On a Whim

It's been especially hard to get into the Christmas spirit this year. Last week it was in the 60's here in CO and there's only been ONE speakable snowfall. Not to mention my lame holiday decorations this year. Our Christmas tree amounts to a 3 ft fake with about 10 ornaments....enough said. I attempted to bribe myself early with some Black Friday shopping, daily Christmas tunes on the radio, trial of several varieties of Christmas cookies, and review of Jesus' true Christmas story in depth. But nothing really seems to be working. However, it is here. Christmas is nearly a week away. I will need to wrap up my shopping for the kiddos (hardly extravagant thanks to everyone who chooses to SPOIL our kids), and put the finishing touches on my Christmas card. Oh wait, correction: start my Christmas card! The delay and excuses on getting a family pic for a card are surmountable. I'd like one of everyone cheerfully smiling, however will settle for everyone at least looking in the same direction. On a whim, we decided to book an appointment for a little help in this department. The below pic is the chosen family pic of the year! Believe me when I say, for a before lunch, pre-nap shot, this is extremely "happy!" Guess it also helped put a little pep in my Christmas prep! For today anyway. I have been learning at church and reflecting on Christ's birth alot lately. I am surprised even as a faithful Follower how much I am misled about that story. I guess God is daily helping me to prepare my heart for the celebration of Christmas in these ways! Merry Christmas!

Thanksgiving week

We are blessed and so thankful for all the ways God has worked in our lives and provided for us this last year. Funny as it may seem, I feel I had little chance to actually sit and reflect on all I am thankful for. On second thought, this is really not that uncommon these days. However, I know from past experience as I begin to profess big and small things I am grateful for the list quickly expands exponentially. This year is no different. Our Thanksgiving week was filled with people we love. We stayed overnight at camp with family, ate turkey in Denver, trialed Black Friday, ate, and visited family in Denver, Longmont, and Brighton over the weekend and ate some more. Here's a few pics from along the way. This is the Unrein family piling in for a quick pic together after stuffing ourselves with turkey (except Uncle Chad and fiance Jenna--but they are pictured below!) Daddy (Uncle D) is entertaining with a few loaded down horsie rides for the kiddos. Outdoor fun on our Longmont visit included 2 nephews and a niece riding ONE skateboard through a small cement bowl. It was very tricky getting everyone's feet off the ground at once and staying upright. Good times. Mommy and E-man soaking in the 60+ degree sun while sipping Great Grandpa's special cinnamon tea! What a great crew! All the cousins in one place looking in one direction. Amazing. From left to right: Drew (~6), Kai (3), Addie (18 mo), Isaac (3), Eli (5 mo), and Ella (18 mo).

At Invesco Field

A few weeks ago, Derrick and I had the privilege to attend a fundraising banquet for FCA w/guest speaker, Bobby Bowden at Invesco Field in Denver. For those of you not up-to-date on football trivia, Bobby Bowden was a long-time Florida State football coach. He has been coaching for 58 yrs and has been partnered with Fellowship of Christian Athletes since 1960 to impact the lives of young athletes for Christ. His message was spiritually challenging and powerful and obviously rooted in a deep relationship with the Lord Jesus. Derrick and I helped with registration and book sales/book signing. We were also able to have our own SK8 Ministry table with information about reaching kids in the rebellious skateboard culture and the needs of our ministry through FCA. This is us posing by the Broncos "fireplace" in the VIP conference section of Invesco Field. The west view was inside the stadium and the east view was downtown Denver lit up at night. Very sh-na-zee!!! Derrick and I, literally the only 2 people in Invesco Field (outside of our camera man)! Cool. Behind us on the HUGE screen, FCA staff pics/bios were running as well as inside on the conference room TVs. Cool. FCA is hoping to make this an annual event, so stay tuned for next years event!

Addie-18 mo.

Addalyn is 18 months. This was just too cute not to share. Her newest tricks are a few more words.....favorite being "baby." She LOVES to dance. Simon Says is her newest shake shake. She no longer takes a bottle or sits in a high chair and now qualifies for timeouts. She follows multi-step directions SOOOO well. She prefers Elmo when Kai is not dominating the TV with Thomas the train. She is constantly nurturing Eli...petting his head, talking to him, playing with him, and handing him toys to grab. She is our sweet and sassy all in ONE.

Eli-5 mo update

Eli will be 5 months on Monday. He is a huge blessing to our family. He is easy-going and smiley. He loves the chaos of his big brother and sister. He tracks their every move from across a room. He just wants to be in on the action. He's now turned the corner in development, allowing him to be upright in the walker, jumper, or sitting supported in the boppy pillow. Here's a few sweetheart pics of Eli that demonstrate his newest tricks! E is very intent with his toys....trying to get everything into his mouth of course! Flannel Buddies Chomping some fingers in his bath towel 1st time in the doorway jumper Big boy sitting supported with the Boppy pillow

Supplemental Halloween pics

READ below "HALLOWEEN 2010" post first. Most of our playgroup attended the Harvest party as well. Here's a couple of the girls standing with Kai, Tessa (Thing 2 from Cat in the Hat) and Emily (blue crayon). Addie doing the ring toss. Kai's homegrown facial hair in minutes! He thought it was a nice touch! Disregard me, everyone's looking at the camera and happy! For the love of the lollipop!

Halloween 2010

Yehaw! Happy Halloween! The Unrein cowboys and cowgirl saddled up this Halloween at a Monument church Harvest party. They roped those games and wrangled that candy! Then they giddy-up'd on their horses to re-coop from a self induced sugar-high and hit the hay (as they say)! Here we all are at the Harvest party. The kids played games like ring toss, go fishing, putt-putt golf, throwing/kicking balls through tires, tossing pennies, etc. They also had an inflatible slide and bounce house that Kai loved! Cowboy E-man was awesome. He hung in the front-pack the entire time without a peep. He loved the stimulation! Here's Kai and Addie sitting on the porch steps with their pumpkins they carved the weekend prior to Halloween. They were getting slightly rotted, but Kai's was scary and Addie's was happy! The cowboys before we saddled up! Our cowgirl! Addie was diggin' the lollipops at the party and dancing to the music they played in the background! Her costume was complimented by many (thanks for the help Grandma)!

Mostly around the house

As stated before, we do play at home more often these days. I admittedly have allowed more TV watching within the last 4 months than I ever intended to allow my kids. But, desperate times call for desperate measures as they say. On the upside, I'm finally figuring out what keeps everyone entertained and engaged, quiet and happy outside of TV time. Any form of wrestling and chasing is entertaining, although NOT quiet. Having a snack or drink in hand= quiet and HAPPY (and wet as you can see)! Eli is simply entertained/engaged/happy with some "mommy time." (My easy one! LOL) He is grasping toys, rolling from tummy to back, giggling, and smiling like crazy! Playdoh is the gold standard on the above requirements (for the time being anyway) especially after we aquired some new "tools" to make sculptures. Addie keeps it out of her mouth (majority of the time) although now she stashes chunks of playdoh between her highchair edge and her thighs......she plays in her diaper now. LOL I'm not sure if we can give Eli the credit on this one, but everyone has become very nurturing at our house. Addie and Kai both play with "babies" daily. They include them in play, feed them, take them for rides in the grocery cart, etc. But nothing tops some REAL baby time with Eli!

YELLOW

We no longer can say we have "3 UNDER 3!" Kai is 3 now! We celebrated with a few friends and family in our backyard. The theme was YELLOW (Kai's favorite color). The party was as yellow as I could get it....the balloons, the cupcakes, the attire, the snack foods, the gift wrapping. But the pinata had to be Thomas the Train WITH yellow on it. We blew some bubbles, attempted Fruit Loop and noodle necklaces (a much harder craft for 3 yr olds than I expected), whacked the pinata, and played some t-ball. Kai enjoyed it. He did well as the center of attention, although very ready for a REST after everyone left. He was very blessed by family and friends, so thanks everyone! Here's Kai "smashing" his yellow cupcake! Little Addie was her brother's biggest fan. She's just chillin' at the picnic table. I love that Addie and Zane (Kai's friend) are SOO interested in the gift opening, yet patiently sitting and watching instead of "helping." What good kids! Here's Addie attempting a whack at the pinata! She was surprisingly accurate (with my help)! Kai talked all week about how determined he was to "bust" the pinata open himself! Oh well, it didn't help dad gave him a plastic bat!! It was his party...he was still the champ! No one could bust it with a plastic bat anyway....so we ended up ripping it open like a present and dumping it over the kids' heads! I'm just so glad I knew you had to PUT candy inside it...that could've been pretty disappointing!

Getaway

I love fall. It's something about the newness of crisp air, leaves with yellows and burnt oranges, displaying the pumpkin scented candle, and pulling out last seasons' jeans to see if they still fit (There must be a false security in covering my legs fully again for winter). Amongst the highlights of fall, is viewing the yellow speckled Rocky Mountains. We thought it would be fun to take the kids up for a picnic in the mountains and let them tromp around in the leaves. It WAS beautiful. Literally a breath of fresh air. However, the kids found the birds diving to eat the Goldfish crackers they were throwing from the picnic table MOST amuzing! After the picnic we tried to get a few shots with the colored trees and then headed out on a 1-mile loop hike. We could make it only a mile, right?!? WRONG.....note below Derrick carrying Kai and Addie, enough said. I did say fall, but did I mention like 85 degrees?!?!

Last week or so

Brothers that snuggle! Kai still states frequently he'd like to keep Eli. Good thing. Eli is starting to respond more to Kai's voice and watch him play around him. Addie sprouted some outrageous buckteeth overnight!! A killer find at the Halloween store. It's really a pacifier. Eli, his smiley self! Underwear hat! Addie wearing Kai's undies on her head! Yes, he's finally potty trained.

Ba-Woons!

Hit our 1st annual Balloon Classic over Labor Day weekend. Weird to WAKE the kids (as opposed to being woken) to catch the sunrise launch in the park! We piled everything on the stroller for a 1/2 mile walk from the car....blankets, coats, hats, coffee, donuts. The essentials. Picture a BEAUTIFUL crisp clear morning overlooking Pikes Peak. Picture clothes, but bedhead. Picture 5,000+ people at 6:45am. It was truly a classic. When we were approaching the park we saw the first balloon lift off in the distance......Ba-Woons! Ba-Woons! K & A loved it! Stuffing our faces with donuts! Yum! Family shot with the stroller all loaded down. I was really trying to get a good pic of K & A together and ended up with this one completely unintentional. Donuts must produce boogers!! LOL We also hit the Balloon GLOW one night with Addie and Eli. We started out with a picnic at the skatepark. Then popped a squat in the grass to see the balloons shoot fire all at the same time, GLOWING after dark. Very cool. Addie will soon be a juice FANATIC like her older brother! Addie kept busy making calls to Kai who had an overnight in the mountains with family! She tilts her head to the side to talk...so much jibberish you'd think she knew Russian! Mommy helping keep Addie entertained. Nothing like a slobber kiss! Daddy and the little ones!