Christmas Greetings

Thanksgiving

Our first Thanksgiving dinner at home with just the 5 of us. It was actually really great and we may have caught the "stay home" fever for future Thanksgivings. C was very nervous about my first attempt at a Turkey but as anyone knows, anything can taste delicious doused in that much butter.

The "Thankful Pig" that we stuffed full of notes about our favorite things about each other. We read the notes after dinner. A great tradition.

Gugg and His Blanket

Mom: Grant, that's not a blanket you use. It is a blanket that sits on the couch.
Grant: Awww, I thought a blanket was supposed to be a blanket.

GTU and Ella

Want to watch? Here is the link:

Durable Kids Clothing from Oopsie Daisy

This week, Ella was on TV. She was a clothing model for a children's store called Oopsie Daisy.

Ella's dumb mom forgot to tell her to look at the camera instead of the host so we really only got a good profile shot. But she is awesome nonetheless.

She was really excited about it and told the kids at school. Isaac, who sits next to her in class, told her he didn't believe her. This is the same Isaac who breaks his promises to her.
So, we would like to say . . .
Take That Isaac!

All Hollows Eve

Halloween started early this year at our house. I had surgery the first week of September. Days before my surgery, Grant confessed that he had two big concerns:
1. I wouldn't feel good enough to decorate for Halloween after my surgery, and
2. That I would die and Cory would marry a monster that ate him.

So Grant and I kindly asked C not to marry a monster if I die, and we pulled out the Halloween decorations on September 1.

On Halloween day, we were greeted by...
Little Red Riding Hood
A member of the S.W.A.T Team
and
"Joe" the Chuck-E-Cheese employee, complete with mullet and 64 oz mug of who knows what.

Once Halloween was over (actually, almost to the very second it was over), the witches were replaced with Turkeys and the pumpkins were thrown off the roof. Because . . . well, why not?

Photo Booth

Scenes of Denver

The Lobby of the Brown Palace Hotel
We went on the coolest tour here. The hotel historian was weaving tales of gold, ghosts and brothels. The hotel has so much history. We took tours of the Presidential suite, saw Napoleon's treasures, and searched for intentional artistic mistakes in the hotel.

(me sitting on the President's bed)

Denver has the best and biggest maze of an REI store. I think Cory was in heaven. I was just hoping to not get lost.

We went to a Rockies game in Coors stadium. Afterwards, we ate the best meatball sub I have ever had (actually it was the only meatball sub I have ever had but I'm still sure it is the best).

We took a tour of the Unsinkable Molly Brown's house (big lions on her front porch) and went to the King Tut exhibit.

Birthday Wishes

zachary,

you have the most infectious laugh . . . remember when we went to the Oakley rodeo and the dog's did all of those funny tricks? no one around us was really laughing at the dogs. they loved your amazing, hearty, eye-watering laugh and were laughing right along with you.

you are so good with your little cousins . . . and any other toddler you spend time with. we are always so proud of your patience, tenderness and responsibility with them.

you are smart, determined, loving and kind.

happy birthday!
love,
cage

Visitor

Yesterday I shuffled the kids off to school and decided I needed to start cooking/baking again. I always "joke" that we eat out six times a week. This is only a joke because we don't eat out six "times," we eat out six "days." Often Lunch and Dinner. Since we remodeled the kitchen, I can't seem to master my oven. Its a nice professional oven. Apparently you actually have to be a professional cook to use it. With the kids out of the house I decided to make Lion House rolls and homemade Oreos. I started the roll dough only to discover I have no salt. Really? Who runs out of salt. Since my parents are a few doors down, I have an emergency stash to access. I got in my golf cart, pulled out of the garage, and bent down to put the golf cart in forward gear when I noticed something in front of me. I looked up and less than five feet in front of me, I see a huge buck . . . just standing there staring at me.

I didn't know what to do. I couldn't reverse . . . fence
I couldn't go to the side . . . retaining wall
Pulling back into the garage is a slow process
Couldn't go forward . . . buck

So we both sat. For several second although it seemed like a lifetime. Then suddenly, my golf cart started to buzz. It has a buzzer that lets you know when you are in reverse.
It never works . . . until now.
The golf cart starts to buzz, I jump from the noise, the deer takes off.
I snuck in and grabbed my camera and tracked him down across the street eating the neighbors apples from their tree.

School is In

Its official . . . School has begun.
No more Mondays at Cowabunga Bay
No more sleeping until 10:00 every morning
No more afternoon movies

We held our 2nd annual "First Day of School" breakfast. We set out donuts, pastries, fruit and drinks on our front walk for all the kids at our bus stop to enjoy. Since our bus stop consists of Zach, Grant and Ella, their four cousins, and their five closest friends in the neighborhood, it works out well. It also helps to take away those first morning jitters.

First Lake Trip of the Year

The first lake trip of the summer is usually accompanied by some hiccups.
Highlights of our trip:

The BAD

Lost power to one waverunner in the middle of the lake - had to be towed in by strangers.

Lost power to second waverunner in the middle of the lake - had to be towed in by brother of previous strangers.

Had to beg strangers to tow the waverunners back to the docks.

One waverunner was difficult to tow and kept tipping and turning - found out plugs had been left out and waverunner was full of water.

I couldn't figure out how to deflate the tube so the I shoved it into the car smashing the kids.

My attempt of backing the trailer down the ramp to reload dead waverunner.

The GOOD

Dinner at Maxwells - Best pizza in the world

Being outside with family

Ella on Religion

The following is a conversation between Ella and her friend Carly on the way to dance:

Carly: Jews believe in just one God.

Ella: Really? We believe in three.

Carly: You do? Who are they?

Ella: Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and Zeus.

I'm not really sure what to think...

Mothers Day Wrap-up

Here are some highlights of Mother's Day week-end:

First

Cory is in charge of the Cubscout Bike Rodeo Pack Meeting on Tuesday. So on Saturday he decided to build a "bike teeter totter" for the scouts to ride across. The truth is, it's actually pretty cool...too awesome for me to ride my bike across. I left that to the boys.

Greg

Greg

Zach

Cory

Second

We had Grandma Doris and Grandpa Hal over for a pre-Mother's Day brunch. We fixed cinnamon french toast bites with blueberry sauce, steel cut oatmeal (for C since he can't eat the eggs), fruit and brown sugar bacon.

Third

On Mother's Day, C and the kids gave me a new bike. We took a long bike ride around the neighborhood. We rode through the park which was full of kids playing tag. People were out walking and sitting in their yards. It was a perfect Mother's Day.