Party of FIVE

A quick 5 to get it done

2012-02-09T14:20:00.002-07:00

1. Just feel the need to get something up here to look at before I completely lose my audience. These socks the kids are wearing started out as a small square of material in a package. But after placing them in water they turned into the coolest socks these munchkins have ever seen! The toes of the socks each have a different animal face. Eli makes the frog sound every time he'd like to wear them (actually more like a growl that starts with an "r")! A simple hit in our house! 2. I started another part time job this week. It's been in the works since the beginning of December so it's nice to get it finally rolling. It's a grant program run through the YMCA for prevention of childhood obesity. It's not a weight loss program but a behavior modification for lasting changes. I'm teaching nutrition and mind theory, which translates to refined and unrefined foods, fats and sugars, label reading, meal planning, self esteem, appropriate goals and rewards for kids, internal and external triggers for overeating, being a parental role model, etc etc. The families I'm working with are pretty stellar and I'm so pumped to see them making such a sacrifice to make healthy lifestyle changes together! I think we're all going to get something out of our sessions! 3. Who likes to pack and move? If ANYONE answered yes or even maybe to that question I may just enroll your help very soon! Our landlord is selling the home we are renting so we will be in transition again to renting/buying in the upcoming months. Since we found out in Nov. I've been praying not to have to move in Feb. Thank you Lord, I think that that one has been answered by the looks of it. I'm not looking too forward to the packing/unpacking process but it does mean automatic spring cleaning will take place (trying to cover all the positives here). 4. Addie is potty training. I don't do the "do it in a few days" method, although I really should reconsider. Addie takes 3 steps forward and 2 steps back. She does love her 1 skittle for going #1 and 2 skittles for going #2. So something about the incentives are working for her. The other day when she finished she proudly yelled to Kai "Kai I did a #3!" I believe that to be the influence of their father. 5. A few weeks ago Kai endured a traumatic injury in Walmart. He was walking along side the cart with me as Eli was swiping cans off the shelves through the narrow isles. Kai graciously bent to help pick up the cans Eli knocked off the shelves when he let out a bloody murder scream (it was somewhere between little girl opera and hot fire scream--not sure if you are catching the volume of this cry). It was LOUD. He got his thumb nail smashed by a huge can of beans. I was red and plump and completely black and blue within minutes. It was bad. I HAD to finish my shopping. It was one of those instances when you had to make something for the next day, didn't have another time to shop, didn't have a husband available so you could quickly get it done-kinda shopping trip. So Kai screamed 30 mins. through the experience...poor kid. The Walmart guy even showered him with a balloon, lollipop and stickers....but it didn't help. Days later we tried to perform our own surgery (with the help of Doctor Grandpa) to release pressure under his nail but it was unsuccessful. Finally this week his nail is getting a little loose. We've come to grips with the fact it will fall off and then the plan is to place it under his pillow for the "nail fairy." This kid was not made for tragedy. We are relaxing this afternoon with the beginnings of a cold for mom....welcome to a winter weekend huh?! Until next time.......

30th Birthday Party

2012-01-25T07:18:00.004-07:00

For about 9 years now, Derrick and I have SHARED a birthday. There is one day between our birthdays in which we usually go out to celebrate each other instead of giving gifts. But with turning 30 this year, we both agreed a kidless party was necessary. To throw it back old school, we slapped a 90's theme to it.....dress 90's, listen to 90's, and play 90's trivia. Derrick even wanted to venture into the foods we ate in the 90's (Bugles full of Easy Cheese for him), but I opted out of that one (those of you who attended can thank me later). Derrick and I shopped at the thrift store for our 90's threads! I was going for a Paula Abdul/Friends look and Derrick scavenged something similar to Wayne's World in my opinion. We had other great 90's outfits and accessories that friends wore as well, including flannels, an array of jeans, scrunchies, track suits complimented by a discman, overalls, Doc Martens, and many other goodies. Derrick and I have a list of 30's goals and projects.....we are viewing it as a growth period and new season. So here's to the 90's!!

Western Stock Show & Rodeo

2012-01-23T16:26:00.002-07:00

Howdy Partners! We hit the rodeo with some friends this year........we made it through the whole show with the help of some kettle corn and cotton candy. Toward the end the kids started to get a little restless, but we HAD to stay to see the bull riding (Derrick and I's favorite part). Kai thinks he might like to take a stab at mutton bustin'! The kids all wore their cowboy/cowgirl shirts and hats. Although as you can see, Kai added a mustache and his boots for a authentic experience. Addie enjoying her cotton candy! Brian, Lindsey and Gavin chillin' during the rodeo. Two new coach drivers. Eli sportin' his cowboy outfit. Addie in the petting zoo. Kai making friends and feeding hay to the goats in the petting zoo.

Pre and Post Christmas festivities

2012-01-08T15:49:00.004-07:00

Slightly overdue as usual, but right on time for me. I live by the "better late than never" motto on this blog. We've had a blessed Christmas season. It has been a season of teaching not just about baby Jesus the Savior being born but what does that even mean for us every other day of our year?! Like I've mentioned before we are doing our best to teach our kids Christmas is about Jesus and giving and not Santa Clause and receiving, but it's like swimming up stream in our culture. I'm praising God for other friends, family and church that support these principles along with us. On the way home from church today Kai was lamenting that Christmas is over and Addie just refused to believe it. I know girl, the season just has the tendency to give you warm fuzzy's inside and you just don't want it to end. Although that could also be the tremendous amounts of chai tea and hot chocolate we've been consuming....but either way. The Merry Christmas season was awesome all around, spanning from Thanksgiving to after New Years for us. We did travel to SD for Christmas where I did not exercise my own camera much.....so I will have to post something about that a little later (hopefully before next Dec). This is my version of picture highlights backwards (obviously only including things I thought to photograph) No city slickers here.....we acquired some new weapons as gifts and now everyone can utilize one (or two)! It's the gift that just keeps on giving at our house! I believe this is a lesson in smiling and showing your teeth. Addie the teacher, Eli the student, and Kai the class clown? New Years Eve with our awesome friends Mike and Tammy. Story time MUCH before midnight. My surprise anniversary overnight at Cheyenne Mtn Resort......awesome! Skate Church Christmas Party......a few ugly sweaters. White elephant gift exchange....I think we came away with a '67 corvette. Not bad huh?? Did I mention model size? Group shot...yes, soon enough we will no longer fit in this room....praise God for that! Having all the kids during Skate Church is a party in itself! Sarah and I whipped up a 'better than usual' meal and quite a spread of cookies! Large sunglasses voted best gift! Quite becoming on Eli as well. Father/Son sledding trip. Matt and Derrick took Campbell and Kai to the elementary school nearby for some afternoon sledding. We hit the Cheyenne Mtn Zoo Christmas Lights display this year....very fun and very cold. Here's the boys enjoying a hot chocolate break. Family shot in front of the lit Christmas tree. Goofy Christmas headbands Our magnificent family gingerbread house! Yes pre-made but wonderfully decorated. Addie adding sprinkles to our Christmas cookies. Lots of help on these cookies and lots of excitement about bringing out the sprinkles! Kai and Addie finishing off the peanut butter blossoms with a kiss for a cookie exchange. We may have snuck a few kisses.

Happy Anniversary

2011-12-29T19:42:00.003-07:00

It's been 7 years today....... .........and so the journey continues, together. We've messed up, laughed at each other, been entirely overwhelmed, cried, hugged, loved, given the silent treatment, learned, carried each other along, encouraged one another, been humbled, prayed, amongst many other things, and grown in the process. Here's to another year in the journey! Love you babe.

FYI

2011-12-28T15:23:00.002-07:00

I have published a few posts from old dates so they do not pop up as the newest blog post. Check them out at previous dates. Stay tuned for some Christmas festivities......

Tebow Time!

2011-12-18T09:12:00.002-07:00

Yep, Broncos vs Patriots today! It's a big game (according to my husband who most of my football knowledge and influence comes from) Yes, we are all pumped that the Broncos are winning some games!!! I'm also pumped to see how God has placed a godly man, like Tim Tebow in the realm of NFL football. It's refreshing to see someone who actually lives out a genuine relationship with His King in the midst of the limelight (and the "heat")......and amongst a tough mission field of typically self-sufficient people that don't "need" God and are typically egocentric (can you get an idea of how I really feel about NFL?! :)) Can I get an AMEN! Addie tebowing.

Random Happy's

2011-12-18T08:45:00.005-07:00

These shots are all random, but they make me happy. I love having pics of typical days at our house. In the future I may be more excited to reflect back on these.

Christmas @ Thanksgiving

2011-12-18T08:14:00.004-07:00

We had a pre-Christmas Christmas with the Unrein family over Thanksgiving weekend. Pictured below are all the cousins awaiting gift opening from youngest to oldest (minus 'lil Tessa who is pictured after). It was a fun weekend of cousin chaos, large & hearty meals, great weather in the 70's, nights at camp, father/son golfing, vampire movies for the sister-in-laws, late day Black Friday shopping, a trip to see Great Grandpa Ed with ANOTHER yummy & hearty meal, movies and coffee talk among adults, and burning lots of energy from 7 kids under the age of 7! So thankful for weekends like these! Drew, Kai, Issac, Ella, Addie, Eli Tessa @ 3months Eli catching on to this present idea! At Thanksgiving, Eli found a cozy spot with Aunt Mimi for a quick snooze!

Favs

2011-12-10T20:42:00.001-07:00

Absolutely love these pics of my kiddos! Cherishing the moments.

Uncle Kyle time!

2011-12-10T19:53:00.003-07:00

It was awesome to have my brother Kyle for an unexpected visit a few days in November. The kids loved it. Uncle Kyle played all their games, went to the zoo with them, ate with them, snacked with them and napped with them. I'm not exaggerating much. :) We all just enjoyed having him around. Even tonight, a month later, Kai was helping me lick the nasty Christmas card envelopes and asked who each one was being sent to. When we got to several family members he asked "is this one for Uncle Kyle?" I had to explain that Uncle Kyle's card was being sent in his gift since he couldn't spend Christmas with us. Kai gave a sigh then on a bright note stated, "guess it'll just be me and Uncle Reid." Ah the bond of boys! :) Eli and Uncle Kyle making trouble with their stallion! Goofin' around Boyz at the Cheyenne Mtn Zoo Addie flipping through pics with Uncle Kyle

A quick 5 to jumpstart November

2011-11-22T07:35:00.005-07:00

It's been awhile...............just a quick 5 to jumpstart the month of November. 1. Lately, Addie has been whispering most of her non-frustrated language. She also has a strong opinion on most of the clothes I pick out for her to wear. The other day she ran up to me with a shirt SHE picked out from her drawer and whispered, "can you put on this precious shirt?" Ever since then, a few select shirts have become her precious shirts. 2. I have re-named Eli my "little sidearm slinger." He winds his right arm all the way back and whacks everything lately (whips his blankets or clothes around, whacks with toys, or aims anything at Addie). Let the hitting phase begin.......along with the time-out step. One of the benefits of multiple children in similar stages is they sort of know the drill when it come to discipline. Eli only gets up on the time-out step when he hits but his body language and facial expressions indicate remorse. He sits still and only moves his head with his eyes tilted low to his toes. It's sweet. Other times he's so proud he's one of the big kids on the step, he just smiles. I usually have a problem keeping my "serious" face either way! 3. I'm griping on to Kai's dwindling nap time by small threads these last 2 weeks. I'm trying to come to terms with less "alone" time in the afternoon (when it does play out that way). He's become the culprit for preventing his little bro and sis from a nap that is VERY needed due to his singing, talking, jumping in bed, etc. So we've switched rooms (Kai and Eli are now roommates) hoping that will help and allow Eli to get used to sharing his room. 4. This week I took all the kids to TOYS R US (Pretty sure I was sober and sane when I decided to do that). The first 45 minutes in the store were actually pretty good then the egocentric toddler mode set in. I think getting everyone out of the shopping cart to play at the Thomas the Train table in the store was where everything went downhill. Although we left with crying and frustration, Kai was able to sum up our visit, "Mom, just get me the huge gun and the McQueen riding car okay?" 5. Kai asked for hot chocolate this morning with his breakfast. After breakfast he asked if he could drink it on the couch with me for "coffee talk." Now, he's reading his bible with Daddy on the couch. I think he skipped a few years there somewhere?!?!

Halloween 2011

2011-11-03T13:13:00.003-06:00

Halloween is very "-pooky," says Kai and Addie. What turned into a COLD fall walk with our plastic pumpkins (to collect sticks) started off the night of pumpkin carving! Love this pic of Kai and Addie. Everyone was excited about cutting the top off to see the pumpkin "guts." They even decided to wear their white tank tops together in case the guts were messy. LOL Addie started off enthusiastic to help clean out the pumpkin, but she decided otherwise with the smell and slime. Kai and Daddy did all the dirty work! When Eli sat on the table to get in on the action, he enjoyed sticking his hand in the pumpkin and pulling them out quickly..... laughing when he touched the slime. In fact, Kai loved the slime and guts. He's going to be a "man's man." Addie did decide it would be okay for her to help gather the pumpkin seeds so we could oven roast them (which I burned this year ANd last year!) Funny though, she picked them up one at a time! Who is this girlie girl? Our Pirate, Puppy, and Fairy. This pic is Halloween morning when this NBA player momma (my costume by day) took the kids to a nursing home with other friends to visit and show off our costumes. This is probably the only time of day Addie agreeably wore a costume. She wasn't into costumes this year.....maybe due to the scratchy fairy costume, coldness, or simply a bad mood. In the evening we took her costume off at Papa and MooMoo's house because she was so cranky about it and she refused to put it back on! MooMoo graciously found her some special dress-up clothes of Aunt Mimi's before we left so her costume would not be "naked toddler in tights" (thanks MooMoo). I called him "Black Stache." Note the chest hair. He was pretty proud of that. We had a great Halloween together with friends from our church, Alethia. We shared chili in the barn amongst the hay and toured a "-pooky" maze. The hubby and I's night costume was cowboy, redneck, hillbilly....or whatever you call John Deere and a cowgirl hat. :) Then we went Trunk-or-Treating in a nearby field. A circle of cars and a few headlights kept kids in sight and able to walk from trunk to trunk to play carnival games and get candy. A first for me, but very great idea (especially for all our little guys). Happy Halloween everyone. Hello November.

Eli's time to shine in a little update

2011-10-28T21:58:00.007-06:00

Ah, my little booger.....he's my cuddle bug and my happy man. He is mommy's little delight. He's so easy going and lovable. Eli's 16 months now. He's on the go, growing and exploring all the time. He's starting to run. Addie tries to get him to chase her all around the house....it won't be too long before he's fast enough to keep up! We no longer have baby gates on the stairs so he roams the house freely with the other kids. Although, we have learned the hard way that we need to keep the bathroom doors shut (we have a toilet water/TP magnet on our hands)! Eli plays well with both Kai and Addie, mainly following their lead or just following them around. Like my last blog post, he gets wrangled into some of Kai's dress up and imaginary play OR he sits and looks at books with Addie or snuggles and tends to all her stuffed animals and babies. He only has 3 or so distinguishable words but he understands multi-step commands (ie "put your book on the toy box and go get your blankie" or "go get your shoes and bring them to me"). He's starting to make sounds/grunts for lots of new things...so I think he's communication is in the growing stage as we speak. He's really loving books lately so we're trying to be intentional about reading with/to him by himself to help with communication skills. He still has stellar facial expressions when he's trying to convey something that do all the talking. This has been one of my favorite ages with Eli. He's been a SUPER snuggler (which I'm taking advantage of). He is constantly smiling and has the best chuckle when you hit his tickle spots. His momma is diggin' this phase! He's such a blessing to all of us. Little Bronco Buddy String-o-drool from those molars! Mommy's helper. Not long ago Eli would cry hysterically whenever we turned on any kind of vacuum, now he chases the upright vacuum and cries when I take this one out of his hands. Eli's first go at Playdoh with his big bro and sis.

Some latest happenings

2011-10-28T21:32:00.003-06:00

In case you are not a Facebook follower, didn't want you to miss this: Yes, Kai is leading Eli around like a dog with some sort of leash attached to his overalls and then ties him up to the door. Yes, Eli is LOVING playing with his big bro (note his facial expression in the 1st pic). Best playmate ever. Last week we got to take baby Gavin (my roommate from college, Lindsey's little guy) to the Cheyenne Mtn. Zoo! Can't you tell his excitement in the 1st pic? Well, what if I told you he pooped through his clothes 2x during his visit..... you know he was excited! This was an exciting visit for Eli as well, he was attacked by a peacock taking a stab at his PB&J sandwich! Scary. I turned to help set up K & A's lunch and suddenly this peacock is practically climbing into the stroller by Eli's feet and pecking at his sandwich! Eli finally started yelping and I pushed the peacock across the deck by the neck (I know, not the most humane way, but this thing was ravenous and I was protecting my young)!

Fall Colors

2011-10-17T13:58:00.008-06:00

The last weekend of September we ventured into the mountains to "hunt" for leaves. It was suppose to be the peak weekend for viewing beautiful colors. We didn't have to hunt very far before finding ravenous mountain slopes of yellow, with splashes of orange and the occasional red. This is near Mueller State Park. This is the southwest side of Pikes Peak. We started our adventure with a loop drive to encompass as many colorful leaves as possible. We ended up with 3 backseat nappers (which was awesome) so Derrick and I were able to thoroughly enjoy the ride! Our destination was Mueller State Park where we planned a picnic and hike. Here we are gobbling up our PB&Js at the picnic spot. There are some scavenger birds that I'm sure are used to being fed in the picnic areas.......although no complaints, they provided up-close and hair-raising entertainment as they dove for our crackers. Kai and Addie found a tipee/cave in the rocks to play in not far from where we had our picnic. Eli and Addie gearing up for our hike....... one or both of them was carried almost the entire way. Here's Addie perching on a bed of moss we found on a walk around a tiny pond along the trail. This is a cute pic of Addie double fisting the buckets! We came prepared with sand toys for collecting rocks, sticks, leaves, etc. Last year I remember spending much more idle time around the picnic area, probably due to a nursing Eli who was only 3 or 4 months old. But we ate and were off on our hike this year. This pic of Addie is the only time I remember the buckets being held. A semi-serious look from my little rider, Eli. He did hang in there with no nap except for the brief car snooze. Kai has learned the on-command smile when we ask. He was on cloud 9 the whole day in the mountains. He wore his hiking boots, had his hiking pants on (better known as jeans), brought all his hiking supplies and got to use daddy's special outdoor tool (which he called a GERBER). Kai came "strapped" for the hunting trip (play pistol and rifle), whether it was stumps or trees or dirt he was determined to spend as much time as possible using Daddy's GERBER (well, pliers were the only thing he was allowed to use). Mueller State Park 2010 Mueller State Park 2011

The Thursday quick 5

2011-10-13T08:37:00.004-06:00

Happy Thursday from the Broncos hood-lems and their sis! Yes, it's a quick 5 today. We are pounding down the Tylenol already this morning. 1. Oh Joy! This little guy is getting new molars! This means, he's up in the night every few hours and grinding his jaw like crazy! Thankfully he is not completely awake and is content to be held and put back down with Ora-gel, some Tylenol, and some lovin'. 2. Kai woke up with a nasty cough (and is quick to remind me he is sick) and Addie has red cheeks and hasn't moved from her spot on the couch in almost 45 mins. Bring on more Tylenol. 3. For months Kai has been excited to move to the 4 yr old class at church. He has several friends in the class and has anticipated being one of the "big kids." Derrick and I were helping teach through the games portion of their James 2 curriculum this last weekend. We discussed the simple differences between judgement (something given that is deserved) and mercy (something given that is undeserved) and gave examples of favortism in relation to the so-called golden rule, "love others as you love yourself (which I'm not so in agreement this should be called the golden rule, but that's a story for another time). Anyway, it's awesome to see how God uses the faith of a child to share their simple understanding of something with such LARGE implications like judgement and mercy. Kai has been giving Addie lessons all week on these topics. He uses the same examples we gave in church to help explain it to her then he'll quiz her with questions to see if she's following. He's even been pointing out some of the familiar terminology in the Christian rap we listen to in the car (yes, you heard right. I do listen to certain rap even when Derrick's not in the car-LOL). 4. Addie's verbal communication is improving every week. She randomly busted a few phrases out at the dinner table last night that caught me by surprise: "Mom, I really love you. You're the best." (something I'm used to hearing from Kai's mouth, but only nods or hugs of agreement from her.) It was a great compliment from my sweet Addalyn. 5. This last week after nap time, Eli has started putting his index finger up to his lips and spitting "shhhh" when he comes out of his room incase Kai or Addie are still napping. Pretty sweet. At least I know he gets it. Well, really not much news to share. Enjoy your fall day.

Kai's 4th birthday

2011-10-06T10:45:00.005-06:00

Sept 24 Kai turned 4! We did pirates in the park at Kai's request with an assortment of rice krispie treats.....simple and easy. Some matties came dressed up and some didn't, but they had a great time running wild at the park together. Our idea was to have a treasure chest with chocolate coins, but that ended up to be chocolates that resembled coins in a duct taped shoe box. LOL Then we thought we'd do treasure maps for fun......which Derrick did make a highly artist and elaborate map for only Kai. Derrick also drew mustaches on most of the kids with face paint crayons and we did end up doing a rather ghetto treasure hunt by flinging the chocolate candies into the wide open grass and letting the kids rifle through to find "treasure". Surprisingly, a few parents commented that part was their child's favorite part!! Makes me laugh. So, a simple party in a nutshell but Kai loved everything about it. It was a great celebration of him together with friends and family. Kai and his matey, Campbell Distributing rice krispie treats and juice to the mob of pirates. Eli's pirate attire Addie with her checked-bandana, eye patch, and mustache next to matey, Zane. Derrick hard at work creating new mustache looks! This is the mob of pirates getting instructions for the ghetto treasure hunt! The duct tape treasure chest is actually GLEAMING in this pic!! Birthday Pirate all grown up....mustache and all. Happy Birthday Kai-man! WE love you.

Estes with Papa and MooMoo

2011-10-03T22:07:00.002-06:00

Guilty, we don't eat our fish much especially not trout. So when Kai and Addie arrived home from an overnight in Estes Park with Derrick's parents with 3 LARGE trout enormous in length, things got interesting. The now annual (according to Kai) Estes Park trip with Papa and MooMoo was a second trip for Kai and first trip for Addie. They packed their bags very enthusiastically (with ridiculous amounts of unnecessary stuff. Yes, I did re-pack). They knew they would be listening for elk bugling in Rocky Mtn. National Park, hitting Poppy's the favorite pizza joint in Estes, and taking a dip in the hotel pool. However, we were not expecting the trip to Trout Haven and mega trout we would be cooking for dinner the night they arrived home. Needless to say from the pics, it was a first for Derrick and I. I have fished as a kid, but never have I thrown a trout in my fry pan with the tail sticking out the end!!! At least it was pre-gutted before arriving at our house. It ended up being pretty tasty. Kai also came home with a new play sheriff's set.....rifle and pistol included. I believe I've mentioned, but he's into weapons lately. He wore the guns, badge, and hat in a belt around his waist (or occasionally through his underwear) for a week straight. After a few days we just stopped taking it off for meal time.

The last month of randoms

2011-09-30T22:11:00.003-06:00

Gosh, it's been awhile. I blink and have a stack of laundry that hits the ceiling, my baby is 4 years old and understands WAY too much, and everyone in this house has been in desper-need of a hair cut for weeks! It's time to get on track here (laundry is in and blog is on the way). These are just a collection of random pic over the last month. I have a few theme blogs that are brewing, but stay tuned for those. Pre-bath naked time is treasured in our house. It revs things up for the bedtime routine (just what every parent looks forward to at 7pm). I am realizing Eli was probably several hours past a needed change based on the swelling of his diaper. :) My little jumping bean has been getting rather gutsy lately. She jumped off the stairs during Skate Church while camp chairs were set up right at the landing pad. Her highly dramatic siren cry was a sure way to win the sympathy of 20 teen guys who watched it all go down. She came away with an egg on her head and cut lip. After she caught on, she was quick to show her battle wounds to just about anyone. She looks pretty proud I'd say. All my kids like to snuggle up for movies and couch time, especially after they just wake up. Eli likes to enjoy his snack with his big bro on a regular basis. Now that he's starting to boycott the morning nap pretty regularly he's up for 10am snack time with Kai and Addie. I must admit though, it's much easier to do it all at once and prepare the same thing. A thumbs up from me. Kai is recruiting himself more and more for helpful tasks, like dishes, yard work, etc. Not always as helpful as he thinks. Sounds backwards, I know, like I should be doing the persuading for help. But he begged me to do the dishes this night. I recall jumping at the chance. Eli has finally joined the story time routine (mostly just at bedtime for now). He digs it! He and Addie don't always sit through just any book. But it is pretty fun to see his enthusiasim to participate.

Labor Day 2011

2011-09-07T21:55:00.005-06:00

Yes, our weekend was loaded! The wedding and then packed Labor Day. So much fun resulting in exhaustion! Colorado Balloon Classic 2011 with the Gaws! Made it for the launch at 7am. Donuts and juice is officially a tradition......2 years running. We could see our breathe this early Sept 5 morning.....but that didn't slow the donut consumption! Our favorite balloon......reminded us of new movie "RIO." Daddy and Kai-man. Mommy and Eli keeping warm together. Buddies, Campbell and Kai. By 8:30am we were on the road to meet little Gavin in Denver. We finally made it up to welcome Brian and Lindsey's little guy! So precious! They are doing a great job with this cutie pie! Unfortunately, after leaving little Gavin we headed to IKEA on Labor Day. Yeah, that was stupid. First mistake, we WOKE the kids to shop after only 1 hr of sleep. We were in awe at the store for about 10 mins. Then Derrick and I had a similar feeling, "get us outta here!" It was a never ending path at that point amongst every shelf, candle, picture, etc etc that you could ever imagine. I thought shopping was bad with the kids on a normal basis......add several thousand people and an oversized double stroller and you can only imagine the experience. Next IKEA trip will be leisurely with my husband or girlfriend while sipping coffee and will be on a weekday. Wow-zers! Here's the proof we made it.

Wedding weekend extravaganza!

2011-09-07T20:54:00.005-06:00

Uncle C-Diddy and Aunt JC tied the knot this last weekend for a Ponderosa wedding extravaganza! We enjoyed great time with family and old friends. The 4 cousins from Omaha was a major highlight everyone, along with a new favorite friend, Mary from Ohio. It was a fairy tale wedding, horse carriage and all. We loved having an extended stay back at camp (felt like home). The kids looked absolutely adorable. 7 cousins! Kai and Issac walking the isle for rehearsal. Drew escorting the ladies, Ella and Addie. He helped keep them focused. Cousin chit chat. The kids found the only available shade between cars during downtime of the rehearsal. Dolled up. Game faces on. My sister-in-law Becky and I strategically planned how to finish lunch, nap, eat a snack, dress and primp for the wedding for ourselves and 7 kids while the daddy's were busy with groomsmen duties. So very proud this was the end product....total cuteness. The flower girls, Addie 2 and Ella 2. The littlest flower girl and #7 cousin, Tessa. Precious outfit. My lil man with a spike.....a very big hit in addition to the suit vest. Post wedding family pic.....at least all heads are turned in the same direction :)! Little squirts loving on each other. MooMoo and Addie Aunt Mimi and Addie Daddy and "E"

All my little buddies

2011-08-27T22:43:00.004-06:00

I'm so behind and have so many great pics.....so here it goes. This blog of pics has random times throughout the last week or so. All the little buddies at our house are playing together well and I think most of these pics show it. It blesses my socks off to see the synergy between these kiddos. For the most part, they play well, share toys, and include one another. Sometimes it takes a little prompting but we can trudge through upsets and tears most days. However don't mistake me, we have our moments of selfishness, tantrums, and meltdowns as well. We will concentrate on the good for now.---------------------- Derrick and his lil helpers installed a new toilet on Saturday. We got some new WASHABLE paints and now I have very happy, MESSY artists! We've been having some recent issues keeping Addie in her bed after the lights are out and the door closes. Sometimes I catch she and Kai talking and giggling, but I found them asleep like this last night. This box was hours of entertainment. They all hid in it, drew on it, sat in it, and made weapons out of it. Kai and Addie's shields of faith and swords of the Spirit (yes, learning the biblical principles of God's armor) AND fearless battle faces. Addie and Eli with less direction from Kai on WHAT they would use the box for and decide to just sit and enjoy the simplicity of it. Daddy with the lil tikes! Eli is now off the bottle completely.......it was super easy. It was more a matter of me just putting milk in the sippy cup. It's bittersweet having all my babies do things themselves! :( The blow-up pool hasn't been seeing much action lately, even though it continues to be HOT. We pulled out the baby pool one morning last week and had contests who could sit in the icy water the longest. Eli is the man! We had to take several warming breaks. Derrick and I agree that Addie and Eli could pass as twins in the below pic. A classic Kai pic. He's copying how Derrick uses Kleenex for bloody noses or to prevent drips lately with his uncontrolled allergies/cold. Kai randomly walked down the stairs with the Kleenex in his nose. It's a trend this week. Picnic in Brighton at the sk8 park. We were right next to the street because we were so desperate for shade! My kids ask to have picnics almost every other day! I'm so glad they love PB&J's! Cutie pie picnic buddies!

Father/Son Camp out

2011-08-27T22:07:00.002-06:00

Last weekend Derrick and Kai ventured to 'the Farm' for a campout with dads and sons from our church. Kai was sooooo excited to hang with Daddy and all his buddies. Our friends that live on 'the Farm' have land where the kids roam free, dig in the dirt, ride bikes, roast marshmallows, etc. Kai was named youngest "pyro" after this event.....nice. My guys had a great time together. They ended up pitching tents in the barn due to rain, but not a bummer in Kai's opinion. Derrick toughed it out with horrible out-of-control allergies that flare up at night and make nights sleepless. Needless to say, not much sleep happened in that barn. We are so blessed to have a group of men that value their relationship with their sons and take time to spend with them.

Loud & Clear Skate Jam

2011-08-21T15:52:00.007-06:00

Many BOLD witnesses in a dark place. The battle is not amongst ourselves. This rebellion runs deep. But a Savior was present. The sheer numbers boggle my mind. The power of testimony in a few people.....was used. Pride was broken and hearts were called to meet their Heavenly Father. The community among Christ's Church came united to love and serve and there was understanding among them. It wasn't about us, not our church, not our ministry. It was them. God loves these rebels that skate and cuss like sailors and fight for what they think is "freedom" and entitlement. They just don't see. They choose not to hear it. But God was there. He dangled true freedom at their fingertips. Freedom that lives above the bondage of sin we are constantly battling. He lovingly tugged at their hearts and a few listened. Praise God, a few listened. There's hundreds of stories from one night at Memorial Skatepark that can't all be told on this blog; stories of kids hearing the love of Christ, questioning a God bigger than themselves, arguing, mocking, eating ridiculous numbers of hot dogs, skating to impress the pros, and being broken. The battle is God vs Satan; and the world is Satan. Pray for these people, these new creations in Christ Jesus. Their journey does not get easier from here. Knowledge and understanding can be the hardest part. Looking at your sin in the mirror and believing Jesus has overcome it takes practice. This is where our job begins. Pray for us and the many others who will do LIFE with these people. Pray we will do it well. Pray we will be used. Here's just a few pics of the evening from my camera including the prep at the park beforehand. We set up an FCA booth to give out information about Skate Church. Note the new 10 ft promo banner...pretty awesome! Massive quantities of hot dogs! Approximately 1300 hot dogs were eaten!! A skater's fav, Monster Energy Drinks. We had to mark hands with an "x" to ration them. Buns and water stacked. Christian Hosoi brought the message, LOUD & CLEAR. Addie, just because she's precious and she loved the free Jamba Juice (seen all down the front of her shirt)! Derrick and Chad, long-time shredding buddies. Faithful friends & ministry supporters, Mike and Tammy manning the FCA booth (and my sister-in-law, Emily in the chair). Attempting to capture the sheer number of people at the SK8 park. This is only half the park. We estimate 1500-2000 people in attendance throughout the evening. There was about 200 kids who chose to pray with Christian Hosoi when offered the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. I believe lives were changed, including mine. Just by attending, my heart is more burdened for these skaters. I want to love them, the way Christ loves me (especially since I will never be able to influence them using my skateboarding skills). No strings attached. Keep an eye out in the coming weeks for video footage, professional pics, and more stories via this blog, Facebook, and our FCA ministry updates. If you want to know more, post a comment and I'll get back to you.

back to kids

2011-08-09T23:05:00.002-06:00

Kai and Addie shucking corn on the cob for supper. A wedding attire fitting and practice session. We need some work on the hold still, look this way, and smile at the same time:( An all sibling sandbox party after some new sand from Lowes! Hope this sand batch sticks around IN the sandbox a little longer or we will have a beach in our backyard soon! The girls. Scout and Addie "Happy Traveler." Could the kid get any cuter? I may just enter him for a resort travel magazine cover...what do ya think?

here's to adults

2011-08-09T21:58:00.003-06:00

This post is about adults. I know, Derrick and I rarely get any coverage on this blog and believe me the pics are few and far between as well. But amongst the bottles, diapers, baths, and messes we do ATTEMPT to have somewhat of a life as well. So here's to a rarity...... My dear PREGNANT friend Kaci and I dazzled for tea to celebrate our friend Tara's baby girl set to arrive this month ! Nothing a trip to the ARC thrift store can't fix when you're at a loss for granny's white gloves and tea hats. Heavenfest 2011 in Loveland, CO. These are our homies, Matt and Sarah Gaw (oh and ministry partners, friends, and neighbors as well!) We spent all day in the HOT sun manning the booth to promote our upcoming skate ministry event, LOUD & CLEAR at Memorial Sk8 Park in CO Springs on Aug 19th. We had shade (praise God, otherwise we may have melted), we were kidless (can I hear another praise), and we could hear great music mostly from afar. I also got to see my cousin Angie (5th I believe) and her hubby Allen at the Museum of Nature & Science in Denver. Addie, Eli and I played around the museum in City Park most of the afternoon before meeting up with Angie and Allen to view mummies and birds. LOL. Allen was playing the actual bird calls from his IPhone while we were viewing the replicas. A & E loved it! I got to hang with 2 of my most fav college roommates, Lindsey and Katie, at LA's shower for BBA (that translates, Lindsey's shower for baby boy Anderson....a story for another time). It's tradition to get a pic like this when we're all together.....just glad it wasn't my belly this time! I know, he doesn't belong in this blog. But he's too cute to leave out. If you haven't seen us in a while, Eli got a buzz cut. He looks fully boy and cuter than ever! Ok, if you read my blog to get updates on my kids alone, back to the madness...........

A Sunday

2011-08-07T22:03:00.003-06:00

Yes, I've been slacking. So here's an attempt for relaxation on a Sunday evening after I worked all week and locked the keys in the car in the driveway (smart I know, one of 'those kinda weeks' is what I'm getting at). The pool is a whole process in itself. Once we finally get everyone's suit on and the pool filled, they are ready for towels because the hose water is bitter cold. I just cannot organize quick enough. As probably previously stated, our grass is "patchy" to say the least. So mud and grass make their way in the pool BEFORE anyone actually gets in. Therefore, mud and grass are hanging from everywhere on everyone. Tonight the kids were experimenting with ring floaties. I especially enjoy the pic of Kai assisting Addie to pull her ring on from the feet up. What a helpful brother. And yes, Eli was suit-less. Diapers bloating in the pool just restrict too much! The other pics are random: Scout and Addie (the girls), Eli perched on a suitcase, and all 3 munchkins playing trains in the basement. Yes, it looks sweet until you can HEAR what's going on. You can only imagine the displays of affection! Kai actually built tracks to play on that Addie deliberately broke and stole the pieces and that Eli was throwing parts to and from the entire time. Needless to say, we had to have a major intervention after about 5 mins. of screams and cries. This pic sadly displays the normal state of our basement as well. Welcome to 3 toddlers! That's us. Happy Sunday.

some quick realities around here

2011-07-31T15:41:00.003-06:00

Reality #1: Today a one year old's constipation ruined my overly needed nap. Reality #2: No matter what time I get to bed, my kids always get up about 6am. Urgh. Reality #3: Eli is walking. He is wobbly, but walking. Reality #4: Addie is on the edge of potty training. Princess pull-ups have been bought. Reality #5: After sleepovers with both grandparents this month, Kai has informed me he'd prefer to stay at their houses. Not sure if it's the treats or the attention, or maybe both? Reality #6: I'm working lots of extra hours lately and it doesn't end when I get home. Reality #7: Derrick and I spent ~15 hrs outside in the HOT sun at Heavenfest promoting the upcoming skate ministry event LOUD & CLEAR. Stay tuned for Aug 19th. Reality #8: I am slacking big time at blogs.

4th of July

2011-07-13T20:52:00.003-06:00

We had a great 4th of July! Our Alethia church family had a picnic at the park behind our house. Derrick helped Kai decorate his bike for the kids parade. He and his buddy Campbell both road bikes in the parade. Here's Derrick, Addie, Eli and I watching the parade in the HEAT (near 100). Some kids threw candy at the "audience." After a tantrum and catching some Sweet Tarts, Addie decided being in the audience was okay. We decided to brave the late night and traffic to find a spot to watch fireworks with the kids. We burned the hour before it got dark with a nearby school playground, BLUE BELL ice cream, general exploring in the dark and some books. They ALL actually loved watching fireworks (the loud boom didn't even bother Eli--the kid who is scared of ANY size vacuum). Kai and Addie ewed and awed the entire time. We had to quiet them down on more than one occasion. They ALL fell asleep on the drive home. Success.......we're back to annual fireworks after a 4 year hiatus!

HOT fun in the summertime

2011-07-12T20:47:00.005-06:00

Summer snapshots are always fun. We've been trying to soak up the sun daily!! Addie girl. Her pigtails are getting ridiculously long. She may have been saying, "hey mommy, there's Home Depot!" It's her phrase of the week. She's talking so much now in nearly full sentences. "E" is my climber. Here he is climbing a kiddie lawn chair until he about tips it over. Yesterday, he started climbing the rainbow monkey bars that start on the ground and arch up to the mid-section of the playset. He made about 2 full sections alone before slipping. The boyz enjoying their morning drinks together. Yes, both sippy and bottle are usually suctioned to their lips until empty! Eli is motionless. It's quite peaceful for about 5 minutes! LOL Kai soaking up some Vitamin D and doing a lil splish splash! Eli was the only one willing to brave the freezing hose water on the slip'n slide for more than a few seconds at a time. American the Beautiful park fountain. Eli loved he could walk with me, sit or stand along the edge and splash around all the big kids! Picnic on our towels. The "squat" in the fountain!

Eli turns 1!

2011-07-01T22:33:00.004-06:00

Happy 1st Birthday my 'lil happy man! It's been quite a year! First, I couldn't imagine you in my life, and now I can't imagine life without you!! We love you! This kid loves his balloons. I'm surprised one hasn't popped in his mouth!!! We call this an "Eli sandwich!" Mom and Dad love you. Yummy homemade cheesecake in your own personal dish!

To the brim......with special people

2011-06-30T13:35:00.010-06:00

Summer vacation. Yep, love it. Ours has been taken in SD at grandma and grandpa's house for the last 5 years (maybe even longer)! I occasionally yearn for the days we can vacation elsewhere or even without kids (dare I imagine). But for now, I'm trying to really cherish the years of sharing my homeland with our kids. There's MUCH to see and as the kids age the schedule seems to get a little more packed! Our trip was jam packed FULL of time with special people. This year it seemed like there was so many highlights. It may have something to do with it being my first visit home that I wasn't pregnant, lactating, or with a newborn attached to my hip in almost 4.5 years (yea wow, I feel the same way). So, it was somewhat like appearing from beneath a rock for me (which I feel is a theme in my life the last few months)! We were also blessed to overlap our trip with several other family visits.......here's how it went down. We traveled early morning this time (on the road @ 5am). Worked great! It provided an "extra" morning nap, less stops yet daytime freedom to stretch our legs, and our quickest time to arrive traveling with the kiddos yet! We arrived to connect with my Aunt Tracey, whom I haven't seen for 12 years! Everyone but me was meeting her for the first time. It was pretty wild but good to see her after sooooo long. We also planned our trip to overlap with Uncle Kyle visiting from Louisiana. Here he's "roughing" Eli up a bit. Eli's diggin' it. As always, the kids were most excited for grandma and grandpa. The plans are always super hyped before we arrive for added excitement.....special snacks, a few hot spots, like Storybook Island, Old McDonald's Farm, a bike ride, etc. This trip we added: - a ride on the 1880 Train -a track race Kai entered with kids his age hosted by high school track coaches -a trip to the public pool for Kai with his second cousins, Henry and Frankie -Eli's 1st birthday party! Here's some shots with some of our special faces: Addie, Grandma, Shelbie, Grandpa Addie was sick the first few days of the trip until her antibiotic kicked in.....Grandma held her LOTS. Thanks mom. That smile you see was VERY rare the first few days. Grandma also stayed with Eli during our train ride. She was our ride home at the end of the line. Thanks again mom. Grandpa and Kai on the train. Grandpa taking his turn cuddlin' Addie Kelly (my bro's girlfriend) and Reid, Derrick and I, and Kyle at Eli's 1st b-day party. Uncle Reido snuggling Addie during the thunderstorm. Great Grandpa Ernie and Shelbie. Love this guy! Kai and Henry (my cousin's son) becoming better buds each visit. Kai protecting Bridget (Kyle's girlfriend) with a flashlight from the thunderstorm. Great Grandma Joyce meeting Eli for the first time. Got to see my friend Ashley (who was a fellow intern at UVA and now happens to be stationed at Ellsworth in RC) and her new baby! Kai holding 2 wk old Zachary. A few more pics from the week to come, but altogether a very fun, BUSY trip and lots of people whom we love to share it.

My lil guys

2011-06-13T20:31:00.002-06:00

Just too cute not to share. All kids love boxes. The free entertainment that keeps on giving! The boys have a growing bond. It's been fun to watch. Kai forgets Eli is so much smaller than him. They've started to wrestle together. Kai pulls Eli around the room by his feet and hugs him while they roll around on the ground. Eli actually loves Kai to play rough with him, although Kai goes overboard sometimes and then we have crying. Kai has designated himself as my helper to keep Eli from climbing the stairs. He will just pick him up and carry/drag him to the other side of the room. Eli does not like that. It's pretty funny to watch the "help" and protest.

Eli's 1st haircut

2011-06-07T16:16:00.002-06:00

It was a 2 man job for this.....Eli got his 1st haircut! He was extremely squirmy. But it was necessary. He had sideburns down to his jaw and bangs in his eyes. He also had been called a girl on several occasions lately. So it HAD to be done. He really looks like he has a "bowl cut" in the front because his stick-straight hair. Haircuts are not my best skill...or even near the top for that matter. But luckily it will grow back. We were desperately grabbing any objects from the bathroom counter to keep him interested and still. He was pretty happy through the whole process as you can see. The after-bath. Wet headed cutie pies.

Marching band TRIO

2011-06-07T15:57:00.003-06:00

Yes, we had a marching band by default. Now that Eli is getting into cupboards and pulling things out, on OCCASION I just let him. It's always when I'm in the kitchen to referee. But it helps me actually get something done. However, on this occasion I ended up having the whole crowd in there "helping" Eli pick an instrument for the marching band trio. Seriously, what was I thinking????? :) Here's Eli when he first started pulling stuff out of the cupboards by himself. Here's when Eli started getting some help! The pot lid cymbals were the biggest hit....of course the loudest and most annoying as well. Here's Kai and Addie showing me their rhythm. You can bet there was some singing involved as well as marching through the front room and kitchen. I guess I'll be thankful they are interested in some sort of music. Don't they say music makes you "smarter?" Guess it couldn't hurt. Side note about music: Kai has just started requesting music (OUR music) in the car. He surprises us on how many words he actually knows. His favorite right now is David Crowder's "Everything's Glorious." Addie doesn't request songs yet, but she is the one yelling to me from her seat, "LOUDER!" Makes for quieter, yet loud car rides (make sense?). I like it.

freedom=happiness

2011-06-06T21:34:00.003-06:00

The freedom children feel when released to run after hours strapped to their carseats........glorious. Can 3 peas fit in the pod? I think so. These pics are from a state park somewhere off I-80 in Nebraska on our trip home from Omaha in May.

Coagulation in Omaha

2011-05-24T13:28:00.012-06:00

The cousins unite for a wild few days. This was a last minute trip making it a true adventure. We attempted to drive though the night and ended up in a hotel at 4 am somewhere in Nebraska due to heavy rains and very tired eyes. But my brother and sister-in-law were flexible hosts and all 6 kids and 4 adults stayed comfortably in their home. Kai and Addie were old enough and brave enough this visit to sleep with their cousins instead of each other. There was probably less sleep because of it, but sure was fun! The weather was not ideal but Omaha proved to be much more green and blossoming than home. Accompanied by allergies for me....lovely. Here's all the kiddos together at the Omaha Zoo. Drew 6, Issac 3.5, Kai 3.5, Ella 2, Addie 2, and Eli 11mo. Their zoo is so cool. If you're ever out there, it is always a highlight. Due to rain there was lots of inside play. Dress up costumes was a hit with Kai and Addie. Kai tried on multiple outfits but the lion was my favorite. We've been watching lots of The Lion King lately and Kai has been working on his "roar!" The pic fits. Addie put on all the "pretties" and never took them off. Princess....need I say more (even with an upside down tiarra). Here's Eli and Daddy at the zoo. For the most part, Eli was right in on all the playing now that he's mobile to crawl and stand around furniture. He just appreciates being part of the commotion. He would squawk, kick his legs and bounce in happiness. He also loved crawling after the 2 cats they have! There was some chick time. Aunt Becky painted the girls' toenails (brave job because you have to be quick and an entertainer to keep them from smudging nail polish all over the house)! Addie and Ella are 6 days apart although not apparent by size. They enjoy each other as much as 2 yr. olds are able and will even more in the future! Drew, Issac and Kai thoroughly enjoyed each other. They slept together, napped together and played everything together. Uncle D soaking up some niece time with Ella! Group storytime with Aunt Becky. It was classic. They won't all fit on that couch much longer! Looking forward to our next cousin reunion in September for a wedding and the new arrival of another niece!

Addie's 2nd Birthday Party

2011-05-23T20:48:00.004-06:00

Addie joined 4 other friends' kids with May birthdays from our church to celebrate her birthday! The theme was SUPERHEROES! It was a wild time. The moms got together to make Superhero costume accessories for party favors. Each kid got a mask and arm bands to wear at the party. The kids were also encouraged to wear their own costumes. Older youth in our church organized games, a skit, and music for the party!! We ended up with 47 adults and 35 kids. WILD! Here's Addie blowing out her candles. As everyone sang "Happy Birthday" Addie started to cry. She didn't like all the direct attention. She only stopped because I pulled out the cupcake with a candle in it. Booya--cake! As you can see below, she obviously enjoyed it! It's rare we have the chance for a family pic....so here we are with all our 'lil Superheros! Eli is Batman and Kai has a cape with Eli's mask. Hence, the mask fits a little tight on him--size 12 months. Addie refused her cape and any other Superhero accessories...although she was open to the Happy Birthday tiarra! Our little princess. Mommy and Batman. The cutest lil superhero! The mask fit Kai if it was positioned just right.....beautiful baby blues peeking through that mask! Here's the other birthday Superheroes--Noah, AJ, Vivy, Izzy, and Addie. The birthday madness also included a visit from Grandma and Grandpa, a trip to the zoo, more cake with our neighbors, and presents. Addie is a happy 22lb. little squirt. She is starting to talk in simple sentences, although much of her communication is difficult to understand. She uses a whiny voice which makes it even harder sometimes. Derrick is better at translating than I am. Addie dropped her pacifier cold turkey on her birthday as well (not by choice). But she's doing exceptionally well without it! Happy Birthday Addie girl!

Mother's Day

2011-05-23T15:32:00.007-06:00

I AM a blessed momma! My Mother's Day started Saturday when the kids couldn't keep my gift a secret after shopping with Daddy. So, welcome amazing new pillow and I-pod shuffle for my new exercise attempt! On Sunday, we all went on a little hike along the creek in our backyard before church, then had some good friends visit during naptime and then a long walk and picnic in the evening. It was a very enjoyable day. Here's some pics from our day together.

Sibling synergy

2011-05-23T14:16:00.003-06:00

So wow, I have quite a bit of posting to catch you up on our little munchkins....and some great pics, so stay tuned the next few days!!! First of all I must note, this was the first day wearing shorts! Yeah! Kai and Addie have taught Eli how to JUMP in his crib! And he is pretty good at it! This pic is during one of the "lessons." It was a loud fun time! Here's the boys showing some brotherly love. Kai asks to hold Eli occasionally. It's hard to catch it in a pic because Eli is such a squirm worm. He will not allow holding much longer. Kai and Addie were sportin' their gashes and bumps on their heads! Kai got a huge cut when hit the wall playing at the neighbors and Addie tripped and hit her forehead on the cement steps in front of the house. Ouch. They are both healed up now.

Addie's 2!

2011-05-15T16:20:00.001-06:00

Happy 2nd Birthday to our sweet Addalyn! We love you. More to come about birthday madness.

Easter 2011

2011-04-30T09:22:00.003-06:00

Praise God for the 3rd day. Praise Him that we can say, "He is Risen!" Easter is a refreshing time of year to reflect on the price that's been paid for our iniquities. It brings me back to the basics of my faith in God. It's emotional. It's humbling. It's renewing. It gives my mind the visuals to always assure me, yes it is done. I can stand before God as the image of Christ because of the gift he has given me and the grace He shows me every day. Now that the kids are getting older, I have been deciphering how to teach and demonstrate the true meaning of Easter. It's the same battle at Christmas. Christian holidays have been taken over by the world tradition, markets, etc. Easter is not about easter egg hunts, decorating eggs, candy, and presents in their baskets. Yes, there are symbols behind these practices but they are rarely taught or mentioned. I don't have the answer. I like doing these traditions and grew up doing them myself. I'm not there yet. My kids are not there yet. We dyed eggs and hunted for them this year. But for weeks we did talk about Jesus' death and resurrection. Kai is starting to understand and question. We made resurrection bread (bake the marshmallow in the biscuit and it disappears when you eat it to representing the empty tomb). I want my kids to know and recognize Jesus on Easter before the Easter bunny. What's you Easter traditions? Dying eggs. Wow, what a mess. Needless to say, the eggs were one color this year. No special egg crayons, stickers, glitter, etc. The egg hunt. Yes, we used the real deal. Kai and Addie actually did pretty good being "gentle" (however, I did place a dish towel in the bottom of their egg buckets). Eli didn't exactly hunt. But as you can see, he does like eggs, especially the yolks once they were peeled. This the only Easter outfit pic I remembered to take. Addie ended up having a really high fever the whole day. She was miserable and this is pretty much what she looked like. Poor girl in cute dress. She had a little sweater too, but she was burning up in it!

Lately, in no order......

2011-04-23T15:41:00.005-06:00

Just wanted to get these up before the Easter pics. The kids received a package in the mail this week from grandma. It prompted a whirlwind of cooking in our house! You can see Addie was busy preparing something at the kitchen in her new apron grandma made for her. Eli is a very happy lil dude now that he's all over the place. He was tickled in this pic that he could crawl through the Thomas the Train tunnel with the big kids. He has taken no time at all to explore our entire living room space. Needless to say, the baby gates are up. As if crawling wasn't a big enough adjustment, Eli already pulls up to stand on everything possible. If he can grip it, he's standing. Last week we had the the kids picnic table inside. It made for great cartoons during breakfast. We got to attend a multi-friend birthday party out at our friend's farm a few weekends ago. Each family brought their own picnic lunch and we had cupcakes on blankets all around their house. The 4-wheeler gave rides around the property loaded down with kids and dads willing to brave the wind! The moms chit chatted inside. If you look closely you'll see Pikes Peak in the background along with Eli being held up in the trailer. A very cool concept with an amazing church family and a very extensive invitation list! Addie enjoying her cupcake.

2011-04-15T23:10:00.003-06:00

This kid cracks us up! 1. We've been praying daily for a YWAM team from our church. We pray for the team by name each day. Kai has been a little hesitant to pray for people he doesn't know. A few days ago at the dinner table Kai asked "who are we praying for?" Derrick replied "we are gonna pray for unity." Kai crinkled his nose and pondered, "who's unity?" He asked the same question when we told him we were praying for encouragement tonight. 2. During bath time, I was bending over from the toilet seat to dry Addie off. Kai pointed to my stomach and asked, "what's that? Do you have another baby in there?" (Seriously? Leave it to a kid to say what you fear everyone else is thinking-LOL) I replied with what I remember my dad telling me as a kid, "it's a bowl full of jelly" and I added in there for humor's sake, "it's a bunch of PBJ's in there!" I did managed to smile about it. We went on about our lotion and pajama routine and about 5 mins later Kai smirks and adds, "but mom, you didn't have PBJ's tonight!" 3. After dinner tonight Kai was intrigued with something down his shirt. He was peering down over and over. We were enjoying some fruit popsicles together. When we questioned what exactly he was looking for he replied, "something is down there." Nope. After coaching him to lift his shirt to see better what it was we discovered just popsicle juice running freely down to his belly button.

Thursday

2011-04-08T20:58:00.002-06:00

A nice little Thursday evening with the family. We took a walk along the creek behind our house and took Scout with us. Then we whipped up a quick grilled cheese dinner! Couldn't be more simple. The kids were smiles the entire night! Good day. Funny how the little things of life make it so full!

My boys

2011-04-06T21:38:00.004-06:00

As I've mentioned before, the boys have a special brotherly connection. It's like Eli has "eyes" for his big brother. He hears him, looks for him, watches him, smiles at him, laughs at him. I'm just anticipating the days when he crawls....walks towards.....and runs after him. Really won't be long. Eli still isn't crawling yet. He can stretch a body's length away but he just can't seem to coordinate those back legs. He is going from laying to sitting and vice versa and he is pulling up on everything he is able to grip. He's all of 15 lbs, making him 75 percentile for height and under the 5 percentile for weight. Little squirt....just like his bro and sis. Little E has been rockin' his hat alot lately. He actually leaves it on. He is chewing on everything...his own fingers and mine, shoes, toys, etc. One of his front teeth finally popped through last week....it will be a funny look when it's all said and done. Here's my minature Picasso. He goes through phases of painting.....we are in one now using the flipchart. He has grown and matured so much recently; I blink and feel like I might miss something. He's a caring big brother.....tending to Eli when I need an extra hand, including Addie in his play and frequently reminding her of the rules (mine and his) or encouraging good behavior (usually associated with a reward or snack--go figure). He's catching on to the fun of games like hide-and-seek, memory, etc. He has an opinion on what music should be played in the car (he'll announce "my turn," referring to his choice now). He says stuff that cracks us up every day.... like unforseen enthusiasm, use of slang terms, 3 yr old prayers, etc. Today Derrick asked him to do something and he responded "roger that." Here's the boys riding "Buckey" our rocking horse. Kai welcomed his "little part-ener" to ride. Buckey is life-size to Eli and although he doesn't move, he's almost as exciting as Scout.

An Addie post

2011-04-05T21:33:00.005-06:00

Our Addie-girl is the spunk in our lives. Our sweet and sassy in one (as I've said it before). She copies Kai's excitement in everything, she screams when frustrated at anything, she is stubborn about most things, and dances to any beat. She is almost 23 months. She's still under 20 lbs. She is the messiest eater EVER (and often refuses to use any sort of utensil, did I mention she's stubborn?). But she is my biggest cuddler. She loves to snuggle with us in bed in the morning and allow her momma 20+ additional minutes of horizontal rest on occasion. She's into HOT and COLD lately. She determines if food is hot or cold before anything else is taken into consideration. And then she questions you about it. It's cute. We are understanding probably about 70% of her speech (although we'd probably have to translate for you). She and Kai fight more than they every have. And funny, she usually wins. She hits whenever you make her mad or frustrated.....Kai is a slow learner on that one! LOL Lately she's more aware of girlie things. She wants me to put makeup on her when I'm getting ready in the morning. She applies chapstick all over her chin and lips...over and over and over. She likes her toenails painted (along with Kai) and she lets me try hairstyles as long as I don't hurt her. Overall, she has a very independent personality. My cutie pie. Addie watching the gorillas at the zoo. The gorilla on the other side of the glass didn't seem to bother her. She watched the orangatans for 10 mins because there was a baby. She kept pointing to the male saying "Daddy," pointing to the female saying "Mommy," etc. She identifies relational connections well. Drinking her Ovaltine in her snowboots......this is an outfit spurred on by her brother. Dress up (or undress actually) in snowboots always means an adventure to somewhere exciting! The double passy. We're taking small steps to get rid of these (and the handful of others she has stashed around the house, car, etc). It makes for long cranky/stubborn/tearful hours on occasion, but it is time.

March is out like a lion

2011-03-27T10:07:00.005-06:00

The 1st FCA SK8 Mission Trip to NM was a success! It was a weekend jam-packed full of outreach and skating. Everyone seemed pretty 'tuckered out' when they got home. Watch for more details in our upcoming ministry update! The kids and I stayed home......but did not miss out on any action! We had a full weekend. We had movie/popcorn night, we ate at Chick Fil-A* with our wonderful neighbors (whose dad was accompanying Derrick on the mission trip) and took a long walk to the park with them in the evening. (** this lunch adventure was interesting. Addie escaped without me noticing from the play area and was returned by a Chick Fil-A worker who noticed her standing alone by the exit! AHHH! Then to top off the trip, I was putting Eli in his carseat first with Kai and Addie right next to me OR SO I THOUGHT. Literally in a matter of 3 secs she was gone. My heart dropped when I thought of her running toward the drive thru in the parking lot. I frantically rushed out searching for her. A good samaritan in a car driving around the loop was frantically pointing on the other side of the car where Addie escaped YET AGAIN! Gezzo.....I had much to reflect on that day. Praise God for His grace on me.) Grandma and Grandpa visited for a long weekend in March. We walked at Garden of the Gods and ventured to the park near our house. Kai and Addie were busy showing them all the toys and games they miss out on! K & A soaked up every second they visited....starting in Grandma and Grandpa's bed with them in the wee hours of the morning until story time before bed! It's always a nice break for Derrick and I when grandparents are present!! Addie discovered Kai's undies! I just thought it was cute watching her pull them on by herself and then proudly strut around in them! Maybe this means another one out of diapers soon!??!?! I won't hold my breathe. We're bringing in April with a little stomach virus (well, only Kai so far). Lucky us. The recent colder more seasonable weather is not very delightful in my opinion. Spring fever continues. Although, I AM jumping on that spring cleaning I mentioned (which is impressive for me)....closets, check, re-decorate living room 1/2 done, check, summer clothes and swimsuits ready to go, check. Now we're just waiting......

Happy Spring

2011-03-18T21:41:00.009-06:00

I should have lots to say for lack of a recent blog posts, however I'm feeling at the end of the rope. Hmmm...... Eli is 9 months old next week.....nuts! He's going to be the opposite of his slow-to-move sister. He's already pulling up on everything to his knees to play (little kitchen, laundry baskets, his crib) He's stretching so far for toys he should take off crawling once he figures out how to get his knees under him! I don't want to jinx myself, but he's been sleeping through the night the whole week!! WAHOO (I'm literally doing a little dance here)! He's started to be more vocal. Suddenly we'll just hear him belting out "da-da-da-da-da" from his carseat or highchair! He's so cute. Addie is expressing parts of the "terrible two's" before she's two. She's my "handful" lately. I hesitate to call her moody, but she's usually one extreme or the other. It's a difficult phase with discipline, but it too shall pass. Derrick and I reflect back on Kai at this age and recall having to strap him in the highchair for timeout. She, on the other hand, stays on the timeout step on her own. She's also talking more. She has mimicked words for quite some time, but just recently has begun to pull vocabulary out to form her own thoughts/agenda. She frequently states WHO and then ends with a VERB. The middle of the sentence is mostly jibberish sounds. "Kai...ksdlfsaglsdfohisdgbkle.....work." It's cute, she's getting there. Kai is in a fun phase now. His imaginary play is always entertaining. He's starting to use different household items or toys as props. He likes to do "work projects," "packing for adventures," or things associated with racing (due to Lightning McQueen being his favorite these days)! He's able to ride his Strider bike with me all the way to the park and back from our house while I tote the other kids in the bike trailer. It makes me excited for summer outings (although we've been practicing already since it's been almost 70 degrees for 2 wks around here)! He's going through a guns and killing the bad guy phase, which I could do without. We're just trying to stress you don't point guns at people and redirect the other negative play. Where do kids get this stuff at age 3???? Everywhere. I know, I know. Derrick is getting busier with ministry due to amazing growth and partly due to the beautiful weather. Relationships with the guys are becoming stronger and deeper. He hangs at the skateparks with the guys pretty frequent when he can! We have had such generous donations of food for skate church, and new partnerships recently that have been a HUGE blessing. I am pondering on some serious spring cleaning lately. It's always need to keep toys out of every crack and crevis of our house! I'll keep you posted if it honestly happens....pondering and performing are two totally different concepts for me! Happy Spring! Due to the time change, my kids slept until 7:30am or later this whole week! Ah, love it. It has been a good sleep week.

Pics and Tidbits

2011-03-01T14:54:00.002-07:00

Just a few random cute pics to share with you! Our weekly tidbits: We're fighting another family cold (Derrick and I included this time). Addie and Eli are both teething. Kai got a new McQueen bike helmet (since the dog ate his last one). Scout didn't chew up anything else this week.....that we have discovered yet. Addie puts up a pretty good fight every time we change her diaper lately. I'm done nursing Eli. It's a new sense of personal freedom! We got a new couch and loveseat today! The first non-hand-me-down couch EVER. :) SkateChurch had abundant food donations this week! Praise God. Newest artistic craze for Kai and Addie AND Derrick: an old flip chart I brought home from work. I visited an ATM that didn't give out cash. Seriously? Enjoy the smiles and have a good weekend! Addie is just so happy I actually let her play in the walker. Eli spitting with his tongue. This is his usual happy tune. Daddy and Addie in their reading glasses. The boyz. Bros. Pals. BFF's.

Garden of the Gods

2011-03-01T14:42:00.002-07:00

A couple weekends ago we did a family walk and picnic at Garden of the Gods. It was mid-February (I know try not to be jealous) and we were without snow or coats! It's becoming a trend this winter in CO Springs. I'm just hoping the coatless February doesn't equate to snow all April and May! Mommy and Eli Daddy, Addie and Kai hiding in a rock crack. Derrick and Addie are starting to sport the same hairdo!! PBJ's on a rock ledge for lunch. The latest family shot.

quick takes this week

2011-02-28T20:55:00.004-07:00

1. Kai's quote of the week: K: Mom, when do you want to go to heaven? Me: Whenever God tells me its time buddy. K: (after only a second to think about it) How about Saturday? 2. Who seriously thought that cooking pizza on the oven rack was a good idea? All it amounts to is burned remnants on the bottom of my oven that burn, smoke and stink. The smell and smoke negatively contribute to the overall census of my cooking skills. 3. Yesterday at 6-something am, I opened the blinds to see Scout wrestling and eating a poopy diaper dragged from the garage trash can. Today I open the blinds to find Kai's bike helmet strapless and with puncture wounds all around the foam. Stupid dog. 4. I sent the kids out in the backyard to soak up some sun before lunch. I keep the window in our kitchen open so I can hear them and check on them every few minutes. Check ONE: Addie is picking up Scout's poop and examining it with her bare hands. Check TWO: Addie is wearing a dress and lite pink tights and is running around the dirt areas with no shoes. Check THREE: "Kai, where is Addie?" She is discovered around the side of the house in the dog house. Check FOUR: Addie is digging in the sandbox with a shovel and pouring it all over herself then carrying it across the yard and dumping it on Scout, who's laying in the yard. Gezzo frizo. 5. Eli has discovered he can squint. He also has learned to use it to his advantage. He cries and squints like he's super upset. I think he's been taking notes from his sister. It's actually pretty cute. 6. We've entered a new era with Kai.....finally. It's out with Thomas the Train and in with Lightning McQueen from the Cars movie.

Dirty Birds

2011-02-23T21:34:00.002-07:00

Our order of events on this eve when Derrick is out of town and I have worked all day. 1. Late dinner and hungry mouths. 2. Addie poops right as we are sitting for dinner. Change her PLEASE! 3. We are clearing plates and I get a wiff.......more poop. 4. Eli out of his highchair and lay him on the floor for the change. Raise the shirt for the "stink" and OH DEAR...... 5. Brown smear on the carpet....WOOLITE carpet cleaner THANK YOU! 6. Eli gets wipe bath up to neck then a real bath. Bottle and bed. 7. Kai and Addie jump in a bubble bath. splash...Splash....SPLASH. Fun! To bed. 8. Alone. Let the dog in.....DIRT. 9. Dog in dirty tub.....NASTY. Clean dog. Wet smell. YUCKO again. 10. Major tub scrub. Wash floor. Launder rugs and towels. 11. Light a candle. 12. Head for shower. Warm water GONE. Brrrrrrr! 2 mins. flat. A new record for me. 13. Load dishes 14. Sit. I'm still laughing. Love it when it can all happen with a smile on your face! All my "dirty birds" (as Daddy would say) are clean and peaceful.

Love beyond groceries

2011-02-19T15:16:00.009-07:00

So here's my story I eluded to on the Valentine's post (reminder I am NOT a writer), The door bell rings. Addie and I are the only ones up during afternoon naps. I figure it's someone trying to sell me a new roof. I swing the door open and hear a chant, "Jesus loves you!" It's our friends with their kids. I am surprised! Their faces are all smiling. I open the screen door to see groceries lining our entire porch and steps. WOW. It takes me a second, but I catch on they are delivering us groceries. I am speechless. I think the phrase "Oh my gosh, thank you" actually DID make it out of my mouth. Tears find their way to my eyes quickly as I process what is going on. "How did you know our need?" I ask. Our friends and the kids start carrying grocery bags into our kitchen. Their kids have hand-picked special snacks for Kai and Addie at the grocery store. Cars fruit snacks for Kai and Princess fruit snacks for Addie. My friend guides me through a little of what's in the bags. I am overwhelmed, but I really don't know what to say. What could I really say? We are both in tears. She knows hard times. She senses my heart. We embrace. She hands me cash for any needs with SK8 Church and a gift card for Derrick's frequent coffee meetings with pastors. My mind is racing. "How did they do this? Why did they do this? Thank you." Our friends leave after many thanks and Addie and I are standing amongst a generous amount of groceries. We start unpacking. I am crying and praying prayers of thanksgiving to God. It has been a rough month. I try to call Derrick to tell him how we've been blessed and I can barely make it through a sentence. Addie is chowing fruit snacks. After we get things put away, I start to compose myself. My mind is thinking more clearly. I am experiencing all these steep emotions; of tremendous JOY for such friends as these, of great THANKFULNESS for groceries that will feed little mouths, of AMAZEMENT in our God for always providing everything we need, and so LOVED when our friends thought to give of themselves and their resources to us who had a need. Once my emotions were somewhat organized, my mind immediately went into RETURN the favor mode. I was brainstorming.....What could I do for them? What could I give them? How could I show our appreciation? What is a need of theirs? God had to stop me. He made sense of it in my mind......This is my blessing through them. It is for YOU. Be gracious and know I love you. I had to take several deep breaths. My friend who delivered the groceries texted later that day to read her blog. I began reading.......it was THIS story that I am writing but it began far before my doorbell rang. It was a story about my friend's obedience to GIVE. God gave her the desire to give what she thought she could not. God was teaching her (and her family) to love others by giving. The lesson was different for us. Remember: I love you. I will provide for all your needs and beyond. Be blessed and receive joyfully. The lessons were different, but both from God. This act of love touched my heart. What would it look like if God's CHURCH functioned as he intended EVERY day? How can you love someone else today? How can you be a blessing today?

Be My Valentine

2011-02-16T13:24:00.004-07:00

Who could decline an invitation to these 2 little Valentines? However, save your hugs and kisses for until after bath. I love crafts (at least I used to) and I had high expectations this year for introducing a few Valentine projects with Kai and Addie. What was I thinking? The process of craft set-up with both of them excited and grabbing at everything and guidance during the project equaled a total disaster and one very frustrated mommy. But I'm sure I will try again next year. Live and learn. I know I will need a more concrete plan, preparation, patience, and slightly older kids. Here's Kai tasting our Valentine's cupcakes we frosted and added heart sprinkles on. Here's Addie after she annihilated her cupcake twice as fast as Kai and was asking for more. We attended a LOVE PARTY on Valentine's Day with friends from church. The kids had opportunity to decorated cupcakes/cookies and do little crafts. We skipped that (due to the above story). We just enjoyed loving and being loved by friends and good food too. As you can see in the group pic, kids outnumbered adults and it was a chaotic good time! We rode with our neighbors and good friends to the LOVE PARTY. Five carseats configured with entry and exit capabilities, 2 potluck dishes providing aroma, and 2 quick errands later and we were off....a very wild ride, but fun for everyone. Addie and Reese were chit chatting in the above pic and below was all the laughing, singing, and excited Valentines'. Addie was so proud to be in the middle next to the 2 backward carseats to help entertain! I think she held their hands the majority of the way there. Derrick and I had a low key traditional Valentines Day. Fighting the crowds for dinner out, along with spending entirely more money than we can spare hardly seemed romantic. We opted for the simple acts of love, time together, kind words, etc. We are witnesses of a much GREATER love through our Savior Jesus Christ and were able to see that love demonstrated this year in a very practical and sacrificial way. What a blessing. More to come on that.

family days

2011-02-08T18:20:00.007-07:00

These are just some of our newest pics. Last Sat. after many COLD Colorado days indoors, we needed to get out. Everyone was feeling a little cooped up. We headed to Focus on the Family's FREE indoor playground. It's a winter highlight here in CO Springs. The kids burn some energy in the toddler room where they can climb soft surface obstacles like a hollow log, canoe, bridge slide, lily pads, etc. They also enjoy the room with a stage for dancing and watching yourself in a TV, puppets and reading books on stadium seating couches. The following few pics are at Focus running wild. Eli has discovered his tongue this week. He spits and blows raspberries and sticks his tongue out to be funny! I have the best video if it will load (which mine never do for some reason). But here he is caught in action. Although absolutely freezing lately, the kids had an itch to shovel. So Derrick braved it one morning with Kai and Addie to shovel the backyard into one giant mound. Kai shoveled and Addie basically walked around as a giant marshmallow. We are 3 deep in the tub now. The non-difference in size of Addie and Eli in this pic amazed Derrick and I. Twins?

quick 5

2011-02-07T21:08:00.002-07:00

Yes, I'm stealing the "quick 5" post this week. It's the way to blog these days! I have these stories and need to get them down before I forget. So without further ado..... 1. Kai has been "kipping" (skipping) around the house all day. He was telling me this on the phone while I was at work and I had the hardest time figuring out what he was saying. I'm seriously impressed with family/friends that translate his speech over the phone. It's no easy task. The best was when he was "kipping" with snow boots, a shirt, and undies tonight. Classic. 2. Addie got her first official haircut at a local beauty college last week. They have $5 haircuts on Mondays, so I figured why not?! My idea was to simply fix the mullet she had going. The front was short but hanging in her eyes and the back was starting to look like a rat tail (if you made it through the 80's you know what I'm talking about)! My only specification to the student was to shy away from official bangs but to get it out of her eyes. After I got her on my lap and bribed her with a sucker, she got bangs. Crooked bangs. Yeah, worse than when we started. I think I'll stick to home cuts for the next few years. 3. Kai has been praying for our every meal. It's cute. He is proud of himself and we are giving him lots of praise for taking on such a big boy role. He's started egocentric praying (natural for 3 years old I believe) but he also prays for his friends, for Eli and Addie, and events happening just as often. A typical prayer may sound something like this, "Tank you to you God for all that you give. Help us have a good supper. Help my friend Campbell feel better and help him to invite me over to play at his house after naptime. Let us have a good nap. Help us have a great snack tonight and I hope mom let's us have marshmallows. AMEN." 4. Eli is on the verge of moving. Seriously, it's happening way too fast. He sits and loves to unload toy bins. He leans and reaches so far he's about in the crawl position and doesn't mind when he takes a topple. He loves to take an upright bath with Kai and Addie (sitting like them instead of reclining in his bath chair. He attempts to fish for floating bath toys and could easily drown if I'm not watching him close. And he's obsessed with watching Scout. He leans to grab her paws, claws, or floppy ears (which she tolerates so well, good doggie). It won't be long. I'm not ready for baby gates and chasing just yet. 5. Derrick joined a church basketball team. They play games once a week at 10pm. I'm going to bed when he goes to play a game. It makes me tired just thinking about it...probably says a little about my workout attitude as well. I thought it was note worthy....it's Business Time (that's their team name and the joke of the week around here)!!! Well there you have it....once you get going there's a lot to be said. I'll keep it to 5 bullets for your sake readers. Thanks for stopping in.

1st SPARK

2011-01-31T21:57:00.004-07:00

OK, so here's the next post. Thanks to all who encouraged me and commented so I know SOMEONE is reading. Blog on. I'm feeling so blessed this week noticing that Kai and Addie already have such a special sibling bond. They play well together, they are able to say/hug "sorry" when needed, they watch out for each other, they chill together, and of course want 'equal' treatment. It's only a matter of time before Eli joins in the gang. THEY PLAY WELL TOGETHER--Kai has a list of imaginary play to chose from each day....bear cave, Lightening McQueen, camping, all sorts of cooking scenarios, Thomas, etc. He includes Addie in the scenes very well. He prompts her in how she needs to act or sometimes talks her through the whole thing while she plays beside him (I'm not sure she really knows what's going on when that happens)! But she loves to play along with her big bro. There are of course a few 'squabbles' here and there....usually when Kai is grumpy or he thinks he dominates all the toys or when Addie is very willing to share unless it's something she wants to play with at the same time, then watch out! Gezzo! Thankfully more calm and co-play has been happening lately. THEY ARE ABLE TO SAY/HUG "SORRY" WHEN NEEDED--I'm trying to work with K and A on gracious sharing and thinking of others before themselves. Examples of letting someone play with it because you know it will make them happy or giving your favorite toy to someone else instead of the one you don't care about. This is an ongoing difficult lesson, so true. But I'm seeing a little improvement over time. If squabbles occur, they can at least face one another and give an apology (sorry from Kai and hug from Addie). THEY WATCH OUT FOR EACH OTHER-- Two cute examples: When Kai is hurt, his nurturing sister is quickly by his side pointing to is "ou-wee" with her head cocked to the side, nodding and squinting her eyes like she knows his pain. So precious. And just today at Focus on the Family an unfamiliar young boy befriended Addie (out of Kai's sight) and led her around hand-in-hand. Kai did not approve of this when it came to his attention. He followed the other little boy saying "hey, hey" until I assured him Addie was okay. What a good big bro looking out for her! THEY CHILL TOGETHER--picture is worth a thousand words. I think this pic is one of our many sick at-home days. THEY WANT 'semi-EQUAL' TREATMENT (really this should actually read Kai wants equal treatment but his sister is catching on quickly)-- Derrick and I had a 'date night' with Kai alone. We took him to a local HS basketball game with hot dogs and snacks galore (his kinda date). A few nights later I told him I was taking Addie on a date alone to get haircuts. He cried until I reminded him of our basketball date. In hopes of getting Addie to drink milk, we add Ovaltine to it....of course Kai cannot drink his milk white if Addie gets Ovaltine. If Addie naps with an extra stuffed animal, Kai needs one as well. If Addie picks the bedtime story, Kai requires we read one he wants as well. If Kai gets a special snack Addie wants one too. If I let Addie lay in Eli's crib with him, Kai demands in as well. The list goes on and on and on. In other news.... Eli is sitting up completely on his own and loving the new view! He also has 2 bottom teeth to munch with and is starting to sleep a little better (I don't want to jinx myself here). These are just a few other moments caught by camera lately to add to the SPARK. Now that Eli can sit alone it allows for a whole new slew of toys to grab his attention. Addie is such a helper in showing him how it all works via demonstration. Washcloth heads! Derrick initiated this after a flashback from his childhood...wish I had that pic of he and my bro-in-law for blackmail purposes. K and A thought it was EXTREMELY funny. Not sure which is cuter.....cowboy or sheriff???

Hit me up

2011-01-28T15:46:00.002-07:00

Lately I've pondered "why do I even bother with this blog." The only people I know read it are Grandma and my co-workers (thanks to you guys for hanging in there)! It's rare I get ANY comments. The stupid program messes with my format every time. And I just am not encouraged or inspired for blogging in general. So, in hopes of a small revival, HIT ME UP with a comment. You may see some sparks start to fly (I'm probably over exaggerating that a bit). It should probably read "there will be another blog soon." Low expectations bring about much more exciting results!

7 blessings for 7 months

2011-01-23T21:38:00.004-07:00

My 'lil heartbreaker! Counting the blessings. Eli is 7 months and he has enriched our lives so much! 1. The kid ALWAYS has a smile for his mommy! 2. Although he still wakes once a night to eat, he goes right back to sleep every time! 3. When everyone else is crying, he's usually not (realistically it's a 2 out of 3 scenario). 4. As expected, Kai and Addie entertain Eli when he's in his walker, bumbo, jumper, swing, etc. BUT, what a blessing that he entertains them as well! 5. His fluffy hair....it's lovable. 6. He still likes to sleep in the car. 7. He just started sitting up alone but can't escape from where I place him yet. A smile for the camera on a day when he actually ate something! He hit a phase of pursing his lips when I spoon feed him. So we haven't gotten too far in the solid food chapter. We may be moving on to finger foods fairly quickly! One bottom tooth poked through the other day! This is a common highchair look. I thought it showcased his fluffy hair well! He gets lots of comments on his hair. The funny thing is it's ALWAYS fluffy....after bath or 3 days later. This is his look. "E" rocks a hat well.

A new leaf

2011-01-13T22:02:00.003-07:00

Yes, I am confident we have finally turned a new leaf in the health realm. Eli is on the mend from ongoing sickness. It's been apparent in his demeanor. It was the first day in quite a while that we've seen lots of smiles and heard giggles! I've missed him! Eli sitting on the couch to play with Addie and Daddy. He loves to be in on the action. 3 peas in a pod. They are watching cartoons and sharing a "ba-ba" (blankie) first thing in the morning! Couch buddies while visiting Great Grandpa Ed for some homemade Italian food!! Yummy!

Only Words

2011-01-11T13:18:00.003-07:00

Inspired or motivated definitely do NOT describe me this week. Hence, no new blogs. I have a cluttered house, no new pics even taken on my camera for a blog, clothes piled in baskets (clean and dirty), a bare fridge, dirty dishes stacked in the sink, unkept bathrooms....well, you get the picture. Basically, the last thing I should be doing is blogging, but here I am. We hit the library today on the way back from an appointment. It has been awhile. Since I discovered the "HOLD" option it's rare I bother with a caravan into the isles to randomly select books off the shelves. I usually quickly select 8 or so books and allow Kai and Addie to each pick a DVD. I noticed today the DVD was more exciting than the books....how does that happen at the library!? Although new books for nap time reading is always exciting, especially when you're not having to buy them! So I can't complain about the library too much! Little E is sick again! I'm headed to the doctor with him later this afternoon. He seems suseptible to every little "bug" (that's a 3rd child for you I guess)! With a snot nose, diarrhea, and fever on top of introducing new solids and swollen teeth about to pop through, life couldn't be more agonizing! As cruel as it seems, he does sleep better with a fever. For this I am a hair thankful for. The sickness since Thanksgiving has provided a few setbacks. He's not sitting up, but getting closer. He loves to jump and be in on ALL the action! Addie is at a fun, entertaining age. Her vocabulary is exploding. She mimics words and has caught on to phrases that Kai teaches her, like "good to go" and "me, me, me" and "moe, moe" (more) and "peas, peas" (please), and many others. She has such a sweet little voice. We quiz her on words for entertainment and to sharpen her skills! She feeds her baby often and is so nurturing and she throws tea parties with Kai daily! A couple small toys can entertain her for hours! She continues to put on dances for us! We're considering a clip for America's Funniest Videos. Kai is too smart for his own good on most occasions! He picks up on everything and doesn't let anything down. He's more into imaginary play these days, lots of growling bears and stomping dinosaurs at our house. He includes Addie too, which has been fun. He pushes Addie in laundry baskets like race cars and has taught her how to tip toe. She's pretty good at playing along. Grandma also got Kai excited about the game hide and seek (which helped me realize we need to work on our counting)! He still loves to do "projects"....his own projects like crafts w/glue or scissors, playdoh, drawing/coloring or to help with our projects like fixing, sorting, cooking, etc. Well Skate Church at our house tonight, so better get back to the above list! Pics soon when I turn over a new leaf of inspiration!

Over the River.....

2011-01-01T14:32:00.003-07:00

....and through the barren lands of Wyoming to Grandma's house we go! We spent Christmas 2010 in South Dakota again with my family! Kai got to ride with his Great Auntie to Grandma's 2 days before us to have a "sleepover." I was skeptical, but he did great! Among the unlimited snacks, movies, and attention I don't think he missed us one bit! The kids have spent the whole holidays season (since prior to Thanksgiving) sick! We just can't to shake one thing or another. Cold, flu, intestinal bug, diarrhea, Croup, coughs....you name it, we've had it. It caught up to Addie and Eli over Christmas. They really suffered through with smiles! Here's Addie and Eli prepping for our trip to SD through the night. Here's Kai passing gifts Christmas morning. He was the most enthusiastic present passer I've ever met. He was especially meticulous stacking his own gifts. It was quite the tower! Addie just could not figure out how to get her new baby doll out of the box......children's toys are quite a task to unwrap for all you parents who may not have experienced this excessive wrapping and strapping yet! Of course Eli didn't do any unwrapping this year, but he gave some huge Christmas morning smiles after he pooped through his pjs! Merry Christmas mom....I was giving him a wipe bath while the kids started their stockings! Here's Eli hanging with Grandpa. All smiles to be held. This more adequately captures Addie's Christmas experience.....snoozing on Grandma while her big brother sits having a snack. I did get a cute facial expression from Addie during an "up" moment. Just too cute to not include. Too bad I didn't think to rotate the pics before importing them.....guess a blog of this caliber is better than no blog.

On a Whim

2010-12-16T15:55:00.003-07:00

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

2010-12-02T16:13:00.004-07:00

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

2010-11-22T15:14:00.004-07:00

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.

2010-11-19T21:37:00.002-07:00

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

2010-11-19T20:49:00.002-07:00

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

2010-11-02T14:27:00.008-06:00

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

2010-11-02T13:54:00.002-06:00

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

2010-10-24T14:50:00.003-06:00

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

2010-10-07T21:53:00.003-06:00

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

2010-10-01T13:35:00.006-06:00

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

2010-09-20T15:05:00.005-06:00

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!

2010-09-12T21:04:00.003-06:00

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!

Guess who?

2010-09-05T14:54:00.005-06:00

People are commenting lately that our kids look "exactly" alike. There are many similarities, but MOM thinks they all look like themselves! I dug up some pics of each of them to compare. What do you think?

dance-off video

2010-09-02T22:21:00.002-06:00

A quick minute

2010-09-02T13:49:00.010-06:00

These minutes don't come often.... Eli is less and less our "sleepy E"....he often likes to stay alert for hours at a time and show off his baby blues!! He's so handsome! He is now 10 wks. and content to observe all the commotion around him! He is starting to hold his head up without support and sometimes sleeping through the night. He knows our voices when we talk to him and gives us smiles and coos! Kai usually asks what he is saying and Addie is quick to share her pacifier whenever he makes a peep! We are beginning BRONCO season here in CO! As you can see, the kids are gearing up....perpetuated mainly with the help of their Dad! We are in the process of digging out apparel to see WHO fits in WHAT! Kai-man is still riding strong on his Strider bike! He's been practicing on the SK8 ramps at Skate Church every Tues. night. Can anyone say "wet wipe?" This girl doesn't like help or a spoon...EVER! I love that Kai and Addie play together now. Here's a recent dance-off! My mom got Addie these cute pink cowgirl boots and she really can "kick up her heels" with them!

August thus far

2010-08-16T23:04:00.008-06:00

After unloading boxes to our new place, we unpacked enough clothes and toilettes to repack for vacation at the grandparents house two days later. Wild times! Here's some shots from the week in SD and a few from happenings around the house. Enjoy. We've absolutely love the trail behind our house that leads to 3 different playgrounds. It's great for stroller rides, dog walks, biking, skateboarding, and leisurely walks (my style). We are discovering it is truly an asset to our place! Here's Kai cruizin' along the bike path. Every time he takes off his helmet and has sweaty hair he is very proud! It indicates a good ride! Now when he rides his bike to the playground from home, he keeps his helmet on while he plays. I'll soon be needing to disinfect it each use!!! Here's the 3 musketeers! Kai almost 3, Addie 15 mo. and Eli 8 wks. The next 2 pics are from Pactola Lake. We hit the rocky beach to let the kids romp in the water. They both loved it. Kai mainly threw muddy sand on himself and dug along the shore. Addie just liked to walk into the little waves and back out. Daddy and Addie swimming together. Addie is sporting the "alfalfa sprout" hair! Grandpa and Kai did a bit of gardening together. They checked for produce almost daily during our visit. Here was one of the harvest times.....lots of zucchuni and cucumbers! It's amazing how much more willing toddlers are to eat veggies when they have some kind of ownership in them! I bought zucchuni at home and fixed it...Kai wanted nothing to do with it. Derrick and I took the kids to the creek to "dip our feet" one HOT day! As you can see in the pics, it ended up as more of a "dunk" session! The kids were left with only dry diapers and a smile afterwards. Here's Kai and my cousin's son, Henry at a downtown weekly festival. They had a kids section with crafts set up....so now we have a brightly colored paperbag beaver. Grandma and Grandpa have a bike trailer to pull Kai and Addie along the path....they weren't diggin' it in the 90 degree weather!! We went to Bear Country USA while we were there. Here's Kai posing with the biggest bull elk we've ever seen! Piggyback rides through the bear cub exhibits. Wolf hat....not her style. Buffalo hat.....our own Davey Crocket look alike! Eli and I observing the grizzlies. He is alert like this so often when we're outside. I think I will have another outdoorsman!! A family shot....it's a rarity. Mom and all the kiddos posing by the train at Storybook Island...one of our favorite places to play at Grandma's house. Addie entertaining at Great Grandpa Ernie's house. We've really logged the car time this month.....Daddy assists with the last leg of our trip. Seven and a half hours quickly turns into 12 hours with the 3 kiddos! Every stop averages an hour. I think we'll stick close to home these next few years!! LOL

On the Move

2010-08-16T22:09:00.004-06:00

Yes, it's been a long month of house hunting, changing addresses, packing, cleaning, and unpacking.....quite the process, but the troops have made it through and we now are in our new home in Colorado Springs---ALMOST done with the unpacking, cleaning, and organization of TOO MUCH STUFF (I'm sure you've had this feeling if you've ever moved!) Thanks to everyone who helped us pull this move off----the Ponderosa "muscles" (pictured above but not all inclusive), BA and LA for doing jobs friends should never do...even good friends LOL, Uncle Kyle for picking up any slack and chasing K & A all week, and everyone else who babysat, etc. We literally could not have done it without you! You were a blessing. We did plenty of car travel between the two houses and during the house hunting phase....this was one of Kai's many questioning faces, "can we go to the park Mom?" Poor kid. We got desperate enough to pull out the portable DVD player to watch Thomas and Elmo for entertainment. It just made things that had to get done much more pleasant! A few shots taken through the whole process: My brother Kyle helping pack up and load !! LOL Kidding bro....it was really helpful having you chase kids and thanks for letting us use your truck! Eli's camp chair crib at the new house during the cleaning day. Derrick steam cleaning the carpets before moving day! With little ones laying, crawling, and probably on ocassion finding bits of food all over the floor this was NECESSARY!!! This video is Addie and Kai during house hunting and in rather good spirits! ." WEll, thanks again for everyone's help during our transition. We're blessed to have you as part of our lives! It was very bittersweet leaving camp. We were so blessed with the beautiful countryside and crew there. We will miss "camp life." But we feel very confident God has called us elsewhere to mentor kids and reach them for Christ in the skateboarding community through FCA! We are loving our new place and will slowly call it "home."

Updates all around

2010-07-19T21:14:00.004-06:00

I've been meaning to get updates on everyone's latest milestones on here...but time has obviously gotten away from me~! Bare with me, we have alot going on. Eli He is unbelievably a month old now and my little cuddle bug! I swear each child has grown faster than the last. This kid loves to be held (which hasn't proven to be that helpful lately, but I'm trying to soak up the newborn snuggles). We're guessing he's only between 7-8 lbs. now (will find out next week at doc). The newborn diapers are starting to get tight and the NB clothes are getting short....a good sign. Eli feeds every 3 hours almost to the tee! He's starting to straighten out his days & nights.....now if only MOM could stay awake for the night feedings we'd really be making progress!! He loves the MOBY wrap I use for walks...I'm not sure he has ever moved in there once he gets comfy! He has VERY healthy lungs....if we get caught up with K and A in something, he is not about to get forgotten!!! Addalyn Addie had us worried for so long she'd never move....but she was just playing hard ball! She does her scoot-crawl with one knee up and one knee down....and she's fast. Watch the stairs! She's also a walker now too!! She is getting more and more gutsy! She walks along walls and furniture all throughout the house. BUT she transfers between things now too....from couch to LoveSac or her play-kitchen to toy box. It's pretty cute. She reminds me of the little waddle with extended arms from E.T. (80's movie). She is very proud of herself...smiling with every step. She and Kai are also playing and interacting on a new level. I'll catch them building railroad tracks together in our living room and running the trains all over the furniture as well! Addie is able to understand almost everything we ask of her. If she's rebellious or frustrated she DEFINITELY let's us know. She also busts out what we call her "man voice" when upset or really chatting up a storm! She talks all the time now...not much distinguishable yet. She's learning all her body parts and still dances to ALL music---hips, shoulders, you name it, they are moving! She always shows interest in Eli and has finally learned to be gentle with him and will help "burp" him each time she touches him. Kai Kai is 90% potty trained!! Now that Eli is here we've been hitting the training hard! He will always go in the potty when asked, but has to get better at alerting us of the urge BEFORE it happens. Every time he poops he asks us to "spray" for the smell. He's proud of the stinker! Sour starbursts are his favorite incentive yet! The things that come out of this kid's mouth are often times our needed humor in life. He never forgets ANYTHING....months after the fact....names, promises, rules, stories, etc. Lately he asks to ride his Stider bike every day....he's now gliding on it. He rides all over camp...up and down hills and on the skatepark ramps! He loves that after he rides hard and takes his helmet off his hair is sweaty!! He contemplates daily if he'd like to be a "big boy" or a "baby." This is our battle of attention with him now that Eli is here and yet another sibling requires mom and dad's attention. He LOVES Eli though....asks to hold him, kisses him, asks him "what's up little buddy?," grabs blankets or diapers for us when we ask. He's still the king of snack suggestion. Like today, 1. "should we have a snack while we watch the Bachlorette?" 2. "should we stop at the snack shop?" 3. "I need a snack while I watch my movie mom?" 4....well, I'm sure there were more. The parents Where to begin???? 1. A 3rd child adds a "zone defense" strategy to parenting....challenging at times, but working out for the most part. 2. New job. Derrick will venture into skateboarding ministry with FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) starting in Sept. YEAH! More to come on this later. 3. We're moving to the Springs by the end of July. Found a great rental house in a great location! Praise God! 4. We're packing our house that has expanded 3-fold since the last time we had to do this...digging through everything to reduce the clutter. 5. We are looking for a new home for Scout, our 4 yr. pooch. Sad. 6. The postpardom recovery has been a breeze....no time to think about! Now if I could just catch up on sleep. But then again...why bother. The saying "change is inevitable" has taken on a whole new meaning this month. Although one day at a time it's fairly managable with God behind the wheel. I'm sure I've forgotten something, but stay tuned the Lord is working and things are looking to be different.

Brotherly/Sisterly bonding

2010-07-18T22:54:00.003-06:00

Just a cute little video of the brotherly/sisterly bonding taking place in our house! We put Eli and Addie side by side for the size comparison......because to us Eli makes Addie feel so much bigger and older than before he was born! However, I especially have enjoyed the thigh comparison!!! No idea where she got those babies!!

Picture snip-its

2010-07-18T21:10:00.008-06:00

Derrick supervising Addie at the watertable at our church pool party! Shelbie trying to stay dry while herding Addie away from the pool. Daddy's girl---natural mohawk! Obviously a very good time! Our little cutie pie playing in the bathroom....a new favorite spot now that she can get around! A size comparison laying together of Eli and Addie. Eli at 3 wks. Alert as can be...occasionally. Grandpa and the boys! Kai loves to snuggle up to Eli and talk close. Eli at 2 wks. old lounging in the swing. The only pics from July 4th...because I forgot the camera for the Monument parade and rain put a damper on fireworks with or without a camera!! I tried to coordinate outfits somewhat for the occasion...never done that before! Eli about 2 wks old. Showing his handsome eyes!

Eli's 1st week events

2010-06-29T15:10:00.007-06:00

Kai has been SUPER sweet with Eli. He gets down face-to-face to talk or sing to him. He asks to hold him and is very gentle and even asks if they can sleep together! Here's Kai holding Eli while he watches Thomas the Train (you can see his attention is somewhat diverted) and Eli laying with Kai in his bed. Eli and Kai seem to have alot of similar expressions. This is Eli's "old man" face. This is Papa Don (Derrick's dad) and the whole crew in their PJ's. Papa and MooMoo have been a great help this last week.....grabbing us food, babysitting, and even last minute sleepovers! Thanks guys! We had our first family outing on Saturday up to Castle Rock for a birthday party in the park. It was nice to get out but stressful at the same time. The getting ready to leave was the most stressful. Eli pooped and then pee'd all over himself twice while we were trying to get out the door. He's already known for shooting pee randomly....we have to be on-guard at all times! We ended up being 1 hr. late to the party, but nevertheless, we did make it! Here's Kai whacking the pinata! He would take a swing and then come announce to us "it didn't bust open?" He also found this little spider jungle gym and loved sitting in the middle of the web! Derrick is back to work. I felt a little anxious about being on my own with the kids already so I lined up a few guests to ease the transition somewhat. My aunt from Parker (now known as "BonBon") came down to help entertain Kai and Addie on Monday. They played outside making sand castles galore and then took a little hike around camp. Here's them after their hour trek....walking sticks in hand! Thanks Boz! Addie seems like a "monster" now in comparison to Eli's size! Derrick and I are sure she's gained weight!! LOL So here's a cute one of her packin' on the pounds with her watermelon! Here's Eli's 1 week mark: he was scooting all over this blanket by moving his little feet! My good friends from high school, Sarah and Laura, visited this week as well! They were thoroughly entertained by Kai and brought us an amazing brunch! It was fun to catch up. Thanks girls. This video is for the family...not particularly exciting but captures Eli's meloncholy moment!

Eli Luke Unrein

2010-06-23T22:32:00.004-06:00

Eli arrived June 22 at 2:57am after only 4 hrs of labor. He weighs 6 lbs. 1 oz. and is 19 in. long. The birth story is FAST (which was GREAT news for me despite a difficult delivery). He had a pretty bruised up head and face after delivery but it has dramatically disapated now. He has started as a "lazy" feeder but we're working on that. He has a much fuller, darker head of hair than his brother and sister did (more like Daddy I think). Kai and Addie were so cute coming to meet him the next morning! See their pics below. Eli's 1st pic with Mom and Dad. You can see his banged up face....poor kiddo! After Kai did a quick exploration of the hospital room (which was very intriguing) he just wanted to stare at Eli and then hold him. Addie saw the "baby" right away and was leaning and asking to touch/hold/kiss him. We put her by him right away thinking she would just watch him, but she ended up giving him two wacks on the head (surely meant as love taps). After we corrected her and asked her to give him kisses, she did so very gently! You can see me holding her hands in this pic so she wouldn't wack him again!! She didn't really appreciate that. Here's Kai holding Eli and giving him kisses on the head. He was diggin' it! During their visit, he kept asking me why Eli wasn't talking and then continued to "teach" him animal sounds (especially his infamous mooing). We also told him it was a special day since it was Eli's birthday....so he softly sang "Happy Birthday" to Eli right in his face. So precious. Addie continually wanted to give Eli kisses and that was about ALL we were willing to let her get close for. She definitely is interested in her big brother and wants to view him in the crib and pack'n play at home. Once she learns the rules about being GENTLE, I think she will be a very good helper! Here's one with his eyes open and his cute little summer onesie! Eli content to hang with Daddy. When he's awake and not crying, he's very alert and content to just look around. At this point, he seems to have a pretty laid back personality. Here's little man waiting to be discharged from the hospital. We were anxious to get home. Eli's 1st pic at home......he's a little squirt in his carseat! A few things we've noticed: It's unbelievable how BIG our little Addie seems in comparison to Eli. It really puts the 1st years' growth in perspective! Kai got his hair buzzed tonight by Daddy while I gave Addie a bath and Eli slept in his crib....except when Eli started wailing, what to do? Derrick didn't want to leave Kai alone outside with lethal clippers and I can't leave Addie in the bath alone. Someone will have to cry. We will have to double team somewhere. Things like this should make for some interesting scenarios around here in the coming weeks! Stay tuned for that.

Father's Day

2010-06-23T22:08:00.005-06:00

We had a great day celebrating OUR DAD this year! We went to church with Papa and MooMoo to watch Aunt Mimi sing, we ate yummy Mexican for lunch with family, we napped in the car while heading up to the Park Meadows Mall to shop for Daddy, then we headed to Roxborough State Park to skate/bike and have a picnic. It was a full but beautiful day to be together and show Derrick how much we love him and appreciate him! Last family pic as a four-some! 37 wk baby boy the next day. Last pregnancy pic! Daddy and Kai cruisin' together around the lake. Kai got to play in the skatepark "bowls" with Daddy. They were being very silly! Daddy with Kai and Addie ONE day before their brother was born.........

Family Galore

2010-06-21T21:21:00.005-06:00

"Galore" is a good thing...we love having family visit! A few weekends ago (sorry about the delay), we ended up having my parents and Derrick's brother's family visit at the same time. It was alot of fun to have all the kids together (a wild time with all 5 of them and soon to increase in #!) and of course have grandma and grandpa here to play as well. One night we did smore at the camp pavilion.....a huge hit with the kids and an insanely sticky mess as you can see from the pics! Good things moms always carry wipes! Drew (5 yrs) Issac (almost 3 yrs) Ella (1 yr) Addie (1 yr) Kai (2.5 yrs) Grandma and MooMoo with Addie Kai and Grandpa sporting their leathers!

June Summer Days

2010-06-10T16:04:00.003-06:00

Our new love in the heat--a pool with slide! Thanks Steegers! Kai's new mission outside....wet sand pies!! It's now customary that the sand toys end up in the pool and the pool water ends up in the sandbox....urgh! But man, it is fun and entertains for hours..... so I guess Momma is okay with it! Addie loves the sandbox....she's catching on to shoveling sand, although rarely gets any into the buckets at this point! We've been taking advantage of the pregnancy/ice cream combo in the summer heat and light evenings at the ROCK HOUSE in Palmer Lake (our favorite place). Addie dives right in....no lessons necessary. Lots of napkins needed!

Gone Fishin'

2010-06-10T15:11:00.005-06:00

Kai's been super excited for weeks now to take the fishing boat Great Grandpa Ed gave us out on the water! There were several factors that contributed to the excitement: 1. he got a new life vest that he has to wear when riding in the boat (which is very cool at 2 yrs. old) and 2. he got to practice casting and reeling in the water with his Spiderman fishing pole he got for Christmas. The 2-3 ft. deep pond where the "launch" took place was out on Ponderosa conservation land not far from our house. It mainly serves as a watering hole for wildlife and I seriously DOUBT it sustains much underwater life. So that Kai wouldn't get his hopes too high for catching anything, we told him we would be fishing for "mud puppies!" He was okay with it and thought it was kinda funny...but I'm wondering what he was really envisioning a "mud puppy" looks like???? Kai and Daddy putting the boat in the water. Kai is decked out in the fishing attire....vest complimented by the net to scoop seaweed!! Beautiful place to fish right in our backyard! Father/Son bonding out on the water.....having a great time together! Addie and I took pics and walked around the outskirts of the pond during this whole adventure. Luckily, we found some huge black beetles to watch and keep her occupied during the boys' voyage! It won't be long before we'll be purchasing life vest #2 and princess pole!

Who said dandelions are weeds?

2010-06-03T08:11:00.003-06:00

We have an abundance of dandelions all over camp this year! Funny enough, they are actually kind of pretty and colorful in the fields because there are so many of them! Addie picks dandelions every time we are outside. She will sit in the grass and scoot to reach as many as she can. She has figured out not to eat them for the most part (although occasionally I find yellow remnants in her mouth) and now just picks the tops off and carries them around. Derrick and I wanted to put her in a cute yellow dress and do pics, but I kept forgetting. So when watching the kids last Wednesday, Derrick took these pics as they drove past one of the dandelion-loaded fields in camp! Daddy is so efficient on "Daddy day." I think the pics pretty much speak for themselves!

Gettin' dirty and tired

2010-06-01T15:35:00.003-06:00

Summer days are back! I love dirty, happy and tired kids. Life seems more simple, yet busy! Each outing is an adventure and our yard has become Kai and Addie's haven! Just a few happy faces to share now that it's warm enough outside to spend our morning and evenings digging in the sandbox, drawing with sidewalk chalk, swinging, picking abundant dandelions, taking walks, going to the park, etc. Our little Picasso now has his own easel. It is common for shorts to go into the wash with splashes of pink, yellow, and blue! Why is chalk messier than sand???? Kai and Addie have LOVED the sandbox so far! Finally Addie understands NOT to eat the sand which has been helpful for tantrum-free playtime! Kai proudly tells people everywhere we go that he has "new" sand in his sandbox! Addie continues to try to feed herself with utensils. I'm absolutely positive more makes it into her bib than into her mouth if Daddy or I are not right there to assist! A baby update: I'm now 34 wks along and our little guy is doing fabulous. At this point, the pregnancy is normal and we're really praying for it to stay that way until our due date July 12th (although late June would be okay by me)! I've gotten through my most critical weeks (31-34 wks). By this point with Addie I had been on bedrest for 3+ wks already and Kai was already born. So naturally, I'm feeling pretty good about things! Derrick and I decided to introduce Kai to his brother by name. It has been really cool how much more he seems bonded to the baby! He talks about him by name and is more interested how he's doing. We're not telling the name, but Kai just might if you ask!!

Children's Museum

2010-05-21T15:42:00.004-06:00

Grandma and Grandpa Hansen visited for Addie's birthday. We took the kids to the Denver Children's Museum one day for something fun to do. Kai LOVED all the hands-on stuff and Addie was stimulated to the brim! Grandpa and Kai building a "house" for "some people." Kai loves tools so this station where he got to saw and use a manual drill was awesome! Grandma and Addie played trains. The little train table was the perfect height for Addie to stand and grab the trains/figures while Kai built tracks. Kai and Addie planting their garden. Addie enthralled with the frog puppet. Our Lil Picasso AND fireman! This video is of Addie sitting in the middle of this "nest" in the "woods." She literally played in there for about 30 mins. She would stand and watch other kids run circles around her and sit and feel the grass and look for bugs! Easy entertainment...I should build one of these in our backyard!

Addalyn's 1st Birthday

2010-05-21T14:40:00.004-06:00

Our little girl is ONE! It's unbelievable how fast this past year has actually gone (which is HUGE for me to say)! Addie has been such a wonderful addition to our family. I can't imagine life without her. She's sweet and cute in every way! She has blessed us so greatly and we are glad to celebrate her FIRST YEAR milestone! In honor of her, we did a small party at our house with family and camp family. I decided to make DIRT CAKE with gummi worms for her, which was perfect. She LOVED it and fed it to herself. She is enjoying all her new gifts....and so is Kai! We've had to remind Kai that they were given to Addie and that SHE is graciously SHARING! Thanks to everyone for blessing her with toys and clothes! Here's a few moments from her big day! This is everyone singing to her.....she wasn't sure what to think and slightly intimidated by everyone starring at her! Overwhelmed by all the new gifts and people willing to show her what to do with them! You know she's excited when her feet are off the floor! A pre-party shot. This was her wake up birthday hair!! Wow! We are starting to have to tame it several times throughout the day! Just some footage of how INTENTLY she was enjoying her dirt cake! This was also the first time she fed herself with a spoon....not bad. We are making it a habit now!

Ka-bonk

2010-05-12T22:01:00.002-06:00

Quick Kai story.... He was playing around upstairs with Derrick tonight as I put Addie to bed...wild as usual. All I heard was the short cries....but after I returned upstairs and things had settled down I asked: ME: "Kai, what happened to your head? Did you fall?" (2 largely visible gashes on his forehead) KAI: "Yeah, I hit my suitcase." (wooden train suitcase) ME: "Ouch buddy, how did you do that?" KAI: (fairly proud and enthusiastic for the circumstances) "I whooshed off the couch and hit my head on my suitcase. Can you believe that Mom?"

100% BOY

2010-05-12T21:32:00.003-06:00

I never officially posted this....so if it's news to you, sorry for the delay! After several missed attempts to find out the sex (and after the baby had been declared "80% boy"--which was slightly embarassing....and what 20% girl???), we finally have the pictures to prove the "male pride" of our little guy posted on the fridge. I'm 31 wks now. Overall, I'm feeling well. The measures to monitor premature risk have gone outstanding thus far, which is so comforting! The cervical lengths have stayed in the safe zone so far. By this time during the pregnancy with Addie, I was already on hospital bedrest. So I am feeling encouraged. Although there are many benefits to being up and about (as opposed to bedrest), feeling prepared is NOT one of them. We basically kept the portable crib and carseat out since Addie graduated from them.....so that doesn't count. I have managed to dig out some boy clothes and wash them.....but it seems other projects are piling up. Shame on me for having the mind-set that I could accomplish a few things on bedrest if needed.....Addie's 1st year photo album, the baby's crocheted blanket, etc. They will just have to wait (possibly a year or more)! The name is a secret....and still to be agreed upon. I'll try to post any changes in the next few weeks (as it is still a critical risk period). Until then....thanks for your prayers for myself and our little guy!

2010-04-22T15:15:00.004-06:00

We are padding Kai up for the summer...literally. He picked out a Spiderman set of pads and helmet in prep for riding his Strider bike outside in the gravel and hitting the sk8park! As you can tell, he was pretty psyched to try them on! Just a cute one of Addie in her little 80's outfit! She is loving to stand, although still struggling to get there herself! I'm way behind in posting videos. This first video is of Addie's scoot! This is literally her crawl and she is able to reach objects further away than one would think! She is also my little dancer! She bee-bops to most all music....especially funny when she's standing! The second video is Kai and Addie playing a watered-down version of peek-a-boo at lunch. This a common game at meal time around here. Kai is such a good older brother....he likes to make his sister laugh and he can sometimes get her to do it when no one else can. The bond is forming already! LOL Enjoy.