Picture of the Day -- Week 14

April 3rd – Josh had his first baseball game today and the whole family went to watch. Josh played catcher for two innings and did a fantastic job! His team ended up losing in the last inning by one run, but they played great and had a good time.


April 4th – We had a wonderful Easter. It was so nice to have Terry (and Duke!) around to spend the weekend with us. We had a nice dinner Saturday night and then a yummy brunch on Sunday morning. The kids found their Easter baskets and the hidden eggs and munched on chocolate. They also enjoyed dyeing Easter eggs... we only had one casualty!


April 5th – I’ve been inspired by several blogs lately that have shown the way different people decorate their fireplace mantles, so I was messing around with ours. I brought out my big “D” that I’ve had in the office and I think I like it better on the mantle. Of course, now I need to go shopping for some new items to jazz the rest of it up!


April 6th – Mattea and I attended the Taylor Swift concert tonight. Mattea’s jaw dropped when Taylor rose up from beneath the stage and the crowd went WILD! I loved watching her sing along and smile like crazy. She loved seeing all of Taylor’s beautiful dresses... especially the sparkly ones. The only disappointment was that Mattea couldn’t give Taylor a hug. We had such a blast!!!


April 7th – I started collecting paint samples because I am anxious to get some more color on these white walls! Now all I need to do is convince my CFO that we should do it… SOON!!!


April 8th – I came downstairs this morning and Alex was putting away the clean dishes without being asked. I was SOOOO happy! He was very nonchalant about it and just said that he had some extra time before school. Oh, how I love this boy!!!


April 9th – Alex & I did a little shopping after rock climbing on Friday night. He got stuck going with me to Home Goods where I found this very cool trunk!

Taylor Swift concert

As you know, Mattea and I went to the Taylor Swift concert on 4/6/2010. We had a total blast! I will admit, though, I wasn't so sure it was going to be such a blast once we got there.

We got to the Pepsi Center in plenty of time (amazing, right???) and found a parking spot. We walked in with the throngs of people who were also giddy with excitement (and who had also probably rocked out to their Taylor Swift CD all the way there!!!). First thing we did was locate our seats and chat with the security guard. Mattea HAD to tell him that she was Taylor's biggest fan and that her Daddy had raised her training wheels and sometimes when she rides her bike, she is only on 2 wheels. (I mean, c'mon, he needed to know all that, right???) The first band, Gloriana, came on stage and started playing which caused Mattea to start screaming, but not because she was happy... it was really, really, really loud and we were RIGHT in front of a speaker. Lovely. I whipped out the ear plugs (thanks for the brilliant idea, Jeff!) and put them in her ears. They helped a little, but not enough. I decided it was time to check out the t-shirts.

We waited in line for a t-shirt packed in like sardines for at least 45 minutes. We could now hear that Kellie Pickler (former American Idol contestant) was singing. I tried to convince Mattea to come back in with me so we would be ready when Taylor came out, but she was petrified that it would be too loud. We ended up walking all over looking for some different seats that were further from the stage and the speakers, but didn't have much luck since it was a sold-out concert. A wonderfully nice security guard walked up to us and asked if we had a problem. I told him what was going on and he found us some great seats in folding chairs in the handicapped section. YAY!

So, we're seated now and they are setting up for Taylor. You can just feel the energy and excitement in the crowd. Mattea is on high alert and swinging her legs in anticipation. We took some pictures and sent some texts to Aunt Julie while we waited and then... FINALLY... the show started. Taylor came up out of the stage and the crowd went absolutely WILD!!! The first song she sang was "You Belong With Me" which is Mattea's favorite song (the one she did for the karaoke contest at school). She performed a ton of songs, changed into several different pretty dresses and had an amazing stage presence. The only disappointment for Taylor's "biggest fan" was that she didn't get to give the star a hug. Awwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!

Funny story from Mattea Marie

So, Mattea had a birthday party to go to on Sunday at a roller rink. The last time she skated was at her own birthday party and she had the locked skates which basically allow you to walk around the rink and not technically skate. But, hey, that is better than constantly falling down! Anyways, Mattea was determined to wear her new non-locking skates to the party, so she practiced outside the day before the party. I was holding her hand while she skated just in case she lost her balance. She learned SO quickly and was skating a lot better after such a short time that I said "Wow... where did you come from?" I know you all know what I meant by that, but she didn't. Her response was "From God. I was a gift." And that's that!!!

Josh and his ways...

Josh came home yesterday and announced, "I got a girl to do my homework for me on the bus." I think he's realizing how his cuteness can work to his advantage. I'm frightened!

Picture of the Day -- Week 13

March 27th - I love Saturdays!!! We slept in today and it felt so good. I brought Jeff and Mattea breakfast in bed and we watched The Blind Side. It was a wonderfully relaxing morning.


March 28th - I took this picture at about 8:30pm on a Sunday night after peeling myself off the couch to go to the gym. I have vowed to finish this C25k program and I hadn’t made the time all day to do my workout. I actually had a great time at the gym… it was quiet and I was able to do my walk/jog, ride a stationary bike and lift weights. Jeff was surprised when I got back home and it was close to 11:00pm!


March 29th - Terry’s friend, Kim, rode out with him when he moved to Colorado from Wisconsin. She had an early flight on Tuesday, so she and Terry spent the night at our house. Luckily, Terry told us that it was Kim’s birthday, so we took them to Dave & Buster’s for a nice dinner and some video games. We had a really fun time!


March 30th - I had gone to bed without realizing that Alex hadn’t put Cody in his room. I heard a noise, so I went to check it out. Cody had hopped up on the couch and was all settled in. What a little stinker!


March 31st - I was checking on Mattea in the bathroom and this is what I saw... her peering down into the toilet from the top of the bathroom counter. She gets quite nervous about putting too much TP in the toilet and having it overflow.


April 1st - This picture reminds me of the time when Cody was a puppy and couldn’t get near Indy without him getting up and moving. Now, they play every day and seem to be best buddies… of course, Indy will still prove he is the alpha dog when necessary!!!


April 2nd - Mattea took advantage of Daddy having a furlough day and talked him into shopping! She scored some new summer clothes and accessories. What a lucky girl!

WE'RE GOING TO SEE TAYLOR SWIFT!!!

Taylor Swift is a young pop star. Mattea and I love her music. A lot. Mattea knows the words to pretty much all of her songs. (Yeah, so do I and I'm not ashamed to admit it!) It just so happens that Taylor Swift will be in concert in Denver tonight. And, oh yeah, we are SOOOOOOOOOO going to see her! I told Mattea about it this morning so Jeff could see/hear her reaction. There were squeals. Loud squeals. I think if I told her she had to sit in her room all day and be quiet or she couldn't go, she would do it. Well, that might be a stretching it a bit, but needless to say, she is very, very, very excited. So am I!

Mattea told me that she wanted to tell Taylor that she's her biggest fan. How cute is that? I had to set expectations, though, because there is no way we'll get to actually meet Taylor. Unless we have some Dolan luck... you never know! Mattea is very excited to see Taylor in her "sparkly" dresses. That's what I told her she'd be wearing, so I hope it turns out to be true! Mattea wants to wear her own sparkly Christmas dress so they will both be sparkly. Stay tuned. I'm sure there will be a post later this week with pictures from the show.

HOPPY EASTER!!!