

2008-12-06T15:31:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of Thanksgiving day with cousin Jack, Madelynn and Bett, me and Mr. Evelo, Mr. Evelo putting up the lights, and our covering of the coffee table to make it into a foot stool.

We went to Drew and Madelynn's bball games today, but I forgot the camera, so that will be next time. They both won their games and played awesome! Rick is helping to cater a dinner at the club house tonight, he is quite the jack of all trades these days, he goes from snow plowing to serving dinner for the members holiday parties! We are going up to cut down the Evelo family tree tomorrow, pictures to come!

Birthday

2008-12-06T15:24:00.001-08:00

My Andrew turned 12 on Thanksgiving this year, along with his Grandma Mary (who turned 60)

They have a special bond since their birthday is on the same day and she was in the delivery room with us when Andrew made his entry into this world!

All day I just kept looking at him and wondering where the last 12 years have gone. He is an amazing person, very kind hearted and fun loving! If you are not smiling, he will find a way to make it happen. We are so blessed to have him in our lives, and are lucky to live close to Grandma Mary to share their day!

2008-12-06T15:20:00.001-08:00

I was reminded by me sweet mom that I didn't post any Haloween pics of the kids,

so sorry!

Drew is a bag of Jelly Belly's

Madelynn is a witch

Tyler is a Wardog

Rick is goofy in the background!!

"you need sugar to be healthy" Tyler Evelo

2008-11-25T16:04:00.000-08:00

So last week before the flu hit my happy, healthy home, Tyler decides to join me while I'm doing Pilates. He is so funny, and coordinated I might add, he asks me to pause the DVD, so I did. When he returns he has a hand full of candy. I ask him why he has so much candy at 8:30 in the morning, to which he matter of factly replies< "because you need sugar to be healthy". Well ok then, apparently his older siblings have told him that sugar gives you energy, and so before Tyler exercises, he needs to have a healthy dose of SUGAR!

Time passes too quickly

2008-11-10T14:42:00.000-08:00

Well here is what has been going down in the Evelo house.

Nov. 3rd
Rick's 35th birthday! We celebrated with dinner, we had a busy night of running kids to and from activities, so the birthday celebration was on the short side. Rick did get some yummy pistacios and some new tennis shoes.

Nov. 8
Andrew's playoff game against a Houston team. They lost the game, but still were awarded a State Champs trophy. They had a write up in the paper about Pop Warner football and how good the War Dogs did this season. Andrew really liked it for the most part, he loved being the kicker and punter for the team.

Now Madelynn and Drew are busy with basketball practices, yea an indoor sport!

Okay so that doesn't seem like much, but in between the weekends the days just seem to fly by. We are getting ready for the Holidays now, and can't wait for the snow to fly to use all of our new snowboard/ski wear.

Finally, a party for mom and dad! (that is what Tyler said)

2008-10-27T08:23:00.000-07:00

I didn't get the group picture with everyone, (technical difficulties) but here are a few of my friends that were there (everyone looked amazing)!
Rick and I went to a Haloween party as Mr. and Mrs. Jack Sparrow (or pirates). We had a blast, the Bullocks always put on a great party, food, games, and lots of laughs!
Rick actually grew his facial hair for two weeks just to have some authentic stubble for his costume, we had to color it in, but it looked great!

Disney Pictures

2008-10-27T08:17:00.000-07:00

Well I guess my captions didn't get saved to my pictures, so I had better explain the slideshow on the previous post!

Yes it is of our trip to Disneyland!

We had a great time from the minute we hit the airport to the minute Grandpa and Grandma picked us up.

Our week was non-stop fun with two days at Disneyland and California Adventures. A day trip to Universal Studios. Two days spent with friends from college, shopping, the beach and lastly a day at Sea World!

We were definately not ready to come home, but we were so exhausted at the same time!

Our little family made some big memories and are looking forward to the next time we can get away from our normal lives to have some fun!

2008-10-18T14:52:00.000-07:00

tag~ I'm it!

2008-10-18T14:13:00.000-07:00

Well here is my picture! This is right after I ran the Bolder Boulder 10K in 2006. Of course I had showered and changed already, I don't allow pictures of me post trauma! I love running and have just recently rededicated myself to it! So after a night of everything chocolate I ran 4 miles this morning! If anyone wants to join me, let me know!

I tag Kadi, Amy, Angie, Natalei. All you have to do is pick folder #4 and picture #4 in that folder and then tell us what it's about!

2008-09-25T08:36:00.000-07:00

This is one of the many pictures Grandma Mary took of us last Sunday. We are having more done tomorrow to have that holiday chore checked off the list!
(This is the view from #4 green on Rick's course)

2008-09-25T08:27:00.000-07:00

The Wardogs are 2-1!

They lost their second game, but won game number three, they started the game with a touchdown in the first 5 minutes! Just thought I would give you an update!

Madelynn and Tyler ran in their second race. Tyler didn't eat dirt this time (yeah) he ran the whole way and beat his previous time.

Madelynn was careful not to start out too fast and was able to shave almost two minutes off her time, she came in at 8 min 25 sec.! They have one more next week, I'll keep you posted!

T.Y.L.E.R.

2008-09-25T07:51:00.001-07:00

The night before his birthday, his first tooth was lost! You can see that he has two teeth that just couldn't wait their turn!

Yes, Tyler had a big day yesterday.

He awoke at the crack of dawn to accompany dad to work (always a favorite thing to do), then he came home long enough to change his muddy clothes and eat a self made ham and lettuce sandwich, and then off to school! After school he invited a friend over to play and have pizza and open presents. He loves football these days (looking up to his brother no doubt), so he was thrilled to recieve shoulder pads and a jersey, more fun items included legos, remote controlled tarantula and the ever popular cold hard cash/check! Mom and dad were busy carting kids to and from various after school activities, so between football practice and after scouts, we celebrated and had cake and ice cream with friends from the neighborhood and friends from church.

I am holding onto this time when Tyler still wants to cuddle with me and be tickled and just doesn't grow up too fast.

Go Landsharks!

2008-09-16T08:18:00.000-07:00

Madelynn and Tyler started doing the running club at school. What does the running club do, you ask? They run and run and run some more, and then they do a race with other clubs from different elementary schools. Monday night was their first race and they did awesome! Tyler had a rough start, he got going just a little too fast and tripped, but he hopped right up and took off like nothing happened. Madelynn did great, she started slow like I coached her (slow is my middle name), and she finished with that beautiful smile on her face~

Tyler and Madelynn getting all stretched out before the big race!
Tyler finishing his half mile race! Good form don't you think?
Madelynn finishing her mile race, also has great form!
Madelynn and her friend Denae, soon you'll see these two leading the pack!

WARDOGS 1-0

2008-09-16T08:08:00.000-07:00

Andrew is playing football this year(#4) instead of soccer. Yes I had my doubts and worries, I mean look at those twigs he has for arms and legs! But he loves it, and I love it, we had so much fun watching his first game Sat. night at UCCS under the lights! They are the Wardogs, and they won 27 to 0! Andrew plays defense and a little offense, he also is the punter (one other boy does the kickoffs). He has done such a great job learning the rules and all of their plays, now if we can just keep him away from the big guys, and out of the E.R. I might just be footballs newest fan!

Rainy Day Baking

2008-09-12T08:14:00.000-07:00

So today is going to be one of those wonderful cloudy, wet days, where you just want to stay inside and curl up with a good book or a movie (or even better, your hubby)! But since my hubby has to work, and I've read all the books in my house, I thought I would make some comfort foods.

We just bought a case of yummy peaches and they are ripening faster than we can eat them, so I ran across this recipe for peach crumble. Soooo deliciouso (I've made it three times already)

(i doubled the crumble part)

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

5 Tbsp. butter, cut into bits

1/2 cup pecans

mix all together and chill for 15 minutes before sprinkling on top of freshly sliced peaches or apples, or any other fruit you have lying around. (use about 4 cups of fresh fruit in a greased 8x8 inch pan)

bake at 375 for 35-45 minutes. Enjoy with ice cream or whipped cream!

And of course chocolate chip/butterscotch cookies to go along with my peach crumble! I made cookie dough the other day, and my family has eaten almost the whole bowl, so I thought I had better actually make some of the cookies, I only got about 10 cookies out of it! Hopefully I won't eat them all, but if I do (oh well)

I am definately working out today!

just catchin up

2008-09-08T15:06:00.000-07:00

Labor Day at the Air Force game!
While dad worked at the ski shop, Grandpa took us to the Air Force game. We had great seats and the weather was my kind of football weather!

Rick's sister and her family came to town this weekend. Here is us at the Rockies game, it was a little chilly, but we all had a blast!

Chance, Andrew, Riley, Madelynn, Tyler.
The kids all waited down by the baseline before the game and got autographs from a couple of the players, that really made the game for the kiddos!

Well, between Drew's football and Madelynn and Tylers running club, that is all we have been up to lately! Just remember, no news is good news when it comes to the Evelo family!

Happy Anniversary

2008-08-18T06:24:00.000-07:00

Today it has been 13 years of wedded bliss for Rick and I.
So, here is a few pictures of our ring ceremony/reception, and our wedding day in Idaho Falls.

Jump ahead 13 years, and we are still loving life together as much or more than ever!
I was the luckiest girl at the water park in Aug. 1992, (where we met). Someone had a plan for us before we even new it! I love ya baby

2008-08-17T14:38:00.000-07:00

Well, the weekend is almost over already!

Friday night our friend from Arizona flew in to spend the weekend with us, but mostly to go the Broncos/Cowboys preseason football game. It has been fun catching up with Paul, he is a flight attendant so he gets to travel when and where he desires!

So, since Rick and Paul were going to go golfing and to the game on Sat. I decided to make it a fun day with the kids. I finally took them school shoe shopping, they were so appalled that they didn't have brand new shoes on the first day of school. I promised them that nobody would notice what shoes they were wearing, and it was still nice, so they could were flip flops still. Anyway, we went to Famous footwear and spent enough to keep them in business for a few more years! I don't know how large families keep their children fed and clothed, if we had any more kids, they would definately be naked and hungry!
Then we were off to the movies, we saw the new Mummy movie, it was ok, the kids loved it so that is all that counts. When that only took until about dinner time, we went home and just hung out and played games and listened to the neverending rain. I had a huge headache, probably from the movie, so it was nice to just veg!

Rick and Paul just took the kids to Garden of the Gods and the Air Force Academy, so I have some time to myself! Tomorrow is already a day off of school for Tyler and Madelynn, so that means I am babysitting the neighbor boys as well, hopefully it is nice enough for them to be outside all day! I hope you had a fabulous weekend and stay tuned for more of nothing real exciting on our end!

Tylers big day!

2008-08-13T10:09:00.001-07:00

Tyler is officially a Kindergartner as of yesterday afternoon! He finally had his first day, he couldn't wait to be at the same school as the other kids! His teacher is Mrs. Orinack and Tyler thinks she is nice. He said his favorite part of the day was recess!

This was how exhausting Kindergarten must be! We had only been home for about 30 minutes when I found Tyler on the couch with his snack fast asleep!

I did get a little choked up as I was leaving him at the school, I will miss my little buddy for the three hours he is there, but I know he is so ready for all the fun and learning that I just can't offer him!

2008-08-06T17:39:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox greeting

Tyler goes to Kindergarten next week, so stay tuned for the breakdown of mom when I send my baby off to school!

2008-08-06T17:25:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

2008-07-05T09:07:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

We hope you all had a fun and safe 4th of July! Here are some pictures of our day, I put them in backwards order (I stayed up way too late last night), so try not to get too confused!

Happy Birthday Miss Madelynn

2008-06-29T14:29:00.001-07:00

Madelynn officially turned 9 at 12:11 on June 28th! She had a fun pool birthday party with a few of her friends, and then we had a little family celebration with Grandma and Grandpa yesterday. She is such a sweet little girl, I can't believe how fast nine years have gone! I know she is anxious to be big and grow up fast, but when I snuggle with her and play with her hair and do her nails and take her shopping, I pray she always wants to be my best friend!

Where has the time gone?!!

2008-06-29T13:56:00.001-07:00

Tyler was buried under all the pool toys by his loving sister and her friend!
Tyler playing in his first baseball game! He is such a little athlete and loves to play like he is in the big leagues! Notice the form
Madelynn during golf camp. She looks more like she is rehearsing for a broadway show!
Tyler perfecting his putting, his clubs are way too small for him already, he had to bend way over to use them!
Andrew is always in perfect form! He didn't want to do the camp at first, but he always is one of the best ones and then he thinks that its pretty fun! He is way too competitive

Rewind to the beginning of June! Madelynn and her friend Taylor at basketball camp! She had so much fun with the High School girls, she really has started to like the game!
The first fire of the summer! We had ALL the neighbor kids in our backyard roasting marshmellows and making smores! So much fun except for the annoying wind!

Madelynn on her dolphin, just chillin out in the pool! She had a really good sunburn on her back after being like that for an hour!
Andrew doing his cheesy smile! He is at the age where he is too cool for pictures, but still loves the attention!

Aquarium Trip

2008-05-28T13:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we spent the day in Denver at the Aquarium. The kids had a blast looking at all the little and BIG creatures that live in the water! Andrew had fun taking about a hundred pictures with my new camera! After dinner we went to the movies. Madelynn, Andrew and I went to Ironman (so good), and the rest of the crew went to Indiana Jones.

A little Tyler time

2008-05-28T13:12:00.001-07:00

Sox the Fox at the Sky Sox game! We took a couple of Tyler's friends from our neighborhood to the game this weekend, they were giving away fishing poles to the first five hundred kids so Rick thought it would be fun to take some friends since Madelynn and Andrew were gone.

It was freeeeeezing cold and windy when the sun went down~ this is why I am wearing my hood and using my purse as a blanket! I did have a blanket but one of the boys that came with us insisted on buying ice cream as his treat, well his whole body was literally shaking like he was having a seizure, so I caved and let him have my blanket!

Monday we were going to take Tyler and our cousins that were visiting to the Zoo, but again the weather wasn't that great and little Sean had a cold. Instead we took Tyler to bowl at Mr. Biggs, it was fun for Rick and I to spend some quality time with him.

Notice the ball not even close to the bumpers, Tyler is a little neurotic about bowling, he loves to win and get strikes!

Weekend Fun

2008-05-28T13:02:00.001-07:00

Andrew and his buddy Dean

Madelynn and her friend Camille and little sister Janelle

Andrew and Madelynn had a great time in Glenwood Springs over the weekend. They stayed in a cute little cabin, watched lots of soccer, hiked, swam, and had a blast!
Andrew's team came home with a gold medal, they were able to take the championship with 3 wins and one tie. He was so excited and they both couldn't stop talking about how much fun they had! Thank you Lisa and Troy for making fun memories for our kids!

2008-05-23T11:49:00.000-07:00

Well the kids are DONE for the summer!
We just attended Andrew's 5th grade graduation! I am sitting there feeling so many different things, first~ is this really happening, did Andrew really just graduate to MIDDLE SCHOOL? second~ I am so not old enough to have a child going to MIDDLE SCHOOL! third~ I am so proud of him and all that he has achieved in his first five years of school. During graduation he received two extra honors, an award for being kind, respectful, and helpful. He also received an academic award for being an outstanding student, it was even signed by the President (he thought that was way cool)!

Immediately after school was over, Andrew and Madelynn were off on their first summer adventure. Our good friends, the Slocums, invited Andrew to go to Glenwood Springs and play in a soccer tournament with their son Deans' team. Well Dean's sister Camille couldn't be without her best bud, so Madelynn was invited also. I was sad to see them leave, they will be gone until Monday night, but I know they will have a blast.
So Tyler and Rick and I are going to hang out with cousins that are coming to visit, go to the Aquarium, the Zoo, maybe see the new Indiana Jones movie, and check out the Golf Club pool if the weather permits! I hope you all have a fantastic Memorial Day weekend, and stay safe!

Disneyland Here We Come!

2008-05-15T16:13:00.000-07:00

It's official, thanks to our Stimulus check that arrived in our account last week, we will be spending it on a much needed family vacation!

Rick and I have been promising our children that we would someday go to this magical place. Well when our friends called and asked if we wanted to take a trip with them during fall break, we started thinking that it is about time we just do it!

So this October we will be flying the friendly skies to San Diego and then on to Anaheim for 6 fun filled days. The kids are so excited! Secretly though, Rick and I are excited too! Rick called a friend from college that lives in Oceanside, he also has an Uncle that lives in Anaheim, so we will get to see friends and family and make some wonderful memories!

2008-05-15T15:53:00.001-07:00

Tyler had his class play on Monday, this unfortunately was also the day my camera decided to be tempramental!

Tyler and his class acted out the gingerbread man story, Tyler was the fox. He did such a great job of saying his part and gobbling up the gingerbread man at the end. He has learned so much this year thanks to his amazing teacher Miss Amy! He only has 2 more days of school before he is done, although he thinks he will be heading right to kindergarten! Hopefully summer break won't be too much of a disappointment for him!

2008-05-15T15:38:00.000-07:00

Tyler insisted on hanging out with his brother, it's a good thing Drew is good at ignoring him, otherwise there would have been some issues! Andrew and his friends let him tag along all morning, I would watch him imitate whatever they were doing. Tyler has always wanted to be big like everyone else, so it was nice of the 5th graders to let him do that for a while.

Here is a video of Andrew coming in first place in the 200 meter race. He is coming around the corner on the outside lane. Sorry about my shaky hand, I have no balance when I am so excited!

Drew did great in all his races and relays, he was just glad that he didn't fall like he did last year on the first race!

Popcorn Popping

2008-05-15T15:30:00.000-07:00

O.K. so it does not look like popcorn and I do not have an apricot tree, but I looked out the window and I saw this!

I love the popping of my trees and my little bushes in the backyard! So my grass in the background needs some TLC! Keep the rain coming as long as there is some warmth that comes along with it, the grass will be popping soon too!

Catchin' you up

2008-04-30T09:09:00.000-07:00

Better late than never, I always say! These are pictures of our soccer trip to Boulder with Grandma and Grandpa! It was a beautiful spring day, near 75 degrees at game time! Andrews face was so red at the end I thought he was going to pass out! I think they lost this game by 1, but they won last weeks game to an undefeated team (so cool)! He has 2 more and then his season is done (also cool). After the game we took Mary and Russ to Cinzetti's in Denver, they loved it! Rick and I were on our cheat day, so we could eat anything we wanted. I still found myself looking for healthy stuff, which there really wasn't anything, so I ate my favorite... pizza and crepes!

We are in the final 2 1/2 weeks of school! We are all so ready for summer break, and I am so ready for the pool to be open!

Uncomfortable Silences

2008-04-16T13:08:00.000-07:00

I just have to relay something that I found funny.

Yesterday Rick took our van in to get new tires, we have taken our Toyota to the same place for five years, they are nice and know our car, they also have a free shuttle service to and from the shop if you need a ride. (its like finding a good gynecologist or pediatrician, you want to stay with them after they have learned ALL about you)

So this morning they called and said that my van was done and the shuttle would come and get me. I have taken the shuttle before once or twice and I always question whether I should sit up front or take a seat in the second row with Tyler, but I always end up going up front kind of as a sign of respect for the man that is driving....so he won't feel like a taxi driver or that he is my personal cheufor (i don't even know how to spell that).
Anyway, I get in and he has this lovely opera music playing, we say our hello's and he asks if we are all set and then we are off. Normally I don't feel the need to make small talk, but other drivers have asked a random question here and there to fill the 10 minute drive. Today there were no questions, just music and breathing. I couldn't wait to get to the shop, we hit almost every light and a couple of times I wanted to comment on the weather, but I knew from the ever so slight volume of the music, their shouldn't be any other noises made. So I respected that as well, and when we arrived and I thanked him for the ride, I thought....if Rick would have been in the car, he hates uncomfortable silences, he would have known this mans whole life story by the time we got to where we were headed, and that man might have felt a little violated by the end of the ride, so I'm glad I didn't violate him!

What's Up With Us

2008-04-11T08:12:00.000-07:00

Well.... not a whole lot! That is why my posting has taken a nose dive the last few weeks.

The kids had Spring Break (which really felt like winter break, except for the first couple days).
They are now back to the grindstone. Trying to get them motivated to keep up with school work and be excited about the next 6 weeks is going to be hard, when I am so ready to be done with it and on to summertime! We had a pretty laid back break, I babysat the two boys that I watch before and after school, I am watching them this summer too, so I got a little glimpse of what it will be like with 5 children (now I know why 3 was my magic number)!

Drew is still loving soccer, he thinks he wants to do football next season though (we'll see if that sticks when it is tryout time) I would love to see him do a new sport!
Madelynn is doing a cheer/dance class through the school, that starts Monday! I am so excited to see her do something, she is such a homebody!
Tyler is eagerly awaiting baseball, golf and swimming lessons!

Rick and I started a 12 week fitness challenge called Body For Life. I talked him into doing it with me so that he wasn't eating all my favorite foods in front of me. It is going well so far (this is only our 5th day) My body is tender everywhere from the weight lifting, and I went to Bunko last night and was able to abstain from the yummy food they were having (cheesecake and all)! We took before pictures on Monday, I have never laughed so hard at Rick, he is such goofball so it turned into a "see how stupid and fat you can look" contest. He warned me not to post them, but I will take cash if anyone wants to see!

Well that is about it from here, I will try to be better at pictures and updates (for all you family and friends that don't get to see us very often, the rest of you can just come over and say hi)!

Happy Easter

2008-03-24T14:26:00.000-07:00

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter.
We have early church, so I didn't get any of the kids with their baskets, sorry! I will tell you that they woke up at 5am to see what they got, the oldest brother is to blame for this!
After church we headed to Mary and Russ' for dinner, they had some friends staying with them from Montana. We had a nice time, we filled our bellies, and watched basketball, and slept, and then came home. What more could you ask for!

Ski Bunnies

2008-03-24T14:01:00.000-07:00

Madelynn on the Chair lift, Tyler cruzin down the hill, the trio all ready to hit the slopes!

Madelynn and Drew getting ready for another run, Tyler ended up backwards (this happened allot), and Drew posing for Mom.

We took an early start to Spring Break by going skiing on Friday. We took off about 5:30 and headed up to Arapahoe Basin. Tyler and Madelynn were so excited to ski for the first time. Tyler has been talking about it since Christmas when Rick promised him that he could go at least once this year. So we get there and put the kids in half day lessons, Madelynn did so good they sent her up to the next level right away. Tyler was doing great too, when all the other little ones wanted to go in for a cocoa break, Tyler wanted to stay and keep practicing, so he got about 30 minutes of private lessons. While the kids were getting their bearings on the ski's, Drew and Rick took me up a run. I haven't been skiing for many years, so I was a little nervous. I made it down the hill without falling and embarrassing my son ( he kept going ahead of me and then stopping to turn around and wait for me, then he would comment on how silly I looked in my excellent snow plow form). After that we had a nice lunch, and then I spent the rest of the day helping Tyler and Madelynn learn how to get on and off the chair lift on the bunny hill. We had so much fun, we will definitely make it a family tradition.

We headed back toward Denver about 4:00 and just as we were taking all the snow gear off, we saw an ambulance head up the hill toward the interstate. Sure enough, we got a little ways down the road and the flashing sign warned us about an accident, and expect LONG delays. We sat in traffic for an hour, and when we finally got going again we saw no signs of an accident. (I at least want to see some crushed glass or a bumper on the side of the road to validate us sitting still for so long). We finally got to Denver had dinner, went to our Hotel and sat in the hot tub for a while, and went to bed. Drew had a soccer game early Saturday morning at 8:00 in Denver, even though we were already in town we were a little late. I couldn't pull Rick away from the waffle maker at the Hotel! Drew had a good game, they didn't win, but they played hard.

Then we headed home!

If you LOVE the weather....

2008-03-02T11:36:00.000-08:00

Wait 24 hours and it will change!

Yesterday was an amazing Colorado Day, birds chirping (not many, but I did hear a few), blue sky, warm 70 degree weather, I even applied sunscreen to the children.

We started off the morning with our Saturday cleaning ritual. I love how the kids got so excited about the new toilet wand disposable brush I purchased at Costco, and then I told them they had to use it, they actually fought over who got to use it first! Then Rick put together the trampoline while I read a book and soaked in as much UV rays as possible ( yes I also applied sunscreen). Then off to Andrews first soccer game, they won 2-1!

On the ride home I bribed Rick into running with me, so we donned our athletic gear, Tyler and Madelynn rode their bikes and we were off. You know what kills me, Rick has a physical job, he plays basketball once or twice a week, he doesn't eat healthy unless I'm right there cooking it for him, or telling him what to order, but yet he just jogs right along as if he has been running every day for his whole life. I thought it would be a fun thing for us to do together, but never mind, I am a poor sport and don't want to be left in the dust of his long legs bouncing down the road. I will find someone else that will stay with me and actually look winded after a couple miles!

After that I jumped on the trampoline with whoever would let me on. Rick played catch with the boys and watched Andrew ride the mini motorcycle that our neighbor has. After dinner Rick headed off to "Fight Night" with some friends, and I put the kids to bed and watched a chick flick, "the Jane Austen Book Club" (cute movie to all the chicks out there).

So that was Saturday in a nutshell. Sunday came and so did the snow and wind, we are done with Church, Grandpa is coming over for dinner so we are waiting patiently for the BBQ ribs and sweet potatoes that are cooking. I hope you all have had a fabulous weekend as well.

Yummy Veggies?

2008-02-28T08:07:00.000-08:00

It might look like I have way too much time on my hands, but I wanted to share......

I have found a new way to get my vegetables for the day. I am not good at eating veggies, but these Green Giant frozen veggies are so quick and easy and yummy! There are different varieties, they have 5 g of protein, 5 g of fiber, and are only 90 calories, and one box is 2 servings.

Latest find from Craigslist

2008-02-28T08:00:00.001-08:00

Just a quick hooray for another great find on Craigslist!

Everyday I've been looking for a cheap or even better, free piano or trampoline. I finally found a cheap trampoline on Monday. It was up in Denver, so luckily Rick was already going to be there for some classes on Tuesday. He went and looked at it, all it needs is a new net for the enclosure.

I am so excited, I have fond memories of having so much fun on our trampoline, putting the sprinkler under it in the summer, sleeping outside under the stars, my friends teaching me how to do a back flip! Hopefully I won't hog it all summer!

We are going to put it up this weekend, I'll post pictures then.

It Looks like Chocolate!!

2008-02-28T07:37:00.000-08:00

Before and after pictures of my laundry room.

I have been having feelings of getting my house uncluttered, clean, repainted, scrubbed down to the deepest darkest places. You would think I was nesting before having a baby, but no, I just am sick of my house and the only way to want to stay in it is to CHANGE EVERYTHING!

My mom and dad probably remember me rearranging my bedroom at least once a month, if not more. Rick knows all too well that when I get bored with something, look out, there is going to be some major work to do. (he usually stays late at work on the days I tell him I am going to rearrange furniture)

So Tuesday morning, it was cold and snowy, Tyler didn't have school, so I could devote all day to cleaning up the laundry room and painting. Tyler was thrilled, he loves to help paint, and is pretty dang good. We even turned it into an alphabet review, he wrote his letters and then I would paint over them.

I had some chocolate brown paint left from about 3 years ago when I painted my living room, and after seeing a model home recently with chocolate brown in the mud room, I was in love! Tyler kept saying that it smelled like chocolate syrup, I on the other hand had a huge headache from the smell in that tiny space. Next I want new rugs, which I found at Lowe's, so look out spring, change is just beginning!

A Body that won't Conform

2008-02-21T17:01:00.000-08:00

So yesterday morning at the crack of dawn I awoke! That in itself is a miracle, but the reason I woke so early is to go running, which is something I love and have gotten quite accustomed to. (just not early in the morning hours)

I really don't like waking up and going out when it seems the rest of Colorado Springs is still sleeping but me! The streets are bare, the sun is barely making its appearance in the east, and there isn't even the sounds of nature, no birds to sing hello to me(not yet anyway).

But, I do it anyway and I feel so good while running and I even go an extra 10 minutes just for good measure... and the cookies I secretly scarfed down (those blasted girl scouts are going to be the death of me)!

O.K. so I'll get to my original point. I get home before the kids are up, I shower, get lunches ready, have some oatmeal, and continue to feel great...... until about lunchtime. I don't know what happened, my stomach started hurting so bad, the rest of the day I was in such pain. This isn't the first time this has happened, in fact it happens a lot after I run, and it makes me so irate. I am doing everything right, but still I suffer.

I subscribe to a Women's Health and a Runners magazine and I have been going through all the issues that I have received, so far I can't find any great wisdom about my issue. So for now I am going to press forward and pray that things only get better, I certainly won't quit what I love just because of my dumb stomach! Sooner or later it will learn to play along with my lifestyle!

Love x 3

2008-02-14T08:12:00.000-08:00

These three beauties are the reason I wake up in the morning! I love them so much and I love that there is this special day to show and tell them just how much! Every day they show me unconditional love and joy, they teach me how to laugh at the silliest things, they give me hugs and kisses just because! If I don't accomplish anything else in life, I know that being their mother was my greatest success!

How I Love You, Let Me Count the Ways

2008-02-13T09:28:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of February 14th, I would feel guilty if I didn't give my eternal sweetheart a piece of my mind! (in a good way of course, hence the title)

~ You had the courage to talk to a stranger and ask for her phone number!

~ You sent roses after my soccer games and won my heart!

~ You are always my biggest fan and best friend!

~ Your never ending happiness can calm any of my worries or sadness!

~ You work so hard to take care of your family (and my shopping addiction)!

~ You love me and the kids like that was all you were meant to do in your lifetime!

~ You still warm my heart and make me feel like nothing else is important but us!

Happy Valentines Day!!!

Crafty Tyler

2008-02-07T15:06:00.000-08:00

Tyler sometimes gets a little bored on the days he doesn't have preschool. So this morning after he had watched me exercise and do the dishes and vacuum and fold laundry... I started to feel guilty that this was the norm for him on his off days. I pulled out this fun new Family magazine my mom subscribed us to and flipped through to find a project that would be fun for him. He chose these great little cell phone valentine cards to make for his class. He was insistant on cutting and glueing all by himself, I was surprised at the care he took in getting the lines straight. They turned out cute and now one set of V-day cards are finished!!!!

Happy Birthday Bett

2008-02-07T14:58:00.000-08:00

Bett is a Border Collie that works as the goose dog for the Golf Course. She is so sweet and we love her! Rick brings her home every few days and on the weekends, but other than that she is at the course running her little legs off and chasing away the annoying geese!

Bett came into our lives a little over 3 years ago. Yesterday she turned 5 and the kids made a point to love her up and pay lots of attention to her for the big day!!

Madelynn Montana

2008-02-07T14:48:00.000-08:00

It was daddy/daughter night on Tuesday, Rick took Madelynn to see the Hannah Montana concert in 3D! Madelynn is a huge fan and was really sad when we weren't able to get tickets for the live concert, so dad thought of the next best thing. I really wanted to go too, but I knew the bonding time would be priceless for them. They had a blast and Madelynn loved how dad boogied with her during the whole thing (oh how I wish I was a fly on the wall)!!

A Visit From the WY Evelos

2008-02-05T14:38:00.000-08:00

Well Grandma Vony and Grandpa Lyle (Rick's dad and stepmom) just left yesterday. We had a good time catching up with them. They arrived Friday and we hung out and showed them our house, that took all of five minutes. Saturday was filled with Basketball games for Madelynn and Andrew, and then we went out to the golf course to run the dog. They had a good time watching Bett chase after the geese.

Sunday was really nice, Andrew got up to bear his testimony in Sacrament for the first time. I of course was teary the minute he walked up there, but he did a great job and I was blown away by his maturity, he is such a great example to me and his brother and sister! We had some time before the big game so we took them to our favorite sledding hill in Monument. It was nice because we were the only ones their for a most of the time and could go crazy and not worry about running someone over. When we got home, I immediately started Super Bowl food, Rick always has a menu that starts with snacks and gradually leads up to a huge meal! Don't get me wrong, I love it as much as he does, eating in between every play makes the game that much more enjoyable especially when the team you want to win blows it in the end!

By Monday we were all wore out I think. The kids went to school (Madelynn had a fever so stayed home) and the grandparents went to see their classes. We took Grandma to Current Factory store for some good deals on things she loves to do.

When they left they promised it wouldn't be 5 years before they come back again!

Pool Anyone?

2008-02-05T09:59:00.000-08:00

This is my latest great deal found on Craigslist!
Last week I logged on and someone had just posted this pool table as FREE!
So I quickly called and told them I would be there that afternoon to pick it up.
Rick was a little leary of driving all the way to Denver when we didn't know what kind of shape it was in, but it is perfect and we have had a blast playing with it! I have this grand plan of our basement being fun central so my kids will want to hang out at our house and enjoy bringing their friends over.
So if you think you have skills, come on over!!!

Tribute to Grandma Jane

2008-01-29T17:57:00.000-08:00

This all happened because Madelynn thought I looked like my Grandma as I was cutting the boys' hair one evening. So she decided to document it (not knowing that Grandma Jane doesn't have a computer, and therefore will not even see)!

A little background about my sweet Grandma. Mary Jane had her own beauty salon that was attached to the far end of their house. In the middle section of their home was the towns' only movie theatre (which my Grandpa ran for many years until it was no longer profitable). So imagine how fun for us when we went to visit, we saw free movies and I got to play in the salon with the dryers and the spinny chairs and the big sinks! My Grandma would often give me a perm or a haircut, I am sure glad perms were in style back then! After close to 50 years she finally retired this last year. She always said that she thought one of her two granddaughters would take over the business one day, unfortunately that would mean moving to a VERY small town where business of any kind is not flurishing these days! Maybe one day I will go to cosmotology school, but for now my boys are my loyal customers!

Stetson Power

2008-01-29T17:21:00.000-08:00

Andrew and Madelynn are both playing Basketball this year. One loves it and the other one is tolerating it~ I'll let you guess the answer to that one!

Andrew has never played on a team before and you would never know, he is fun to watch! It took him a while to get used to using his hands instead of his feet! Drew seems to have a certain quality about him that exudes leadership. Although he is new to the sport, the other boys look to him for guidance and want to follow his lead. I am so proud of him for putting forth the right example to those around him wherever he is!

Madelynn liked the idea of playing with her friends, but doesn't love the hard ball being randomly thrown her way! I think as she has had more practice and a better understanding of the game she has enjoyed it a little more now that the season is about over. She is so funny, she told me that she is perfectly content sitting on the bench cheering her team on (I don't know if I will be able to talk her out of the whole cheerleading thing)!

Regardless of who loves sports and who doesn't, I love them both for being who they are!

Blueberry Bliss

2008-01-29T17:10:00.000-08:00

Our local Grocery store was having

a blueberry sale this last week. So because of my recent (as of Jan. 1) diet restrictions (i.e. sugar, anything I love) I went and bought $20 worth of berries! I love them, they are so yummy to eat straight out of the package (rinsed of course) or in muffins (not really on the diet unless made with whole wheat flour and Splenda sugar) or in cereal (which I don't really eat because I can't stand milk) So anyway, you get the point! I am on a fruit kick.

Mr. Independent

2008-01-10T07:33:00.000-08:00

This is the scene I came upon the other day!

My son is 5, yet he thinks he is the small version of his 11 year old brother. Here he is making hot chocolate, he then proceeded to pop some popcorn. I just hope that the rumors of radiation, or electro-magnetic rays or whatever due to microwaves isn't true!

Fun with HAIRSPRAY!

2008-01-06T15:26:00.000-08:00

Madelynn getting ready for our G.N.O! Me and Madelynn posing before our date!

Kadi, me and Carrie dining with the girls (Taylor, Averi and Emma) at the Olive Garden - yum!

We all had so much fun at the musical, Madelynn loved the music and dancing! She was somewhat disappointed though when I told her that Zack Efron wasn't going to be playing Link. It is always a great time when the girls go out on the town!

To Read or not to Read

2008-01-03T12:41:00.000-08:00

Okay, so yesterday was not my finest one of the year so far!

I let the kids have friends over to play, made homemade calzones and cookies for lunch, even blogged finally! Not sounding so bad you say, well then I looked through the stack of books on my nightstand, looking for something to fill my brain and keep me preoccupied so that I wouldn't eat all the cookies I made or just eat all day in general! I found a book my friend Kadi had lent me a while ago -Nanny Diaries- I got into it right away and found myself sitting in the same chair ALL DAY! I get into such a zone when I find a story that takes me to another place, I love it, but as soon as it is time for dinner, I am still reading! As soon as it is time for bed, I'm still reading! Rick comes in and asks if I would come down to read scriptures (his New Years Resolution, he is soo good), I say that I am reading! Midnight rolls around and I finally finish the book. I look at my surroundings and realized I missed prayer and goodnight hugs and kisses and I feel awefull!

I know that my obsessiveness sometimes is a little overbearing when it comes to some things, but I never thought that I would choose a silly book over reading scriptures and saying goodnight to my kids! Tonight will be over the top with love and affection from mom!!!

New Years Wish

2008-01-02T08:32:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a wonderful New Year! We have been spoiled with dad home for the last few days, he is now back to work and I am back to blogging!

We had a terrrific Christmas, our day was filled with fun surprises from Santa, and from mom and dad! The kids were elated to find a Wii game system and some fun games to go with it! They had to search for this gift, but once they opened the games, they had a pretty good idea what they were getting! Rick and I just sit back and laugh at thier faces and over the top excitement, Oh to be a kid again!

We had planned a trip to Pagosa Springs, but when my good friend found out that they were not able to come, we decided to stick closer to home. We were invited up to a condo in Vail, so we stayed one night there, went sledding and up to Beaver Creak Village (I must purchase a fur coat before going back there): The next day we headed up the road to Glenwood Springs. The weather was soo cold, but once you step foot into the pools, wow.....so warm and relaxing! We stayed over night there and soaked for as long as our little fingers and toes would allow.

We were able to see two fun movies over the break, Alvin and the Chipmunks and National Treasure. We loved them both!

We spent New Years Eve at home. I made one of my favorite meals, chicken and dumplings (although it never quite tastes like moms). We drank shirley temples in margharita glasses (don't ask me where I got them, they aren't used unless it is New Years Eve), the kids loved to do cheers every five minutes while we ate! Then we watched the ball drop in New York, the kids lasted longer than I thought they would, and they actually slept in!

All in all it was a great ending to the year! I am so excited for 2008, I already have kept one of my resolutions, (working out every day)! I am hoping to stick to it and hopefully make a few more as I think about what I want to accomplish this year!

Once again...

HAPPY 2008

Madelynn as my co-chef, we thought our hard work was picture worthy!

Christmas and our Getaway!!!

2008-01-02T07:48:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from Christmas Day and our trip to the Hot Springs! Enjoy....

The Weekend Before!!!

2007-12-24T08:01:00.000-08:00

This weekend we had ton of fun and of course, I didn't have my camera to share the memories with you all.

Friday was the kids first day out of school until Jan. 7! Drew went to work with Rick where he successfully dented a brand new golf cart. I just recently found this out, but apparantly he was a little bored and decided to go take one for a spin in the tennis courts where they keep them, a pole must have jumped out in front of him and the rest is history! He did have fun regardless of the lecture he got from dad, and then I proceeded to give dad the lecture on knowing where and what your child is doing at all times! I was at home babysitting and preparing yummies for our annual friend Christmas party (which was as usual a blast... Thanks Aaron and Carrie)! Madelynn started having a fever at around 5:00, just before we were taking them all to Grandma for a sleep over, she ended up only needing a little medicine, but I was just waiting for the phone call to come and get her!

Saturday was busy with Andrew's first indoor soccer game, so much fun to watch! I could feel my soccer senses hightened again, I love that! Then out to lunch with Grandma. Rick was plowing snow all morning, we love the snow, but the bad part is missing dad all day! Then off to the grocery store for a few items (cheese for the beef log we recieved at the party), turns out I was gone for over an hour, (Kohl's was right there, I couldn't pass it up, I found some more great stocking stuffers!)
I made it home just as everyone was finishing their baths, yeah I missed that fun arguement!

Sunday comes way too early! We were up at 6:30 to get ready for church, made it on time and had a wonderful Christmas program! Afterward we vegged and then had our neighbors over for dinner. The weekends always fly by, but this time it was okay! We are so excited for tonight and tomorrow! Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmas Card

2007-12-24T07:50:00.000-08:00

table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" bgcolor="#ffffff">Make a scrapbook - it's easy!

Traditions

2007-12-12T07:37:00.000-08:00

Behold the fourth annual Woodland Park Christmas Tree! We love going up to the mountains to hunt for the perfect tree that will help us celebrate the season! Every year this tradition seems to get a little easier, the kids are bigger, this year there was hardly any snow to worry about, and it only took all of 20 minutes to spot the right one!

I of course left the camera in the car, so the actual cutting it down wasn't documented, but I'll just tell you that it is always fun to hear the Evelo family yell "TIMBER" as loud as we can! This is a Spruce tree, therefore it is quite a bit more prickly than your fir trees (I know this because my husband is a tree specialist) So hauling it back to the van was a treat! I was in the middle with all the branches around my head, I put up my hood so that my eyes wouldn't get poked out. Andrew was on the back end, and Rick was up front, at some points in our travels, I swear I was carrying that thing on my shoulder all by myself!!!! Rick was also supposed to navigate where the tree stumps were so that Drew and I wouldn't trip, he only let me down once, so picture me falling with a pokey tree on my shoulders, not pretty! Needless to say, Rick was reminded ever so gently that he had to let me know about things that could potentially break my ankles!

We made it home and I started wrapping the 1100 lights the next morning so that we could put the ornaments up when dad came home! We always love to look at the old ornaments from years ago, the kids get so giddy when their ornaments say the year they were born or remember when they made a certain one, every year Santa brings them a new ornament that they can hang on the tree, it is something they always look forward to. Our traditions get more important every year, we love sharing this time together as a family and as our children grow we truely appreciate it more!

Happy Birthday Drew Man

2007-11-27T18:47:00.001-08:00

Drew at the Zoo
Drew in a chair with friends everywhere

What a cute scout he is!
He is growing up to be an outstanding guy

Eleven years, my how time goes by!

Did you like the rhyme? I am such a poet, only the best work for my sweet son! Andrew is so much fun to be around, we are truely blessed to have him in our family!

Bronco Fever

2007-11-27T18:32:00.001-08:00

Yes, we were this close!
Go Broncos!

This is a little outdated now, but I just had to post about our Monday night football experience!

Rick acquired tickets from a friend in the turf business (don't ask, all I know is they were free).

So I was honored when he actually asked if I wanted to go, I've never been a huge Bronco's fan but I promised to be on my best behavior and not whine about the weather or that I was hungry! (sounds like the talk I give my kids before taking them places) Hee

Anyway, we had a great time, the seats were by the North endzone about 8 rows up. I have to say that I enjoyed the game way more up close and in person, the crowd is crazy and the game is just so much more interesting! I loved watching the cheerleaders and yelling IN-COM-PLETE, can you tell I am easily entertained! Best of all, the Bronco's actually won!!!

Turkey Time in Wyoming!

2007-11-27T18:24:00.001-08:00

Rick's sister Jennifer (in the back), Rick's brother Tom
Aunt Keri, Desarie, Grandma Vony, Tyler, Uncle Curt
Cassi, Madelynn, Drew & Riley

We had so much fun visiting family in Wyoming (the pictures didn't turn out so well, and then my battery was dead)
We ate, visited, four-wheeled, played pool and went to the movies and ate some more! It was great to catch up with family that we haven't seen in over a year!

LOL FUNNY!!!

2007-11-14T08:23:00.000-08:00

I copied this from my friend Melissa, I hope you get your belly laugh in for the day!

THE NEXT SURVIVOR SERIES
Six married men will be dropped on an island with one
car and 3 kids each for six weeks.
Each kid will play two sports and either take music or
dance classes.
There is no fast food.
Each man must take care of his 3 kids; keep his
assigned house clean, correct all homework, complete
science projects, cook, do laundry, and pay a list of
'pretend' bills with not enough money.
In addition, each man will have to budget in money for
groceries each week.
Each man must remember the birthdays of all their
friends and relatives, and send cards out on time.
Each man must also take each child to a doctor's
appointment, a dentist appointment and a haircut
appointment . He must make one unscheduled and
inconvenient visit per child to the Urgent Care
(weekend, evening, on a holiday or right when they're
about to leave for vacation). He must also make
cookies or cupcakes for a social function.
Each man will be responsible for decorating his own
assigned house, planting flowers outside and keeping
it presentable at all times.
The men will only have access to television when the
kids are asleep and all chores are done.
Each father will be required to know all of the words
to every stupid song that comes on TV and the name of
each and every character on cartoons.
Each man will have to make an Indian hut model with
six toothpicks, a tortilla and one marker; and get a 4
year old to eat a serving of peas.
Each man must adorn himself with jewelry, wear
uncomfortable yet stylish shoes, keep their nails
polished and eyebrows groomed. The men must try to get
through each day without snot, spit-up or barf on
their clothing.
During one of the six weeks, the men will have to
endure severe abdominal cramps, back aches, and have
extreme, unexplained mood swings but never once
complain or slow down from other duties. They must try
to explain what a tampon is for when the 6-yr old boy
finds it in the purse.
They must attend weekly school meetings, church, and
find time at least once to spend the afternoon at the
park or a similar setting.
He will need to read a book to the children each night
without falling asleep, and then feed them, dress
them, brush their teeth and comb their hair each
morning by 7:00. They must leave the home with no food
on their face or clothes.
A test will be given at the end of the six weeks, and
each father will be required to know all of the
following information: each child's birthday, height,
weight, shoe size, clothes size and doctor's name.
Also the child's weight at birth, length, time of
birth, and length of labor, each child's favorite
color, middle name, favorite snack, favorite song,
favorite drink, favorite toy, biggest fear and what
they want to be when they grow up.
They must clean up after their sick children at 2:00
a.m. And then spend the remainder of the day tending
to that child and waiting on them hand and foot until
they are better.
They must have a loving, age appropriate reply to,
'You're not the boss of me'.
The kids vote them off the island based on
performance. The last man wins only if...he still has
enough energy to be intimate with his spouse at a
moment's notice.
After you get done laughing, send this to as many
females as you think will get a kick out of it and as
many men as you think can handle it.

Richard, Rick, Ricardo, Ricky Poo

2007-11-03T10:39:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU

(34 NEVER LOOKED SO GOOD) Typical Rick face when not really wanting

to be photographed!

Rick and I before our lovely night out!

Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa I was able to take the birthday boy out on the town! The kids got to have a sleepover and be spoiled by Grandma Mary and Grandpa Russ, it is so nice to know the kids are in such good hands when we need a little time away!

Weekly Recap

2007-11-01T13:53:00.000-07:00

Tyler at his preschool Haloween party.

The kids playing with dough at Rotelli's; we went there for dinner Monday after Andrew's soccer practice, Rick was out of town and that means we get to eat out!
We took Rick to the airport on Sunday, he was flying out to Alabama tocheck out a fertilizer company. They paid for him to come and see how the fertilizer is made and why it would help his course, it was so nice of them to do this even though Rick already buys their stuff! So Rick golfed and fished and ate, he had a great time and returned home just in time for the Haloween festivities.
Andrew finally decided to just use last years costume and dressed up as a skeleton pirate, he thinks he is getting too old for this holiday, but he sure loves the candy!

Madelynn was Hannah Montana, if you've ever seen the show, she looks more like Miley but both characters are the same person so she really couldn't go wrong!

Tyler was a green power ranger, he even had built in muscles!

After we went trunk or treating at the church, we were invited to a friend's for soup and dessert. It ended up being a great night, it wasn't as cold as it was last year and we went home with full bellies and full candy buckets, yeah!

Fall 4 Sure!!

2007-10-21T18:34:00.000-07:00

Today we woke to a couple inches of snow on the ground! I love when this happens on Sunday, we have all afternoon to snuggle in blankets and eat comfort food and just stay inside and veg! We watched some fun old Haloween-type movies (Beetlejuice, Gremlins) I remember being so scared of Gremlins when I was young, but my kids thought it was great, hopefully there won't be any nightmares tonight!

After dinner we carved pumpkins. My kids love doing this, but besides Andrew, they are still to little to really do their own. Rick was helping with Madelynn's pumpkin and when he was done and in the other room I redid it a little! He wasn't to thrilled with me, I think he called me something like a control freak! I have no idea where he got that idea, apparantly it's not okay for a mom to want better for her child! I did make him some cookies to say I was sorry, I think he likes me again!

Cause for Celebration!

2007-10-21T17:50:00.000-07:00

Saturday afternoon was Andrew's second to last soccer game in Denver, and they WON!!!! The score was 3-0, the reason for the celebration is this was their first win this season. The boys are a brand new team, meaning this is the first year they have played together and they really showed that they are going to be a force to reckon with next season! Andrew is a striker and sometimes midfield, he is such a great player! Rick said that I was practically playing the game with them on Saturday because I was so excited and getting kind of loud... hopefully Andrew wasn't too embarrased by his mom (just wait till he gets into the higher leagues, you might have to tie me to my chair)! The other picture is Rick and his cousins, Bobby and Kevin, they were so kind to come over and cheer Drew on! Rick doesn't normally dress so formal for a game, he was just at the Temple with our youth group.

So for the celebration, we went to a place called Cinzzetti's.

They have a fabulous Italian buffet, everything you could think of and more! Rick and Drew had been before, so they knew to pace themselves, but Tyler, Madelynn and I went to town! I did make everyone start out with a salad, so then I didn't feel like an aweful mother when the kids kept going back for more dessert.

Rick was cracking up that I brought my camera in, but I am trying to be a true blogger.... nothing is off limits!

T.G.I.F

2007-10-19T18:36:00.000-07:00

Today was a day of pure fun, Mr. Biggs style!

We (meaning my kids plus the boys that I watch) met my friend Kadi and her two adorable kids at Mr. Biggs. We were a bit put off by the winter hours, they open all the attractions at noon, and we arrived all eager and rarin' to go at 11:20. So needless to say, we enjoyed almost an hour of their wonderful pizza buffet, we kept telling the kids to eat until they were beyond stuffed! Now this is where my rookie bloggerness shows, If I would have remembered my camera, I would have taken a picture of Madelynn enjoying 2 apple pie desserts and a brownie, that girl can down the sweets (I wonder where she gets that from)? When we were all sufficiently full, the older boys took there passes and went off for some unsupervised fun and the rest of us headed to the bowling alley where they stuck us in the farthest corner, they must have noticed the little angels that were running around and thought they should be corralled somehow. Here I would have taken a picture of Tyler jumping for joy when he knocked all the pins down, I do believe bowling is an underappreciated sport, I was thinking that I should get Madelynn and wrist guard to help her form along! Hee Hee

Then we go to the arcade, spend a ton of money in hopes of recieving the coveted pink tickets, because if you get 100, you could pick a prize like a little plastic ball, or a little hackey sack! What a rip off! Kadi and I discussed doing Dance, Dance Revolution, but we thought the young man that was already displaying his unique talents as a back up dancer for his own imaginary rock star wouldn't want to be shown up by a couple of moms! Last, but not least, we headed to the go carts where we drove like our lives depended on it. Madelynn and I were behind Averi and Kadi, you aren't supposed to bump, but what fun is that! The gentlemen running the ride was lost in deep thought or something because we were seriously driving in the circle for what seemed like ten minutes, I was a little nauseated when we were done! I definately would have taken a picture of Madelynn's face when I bumped into the other car, she was shocked that her mother would break the rules... priceless!

The "5 Things" Tag!

2007-10-19T07:35:00.000-07:00

FIVE THINGS I WAS DOING TEN YEARS AGO:

I was already a mom to a one year old Andrew

I was working as a receptionist at the Country Club of Colorado. This was my favorite job ever, access to the Country Club lifestyle, great friends that I worked with, free massages, and unlimited food supply down at the restaraunt below our office (the best split pea soup)!

Rick and I spent a lot of time with his mom and stepdad, they were such a huge support to us in those early years of marriage!

Having the energy to get up at 5 a.m. to take Drew to the daycare, go to work, pick him up and then work out before we went home! I could never do that today

Going to lots of Air Force events, basketball, football, hockey! We became instant fans, Andrew's first basketball game was at 5 weeks old and he still loves going!

FIVE THINGS ON TO-DO LIST TODAY:

Get things prepared for my sharing time on Sunday

Pay a couple bills

Fold and put away clean clothes (about 5 loads worth)

Take kids to Mr. Biggs

Take Drew to soccer

FIVE THINGS I WOULD DO IF I WERE A MILLIONAIRE:

Get out of Debt

Take our whole family (both sides) on a cruise

Buy my dream house and dream car and my dream boat

Purchase land for Rick to build his own golf course

Invest for our future and live happily ever after

FIVE THINGS I WOULD NEVER WEAR AGAIN:

A bikini

Sweater Dress

Leather pants, unless Rick and I became bikers when we retire

Pegged jeans (you know when we used to fold over the cuff and roll up)

jelly shoes or anything that remotely resembles them

FIVE FAVORITE TOYS:

Computer

Ipod

DVR

Jewelry making stuff

My brothers boat (I don't know if that counts, but I so want one)

FIVE PEOPLE TO TAG:

Kadi
Allison
Shannon
Carri
Angie

This and That

2007-10-17T12:37:00.000-07:00

This week has just flown by already, I don't recall what we have done...some days tend to be a blur if nothing mind shattering happens! We did go and hang out with my good friend Kadi and her family on Saturday. They hired Rick to finish their ginormous backyard for them. So here he is sitting on his man throne while we were raking the rock and laying down fabric and pounding in pins, somehow I think he knows he had the fun end of the job. But we had a good time catching up!

60 tons of rock, no wonder my back and legs are killing me today! We ended up going back on Tuesday to finish. My kids were so good, they had a few bouts of miscommunication (or fighting) but all in all they were awesome, so Kadi and I are treating the troopers to a day at Mr. Biggs on Friday, nothing will be off limits! Notice the red pathway, the kids took great care in smoothing out more than half of it! Rick is so amazing, he is great at everything he does and he never complains, unless there are a few tons of rock still to move and the bobcat is going to be picked up in a few minutes! We work great under pressure.

Well I must say that I have done absolutely nothing productive all day! Scratch that, I cooked mac and cheese for lunch, so that was productive right?

Madelynn was able to go hang out with Rick at work today, so the 4 boys have been keeping themselves busy with movies, pool, baseball, and football....in no particular order.
As for me, I have been sitting in my jammies, staring at the computer...first I shopped a little. I am searching for a b-day present for Rick, he is a huge Rockies fan and it just so happens that they made it to the WORLD SERIES (for those of you who have been asleep for the last couple days!)! So Rick and Andrew were able to go to one of the playoff games, and that is all that they talk about! My point I was getting at was I am looking for some cool Rockies paraphenalia for him for his birthday, I hate the stuff with huge, obnoxious logos so that only left a few things that I really liked. I am too indecisive, I will probably just wait until he can look with me, although I did find a way cute shirt for yours truely! Well tonight is soccer, the last game for Tyler, and a scrimmage for Drew. I guess Rick and I are flipping the coin to see who gets to stand out in the cold at Tyler's game, or sit in the toasty van at Drew's scrimmage! I'm pretty sure I will get the warm situation, that is just how things work around here!

Fall Favorite!

2007-10-10T12:37:00.000-07:00

This is our way of getting ready for Halloween and fall, the kids love decorating around the house and I love baking!

Here is the recipe for these yummy pumpkin chocolate chip cookies!

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

Mix together

2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. cinnamon

2 tsp. salt

Mix together and add to first four ingredients

1 tsp. soda

1 Tablespoon milk

Mix together and add

Chocolate chips (as many as you want, I use half a bag of mini chips)

Mix all together and bake at 375 degrees for 8-9 minutes, don't overcook or they will be dry.

Yummy!

Zoo Day!

2007-10-10T12:30:00.000-07:00

Tuesday was a free day at the Denver Zoo! It turned out to be a beautiful day, I am loving our fall here in Colorado! I took the two boys that I babysit and we had a great day! I was busy trying to keep track of everyone, so the pictures kind of took a back seat, but I did get one of an Elephant that seemed to be staring at Tyler! We took the train ride and had lunch and then hurried home.

Great Pumpkin Event

2007-10-10T12:17:00.000-07:00

This was the first official day of fall break ! I resolved myself to being a fun mom over break this year! Sometimes I can be kinda boring my kids have said in those exact words, and then I tell them back in these exact words "I didn't bring you into this world to be your personal entertainer all day every day"! I know I could have been a little less , well lets face it, MEAN!
So I set off to think of things at least every other day that would be fun and let them do things they don't normally get to do on a regular basis.

This was the Great Pumpkin Event at our local Micheals craft store. So for $5 they were able to decorate these cool craft pumpkins, they are great because they won't rot in a couple weeks.
I have to say, my kids are pretty artistic, although it was hard for me to stand there and just watch, I am somewhat of a perfectionist and I have trouble letting things be! Tyler did need a little guidance with the placement of his eyes and nose, you really need some symmentry with those things.

They had a blast and day one was under my boring old belt!

Catch up Time!!

2007-10-10T11:59:00.000-07:00

Where do I even begin!

Well it is Fall Break for our school district and so I have some time to sit down and blog, but I am really hiding out in the office to get some peace and quiet!

I guess I should go back a couple weeks to our outing to Wyoming to watch our nephew K.C. play football. We drove up with Rick's mom and met his Sister and her boys for the game. It was a great night for football, even though the team we were cheering for got smoked! We had a good time and got to visit and the kids got to play. The most interesting part of the trip was the accomodations that the little town of Glenrock, WY had for us! We checked in to the one motel they have which was recently taken over by a bunch of crazies! Our rooms were fine to sleep in for one night, but it was one of those places where you wish you would have brought your own sheets and blankets! We did get brand new towells though, I wouldn't want to have seen the old ones! Our downstairs neighbors were quite the partiers so about 3 am K.C. took matters into his own hands and called the police. So needless to say we were quite tired the next day from the lack of sleep, and for me I just kept thinking about what was crawling around in the mattress we were on!

This is us happy to be out of the less than accomadating motel!

We did find a cute little diner with great food, a far cry from the first place we tried where the waitress didn't even look up at us or offer to seat us, so we left!

My Baby is Five!

2007-09-25T16:10:00.001-07:00

Tyler and pals Landon, Jett and Dillon at Chick Fil A
Waiting for just the right second to blow those 5 candles out!!!

I can't believe my Tyler is 5! He is such a joy in our family. He had quite the busy Birthday, even though mom's original plan was supposed to be low key! (My friend actually kind of put together the little party for him at Chick fil A. When she heard I wasn't going to do a party this year she thought Tyler should have something! Sooo Nice)

Tyler woke up bright and early, we sang to him and he ate breakfast, then off to Target to spend his Birthday money! Then we met friends at "the chicken place" Tyler calls it for an early lunch. Then off to preschool, Andrew and Madelynn had the day off from school, but Tyler is on a different schedule, so he still went, mostly because he had to take Birthday treats and he knew Miss Amy would have a special surprise for him! Then a few hours later we were off to soccer and then home to have a pizza party with Grandma and Grandpa! Then off to bed, he is usually the last one to sleep, but after his day in the limelight, he was out pretty fast!

Tyler is one of a kind! One of Rick's cousins that we saw in Denver last weekend described Tyler as "the prize that we got from an expired box of Cracker Jacks"!??? Now I know Tyler is always rarin' to go and looking for the next crazy thing to do or say, but I wouldn't trade that for the world! We love you Tyler man!

Idle Hands!

2007-09-20T15:34:00.000-07:00

Tyler's handy work with the spray paint can, lucky for us his choice of color was purple, not the off white that was sitting right next to it!
He couldn't stop at the grass, he continued his masterpiece on the house, window and outlet box.
Now you are probably wondering where the parents were? I get to say I was away from the house at the time of this occurance, Rick was home and of course I think there was a football game on! Tyler has never really been a trouble maker, or one to go looking for something to get into, but we have had some instances with our cute little neighbor girls (twins), only a few months younger than Tyler. They have bonded because they both don't go to kindergarten until next year, so that leaves them with afternoons that they play while all the other kids are gone. I've found that if I don't suggest something for them to do, or keep checking on them (which a parent should do anyway) they find themselves in trouble. For instance today, I was cleaning and they were outside playing hot wheels cars, and I hear Riley say, lets throw these onto the deck, then I hear a loud bang against the sliding glass door! Needless to say, I had to redirect their thoughts of fun to something a little less hazardous to my house!

As for me and my lack of focus, I really need to get going on organizing my office! I think if Tyler were there for me like I am for him, he could say"mom that room is a mess, lets go in and start doing something about that!" Maybe that is asking too much of a four year old, but a little push would be nice.

On another subject:

Rick went to play in the John Deere Golf Tournament today, he and his partner won it last year and they both came home with flat screen T.V's and a trip to Georgia to play golf for a week. I just talked with him and he said he was able to score some free golf tees this year, but the big prize went to someone else. I was sad for him, but I know he had a great time. I didn't even ask what the prize was so that I wouldn't look disappointed when he came home. Is that bad?

I am in the process of cooking dinner, so that should cheer him up, that is another area in which my hands could be less idle!

8 Random Things

2007-09-15T11:15:00.000-07:00

I was tagged by my bosom buddy Lucy, here are some things people might not know about me because they are so Random!

1: I love free things. Although I don't consider myself to be cheap, I love when I am given something and gives me and my family joy for absolutely nothing out of my pocket!
For instance we were able to get free tickets to the Air Force/TCU game on Thursday night. Not only were the tickets free, but we got to partake in the pre-game tailgate party put on by the Coors distributers that gave us the tickets. So we get to go to the game, eat wings and ribs and steak and mashed potatoes and have drinks....FOR FREE!

2. I love spending time with my family. It seems as though this time is getting overshadowed by to many other things. My kids are getting too big, too fast and I just want to hold onto them and cherish every day! When we are all together is when I am the happiest!

3. I love this country, this month has been a really good time for me to sit back and ponder the freedoms I have and how much I am able to do just by living in the U.S.A.! I frequently take this for granted!

4. This may contradict #2 (but you moms with relate!): I love to have "me" time! This year I have three days a week that I have 2 1/2 hours of alone time, I try very hard to use that time with whatever I want to do; whether it be volunteer at school, workout, shop, eat, meet a friend, take a nap, or read a book. Everyone needs their "me" time!

5. I have never been stung by a bee~

6. When asked by one of my family: "Where is my ....."? I can 9 out of 10 times go to my mental file of where I last saw it or where I put it away! But recently Madelynn lost her recorder that she needs for music class at school. It has been killing me that it has been a week and we still haven't found it!

7. Sunshine is a staple to my well being!

8. One of my favorite past times is laughing, If you could hire a funny person to make you laugh during the day, I would!

I don't know who will respond, but I tag:

Allison

Kadi

Carrie

Shannon

FRIDAY

2007-09-07T17:46:00.000-07:00

I love Friday! I think most people do, but as for my family, they look forward to Friday as much as mom does because it almost gaurantees a "good mood" from me! Now don't get me wrong, I am not a grouch the other six days of the week.

Take today for instance: I played pool with Tyler for almost 2 hours! We had a great time, we laughed, I tried to show him the correct way to hold the pool stick (is that correct terminology).

- The weather was beautiful, not too hot, not too cool. My friend from Mesa called and said that they were only in the 90's today! I think this is the first time that I am really appreciating the change of seasons.

Now I have to sequey into this next picture:

This summer when we were in Montana visiting my family, Andrew went on quite a few bike rides with Grandpa and Grandma or whoever happened to be up for it. One day we rode to the park and Andrew mentioned that he didn't like the particular bike he was riding because the seat hurt his "balls". O. k, if you don't have a boy you probably can't appreciate this story, and if your son isn't quite as candid with you as my 10 year old is (you are lucky)! So I relayed his comment to Grandma Linda and had a chuckle and dropped it before it became the topic of conversation between all the younger siblings and cousins (very impressionable 4 year olds)! So today Andrew recieved a letter from Grandma, and this article was inclosed:

Andrew had a good laugh and loves that his Grandparents in MT, are looking out for his 'boy problems'.

There also was a picture of a man that had put a snake through his nose and out his mouth! That was pretty cool stuff too!

Labor Day - No Joke!

2007-09-04T18:32:00.000-07:00

Hi there friends and family,

We had a fabulous Labor Day weekend.

It all started by me being determined to clean out and get rid of EVERYTHING!

Friday morning (after a long week of going through all closets, and every nook and cranny) I finally had a nice size pile of stuff to do a garage sale!

It's not Nordstrom Rack, but my customers sure thought these things were great!

I was so excited when an hour into my sales, I already had earned a whopping $50! So I kept my door open until right after Tyler left for school, he was quiete the salesman, showing people how the toys worked and that the bikes truely did do wheelies! Then he moved onto doing skateboarding tricks.

Yes, he will be a professional dare devil one day!

So Saturday rolled around and I was just as gung-ho about selling! I talked my neighbor into pulling together some stuff the night before, and she had a ton of furniture and other big items that drew a crowd, so we joined forces and together sold almost all the big things and had a prosperous day! My family has been wanting a fire pit, so we took our hard earned money down to Lowe's and bought one, the kids each recieved $10 for helping and unselfishly giving up some toys that really they never played with. Then we loaded up the van and took the remaining items to Goodwill. Man do I love a good garage sale, how refreshing is it to purge your home of unneccesary junk, and get money for it! (just blows me away)

Saturday we also had a fun surprise with the arrival of Rick's sister and her family from Wyoming. They have their own plane and decided to fly down for a couple days. They are so much fun to hang out with, we went swimming and shopping and went out to see the Bourne Ultimatum (which I loved, but not when I was sitting in the second from the front row!) Then Monday morning they flew home.

Monday I ran in a half marathon down in the downtown area of Colorado Springs. It was a lot of fun. I ended up doing it by myself because my friend Kadi was in an accident and hurt her back. So I ran and walked it and finished in 2hours and 50 min., which isn't that great of a time, but I had a fun time just doing my own thing and enjoying the beautiful trail! Rick and the kids drove to certain spots to cheer me on, they are so kind to patiently wait for mom all morning and be my biggest fans at the end! Tyler even ran with me past the finish line, someday they will be the ones I'm cheering on in the races!

It was a beautiful day, but after the late nights with family and my run we were all ready for some R&R. After the race we went home for a nap and then got ready for a BBQ with some friends. We had a nice evening and broke in our fire pit by roasting marshmellows and making smores. I didn't take any pictures because I was too busy feeding my face, but next time we fire it up I will.

Oh, I want to give a shout out to my friend Melissa who ran her first half marathon this Labor day in DisneyLand! Way to go girl! This was at her birthday dinner the weekend before.

My kids had today off of school for a teacher work day, so we spent the day at the pool soaking up the last sun rays. They each got to bring a friend along, which made my job easier by not having to entertain. Andrew is getting so good we are thinking of putting him in a swim club next summer. Madelynn is getting good too, but is still sticking close to the edge. Tyler is just happy floating on his tube and talking to himself about whatever toy he happens to be holding.

Well I hope you all had a great weekend too!

My New Favorite Thing.....Vampires!

2007-08-21T07:28:00.000-07:00

Yvette, me and Kadi
She wouldn't pose w/people, so I had to improvise a quick picture and try and juggle the 5 books I was getting signed for myself and friends.

Last night was the book signing for Eclipse! My friend Kadi introduced me to the Stephenie Meyer books a few months ago and I could not get enough! So when we heard she was coming to Denver to promote her latest book, we immediately bought tickets! She answered a lot of questions and talked a lot about how she came up with the story, which you can read about on her website! She also mentioned that the fourth book should be out in about a year, I don't know how I can wait that long. She has a new book coming out that has nothing to do with Vampires, I think it is called The Host? We had an amazing night although we felt a little old in the crowd of teenage girls.

Afterwards we had a fun dinner at a place that is supposed to be as good as Cafe Rio in Utah (I don't know if it was or not, but I really enjoyed my salad). If any of you need a good book to read, I highly recommend this series (Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse)! I even have my mom hooked!

Well I better wrap it up, my kids have today off for reading assesment. I think we will go swimming since it will probably be the last time for them to get to go. Have a great day everyone!

Weekend Update

2007-08-19T16:49:00.000-07:00

What a busy week it has been! Lots of homework, soccer practices, Bunko, my 1st indoor soccer game, Silpada party to get my house ready for, and church meetings. I was overjoyed when Friday rolled around! The boys were heading out for the annual Father/son campout, so that left Madelynn and I gearing up for a girls night! Madelynn is a diehard High School Musical fan, so we decided to stay home and watch the premiere of HSM 2. Madelynn invited a couple friends over and made a list of the goodies that were to be eaten. Granted I am 32 years old, but I think I was just as excited as she was, that Zack Efron is quite a looker!

Saturday was a fun day, I hosted a Silpada party for a friend that is trying desperately to get her side business off the ground before her second baby is born in October. She really wants to be able to stay at home instead of putting them both in daycare. Not many people came, but what can ya do! The boys then returned home from their night of rain soaked camping, they immediately started working on fixing up a used bike that Grandma Mary brought to Andrew. While they were doing that I went shoe shopping for some indoor soccer shoes (Andrews cleats are just a size too small, my poor toenail is black and blue from the lack of room). He also wasn't too keen on mom sporting "his" brand new cleats and stretching them all out! I found some really cute black and pink addidas! I know my glory soccer days are long past, so I figure as long as I look stylish while trying to relive those days, I will feel better about myself. (To those who have known me for a long time, this shouldn't surprise you)

This weekend was a mile marker for Rick and I. We celebrate our 12th anniversary! Saturday night we took the kids to On the Border and then went and saw Evan Almighty at the dollar theater. We debated all week about getting a babysitter or not, but I think this will be one of the most memorable anniversaries, my kids are amazing and so is Rick! We had a great family celebration!

While the kids are away, I finally have time to play!

2007-08-13T14:55:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a hiatus I have taken from my old favorite way of communication! My kids are back in school and now I have to find things to do in order to stay sane! Of course I have taken way to long to get back into this blogging thing, so my first post you should just disregard! I could not figure out how to remove it, therefore I am just saying Don't waste your time reading it!

Before I go any further I need to give a shout out to my long lost bossom buddy! I missed your Birthday and feel like a loser! I love ya and hope you had an awesome Aug. 11th day!

We have had a fun summer, we had a baptism, a wedding, and many soccer tournaments! I kicked off the summer by running the Bolder Boulder, my adoring fans (my family) are so kind to sit and wait and cheer me on at the finish! Then we were off to the Rockies game, we were so sneaky and sat down on the bottom level under the shade of the Press boxes (our original cheap seats were on the 3rd level!

We spent half our summer break in Montana with loved ones, spent many days on the lake with my brother's new fabulous boat! My step sister and my step brother got married this summer! Madelynn was baptized! I was able to see all my brothers and their lovely wives (Pfista Sista's)! We went camping with my Dad and Linda at Seeley lake! Wow what a beautiful place, I mentioned to Rick there was a golf course there if we ever move back to MT.

Now we are back in the swing of the school year and hope you all had a terrific summer also!

I will get back to posting during the week and hope you tune in!

The new look!!

2007-01-29T11:16:00.000-08:00

Hi again,

Slight mishap w/ the blog.

So I am not going to try to catch up on the ins and outs of the last few weeks. It probably wouldn't be that interesting to you anyway!

Today is bill day. Besides hating to do the bills, I hate Mondays as well! I wonder why I choose to put a dark cloud on Mondays by saving all my chores that I hate doing for this day? Maybe if I choose Thursday for bills I would look forward to the beginning of the week. Silly, I know!