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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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....

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?

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

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!!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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!!!