Thank you, Aunt Julie!!!

Normally, I would just post the intended video, but you know how comical the "outtakes" are, right? So, I thought I would include those as well.

Take 1 ~ All three kids together. The plan was for them to say Happy Halloween together and then individually thank Aunt Julie for the thoughtful gifts. Josh apparently missed Alex's quick thank you and proceeded to cause a commotion.



Take 2 ~ Josh is mad that he messed up Take 1, so his presentation is less than enthusiastic.



Take 3 ~ Josh and Mattea's thank you... of course, the doorbell rings right in the middle and distracts Mattea. Sigh. We'll take what we can get.



Take 4 ~ Alex's thank you... of course, his middle school friends show up to walk to school and he's annoyed with me for pulling him into the office to do this. I love being a Mom! : )

Picture of the Day -- Week 43

October 23rd – Mattea has been sounding out pretty much every word she sees and has taken a huge interest in books. I love listening to her read. She amazes me with how quickly she catches on. Her world is about to get a whole lot bigger!


October 24th – Alex took this picture of me in my Broncos gear. I was all ready for a great game, however, what I got was very disappointing. The Broncos got stomped by their rivals, the Oakland Raiders, 59 – 14. OUCH!


October 25th – Alex has the week off for Fall Break. He was ecstatic that Josh & Mattea had to go to school and he got to stay home all day in his PJ’s snuggling with Cody.


October 26th – I saw Alex sitting at the table this morning with Mattea on his lap having a little chat. It was so sweet seeing them together this way.


October 27th – Alex had fun today playing Legos and watching movies. He insists it’s WAY better than being in school. I’d have to agree!


October 28th – Cody has this stuffed chicken that he absolutely loves. It makes an obnoxious sound when you toss it. If you ask him where his chicken is, he will go find it and bring it back to play fetch.


October 29th – Josh & Mattea had their Halloween parties at school today. Josh was a chick magnet and Mattea was a diva. They both looked GREAT!

Picture of the Day -- Week 42

October 16th – We went to the Anderson Farms Pumpkin patch and it was SO fun! The kids enjoyed the hay bale maze, the corn maze, the pedal karts, feeding the chickens, watching the pumpkin launcher and the hayrack ride to the pumpkin patch.


October 17th – I found a recipe for homemade cinnamon bun pancakes. The pictures looked divine, so I had to try them. They were a hit!


October 18th – Today is Cody’s 2nd birthday. Alex begged and pleaded with us to let him stay home from school, but he lost that battle. Regardless, Cody & Indy got doggie ice cream for breakfast and Cody got a new squeaky octopus toy and lots of lovin’.


October 19th – Today, Josh and Mattea went back to school after a 3-week track-off. Whew! (Don’t let the door hit ya on the way out, kids!!!) The weather has finally cooled off, so Mattea wore her new leggings that Grandma Judie made. I asked her to strike a pose and she did just that. Thank you, diva!


October 20th – Mattea found this garter snake in the neighborhood and showed it to Alex. He was instantly smitten. So, we have a new pet at the house… her name is Lily. Much to Alex’s frustration, I refuse to let him bring her in the house.


October 21st – It was Crazy Hair Day at Rolling Hills today. Josh endured the pain of tiny ponytails on top of his head spray painted in a multitude of colors. Mattea went with some rope braid buns all over her hair spray painted in a multitude of colors. They both looked spectacular!


October 22nd – Joshie bought this model Lamborghini with his own money. He had fun putting it together and playing with it!

Picture of the Day -- Week 41

October 9th – Jeff & I met up with Julie & Kevin in Las Vegas for the weekend. We had a fabulous time walking the strip, taking in the sights and trying to win it big!


October 10th – Today, we took some time to catch the Broncos and Cowboys football games. Kevin & I got our picture taken in our NFL t-shirts in front of the Sports Book with tons of TVs, comfy chairs and betting service.


October 11th – We had dinner at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse and Julie & Kevin bought us a wonderful bottle of Riesling to celebrate our anniversary. Then, we explored the Wynn... what an amazing hotel! We had such a fun weekend!


October 12th – Joshie had his shirt off after his shower and we were commenting on how ripped he is. Of course, this resulted in more flexing and Mattea jumping in on the action, too. It was hilarious! Josh definitely wins best abs in the family!!!


October 13th – We set up the badminton set in the front yard and the kids play it all the time. I typically have to retrieve at least one birdie off the roof each day.


October 14th – Happy 15th Anniversary ~ to my best friend, my partner in crime, the ying to my yang.


October 15th – Alex brought home this light-up mouth piece from school today. He won it for the magazine subscriptions he sold. Thanks to all who helped him out!

Picture of the Day -- Week 40

October 2nd – Jeff helped out with the laundry today in a big way. He was slightly annoyed with me taking pictures while he did it (in fact, he claimed he would stop helping), but I took a chance.


October 3rd – We took Indy & Cody to PetsMart to get groomed today. They looked so great when we picked them up. Their fur was bright, shiny and fluffy.


October 4th – This morning Mattea requested breakfast in bed for no apparent reason and I brought it to her. I hope she returns the favor someday!


October 5th – Mattea knew that Grandma Carol & Grandpa Pete would be staying in her room when they came to visit, so on her own, she packed up her stuff & moved into our bedroom.


October 6th – Mattea cooked lunch for her & Josh today. She makes a mean mac ’n cheese!


October 7th – Grandma Carol & Grandpa Pete came for a visit to see us and stay with the kiddos while Jeff & I went to Las Vegas to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary. They all had a great time!


October 8th – Grandma Carol & Grandpa Pete took Josh & Mattea to the Denver Zoo today. It was their first visit to the zoo. Alex missed out on the fun since he was in school. They had a really fun day!

Crazy Hair Day

Today is Crazy Hair Day at Rolling Hills Elementary. As hard as it is for us Dolan's to be crazy (okay, it's not so hard!), we did our best. Drum roll please! Presenting Crazy Josh and Crazy Mattea...

Mattea can read!!!

Mattea has really been learning alot this year in kindergarten. She is fascinated by words and the sounds they make and is SOOOOOO excited to finally be reading. She has been doing sight words since preschool, but has really come a long way since then. While she has been tracked off, she has been doing flashcards and sounding out whatever words she sees. She also loves to write. She will write long letters and bring them to me to read. Many times, the words are not spelled correctly as she can't yet understand how to incorporate the vowels, but she is doing a fantastic job. When I say she loves to write, I mean it. I just found a tablet out in the living room today. It says "Peeee" and "I nee to poop". A little too much information, but cute nonetheless, right???

On Wednesday, we went to the library to get some books. She picked out five books (cuz she's five!). They are all the beginner level reader books and she blasted through them. I love to hear her sound out each letter and then look up with complete joy on her face when she figures out what word those sounds make. I'm glad I captured this on video. Enjoy!