Parade of Lights

We made the annual trek down to Denver on Saturday to see the Parade of Lights. We were going to meet Brian and Sara and fam for dinner, but of course we got stuck in nasty traffic. Seriously, whenever RUSTY goes to Denver it is a nightmare. Any time I've ever gone by myself or with friends I never have any trouble. But put him behind the wheel and you are sure to get stuck in a traffic jam. So we got there right as the parade was about to start only to find that the bagel shop we were going to eat at was all sold out of bagels. They had other bread, but it just wasn't the same. Despite the rough start the parade itself was great! The weather was perfect--it was warm enough that we didn't need hats or gloves, which made things so much more enjoyable. After the parade was over we walked to our car, which was on the 5th level of the parking garage, only to find that cars were backed up all the way to us trying to get out. After waiting for 20 min we decided to call it quits and go get some hot chocolate. We found a Starbucks at the 16th street mall and sipped our hot chocolate while we watched all the Denver craziness go by. We went back to the car an hour later, and luckily things were cleared out. Next year I'm driving.....

Thanksgiving

It was just us for Thanksgiving again this year.  I actually really like cooking Thanksgiving dinner, and get a little carried away.  Although there were only 4 of us, I made 3 pies, a 14lb turkey, and mashed potatoes to feed an army, among other things.  I worked for two days getting everything ready. Thanksgiving is a meal at my house where we DO NOT eat healthy.  Real butter on everything, full fat gravy, sugar galore--it is a feast.  Well, my baby is used to eating cereal, white bread, and fruit. And she (I'm almost sure it's a she) really was not a fan of Thanksgiving dinner, and she let me know it for two days straight.  It will be a LONG time before I eat turkey again....

Now for a Halle story.  We had been talking about the meaning of Thanksgiving and how it is important to say Thank you to our Heavenly Father for all our blessings.  I told her that one of the best ways we can thank Heavenly Father is by sharing what we have with others.  She had received a Walmart gift card for her birthday that she has been really excited to go and spend.  I told her there were lots of kids out there who didn't have nice toys like she did.  Then I gave her a choice to either buy a fun new toy for herself, or to pick out a toy to donate to a toy drive for a little girl who doesn't have very much.  She chose to pick a toy for someone else, and she had so much fun doing it.  She was really picky about the toy she chose--I kind of thought she would just pick up the first one that looked ok, but she searched up and down the aisles, and compared a bunch of different ones before settling on a My Little Pony that had clothes you could change.  Halle loves to serve others, even just in our family and I am so thankful for her sweet, generous little heart.  

Now on to Josh.  On Thanksgiving morning we took the kids to see Bolt.  (BTW, GREAT time to go to the movies--there were about 5 other people in the theater!) There is this one part near the end of the movie where Bolt thinks his owner, Penny, doesn't love him anymore.  Right at this exact moment Josh starts to cry.  Rusty and I chuckle at the concidence that he would cry right at this sad part in the movie.  But then he started pointing to the screen and saying things like, "Poor Doggy! Doggy so sad!"  He was really feeling sad for Bolt!  In fact he got so distraught that I had to take him out of the theater for a few minutes.  My sweet, sensitive little guy!

Grandma and Grandpa come for a visit

My parents couldn't get away for Thanksgiving, so they decided to come out the weekend before. Halle was so excited that Grandma and Grandpa were going to have a "sleepover" at her house b/c they usually stay in a hotel. Friday night after they got here we went to Good Times for some homemade custard. My kids LOVE LOVE LOVE going out to eat or going to get treats. The next day we went down to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, which was really a lot of fun. They had a neat dinosaur exhibit, a fun space exhibit, and a discovery zone where the kids played all sorts of games. We had a yummy lunch and explored and played until we were all pooped. After coming home for naps we headed to Hacienda Colorado for dinner, stopping for pazookies at BJ's on the way home. Halle got Grandma and Grandpa to play Candyland with her a million times, and Rusty and I enjoyed sleeping in a little while G&G got the kids up and fed them breakfast. It was so fun to have them here and we hope they come again soon!

Have you seen the $200 give-away??

TheBlogFrog is giving away a $200 Target gift card just in time for Christmas!  All you need to do is post on your blog how much you love TheBlogFrog and you're good to go!  If you are not a member yet, it's super easy to join.  Go to TheBlogFrog homepage for details and the entry form!  Happy Blogging and good luck!

Halle Girl's 5th Birthday!

Our little Halle Berry turned 5 on Sunday! She had an awesome cowgirl party with her friends yesterday where they got to make balloon animals, make a barn picture frame, and get animal tattoos. She got so many fun presents and can’t decide which she should play with, so she just bounces from one thing to another. Her party this year was a breeze—it’s amazing the difference even one year makes at a bday party. But, it also helped that Brian and Sara came to help us with all the crafts and crowd control. We had pizza and cake and ice cream and after we ate the girls sat quietly and played with Halle's new Barbies while the boys wrestled—ending in one bloody nose. But the favorite part of the party had to be playing bop the balloon with Rusty. They all had their animals and Rusty would throw them from the top of the stairs and they would try to keep them in the air. The kids must have run up and down the stairs 100 times.
Then later that afternoon we went with the Loveridges to see Madagascar. All the kids loved it—even Josh. He sat through the entire thing!
Now for some fun facts about Halle. If there were one word to describe Halle it would be “friendly.” She is a friend to everyone she meets. Whenever we go to the park, pool, or wherever, she always ends up with a new friend. Also, recently at parent teacher conferences her teacher told me that she is a social bug who often has to be reminded to cut back on the chit chat. Umm…..Mom, sound familiar??? But her teacher said she is also the one to befriend everyone and make sure everyone is included and happy.
Halle loves all things animal, and if there is a dog at the park you can bet you will find Halle parked right next to it. She also loves Indy and White the Kitty, and sometimes forgets that we go to Utah to see our family—she just wants to play with the animals!
Halle is also becoming an excellent reader. She is very patient and will sit and read her Bob books at night with Dad. She is already to level 5! She loves all things with screens—movies, TV, computer games, and will watch whatever is on, even if it’s the 5:00 news. Halle has also been such a huge help since I’ve been sick. She is so good to play with and take care of Josh. We love you so much Halle! Happy Birthday sweet girl!

Some videos for the Grandmas and Grandpas

Happy Birthday Josh!

Our baby Josh turned two on Monday! I feel like his little life has flown by so fast--I cannot believe he's two. Although from the temper tantrums he's starting to throw, I guess I really can believe it! In honor of his birthday I thought I'd tell you all a little bit about our little guy. I think if there was one word that would describe Josh it would be "sweet." Ever since he was born he's been our little cuddle bug. He is also quick to use his nice words and always says "thank you," "you're welcome," and is quick to jump in with "bless you" whenever anyone sneezes.
Some of Josh's favorite things include: dum dum suckers, (never leave home without 'um!)Veggie Tales movies, specifically "Larry Boy and the Rumor Weed," trucks, swimming, and playing at the park. He also really loves to go shopping and totally recognizes the signs for Costco, King Soopers, Target, and unfortunately, McDonald's. Some days when he's sick of being at home he'll come and grab my hand and say, "Mom, go hop in big car and go shopping!" That always makes me laugh.
He also quite likes to go to church and sing songs. He was absolutely riveted during the primary program and when the kids would get up to give their talks he'd say, "No more talk, SING!" Also, if I ever dress him in a shirt with a collar he always says, "yeaaa, go church today!" We hope this attitude lasts through his teen years....
Josh had a fun bday party with the Loveridges, Szabos, and Keazers coming to celebrate with us. It was a tractor themed party and the kids all got construction cone cups. They were adorable. We had dinner, lots of playtime, and of course, CAKE. Happy Birthday Josh! We love you so much!

Our little Halloween Spook!

Yes, that's right, we're having an.....alien! Although the ultrasound was done on Halloween, the Dr. assures us it is really a BABY. I am 10 weeks (1/4 of the way there!!)with a due date of May 30th. Halle is so excited she can hardly stand it, and is really hoping that Heavenly Father will send her a sister. Josh of course doesn't really get it, and when I tell him we're going to the dr to check on the new baby he says, "Why? Is baby cryin?"
I've been feeling my usual yucky "pregnancy induced nausea and vomiting" but the Dr. has me on both zofran and phenergan, which is at least making life bearable. I feel ok during the day, but the evenings are pretty bad. Hopefully that part will be over soon....
So that's the exciting news at our house!

Trick or Treat!

Happy Halloween! We had a great time trick or treating on the "Real" Halloween last night. Our ward had a trunk or treat the night before, and Halle had her preschool Halloween party on Thurs as well, and both of those events were the "fake" Halloween. Halle has had her costume planned for months. She was a baby. It was awesome for me--I just got her a new pair of pj's slapped some pigtails in her hair and we were done! She did have a cute pumpkin binki as well, but of course that got lost before picture time. Josh was our little superman (also pjs with a little red cape) and he was fascinated with all his treats. (See video on side bar) It was the perfect Halloween night--I think the high temp for the day was 77, so we didn't need coats or jackets or anything. We can't wait to blog hop and see everyone's cute pics!

We LOVE Fall!

Fall has got to be the best season. It's like the best of both worlds--there are still days you can pull out the shorts, and then other days you get to cozy up in a soft sweater. And the leaves.....who doesn't love the leaves!
Saturday happened to be a BEAUTIFUL fall day (80 degrees!) so we took the kids out to Anderson Farms. It's a little bit expensive for a pumpkin farm, but for a day's worth of entertainment it was worth it. The kids got to go on a tractor barrel ride, feed the bulls, walk around the pumpkin patch, and have a picnic lunch. I promised Halle she could get a special treat like cotton candy or something like that and she was so excited. Well, the dumb place only accepted cash, and I only had about 5 cents in my purse. She was devastated, and I felt so bad. But we went out and got a special treat later that day. Josh got to sit up on the big tractor, and he was in HEAVEN. I'll post the tractor video, which is the new favorite of the day. He loves his "dios" (videos) more than anything in the world!

Help me test the latest Blog Frog widget

Hi Everyone,
This is Rusty- I'm hijacking the family blog for some Blog Frog testing, hope you don't mind.

Lately I've found myself visiting someones blog and wanting to just say hi, or say something that didn't really relate to a blog post. Or I've stumbled upon an old friends blog and I would want to say "Just dropped in". The only place to do this was the comments- which seemed kind of out of place. If I want to just say hi, that's not really commenting on their blog post. Plus nobody reads any comments except for the poster and the author- so it didn't really feel like a friend conversation.

So the next Blog Frog social widget is the "Chat Wall". It's a place to just say hi without getting buried in the comments. I'm excited because it's the first widget that is interactive with the visitors.

I'm hoping to release this on TheBlogFrog tomorrow so give it a whirl and let me know what you think (the more honest the better). If for some reason it doesn't work let me know with a good 'ole fashioned comment.

Thanks for your help!!!

Birthday # 27

Rusty threw me an awesome birthday party this year. We went down to the tennis courts by the community center and taught all our friends how to play nerfis. Everyone loved it, and we need to do it again soon. It got dark a lot more quickly than we would have liked, so we ate cake and snacks in the complete pitch black. Thanks to everyone for coming!
There is only one pic of me, and my mouth is full of cake, so I don't think I'm going to post it. You'll just have to imagine how great I look.

We also had a very fun FHE last night. Last weekend Sara and I went out to dinner and then to Women's Conference at her Stake Center. (It was also awesome to have a girls night away from the kids) Well, on our way we passed this awesome park I'd never seen before. It had a cute lake and a huge playground. So for FHE last night we packed up a picnic and headed over. The kids loved wading in the freezing lake and feeding the ducks. Josh is obsessed with music right now, so his favorite part was the "piano" (see pic below). Halle's favorite part was playing on the swings. It's amazing that you can live somewhere 3 years, drive very near this park A LOT, and not even know it exists. So if anyone is needing a change of scenery let me know.

10k, new car, and firefighter museum

On Sept 4 I finished my last race of the "Erie Series"--the 10k. I made my best time yet, and finished 2nd overall in the series. This was the first race where I really feel like I hit my stride, and I had so much fun, and it felt great. Running the 10k was my goal for the summer, so I'm glad to check it off my list. Now I'm looking forward to the "Erie Erie" in Oct!


We also got a new car this month! (Well, new to us anyway) It's a 2003 Toyota Sequoia and WE LOVE IT. Sara and Brian got one a few months ago and we fell in love with it on our drive to Estes Park. Now, we didn't mean to copy them so completely, but theirs happens to be white, and of course the one we found and liked was also white. So we are twinners. Now we need to have about 3 more kids so we can fill the car up! (triplets anyone?)


Now on to the firefighter museum. Sara and I took the kids to downtown Denver to the firefighter museum. We were all in need of a distraction, and the kids were glad to get out of the house and go on a little adventure. Well, it wasn't quite as great as we imagined it might be. I should qualify--Sara and I weren't that impressed, but the kids seemed to have a great time. The favorite part was the firetruck the kids could climb on and "drive," as well as the cool outfits they could dress up in. We thought we'd be there all day, but after about 1 1/2 hrs we were pretty much done. So then we took them to Chic-fil-A where they had a blast in the kids area and probably would have stayed all day! but I guess the day must have been somewhat of a success b/c every night since then Josh says "Thank you for Firetruck" in his prayers.

In Loving Memory....

I feel like I can't do another post until I mention the biggest thing that's happened in our lives this month, the loss of Sara's sweet little baby Peter. Sara has a beautiful post in honor of his sweet memory. Although is has been such a hard time with many questions and many tears, it has also been one of the most faith promoting times. There have been so many amazing stories associated with this tragedy that have made me sure that we have a loving Heavenly Father who has a plan for our lives. I had the opportunity to go out to Utah for the funeral, and in seeing Peter's perfect little body I was filled with a sense of his spirit, and what an amazing, strong, courageous soul he his. I am so thankful for our knowledge of eternal families and the eternal perspective the gospel gives our lives. Our hearts and prayers are always with Sara, Brian, Braxton and Bree and we know little Peter is keeping a close eye on them from above.

Weekend of Water

We had a fantastic, fun, water filled Labor Day weekend. It all started on Sat with a trip to the Boulder Reservoir. Umm...Native Coloradens, WHY HAVE WE NEVER HEARD OF THIS PLACE UNTIL NOW??? It was AWESOME! There is a sandy beach for the kids to play, and you can rent canoes, paddle boats, etc. This was like a little bit of Heaven to Halle and Josh. Halle kept insisting that it was the ocean, and no amount of reason could convince her otherwise. We rented a canoe and paddled around the lake. Josh was a little nervous, but by the end he was sticking his hands in the water and rocking the boat. He is now totally obsessed with watching the little video we took of the boat. We have probably watched it 200 times since Sat. I have a feeling that next summer this will be one of our favorite hangouts. (Boat Video is on the sidebar)

Then Monday we went to bid a fond farewell to pool season. Vista Ridge was holding their annual Labor Day pool party, but we tried to get there early to avoid the annoying DJ they hire every year. The kids LOVE going down the slide (also on the video sidebar) and Halle can swim from the slide to the edge of the pool by herself. She must have a GREAT swim teacher ;). But the fun didn't last--Josh was running up to the slide and of course he slipped and konked his head. He cried forever and never fully recovered enough to have a good time. So we cut our losses and headed home for LONG naps.
After a delicious BBQ dinner we headed over the Anthem, a neighborhood near us, to walk around their beautiful pond. The kids loved throwing rocks and wading in the water and mud. We are sad that summer is winding down, but Halle is looking forward to Fall so she can wear all her new, funky tights.

6 down, Eternity to Go!

Last week was our 6th Anniversary! This weekend Sara and Brian offered to watch our kids so we could have an overnight get away. It was so fun for just the two of us to be able to spend time together. I am going to spoil Sara big-time when her baby is born to repay the favor. Needless to say, the kids had a BLAST with Braxton and Kambree and they both wanted to go back to the Loveridges today. So THANKS YOU TWO!!
Rusty and I went to Red Feather Lakes, which is about 45 min outside of Fort Collins. It is a BEAUTIFUL little desserty mountain town with about a million little lakes. The first thing we noticed when we got there was the Quiet. Seriously--it was the kind of quiet you imagine after a nuclear bomb has hit the planet. We stayed in these cute little cabins called "Hilltop Cabins" that were right on the edge of a lake. That night we took a walk by the lake, went to dinner and Del-Rae High Country Restaurant (can we say FRIED FOOD???) and then got ice cream and watched the Olympics all cozied up by our cute fireplace. On Sat we did a little more hiking and then rafted down the Cache La Poudre River. The river was beautiful, but the ride wasn't quite as wild as we had hoped. Lots of very calm floating, and not so much white water rapids. But we still had a great time. We then picked up the kids from Sara and Brian and drove home. Sara called just a few min after we got home and told me I had left my purse at her house! GOOD GRIEF. So, being the kindly folk they are, they drove all the way to our house to bring it to me. In her prayers that night Halle said, "Thanks that Braxton and Kambree could come give Mommy her purse so we could have just a little bit more fun."