November 2014 update

Apparently, this blogging thing is getting farther and farther off my radar screen.  One day, I'm sure, I'll realize it's been months since I sat down to write and I won't have the gumption to start it up again.  But now is not that time, and while at times it seems pointless to keep this up with all the other stuff we have going on, I will try, if for no other reason than for my own sake.  To be able to look back and see what we were up to when.  Although, the boys aren't changing quite as much, so maybe it's easier in the long run.

On to the last 6 weeks worth of updates.  Oh boy.

First off, we when it was still very fall-feeling, we raked alllll the leaves in our back yard.  It was a mighty big job.  Over an hour of solid raking to create a ginormous leave-pile.  A pile so huge it just beckoned the boys to jump in.  And what kind of momma would I be if I denied them the joy of jumping in the pile?  For a whole hour, mind you.  Well...I don't know what kind of momma that would be, but we all had fun and they even helped me re-rake and stuff 12 HUGE trash bags full of leaves.  They're great helpers!

We've taken a few trips down to the springs over the last month and a half.  It's a beautiful thing to live an hour away from my folks.  And their zoo.  Especially when it's gorgeous out and the giraffes want to play!  It truly is a blessing to live close-by -- we try to take advantage as much as possible.

 We had a nice snow a few weeks back.  It was perfect weather for cocoa & movies, hot soups & chilis, and sledding, of course!  The boys had a blast in our back yard as well as at a sledding hill Scot took them to.  (Boy am I grateful he loves the snow MORE than they do and is willing to take them out!)

We celebrated Thanksgiving early with Scot's uncle and family.  It's a great tradition we started last year and will continue.  They go out of town for Thanksgiving and Scot has worked the last two, so I make a big spread mid-month and we chow down like it's Turkey Day for real.  I love it.

 In an attempt to instill in our children an appreciation for all the abundance we have, and an awareness of those less fortunate, I teamed up for a friend and we spent a morning assembling "Blessing Bags" for the homeless.  We gathered necessities, some treats, and made fleece scarves to go in the bags.  So far, we've given out 3 of our 8 and each time it's been a blessing to US.  The conversations that have been spawned and the tenderness in my boys is heart warming.

 I turned 30.  Finally.  (yes, yes, I did...)  I spent it quietly with my family and down at my folks just like I wanted.  It was a pretty big deal for me to finally be the age I feel, but I didn't want a big deal made over it, so it was perfect.  There was a special breakfast, gifts, quality time, a nice dinner, and lots and lots of love.

 Thanksgiving day and weekend was spent at my folks.  Scot worked, but was thankfully able to make it down Thanksgiving night at about 5.  He missed dinner, officially, but we were nice and fixed a big plate up for him.  The weather was lovely and we have a great time indoors as well as out.

 Saturday morning after Thanksgiving is when my folks like to get their Christmas tree, so we tagged along and joined in on the fun.  There was Christmas music playing, hot cocoa to be enjoyed, and lots of trees to look at!  They got a gorgeous tree and I can't wait til we're at their house again so we can see it all dressed!!

This is where we live.  Isn't it wonderful?

Ahh...Fall

Fall is here!  Fall is here!!  The leaves on the trees in our back are changing colors. Brilliant yellows and reds.  All the apples are off our tree and the last batch of homemade apple butter has been frozen.  The mornings are crisp and the evenings a little chilly.  There are yells and cheers from the nearby soccer fields as the light fades each night.  There are pumpkins everywhere: on our doorstep, on our mantle, on my recipe cards.   I'm already thinking about what to make for Thanksgiving.

Can we just make it clear.  Fall is my favorite season.  And Evan's, too, he says.  Drew much prefers snow and sledding, so Winter got his vote -- Scot's too.

One of our favorite fall activities, besides our annual Chili Party to welcome the season in, is going to a Pick-Your-Own Pumpkin Patch with friends.  We did it last year, too, and had such a great time we went back to the same place.  And we're planning on next year, too.

The boys had a wonderful time picking our huge pumpkins and then playing on the jump house things, walking around the petting zoo, and climbing/running on the hay-bales.

Here's some proof.

In other news, Scot's schedule is getting much better.  Not his schedule so much as his ability to manage his time in such a way that he's home a lot more.  It makes those otherwise long weeks bearable.  The boys and I are into a good routine with school and life.  It took us a while to find the routine, but now that we've found it, it's getting easier to maintain.  They've started music lessons/classes, too, which is fun, but added another piece to put into the puzzle.

We're loving the fall colors and hope to take a day trip into the mountains to view all the colors up there.  I've seen pictures from friends and it's just gorgeous...

A trip way upstate

Upstate NY that is.

My mom, the boys, and I took a trip to upstate NY to visit my grama earlier this month.  It was a good trip, full of work and fun.  We experienced all different types of weather, the boys had a blast, and most importantly, we made memories.  Mom and I got to go on a few runs on some beautiful trails.  We visited with old friends, spent some time at the orchard I grew up going to (and got to eat and pick apples to our hearts content!), and just hung out.  My mom did a ton of yard work for my grama as well as indoor projects.  I cooked and stocked my grama's freezer.  The boys did a little school each day, but mostly they rode around in their KettCars -- such a blessing to have those available to us.  On the two indoor days we had due to weather, they enjoyed the treat of old movies I grew up watching: The Absent Minded Professor and The Swiss Family Robinson.

All in all, a wonderful trip and good memories.  And a random piece of information, we traveled by 5 different modes each time!  Car, train, bus, plane, and boat!  How crazy is that?!  The boys got to sit in the cockpit of the airplane and got to STEER the ferry we rode from Vermont to New York.

4 generations

Seth and Sam were my first friends (my mom knew their parents before she and my dad got married!) and it's been fun to always get together with them whenever we're in town.  This time, with their beautiful wives and kids!

Roulf's Orchard

I have pictures of me in this same pumpkin patch as a toddler

Husking corn with Grama -- it's the end of summer alright!

The KettCars

August 2014 re-cap

Wow.  How are we in September already?  As you can tell, I'm slacking on the blog.  I don't know if it's just a lack of time, or a decline in interest to write in light of everything else that seems so much more pressing these days, but I am going to attempt to update at least once a month.  If for no other purpose than for my own reference in years to come.

August was almost as busy as July.  Or maybe busier?  We had 2 sets of company, a friend from Ohio at the beginning of the month, and my grandmother (dad's mom) for the last 2 weeks.  My dad officially retired from the military (after 32 years of faithful service!) and we had a ceremony and big party for him.  We went sightseeing in our own state, visited a "beach", topped a 14-er, rode the Carousel of Happiness, picked apples from our tree to make apple butter and apple sauce, and started school.  Oh, and Drew learned to ride his bike without training wheels.  Oh yes people, we're growing up and moving on at a pace that seems too fast at times.

Feeding ducks at a nearby pond.  Love summer evenings!

The boys are doing great.  The biggest change for them has been school.  We're all loving it, though.  Summer was a bit hectic for us and unscheduled, so we're relishing the routine and structure school brings.  Both boys are enjoying the academic aspects of school, too.  Evan accomplishes 4 solid hours every day (3 in the morning, 1 after lunch), and Drew does a mixture of his own assignments and listening in to what Evan is doing for the morning.  It's been a little over a week now and so far, so good.  We're figuring out the best routine for us and trying to maintain a realistic attitude of "it's only kindergarten!" (even though most of his work is on the first grade level...)

In "the crack" at Garden of the Gods

Colorado is a wonderful state.  Seriously, I don't think I'll ever get tired of it.  The mountains and the lakes, the crisp blue skies, the pure grandeur that surrounds us.  It's amazing.  We drove to the top of Mt Evans with our friend, Miss Amanda and were just in awe at how far you could see!  The view was spectacular -- I'd forgotten what being on the top of a 14-er was like!  That same day, we stopped by a great farmer's market and splurged on Palisade Peaches -- oh my my...they were worth it!

My dad's retirement ceremony and party was wonderful.  How great it was to celebrate all that he's been and done for the military.  All the places the Lord has taken him, used him, and grown him.  We were very proud to be there and witness the momentous event.  I made the poster pictured for him in tribute to all the places he'd been in his military career (minus his deployments/TDY) and he loved it.

A super-treat for the month was having my grandmother come to visit for 2 weeks.  She was a great help around the house, loved playing games and reading with the boys, and offered her free babysitting services to us.  So we took her up on that a few times and were able to celebrate our 8th anniversary with a nice lunch out.

In other news, Drew is riding his bike all by himself.  Scot had been saying for a couple weeks he thought Drew was ready, but I wasn't so sure.  Well, lo and behold, in under 20 minutes at the track, the kid was going the whole way around (1/4 mile) by himself without falling!  He did a whole mile by himself and was quite proud of himself (us too!).

Both boys are still huge helpers.  Evan has started helping with the yard work/mowing, and they have both started truly helping in the kitchen.  Each week I try to have them help me make dinner.  It's slow going at times, but so worth the sweet memories we're making with it.  Our newest adventures are apple-centered as we realized this past month that we have a huge, lovely, producing apple tree in our backyard!  As in, my second batch of apple butter in the crockpot as I type and my house smells aaaamaaazing!  Love that fall is in the air!

And lastly, the Carousel of Happiness.  Such happiness it caused us.  A very unique carousel tucked away in the mountains.  We went up with friends, rode the carousel, played at a park, had a picnic near a stream, rode again, and had a grand time at the "handmade candy candy-shop"!  It was a wonderful way to end the month.

Camping. For reals.

                           

Finally, we can say we've gone camping as a family.  Real camping.  Sleeping bags in tents on the ground.  Chilly mornings with my dad working over the good ole Coleman.  Washing our faces with frigid water out of a bowl.  Mosquito bites.  Camp fires and roasting marshmallows on sticks found in the woods and whittled down.  Clear night sky with more stars than I remembered.  Hikes.  Three of them.  Running water in streams, afternoon sunbeams through dense wooded area, wildflowers galore.  Rain.  And lots of it.

The boys did great through it all.  Heck, who am I kidding -- I did great through it all!  It was a 48 hour period of time from Friday afternoon to Sunday lunch, and I wouldn't trade it for anything -- mosquito bites and all!  The Colorado Trail ran strait through the camp ground and we took full advantage of that, enjoying gorgeous scenery as we hiked.  The weather was fickle, beautiful for a few hours and then pouring rain like we hadn't seen in quite a while.  It rained so much our campsite started to flood and Scot and my dad dug a trench to divert the water and "drained" the site very effectively.  We were so thankful for my parent's EZ-UP canopy and tarps.  If it weren't for those niceties, we would have packed up and head the hour home.

The other sweet thing about this camping trip was that the boys were able to sleep in the van with my folks.  They got to sleep in the same spot my brother and I did as kids.  Used the same blankets, even.  It was very special for my parents and for me.  Vanna is truly a generational vehicle.

Our favorite parts of the trip were the marshmallows, the stars (I had seriously forgotten how many there are!), the hikes/wildflower, and all the family time.  We played frisbee and card games, the guys played a version of ping-pong over the hammock, and we had adventure walks.

Evan gave the best compliment at the end of the trip before we started packing up.  He asked if we were staying another night, and when I told him we weren't, he was bummed and said he really wished we could stay longer.

The funniest moment, potentially, was Drew telling me that the I couldn't go pee in the bathrooms because I could fall in because they were many many feet deep.  

...and July 4th

While I'm at the computer, I guess I should quickly post some July 4th pictures!

We went down to "the springs" to celebrate on post with my folks for the weekend.  We packed a picnic dinner and enjoyed people watching as we waited for the festivities to begin on the 3rd.  There was a great band playing and it was wonderful to be with family.  There was about an hour where the sky opened up and there was a chill in the air and we all wished for mugs of hot cider or cocoa, but hey, it's Colorado (and we were prepared)!  In true Colorado fashion, everything cleared and we were good to go by the time the first firework went off!  The boys faces were priceless -- it was their first true show -- and really, it was my first in many years so we were all in for a treat

On July 4th, Scot and my dad woke up crazy early to "do the incline" -- Scot was a beast and made it up in 32 minutes!  The rest of us slept in.

A hike was in order for us, and we tried a new trail that did not disappoint.  The vistas were beautiful and it was just hard enough that the boys felt they really worked hard to get to the top.  We picnicked by a stream, spent the early afternoon at an Arts & Music Fest, and then laid low the rest of the day.  It was great.

I hope you all had a great 4th as well!

I now have a 6 year old!

I don't know how it happened, but it did.  It's been six wonderful years since Evan was born!  We celebrated with a very low-key, family-oriented day -- just what the birthday boy wanted.  We tried to catch crawdad is a nearby stream, we played frisbee in a field, we just sat and talked.  He requested a picnic lunch and "lots of just hang out time".  He is still sweet as can be and others-centered and I can't wait to see what this next year holds!

We love you, buddy!

 We got him a harmonica and he loved it!  

Almost as much as his playmobil-sized pickup truck and cake...

He requested a cake "with mountains" -- I had no idea what to do, but I can up with this and it worked like a charm.  He was so excited when he saw it.

Happy 6th, Evan!!

Unexpected Sweetness

I'll sit down for a little long later today (hopefully.  maybe... ) and write about Evan's 6th birthday and our 4th of July festivities.  But right now, I wanted to very quickly share about some unexpected sweetness that occurred, very literally, last night.

When you move into a new house, there are highs and lows.  The delight of new (insulated) windows and the cleaning up of a creepy basement.  Uncontrolled excitement and back-breaking work.  Sheer joys married up with shadowy unknowns of home-ownership.

And sour cherries.

We have a sour cherry tree in our back yard and for the last 2 weeks the boys have been picking a few of the more-red ones and popping them into their expectant mouths only to have their cheeks suck in as I watch their faces turn into a pucker.  And then a smile.  Repeat.  Needless to say, I didn't think they would be good for anything but attracting squirrels.

Last night, the boys came in and asked if they could please pick only three cherries, so as to not ruin their dinner.  I said yes, and as I watched them out the kitchen window as I was making said dinner, I noticed that most of the cherries had turned a deep dark red.  I grabbed a couple bowls and headed outside, instructing them to pick as many little cherries as they could and if they picked enough, I'd try to make a little dessert for us.

Mind you, I don't normally like cherries and have therefore never tried my hand as anything cherry related.  And also keep in mind, dinner was 25 minutes from being on the table.

They picked and picked to their hearts content -- 2 bowl-fulls each -- and I had 6 cups of cherries when all was said and done!  Evan wanted to "be a team" and helped me wash and pit each. and. every. one.

And then, because we were out of time and dinner was getting cold, I just sprinkled some sugar on top of the pitted cherries, gave it stir, stuck it in the fridge while we ate dinner, and hoped for the best.

All I can say is that sour cherries taste mighty fine in a little sugar and there wasn't even the slightest pucker on any of our faces as we enjoyed the fruit of our labors.