Merry Christmas!!!!!

Thirty-five inches of snow makes a VERY white Christmas!! It was so wonderful to look outside at the snow, so quiet and peaceful, while the chaos of three kids opening gifts went on inside!


After we returned a bit of order to the house we took the kids sledding. The snow was so deep we had a hard time getting to the top of the hill. The kids had a blast! The girls decided to 'surf' down the hill and S spent most of his time sitting at the bottom eating snow. I choose not to think of all the germs on that snow!! Grandaddy and the girls even got into a snowball fight! We tried to get Grandma to sled, but she refused. D played it safe by staying in the car and watching from there. Once we were cold and wet enough we went back home and D fixed some hot chocolate. Hope you all have a Merry Christmas!!!

Christmas Lights

As most of you have probably heard by now, David fell off the roof while hanging lights and broke his heel. Emily had to write an accrostic poem for school this morning using a winter word. She chose Christmas lights. This is so priceless I have to post it for everyone to read!

Cold outside
Hot chocolate warms me up
Really snowy
Icicles hanging
Saint Nicolas is coming soon
Trim the tree
My dad hangs lights
Always be careful
Slippery roof
Look out below
If you fall, yell for help
Go to the emergency room
Have to get a cast
Take it easy
Stay off the roof from now on

Ski Dude

S skied for the first time today and absolutely loved it!! By lunch time he was already walking around on his skis in every direction possible! When he goes back next time he will be ready for level 2.


In the mean time, the rest of us were freezing in the 2 degree weather. Funny how kids don't seem to notice that! The girls did decide to take a rest when we went to watch S, though.



We were worried that he wouldn't like skiing, but we shouldn't have. He was very upset when we told him it was time to go because he had not yet been on the big lift. We tried to explain that he had to learn the bunny hill first and get back up on his own when he falls. His teacher said he could get up on his own, but he refused to do it outside in the snow. I think we'll practice in the driveway tomorrow!!

Let It Snow!

We realize that there are many of you that hate snow, but we have found it has many great uses. It makes a great afternoon snack -- and you can eat it right off the patio table!


It aslo makes a great cushion on the trampoline. However, if you are a little white dog, it can be quite cold!



We have also discovered that it can be a great form of punishment for the kids. Of course, the kids can pay you back when you aren't looking!





Snow is also great for filling up the pond when the heater makes the water evaporate (and the hose you fill it with is frozen). Not to mention it clears your patio. It's unfortunate that we only have one snow shovel!




D also learned another lesson to add to our "What not to do when you live in Colorado' list: when you have projects going on in the garage and you have to move some things outside to work, make sure one of them is NOT the snow shovel. It isn't fun to dig out from a foot of snow! We hope the county takes a lesson from this one, too. They didn't expect the snow to hit until midnight. It hit at 5. It was 9:00 before they started plowing roads! The other down side to the snow is the cold weather it brings. When I dropped the girls off this morning it was -2 with a wind chill of -15. I'm looking on the bright side, however. It's supposed to hit 20 today!! Happy winter!!!

Halloween Vandals

Halloween started out great! The kids looked so cute in their costumes. K and E got to wear theirs to school that day. S couldn't wait to put his on when he got home.

We decided since it was in the upper twenties that we would go by K's teacher's house and then head to the church. The first house is where the vandalism happened. You have to understand that this was S's first year to really understand what trick-or-treating is all about. We told him to ring the doorbell and I got set to take a picture. In his haste to get to the doorbell, he knocked over the plant stand with the potted flower in it. Boy, did I get a picture! At least it was someone we knew! As soon as they opened the door and handed out the candy, S started talking and didn't stop until he went to bed that night!




While I went inside to grab some books, Mrs. Lange sent D and the kids to her neighbors. That is all it took for S to realize what happened when you rang the doorbell! We ended up going all the way up and down a VERY long street. S literally ran the whole time! He paused to get candy and say 'thank-you' every time, but by the 5th or 6th house he was actually cutting across people's yards! He ran down the driveways so fast we thought for sure he would faceplant at the bottom, but never did. He was not happy when we headed back to the car, but we were all red-faced and couldn't feel our hands! We had great fun at the church, too. Now the daily candy battle begins!

Happy Fall!

On Saturday, we went to a Halloween party at a friend's house and had a blast! She made a haunted maze in her hayloft and we had pizza, snacks, and s'mores. It was hilarious watching the girls bob for apples, race to see who would be the first to eat her hanging donut with no hands, pretend they were horses jumping jumps in the paddock, and trying to scare each other in the dark. Sam's favorite part was the hayride behind the big tractor. He was so exhausted he fell asleep before we got out of the driveway!

K's best Day Ever

K was very dissappointed when her first horse show got cancelled because of the snow (apparently the driveway was too muddy to get the trailers in), but I think we made up for it. When she got home from school Friday, her very own saddle was waiting for her. I've never seen her so excited! We don't have a horse (yet), but we are getting close to having everything else!

We went to the barn Sunday afternoon (instead of watching the Broncos lose) and K tried her new saddle out on Dolly. She looked great! It was bittersweet, though, because that was her last ride on her sweet Dolly. Her trainer, Mary, is taking a break from training to have a baby and finish school, and she is moving Dolly close to her house. K is definately ready to move to a bigger horse, but she loves Dolly and will greatly miss her! She gave her an extra long brushing afterwards and had tears in her eyes when she left her pen. I have to admit that I got pretty attached to that pony myself!

If you don't like the weather today.......

......wait until tomorrow. That is what everyone kept telling us when we moved up here, and it is so true!! On Wednesday, we hit a beautiful, sunny 68. When we woke up Thursday morning, there was 6 inches of snow on the ground! Too bad we weren't in Colorado Springs -- they got 18! This makes for great recess tme at school and lots of fun building a snowman afterwards! There are some bad parts, however. Our 10ft aspen trees were bent to the ground, and Katelyn's first horse show on Saturday was cancelled. There is still snow on the ground this morning, so I have a feeling I will be adding to my snowman family after school today. Sam's favorite part is jumping on the trampoline full of snow! Even Sophie has fun in the snow. Anyone want to come ski?

E Story of the Week

Each week E brings home a poem she has copied at school and has to do some type of writing activity with it. This week's poem was about planting a pumpkin seed and watching it grow. Her assignment was to make a connection to the poem and write a couple of sentences about it. She made 2 connections. The first was about she and K planting a kernal of corn and growing it (I really don't remember that, but OK). The second, was obviously an opportunity to take a shot at her parents:

Once my parents got seeds in 2004 and now it's 2006. We still have the seeds. There were tomato, sunflower, and more.
I bet my family will plant the seeds soon.


Hmmmm. Should I tell her that it is very unlikely that we brought the seeds with us when we moved up here? And yes, I do actually remember buying those seeds!

First Snow

Our first snow was a good one! We got about 4 inches of the wet, stick-to-everything kind. The kids got up early and got dressed faster than they ever have this morning so they could play in it before school. It didn't seem to bother them at all that it was 25 degrees outside!

The best part of the morning was jumping on a trampoline full of snow! It's a good thing they played this morning because the areas that are in the sun are already melting, despite the 34 degree temperature. The good thing about this snow is that it was all snow and no ice. The streets slippery and D's flight didn't get cancelled. He was not, however, looking forward to the 80 degree temps in Austin and Phoenix!

Another Loth Thooth

Boy, does she talk funny!! E lost her other front tooth last night and has quite the gap!! She looks so cute and sounds so funny! We've been having her read stories to us just to hear her talk. This morning she informed us that the teeth on either side of the gap are loose, too! This could get even better......

The Wedgie

OK -- I probably should not be posting this on my blog, but I have been laughing so hard I just have to share it!! E was getting ready for bed and she just came into my room and said -- and I quote -- "I am having all sorts of wedgie trouble: big wedgies, small wedgies, really-stuck-in-there wedgies, barely-tucked-in-there-wedgies. " I was laughing so hard that all I could manage to tell her was to go finish getting ready for bed. In a couple of minutes she came back and continued her detailed descriptions: "Now I am having complete wedgies -- really giant ones! My room isn't done because I have to keep pulling out my wedgies!". Apparently her pajamas are getting a little snug!? Where does she get this stuff? I hope you all enjoy this one as much as I did!!! I don't believe that I will post a picture for this one.

Aggie Soccer

In all fairness to my younger daughter, I must post the CU/A&M soccer game as I did the volleyball game for my older one. This game was much more exciting than our last couple of Aggie experiences in Boulder. The Aggie fans were out in force (we filled a whole section of the stands) and the Ags won 3-0!! E was having the time of her life watching them play (I can't believe how rough they are!). She took her very special sparkly pink soccer ball to the game for autographs, and ended up getting them from half of the A&M team! The girls were so nice to her and each one of them told her they loved her cool ball! She even went to the team bus to get a few she missed! Best of all, the games are free! I have a feeling we will be hitting a few more of them this season.
After volleyball, soccer, and riding lesson tomorrow we are headed down to Denver for a night so A can run the Race For the Cure Sunday morning (why must they start at 7:15am?), and we can see a little bit of the Denver culture. D got a hotel right in the middle of the 16th Street Mall-- way to go D!! He must want to shop!

All she wants for Christmas......

E has lost one of her front teeth and I love the way she talks! One of them was looser than the other one -- until yesterday at school when Weston's head hit it. After that she wiggled it so much it started bleeding! By the time she was getting ready for bed, it was very crooked and painful. We figured she would have a hard time eating, so D got the floss and yanked it out. Apparently the root was still somewhat attached because I didn't think it would ever quit bleeding! It finally did, the tooth fairy came, and she was a happy camper this morning! When she got to school, she showed everyone the hole in her mouth and Weston proudly said, " I helped her do that!" ! I just hope the other one falls out before this new one comes in!

Target Employee

While I was playing volleyball tonight, D decided to take the kids to see if the new Super Target they have been building was open yet, even though the sign says Oct. 8. Apparently they are not open yet, but tonight was friends and family night for employees. While they were reading the sign on the door, an employee saw D's red shirt and waved them in. Of course, they went in! He said they never ASKED if he was an employee! There was so much food on the buffet that they had dinner there! They also got quite a bit of shopping done, and were the only ones in line!!! Only my husband would pretend to be a Target employee to grocery shop at a store before anyone else!! And how is it that I missed all of this!? I've been having Target withdrawels since they closed the original store in July to build this one!

Supporting Our Aggies

Last night we took the kids to the CU/A&M women's volleyball game in Boulder. We have had so much fun at these volleyball games that we might have to get season tickets next year. The kids were especially excited about last night since the Aggies were in town, though they lost the match in 3 straight (we are getting used to the Ags losing when they come to Boulder).
The best part of the night was watching our children, dressed in their maroon and white, standing in line with all of the other kids at the beginning of the match, giving high-fives to all the CU players as they were introduced! They then parked themselves on the bottom step of the arena, getting as close to the action as they could. When the teams switched sides, they tried their best to get the attention of the Ags. The Aggie photographer spent a lot of time with the kids and took quite a few pictures of them.
Between the 2nd and 3rd games, the CU cheerleaders (yes, they have cheerleaders at volleyball games), place big pieces of paper with prizes written on them on one side of the court. Everyone who has lined up on one section of the stairs gets a ball and a chance to serve it over the net and land on a prize. Of course our kids, being on the first step, were the first on the court. K came within an inch or two twice, but didn't land on one. They had a blast trying, though!
The best part for K, E, and K's friend S, was getting autographs after the match. K was disappointed that the Ags immediately went to the locker room and she didn't get any of theirs. She decided to cross out the "Aggies Volleyball Team" she had written at the top of her board and replace it with "CU". She got about 8 of their autographs!
Next week's agenda: Women's soccer between CU and A&M. E can't wait for that one!! Gig'em Aggies!

The Yellowjackets

K had her first volleyball game this morning at 8:00 (ugh!). Her Yellowjacket team did awesome! She loves playing (almost as much as riding) and is becoming quite the athlete. She scored 5 service aces on her first time up to serve, and returned several balls back over the net. D and I have spent a lot of time practicing with her in the back yard. A is glad K likes this sport, because it is A's favorite sport to play (we won't go into those Tuesday night games!). Luckily, there is no one present to take pics of A playing! :) Way to go K!!!

Winter Came Early!

This is what September soccer looks like in Colorado. The cold weather hit early this year. The wind chill was in the 40's this morning. The parents were freezing on the sidelines, but I think it invigorated the girls! It was an awesome game -- a 5 to 5 tie. Pardon me while I brag on E a minute, but she scored all 5 of her team's goals -- way to go E!! I think she was just trying to stay warm, because I've never seen her move that fast! They had team pictures this morning, too, and I think they are going to show a bunch of shivering little girls!



D kept S warm under the blanket while he took a little nap (we had to leave at 7:30 this morning for K's volleyball game). At least it was inside where there wasn't any wind!

A Day Out With Thomas

S had the time of his life yesterday! He got to ride on Thomas the Tank Engine and meet Sir Topham Hat. His cheeks must be sore from the constant smile he had on his face! We met Thomas in Golden at the Colorado Railroad Museum and had so much fun! He got to see a real roundhouse, turntable, and lots of big trains. He got a Thomas tattoo on his face and got pose in front of an inflatable Percy (one of his favorite engines, because it is green, which is his favorite color). His favorite part, of course, was the half-hour ride on the Thomas train with Daddy. ON the way out we went through the store. He was so overwhelmed with all of the Thomas stuff that when we asked if he wanted 'this' or 'this', he said 'Yes!'. He was so exhausted by the time we left, but he had a great day!