My Fingers Are Still Raw

The quilts I made the boys are finished!



This is what the backside looks like.

I shopped around for comforters and couldn't find anything that I liked. I wanted a generic pattern (no sports theme, no trucks, no characters). I wanted them to last 10 years and since we are going to bunk the beds next month I wanted them to match. So I decided to make them instead.

The pattern I chose ended up being a difficult one and I didn't fully realize how difficult it was until after all the squares and rectangles were cut and experienced quilters told me I was crazy. I am the opposite of experienced, but I had some serious determination after I spent so much money on the fabric and a ton of time cutting it all out. So on I chugged. I took all my cut fabric to Boise to work on over Christmas break and when I showed it to my aunt she laughed in my face betting I'd never finish it (insert increased determination). There are no littler patterns or squares to sew into bigger squares. You have to sew each piece adding it to the whole one by one, to give reference to those who have done things like this before, and the rectangles are not all the same direction so you have to leave edges unsewn until the piece underneath on the next row is added. It's a little confusing.

I sewed every spare minute I had. We put them on quilt frames and hand quilted them from sun up to sun down for a week and a half. My mom stayed up all night the last day I was there to sew the edges. I went home with two completed quilts. It's been three weeks and my finger tips are still raw and sore from hand quilting them. I am glad they are done and I probably will never do it again. :)

Cold and Snowy

It has been cold and snowy here in Denver lately. We took the kids sledding the other day and they loved it. I was convinced that the kids would be too scared, but I was happily proved wrong. Paul was even carrying his own sled back up the hill! Pat and I were the ones that called it quits after we were cold and tired. The kids would have kept going if we'd let them.

It doesn't look like there's a lot of snow in the picture, but there was plenty behind me. We got 4 inches more that night and we are scheduled to get 6 more by tomorrow night. We'll try to take them out again soon.

Yeah for Keyless Entry

I have GREAT news!!!!! It may not seem like a huge deal to anyone else but me, but I finally found my car keys!!!!! They have been missing since early fall. I have a duplicated key that I have been using, but I couldn't lock the car with them. It only started the car. The alarm goes off and then the car won't start if you try to unlock or lock it with the duplicated key. Anyway, it is a very good day for me.

I found them in a bag by the kid's bookshelf. I used the bag over the summer for library trips, and I haven't used it since. I moved the bag the other day to vacuum underneath it and I happened to look inside when I picked it up and SURPRISE! Who knew vacuuming could bring such joy.

Grandpa's Plane

We had a wonderful Christmas in Boise.

While we were there we went to my dad's hangar so the kids could see grandpa's airplanes. The ultralight plane pictured has a new engine on it and it needed some flight time, so my dad took it up and let the kids see him take off. We were watching him in the air and then he suddenly turned out of the flight pattern and descended behind the buildings. I knew something wasn't right when he exited the flight pattern prematurely. So we put the kids in the car and headed toward the other end of the runway. As we drove closer I could see my dad walking on the access road to the runway. Hmm?


His engine seized in flight and he had to make an emergency landing. I was glad he was okay. After having several problems with this new engine he is sending it back as a 'lemon' and exchanging it.

My father would love it if one of his kids followed in his footsteps and became a pilot, but it doesn't seem promising at this point. I started taking pilot's lessons when I was eighteen and not too far into them I decided it was not my love. In fact, I dislike flying very much.

This is my dad towing his plane back to his hangar.

We Are Expecting!

We came home and decorated our Christmas tree in celebration of our upcoming new arrival! Yes, we are expecting our third baby in April. Earlier that day we took the boys to the ultrasound and found out we are going to have a girl!!! I am very excited, and Paul is pleased as well. He kept calling the baby a her and has been asking for a sister. More importantly, everything looked healthy and normal with our little one.

This pregnancy has been more difficult in some ways, and better in others. I was sick for long time in the beginning, but it was at night and I could put the kids and myself to bed at the same time and sleep through it. That was nice. I was able to keep it quiet for longer too because I wasn't sick during the day and I wasn't showing (unusual for a third I know). All the unpleasant symptoms like smells, hips hurting, fatigue, cramps, etc. have been amplified this time around. Bummer. I have a bonus symptom too; I am so lucky. I itch all over all the time! On the bright side though, I am more than halfway done!

I love Christmas time.

I love my family, and we are excited about adding to it.

The boys love their trains.

Thanksgiving in Albuquerque

We went to Albuquerque, NM for Thanksgiving because it was middle ground for family. We were all able to travel about equal distance. The drive down was really windy and we got terrible gas mileage. The kids were good and we didn't have to stop much so we made good time though. We almost ran out of gas on the pass. We were in no-man's land. Exit after exit had signs that read "no services available," but we did sputter into a gas station eventually. Phew!

The house we rented had a play set in the backyard. One of those wooden ones with a two-story fort with a slide. There was a swing thingo that held two kids at a time facing back to back, like a two sided rocking horse. The kids loved it. The first day we were there Paul and Caleb were on it for a while laughing and having a good time, when I heard screaming. Caleb was hanging on to one side like he was falling off a horse, and every time it swung his head was hitting a 4X4 post that held the two-story fort. I went running across the yard and before I could get there the swing had gone back and forth a couple more times. It was sickening to watch and not be able to get there fast enough. Poor Caleb had a three open wounds. One on his temple, one next to his eye, and another along his jaw. It didn't take long for the bruising and swelling to follow. I felt so bad for him.

I have a problem. I am confessing...I can't keep track of important things like cameras and keys. I am constantly misplacing them. I am currently missing my car keys. They have been missing for a couple weeks now, and of course I couldn't find my camera while we were in New Mexico. It turned up the last night we were there. They appeared out of thin air; I swear. Hence, I don't have many pictures. All in all it was a relaxing vacation, and it is always fun to spend time with family.

Paul, Caleb, Maisy, Emmy

Halloween

We had fun preparing for Halloween, but Halloween itself was a bit of a disappointment for our family this year. We were sick. I don't have any pictures of trick-or-treating or their costumes. We sat at home puking and had to ignore our doorbell. It was very sad. We tried to go to a church trunk-or-treat, but ended up leaving with sick kids. Paul had a knight costume and Caleb a dragon.

We did have fun decorating pumpkins and going to a corn maze though beforehand.

Book Club....While Mom's Away

Dad does post something every once and a while. This is what the boys do while mom is away for the night to book club with all of the girls on their night out.

Caleb's Happy 2nd

This cake was pretty simple and Caleb loved it. He kept giggling that there was dirt on his cake. I love that he got a kick out of it. The dirt part is just chunks of unfrosted cake (I got the idea from a friend).

This is Caleb enjoying the truck's sound effects. He kept pushing the buttons on the top of it, and the best part was that he got to keep the tractor/truck afterwards.

This is Caleb's happy face that he got his own package of gum as a gift.

Happy Caleb

We took the boys to The Aquarium and we had a good time. While we were there I was reminded why we don't go there often. You don't get much for your money, and they nickel and dime you to death once you're inside. The kids loved the sharks though.

Caleb's Big Boy Bed

We moved Caleb out of the crib and into a regular bed. Caleb has been asking to sleep in Paul's bed for a while now, but I was worried how the naps would go if we moved him out of the crib. We had a trial run while we were in Baton Rouge. Caleb slept in a bed there, and did really well. So, when we got home we made the transition. It went surprisingly smooth, and the nap times are still intact. Hooray for nap times! Both of the kids are loving the change.

LSU Game

We traveled to Baton Rouge, LA to attend an LSU football game with Pat's dad. The sheer mass of people tailgating was overwhelming. We arrived 5 hours before the start of the game and still had to park 45 minutes away. Unfortunately, the game itself left something to be desired (1st, 2nd, 3rd down, kick the entire time.) The two touchdowns were made by special teams. I had a good time overall though, and the trip was really fun. The kids had a great time with grandpa's dog.

Grandpa and Caleb waiting for the game to start.

Inside the stadium.

Paul and Caleb following the dog around and playing fetch. That poor dog was worn out by time we left.

The kids visiting the nursing home to see grandma.

Doing the DC Tourist Thing

The sharp-shooter and I had our eyes on each other. Kind of creepy. We were stuck in rush hour traffic as we were driving passed the white house. Marine 1 flew over us and landed in the white house's backyard. There was a reception of people waiting. I assume it was the president that got off, but we were too far to tell who it was. It was pretty cool to watch though. The air traffic in the DC area in general is worth a mention also. There was a constant hum of huge helicopters and huge planes. It was almost unreal.

Paul posing in front of the Lincoln memorial with the Washington Monument in the background. We ate our lunch on a bench by the reflecting pool. Apparently it is a popular spot for people to exercise. It was constant. I felt like I was on the sideline of a race.

My mom and grandmother

Paul and Caleb trying out the pilot controls at the Air and Space Museum. Did you know that all the museums in downtown DC are free? We would have done more if the kids had let us.

This was the coolest frozen yogurt place I have ever been to. FroZenYo. I wish denver had one.

So you pick up a bowl and put as many flavors as you want in, and then you go to the toppings buffet. You pay by the ounce. It was delicious, cool, and surprisingly inexpensive! A must for anyone visiting DC.

Of course the kids loved it.

And I can't forget to mention the highlight of the entire trip, the Boise State vs. VA Tech football game. It was a blast! GO Broncos! I have never seen so many drunk people in my life.

Visiting Great Grandma in DC

Our trip to visit my grandmother in DC was mostly put into motion because she's not able to do yard and house work anymore. I went out to help my mom and my Uncle Dee do some clean up. Our main focus was the yard. We did do a little playing while we were there too.

Backyard before

After

A benefit of having a house that my kids loved.

The mosquitoes were absolutely awful. We were covered with bites. Caleb had 17 just on his face. The kids had a difficult time sleeping unless they were dosed with Benadryl. My mom and Uncle Dee got poison ivy on top of the mosquitoes. I am glad the kids sidestepped that one.

We went to a farm and the kids got to feed chickens, ducks, and pigs. They had good time with all the farm animals.

Camping with Grandpa

Pat's dad came to visit in July and to help us move. We had some good times. We went camping and we had the place to ourselves. Well, we had to share it with some cows, but other than that... Camping mid-week is definitely the way to go if you can swing it.

Beautiful country

Caleb had so much fun playing in the dirt. Man was he dirty. Paul, on the other hand, went through an entire package of baby wipes trying to stay dirt-free.

Much needed daddy time.


So the camera was lost for a while. I had unpacked all the boxes from the move, and still no camera. The only place I hadn't looked was in the camping gear, and our most recent camping trip was the last time I remembered having it. I waited to look there as a last resort because we have a lot of camping gear. I did find it there eventually in my hiking Camelbak though. I found it just in time for our trip to Virginia. Yeah!

We Moved!

We are all moved into our new place. We didn't move far, just a couple of miles, but a move is a move and short moves take just as much packing and effort as across state moves. I am glad it is pretty much over with. I love our new place! We doubled our square feet, and it has proven itself life altering. It is amazing what space can do for my well-being. The kids will go downstairs and play while I do something, anything else. There are a few negatives about the place, but the positives outweigh by a long shot. When we went to pick the keys up to the place it was mid afternoon and I made a comment about how hot the house was. The owner replied, "Yeah, this is about as cool as it gets midday in the summertime." WHAT? Yeah, there is no A/C. SURPRISE! I guess I forgot to ask about that one. That will soon be remedied. Anyone know about good window unit A/C's?

This summer has been crazy busy. Things are starting to wind down a bit now; maybe I should schedule some things...just kidding. I think I need a little down time actually. Just enough time to go to Wash DC in a couple weeks. I am really excited to take my kiddos to Virginia to meet family they've never seen.

I have a bunch a photos, but I haven't been able to find the camera since we moved in. It's either in a box or someone put it away really well.