Picture of the Day -- Week 25

June 19th – Kevin & Julie were gracious enough to let us invite some family and friends to their house for a pool party to celebrate Alex’s 11th birthday. We enjoyed great food and had a blast playing in the pool. Alex was very excited to see Zack Frieburger again and Josh was just as excited to see Spencer Adams. Grandma Carol, Grandpa Pete, Trae, the Bachman’s and Jamie & Lindsey also helped us celebrate.


June 20th – We traveled from Iowa back to Colorado today. It was a long trip and we were so happy to be home. When we got home, Jeff had a fire going and was in the kitchen cooking dinner. Pretty nice of him to do on Father’s Day!!! We had a great time just relaxing by the fire and catching up.


June 21st – I spotted this lovely creature on the wall in the office. I shrieked. (I took a picture!) Jeff came. He squashed. I was happy!


June 22nd – Today was Elise’s first day babysitting the kids for the summer. They welcomed her by attacking her with Nerf guns! I think she knew right away how fun this summer was going to be!!! She’s up for it, though… she jumped right into the Nerf gun war!


June 23rd – Hanna was over for a play date and got to stay really late, so both girls took a bath. When they were done, I french braided their hair. They loved having the same hairdo.


June 24th – Josh has a lot of energy. We’ve called him the Energizer Bunny for a long time. Today, he was really tired. I caught him taking a nap on the couch. It was such a rare occurrence that I couldn’t resist taking a picture.


June 25th – Alex is getting so tall. It seems like every time I turn around, he is closer and closer to passing me up. I can remember recently when I could put my chin on the top of his head. We are way past that now. I’m thinking it won’t be long before I’m looking up at him.

Picture of the Day -- Week 24

June 12th – Today, Alex turned 11. I can’t even believe how quickly time goes by. He has grown into such a responsible, well-mannered, sweet, loving and fabulous young man. We couldn’t be more proud of him! Grandma Judie made him a homemade yellow cake with chocolate frosting (just like Daddy likes!). Grandma bought some sparkler candles that kept re-lighting while Alex was blowing them out. It was hilarious watching him try to blow them out. His favorite birthday gift was a new PSP!


June 13th – I ran in the Grandview Gallop with Laura Wiederholt Schieltz. It is a 4-mile race starting at Mt. Carmel, down to West 3rd Street and ending at Murphy Park. After a one hour rain delay, we finally started the race. It was a relatively flat course, but still challenging. I ran a 10:37 pace which was better than my pace in the 5k in May, so I was happy!


June 14th – Aunt Julie came to Dubuque to spend some time with us and take Alex on his birthday date. They went to the Marmaduke movie, had some ice cream and went birthday shopping. As always, they had a wonderful time!


June 15th – The kids were excited to spend time with Grandma Carol & Grandpa Pete for the week. They watched Sci-Fi & cartoons, played with the toys in the basement, went to the park and played in the river.


June 16th – Alex has been playing his new PSP a LOT since he got it for his birthday. It has a nice big screen and lots of fun features. Josh had fun watching Alex play his new game.


June 17th – Grandma Carol and Grandpa Pete took the kids to Dyersville, Iowa to the Field of Dreams. This is the farmhouse and baseball field where the movie “Field of Dreams” was filmed. They got to play baseball on the field, sit on the bleachers and look around in the gift shop. It was a fun day!


June 18th – We headed to Julie & Kevin’s for a couple days. We got there Friday evening and drove through a bad storm. When we arrived, there was no power! The kids thought it was fun to run around the house with flashlights. Luckily, Kevin had a generator, so we weren’t totally in the dark. This picture is actually from Saturday right before the pool party.

Bryan & Lauren's wedding

Our family was privileged enough to be invited to the wedding of Lauren Nelson and Bryan Trumm. The Trumm family holds a very special place in our hearts... especially Jeff's, so there was NO way we were missing this wedding! Mid-afternoon on Thursday, June 3rd, we left Aurora and drove straight through to Burlington, Iowa where the wedding was taking place. We arrived, exhausted, at about 4:30am. Luckily, Grandma Carol had her spider senses heightened because she greeted us when we went past her hotel room!!! Alex & Mattea snuck into her room to crash for the rest of the night. On Friday, Jeff and I slept in and the kids hung out with Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Julie, Uncle Kevin and Trae. We had a fun time staying at the hotel with the indoor/outdoor waterpark, arcade, go-kart track, casino and multitude of restaurants. Jeff, Julie and I even hit the fitness center!!! On Friday night, Jeff, Julie, Kevin and I hit the casino for a couple hours. Kevin was the big winner of the evening and proceeded to buy drinks for the rest of the night. What a generous guy!!! We ran into Angie, Marty, Lauren and Bryan at a bar in the hotel where they were whooping it up after the rehearsal dinner. On Saturday, we got all gussied up for the wedding. Everyone looked fabulous! The boys grumbled a little bit about their ties, but they looked so darn handsome. Mattea had her hair curled and was wearing her flirty new dress. She felt like a diva... acted like one, too! HA!!! Anyway, the weather was anything but nice. It was pouring down rain, but we heard that it was not dampening Lauren's spirits, so that was good. By the time we left for the wedding, the sun was shining and the sky was blue. What a blessing! When we got to the church, we somehow scored totally sweet seats in about the 4th row! I was pleased since I get a little picture-happy!!! It was a beautiful wedding... touching to see Bryan walk the Mom's down the aisle and to see him standing next to his future wife. Lauren and Bryan are beautiful inside and out. Cade was ADORABLE carrying the rings down the aisle in a catcher's mitt, too. After the ceremony, Bryan and Lauren exited the church under an arch of baseball bats held by the groomsmen and ushers. There were so many cute touches to the wedding and reception. We were so impressed at all of the thought and details that went into this celebration. The food at the reception was delicious, the slideshows were amazing and the kids had a blast dancing at the reception. Cade absolutely tore up the dance floor. Alex stuck close by his side trying to learn all of his cool dance moves. (Story is that Cade had been practicing these for some time and it showed!!!) Cason busted a move a few times, too, and was just as cute! Mattea had some wild moves on the dance floor as well. One of her favorites (considering she did it like every three seconds) was dropping to her butt and doing a spin on the dance floor. Josh finally decided to go out on the dance floor and was accidentally elbowed by Alex who was trying out a new move, so Josh's dancing was short-lived. I think Trae had a good time at the reception as well. He was on and off the dance floor with the boys and seemed to have a smile on his face most of the night.

Mattea remained entranced by Lauren. EVERY time she saw her, she just stared. I think she thought she was a real princess! She did finally tell her she looked pretty or that her dress was pretty... can't remember which, but it was cute regardless. She also stalked Cade pretty much the whole night. He did look awfully cute in his suit, so what little girl could resist? All in all, we had an amazing time and will hold these memories close to our hearts for a long time.

Picture of the Day -- Week 23

June 5th – Bryan & Lauren’s wedding was magical. The morning of the wedding, it was absolutely dreary and pouring down rain. By the time, we were leaving the hotel to go to the church, the sun was shining and it had turned into a beautiful day. Bryan was a handsome groom and Lauren a beautiful bride. It is very obvious that they were made for each other.


June 6th – We spent the day at the outdoor water park at Fun City in Burlington, Iowa. It was a part of the hotel we stayed at for the wedding. The kids enjoyed the slides and the lazy river. For lunch, we had one of their famous 28 inch pizzas. It was humongous! We hung out with our cousins and had a great time!


June 7th – We made it to Mom & Dad’s house today. We’ll be staying here for a week and then heading to Pete & Carol’s for a week. We had to say goodbye to Daddy today, but we all know he is looking forward to a quiet house for a couple weeks! Josh and I played catch today and then I pitched him a few balls before the humidity was just too much. Well, that and he can hit the crap out of the ball and I got tired of chasing after the balls!!!


June 8th – The kids had an awesome time hanging out at Grandma Judie & Grandpa Bob’s house this week. They watched movies, did puzzles, colored pictures and played outside. I took this picture on one of the sunnier days during our visit.


June 9th – Kelly and her kids came to Dubuque for a visit. We had a nice chat while the kids played and then we headed to The Shot Tower for some pizza. The kids always have a great time playing with each other.


June 10th – Our visit to Iowa so far has been dreary, rainy and muggy. Today, the sun came out for a bit, so we busted out the Slip N Slide. The kids had a blast!


June 11th – Alex taught Grandpa Bob how to play Bakugan. Grandpa was very patient while Alex explained the rules. It was so cute to see them playing together.

Picture of the Day -- Week 22

May 29th – My friend, Shelley, and I organized a roller skating party followed by an outdoor movie for our neighborhood. The roller skating party was a blast! Shelley had her garage and driveway all set up like a roller rink and she served hot dogs, chips, lemonade and ice cream sandwiches. At the end of the party, the kids took turns trying to break open the disco ball piñata.


May 30th – We made a trip to visit Uncle Terry at Keystone. After a great lunch, we headed up the gondola to the top of the ski resort. Jeff got an inside look at the electrical components of the lift while the kids and I goofed around in the snow and took in the amazing views.


May 31st – After breakfast and some play time at a nearby park, Terry & Duke took us on a hike in Dillon, CO. We had a great time exploring.


June 1st – Jeff taught the boys to help out with the yard work. Alex mows the lawn and Josh weed whacks. I am thrilled that the boys are old enough to do it. I’m sure they’re less than thrilled.


June 2nd – Sometimes, I just have to take a picture of Mattea. She’s just so cute... I can’t help myself. Those eyes, that smile, her fun personality. I’m captivated.


June 3rd – This is the wedding gift I made for Bryan and Lauren. Actually, I took this picture before I changed the top right section, but that’s okay. You get the gist. When we received their “Save the Date” Christmas card, I knew I had to do something crafty for their wedding gift because the pictures on that card were just fabulous. I hope they like it!


June 4th – Technically, this picture is from June 5th, but since we don’t get to see family as often as we want to, I am including this family picture from the wedding. This is us all gussied up for Bryan & Lauren’s wedding.

Picture of the Day -- Week 21

May 22nd – Mattea is fearless. She was playing in the backyard for a bit and I went to check on her. I found her climbing the tree… in her pajamas!!! She’s quite the little monkey.


May 23rd – Breakfast today was homemade blueberry pancakes and fruit. This was my first time using blueberries for the pancakes (I usually use chocolate chips!) and they turned out so yummy!


May 24th – One of the favorite end-of-school year events is Field Day. The boys have such a fun time doing relay races with their friends and generally just goofing around. Josh showed pure concentration when he was the anchor on the tug-o-war team.


May 25th – Alex & Josh brought home their awards that they received today during the A-Track Awards Ceremony. They received awards for physical fitness, Chess Club, Handbell Choir, Spelling Bee, Field Day and the Reading Together program. We are so proud of them!


May 26th – I made a cake and decided to go all “Martha Stewart” and decorate it with fruit. I was pretty happy with how it turned out. The kids thought it looked way cool!


May 27th – Alex & Josh totally got into the spirit (pun intended) for Spirit Day at Rolling Hills. We made a trip to Party City for the hats and flags. The hats were a little big (nearly engulfing Josh’s entire head), but they sure looked cute!!! (Notice their forced grins as I made them stand on the front porch for a picture!)


May 28th – Today was 5th grade “Continuation” at Rolling Hills. Alex got all decked out for the ceremony and he looked extremely handsome. The ceremony included encouraging words from the principal and his teacher, a slideshow of pictures throughout the year and the distribution of diplomas. Alex was very proud!