Arrived. Only the journey is just beginning.

hypnotized underwater?

2012-01-23T13:06:00.003-07:00

              Griffin: "I wanna be hypnotized underwater."

"Hypnotized, where did you hear about that?"

           "Awana"

"Awana?"

         "Yep, after you know Jesus, you get hypnotized"

At this point, I'm laughing so hard, there are tears just streaming down my face. We were all in the car, so I just kept facing forward, so he wouldn't see me.

Jeff says, "baptized?"

         Griffin says: "yep, baptminized!" If you don't know Jesus, you can't go to heaven."

I'm grateful for the deep down laughter that, that brought to my day, but mostly I'm glad we were all together for that moment. Jeff and I shared that moment equally and were involved equally and will always be thankful we get to do this parenting thing together. I love you, Jeffery!

The only question now is, where DID he hear about being hypnotized. I guess that's for another day :)

Bring on the year of the "four fingers."

He's 4!

2012-01-16T21:44:00.000-07:00

He's 4. It's bitter sweet...yah yah yah...I won't go into that here, 'cause I poured into Griff's journal on this topic. The only I could really get out of Griffin for a party was flashlight hide and go seek...so we went with it. I was leaning toward a detective theme, but everything I saw was a bit cheesy, and it wasn't coming together. SOOO in my search, of course on pinterest, I came across the "mustache bash" theme. I went with it and it turned out so cute. His birthday kinda caught my by surprise this year, so I must admit, I cheated and used a TON of stuff off of ETSY this year.

I read a blog my lovely friend/cousin, Loleeta, posted about the perfect "mom blog," so here's a little blog truth for you...the morning of Griff's party he started crying saying he didn't want a mustache party, but instead wanted a DINOSAUR party. A dino party?? this kid has never touch a dinosaur in his life, his father hates dinosaurs, and I have NOTHING ready for a dinosaur party. We ended up talking our way through it and he did get excited and enjoy it, so there's some "mom blog" truth for you.

As a photographer, the camera is a bit haunting. What I mean by that is, I always have to be ready for the perfect shot, which leaves me less than present in situations/parties/what have you. BUT if you give it up and are present it always lingers in your mind that you are missing the shot of a lifetime. I gave it up for this party. My FABULOUS sil, Denise, took almost ALL of these shots for me and I love them. I am so grateful she did this for me. I had my phone ready for a few shots and yes I did use it, but not very much.

Thank you to everyone who helped me pull this off. I KNOW I couldn't have done it without all of YOU!

The flashlight hide and go seek was a totaly success. So very fun!

Our Christmas Puppy :)

2012-01-12T22:15:00.001-07:00

Merry Christmas to Ailee.

We'd like to introduce to you the newest member of our family: Charlie. Griffin named him TOTALLY on his own. We could completely live with that name, knowing our other option was probably Sonic or Mario :).

Yes, he's all of ours but we all know he was really for Jeff and Ailee. PROPS to Daddy for knowing his little girl. She ADORES this little guy. They both take abuse from each other very well. Ailee, surprising, deals with his little teeth like a champ, and Charlie takes the lovin' with much patience.

No animals were harmed during this hug session :)

Both of our kids LOVE to join him in his bed, which usually means they are both in there and Charlie gets the boot!

First project of the year completed!

2012-01-11T13:41:00.000-07:00

What was supposed to be a fast/quick craft turned into a 5 month project, for no real reason, just life I guess. In September, my boy and I had a date at Looney Bean, with an amazing Cinnamon roll I might add, to start our "R.I.D.E." project. It got off to a great start and that's where I left it for months...oops. Well, anyway, I finally finished it and it's up in his room. We have a serious Travis Pastrana lover in this house. We're hoping to be able to watch the new 3d Nitro Circus movie with him, we'll have to check the reviews when it comes out. :)

I bought these letters at hobby lobby, they are the paper mache 3d kind. My goal was to modge podge them, but i haven't had much luck with that stuff, so I went with a glue stick.

And just like that they are up and the boy loves them!

Christmas 2011

2011-12-27T14:20:00.002-07:00

And a happy new year...

Bring on Christmas...

2011-12-08T16:42:00.000-07:00

My friend, Martha and I were reading each other's minds when one day we both said we needed to have a kids Christmas party. So, this is what came of that day. We do these things for our kids, right? I hope with all my heart that my little guy remembers this day with such joy!

Each child received an apron with their name on it...

Thanks Coke and Jenn for letting us borrow your goods.

These jars later were filled with white and red, homemade, play dough. Griff had the idea that we make ornaments with ours. You don't know what joy that brought me knowing I wouldn't have one mess of just pink crumbles around my house. SO...now we have two handprints and two stockings drying waiting to be hung on "their tree." Nonetheless...

Such joy, I tell you...I have truly ARRIVED on this journey to the place where my cup is just pouring out. Speaking of cups...hello, perfect mason jar, personalized with a tdf straw from ETSY. You also make my heart sing.

There is some serious work going on here.

Another joy...these mommas lovin' on their kiddos! We missed those of you who could not make it, next time?

Griff, your momma sure does love you. Amazin' cookie decorating skills, btw~

The whole crew...

Martha, thanks for all your work and for doing this with me. I had a great time and it was all worth it to watch all those smily faces covered with sugar!

Experiment 52, # 40 {Just lovin' eachother}

2011-11-13T20:38:00.008-07:00

experiment 52, #39 {one step closer...)

2011-11-06T14:07:00.001-07:00

...to those pigtails.

Experiment 52, #38 {Party before the party}

2011-10-30T13:29:00.001-06:00

On Saturday, Main Street had a big carnival for our littles to enjoy. We ran into some good friends and LOVED seeing their costumes.

Daddy, of course, LOVED putting together Griff's costume. He even went as far as emailing CU's athletic department for the actual helmet decals. He also found the "ralphie" costume for Ailee. These two have such a great dad.

Experiment 52, #37 {pumpkin patch, take TWO!}

2011-10-23T13:39:00.001-06:00

Yes, there is a fountain involved, but this time I promise there are pumpkins too. :-)

When it comes to the "entertainment envelope" in my life, this is where it's spent. I'd rather, any day, be here in this moment WITH my kids then any other form of entertainment. If it's the 4 of us doing something together, an adventure of any sort, count me in. We love us! (right, Kathy?)

In the last week, literally, we have seen our little one's personality coming out strong and proud. She is, in fact, her father's daughter. Strong, certain, quick, adventurous, loving, and yes even spirited. Which, on the other hand is very different from our "old soul" son. He's cautious, thoughtful, creative...well, quite like my brother, and he's even been hit by his little sister. Did he hit back, no...just very sad that she would do such a thing. Don't get me wrong, he's got his mischievous side too. He talks a lot of smack.

They are a perfect combination. I LOVE that they will push each other to try new things, encourage kindness, help stick up for each other, learn to love people that are not like themselves, and be siblings for the rest of their days. Those things make my heart smile.

And, yes, of course we had a great time getting out of town and hitting this fall fabulousness up for a fun morning. You two, I love you more every day. I am blown away that I get to spend so much time with such incredible kids. We even had a little cash left in the envelope to enjoy Chik-fil-A for lunch...hahhaha.

Pumpkin Patch, take 1.

2011-10-19T14:33:00.000-06:00

WAIT! There's no pumpkins in these pictures...Okay, okay, maybe it's just an excuse to show off the little lady sportin' a FOUNTAIN. These are the things I've been waiting for. When I was a nanny, I loved doing my Gracie's hair. Now it's my turn to do just that on my own little girl. Once again, ARRIVED. My heart actually beat faster this morning as we were getting ready. The next destination: pigtails. I'm pretty sure that day will send me into palpitations.

Griff, I love your bravery and your face here.

I got text from a friend that she's in labor, so excited to meet the new baby in a few days. On the flip side, our Mimi is most likely going to meet Jesus sometime today. Life is wild, life and death are both miracles in their own way. Praying for many hearts as they both welcome and prepare to say goodbye today.

I heart faces

2011-10-17T22:34:00.001-06:00

Experiment 52, #36 {I heart cousins}

2011-10-16T23:03:00.000-06:00

What a difference a year makes.

Last year, we were happy to get one good one and this year they didn't want to stop taking pictures.

My kids having tight connections with their family ranks at least in the top 5 of my dreams for them. Let me just say, it's looking good for our first born. He LOVES his cousins, and he's even starting to tell who is who. hahaha.

This absolutely warms my heart.

May you three always be able rock your moves together.

So blessed.

Experiment 52, #35

2011-10-09T21:26:00.019-06:00

This boy LOVES Awana! (Try not to focus on the fact that I haven't sewn on his patch yet...). In fact, we both love it. We get to learn Scripture together, and on top of that I attend a wonderful class during his class.

The unseen blessing: Ailee and Daddy get 2 straight hours together ALONE. I have seen a night and day difference in their relationship. Her face lights up when she sees him and runs to him in the morning and when he gets home at night. Makes my heart smile TOO.

Anywhoo, Griff really enjoys his teachers and new friends also. He's rockin' our his Scriptures and is thrilled to start filling in the patches on his vest as well. In the next few weeks, he and Daddy are going to work on his derby car for a competition coming up. We're very thankful for all his teachers and their service to all the little ones. May God bless you all 10x for investing in my son's heart.

I heart faces...

2011-09-26T21:57:00.000-06:00

Photo Challenge: People’s Choice
This is a picture of my son at 18 months. Oh, how I love that face. Time, it is a-movin' and my heart is full that this moment was captured. Check out the other entries on their site HERE!!

Experiment 52, #33 {woop woop, preschool!}

2011-09-25T23:17:00.001-06:00

This post is dedicated to our dear friend, Danie Koskan. Dhar, I just want you to know that my son was the only one who was attending preschool for the first time this year. So, here's a picture of him doing just that.

...and you know that we got his backpack at travelin' tots before they had to close their doors, which we are still sad about. Anywhooooo...

G-Man, you were so excited to start school. Yes, not exactly sure what that even means, you still want to go see your buddies. We have the privilege of sending our boy to school with 2 of his fav little guys. We are still figuring out this new stage and what it's all about. So glad you LOVE going and can't wait until it's a school day again.

I'm am not such an excellent host...

2011-09-18T23:14:00.000-06:00

Heard this in church today for the first time. So very good and so very true.

Thanks, Travis, for all you do for our church body.

Experiment 52, #32 {back at it...}

2011-09-18T20:58:00.000-06:00

It must be September and the beginning of fall...

He feels it in his bones. It's time to color. He took the whole summer off and now it's time go get back at it. I'm not talking one picture and we're good to go. Hours and hours of coloring is had by this little man. His first choice: motorcycles. They have to have a guy on them and they HAVE to have helmets on. A new choice today: sonic. Interesting.

When there's no room left on the refrigerator, why not use the front door? Good, thinkin' little man. He always tells me how much daddy will like his pictures when he gets home, and which one one will go to his office. Last week he took three pictures to school. One for the teacher, one for the Brayden, and one for the little friend we call Lane.

We talk about what it means to focus, to really get the job done. He's going places, these little hands are gifted. It will be a joy to see what he chooses to do with these gifts.

Seriously, this one is mine? Oh those chocolate eyes...

sun eventually follows

2011-09-13T15:32:00.004-06:00

Griffin:

What would we do without you? There was one day during our vacation when I went down to the beach alone. I sat and sat there, just thinking I should love this peace and quiet (although beautiful and yes peaceful) but, you weren't there running around filling buckets, doing crazy dances, squealing, building castles, and chasing waves. So, I packed up my stuff and headed right back to the room. I told daddy, I have to wake him...so I did. The three of us headed back down to the beach together. Your sister slept and grandma stayed to look after her, it worked out perfectly.

And you know what happened, I felt such peace. We built castles, daddy made pretend farmlands, we ran through waves and you and daddy played football. I loved it. You are such a dream.

I have so many great memories of you in Florida. Your first soda, first face painting, first beach experience and seeing your love of fountains.

All these things made my vacation so fulfilling. Every time you took a sip from your "very cool" can you made such a grimicing face and acted like you loved it.

We said, it looks painfully delishous. You wanted to get your face painted just like Gavin did on his vacation. This was really big for you, you almost backed out, but you stayed the course and we're all really proud of you for trying something new.

The beach, where do we begin...not only was it the beach, it was in the South, WHICH, I'm certain we're Southern people stuck in mountain-town bodies. I digress, you loved the beach once we coaxed you into hanging out there and checking out all the cool stuff we can do there.

God was really working on my heart while we were gone. Lesson: contentment. The first two days were really overcast followed by our first encounter with a tropical storm for another 3 days.

Albeit amazing, we weren't exactly there as storm chasers. I felt like it was the curse of another Pollard vacation...a bummer.

You, you didn't notice at all. Daddy and I kept saying, well actually he kept telling me, "if the kids are happy, we should be too." He was so right, all you cared about was being with your parents, your Ailee girl, and maybe getting a few new toys :-). I'm learning that God doesn't care if we have rain our whole vacation, He cares about my heart. Is my heart in the right place, if so, you better believe we are going to have an amazing time together. I'm still learning little man, will you please help me love moments as you do? I so desire to have joy in my circumstances, location, company, the weather, health, and life...

The weather pulled through for us, for 3 straight days. While my heart still needs some work, our vacation was picture perfect in the end. Storms come and the sun eventually follows. Griff, we found our spot. It's in Seaside, Florida. We love it and we're most definitely going back. We dreamed of buying a place there where you and Ailee could one day each take your families to visit. Time will tell. We love that you are in our story.

Maezie,

You did it. You learned to walk in Florida.

Your expression is forever etched in my memory. You had the look of such pride, such excitement and determination for new adventures.

You, little one, fill us with constant joy.

Just watching you laugh, especially at Griffin, brings us all the joy one could muster. We are learning more about you as you come into your own. You are a lover first, always offering up kisses, and one kiss won't do, it's more like 3 or 4. Also, a added bonus, you come in mouth open.

You were a great little traveler, you slept well on the plane and in our condo...Thank you :-)

You absolutely loved the pool and most definitely hated to the beach.

do you see what I see? Yep, those are socks...looks like they didn't lessen that pain much.

You are not a fan of sand, but sister, trust me you will grow to adore it. One thing is certain, in that beach sunset light, you eyes glow and draw me in to you even more. There was a day when we got out on the beach and decided the Ergo would be perfect for you. So, daddy and I packed you in and went for a walk. It was another one of those peaceful moments, you on my back and the three of us walking the shore line looking for shells. Had you not been there, it wouldn't have filled my heart the way it did. You felt the peace too, you snuggled in and zonked out for about an hour.

I love what you do to me. I dreamed of having you long before you ever came to our family. You too, could be a Southern girl, but while we are here in CO, I'll work on getting you some sweet bows for that hair.

I love you two with all my heart and had the best vacation, as a family, to date :-)

Experiment 52, #32 (a few more vacation pictures)

2011-09-11T23:06:00.002-06:00

Okay, maybe more than a few, but there are so many great ones...

Experiment 52, #31 {phone photo week in review}

2011-08-28T17:32:00.000-06:00

Experiment 52, # 30 {3rd anual pool date}

2011-08-19T22:41:00.003-06:00

I think now that we have done this 3x, it's gotta happen every summer. So, no getting out of it now. It's tradition. Last year's POST.

So fun to see our kids connect. At times we just sat back and watched in awe as they enjoyed each other without us making it happen...although Griff did get in his personal space a few times. :-)

Thanks Ky, for teaching Griffin even more swimming moves. Every year he watches Ky and comes away more confident, adventurous, and brave in the water. I love that plan.

Ky, you get more handsome every time we see you.

We did it, we got a picture together...I love that our boys took these last three. You know it was hilarious for whoever was watching us try to coach them on how to take the pictures. Oh well, they did a pretty good job.

Lacey and Ky, we had such a great time with you two. Thanks so much for making the trip down to swim and stay with us. I'm thinking next year, you should come down and we'll go to Ouray.

I love that I got to be a tourist in my own town, which also allowed for us to chat even longer. I'm hoping to see your finds on your NEW walls soon. Congrats, btw.

Let's grow old together, what do you say? I can see us walking down main streets in any ol' town finding the perfect "something" for our homes. Once I have the vision, it's gotta happen, I hope you are in!

Lillian Sage.13.years.

2011-08-19T11:50:00.000-06:00

Lillian Sage

This little beauty was born the day BEFORE I left for college. It was a bittersweet time. I was thrilled beyond measure to be able to meet my niece, but heart broken that I would be all the way across the country in SC. Her little body was perfect in every way, her skin so soft and her smell, dreamy (her momma had the smell department completely covered...Lily of the valley, anyone?). I missed her dreadfully.

13 years? We are all so proud of you. We love the lady you are becoming and the heart that is developing inside you. I absolutely adore watching you with my kids. You are so great with them and they just love you to pieces as well.

first time seeing Griffin

at the hospital with Ailee

Lil, you are beautiful. I'm so excited to see what God does with your life. You have blessed my family and I know you will touch many lives with your caring spirit. Happy 13th year, girlie. You are a special one, may you always know your value.

iHEARTfaces.

2011-08-15T22:58:00.002-06:00

This weeks photo challenge at iheartfaces is "beautiful eyes"
Go check out the others at: http://www.iheartfaces.com/2011/08/photo-challenge-beautiful-eyes/

Experiment 52, #29 {waterworld}

2011-08-14T21:46:00.002-06:00

Water World

Good times were had with the fam. Ailee stayed with Mema and rest of us headed to Denver to celebrate Lilli's 13th birthday. (More on that later)

Although a bit busy, we still had a blast together.

okay, it's official, I need anti-side mouth smile therapy. That has got to go!

You will see from these pictures where Griffin and I hung out for the day...He rocked these slides. Up and down, up and down, up and down...feet first, head first, on his bum, back, and anyway he could.

He's getting a little coaching here from Uncle Patrick.

The other folks did FOUR rides in all, so lesson learned...don't go on a Friday.

He absolutely loved this place.

Dhar, can you believe that his shirt still fits?

"hey momma"

Okay, this one is going down in the books. Lil you may see this again, maybe at your wedding. I'm not sayin', i'm just sayin'

He was one tired boy, can't remember the last time he actually fell asleep on one of us.

Experiment 52, #28 {My Girl's Par-Tay}

2011-08-07T23:43:00.131-06:00

"A girl is to be two things, both

Classy and Fabulous"

I absolutely love how this came together. It takes a family to pull this off, for me, at least.

This name banner now hangs in her room as a reminder of her special first birthday. These pictures bring such joy to my heart. This day will go down in the books. Thank you to everyone who was able to come a celebrate our one of a kind, girl.

These are the bags that my fab SIL put the finishing touches on. Perfect.

Jenn, my friend and fabulous cake maker, from Sweet Spot Cakes, delivered in a BIG way for our little girl. It was perfect. Thanks. She also made Ailee's smash cake...so cute.

Once upon a time I made a birthday banner to hang perfectly at my girl's party, then the wind came and the hubs had to improvise. Love that guy and the banner is still pretty cute.

No picture on the invite? Yes, it's true. Classy and simple. Success

Float Wrap (picture) in the background, 12 days old :-)

D's picture.

Love that birthday GIRL.

Rockin' it on all fours.

Thanks Lil, for pulling through in a BIG way to help with Ailee during the set up.

For those of you that don't know, this is a called a "birthday party smooch." This guy knows his smooch lingo.

Love these two little rascals.

Watermelon is a girl's bestfriend.

Oh Gma, we love you. Thanks for hosting the party and for being soo sweet to our kiddos. Much love, can't wait for the BEACH!!

Oh my word...this girl is a kisser. We can't get enough of these wet kisses.

Mema's touch, and boy does she have the eye. Thanks for keeping the girl while we made since of the madness.

We sure do love these two, thanks for all the love, Moms.

getting started...

the whole fam...

Are you dyin' yet? Just look at those eyes...be still...

just for fun...me on my 1st birthday

We finished the night with some fireworks and she loved all the colors...pointing and screeching and watching in awe. The loud ones: not a fan.

We did it, she arrived. She's 1 year old and we love it. Let me go back for a minute to her birth...scary for moment, but thankful for that reminder that life is fragile. May I always remember, that I only have today. And today we had a party. This girl is funny, ATTACHED, pretty, an old soul, a kisser, a demander, adventurous, and ours. OH and are we so grateful. Be blessed little one and know that you are loved.

this girl IS both classy and fabulous

Looking forward to seeing who you become, but trying to capture who you are right NOW.

Prep for the party...

2011-08-02T22:39:00.080-06:00

You spend so much time getting ready and it's over before you can sit back and enjoy it. It's a good thing I LOVED every minute of preparing for our girl's first birthday party. Jeff kept telling me, with all the hours and hours you have spent getting ready, I sure hope you truly love all this crafting. Come to find out, I DO!! I got my inspiration from a few blogs, this one, this one, this one and and this one. There were at least two trips to GJ's Hobby lobby, our walmart and target, and my mom and j's mom's cute stashes.

The theme was: Cute As A Button...meets Roses on a Summer Night.

This was by far my favorite project and also took the most time. It's funny to look at these super feminine "kissing balls" and realize I made these and yes, they are really cute. Who would have thought? They are made with streamers. One pretty rolled rose at a time...

The beginnings of the birthday banner...then in the next picture, I'm doing the final step of hot gluing the ribbon to the paper...next time I might attempt fabric. Paper was great for the first go round.

This below is Ailee's name banner that will go under the cake table. My color theme: pink and gray. My SIL told me I needed to add another color, I fought her hard, but she won in the end and I had to humbly tell her how amazing the blue looked. Good choice, D!!

cell phone pic...

Type A!! to do list: Yes, it's true, I typed my to do list for the party. Oh man, sometimes the truth hurts. hahaha

For the party favors I found TDF gift boxes from hobby lobby. We (meaning D, who stayed up until 1am) filled them with sugar cookies that looked like buttons and a couple other small round cookies. She then glue coordinating buttons and wrote out each child's name on each one. Team effort, I tell ya. The finished product will be posted in the next post.

This is my Mom's touch: she filled these glass containers I got at Hobby Lobby with all of her REAL pearl buttons. Good eye, mom.

Thanks Jeff, for putting up with little pieces of paper, streamers, and more buttons then you can imagine, all around our house for a few weeks. Also, Mom and D, you pulled through for me at just the right time. And Mil, we so appreciate you opening your home to all our friends and giving us the freedom to do whatever we wanted. And Mostly, thank you LORD for giving us our little girl to celebrate.

8.1.11

2011-08-01T23:00:00.000-06:00

1 year ago...

today...

Ailee Mae, today is your day. So happy for you.

We started off the morning with singing and personalized pancakes :-), a huge success!!

Then at lunch we headed out to meet daddy at Great Harvest. Last year we got our nurse, Carol, a gift basket from GH and thought it would be fun to take her somethin' special from our girl one year later.

So we did...off to the hospital to deliver our gift. Unfortunately, she wasn't working at the time and had to leave it for her. (she later sent a thank you in the mail, so thoughtful!)

I had to capture a few more smiles from her day.

Then for dinner we met Daddy again for a special night out at Stone House. Didn't quit realize our whole day revolved around food, but I guess it did. hahha...we know what's up!

and She LOVED her special cake.

Experiment 52, # 27 {The days before...}

2011-07-31T22:52:00.003-06:00

...she turned ONE.

Believe it or not, I had never seen the Colorado, wild flowers in FULL bloom until this last weekend. We made it a two day ordeal. The first day was in Crested Butte and the second day was in Ouray, Yankee Boy Basin, to be exact.

I was completely blown away at the beauty. Everywhere you looked there were meadows full of the most vibrant reds, purples, blues and yellows. It seemed so fitting to be in such natural beauty as we celebrated our girl.

She too is beautiful. Her eyes. They light up my whole world. It's like looking at them for the first time every time. I'm certain I'll never tire of fully taking them in. I love what I see in those eyes. Security. Hope. Truth. Innocence.

Over the next few days we will celebrate her, her first year. Unlike a lot of moms, I'm thrilled she's about to reach this amazing milestone. She's beginning to connect more, communicate, move, kiss, love and experience what we love about our family, each other.

Yes, those days of holding her tiny body, resting my face on her sweet smelling head, and watching her perfect little body rise and fall as she sleeps, are only but a memory, photograph or video now, but...I'm excited for the new ones to come.

photo by Caryn Ahern

We love this adventurous and spirited one.

This past week she only wants her Momma, I know this stage will pass too. At times it's wearing and others times I hope it lasts longer than I know it will.

Thank you, God, for knowing that I needed her,

and that they needed her too.

I know we only have today, I pray I never really know what that means.

Ailee, you turn 1 tomorrow. You now have a number :-)

I love all the color you bring to our home.

Blue in your eyes, pink in your clothes, red in your TOOTHLESS smiles, and the caramel in your hair. We love you right up to the moon...and back.

Experiment 52, #26 {2 wheelin'}

2011-07-24T11:55:00.002-06:00

It all began 1.5 years ago when Mema got Griffin his first bike. It was love at first sight for the motorcycle crazy guy. It is lovingly called the "green machine." He loved to cruise on it and was so comfortable, no pushing, no high centered rescues, no scary uneven ground to deal with, just pure self-guided fun. The transition to a pedal bike seemed funny to me. He really didn't know how to pedal, so we spent about a month or two with training wheels on his pedal bike, that I scored at the Ridgway sale, to learn how to pedal. Then just two days ago we were passing some dirt bike trails that we told him he would love once he could pedal w/out the trainers, he said, "Mom, tomorrow let's take off the training wheels and go to that bike course." We did and the rest is history, although, we haven't been to the course yet. I'm thinking a parking lot might be good first

He did it! We are on the way to new adventures.

Just a side note, I am learning to LOVE July. Last July at 2.5, Griffin was potty trained and this July he learned to ride his two wheeler. What does next July hold for us? I'm hoping it's not a motorcycle!

3 yrs and 10 months...

2011-07-23T21:03:00.000-06:00

I finally did it...I reached my quota of space on here...got some more and we're back in action...
Glad I am able to keep our friends and family updated with all our happenings on this blog.

One picture from a little coffee date this morning:

and these are the toes I was talking about last night, remembered to get this picture tonight.

picture taken through the top of my stroller

I do my best blogging...

2011-07-22T23:32:00.003-06:00

...while running. It all comes out so clearly.

It's the perfect time of the day. It's neither cold or hot, just still. The air is calm, my eyes are open bigger. I realize the mountains around our valley neither begin or end, but just surround. it's about 8:45, Ailee and I are out for a run. She comes with me on nights when she's not quit settled and ready for bed. The run rocks her right to sleep and seeing her little piggies hang right over the seat brings such hope to my journey.

And then it happened, the Mat Kearney song, "closer to love" came on Pandora.

here's the music video:

She got the call today

One out of the gray

And when the smoke cleared

It took her breath away

She said she didn't believe

It could happen to me

I guess we're all one phone call

from our knees

We're gonna get there soon

If every building falls

And all the stars fade

We'll still be singing this song

The one they can't take away

I'm gonna get there soon

She's gonna be there too

Cryin' in her room

Prayin' Lord come through

We're gonna get there soon

Oh it's your light

Oh it's your way

Pull me out of the dark

Just to show me the way

Cryin out now

From so far away

You pull me closer to love

Closer to love

Meet me once again

Down off Lake Michigan

Where we could feel the storm blowin

Down with the wind

And don't apologize

For all the tears you've cried

You've been way too strong now for all your life

I'm gonna get there soon

You're gonna be there too

Cryin' in your room

Prayin' Lord come through

We're gonna get there soon

Oh it's your light

Oh it's your way

Pull me out of the dark

Just to show me the way

Cryin out now

From so far away

You pull me closer to love

Closer to love

Cause you are all that I've waited for

All of my life

(We're gonna get there)

You are all that I've waited for

All of my life

You pull me closer to love hu huuh

Closer to love hu huuuh

Pull me closer to love

You pull me closer to love

Closer to love oh no

Closer to love

Pull me closer to love

My friend recently got that call. She lost her younger brother very tragically. The line,

"I guess we're all one phone call from our knees," really hurts. This life is so fragile. My heart breaks for you, friend. I have hope in the things we discussed. We'll continue to trust in our loving Father, and until we get to leave this earth, may you always feel His peace.

We're gonna get there soon...

Baby Bathtubs...

2011-07-21T23:11:00.000-06:00

We've got a little hiker on our hands. Griffin loves to hike and explore. Whenever we go, I always wonder why we don't go more often. He loves it and never complains about the hard work. This week a group of moms took our little ones out to a great trail in Ouray called, Baby Bathtubs. The river has created spots where the water gathers and creates little "tubs" if you will. Anywhoo, always a good time outside, even if we got rained on :-).

Even Ailee was a champ and just hung out. There was a moment or two that she caught some Z's.

Miracles are happenin'

2011-07-19T22:01:00.001-06:00

You wouldn't think you would have to convince your child to enjoy a bounce house...

BUT

yes it's true...that's is, until Aidan took Griff under his wing and showed him the ropes. He's been goin' strong and lovin' it. Thanks Aidan, for being such a good friend to our little guy.

Hold on to your hats...

2011-07-17T23:50:00.000-06:00

...this girl's got new boots. OH and they were only $8 compared to the retail price of $50. Found these beauties at Fashion Junky in GJ!!

Griff had these same ones, but with the JD green on top. More pictures, I'm sure, to come!!

Experiment 52, # 25 {showin' daddy the new swimming skills}

2011-07-17T23:32:00.001-06:00

...and there he goes again. So happy that we got to spend the afternoon showing daddy all G's new tricks.

Check out these three going big - even the two year old.

Although she's in this tube for this picture, it didn't last long. She wants to be out and exploring...up and down the stairs she goes. Warm water. Cold water. Love spending time here!

Look at these two cuties...only 2 days apart. Little Parker is so chill and takes it all in with hardly a peep!!

His gills are starting to develop.

2011-07-13T08:19:00.000-06:00

He did it folks. And he loves it. In no time at all, he's underwater, doing belly flops, and kickin' those little legs. "Patience, Momma...he'll get there," if I could only remember this when my blood pressure is through the roof and he's refusing to join his class for swimming lessons.

Yes, this was the day our boy became a fish.

Experiment 52, #24 {11 sweet months}

2011-07-10T20:20:00.001-06:00

Ma ma ma ma ma ma... ahhh you warm my heart with the simple "m" sound. Miss Ailee, you are now 11 months. We are loving all the new expressions, laughs, smiles, attitudes and growth. You are showing me that you just might be our adventurous one. At the pool (a zero entry one) last week, you crawled yourself right into the water and had it up to your face. You didn't show any fear or desire to turn around. Time will tell.

(these pictures were taken while camping over the 4th, this tub later turned into her bathtub!)

You are pulling up on everything, but still hanging in that one spot until you lower yourself down to the ground. So, no real interest in walking around, but you will surely get there in no time. I will be working on getting you a baby walker this month to help you get around.

Still no teeth or any real sign of them coming...still fine by me! You are eating like a champ, so it gives me hope for when all mine fall out..hahhaha.

Still sleeping great and waking between 6-7. I never thought I would like that, but now that you seem to be staying consistent, it's starting to feel normal and more things are getting done really early in the day.

(these garden pictures were taken last week at the steamboat botanical garden. same place J and I got married)

I've been day dreaming about your party next month...just brace yourself for the serious cuteness that is coming your way...

Oh and this just in, you have recently realized how cool your daddy is. Even in my arms, you will occasionally reach for daddy and give him huge smiles. He is LOVING it.

4th of July camping

2011-07-05T12:07:00.000-06:00

It's the feeling of not knowing where one family starts and the other ends. The only time you know who belongs to who is when the sun goes down and little ones reluctantly follow their parents toward their tent. Although, it did look a little commune-ish, thankfully not many people passed us by.

(do take note of the 8 or 9 coolers in this picture alone)

My boy played with the littlest to the biggest...thanks mr. chris for pretending to get hit by the atv!! He was dirty, I hated it, he loved it. I mean come on, does dirt under the nails send anyone other than me? Okay, I got past it and absolutely loved that he was loving the purity of just playing and pretending. PLUS, hours spent on a real ATV. Did I mention it was parked for the most part!

My girl, well, I'm pretty sure the majority held her for a least a second during our weekend. Being the crawler that she is, spent a lot of time in the stroller or in our arms.

Although our spot from last year was flooded, we were able to go back and have a little water fun there one afternoon.

It happens every time...these girls are always on the same wave length...something matches and we can't stop the cuteness!

One more for good some good clean fun! Note to self, leave drinking water out all day and it will be warm by night, baths in the morning are for the birds!

thanks to the lanes, rosentreters and freeds for going up ahead of time and working out the details. we had a great time and appreciate all your work.

Experiment 52, #23 {THE 5k}

2011-07-03T15:20:00.000-06:00

The day finally came...it was time to see if I would survive my first 5k. Not only did I survive, I got forth place in my age group with a time of 29 minutes. I'm thankful for those that encouraged me to run and I look forward to this becoming a lifestyle for me. I hear there's another race in GJ at the end of July and another in town here in the fall. I hope I look back on this someday and have a 10k under my belt. BUT for now, I'm proud of my work thus far. FYI, third place was 27.3...so I have a little work to do, but I'm planning on placing next race :-)

Honestly, I do this first for me and then for these guys. I love that my kids know that we run together in the morning and they see me make the effort to be healthy. I hope this sets a pattern for them as well.

Experiment 52, # 22 {simple summatime fun}

2011-06-26T20:43:00.001-06:00

Guess who found this blue beauty at a garage sale and for 1 dollar...who else? Mema pulled through once again! Griff loves this whale...I mean seal. He keeps calling it a whale, but we're trying to "learn" him his animals :-)

we are absolutely LOVING summertime here in CO. Yes we wish the wind would stop, but we're still enjoying our time outside. My favorite time of day is after dinner when we are all hanging out as family in the back yard or in the front riding bikes. I sure love our fam!

Experiment 52, #21 {photo assistant}

2011-06-19T22:23:00.001-06:00

One week late, but none the less, we are getting back on track...

A few weeks ago, the little man and I went to church to help with their VBS. Our job: photographers. We were to capture every preschooler's headshot for the last day's creative project. Inorder to get just the right angle, lighting, and background, I needed my trusty assistant to model for me...and model he did. Hello, beautiful, welcoming brown eyes and prefect olive skin, you warn my heart and make this Momma shine...

Ailee is in the double digits...TEN MONTHS :-)

2011-06-09T12:51:00.001-06:00

The lady at the grocery store: how old is your sister?

Griffin: She's a baby she has no number yet.

So true little man, so true, but don't blink cause 1 is a comin'.

You did it, you do it, and we love it. You are officially sleeping through the night. Miss Cory hooked us up with a great baby sleep sack that is so thick and comfy that you just snooze your way to almost 7am. So wonderful, now if you and your brother could both do this, we would be set :-)

Your love for your brother continues to grow, of course buh buh (bubba) would have to be your first word. It's closely tied with Dahdah, but I think we're going to have to go with the first. We absolutely love that you are talking with us. Well, you "talk" all the time, but now you are starting to learn new words.

Still no teeth, but no complaints from you or me. You still do fine with baby food, but you adore finger foods. Some of your favorites are cheese, turkey, bananas, puffs, strawberries, grapes, beans, asaparagus, apple (big pieces to suck on), eggs (I know, I know), and more cheese. You are still nursing 4x a day and still love having our special time, although sometimes you are very distracted by what Griffin is doing and you would rather go play then sit still.

You have many modes of transportation: the regular crawl, the sit scootch, and the best I like to call the sit-crawl. You keep your one let tucked under just in case at any moment you want to sit, it's there ready for you. At the very end of your 9th month you decided that you were interested in pulling yourself up on things. The first being the dishwasher and then Griff's bed.

You are still taking at least 2 naps during the day, usually about an hour and a half each. Bed-time is anytime from 730 to 830 and you wake around 6:45-7:30.

Miss Maezer, we are all smitten by you and your beautiful eyes and your melt-your-heart smile. I'm so grateful you are in our family. May you always feel our love for you and in turn share that with others.

TOTAL credit for the picture idea goes to Heather May. I love it! I'm thinking the 2nd one is float wrap material.

I Heart Faces "From a Distance"

2011-06-05T23:18:00.000-06:00

www.jesspollardphotography.com

go check out the other "from a distance" photos at iheartfaces. My style is always up close so you can see the EXACT color of their eyes. I'm learning to step back every once and while to get the whole picture. It worked out :-) I love the way this little girl is right between the two windows. Even in it's funky angle, you still see symmetry, which also caught my eye...

Experiment 52, #21 {5k...t-20 days}

2011-06-05T20:46:00.000-06:00

Today marks the completion of week 7 of my couch to 5k training. Next week is 3, 28 minute runs and the following week, 3, 30 minute runs. I really can't believe I've come this far. I usually don't stick with my running plan, so this has been such a treat to see such determination to get through this. The exciting news: I registered for my first 5k today. It's at the end of June, so I only have a couple more weeks to get to my goal. Then after that, the hubs has said he will join me in the next one is August some time. So looking forward to that. Here's are a few pictures, of the kids, along my journey...

gotta love havin' a camera on the ol' phone...

More to come as I get to my goal :-)

Experiment 52, #20 {the hike}

2011-05-30T23:43:00.000-06:00

Saturday finally came!! we've been counting down sleeps for this bad boy to FINALLY get here. Griffin has been so excited to get out there and hike "negro bill's canyon." I showed him all the fun pictures of when we took him at 16 months and even the fun video. This time he would be hiking it, not put in a backpack AND some of his friends were going to join us.

Sidenote...tonight I had one of those moments where I missed that little guy. 16ish months is one of my all-time favorite ages. He was just so darn cute and learning many things. I only wish we could have had more videos of all his new words. I came across this picture and I'm completely dyin' here folks...

Okay back to this weekend...

The day was perfect, high 70's and great friends. Thanks to everyone who joined us, it meant a lot to have you all here on my favorite little hike.

This has to be said, the kids TOTALLY amazed me. I'm pretty sure they hiked almost FOUR miles on their own. We are so proud of you!! Nicely done.

Griff in '09

Griff in '11

picture take by Jayna Rosentreter...
We are lovin' the Ergo now!!

Experiment 52# 19 {The result of that weekend to do list}

2011-05-23T15:33:00.001-06:00

Remember that weekend to do list that made me feel VERY overwhelmed? We're on the other side and LOVED every minute of it. It ended with the sweetest little moment in time with our little family at a park in a town that is not ours. But before we get there there's pedis and party and games to see...

Mrs. Jayna, we love you and hope you felt as special as you are. I love working with you on projects, I especially love it when you get so excited about blessing others. It's very sweet to see. Thank you for being such a great friend and for lovin' on my kids. It's been a HUGE blessing to be in LifeGroup with you and your family. We're so glad you decided to join us back then. I hope that this year you feel even closer to God and even check off a few things on your bucket list :-)

This shower came together so sweetly. The bast part: so many hands created it's beauty. Mrs. Martha, it was our prayer that you felt the love that brought it together and the love for you. It's only been a short time, but I feel like our friendship could grow into some laugh 'til ya cry stories and and very trusting place to land. Thank you for being so sweet and sharing that with me. Also, you sure have a cutie on your hands. He's absolutely perfect. You got this, girl, mom of two amazing boys.

i LOVE this picture, grandma and 3 aunts look over at this darling little man. From the looks of it, he'll be gettin' some serious lovin'.

Miss Jordan with the bigs.

Speaking of LifeGroup, Miss Jordan watched our kiddos for a few years, but has just GRADUATED!! Congrats to you. THANK YOU THANK YOU for lovin' on ALL our kids. It means so much to us to know that they are in good hands. We pray that as you move on to your next adventure, you trust Jesus more and more and have so much FUN!! It's a short chapter, the ol' college years, so suck the marrow out of that short time!!

I just had to add this one, 'cause it reminds of our little Luke Strong. Hello Luke with brown hair. We miss you.

Miss Jordan with the littles.

Looks who is waving? Love that little hand as it moves wildly back and forth. Sunday we were on the move to gj. Soccer field bound. Our niece was playing in a tournament and we got to catch the last game. Although we didn't get the "w" Lilli did great and has amazing ball control. Great job, bird.

Gotta love family germs. Uncle Patrick was sharing his water with our little lady here.

Nice form, girl!

Griff loves his cousin, that is for sure. He thought it was so cool that they matched. Oh man, I'm getting excited to be a soccer mom. It's on my bucket list, along with a little league mom...

Thanks, Lil for being so good to these two. She even gave Griffin the LAST popsicle from her coach, she didn't even get one. Thanks girl.

We never know quit what to do about letting the kids sleep on the way home, 'cause when we do they don't go to bed until 10 or even later on those nights. SO...we decided to stop in a town half-way home at their park. It. was. perfect. The light, the air, the temp, the people. I LOVE US. They had this most amazing walking path in the trees and a great park to swing and play on.

I'd like to introduce you to Ailee's "outside" face...oh my. Hopefully, you won't see much of it as it's not one of her cute-er expressions. LOL

LIFE.IS.GOOD.

Bring on busy if it means weekends like these.

ARRIVED :-)

busy.

2011-05-19T23:52:00.001-06:00

You know those weeks where you are so busy that it overwhelms you so much you don't know how you will get to the end? I feel like that this week...

Every night we had something and still do, but you know what's cool about that? It means there's people in my life I love and love me.

There's home group to coordinate. Food to order, games to play. Grateful for these friends that are like family.
There's a birthday party to plan, pedi(s) to get and C&C to eat, maybe even a drink ;-) Love the birthday CHICK!
There's a walk date tomorrow and breakfast to be enjoyed together. Love the common bond of Mommas.
There's a baby shower to plan, food to make and place cards to create, and my heart to share with her. Love this Momma and little man!
There's a friend that's graduating high school and a party to attend. Love that she has loved on my kids this year.
There's a niece to cheer on in soccer. Family, love it!
There's a ONE year old that will be getting her picture taken. Love old connections and 1st birthdays.

So yeah...I'm excited to love on those I love :-) Bring on the busy.
Happy almost Friday.

oh yeah and I love the 15 minutes of sunshine and 3 new float wraps that arrived today!

FYI...these coloring utensils are officially called "chalk walkers" by our little man and all that enjoy them with us.

Experiment 52, #18 {a cold in may?}

2011-05-17T09:27:00.001-06:00

A quick note from Griffin:

ccccccccjjjjjjzvvvvvvvvbbbbbb bqqqqquuuuuuuuuooooooowwwwwweeeeppppiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiioooooooooooooooooooo..............................vvvvvvvllllllllllllssssonoonnn gggg jjjjj

That's all for now folks...

What is it about rainy days, that makes me love our clothe diapers? I meticulously clean the container, wash them with love and let the covers air dry right in our kitchen. It makes me feel so...well...natural. The truth is, I really only use them when we are home. I'm not quit as adventurous as I was with Griffin, also truth be known, I'm not a big fan of the LARGE panis it gives our little girl. (panis, stomach fat) I just can't get past it when she has a really cute outfit on and it looks she's wearing one of those swimming rings around her tummy. Anyway, back to the warm fuzzies in regards to our fuzzy bunz, I love to see those colorful bunz crawling around our house.

I don't have much else for ya other then a pile of tissues in every room from a cold that hit Ailee and me like a freight train. I think we are coming out of it, but it took us down fast. OH MY WORD...Griffin just sneezed and wiped his nose on his shirt sleeve...stop the madness.

Last week was crazy, I'm pretty sure we went out every night of the week. I was doing some of this:

and this:

and this!!

I absolutely love being able to use photography as my creative outlet. I have a feeling, I've only just begun to tap into this passion. Thank you, Lord, for being so creative and sharing that with us.

Although we've had some sort of cold, we've been sleeping great as of late. Ailee is sleeping from about 730 to 630 and Griff, who has really been struggling with staying in his bed has done so for two nights straight. Secret: the XBOX. Don't underestimate the power of xbox supercross game. The best part, picking out their clothes, helmets and bikes. He doesn't even play, just watches...but if he gets out of bed, no games at night.

He is OBSESSED with changing their clothes, what does this mean? I wish I could see into the future and see what this looks like later. We love this motorcycle, crazy guy.

And for good measure...

I heart faces

2011-05-10T14:47:00.001-06:00

{Motherhood}

Be sure to visit I heart faces to see more photos.

Experiment 52, #17 {Mother's Day}

2011-05-08T21:47:00.008-06:00

I'm thankful my story includes these two. (Pound to that, Ailee)

Happy Mother's day!

Ailee and Momma went to Elyana's ballet recital.

9 Months...

2011-05-04T16:13:00.001-06:00

Okay, I have to steal this from Andrea G, because I feel the exact same way and really never put it into words...

"Am I glad God gave me a girl? I think the more appropriate response would be that I am grateful that God gave me (Ailee Mae)."

In the 9 short and fast months that have passed since this little gal came into our/my world, she has already done so much. I love to see her brother light up when he sees her, how my heart is softening, and how her daddy has taken on a whole new level of protection for his kids.

Ailee, in your ninth month of life you are now able to:

use a straw
wave
clap
pick up small pieces of food
transfer items from one hand to the other
give EVERYONE huge smiles
CRAWL
Eat almost all food introduced, except smashed peas, green beans and spinach

You know weigh 17.4 pounds and are 27.5inches tall.

Look what our sister is wearing! I do believe that is her first clip. My heart is singing. Girl, you wear it so well. I was just telling my cousin how excited I was to do her hair, and she reminded me that it took her daughter 2 years before she had enough to braid. Oh, I can't wait for that :-)

I wish she was blowing a kiss on purpose, no such luck. BUT it's so cute anyway!

Hello blue eyes, I can see heaven in you...

Well, of course I had to add this one, 'cause it's...well i want to.

Okay, little angel, let's work on sleeping through the night in the next month, K? No more of this 11 and 4 business.

Experiment 52, #16 {claps and crawls}

2011-05-01T14:45:00.009-06:00

Oh my, it's happening so fast...and I LOVE it. She's on the move and we couldn't be happier for her. AND there's a chance she might have some rhythm, which we all know didn't come from me.

9 month pictures to come :-)

Churchill

2011-04-26T15:05:00.000-06:00

This is a picture of our puppy, Churchill. My husband got him for his 30th birthday a few years back. How can you not love a face like that?

Easter {Weekend}

2011-04-25T23:30:00.001-06:00

Don't ya just love makin' memories with your kids? The best part is you get at least 3 years where they won't remember a thing so you get to figure out how you want your holidays to go...

This is our last year before things start getting remembered, our last dress rehearsal. So, next year is the real, deal. :-)

Enjoy our pictures, let them tell the story:

Saturday:

Egg dyin'

Not without a little drama, just as we set out the cups to add the color, I realized Griffin had smashed all the colors together to make one beautiful brown color. So, off daddy went to grab a new package of colors.

Happiest of FIRST Easters to you our sweet little, Ailee Mae.

Sunday:

7AM

So excited about his new stuff.

Off to church 8AM...

I love this picture 'cause it's a good one for like 20 years down the line.

I love this boy, my firstborn, cutie!

Look at these cuties, they are getting so big. Griffin had a BLAST playing with these three on Sunday. He's blessed with some really cool cousins. We're all looking forward to playing outside at Grandma and Papa's this summer.

Happy Easter and thank you Jesus for loving us enough...

Experiment 52, #15 {Park Date}

2011-04-23T23:00:00.002-06:00

Flying through the sky, saving women and children, may be hard for some people, but for our "super" hero, it's just what a guys gotta do.

Griffin: (on the way back to the car) "Momma, too bad I didn't have my underwear!"

I'm assuming he meant on the outside of his pants, 'cause I made sure to check and he had some on under his pants :-)

Gettin' our Hike on {mica mine}

2011-04-23T22:08:00.002-06:00

Last weekend, our fam and the Freeds went up to GJ to "get our hike on." I love that we are so close in any direction to some pretty cool outdoor activities. This was Griffin's first REAL hike and he did GREAT, all 2.6 miles of it. He did the whole thing and had fun doing it. Okay, are you dying over this picture? Look that those two cute girls...they are getting their pose on :-) I'm pretty sure, even if Griff was paying attention, he couldn't pull something like that off!

Look at our little Ailee girl, she was a total champ. I wasn't sure about the Ergo for our independent girl. Facing in didn't last long in her curious, uncuddly ways, BUT I tried her on the back for this hike, and she loved it.

We even caught her catching a few ZZzzzZZZs.

Favorite picture, by far, of our day. Love the angle, color and friendship I see in these little ones. They are going places, that's for sure.

Loleeta

2011-04-18T14:52:00.000-06:00

Three years ago, we attended Jeff's Grandma's 80th birthday party with the WHOLE extended family. Being relatively new to the family and having just had Griffin 2 months before, I was excited to catch up with all his cousins and aunts and uncle and for them to see our little guy. There was one family I didn't know very well, Dave and Leeta's... Well, guess who I got sat by? Loleeta. And boy did she LOVE on our baby. We both had these little boys, her's 13 months and mine 2 months. I remember telling her some of my new mom worries and I'll always take away from that night the sweet encouragement that she gave me.

This picture was taken 7 months after the birthday dinner, but it's the oldest one i have of the two little guys

Her love for my family and me has never stopped. She is constantly thinking of ways to help us out, give us date nights, bring us freezer meals, watch our kids and just plain love on us. Oh and if I do happen to watch her kids, she always has a Starbucks in hand upon drop off. I'll never be able to pay her back.

Loleeta, you are a true gem. Seriously. I love that we are family and friends by choice. Whenever I see you, you brighten my day. I love your authenticity and your sweet heart. I'm blessed to be in your circle.

Much love to on your birthday. Thanks for letting us love on YOU this time. Hope you enjoyed your brunch!

looks who's lovin' on my baby AGAIN!

props to Jayna for hosting and decorating :-)

Experiment 52, #14 {20's Party}

2011-04-16T22:56:00.000-06:00

Brace yourself for a ridiculously good time...

Last night the kids {us} went out. My friend Jayna and I were asked to volunteer our photo skills at the CASA event in town.. It was a good excuse to make it a date night. As guest arrived we took their picture in all their 20's get ups, we later printed them and they were sold. Martha, you did an AMAZING job on this event. Also, just know that DAN or JAYNA ROSENTRETER took most of these pics.

Have I mentioned before how much we love our friends?? If not, we DO!!

Experiment 52, #13 {Mimi}

2011-04-10T14:39:00.002-06:00

We love our Mimi. Yesterday our family visited her in her new "apartment"/assisted living home.

I haven't been able to shake the thoughts of how our body ages and betrays us. No matter how well we fuel it and exercise it, it breaks down. It hurts emotionally, physically and spiritually in some ways because of the unknown next stage. Yes, we have faith in what the Word tells us about heaven and being there worshiping the Lord, but it's still a VERY large unknown. I'm a tangible person and closely connected to my family, where I find much peace. I think, in all of this, I want to learn to hold loosely the things I hold tightly: my family and our health.

After Mimi had a few moments of sadness, she perked up and really enjoyed seeing our kids play around her room. Jeff was super sweet to remind her of her amazing legacy she has created. Fifteen great grands that wouldn't be here if it weren't for her.

Ailee took her walker for a spin, played in her laundry basket, leaned on her footstool and leaned a bit too much and bonked her head on a chair on the way down. OOPS. Griffin brought her a motorcycle picture that he colored, ate her chocolate, and showed her how to play Angry Birds and his motorcycle game on my phone. Once I saw this happening, I knew my camera was a must.

Family, it's so important. My prayer is that as my body fails me, in say like 40 or 50 years, I will have loads and loads of family around me to hold my hand, talk about God's faithfulness, and remind me of the legacy that has been created. Oh, and teach me the modern day version of Angry Birds.

Mimi, well done. We love you. As you live out your last days, just know that you have left a loving mark on my heart, and I'm only a married in grand kid.

we love you at 8 months...

2011-04-04T21:56:00.001-06:00

Oh Ailee...

I love that you are 8 months old. We all can't get over you. The coolest new thing (to me) is your wave. There's the "milk sign" wave, the praise Jesus wave, and the wrist twist with a shy head rested on my shoulder wave. I adore them all. Our friend, Mis, got the first wave. A special friend for a fun first...

You sure are working on LOTS of new sounds, the funniest being, "cah cah." I like to refer to this as the crow sound instead of a reference to poo...thank-you very much. Also you are perfecting the "bah bah" sound for your sweet bah, bah, brother. Every ONCE in awhile we'll hear the attempts of the "m" and "d" sound, but maybe you'll save that for next month.

Your new desire to stand, makes you the most proud. You are loving to pull up on things, although haven't been able to get all the way up on your own. The problem isn't your strength or ability, it's the object you are pulling on. Some are too small, some will topple right on top of your or some are just too high. We'll find the right thing for you to practice on and you'll have that down in no time. BUT once you are up, you TOTALLY love it. It's been a joy to watch you smack away at whatever is there to hold you up. Sometimes with a little too much force which brings you quickly back to your bum.

Speaking of your bum, whenever placed on it, you don't stay there long. You are quickly getting in the crawling position, minus the one leg that gets stuck in front of you. You mommas know what I'm talkin' about. You haven't let that slow you down, you just continue to lean forward and all the sudden you are flat on your tummy. Then back up again ready...ready...and then back on your tummy, which is just fine by me. You add in a few stationary swim moves and you are back up. You go around in circles and backwards, but that's as far as this last month has brought you. This next month, you'll be movin' forward, sister.

Ailee Mae...Let's make April the month you master/enjoy sleeping through the night and eating food? K? Glad we had this talk...

It's a good thing you are so stinkin' cute, 'cause in the morning when I come in to get you and you are lying there kicking and smiling it helps me forget that I've already seen you, on average, two times since I put you to bed the night before. Oh, and this month does mark the first of not being swaddled. So we've strategically placed at least 3 pacifiers around your bed to help you find them in your hour of need. Let's hope it helps.

And food...well, not much has changed. We know you don't like Earth's Best, deal with Gerber DHA, and enjoy the real deal. SO, this month, we'll be baking, steaming, and pureeing many fruits and veggies, WHICH I planned on doing, and love, but didn't want to buy it all and not have you eat it.

One last thing, you gained 1/2 a pound from last month, so that puts you at 17.5 pounds. You are so big...

I love the feeling that we've always had you, you've never not been in our family. We simple melt at your sweet, shy new ways and brace ourselves for your spark of sass that you've been showing us.

I just want you to know that you have a brother that continues you love you more and more. Whenever we're out and meet someone new, he, without hesitation, says, "that's my baby sister, Ailee" When he ~~accidentally~~ throws something and it hits you, you not only get one kiss at point of contact, but the kisses keep coming one after another until he's sure you know how sorry he is. He loves you, girl, and for that we're thankful God hears our prayers. Oh and it's an understatement to say, you are head over heals in love with him too.

Experiment 52, #12 {3ys 3m}

2011-04-03T21:32:00.001-06:00

Tonight I showed Griffin how to make a cup with his hands, having the water from the faucet fill them. Arrived. He drank and drank, almost choking because he thought it was so funny.

The Things They Do

2011-03-30T14:58:00.001-06:00

Griffin, I want to be able to look back and see all the many cool things you did. I unfortunately or fortunately can't save all your little drawling or creations, but this is one way we can always see them. May you always know that you were creative from the beginning. We love you so much and are SO proud of you.

OHHHH and btw, both Momma and Son got in the pool for swimming lessons today. There was a lot of step sitting, but we're taking it one class at a time. We actually want him to WANT to swim some day, so this is the way it goes for our mild, CAUTIOUS little one.

We don't want Ailee to feel left out, so I have added a few pictures of her lastest creations. This amazing scarf she's been working on ;-) Keep up the good work. Love ya, sweets.

swimming

2011-03-28T13:07:00.003-06:00

no dice...
better luck next time...
dad was even there...
Guess what we are doing as a family tonight?

Experiment 52, #12

2011-03-27T15:41:00.002-06:00

This morning before church I grabbed the camera, as we were loading the kids in the car, and asked Jeff to snap a few pics. She's almost 8 months old and I'm loving her and my role as their mom more and more.

I recently got a new frame...

(side note. I got a bday certificate 13 years ago from Shane and Izzy to Off the Beaten Path, and I just redeemed it last weekend. I can't believe they let me!! What a fun surprise that was, so thanks Shane and Iz for such a sweet frame, funny to think of what I would have put in this at 18 versus 31.)

...it says at the bottom, "Who knew how much you'd change my heart." I knew I had to get it, 'cause it said, HEART, not life or world or whatev..., but heart. That's exactly with G and A have done to me. I feel like they have given me a rebirth of sorts, anyone else know what I'm talkin' about? For you Beth Moore lovers, a "peripety," if you will. My heart has seen more peaceful, gentle, content, and loving days since these two beauties have entered into it. AMEN!

BTW, A.Mae, has started waving, similar to the sign for milk. Love, love, love it. Also, she's starting to get that bum in the air and teasing me about her thoughts on crawling. I tell her she better not get more serious about it or we'll have to have a conversation.

Wish us luck on swimming lessons tomorrow. Griff says he's going in, oh I sure hope so. Daddy will be there for backup...so he gets to handle it tomorrow.

SK8 Church...

2011-03-24T11:44:00.000-06:00

Last weekend the kids and I went up to Steamboat, here's just ONE thing we did while in town.

God bless Buck and Tara for having willing and obedient hearts to serve.

Experiment 52, #11

2011-03-20T22:35:00.001-06:00

This slide looks fun, right? Not to this guy...

this was the view he preferred.

Just as a note, this was after three forced trips down with Momma and Ailee. Jeff said, he smiled every time, but then pleaded to no do it again. So, we gave in, NO MORE trips down the slide of death. Just look at his face. Sheer terror.

Most days I appreciate that our boy is mild-mannered. Other days I struggle. Like today, we had our first swimming lesson and he refused to get in the pool. I'm learning/trying to take the good with the not so good, but some days are easier then others. Well, we'll try again on Monday and hope for better results. I love that little guy, sometimes I just want to spark a little adventure in him.

Experiment 52, #10 (B.O.B. & Sushi)

2011-03-13T23:11:00.005-06:00

I'm exhausted, we had a totally packed, non-stop weekend. It started Thursday with a girls night, I wore a bra. That's right, a real night out...no nursing tank for this Momma, the ladies are goin' out. Sushi and a good friend back in town to take care of some family stuff, AND we got her for a night.

Thursday:

BUT before we went out, Momma introduced Ailee to a VERY good friend of ours, B.O.B. For those of you who know B.O.B. know this is an important introduction, for both Ailee and Momma. From the looks of it, they hit it off well.

I love my girls. More the merrier in our world. Love. Jokes. Vulnerability. Plus tonight we got some TDF DRINKS...

...and Sushi.

My heart hurts.

2011-03-10T10:10:00.005-07:00

Okay, now I'm sad. Really. Is this for real? He's totally making my God out to be something he's not. May God have mercy on all of us.

The Hubs..."He applies a little bit of evil to God...that's a road nobody should head down."
continued...
"We all know he is a libtard...I am mostly pissed that he is Universalist who only sort of believes in hell and thinks God might be a little evil.....I fear my God because he is holy beyond measure...not because I need to be "saved" from him.."

A.Mae.Zing

2011-03-08T15:49:00.000-07:00

Chalk this up to one more thing I swore I would never do: ANIMAL PRINT!!!

How does she do this to me?

Our Rock...Part 1

2011-03-07T17:32:00.002-07:00

Jeff and I met on eharmony. Yep it's true. There, I said it, it's out!

With all the greatness and joy that this little website ;-) brought into my life, it started out very differently. The beginning included a lot of soul searching, fear, walls, a despeartion to hear God's voice, anxiety, and uncertainty.

It's a funny thing, dating. Everyone loves their dating experiences, us, not so much. BUT not everyone loves their marriage, us, YES. All those things we had to go through to get us to where we are today.

Caryn Ahern Photography

At the time, 23 years old, I was searching for my location in life. I had already been through 3 colleges, 3 majors and was attending my 4th and final college. I did graduate, which was the goal. My degree, well you know the saying, "those that can't wed, they plan" isn't that from the Wedding Planner? I think so... anyway, those that can't get it together, they help others, right?

My greatest desert: acting like I had it all together.

My degree, Sociology: emphasis in Family Studies. I was pretty much searching for the answers and hoping one day I could have a family, first of all and secondly, serve to restore the most sacred institute: the family.

My story of restitution could never have come from my pad of paper, I will assure you that. Only God could have written this story. The harder I tried to push, the closer he inched.

So, yes, it was at this time a friend convinced me to sign up for eharmony. It's only 30 days, I'm in a new town, no friends, not much going on, what do you I have to lose? What the H, I'm in.

We met on December 7, 2003.

Have you ever had an experience where the very thing you were looking for, was the worst thing for you?

I was NOT looking for a Jeff, but oh did the LORD want to give him to me. This gift, of all gifts, shows God's faithfulness to me.

The harder I pushed away, the more faithful he was. He pursued. He loved. He encouraged. He prayed. He cried. He fell on his knees before the Lord.

I cry now to think about what I could have missed.

Not all gifts have a bright red bow, but some do come with the most amazing blue eyes.

Experiment 52, #9

2011-03-06T22:43:00.000-07:00

Even when he sleeps...

If Travis only knew.

7 and 17lbs :-)

2011-03-02T13:45:00.003-07:00

If there's one thing I hate, it's vaccines. We are only giving 3 and I still hate them. She's not herself for about 24 hours and last time she got a sweet cold right after, so yeah. they suck. If anyone is interested we follow Dr. Sears' "selective schedule" but I waited until 6 months to start, where he starts at 2 months.

On a funny note, I mentioned earlier how this girl isn't interested AT ALL in food. We finally got her to eat oatmeal with milk, NO water, but that's as pretty much as far as we've gotten. She's learned to laugh, talk, cry and just sit with her mouth closed like a steal trap. She knows if it opens for just one second food is sure to enter. If it does there's gaging, chills, and finally the exit of whatever intruded into her world.

BUT...

recently we have been able to keep a few more things from coming out. Banana, only from the source; avocado, right from the peal, and get this...the girls LOVES lemons. I know they are not supposed to have them but we were just messing while eating out one day and she kept going back for more. (She also likes pickles, but we leave that one alone.)

Little Ailee...

You are getting so big. You now weigh in at 17.1 lbs. (Good thing we have whole milk around here!)

In a typical day we find you:

Sitting up so big (makes me want your posture)
Playing/putting all brother's and your toys and in your mouth.
Making lots of fun sounds, the coolest is the "b" sound for brother. "ba ba"...wonder if Griff will get bubba as a new name???
Lovin' your bath time. If anyone stands close they are sure to get soaked, which we all love.
Trying to get that bum in the air and pulling those legs under you. Slow down girl, I'm not ready to baby proof the millions of Legos, tiny helmets, and other such items around the house.
Still taking two great naps a day
and hittin' the hay around 8 and wake up around 4 or 5, then back to sleep until 7ish.

I can only hope that next time I report back, she's eating a few more things and still not crawing. It's funny how all I wanted was for Griffin to master the next step and this time, I don't mind it takin' a bit longer.

Experiment 52, #8

2011-02-26T22:59:00.001-07:00

it's simple...snow + us = good times :-)

Lovin' us some family time.

life is good.

Sun, more sun, please.

2011-02-23T17:00:00.002-07:00

FYI...this Momma just started, beth moore's, Esther study. Could there be a more perfect timing? I think not. Femininity is just happenin' all over the joint. Until I know what I've gotten myself into, I'll just share what we've been doing the last few days. LOVIN' THE SUN!!

After a whole day inside on Monday, doing catch-up laundry and such, Tuesday brought on some much needed outdoor life.

Griffin loves going to the skate park to ride his bike, so off we went. He showed me some sweet moves Travis does. Gotta love me some three year old fist pumps :-)

He wants so badly to be a skater/motorcross dude, but he's just a little timid for the whole thing. I want him to love what he does, but not scare me to death, so for now, I'm just great with it being "all talk." Lately, there are motorcycle races in our house every night, which means all of us running a circle through the kitchen, living room, and dining room. Ailee even gets in on the action. There are ramps too that cause some serious jumps to be had (transitioning from tile to wood).

Another new thing around our house, is, three brings on boyhood. He loves his Dad and wants to be doing everything with him. For example, there is a manditory baseball game that has to occur in his room every night before sleeping is ever a thought. It doesn't matter if it's fixing things or playin' games, this boy loves being a boy. One of my favorit things Jeff says, is, I just love watching him love being a kid/boy. We are blessed to have a Dad that loves to be with his kiddos. From the time he walks in the door until we stay "just two more minutes" in Griffin's room at night, Daddy is on kid-time!!

Back to lovin' the sun. If you haven't noticed, this girl is WHITE. She gets that from her father :-), she was out literally 15 minutes and came home with these rosey cheeks. Oh man, guess that means I better get on buying that AMAZING bonnet from etsy. Just wait until you see this thing, it's so cute.

TODAY- GAVIN DAY!! {fist pump}

I got to finish my Bible study while these little guys played...they did great together. Then off to open gym.

For the record, I LOVE that Griffin has a cousin to grow up with. These guys are super tight and it's my prayer that they continue to make trouble together. I never had cousins that lived close or were close in age, so this I LOVE.

Thanks to Jayna for taking this picture...need to be in more with the kiddos. (cherry on top of a great day)

this one is going in Griffin's room. Stay tuned!

Experiement 52, #7

2011-02-20T16:35:00.000-07:00

I'm at that point in the year where all there is to say is, at least it's one week closer to summer. Anyone with me on this? There are a few things that redeem this cold, windy (why in the world do we already have wind, I thought that was for Spring?) weather, like, for example, a sweater dress. Talk to me! I would, willingly trade it in for a sundress, but it's still stinkin' cute. Tryin' to bloom where we are freakin' planted...but this wind keeps pushing me south. grrr.