Yee Haw!

It was that time of year again and how could we resist putting on our "yee haws" (Ady's boots as she calls them) and visit our Western roots?  Most of the time Denver feels like a hippy-ish, pot-loving, exercise-freakish town, but once I year we get to see the other side and even act like them a little.  It almost feels like a different world, but the girls love to visit the animals and watch the rodeo.

Dad and I took the "little" girls to the stock show on a weekday to take in the smells, feed the aggressive goats, and even ride a pony.   They had a blast and couldn't wait to see the rodeo the next week.

 Ady finally mustered up enough gall to feed those pesky goats

The next week the whole fam went to the rodeo.  We'd been preparing the girls for the events, and they were ecstatic to see the wrestling, bull bucking, and the clowns.  We again toured the grounds and even got to watch the Clydesdales getting ready for the rodeo.  Steve and I were in awe watching those majestic animals, but the girls were less than impressed.

Getting ready to leave

 Of course we had to go on CU night and we just happened to be swimming in gold and black pom poms.  Ady picked one up and rubbed it in daddy's face, and all hell broke loose.  Brooklynn was in tears and couldn't understand why we'd torture daddy like that.

Brooklynn was a real cheerleader for the events.  It was amazing to see her excitement for each event, and you'd think she was a rodeo enthusiast.  They all decided they wanted a shot at the mutton busting next year and Chandler would try her hand at barrel racing.  A girl can dream, right?

Sick Bugs Hit Again

After Christmas we had a rough couple of weeks.  Two nights the big girls were up from 12:30 to 6:30 a.m. puking (because they can never get sick during the daytime).  That was done.  Then Adaley woke up from a nap one day with a fever that subsided with Ibuprofen and then she was back to herself.  We did this routine for a few days and the fever was gone.  Whew!  She continued to take long naps and wasn't quite herself, but we figured she just had a little cold.  Next was Steve - on his deathbed with a  sore throat!  After the doctors diagnosed him with Strep Throat it hit me.  Ady had Strep!  She had it for almost a week now.  Kick in the mom guilt and I was off to Kaiser to get her some antibiotics.  I couldn't believe I missed it!  I couldn't believe how tough she was.  

As a parent of youngins', from November to February our house is filled with snot-running, croup couching, projectile vomiting everywhere!  We rarely go to the doctor, because, most of these are viral and just need to run their course.  I guess that's how I justify my blind eye this time.  Three office visits later, because by then Brooklynn had the sore throat and Chandler pink eye, we left Kaiser antibiotics in hand ready to get it done!  Luckily I was the only one to not catch any of it, but it was a rough week!

Typical scene - She passed out playing Just Dance on the Wii

Those antibiotics work quickly and we were able to get back to the normal routine.  We'll be keeping Kaiser in business this winter!

Since Brooklynn and Steve were still sick I took the girls to the Zoo Lights on its last night.  The weather had been so frigid after Christmas we hadn't gotten a chance to go, but we bundled up in the wagon and went out for a quick visit.

Chandler loved the 3D glasses

Poor Ady tried to wear hers but they kept falling!

Our Favorite Visitors

We're all so excited when the Thompsons are in town to visit.  The girls just adore little Callen, and I think the feeling is mutual.  Our days following Christmas were jam-packed with the Thompsons, but we enjoyed every minute.

When it snows in Colorado you have a short window of opportunity to sled, because it always melts so quickly.  So we knew we couldn't pass up the chance to sled and take Callen out for his 1st sledding experience.  The girls have become pros with no fear.

Papa and Adaley getting a push from daddy

 The 3 girls

 I was brave enough to do the big hill with Steve!

 Josh and Daddy pulling the wore out girls

Another day we met at the Butterfly Pavilion to get out of the frigid temps.  It turns out the humid habitat for the butterflies was chilly too, so we had to play the "dead or not" game.  Yuck!

Bubba holding Rosie the tarantula (who says you have to be 3?)

 The girls and their favorite aunt!

 Magra and Papa with all the grandkids

*I wish I had more pictures of the girls with Callen, but he's a kid on the move.  Maybe next time....

What to Get the Girls with Everything?



Steve and I have really struggled lately trying to find gifts for our girls.  With 3 girls, they have every Barbie doll, doll house, and dress-up stuff you could ever imagine.  We've finally decided we are just sick of the CRAP!  The cheaply-made China toys just break.  The must-have toys are played with for a few days and then forgotten, lost in the black hole of the playroom.  A few years ago we did the last-minute run to Toys R Us and just started grabbing toys off the shelves.  While the girls were excited when they opened all the toys, their excitement was short-lived, and I was fed up!  We had a revolving door of toys being shipped off to Goodwill.  What a waste!  And I couldn't help but feel very un-environmentally friendly.

So we've taken a different approach.  We want to shower our kiddos with experiences, not CRAP!  Last year it was the Florida trip (and although Santa couldn't be so generous this year), we decided taking the girls to a nice play would be perfect!  So they each received a small "Santa" gift and tickets to The Grinch.  They absolutely loved their small gift and were ecstatic to go to a fancy show.  It was perfect!

So we headed out to the dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory with Kenz in tow.  What a fun place to eat - it felt elegant but kid-appropriate.  Always a win-win!  



It was so cold but the girls were good sports trekking around downtown!

The show was amazing - great acting, singing, and props.  To see the looks of awe on the girls' faces was priceless and beats any toy any day.  Let's hope we can keep filling them up with the experiences rather than the crap, but how do you do that in a materialistic society?  Ugghhhh

Christmas is Here!

There's so much anticipation leading up to this one day, but our girls actually had 4 Christmases in 3 days!  We were hoping they'd be able to last with no meltdowns or pukers for the time, and they were awesome.  I attribute it to them being a little older and not needing to nap.  

The festivities began on Christmas Eve at the Weslings.  The girls were ecstatic to spend some time with the Thompsons!

Getting ready to leave.  They always look the best on Christmas Eve, and it gets a little worse each day.  I just can't keep up on the dresses and hair!

Opening stockings

Callen was thrilled....swear!

Lookin' good girl

I'm not sure what happened here, but a perfect example of how quickly things can go sour for a 2 year-old.

And they're ready for presents!

Present time!

We came home late and got our Santa plate ready.  This year Brooklynn wrote her own note to Santa, and it was cute!  They insisted on celery for the reindeer.  I was a little worried with them being older they would try to pull an all-nighter and then be up super early.  We definitely had to wait it out for awhile before playing Santa.  Steve went to check on them before we got the gifts out and Ady was crying in bed.  She said, "I don't want Santa.  He gonna make me dead."  It was quite sad and a little creepy, but who really wants a stranger in their house, anyway?   Fortunately, they slept in like always and we had a great Christmas morning.

She always has this innocent look in pictures that I just love!

Later that afternoon we headed to A-town to celebrate with mom.  The girls had fun playing with all the cousins after we engorged ourselves with a yummy dinner.  It was nice to have that "big family" meal again with everyone.

Hard to believe we couldn't even get one boy!

Grandma Betsy playing Santa

Friday it was off to Bennett for our last Christmas.  Dad hosted this year, while the kids had fun picking on Kenz.  You can tell the outfits and hair get less fancy each time!

Although the girls were spoiled, yet again, with lots of gifts, the best part was spending so much time with our family.  It was one of the best Christmases I remember - great food, great company, and a great time to reflect how grateful we are for all we have!

Random December Craziness!

Every year I attempt to get my poop in a group and get all the Christmas shopping done early so I can enjoy the hectic month known as December.  This year I was fairly unsuccessful, but we still had some good times.

First up was a Broncos meet 'n greet through one of Steve's vendors at work.  We were so excited to see some of our favorites and the girls were most excited to meet the cheerleaders...of course.  It was a fun night and the players were so nice.  We didn't get to meet Von Miller - of course he had to have the longest line.

Brooklynn getting Emmanuel Sanders' autograph (The girls were so shy)

The sweetest big guy, Luis Vasquez

 Family pic with Sanders (maybe he'll adopt our cute family)

Posing with Ronnie Hillman

We also spent many nights driving around to look at Christmas lights.  Ady was hilarious this year, screaming with excitement with all the blow-ups.  The big girls usually passed out, too drained to endure the tours.  We found some new lights this year in a lavish neighborhood not too far.  They live in a cul-de-sac and professionally decorate the 3 houses and their massive yards.  We felt like we were at the Zoo Lights!

Of course there was the annual trip to Bass Pro Shops for some hillbilly fun!

 Showing her sister how you shoot a gun!  Such a proud moment!

Lunch afterwards (and they actually ate like this) 

 Cookie decorating with the Ochs kids

Steve had told me all year that if the Rams go bowling we he was going.  Although they didn't make it to the Fiesta Bowl, which would've meant an Arizona weekend, we had to settle for Vegas.  I was a little reluctant to go being so close to Christmas, but then what the heck?  When would I go to another bowl game?  And who can say no to 24 hours in Vegas?

Well they say, "What happens in Vegas.....stays in Vegas" and for that reason I have few pictures of the trip.  We landed around 9 on Saturday and immediately boarded the bus to the stadium.  After an excruciating game and a long bus ride back, we were off to dinner at the Hofbrauhaus and then a little gambling before calling it a night.  We woke up the next morning and it was back on the plane - turns out 24 hours in Vegas is just perfect!

Our "group" - only 3 of us were left standing (literally) after the game for dinner

 Ready to cheer on our Rams!

Once we were back and rejuvenated Christmastime was in full swing......

School Celebrations

The week before Christmas break feels a little crazy now with 2 kids in school with programs and parties.  The preschool programs are always my favorite.  There's just something so special about these little kids learning the songs and performing for their families dressed in their finest.  Chandler's program this year was super cute but lacked the crying child who freaks out or the random shout outs to family members, which always cracks me up!  She came home from school and practiced her songs, so we knew she'd be a pro up there.

Chandler's class

 They even had choreographed songs!

Wednesday was Boo Bear's class party, which her teacher did an amazing job organizing various stations with crafts for the kids.  They all had a blast and left with some cute swag.

Brooklynn decorating cookies

 Modeling her crown with Madison

 I had Ady with me for the 2nd half of the party and she just sat there and colored and didn't know what to think of the crazy 1st graders!  After the party Mrs. Martinez read a story to the kids and she managed to sit with them and listen.  Of course she's almost as tall as a few of them!