Mattea at Ballet Class

Jeff was lucky enough to attend Mattea's ballet/tap class at her preschool last week. She is very focused on holding her hands perfectly and following the teacher's instructions. She loves to practice her moves at home.

Make a Smilebox greeting

Sure is windy today!!!

Apparently, I have been bragging WAY too much lately about the wonderful weather in Colorado. It is extremely windy today. Our grill made its way all the way across our patio and was dangling off the edge of our retaining wall. One of our patio chairs is in our window well and you can see from the picture that our canopy was trying to hop the fence into our neighbor's yard!!!

Happy Birthday to me!!!

My wonderful boys made me breakfast in bed today! They came into my room singing "Happy Birthday" and delivered it on a tray. Seriously... how sweet is that? My breakfast consisted of Frosted Flakes w/ milk (no spoon, but I had a knife & fork!), toast (w/ no butter!), a glass of milk (w/ a straw!) and a banana (which Mattea snagged!). It was wonderful to spend a few special minutes with my kids in bed. Even though I was still rumpled from sleep and not looking my best (I hadn't even looked in the mirror yet!), I made Jeff take a picture of me and the chitlins snuggling in bed. Before Mattea left to get dressed, she sang "Happy Birthday" to me in her sweet little voice. (Of course, I made her sing it again, so I could record it!) These are the kinds of memories I will keep in my heart forever.


P.S. Yes, I realize this video is sideways, but I have NO CLUE how to rotate it! So, turn your head sideways and ENJOY!!!

January Bike Ride

It was a beautiful 70 degree day (in January!!!), so we decided to ride our bikes to Mattea's preschool to pick her up. It felt so good to get out there and enjoy the fresh air. Unfortunately, there were several hills on our route, but the boys plowed right through them like they were nothin'. The ride home was much easier since it was mostly downhill. Mattea enjoyed the ride and wanted me to go faster and faster! We stopped at the park on our way home so the kids could play. The boys climbed around on the tunnels while Mattea and I went on the swings and took pictures. Mattea posed on every large rock at the park! We had a great time. Today is another gorgeous day, but we are supposed to get some snow tomorrow. Oh well! The snow fort is melted, so I guess it's time!

Oh no she didn't!!!

OH YES SHE DID!!!

We are always telling Mattea what beautiful hair she has. It's getting very long, so we talked to her about getting it cut and donating it to Locks of Love. Well, she decided it was time (last night at bedtime!!!) to cut her hair for the sick little girl that needs it. One problem... SHE decided to be the stylist!!!

I was in awe as I assessed the damage. She cut bangs, but I was so thankful that she hadn't cut them to the scalp. She had taken a few chunks out of the sides, but again, it was salvageable. Josh told her "Mattea, you should be a hair cutter when you grow up, but you should get better at it first." I had to laugh!!!

This morning when Mattea came downstairs, I was sure she would have forgotten about the incident. Her first words to me were "Mommy, my hair didn't grow back last night while I was sleeping." Oh boy...

So, today, we took a trip to Lollilocks where I pleaded with the hair stylist to fix up my pretty girl. She did a great job. Mattea (and the rest of us) are getting used to her new look. I guess that sick little girl will have to wait awhile for Mattea's donation. Thank goodness her hair grows fast!!!

Christmas 2008 - We are so blessed!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Lovin' the sunshine in Colorado...

Grandpa Pete & Grandma Carol arrived safely from Iowa on Sunday afternoon. Leaving the Midwest was very challenging for them as the roads were icy and the car was slip-slidin' away on the interstate. The kids were ecstatic when they arrived and talked animatedly to them from the second they stepped out of the car.

The weather was cool today, but thanks to the sunshine, it felt much warmer than it actually was. Grandma spent the morning playing beauty shop and tea party with Mattea while Grandpa, the boys and I went out to run a few errands. After lunch, we took the kids and the dogs to the park to burn off some energy. It worked especially well for Cody... he was fast asleep within seconds after returning home! The kids weren't quite worn out yet, so Josh & I played hockey in the street while Mattea played in the snow. Grandpa & Grandma "sunbathed" on the patio. Later, Grandpa came out to check on the action in the front and ended up in a snowball fight with Mattea. It was quite hysterical to watch... Mattea threw snow down Grandpa's pants and he retaliated with a handful right in her face. She whimpered a bit, but stayed tough and dished it right back to Grandpa! It was pretty sweet to be able to enjoy a walk to the park and a snowball fight on the same day!!! Ya gotta love the sunshine in Colorado!!!