For Christmas Payton bought Liza a gift card to get her ears pierced and she got them done today. She was so brave!

Boo!

Well, here it is Nov 1st already. Anyone else thinking that this year is flying by? Yeah, me too.

The kids had a fun Halloween weekend and probably raked in about 20 pounds of candy or more. It was giving me a belly ache last night just looking at it. The boys went as wizards and I made the girls' poodle skirts. Liza tried really hard to keep up with the boys and the twins kept yelling "wait up!". It was fun but now the candy rationing begins, no more binge eating.

Let's hear it for yummy soup!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/?s=corn+chowder

I just made this soup last night and HOLY MOLY! If you like a little spice in your life this soup has it. Please try it...tonight!

Fall Break Happenings

Walmart had a re-grand opening the other night after their messy annoying remodel and they had two of the Denver Bronco cheerleaders taking pictures and signing autographs. Jared thought it was cool since they were affiliated with the Broncos but he would've been more impressed if it was Champ Bailey. Liza left saying she wanted to be a cheerleader.


We took some time this past week to visit the Olympic Training Center here in town. We've lived here 9 years and have never been. It was a quick hour tour. We saw a few athletes training and got to look at the Olympic-sized swimming pool through a glass window (yippee). The kids enjoyed it and it was a good way to spend our morning.



"Amazing Awaits" is the catch phrase in the pre-tour video. Who knows what kind of "amazing" those kids will do one day!

Co-ed bobsled team! USA! USA! USA!

Fall is here

The boys school is out on their 2 week fall break and we've been trying to find fun things to do so last week we went south of Colorado Springs near Florence to the Happy Apple Farm to pick pumpkins. Liza has been begging for a pumpkin ever since Payton got one from his class field trip at the beginning of the month, however she wanted a pink one. When we woke up the weather was cloudy and cold and we almost didn't go, but decided to anyway. I was so glad that we did because it was so nice. The temp was about 75 degrees and the kids loved every minute of it. It was a great way to spend a beautiful fall day in Colorado and the drive was very pretty with the fall colors. The twins loved getting their pumpkins and were able to find little ones that they could carry all by themselves as well. On the way home I even ran over a tarantula! It was sick! Then all I could think about was that we were out in that pumpkin field and there were probably tons of taratula holes. EWW!! It gave me the heebie-jeebies. Glad I never saw one up close and personal. Under my tire is good enough!

Liza at ballet

Today Liza had her first day of ballet and tap. She had a great time, until she fell with her tap shoes on. She didn't think that they really were slippery when I told her so. She looked so cute and tried her hardest to follow Ms. Amy's instructions.

Summer Vacation 2010 (cliff notes version)

We've had a very exciting summer and it has run it's course and school is officially underway. We had a great time visiting family from Montana to Utah.

We began our trip with cousins in Utah and enjoying their fabulous pool they built. Jared who was just okay at swimming picked it up rather quickly and had no problem with the diving board. Though he did learn fast that belly flops are not fun but quite painful. Payton also who really had so swimming skills to speak of is now a fish and with a pair of goggles has no problem either. He also enjoyed the pool. Liza liked the pool as long as someone held on to her for dear life. She had an incident where she fell in and wouldn't go back in after that without some coaxing. The twins loved the water and really liked sitting on the edge and falling into someones arms. We are grateful for our DeMille cousins in Utah for all the hospitality and how much they love our kids.

Next was the Montana reunion with my mom's side of the family. My great-grandparents both passed away 2 years ago and due to one of their daughter's living outside of the US for the past 2 years the services we postponed till she would return. My mom's four siblings came from all corners of the US, my 8 cousins, the 7 great-great grand kids and many other family members were there to celebrate the lives of George and Julia McDonald. July 3rd was the internment of their ashes up on their old ranch that looks over the current ranch and Dillon. It was a lovely day and great to hear so many stories of them. July 4th we relaxed and had a picnic with my Grandpa who recently moved to Dillon from Corning, CA. Later that night we headed out to the the ranch to light fireworks and watch the Dillon Jaycee fireworks show.

Monday the 5th we drove to the capital city, Helena, and took a river boat tour down the Missouri River. It was very interesting learning some history of the area including stories of Lewis and Clark and The Mann Gulch Fire that in 1949 13 smoke jumpers lost their lives fighting a fire near the river and 5,000 acres were burned.

We had a great time in Montana while also enduring sick puking kids for the time we were there.

Once again we were able to celebrate our anniversary with family on July 8th. It just wouldn't be right if we were actually alone! 10 years already? Hard to believe that one little question lead to all this!

We spent more time with the DeMille family in Utah for a 2-day pit stop before heading to Moab for yet another reunion, this time with Barry's family.

Moab in July in one word.....HOT! It was 105 all four days. Thankfully there was a cool pool at our condos where we all spent the afternoons. Air Conditioning was a blessed item as well. There were 51 of us all in different condos. We split ours with Barry's cousin Jim and his family. It was great getting to hang out with them more. We ventured to Arches Nat'l Park and took a hike to see the delicate arch. We were disappointed by the hike thinking the view would be better and we should've done the real hike rather than the scenic one, but with Liza and the twins it wasn't a possibility. Small walk about were more our speed this year. I was worried about the kids getting dehydrated and made them all chug water even when they complained that they weren't thirsty. I didn't care though, I felt too much water was better than not enough. Initially we had decided that we wouldn't do the jeeping that is an attraction in Moab due to the price tag, but Robert, one of Barry's cousins was generous enough to make sure everyone who wanted to go got to go. I was less than thrilled after finding out the Jared and Payton were taken out to a cliff that was a complete drop off. I took my chances the next night amid my fear of heights. It was amazing to watch the jeeps crawl up and down those rocks and now it's a "been there done that" feeling.

Jared was able to go on a rafting trip down the Colorado River with his cousin Donovan, Grandpa Clark and Uncle Brian. They enjoyed getting out of the raft and swimming down the river as well. During the raft trip they were able to watch a rock slide in the distance and the tour guide said it was a once in lifetime opportunity to see such a thing.

The week ended with a chuck wagon dinner and show. All the little kids ran out and danced to the music that the performers played. The kids were more entertaining to watch than the actual show!

All in all it was a great place to meet up with family. The kids had fun playing into the late night catching frogs, riding Donovan's scooter and swimming. Thanks for the memories!

Upon returning home we were anxiously awaiting the wedding of our friend Brittney. Brittney played basketball for Barry when she was a freshmen, babysat for us throughout high school and even college. I volunteered months ago to make her wedding cake and as the day came closer I began to feel the weight of my commitment. After talking in more detail with Brittney and her mom I felt more at ease with our decision of flavors and display. It turned out fabulous!! The cake was tasty and was eye catching as well, but not to out shine the bride on her day! It was a a wonderful day to be a part of and we're so grateful for Brittney, Keith and Logan.

Next on the summer agenda was to completely finish the basement. We succeeded! The bathroom is fully functioning and the handrail is up. Yay!!

I also got a hair in my rear and decided to resurface my kitchen cabinets. They are standard oak builder grade cabinets and since my kitchen is in the center of my house it's always felt dark. I have only the sliding glass door to let light in and it wasn't enough for me. I added bead board, primer, paint and an antique stain. They turned out great and added more light to the room!

School started last week with a 1/2 day on Wednesday and then in full swing on Thursday. Jared is in 3rd grade while Payton is in 1st. Liza is doing some home school and doesn't quite understand why the boys get to go to a real school. She desperately wants to go to "Payton's school" and even went so far and getting her own backpack on and starting down the sidewalk to try to catch up to the boys on Friday. It's great having them back in school and getting into a routine once again. Football camp starts on Monday for Barry and then starts school on the 16th.

It's hard to believe that our summer is over. We had a great time and look forward to next year when the kids will be another year older and be that much more fun!

Hungry Little Birds

Momma Robin went out for dinner so I was able to get a peek at the birds without her attacking me. Everytime she dive bombs my head I think of how terrified my mother-in-law would be, however the thought does make me chuckle a bit. Aren't they just the cutest things?

New life in the backyard

May 31st I went to see the status of a nest the kids and I discovered on the 28th and there was one egg in it. A day later there were two and the next day there were three. I've been keeping a close eye on them to see how long it takes them to hatch and fly away. The momma has been very protective and upon me discovering the chicks she has been dive bombing my head and cussing my out from the fenceline. This has been so fun to watch. I hope that the third egg hatches today and that it doesn't turn out to be a dud.

Liza's debut

Liza in her very first solo perfomance. Now for your enjoyment, "3 Little Monkeys"

I just love listening to this girl sing songs.

Oh yeah!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/05/run-dont-walk/

I just made this salsa and two words, "oh, baby!" I can't get enough. So easy and super yum.

Princess Liza turns 3!

Today Liza turned 3 years old. She is all princess all the time, she even refers to her bed as her "princess bed". She has been so excited about her birthday for days now and it finally came. So that I wouldn't have to hear about her opening presents I let her have one toy and a new outfit to wear today to hold her off. When asked how old she is she proudly replies that she is three and not two. We had a great day and were even able to drag Barry away from basketball open gym so that we could celebrate as a family early enough that there wasn't cranky kids prior to bedtime.

The kids were so excited about cake that we ate it before dinner! How fun is that? Doesn't every kid hope to be able to eat dessert before dinner? Sometimes it's totally worth it.

I think Liza enjoyed all of her gifts however, her favorite of course would be the Cinderella dress-ups.

It was a great day and I enjoyed reflecting on the day she was born. What a wonderful day. We added our first daughter to our family and she has been such a joy. Her personality is so much fun. She has a sense of humor like no other kid, the things that she says are simply hilarious. She is completely in love with Jared, wants to marry her daddy, who by the way is her "boyfriend", is a baby lover, is a little mommy herself and wants to be just like her mommy and adores Payton. She is absolutely without a doubt a great daughter and we love her so very much. Her smile lights up our home and melts our hearts.

Happy 3rd birthday to you, Liza Sue.

Deliss-iss

Liza sure love to lick the paddle. (sorry it's on it's side. can't figure out how to turn it. d'oh!)

Under the gun

In January we installed carpet in the basement living room and bedroom. It was the worst decision to have it installed so quickly because all progress on the bathroom haulted. We got comfortable and lost our gusto. We are now under the gun to get the bathroom/laundry room finished by the 21st because our permit will expire then. We were waiting for Barry's friends who did our taping and texturing to do the bathroom and he hasn't been able to do it because of an injury. Barry then man upped and finished the taping and we textured, primed and painted yesterday. We also went to The Home Depot and spent a ridiculous amount of money on tile, fixtures, sink, toilet, and lights. I now need to get crackin on the tile so that we can install the toilet, sink and shower valve. I have a lot of work to do between now and then. I am now wondering why my grandpa who is an amazing carpenter and handyman is living with my mom and not me. Dang.

Bonding

Just another gorgeous day in Colorado.

Spring Break: part II

From Wednesday on our house looked like a infirmary. Barry and the twins got the stomach flu Wed then by Fri we all had it. The twins are finally recovering from it. Nearly a week later 1 lb 5 oz lost between the two of them a trip to the ER, which was a total joke, they have some energy and a desire to eat.


Poor Liza just layed around and couldn't handle having a bucket near her. The mere thought of the bucket made her want to puke, which she was terrified of.

Payton was by far the most accurate when it came to getting "it" in the bucket.


A steady diet of Gatorade and Canada Dry, chicken soup didn't go too far though.

Sunday night I took the girls to the ER at 9pm due to them still puking and not eating or drinking anything in days. They were weak and frail looking. Good thing I went too, they gave us popsicles! What about giving these poor pathetic looking babies an IV you ask, that's absurd and would be asking way too much from our trusty medical professionals. Want some advice, wait till the morning, you'll get better care from your PCP than you ever will in an ER and it will take a fraction of the time. I was there nearly 6, yes SIX hours. Got home at 3 am and then landed myself in the doctors office in the late morning. Lovely, just lovely.

5 hours and counting and still haven't seen the doc yet.

Briley feeling better but a bit haggard.

Sienna playing around with the Pedialyte that they both loathe.