Christmas 2013: recap

Whoa.  What a ride it's been!

We like low-key Christmases.  I think I've mentioned that before.  We go big for birthdays, but Christmas is a time for reflection on the Greatest Gift, a time for family, a time to make memories, eat cookies, tell stories, and yes, also for stockings stuffed full of goodies and a few presents under the tree.

It's just what we do and we love it.

This year was very special because we didn't have to fly anywhere for Christmas.  We didn't even have to drive.  My folks, who we love dearly, drove up to us on Christmas eve.  We had our traditional, big, Christmas eve lunch and went to a special service at church.  We meant to watch "It's a Wonderful Life", but we got caught up telling stories and laughing too hard to even mind.  We went to bed tired and happy and woke up early (6:30am) the next morning with the boys.

The way we do Christmas morning is simple.  We do stockings, breakfast, presents, and then relaxing and resting while I whip around the kitchen putting together the delicious spread (seriously one of my favorite parts of the day!).  And then, of course, we eat.  A lot.  And then go for a long walk.  And because it's Colorado, we can do that -- in just a light coat.

A nice added bonus this year, and for years after since we liked it so well, is that we went down to my folks the day after Christmas for a few days and used it as our "vacation".  We went on lots of walks, ate tons of cookies, played games and put together puzzles.  We had a fire, watched movies, talked and laughed, and made lasting memories.

Here are a few pictures.

 A very sweet gift on Christmas Eve was meeting the boys' new cousin, Erik!  He's a cutie and we can't wait to watch him grow!

 Merry Christmas from us!

 Christmas Jammies especially picked out by grandude!

 Enjoying a new toy...

 Learning and playing backgammon. 

Beautiful days for walking, hiking, playing, and laughing!

Eskestrand Christmas Letter 2013

Eskestrand Escapades: 8^th Edition

A very merry Christmas to our family and friends!  With all the changes 2013 brought, no matter what they were, we hope the Lord has been working in your life and in your heart like He has in ours.  The biggest change for us this past year would have to be our move from Cleveland back to Denver.  It was bittersweet to move away from all we hold dear in Ohio – both people and special places – but it is simply wonderful to be home.  We are enjoying the outdoors, views of the mountains, tons of time with family, and sweet fellowship with friends, both new and old.   We feel so blessed – God is good.

Scot finished out his residency program top of his class and while the transition to “real” work has been tricky and not what we expected, he is beginning to enjoy his position as a board certified hospitalist.  He is working with great people and loves all the family time only fifteen 12-hr shifts per month affords.  Work days are long and hard, but he says it’s worth it.  As a family, we’ve enjoyed having him around for park days, hikes, and everyday normal life.   He is still figuring out what to do with all his free time, but he has started reading again and would like to get in on some pick-up hockey games and maybe even try his hand at rock-climbing.  He is attending the men’s Bible study when he’s able and is enjoying the fellowship and “sharpening”.

The boys are fantastic.  We no longer have toddlers in the house – they have grown into delightful little boys.  They are quite energetic and make good use of our large, fenced-in, backyard.  They love going to the zoo, visiting the library, and trips down to my folks’.  They have a major affection for all things Lego, trains, and cars.  They play well together (most of the time) and have vivid imaginations.  They gallop on stick horses in full costume, sword fight as pirates, or play “hunter” and kill bears to name just a few of their antics.  They enjoy a good wrestling match with Scot as much as they relish reading stories with me.  I have started to homeschool them both, Evan for Pre-K/K, and Drew for (pre)Pre-K.  It’s just three mornings a week and we all enjoy the structured time.  Their favorite “subjects” in school are reading/writing, art, and music.   Their highlights of the year, when asked, were: VBS, time spent with Grammy and Grandude at “Grandparent Camp”, and a surprise night out to the circus.

Evan (5.5) is sweet and fun to be around.  He’s dynamic and inquisitive, bursting with questions and insights we’d sometimes rather ignore.   He is a helper without being asked and loves to have Drew pal around with him. He loves to color as much as he does kick a ball or play with trucks in the dirt.  He is growing up to be a wise and independent little guy, and it’s wonderful to see the Lord continuing to work in his heart.   

Drew (3.75) has come into his own this past year.  He is our comedian.  He loves knock-knock jokes and imitating voices.  He sings silly songs and dances.  With all his energy, he can also be very sensitive and snuggly.  He loves his brother to a distraction and misses Scot to the point of tears when he’s away.   The Lord did a mighty work in Drew earlier this year, and it’s been amazing to see the transformation in his little life. 

Life is hard, but good.  I’m one for predictable schedules and consistency – two things that are scarce with Scot’s job.  We’re finding a new rhythm to what our daily lives look like and we’re making the best of it.  God’s grace and mercy are evident each and every day!  My highlight this past year is the blessing of friendships both near and far.  I was able to take a few trips and visit dear friends throughout the year -- I am so thankful for technology that keeps me connected when trips aren’t an option.  I love schooling the boys, being in sweet community with gals from church, all the day trips and overnights at my parents, and having Scot around for more family activities (and dates!).  For fun, I still love to be in the kitchen and I’m starting to read for pleasure when time allows.  We are plugged into a great church and benefitting from the solid preaching and healthy body-life.  We enjoy having people over, for a meal or an overnight, so please let us know if you’re ever in the area – we’d love to see you!

We hope you enjoy Christmas surrounded by family and friends – but most of all we hope you celebrate the true gift that came in the “package” of a babe, who grew up sinless to take our place on the cross so we might be able to share in His blessings and have eternal life.  We pray the joy of this knowledge is yours and fills the Christmas season.

Merry Christmas and a very happy New Year,

Scot, Sarah, Evan & Drew Eskestrand

It's almost Christmas...

Can you all believe it's so close to Christmas?!  I wanted to get in at least one more post before things started getting even crazier over here and I lost track of all the fun we're having.  I do really strive to make Christmas point to Christ.  I try to fight against the commercialism and materialism that attacks at every corner.  I can't tell you how many time people have [lovingly] asked the boys what they "put on their list" for Christmas this year -- and the blank stares they received since the boys still have no concept of making an "I Want" list.  It'll come. I know.  Right now, I'm enjoying the ease.

Scot was home for sporadic times the first half of the month and we made the most of our random days with him.  We're trying to get in as much friend-time as we can before everyone closes up their calendars (and rightly so) to spend time with family for a few weeks.  We've been baking up a storm (and trying not to eat them all!) and having fun with Christmas crafts and stories.  We're enjoying life.

Here are a few pictures to show you what we've been up to these past couple weeks.  

 We got a nice heavy snowfall right after we got our tree.  It was the coldest some say it's gotten in Colorado in quite a few years.  Single digits, people!  And I'll tell you what -- I was thankful for a full pantry, no where to go, and my husband at home.  Almost as soon as the first flake fell, the boys were begging to go out and shovel.  We made them wait a few hours until there was actually work to do.  They loved it.

 A new, and sweet, transition we started this year was the Jesse Tree advent.  With each ornament, you read a passage of scripture that takes you from creation all the way to the birth of Christ, and each passage points you to Christ.  It's a great way to keep the focus on Him!  I got the print outs here -- free!  I just colored them, put them on colored card stock, wrote the scripture reference on the back, and laminated them.

 Something else we want to do around this time of year, is instill in the boys the joy of giving to others.  Our church did a morning of Operation Christmas Child.  The boys had so much fun shopping for their little boy who is their age.  We packed those shoe boxes full and the boys were so cute with their Christmas cards they made.  We pray these boxes truly bless who ever receives them.  It's wonderful -- the boys still ask me if I think their little boy has gotten his box yet, and they will also occasionally pray for "my little boy".

 Scot worked a few days in a row last week and the boys and I headed down to the springs to visit with my folks and do fun Christmas-y things down there.  They made cookies with my mom.  Helped her dress the bottom third of her tree.  We all traipsed off and walked around in the cold to see the lights at the zoo.  The boys had countless Christmas stories read to them, and they watched an old-school Christmas movie every day there.  It was "Christmas at Grammy and Grandudes" full swing!

 A fun tradition we have is picking a night to get into our PJs, pour hot cider or cocoa (depending on your age and caffeine sensitivity) into to-go mugs, and pile into the car with treats to go driving around neighborhoods looking at lights.  This year was especially fun -- not only did we find a lot of pretty houses all lit up, but our time of singing Christmas carols was unforgettable.

Drew's favorite song, December or July, is Joy to the World.  The kid will sing it at the top of his lungs and e doesn't care if it's grossly out of season of not.  Well, it seemed fitting to start off our "car-caroling" with his favorite song.  What we didn't count on was his insistence to sing only that song.  So while Scot and I would start off on another carol -- be it Jingle Bells or O Come All Ye Faithful, Drew was faithfully belting out Joy to the World like there was no tomorrow.  Needless to say, we all ended up dissolving in giggles and singing along with him.

What is Christmas without a Christmas program at church where all the little kids try their best to sing the songs they've practiced and not be distracted by all. the. people. in the room?  Yeah.  It wouldn't be Christmas, right?  Well -- it's officially Christmas-time, then, because we had our program on Sunday and the boys did really well.

Christmas Tree 2013

Not each year is a complete adventure when it comes to getting our tree.  I doubt each year in our family will be one of those years.  Maybe.  Or maybe not.  All I know, is this year was adventure.

We had planned to get our tree tomorrow.  As in, hike into the forest and chop it down.  The weather forecast, though, said a high of 12 was expected.  With no sun.  Which meant we were not about to go and chop down our own tree in frigid windy conditions.  I'm a cold wimp.

Thankfully, Scot had Tuesday off.  It was supposed to be the last nice day for a while, and the night that would bring the storm with it.  So after lunch, we piled into the car and drove the hour down to the forest where you're allowed to cut a tree down for only $10.  Oh yes.

The trick to finding a really good tree is time.  Which we were short on.  In the 45 minutes we were outside our car, the temps dropped about 20 degrees, and the sun was starting to set and Scot and I both felt we needed to pick a tree sooner rather than later and not move too far from the car.  So we hopped from this tree cluster to the next, looking for the perfect little tree.

Finally, with about 10 minutes to spare on Scot's estimation of us needing to head back to the car, we spotted a tree that would work and the boys all helped saw it down. (Can I just say that seeing my 3 year old wrestle with a saw is quite possibly the cutest thing ever?!  And my goodness, did Evan feel like quite the man wielding a saw to cut down our tree!)

Once home, I was honestly a little disappointed at first.  The tee felt a little too Charlie Brown-ish for me, but I knew it was a good memory for the boys and I figured dressing it would fix the problem.

It did.

I love our little tree, and the boys do too!  Our tradition is that I dress the tree the night we get it after the boys are in bed and they have the surprise of seeing it all lit and gussied-up the next morning.

And that morning -- this morning -- I made pancakes.  And we had a picnic.

I think this may need to be a new tradition, too.

Novemeber Update

Life is busy.  We still haven't quite found a good flow of daily life trying to balance between the extremes of Scot being gone to work 5-7 days strait, and then home for as many.  It's a work in progress, for sure, and honestly, this little blog has taken a backseat.

We're good, though.   Here's a bullet-pointed list of some of the fun we've had this past month.

• Scot's uncle Dave's wife is from China and they had us over for a traditional hot-pot meal.  Think fondue with a big bowl of broth and a ton of different veggies/meats.  It took about 2 hours from start to finish and it was delightful.  We're so glad to have them close.

•   Short weekend down to Colorado Springs to see my folks.  We went to the zoo their (our favorite!), had a fire and roasted marshmallows, went for walks to the park, did crafts, and just enjoyed family time.

• Had a pre-Thanksgiving dinner for Scot since he worked the week of Thanksgiving.  I made a huge spread and invited Dave and Jenny over.  It was delicious and memorable.  I made placemats out of cut-down paper bags and wrote "I am Thankful For" on the side with space to write.  Evan, who is getting better each day with words and writing, wrote out his own list. When we went around the table to share he was very proud of reading what he wrote.  I think "My brother" was my favorite entry of his.

• I turned 29.  It wasn't a huge fanfare, but it was lovely and drawn out -- Scot is great at that.  Our tradition is birthday breakfast out, but since my day fell on a Sunday and I had to teach pre-K Sunday school, that wasn't an option.  So Saturday turned into more of my celebration day, but I got to open all my gifts on Sunday.  We're a low-key-Christmas-gift, but a go-big-on-birthdays kinda family.  I was a happy girl.  Favorite gifts: TOMS, started set to the Willow Tree nativity, and a cookbook I've been eyeing -- The Vegan Table.  I felt loved with all the texts, calls, emails, and cards, too!
• Scot passed boards -- and solidly!  We are praising the Lord for His grace and mercy.  

• Thanksgiving day was beautiful, and except that Scot wasn't there, it was perfect.  We drove down to my folks (bringing my great Aunt along with us!) and had a leisurely brunch before going for a nice walk and coming back to work in the kitchen.  After dinner and before pie, we all changed into play clothes and built and huge fire to roast marshmallows.  Even though I felt as though I couldn't eat another bit, I had a few.  It was a day of relaxation, family time, and memory making.  My cousin Calvin was there, too, and the boys just adore him.

• Other random happenings: Evan now rides a 2-wheeler without any help.  The days have been gorgeous and we've taken advantage and gone to the park.  A lot.  School is going well and the boys are both soaking up the teaching.

In short: we're alive!  Sorry there was so much time between posts, I'll try to be better.

we love grammy and grandude!

We love hanging out with my parents.  Love it.  There is almost nothing we enjoy more than being in their company. The boys love it just as much.

One of the many perks of living close to my parents, though, is the boys get to go there for sleepovers occasionally.  Last weekend, I had a ladies retreat for church and Scot was working, so my mom and I met at a park halfway between our houses on Friday afternoon and let the boys play for a couple hours while we chatted.  Then she took the boys back to her house, while I went back to mine.  Friday night and Saturday were spent "retreating" for me, and major fun was had by the boys!

They went to the zoo, rode the carousel, did fall-themed crafts, went for a hike with my dad, walked down to the playground near my folks to play, and had adventures in the dirt.  They ate their favorite foods, roasted marshmallows, had stories upon stories read to them...and they didn't miss me at all.

I missed them, though!  There's nothing like being in the house without them (for more than 2-3 hours!) that makes me miss the pitter-patter of their feet, their hugs in the morning, and their giggles as they wrestle.  I got a lot of cleaning and organizing done, but I was glad to have them back.

Here's a picture my dad took of them during their fun weekend away!  Love it.

Frugal Fun: Ball Mason Jars

Well then...it's been a looooong time since I did a Frugal Fun post.  I have no excuse.  I've been living frugally, but not updating you with the random way I've been doing it.  I really don't think you all mind too much.  This, though, was revolutionary for our family, and even though it seems super simple now, if this frugal tip eluded me for 7 years, maybe it eluded you, too.

Scot and I aren't overly worried about the whole plastic storage container thing.  Yes, we like to reheat leftovers in glass dishes, but the container that just sits in the fridge?  Doesn't have to be glass.

With Scot's old job, he ate his breakfast and most dinners at home, and if he wasn't taking a sandwich to work for lunch (half the time), he was taking leftovers.  In plastic containers.  That he would either eat cold, or he would heat it up -- gasp -- in the plastic container it was stored in.  I know, I know.  Not our preference, but we didn't feel a few reheats in plastic a week was really that bad.

Now, though, on the weeks he works, I'm packing a whole day's worth of meals for him to eat.  That's breakfast, lunch, and dinner, people!  That would be a lot of reheating in plastic, and well, we realized we weren't cool with that [totally a personal preference!].  So then began the research on the best glass storage containers out there.  The ones that didn't leak (need that for all our soups!), that were the most cost effective, so on and so forth.

Can I tell you I was shocked at the price tag on those puppies?!  7 or 8 dollars for a single 2-cup glass storage container?! A single one!! That was just for the brands you could find at Target.  Pampered Chef and those high-end places sell them, too, and not for 7 bucks.  BUT, we really didn't want to be using plastic anymore.  In order to stave off biting the bullet, I even sent him to work with a glass bowl for him to dump his food into to cook it.  Let me just say this: that only happened once.

So off to Target I went.  To spend $30 on 3 or 4 glass containers that may or may not leak.

As I approached the "food storage" aisle, though, there on the endcap were these adorable Wide-Mouthed Ball Mason Jars.  I stopped and looked.  I picked up a pack of 4 (for only $5!) and started thinking.  These were 16oz.  They were glass.  And since people use them for canning, something told me they wouldn't leak.  And ummm...hello....they were tons cheaper than what I had come in for!

I picked up 2 packs.

Leftovers pictures are linked!

I love them and let me tell you why.  They are easy to eat out of due to the wide mouth.  They reheat meals well.  It's astounding what you can get to fit in those 16oz -- a true man-sized portion! I've put noodle dishes, rice dinners, soups, and even a huge slice of lasagna in them -- and in the last couple months, nothing has leaked.  At all.  Partly, I think, because I can put the food in when it's hot now, and I screw the lid on while it's still warm, and it seals up really well.  They're also super easy to clean!  My only issue is their lack of stackability.  The glass doesn't quite like to sit on the metal lid very well.  It likes to scoot and slip.  Still thinking of a way to solve that problem, but I'm more excited that I was able to get 8 times the product for almost the same price.  (Update: I found that putting old plastic yogurt or frosting lids on top help QUITE a bit! Little pieces of rubber would work, too, like the kind you get for inside cupboards to stop slipage.)

Seems pretty frugal to me!

Also, if you're wanting to save even more money, just save the short and squat 16oz salsa jars (or the like). These do leak a little, so if you have soup, don't put it in!

BIG picture update

i feel like we've done a lot of fun things the last 2 weeks.  The weather is practically perfect and we've been taking advantage of it.  Scot has had the last 5 days off and we're taking advantage of that, too.

Here are a few pictures of our high lights.

The boys are great helpers.  One of Scot's goals for time off was getting all the leaves raked up before it snowed.  He got it all done, with help from the boys, and just in time.  We woke up to snow the next morning!

We had a delightful time with friends as a local U-Pick-Em Pumpkin Patch and Harvest Fest.  There were bouncy houses and slides, mini-hay mazes, farm animals, a baked goods farm stand complete with mini-pumpkins and gourds.  We went back to our friends' and have a tasty soup dinner that was perfect for the chilly evening!

We were very blessed to score free tickets from friends to the Ringling Bros/Barnum& Bailey Circus last weekend.  We say almost-center court and just 6 rows up!  It was 2+ hours of high intensity and sensory overload, but it made lasting memories for all of us and we're so thankful to have had the opportunity to go! 

There were so many neat "acts" -- it really was like what you see in the movies.  The elephants, of course, were a highlight, along with the trampoline men, the tigers, and poodles. 

We went to our first skating party and had a blast.  The boys did very well.

Evan did really well on his skates -- leaving the scooter-thing to try skating on his own.  And succeeding!  He's a natural, just like his dad!

Otherwise, we're doing well.  We're all getting over colds.  We're adjusting to Scot's schedule more and more with each passing week.  We're loving being close to our family and seeing them as much as we do.  Schooling the boys is going surprisingly well and we're staying on track (most days!).  Life is fun right now.  It has it's down-days, but for the most part, it's good.

our non-camping weekend

For months now, we've been looking forward to this past weekend to go camping with my folks.

As the good Lord, and the weather, would have it, it was not a weekend to try camping out for the first time with little boys.  The skies were blue and breezes warm 24 hours before we were set to leave, but we woke up to snow on Friday morning, and the projected high for down in the springs was 43.  With rain.

No thanks.

So we decided the weekend was much more about the family time, and a lot less about the roughing it.

We faux-camped.

We hiked.  We had a campfire complete with roasted marshmallows and s'mores.  For breakfast.  We hiked some more.  We played games, read books, and enjoyed time as a family.  It was glorious.

The weather turned around Saturday and we were outside as much as possible.

The only "hiccup" we were nervous about with moving back so close to family is that we could lose the fun of all the long-visits.  The early morning/sleepy smiles, the late night laughs.  In order to combat that, we are planning a long weekend down there at least quarterly, and a week long stay in the winter and also in the summer.  We love the dinner-dates, and the days we get to see my folks, but we just don't want to lose the beauty of the every-day activities you only experience when you're living together, even if it's only for 4 or 5 days.

Anyway.  Here are a few pictures of the adventures.

Now that fall clothes are out, the boys dress "sharp" for church.  

They were pretty proud of their new shoes and ties.

A refreshing weekend

When we moved to Cleveland 40 months ago -- I went kicking and screaming.  I hated it.  I didn't know why the Lord would "spring" a move like that on us.  We were supposed  to go to Tulsa, OK.  Not Ohio.  I knew I didn't like sunless winters and sticky summers.  There weren't any good churches near the hospital where Scot was going to be working.  To anyone looking on, I had a good attitude -- but inside I was fighting.  Hard.

I would have laughed in your face if you had told me those first few weeks living there that I would be back to visit not even 4 months after moving back "home".

First of all, can I say that my husband is amazing?  He values my relationships so much, that he told me yes, not only could I go back and and visit friends each fall, but I could start this fall!  

So for 4 days, I visited with friends. I talked late into the night -- every night.  I drank large cups of coffee every morning.  I bared my heart.  I laughed til I cried.  I slept in.  I went for a run with colored leaves crunching beneath my feet.  I was still.  I prayed. I had lunch with friends.  I went apple picking.  I shopped at my old grocery stores (read: Aldi and Trader Joes) and brought back goodies I haven't found here. I read a good long book while sitting silent in the airplanes.

I am refreshed to say the least.  I don't think I knew how dry I was before my trip.  Parched for the fellowship I had grown accustomed to -- the vulnerability that is natural with people who have walked a hard road with you.  Who have encouraged you to keep trudging on -- even though it's though and messy and hurts.

(I found my camera halfway through the trip.  So lunch with gals from my old Bible study and playgroup was not captured -- but it was fun!)

Mitchell's with the girls.  Such a lovely time.

I had a lovely time hanging with these ladies for a few days.
My how they miss my boys and vice versa. 

Apple picking with the old gang -- just missing Scot and the boys.

Macintosh apples.  My favorite.  A 5lb bag for $3 is also a favorite.

Oh.  Did I mention the boys stayed here and had "Grandparent Camp"?  Oh yes.  Scot had to work all but one of the days I was gone, so my folks had a blast with the boys.  They went to the zoo -- twice.  They went out to ice cream, ate their favorite foods, went exploring, had "tool time", played at parks, dug in dirt, watched movies with popcorn, and had a blast.

I told Evan this morning (my first morning home) that I missed him while I was gone.  His response: I tried to think about you, but sometimes I would only think about you when Grammy was kissing me goodnight and I would want to think about you as I fell asleep.  but I didn't.  I just couldn't stop thinking about aaaaallllllllll the fun things we had done that day!
me: so.... you didn't miss me?
evan: no.

So...I guess that means they were in good hands, right?

Happy Fall!

It's officially fall and I couldn't be more excited.  The air is changing, the leaves are turning, we're finally into a good rhythm/routine with school/work/play.  Balancing Scot's time off with the my "normal" routine was harder to adjust to than anticipated, but we're figuring it out with each passing "home day" more and more, and seeing each "home day" less as a vacation (the way our brains have been programmed to look at those rare off days for the past 7 years!) and more as just a wonderful blessing.

We went to a little farm-type-place a week ago on a gorgeous day after all the rain.  We were expecting something more like the beloved Farmpark back in Ohio, but no such luck.  We were quite disappointed, actually.  Except for the chickens, there wasn't much to see.  It was good though for the boys to run off some energy after being indoors for so many days.

The boys are a riot these days.  Here are some random cute quotes:

Drew, on his basketball shorts he wears to bed (that are actually Evan's): Do I look cool, Evan?

Evan: I wish I had three legs, then I would have more support and I could run faster.

Evan went to his first "drop-off" birthday party this week and this was a little conversation I heard between them:

D: But I want to go.

E: I know.  But you get to go to Aunt Nina's with mom.  And she always has juice.  You'll have fun, and you'll get juice.  I bet I won't get juice.

D: Oh.  I'll get some juice for you.  K?

E: Oh no, Drew.  You have to let Aunt Nina offer you the juice, you can't ask for it.  And when she offers you the juice, she'll just offer it to you because I won't be there.

D: Right.  I want to go to the party, though...

A conversation overheard on the playground: 

Evan introduced himself to another little boy and told him he was five, to which the other boy responded he was five, too.

E: Are you five and a half, or just five?

Other boy: Just five. 

E/: Oh, me too!  That's so cool.  We're the same age!

Other boy: (standing nose to nose and measuring) But I'm taller (and he was!)

E: Oh, that's probably because you a ton!

Drew, on how much he loves me: I love you so much, mom, I would run and run and run until I couldn't even walk!

school!

A week ago, we started the journey of home-schooling the boys.  I say journey because we don't know for sure what our plan is for the long haul, but for now, we feel that schooling the boys at home is the best decision for our family right now.  We plan to take it year by year and reassess before making a decision.

You may notice the sign there says "Pre-K" -- without going into all the details behind our decision, we are deciding to start Evan on an actual kindergarten program/curriculum in January and letting him work at it for a year and a half.  He was right on the cusp of being able to start or being fine to wait a year, and we went with the later.  He is very excited to start school and I'm tickled pink to be living in a state so friendly to homeschool families!  There are so many enrichment programs, or just really neat opportunities for us.

Drew is having a blast and doing a great job sitting still and doing "school", too.  I have certain goals for him to accomplish, too, and of course, he's a sponge, so I'm sure he'll pick up a lot of what I do with Evan.  We average 2-3 hrs a day, and the plan is to do that 3 times a week.

I have no idea what it will end up being, but the first week went well.  I'm concentrating on the basics (Bible/calendar/letters/numbers/reading/writing) at different and appropriately challenging levels for both boys. We have three "fun" subjects, music, geography, and art, and each school day we spend 30-45 minutes exploring one of those subjects.  It's simple, but it's manageable, and that's what I need.  This time between now and January is getting us in the groove for what is to come.

It's official, though: a new chapter has started.

Since I'm sure you can't read my tiny handwriting on that white board, I'll tell you what it says.

When I grow I want to be:
Evan: A Doctor
Drew: A Hunter

My favorite color is:
Evan: Green
Drew: Blue and Orange (he's a Bronco fan at heart!)

My favorite activity is:
Evan: Playing with friends
Drew: Playing at a park

My favorite toy is:
Evan: Board games
Drew: Trucks

A few snaps of life

We took the boys to their first movie theater to see Planes with friends and we all loved it.  The boys could follow the story line, it wasn't too crazy with action, it had a good message, and it was full of "plane humor", or so I was told by my friend I went with whose husband happens to be a pilot. :D  The boys could not stop talking about it once we left.

This is the way Drew prefers to watch me cook (don't worry, the burner by his feet is off!)  Look how big he's getting!

In prep for our camping trip into the mountains next month, we bought the boys new fleece hats (their old ones were too small!).  Needless to say, they're loving "trying them out".

Scot is done with boards.  Praise the Lord!  We took the 2 days post-boards to celebrate.  We had lazy mornings, lots of daddy time, watched movies (us adults), and went to the zoo on a cloudy afternoon.  It was a wonderful 2 days, to say the least. Look at those smiles!

Labor Day 2013

I have been looking forward to Labor Day, oh...since we knew we were moving back to Colorado.

Labor Day here means the Balloon Classic down in the springs, and that equals happiness and smiles.  And who wouldn't be happy and grinning with lots of hot air balloons being rolled out, blown up, and floating away?!

The weather is always a toss up, but the Lord was gracious this year, and while Sunday's weather was less than desirable for hot air balloons, Monday dawned perfect.  Clear and sunny with no wind.

Scot had to work, but my folks and I got up with the sun, put together a picnic-styled breakfast, got mugs of steaming coffee (or hot cocoa) and woke the boys for the adventure.

We arrived to the field right as the first two balloons were blown up but not off the ground yet.  It was fabulous.  We were able to see several balloons from first to last step, and we each claimed a different balloon as our favorite.  It was great to see the boys' excitement and enjoyment and share the moment with my folks.

Here are a few pictures from the morning, more can be found here.

Early start meant the ground looked like it was breathing with a very lumpy chest

Three of the first balloons up all looked alike.

Stages of  ascent

My personal favorite

Had the unique opportunity to stand in the mouth of a balloon that was being blown up

This was the last (3rd) wave of the morning.  Beautiful sight to see.

And what's a fair-like event with some funnel cake?

Oh, and the rest of the weekend was wonderful.  (When is hanging out at my folk's house not wonderful?!)  My mom built a teepee for the boys and they enjoyed playing in it as well as having a snack in it while my mom read to them.   We also built a fire, roasted marshmallows, and had a generally great time.  Can't wait for next year, when Lord willing, Scot will be with us!