Kitchen Project

Ryan made the mistake of his life and gave me a "coupon" that allowed me to fill in the blank with whatever I wanted. He ended up helping me with a time-consuming project making a kitchen for the kids. And not just assembling a ready-built kitchen, but starting from a few modular shelving units and building it up from there. I wanted something big enough for two-three kids to play on and store up all of the kitchen playthings that were ending up all over the house. I think it turned out really cool and already, it has been a hit with Noah and Ryleigh. I don't think I will ever get another "fill in the blank" coupon!

The Holidays in Colorado/Ohio

Here is a look at our living room with Christmas presents everywhere. When we unloaded the van from Ohio and got the stuff brought over from my mom's, it was total chaos. Our families love us too much! Anyway, Ryleigh had the quote of Christmas when she asked us, "Can you move this stuff so I can get to my stuff?"

Christmas jammies

Christmas jammies

A new backpack for school next year

The foam rocket launcher picked by Uncle Jay was a hit!

A great Christmas break it was, despite a few cases of illness in the family. We spent the first week at home, with my brother and his family here for a visit. My niece Audrey gave us all a version of the stomach flu for Christmas--what a sweetheart! Just kidding, Jay and Mandi! Then, it was off on a road trip to Ohio for the second week. The kids did great on our 20-hour journey both ways. No extra potty stops, no major meltdowns, and for the most part, decent weather made the driving bearable. The kids had so many "Christmases" with different family members that they probably think Christmas lasts for a week. They were blessed with presents galore and fun exciting times with family and friends. Santa came through with the requested sunglasses for the kids, and some "gently used" teethers and rattles for Jakie (what's wrong with some hand-me-downs in his stocking???!!!) I will post some pictures from Ohio when I get some sent to me--we had our usual failure to take pictures when others have their cameras out!

A Blast of a Heartbreaker!

For the last home game of the Broncos season, Ryan, my mom, my brother and I had tickets for the "club" level at Invesco Field. Ryan scored these tickets at an auction at our church to raise money for Christmas baskets for needy families. The club level meant we had access to the restricted level of the stadium, complete with iron carved fireplaces, dozens of plasma TVs, steak and sushi for the hungry, and best of all, a coffee bar for the freezing! It was definitely a chilly one with temperatures in the low teens, but what a fun time it was! The only downside to the day was the final dropped pass in the end zone by Brandon Stokley that meant a Bronco loss in the game, a failure to make the playoffs, and crazy enough, the end of a long coaching career for Mike Shanahan. For those of you that are Bronco fans, that's a costly dropped pass!

Love One Another

The kids have their ups and downs with each other, but overall, Noah and Ryleigh are mostly great pals, and there is no doubt that they love their little brother. Everyday, I am thankful for these amazing blessings that God has entrusted to our care! Part of me wants to see them grow up so I can know what they will be like, but the other part of me dreads the quickness of life. One thing I know, we have three very happy kids. One mom in Noah's preschool told me the other day that "even when Noah doesn't have a smile on his face, he's still smiling." And that is one of the best decriptions of my son I can think of. I pray that he will always be that way and continue to live his life with total enthusiasm!

Video of Noah's Solo in Christmas Program

More Pictures from the North Pole

"Mom, Dad, why do you guys look sick to your stomachs???" Gee, I wonder!

You are on your own with that spinning ride, Noah! Have fun!

Annual Trip to the North Pole

Every year, I drag the family up to the North Pole--Ryan always tells the kids that they are helping to "amuse Mommy". But secretly, he loves every minute of it too (I think the comment after our first visit with Noah in 2006 was "That's the best day I've ever had of being a dad!")For those of you who have no idea what I am referring to, Colorado Springs has this kid's Christmas amusement park complete with rides, visits to Santa, and of course, hot chocolate. It been around for over 50 years--I remember going a few times as a kid! Ryleigh and Noah had a blast riding every attraction they could in five hours--they were so exhausted near the end of the day that Ryleigh laid back in the stroller and said she wanted to just rest for a few minutes before riding again! The visit to Santa was a bit of a bust though as we waited 30 minutes only to have both kids walk in his house, say, " I want sunglasses, please!", and walk away in less than ten seconds! Neither one would sit on his lap this year, but they were sure to state their wants (at least, they said please)! Jakie stayed home with Grandma because you have to be at least (or should I say only) ONE YEAR old to ride these rides.