Holiday Season

The season has started! We began it by going to the Starlighting event in Castle Rock. We went with our best friends, The Lewis Family. Again, to clarify, that is Molli's family. Everyone knows Molli is Memphis' girlfriend. It was very crowded, but fun to hang out. Castle Rock has such a small town appeal at times. I am so thankful to live here.

My dad celebrated his 65th birthday! Wow! Scott and I joined him and some of his friends, as well as my big brother, for a dinner at Perry Park Country Club. There is just no way to describe the yummy food there. It was a great time, with the exception of driving home in the snow! Luckily, we all made it safe. It took my poor brother over 3 hours to get back to Ft. Collins. Yikes! It is a really nice feeling that my dad and I have a good relationship and that we got to share in the celebration.

We did our annual Thanksgiving dinner at my dad and Jan's house. Jan's parents, Fred and Mary Anne were here from California. It is so nice to see that side of the family. Memphis and Maverick really enjoyed playing with their cousin Nina. Of course, like everyone else, we ate too much! I am always amazed at how well my dad cooks. Before dinner, we were able to see a doe and buck come into a clearing by my dad's house. And then, the excitement began. To put it in a 5 year old term, the one with the horns wanted a piggy back ride! And we all got to watch.

On Friday, Scott's big brother, Kirk, came down and stayed with us. The boys were so excited to have their Uncle Kirk and his dog, Ayla, here. They went for a hike, went to lunch, and played legos. My goodness, how they played legos. Kirk and Scott were like two little boys again. It was so cute. Poor Maverick wanted to be in on the action, but was mostly like a bull in a china shop. We were all sad to see Kirk go home. It was so great to have him here. What a blessing.

The other fantastic news is my niece, Ashlee, was here with her husband, Pete. It has been a long time since we have seen Ashlee, as she lives in Las Vegas. In fact, it was the first time she has met the boys. We met them first for dinner with my mom and Ren. The boys loved meeting her and Pete. Maverick and Pete were hilarious together. Maverick had a blast running up to Pete and Pete would turn him around in one way or another. I got to go spend some quiet time with Ashlee and Pete on Sunday. I am so lucky to have such a beautiful, well-adjusted, niece. I can't even explain how much we have missed her over the years. I wish I could have spent more time with both of them. And Pete handled this crazy family very well.

We will be so busy over the next few weeks with holiday stuff. I am always excited for Christmas, and then I am happy when all the hustle and bustle is over. But it is so beautiful this time of year. I do hope we have a white Christmas! We hope you are all doing well.

Another Month Gone By

So I guess I will begin with the huge snowstorm that hit us. We ended up having about 2 feet with a lot of drifts. Anyone who knows Scott will be shocked to learn that he was out plowing on the 4 wheeler for hours at a time! The boys had a great time playing in the snow. If you look closely, you will see them in the picture. What fun. Manny did not have as much fun, because the snow was taller than him. Poor thing. There was so much snow that even after several days of above average temperatures, we still had snow in the backyard. It was crazy. However, it didn't interfere with Halloween.

We had Darth Vader and Superman who went trick-or-treating. It was sort of weird, because Memphis has never seen Star Wars and Maverick doesn't watch any Superman. But, that is what they chose. Very cute.

We first went to a party at our dear friends, Jim and Jami Lewis. Again, you might know them as Molli's parents. (Just FYI, Memphis and Molli are still planning on getting married). I made two cakes for the party, not my best, but fun. The kids had a great time. Jami is amazing in her party planning and organization. After the party, the boys went out with some of the kids in the neighborhood, while I stayed home to pass out candy. They came home with way too much, especially considering that they don't normally eat a lot of candy. Although, I will say that Memphis has started to like chocolate more.

Memphis lost his first tooth. He was very excited. He put it in an envelope for the tooth fairy, but then asked Daddy if he could put it under Daddy's pillow this time. He didn't really want a stranger in his room. He lost a second tooth a week or so later. This time, he asked Daddy to call the Tooth Fairy Office and request a girl tooth fairy to come. He agreed

September Fun

Oh my gosh! I can't believe it is October already!! September just came and went. We have been very busy!

Memphis has started playing soccer again, after a year off. Amazing in the difference. He really makes an effort to get to the ball. He tries so hard! He has been moved into the gifted and talented reading program at school. His reading continues to amaze us, even though we are well aware of how well he does. He is pretty proud of himself when it comes to that too. He is, however, learning to say "No" to his parents, with a sound of authority. Not something we are too keen on! For the most part, he is such a great kid. And I know that I worry too much about too many things with him! One thing that has amazed us is, Memphis has decided that he wants to learn the piano. So, we asked my mom if he could borrow her keyboard just to see if he is really interested. He has learned to play "3 Blind Mice". Not perfect, but he is playing it. We are just so happy with his new hearing aids and that he is interested and enjoying music!

Maverick....oh messy, naughty Maverick. He is so adorable and so naughty. Not a bad kid....just naughty! He is always messy. You could give the kid one spaghetti noodle and he would have it everywhere. He is counting really well now to 10, and sometimes to 13. He can do his ABC song, when he wants too. And he can tell you the primary colors, if he is in the mood. It all depends on his mood. His mood, however, is happy most of the time. He walks around with a grin on his face almost all day. He does get a frown when he doesn't get his way, and he can throw a tantrum with the best of them, but it doesn't take long for the grin to come back. He laughs and laughs alot. And I love how he always asks Memphis, "How school, Brother?" and Scott, "How work, Dad?" He is definitely a social kid. He repeats everything Memphis or Scott says. He is also singing a lot! I mean, he makes up songs. If you give him some instructions, he will walk around singing it. It is hilarious. He is so funny. And if he is being naughty, he grabs my face, kisses me, and says, "I love you to the moon and back mom!" He certainly knows his audience!!

We went to see Thomas the Tank Engine again this year. The boys were so excited because we got to go with Thomas Lee. He is Bob and Lisa's son (who are the kids godparents for those who didn't know). Thomas Lee is 7 months old and so cute! Our boys had a blast there. I am pretty sure Thomas Lee didn't care one way or the other. Bob was extremely tired from working until early that morning, and Lisa didn't sleep well without her hubby! But, the Oldhams loved spending time with them! And Thomas Lee is absolutely adorable. Memphis was all over him with love. It was a good time.

Well, we shall see what October brings. So far, cooler weather. Memphis will be going on his first kindergarten field trip this week and goes off track next week. I also get to go on my annual scrapbooking weekend with my friend, Jen, next week. I am really looking forward to spending time with her and regrouping myself!

Hope all of you are doing great! We would love to hear from you!