Happy Gram - Big girl!

Aveyn got a happy gram at school today!! I didn't realize they did them in the Young Toddler rooms, but I am so glad that they do. She is progressing in leaps and bounds and it is so fun to see her little personality and her abilities develop more and more each day. Her teachers love her and so do we!!!

'Aveyn has been doing great at eating lunch and drinking from her sippy cup! The past few days she has been picking up her cup & drinking without us even asking her. She's also been trying new things during snack/lunch. So exciting!!' Ms. Kristina & Ms. Rachel

Family pictures

With the holidays just around the corner, I decided it was time to think about our family pictures. In the past, my dad and Kim have taken our Christmas card picture for us, but they are in Florida and my attempt last year to take a picture with the self timer feature on our camera turned into a bit of a fiasco. I scoured Craigslist.com until I found an ad for a photographer and after I visited her website, I fell in love with her personality, her style and her spunk. We decided to meet at Cheesman Park in downtown Denver on Saturday, October 30th. The weather was supposed to be nice and since we were going to be out of town the following week, I wanted to get them done as soon as possible.

Mandy was great and despite the wind she assured me that the pictures were turning out really cute. I was nervous because the kids weren't cooperating (do they ever), the wind was awful, I couldn't see what she was taking and how they were turning out and it was making me crazy. At the end of the session, Mandy told me should would probably have them to me within the week and EVERY day I checked the mail (and her blog) to see if they had arrived as I desperately wanted to see them before we left for Mexico. I got the CD on Friday (the evening before we left) and was pleasantly surprised at how they had turned out although I was hoping for a better family picture, but with kids what do you expect?

Perhaps I'll post a teaser of what our Christmas cards are going to look like OR maybe I'll make you wait....bwa ha ha ha ha (insert evil laugh). I will also be uploading them to Shutterfly where they will be available to order in any size you want at the prices listed on the website!!

Cowboys, Kitties and Bees..Oh My!

I am not going to lie - I really don't get into the Halloween spirit very much, but I enjoy picking out the costumes for the kids and taking pictures! I suppose I will enjoy it more once Cael and Aveyn understand the concept, have definite costume ideas and are excited about going trick-or-treating, but this year I merely tolerated the holiday. Unfortunately, Aveyn was sick so we decided that she should probably stay at home with me while Ryan took Cael out for a quick trip around the neighborhood. As usual, Cael was a hit in his costume and got a ton of candy, which he wanted to devour as soon as he got back to the house. Meanwhile, Aveyn had fun handing out candy with Mommy and everyone loved her kitty costume.

I had bought Cael a cowboy costume, but decided that the outfit that Barb made a few years ago was much cuter and made a better choice. I am hoping she will make the costumes for the kids every year because I think she does such a great job and they turn out so adorable. Happy Halloween everyone!! Hope you had a great time and got lots of candy!

{Cael} Kids Say The Darndest Things

Cael loves nuts of any kind and has started requesting cashews as a snack, however, instead of cashews he calls them Cash Tubes. HAHAHAHAHAHA - LOVE IT!

{Aveyn} Quick Update - Health

Aveyn was sick with a fever all last week so Ryan and I kept her out of daycare thinking she was fighting a cold. We took her to the doctor a few days later only to discover that she had double ear infections (owie), which the doctor rated an 8 out of 10 in terms of pain and severity. She also told us to bring her back in if her ears started bleeding (I am sorry, what...... BLOOD??) so they could re-evaluate and possibly prescribe medicated drops. I felt like the worst parent in the world, but she showed no signs other than the fever and being a little more cranky than normal. When Cael had ear infections, he wouldn't sleep unless held in an upright position. The doctor just said that at this age girls have a higher tolerance for pain (I'll say)!

Girl's weekend

Ryan and Chris went hunting so Kyli, Veronica and my mom came to Denver for a girl's (plus kids) weekend. Mom bought each of us a velour 'outfit' so we could all be twins (or triplets) and the idea was to sit around, talk, laugh and watch the kids play together. Although it wasn't always easy, it was still a good time! *thumbs up*!

Given we had the kids, I think we did a pretty good job of entertaining ourselves although we decided that a true girls weekend was a MUST (the boys can't be the only ones who have fun)! We did a little shopping, but mostly hung out at the house, drank, ate and acted as referees for the kids. I had fun and I think they did too!

In an attempt to burn some kid energy, Kyli and I decided to take the kids up to McDonalds (yes the Dreaded McDonalds). Mom stayed at the house for no other reason than my car was out of commission (at the dealership being worked on) and we didn't have the space in the Passat. She graciously offered to stay at home so we could get the kids out for a bit. Cael LOVES McDonalds and it was a great way for all three of them to burn off some energy. 

I am so grateful that they came out because otherwise my weekend would have been a long and lonely one. We're hoping to make it an annual tradition and it will only get better as the kids get older. I, for one, can't wait! Love you both and thanks for a great weekend!

Rescue Us

I think we have already established that when my mom, sister and I get together that anything can happen and their last visit was no exception. I took Friday off and ended up using that time to get my car fixed (brakes were going bad), run some errands (trips to TJ Maxx are a must) and have the carpets cleaned (what a nightmare with three kids in the house). While the guy was here for the carpets one of the fire alarms started beeping like they do when they need a new battery, but with everything that was going on we didn't have time to figure out where it was coming from. After dealing with the kids the beeping was starting to drive me crazy so my mom and I set out to change the battery in the fire alarm on the main level. When that didn't work we assumed we had the wrong one so we went upstairs to change that battery and when that didn't work we changed the battery in the basement. At this point I was ready to pull out my hair because the incessant beeping was driving me INSANE. I unplugged all of the fire alarms and that STILL didn't work so Kyli, after doing some research on the Internet, suggested we call the local fire department. I have to admit I was embarrassed, but I was also completely befuddled and was a little concerned that it was more than a bad battery. The fire department said they would send someone over shortly and soon there were two EMT's at the front door. They spent 15 minutes trying to figure it out until one of them asked if we had carbon monoxide detectors in the house. I apologized profusely and they were wonderful about the whole incident. Kyli and mom asked if we could take some pictures and they were kind enough to oblige. As we opened the door to let them leave we discovered three firemen and a fire truck in the front yard (this was turning into a party). Apparently, things were a bit slow at the station and they decided to respond to the call as well. We got lots of great pictures in the ambulance, fire truck and with the guys and the kids loved every minute of it. Sweet Aveyn was asleep in her crib and slept through the entire ruckus, including when they were testing the fire alarms all over the house.

Thank you to the Aurora Fire Department for putting up with us and letting us take so many pictures!! We had a great time and it is an evening we will remember forever!

Happy Gram - Cleaning Up

Have I mentioned how much I love the Happy Gram? It makes me......well.......happy :) Primrose keeps a folder for Cael that I am supposed to clean out every evening when I pick him up, however, suffice it to say it doesn't happen as often as it should. Regardless, I love seeing the little 'Happy Gram' paper sticking out amongst all of his other school work. They don't make him out to be a genius and they don't try to stroke my ego - they simply acknowledge when he has done something well - whether it be listening, cleaning or learning. It offers me a glimpse into what he is doing while I am at work and I appreciate it more than they will ever know.

'Cael did an awesome job picking up toys at two centers before circle time this morning. Super Job Cael'! ~Mrs Kelly & Mrs Stacee

Bass Pro Shops - who knew?

Over the weekend, Ryan needed to go to Bass Pro Shops to pick up a couple of things for his upcoming hunting trip and the kids and I went with him to make sure he didn't spent too much *wink* Normally we run errands and the kids have had enough after about 30 minutes, but at Bass Pro Shops they have created a kid friendly environment with the animals {Cael kept roaring at the bear and wanted to pet them}, fish and sheer size. It was easy to keep them occupied and Ryan was able to shop without worrying about whether or not the kids were driving me crazy. I had fun, the kids had fun and Ryan got what he needed....sounds like a perfect shopping experience to me.

I kind of want to start going to Bass Pro Shops every weekend to give us something to do and a reason to get out of the house, especially because the weather is going to start getting cold. Too bad the store is so far away from our house - although who knows, it might not stop us if the kids need a way to burn off some energy.