Chadwick Family

Halloween 2010

2011-03-24T12:07:00.000-06:00

This year we let Leah pick her own costume....she of course choose to be a princess...not any princess but the PINK princess Aurora from Sleeping Beauty. I started shopping for her costume and found it was like $30+ and didn't want to spend that on a costume! I decided to try to get on off E-bay. On the very morning I was looking on E-bay I got a message for a neighbor, who I only met once, asking me if I wanted their Sleeping Beauty costume because their daughter had grown out or it! Leah was thrilled with the costume!

Grant could not decide what he wanted to be....he would change his mind over and over. He finally decided on Zelda.....there were no Zelda costumes anywhere so we made out own!

Leah and the girls next door at the trunk or treat

Kevin all dressed up!

Fall Fun at lookout mountain

2011-03-21T12:07:00.003-06:00

Back in October...yes almost 6 months ago...we drove out to Look Out Mountain. I have been out here for weddings but we have never gone as a family. We started at lookout mountain and went on a little nature walk. The kids had fun collecting pine cones.

Then we drove to Buffalo Bill's grave. This is where they actually have a great view of Denver. We visited the little store and at a little snack.

Finally we finished our outing with a walk around Golden and a nice dinner and a little outdoor cafe.

Errand of Angels

2011-01-16T23:37:00.002-07:00

My friend Melissa just posted this on her blog. It is exactly what I want to say, but written MUCH MUCH better. Please follow the link, http://howell5.blogspot.com/2011/01/errand-of-angels.html

Leah's first field trip

2011-01-07T15:06:00.000-07:00

Leah took her first field trip to the pumpkin patch. I went with her. She was so cute....but shy! She would not leave my side. She did not say anything...except "I want to ride in the pink one". When we first arrive Leah noticed the barrel ride and she whispered that she wanted the pink one. Leah likes everything to be pink. She did pick a pumpkin but said she didn't want it, Grant could have it, because it was not pink. She did feed the animals but only because I made her. She did however LOVE the barrel ride. We were one of the last to get to the ride and of course all the pink barrels were taken. We asked a nice girl if we could share and thank goodness she said yes.

Corn Maze 2010

2011-01-02T12:02:00.000-07:00

This is our third year going to the corn maze at the Chatfield Botanic Gardens. Since we have a membership we get in for free on the preview weekend. It is nice that it is free but it is always too early and WARM. It does not even feel like fall yet. This year we got there a bit late and it was getting dark so we only did half the maze. The kids had fun as always. I am sure we will be going again next year!

First Day of School - 2010

2011-01-01T01:16:00.000-07:00

2nd grade!! Really how is that possible. I can't believe Grant is old enough to be a second grader. This year the district built a new school in our neighborhood. It is nice the have the school so close but I do miss not have the bus anymore :) Grant loves his teacher and his class. So far second grade is going well for him!

Leah also started pre-school! She will have 2 years of pre-school. Right now she only goes two days a week for 2 hours. She loves it. She is very shy (she did not take after me...must take after Kevin). She is finally (after 4 months) talking to the teachers. She talks up a storm at home! She was most excited to get a new princess backpack.

See how much Grant has grown.....
Kindergarten

1st grade2nd grade

Draven Visits

2010-12-29T22:03:00.000-07:00

Draven, Grant's cousin, came to visit. Yes I know these are old but just live with it, it was August. Draven is just a couple years older than Grant. They have so much fun together. I am so glad they have each other. Most of the other cousins are much older. We decided to go over to the reservoir. The kids love it. It is so close I don't know what we doing go more often. They mostly build sand castles. They swim a bit but it is usually too cold...they are spoiled and the clubhouse pool is heated. Leah was bugging the big boys but all in all it was a fun day. I wish Draven lived closer.

Jensen Family Reunion - 2010

2010-11-30T22:03:00.001-07:00

This year we decided to meet somewhere other than Utah. We debated back and forth and finally agreed on Colorado Spring, easy for me! I loved that we didn't have to travel far and I was able to spend the most time with everyone since they all came to me :)

Cassie arrived first, the day before. So we spent the day swimming at the neighborhood pool. Cassie was nice enough to bring bikes for just about everyone!! Her truck was a site to see :)

Since Heather works for Air Tran her family can fly standby...mostly a great advantage. They didn't make the first flight. Then the kids only made the second flight. Off to the airport to pick them up. They got here just in time to go swimming with Cassie and her kids. Then Heather and John made it on the next flight a couple of hours later...off to the airport again (good thing it is not too far!). That night we headed to Colorado Springs.

Day One:
We planned to spend the day at the Garden of the Gods. Grandma Ruby thought it would be fun if we all had matching PURPLE shirts.....thanks mom, I think! The kids all had fun climbing on the rocks and being silly.

Cousins, Kayson, Hudson, Jared and Grant

Grandma Ruby, Chynna and Melissa

Heather, Cassie and Me. We miss you Fawn :(

The whole family, minus Fawn and Family and Dusty and Shuma.

We brought this for Leah and she WOULD NOT ride in it....Grant liked it?Heather and Jon

It was early afternoon when we finished. It was hot. We decided to go swimming in the Motel pool. We all had to pick a game to plan and play. Grandma had the fist game, a bubble blowing contest.

Cassie was next she had us play a Hillbilly relay race. We had to dress up like hillbillies and run an obstacle course, that included eating gummy rats! My family lost....

Grandma Ruby gave everyone face/leg/arm painting. The kids loved this. Grant picked Batman and Leah picked a butterfly :)

We played my game next. My game was to find random objects to make all the letters of the alphabet and take a picture, Cassie's family won. We played Heather's relay race. We ended the night with singing from Chynna, games and a marshmallow roast of course.

Heather and Chynna singing together.

Day Two:
We got up bright and early so Heather could take my family's new pictures....I am saving them for Christmas Cards so you will just have to wait on them. Some people went to Manitou Cliff Dwellings. Some people napped. Some people went to the flea market. That evening we walked around Manitou Springs.

Day Three:
I got up early to take Heather's family pictures. Then back to the motel to for more face painting. Then a pinata. Then we played another game, Heather's family won and somehow we came in second. Then it was time to check out and head back to Denver. Cassie and Heather were spending another night with us. Grandma and Grandpa headed back to Utah.

Cassie loading her truck with all the bikes!

Back in Denver we decided to go walk around downtown Denver. In all the years I have lived here we have never done this with my family. It was fun to feel like a tourist. Then all the kids wanted to eat at Casa Bonita. Kevin stayed home with my kids so we only had big kids. It was nice to just sit at the table and chat while the kids ran around playing games!

Day Four:
Heather and family left in the morning and ALL made the first flight they tried. Cassie stayed another day. We went to the Aurora Reservoir by our house. It was a fun change from always just going to the pool.

Cheyenne, Draven's Birthday

2010-11-28T00:03:00.008-07:00

I know this is SHOCKING! A blog post from Kristie!

We visited Cheyenne for Draven's (Kevin's nephew) 9th birthday IN JULY. He wanted to eat at a Mongolian place where you load up your choices and they cook it work you. Grant and Leah just ate noodles but they ate a bunch of then.

We then visited with Kevin's Dad for a while before heading to the park for the kid party. The kids had fun breaking a pinata and eating cake of course.

I love how Grant is "helping" t blow out the candles!

After the party we visited the Children's center in the park. It was super cute with all sorts of leaning areas. There was a cute little "secret garden" in the back corner. Leah decided it was her house and was opening the doors for everyone and thanking then for coming over. It was super cute.

Grant and Leah had fun playing with their cousins and seeing their aunts and uncles and grandma and grandpa. We don't make it to Cheyenne as often as we would like. It was nice to spend the day with everyone.

Elitches - 2010

2010-08-17T10:13:00.001-06:00

We took the kids to Elitches. They had a blast. We took Grant last year but this was the first year for Leah. It is sad to think that next year Grant might be too tall for the kids section :( They had fun riding all the rides together. It was not very busy in the morning so that was nice.

look at Grant's poor knees :( no more kiddie section next year on the ferris wheel

Denver from the ferris wheel

After lunch we went over the to water area. The kids LOVED swimming. Kevin hated it. He hated all the people. Grant wanted to go on every slide. Leah wanted to run from the pool to the chair wrap up in her towel for 3 seconds and then run back to the pool...over and over and over. It was fun. After swimming for awhile we went on a few more rides. Leah didn't like the Ghost Blaster ride. She started screaming about half way through it.

We can't wait to go again...but that will most likely be next year. Why does the summer go by so fast!!

Aunt Grace

2010-08-10T14:42:00.002-06:00

My Aunt Grace passed away in early June. She was actually my great aunt. My mom's aunt. My mom lived with her for 5 years growing up. I didn't think I would be able to go to the funeral because Kevin was out of town for work and would not get home until the day before the funeral and I would need to get to California. My parents plus all of my sisters and my brother were all going to go so I knew I needed to figure out a way to get there. It was not smooth but I got there.

First I had to reschedule a couple of appointments and get a bunch of work done...while Kevin was out of town. Then Kevin was scheduled to fly in at 12:30 and I would fly out at 4:30. I figured we would pick him up come home so I could pack my stuff in the one rolling bag we have and then take me back to the airport....however his flight was delayed. He finally got in at 2:30. I picked him up, we pulled over on the side of the road, moved all his stuff out of the bag and put my stuff in and then drove back around and dropped me off...it was a mess for sure. Once I was checked in and waiting for my flight I looked up and noticed the status had changed for my flight to delayed. After waiting in the airport an extra 2 hours we finally boarded the plane. Then we had to wait another hour on the plane before we took off. Needless to say I was happy to finally get to San Fransisco. Too bad once I got there I had to wait another hour and a half for Heather to get in (her flight was also delayed out of Atlanta). Once Heather and Jared arrived at like 11pm we finally got to the BART and took the hour + ride into Hayward so my Dad could pick us up at after midnight. It was a long long day.

The next day (Saturday) was the funeral. It was nice to see all the family on my Mom's side. It was the first time that all of my siblings were together in 7 years! Some of the grandkids came as well. Heather brought Jared. Fawn brought Fara. Cassie brought Chynna and Hudson. After the funeral we visited my Grandma Rose's grave. Then my mom drove us around and showed us all her houses growing up. It was fun to see them.

Fawn, Heather and Me.

All of us.Grandma Rose's grave

Aunt Grace's house
my mom's house when she was 6-12 (about)
My mom's house at the end high school. My grandma still lived here when my parents moved in for a few months when Heather was 1 and Fawn was born.

Dusty, my brother, is living in Santa Cruz in a yirt with his girlfriend Mali. Most of the family visited his yirt on Friday before I arrived so I was not with them but I have pictures :)

the yirt

inside the yirt

the bathroom, really I am not kidding

the hillbilly hot tubthe shower
the ovenDusty and their lamb....named "Mr Lamby Face...or Mr Lamby Butt" depending on my brother's mood. He wants to eat the lamb and his girlfriend wants to keep him as a pet...

On Sunday we went to Santa Cruz area. Our first stop was at some Redwood trees. We went on a nature walk, the trees are just amazing. Then we went to a beach near Dusty's house. It was a great beach...it was just super windy. After we parked on the side of the road we had to walk up at step hill (in the sand in flip flops) and the cross some rail road tracks and then down a step hill to get to the beach. We decided to cook dinner on the beach so we had to carry all sorts of stuff up and then down the hill...in the wind...in flip flops. We wondered around the beach for a bit it was nice and empty. Off to one side there were some cool rocks that the waves (very large waves) were crashing into. We walked over to the side and climbed up on the rocks only to discover a group of people on the other side nude sun bathing! Since we had the kids with us we quickly moved back to the other side of the beach!! The wind was making it quite cold so Cassie decided to make a fire...out of dried seaweed. No a very good idea. First it was so windy that you could not get out of the way of the smoke. Second burnt dried seaweed does not smell good AT ALL! Dusty was in charge of cooking, also not a very good idea. We were all ready to eat and leave. Once the food was ready I took one bite and realized it was covered in sand, yuck! That was it for me. A few people enjoyed there sandy chicken and then we packed up and carried all the stuff back up and down the hill! Not the best day at the beach.

inside a tree!

Monday we decided to go into San Fransisco. We visited the Golden Gate Bridge, of course, and then headed down to Fisherman's Wharf. I was driving and I only ran one red light and almost hit one person....ooops. I was trying to follow my dad and it was hard to see the street lights on the side of the road. We had fun wondering around downtown. We took the cable car to China town. Cassie wanted us to eat Dim Sum so she picked a small shop and just started ordering all sorts of stuff. It was fun to try all of it but I can't say I thought any of it was especially good. It was getting late so we walked back to our cars and dropped Heather off at the BART station so she would catch the red eye back to Atlanta. That night we got all backed up to leave early the next morning.

the Bay Bridge

funny sisters

from the Golden Gate Bridge...it was super foggy/hazy

JaredChynnaFara

Tuesday morning bright and early we were all getting ready and everyone but me (I was flying home) loaded in my Dad's car to drive home (to Utah) and the car would not start! They called AAA and got it started but it took like and hour. I was flying home so I was to return the rental car. I didn't plan well and almost missed my flight! I had to return the rental car to the Oakland airport...on the way there I hit traffic. Once I got there the agent was not out there and took 5 min to show up. Then I didn't know that I would have to take a 10 min shuttle from the Oakland airport to the BART station. Then I just missed the train and had to wait 10 min for the next one. I got to the San Fransisco airport 55 min before my flight. Luckily when I got in line to check in they asked if there was anyone for the Denver flight and I got to move to the front of the line. Then at the security line I was able to move to the front of the line again. I got to my gate right as they were boarding.

It was a great trip but it was full of craziness! I missed the kids and Kevin so it was good to be home!

Field Day 2010 - Grant 1st grade

2010-08-04T01:48:00.001-06:00

I always loved field day growing up. I had an appointment scheduled during Grant's field day but I was lucky enough to be able to reschedule it so Leah and I could watch. It is so fun to see Grant interact with his friends at school! I still can't believe he is finished with first grade and going into second grade...but that is another post.

Wheelbarrow Race

Three Legged Race

Kick the Shoe

Jump Rope

Running

Flour Sack Race

Tug O War

Grant didn't place first in any race...close in running, kick the shoe and flour sacks. I don't think they even do first place anymore?

Cute Leah :) She was so bored....but oh so cute.

At the Zoo

2010-07-28T00:45:00.001-06:00

At the end of the school year I volunteered to chaperon Grant's field trip to the Denver Zoo. I later realized it was on my birthday! I was able to bring Leah and we only had Grant plus 2 other kids in our group. They had fun. Grant wanted to see the monkeys. Leah, oh my sweet Leah, she wanted to see the princesses. She could not understand why there were no princesses. She was so disappointed. She finally agreed that the giraffes would be ok to see since there were no princesses.

One of the boys was a wanderer and kept walking ahead it was driving me crazy! Luckily Leah was happy to stay in her stroller (and look for princesses just in case). It was even overcast and a bit cool that day! All in all it was an awesome trip to the zoo!

Santa Fe 2010

2010-07-26T11:30:00.003-06:00

Over Memorial Weekend 3 high school friends and I decided to take a trip to Santa Fe. We had so much fun. We laughed, we cried, we ate, it was great! This was the first time we were all together since 1996...I think. It was so great to get reconnected and caught up in each others lives. We have all been through so much and made so much of our lives. I feel very blessed to have them all still apart of my life.

Lori, Sharity, Karma and Me.

Day One
We all flew to Albuquerque. After a couple of flight delays we all made it! We picked up the rental car and met one of Karma's friends for lunch/dinner. We ate at Los Cuates, mexican of course. It was yummy and the servings were huge. Then off to Santa Fe. We checked into a great condo/townhouse, Fort Marcy. It was so perfect. 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, a sitting/TV room, a kitchen, a hot tub. Really it was perfect and cheap! Plus it was in walking distance to the Plaza! After we checked in we stocked up on some groceries. It was nice to have a kitchen. That night we of course stayed up until 2am or so :) It was a great catch up night.

The view from our townhouse.

Day Two
We walked down to the plaza. We shopped around some. We walked through the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi and the Loretto Chapel. Both were amazing. I love old churches. I am not much of a shopper but I just loved the architecture of all the old buildings. So different than Denver. We stopped for lunch at The Atomic Grill. We ate outside on the patio. We shared a yummy over stuffed quesadilla and an atomic frito pie. I love eating outside. After lunch we walked around a bit more and then walked back to the townhouse. We rested in the room a bit, then relaxed in the hot tub. Then drove out to Canyon Road. We then drove around and found a great (and cheap) market. We all bought some jewelry including our official Santa Fe bracelet. We had dinner at El Meson. It was Graduation Night so we had the place to ourselves. We ordered off the Tapas menus and all shared several items. It was yummy. Finally we headed back to the townhouse for another long night of talking :)

Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi

Loretto Chapel

Day Three
We woke up fairy early and made a yummy breakfast, raspberry infused french toast :) Then we took a walk around the area. We planned to drive to Taos and then drive around The Enchanted Circle scenic byway. When we got to Taos we realized there was a motorcycle gathering also driving thought the enchanted circle. We decided to just walk around Taos for a bit. We ate at Graham's Grille. We again ate on the patio. I had a super tasty southwestern chicken club wrap. The other girls all had Caribbean style pork tenderloin, mango fruit salsa and fried banana's it was super good as well. After lunch we walked around the plaza for a bit. We took a different route back to Santa Fe and somehow we ended up going the wrong direction and drove to Las Vegas, NM, oops. That is what happens when you get 4 girls in a car talking :) After getting back to Santa Fe we went back to the house for a bit. We decided on Thai for dinner. I had the ginger chicken it was good. Lori decided on a "hot" pad thai, yikes was it hot! After dinner we rented "Dear John" it was only OK. then off to sleep.

View by Taos

Day Four
We were up early so we walked to a park and walked around it a couple times. Next we packed a lunch and drove to Hyde park (in the Santa Fe National Forest). It was just a few miles out of Santa Fe. We had a relaxing picnic by a river. We then drove around and found a place to take a hike. It was a bit more uphill than I would have liked...but a great way to spend a couple hours. Then back to the house for a soak in the hot tub. We then showered and got all dressed for pictures :) After pictures we at at Osteria D'assisi. I had yummy lasagna. After dinner we went to a movie. We were all very tired after the movie so for once we didn't stay up to talk!

Pictures from our hike.

My gorgeous friends on our photo-shoot.
Karma

Sharity

Lori

Day Five
Our last day. We packed up in the morning and checked out of the house. We drove back to Albuquerque. Our flights were not until 5 so we stopped at the Old town area for a bit. We figured we needed Mexican once more before we left so we stopped at Little Anita's for lunch. I had a stuffed sopapillas. It was yummy. After we were fully stuffed we walked through some shops and the rested in the shade at the plaza. Although we were stuffed we decided a chocolate dipped ice cream cone sounded good...it was but we sure did make a mess of ourselves. Sadly it was then time to head to the airport. After driving the wrong direction for a bit we turned around and finally made it to the airport. Lori and I had a later flight so we dropped off Karma and Sharity and then returned the rental car. After getting back to the airport and getting though security I realized I left my cell phone in the car. So I had to go all the way back to the rental car lot to get it...luckily it was in the car. Then back through security with still 2 hours to wait for my flight. Our flight was a bit bumpy so it was great to get to Denver. I sure missed my kids!

A few funnies from the trip:
Most of the street names were Spanish words...I don't speak Spanish. So every time I was giving directions I would just make up works. At least once a day we had to take Paseo De Peralta...some how by the end of our trip we were calling it Placebo De Paralysis.

We used my phone to navigate us, it has a female voice so my phone is now called "The Lady". We were not very good at listening to her :)

mmm Yummy!

2010-07-22T11:05:00.001-06:00

We live in a new neighborhood, they are still building houses. Since we moved in at lunch time there are often burrito trucks going around the neighborhood offering food to the construction workers. I often joked that my kids would think it was normal for burrito trucks to roam your neighborhood instead of ice cream trucks. Well it finally happened. The ice cream truck came. As soon as we could hear the music somehow Grant knew exactly what the music was! He, of course, instantly wanted ice cream. Leah followed right in. How could I deny them! We found some money and bought our $3.00 (each) ice cream. The kids were in pure bliss. I was happy they finally got to experience the long honored traditional of an ice cream truck. Everyone was happy...well maybe not Kevin he was thinking what he could have bought with $6.00.

A couple of days later the ice cream truck was back. Again Grant and Leah begged and pleaded for more ice cream. It is a good thing I said "no" because that darn ice cream truck seems to come everyday!! One of my good friends, Paula, told me that she tries to tell her kids that when the ice cream truck plays music it is tell everyone it ran out of ice cream. I tried that on my kids with no luck.

Grant's 7th Birthday

2010-07-21T16:48:00.003-06:00

I am sad to report that is was the worst birthday ever!! First on May 6th (his actual birthday) he came home from school and said he hated going to school on his birthday. He slipped on a rock and fell and scraped his elbow. Then he stepped on gum, yuck. That night we went to Cold Stone for ice cream (that part was good!)

After ice cream we went home and got out his big present, a new bike! He grew too big for his old bike. He was excited but really wanted a DSi, kids!

We had his birthday party scheduled for the Saturday after his birthday on May 8. Grant woke up that morning and felt sick and threw up :( He continued to throw up for several hours. I called and rescheduled his party for 5/22. Luckily we were just planning to take a few friends to Chuck E Cheese so there was not much already planned. We just had a whole cake to eat. I love cake but I never want to see a whole cake again! He was only sick for 1 day so at least that was good. Leah was also sick. Then on Sunday Kevin and I were sick. Sunday was Mother's Day so I joined in with Grant saying it was the worst Mother's Day ever.

We all took Monday off to recover and by Tuesday we were feeling better.

May 22 finally came around so we could have take 2 of his party! All of his friends were able to reschedule. I however had a couple appointments in the morning so I was going to meet them at Chuck E Cheese. That morning I left for my appointments in the van...however Kevin needed the van to transport all the kids, oops. So we called a neighbor who was planning to come and bring the whole family and they took Grant with them and Kevin had room in the CRV for the other kids. After my appointments I met up with them. I was later than I wanted to be but I am glad I made it at all! Grant had so much fun and now wants to go the Chuck E Cheese for every birthday. Leah had fun as well. I am glad it all worked out.

*yes I know his birthday was in May and it it July.....

Washington DC - Day 7, 8 and 9 (finally)

2010-06-06T11:52:00.001-06:00

DAY SEVEN
My Aunt Rosie offered to take Kevin to the Air and Space Museum extension out by Dulles Airport. He really wanted to go. I would have cried if I had to look at another airplane!

So we dropped him off and my Aunt took me to see nature :) We went to the Great Falls in Maryland. The falls were awesome. It was interesting because the area has had lots of flooding and you could see trees and debris in areas way above the water level. We also saw some of the canals. Unfortunately it was cold and a bit rainy. We got back to the car just as the rain was starting.

Then we went to Aunt Rosie's house and finally back to pick up Kevin. He had a great time, of course. Aunt Rosie dropped us off at the Mall and we finished the day at the American History Museum.

DAY EIGHT
We scheduled a play at the Ford's Theatre, thanks to my Aunt Rosie's recommendation. It was very interesting. They acted out the events at the theatre on the day Lincoln was shot. It really made you feel like you were there. We just so happened to be there on April 15, 2010 145 years to the day Lincoln was shot.

Next we walked over to a couple art museums. We rode the metro out to the burbs to meet with my friend Bonnie.

When we got back to DC we walked around the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden. Finally we walked back to our hotel.

While we were walking around I took some random pictures :)

The only picture of us together!

DAY NINE
Home Sweet Home. We missed our kids so much! It was nice to get away but oh how I could not wait to hug and kiss them. Leah was so cute she was shy around us for like 20 minutes. She finally remembered who we were!!

While we were gone they had so much fun with Grandma and Grandpa. They walked over to the reservoir. They went to Chuck E Cheese. They played games. So much fun Grandma and Grandpa!!

Washington DC - Day 5 and 6

2010-05-22T20:15:00.003-06:00

DAY FIVE
We booked another tour bus to take us around Arlington Cemetery. I didn't realize some of the history at Arlington, very interesting. It was very overwhelming to see all the headstones.

Makes you feel very grateful for all the people who have died for our freedom. We were there just at the right time to see the changing of the guard.

After the tour we decided to take 15 minutes to walk to see Iwo Jima. I am glad we did but it was a hot walk right next to a highway!

After the 15 min walk back to Arlington Cemetery we took the tour bus back to DC and got off at the Lincoln Monument.

I am still amazed at the size of the mall area. We stood right on the Lincoln Monument steps, right where Martin Luther King Jr. stood, and looked out at the mall. I loved it. It just amazes me.

From there was walked over to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. I can't believe how overwhelming it is to stand next to the simple wall with all the names of all the people who died for our freedom. Overwhelming.

Next we walked over the the Korean War Memorial. There is a wall that says "Freedom is not free", so true.

Then we walked to the World War I Memorial. This one was very peaceful with few visitors.

Then over to the World War II Memorial. We found Wyoming and Colorado.

By now we were exhausted, and sun burnt. We head over to the closest tour bus stop to take the bus back to Union Station. We were way too tired to walk. That night we had dinner at Union Station..this time up stairs :) and headed back to the hotel to sleep.

DAY SIX
After breakfast we walked to the US Capital. Our hotel was just down the street from the capital. We had scheduled a tour in the morning.

*US Capital from our hotel*

It was simply beautiful inside. We both just finished reading The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. Much of the book takes place in the capital.

After the tour we headed back to the mall to walk around the Washington Monument. It is huge. Together Kevin and I took 83 pictures of the Washington Monument. It just so happens the you can see it from almost everywhere so we would just see it and take a picture...all day long. Next runner up was the US Capital with 72 pictures. Kevin did somehow manage to take 78 pictures at the Air and Space Museum??

After the Washington Monument we walked over the Holocaust Museum. I am glad we went through it but oh so heart breaking. Next we walked to the Jefferson Monument. Who knew the walk around the tidal basin was so long! Sadly we missed the cherry blossoms by like 2 days :( There were a few but not many.

From there we walked through the FRD Memorial. I love the FDR Memorial. It was very peaceful and relaxing. There were not as many people and the sound of running water was great.

Next we found a tour bus to take us back to the mall. We stopping in the Natural History Museum to see the Hope Diamond of course :) We were too tired to walk home so we just took the Metro back to Union Station. Another long day of walking!

Washington DC - Day 3 and 4

2010-05-11T14:57:00.001-06:00

DAY THREE
First thing in the morning we got in line to visit the National Archives. The line was filled with so many tour groups....aka 8th grade hooligans....plus it was freezing! It seemed to take forever to get inside. It was very interesting to see the Declaration of Independence and all the goes with it. Worth the wait.

Next we walked to the Old Post Office for lunch...with all the 8th grade hooligans. Then we took the elevator to the tower for great views of DC.

From there we walked to The White House. We didn't get a tour inside but the ground were beautiful. We ended the day at The White House Information center.

That night we were done early and not too tired so we went to see Date Night, it was hilarious!

DAY FOUR
Air and Space Museum all day....really. We started the morning with a quick stop at The Smithsonian Castle, it is simply beautiful!

Then we headed to the Air and Space Museum. I knew Kevin would take awhile but all day!!! We did see the IMAX, "To Fly" it was good. Then we saw so many planes. I finally had to take a break on a chair and literally fell to sleep! Kevin was in heaven and loved every minute of it. Kevin took pictures of everything, not kidding...so here are a few for your viewing pleasure.

We walked back to our hotel via the Capital. It was a long walk after walking around the museum all day. That night we met up with my cousin Josh again and he drove us out to meet with my Aunt Rosie and Uncle Tom and their son, my cousin Peter, and his wife Jen. We ate a delicious dinner. It was great to see them and meet Jen for the first time.

Washington DC - Day 1 and 2

2010-05-08T09:22:00.002-06:00

After 10 years (almost in July) of marriage and 7 years (almost in May) since Grant was born Kevin and I took our first no kid vacation! We decided to go to Washington DC. Neither of us had been before. Plus it is a great place to go without kids. Most days I was so happy they were not with us...it was the nights I missed them the most.

My parents flew out to stay with the kids, THANKS MOM AND DAD!

(I am going to break the posts up to a could of days at a time...too many pictures for one post)
DAY ONE
Nothing special. It was snowing as we left Denver. It was 90 degrees when we arrived in DC. We were hot. It was a long day with a plane change in Atlanta. Once we arrived in the heat of DC we had to figure out the metro. We decided not to rent a car and just take the metro. We had no idea how to figure out the metro. We asked the very helpful (not really) metro attendant who answered "ABAC". Ok whatever. After reading the self service machines longer we figured out the ABAC was a week pass. Ok that does work so I guess he was helpful. After that we figured out the metro pretty quickly. We were starving since we had not eaten since breakfast and it was dinner time. We stopped in the basement of the Union Station for a quick dinner. It was awful. It stunk. It was hot. There were 10,000 8th graders. We were hungry. Next we headed to the hotel and off to sleep. Not a very exciting day one.

DAY TWO
We discovered a little cafe less than a block from our hotel that served breakfast, The Billygoat Cafe. It was fast and cheap! One of the best finds we ate there for breakfast each day...we never spent over $5.00!

Then we walked to Union Station to go on a trolley tour. We picked the old town trolley because they took us up to the National Cathedral and down Embassy Row. The first half of the tour just took us through downtown and past the mall area. We just stayed on the trolley it was interesting the hear the history and figure out where everything was. Next we switched trolleys and headed to the National Cathedral.

The National Cathedral was breathtaking. I love old churches. We walked around inside and took a snack break outside.

*Space Window*

Then we took the trolley tour back through Embassy Row and stopped back near Chinatown. We got off and walked around Chinatown a bit.

Then took metro back to Union Station. We stopped at the Postal Museum (across the street from Union Station) on our way back to the hotel.

*inside Union Station*

*outside Union Station*

That evening we met up with my cousin Josh, who lives in DC. We went to a cute little French Bistro, they had the best french onion soup, yum.

Easter 2010 - Birthday Party

2010-05-04T08:13:00.000-06:00

EGG HUNT #1

A week before Easter the neighborhood clubhouse had an Easter party. The kids of course had a blast. This year Grant is an Easter egg hunt pro! Leah on the other hand was just getting the hang of it. Lucky for Leah her brother helped her out. It was too cold so the hunt had to be indoors.

For a couple years now we have been combining Grant and Leah's family party into one. It also happens to fall around Easter. She to make it easy (for me) we have a big Easter/Birthday Party! Kevin's family from Cheyenne comes down and we have a great day. This year was no different. The kids were so excited for the family to get here they were waiting at the door, so cute.

It was nice enough to go outside in the back yard for EGG HUNT #2

(Cousin Dylan, Grant, Leah and Cousin Draven)

This time they kids came back loaded with eggs. Grant was so excited to find quarters in some of the eggs....really he is still talking about it. What a smart Easter Bunny...Uncle Garry.

Then we opened presents. Grant is getting to the age where the things he wants all cost too much money so he was thrilled to get checks. At first he could not wait to go to the store to buy some new things with is money...namely new DS games. After some talking to from Dad he decided to put all his birthday money in his savings account. He is still thinking about what he wants to buy but for now they money is safe in his account.

(Cousin Draven and Grant)

Leah was in girl heaven! Dress up clothes, barbies, books, pink pink pink! She is such a girly girl!!

Leah needed a little help from her brother to blow her candles out, but she had no trouble eating it all by herself :)

The whole gang

Happy 3rd Birthday Leah

2010-05-02T09:27:00.002-06:00

Yes I know Leah's birthday was over a month ago....better late than never, right.

On her actual birthday we went out to eat at Red Robin...they give a free meal and ice cream on your birthday you just have to sign up on-line. She picked grilled cheese sandwich with french fries. She was so excited to get the sundae after dinner. She ever gave her brother a few bites. On the way out we got balloons of course.

At home we opened a few presents for her. A week or so before her birthday Grant wanted to buy her a present...with his own money!! He picked out bubbles. He was so nice to think of her, I was so proud of him.

We also had Leah's 3 year well baby doctor visit. She did great. We are going to see 2 follow-up doctors. She has been taking reflux medicine since August and it has really helped. She only occasionally throws up now instead of 3-4 times a week. She however is still...at 3 years old...not sleeping through the night. She wakes up 2-3 times a night on most nights. We have started to lock our door at night so at least we can get some sleep. In the morning we find her sleeping in all sorts of places, in Grant's bed, in the playroom, outside our door, downstairs on the couch. Anyhow she has an appointment with a Gastroenterologist (GI) Doctor at Children's Hospital in June to see if we need to change her meds or anything. We also have an appointment in June with the sleep clinic at Children's Hospital to discuss if her sleeping problems are from reflux or something else. I just hope we can figure out why she will not stay asleep at night. I am sure she wants to sleep just as much as we want her to!!

Here are her STATS:
Weight: 31.8 pounds 60%
Height: 38.5 inches 75%

Really? What happened to my tiny little preemie? The doctors told me she would mostly likely be a small child and once genetics kicked in between 5-7 she would start to get bigger....they were WRONG!

Disney on Ice 2010

2010-04-28T13:55:00.006-06:00

In March we decided to take the kids to Disney on Ice. We had a great time. Leah was especially excited to see Mickey and Minnie. She has also since started taking about the princesses all the time. When we asked her what we did she would say "we saw Mickey and Minnie and hot diggity dog!" If anyone has ever watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse then you will know in the beginning of the show they sing a song and hot diggity dog is part of it.

Cute Pictures

2010-04-20T14:08:00.010-06:00

So I have all these cute pictures but I am not witty enough to come up with good stories to go with them, so just pictures will have to do :)

My Cuties 01-04-10

Leah loves to play kitchen, have tea parties and play mommy. She is always helping me cook dinner. I finally found a good use for my second oven....Leah has claimed it as HER oven. *Sorry to all my friends who love to cook and would love to have a second oven. I promise Leah has more shirts she just happened to be wearing the same one again... 01-29-10

01-30-10

02-02-10

Happy Valentine's Day, from Grant

My sister, Heather, works for Air Tran. Every now and then she flies to Denver and stays over night. It is fun to spend some time with her. Too bad she only gets to stay a few hours. 02-24-10

Leah graduated speech therapy, YAY! After almost 2 years of weekly 1hr speech sessions Leah no longer needs services. It is weird. For almost a year before speech she had physical therapy. This is the first time since bringing her hope from the hospital that we have not had weekly appointments! I have to admit as much as I am so proud that she is doing so well free preschool would have been nice, LOL. Here is Leah on one of her last sessions. 02-24-10

Leah does not like to look at the camera....lil' stinker. It is rare to get a good smiling picture of her. Maybe it is because I take too many pictures...03-10-10

New Year....2010

2010-04-19T16:18:00.009-06:00

Ok I know I suck at this thing called blogging. In fact if there was an award for suckiest blogger I would win FOR SURE.

Anyhow, my sister Fawn and her family came to visit for New Years. We had a good visit. Seth had a wrestling tournament to go to so we didn't get to see much of him and Paul. The rest of us went to Chuck E Cheese.

Chance would not let me get his picture...this action shot will have to do :)

Grant is all about getting tickets....so he can buy one of the awesome prices at the end.

Leah and Farrah :)

Grant was nice and bought cotton candy to share with everyone with some of his tickets.

*Upcoming...you know in like 6 months :)
~~Valentine's~~
~~Cute pictures~~
Leah turns 3
Birthday-Easter Party
Washington DC Vacation

A Christmas Story...2009

2010-01-18T15:19:00.007-07:00

Christmas this year was nice a quiet, just the way I like it.

That night we left out the milk and cookies for Santa. Leah was very excited for Santa to eat his cookies!

In the morning Leah was the first up, no surprise. We got her back to sleep for a bit but finally sent her in to wake up Grant. We all rushed down stairs to see all the presents. It was tough but I made the kids only open one present at a time.

Grant's highlight was his 5, yes somehow we managed to buy that many, new DS games. It is hard when that is ALL he asked for. He also got some legos and race track (that had to be returned because the cars would not stay on the track).

Leah is into anything baby! Baby baby baby that is all she cares about. So she got a bunch of baby care stuff including bottles, pacifier and diapers. She is in heaven playing with them. The only downfall is that she likes to put the baby pacifier in her mouth. She also got a bike.

Grandma are you there, Grandma...

After the present opening frenzy that lasted all of 10 minutes or less we had breakfast and watched some Christmas movies. I should say Grant and Leah played with their new toys while Kevin and I watch Christmas movies. Kevin was flipping through the channels so we first watched the end of Christmas Story then the beginning of Home Alone followed by the end of National Lampoons Christmas and finally the beginning of Christmas Story. I think we ended up watching most of each movie by the end of the day. We also each (well the grownups) took a night Christmas nap.

The day after Christmas we braved the crowds and headed over to Target for some sale shopping. She only got a few Christmas plates. Then off to Toys R Us to return Grant's race track. Unfortunately the trip was ended early because Leah threw up on the way (she throws up often so this is not surprise...not fun...but not surprising). She we went home cleaned her and the car up then I did the return without kids.

That evening Kevin and I whet out with Mike and Paula for wings and a movie. We saw "The Blind Side". It is a great movie I recommend it to everyone. We had a great night that ended way to quickly.

Grant playing DS

Grant playing DS again...

Church on Sunday and the just like that Christmas weekend was over...

Christmas Eve 2009

2010-01-10T08:59:00.001-07:00

On Christmas Eve we made cookies with the kids. This is becoming a tradition for our family, see us here in 2008 :) This year I let Leah help. She kept saying "so excited, so excited". She was napping during the cookie decorating part.

We then delivered cookies around the neighborhood. Grant had fun ringing all the door bells to see if they were home and giving them the cookies.

Grant and I made a Gingerbread House. It was fun to make. Grant was disappointed that we could not eat it, hee hee!

The day before Christmas Eve Grant lost his second tooth. One day later and the tooth fairy and Santa Clause would have both visited on the same night!

We also decided to buy a point and shoot camera, this one, I am tired of missing pictures because it is too hard to drag out my big heavy camera to take pictures. Not to mention when we go places! Plus Kevin refuses to use my camera. So far we are pretty happy with it.

Thanks again this year for all the Christmas cheer! Christmas card have to be one of my favorite parts about the holiday. I love see and read all the family updates.

Chadwick Family Christmas

2010-01-08T12:32:00.004-07:00

We usually celebrate Kevin's family Christmas a week or so before Christmas. This year was my turn to host. I decided on appetizers since everyone would be having a big Christmas dinner. We had lots of great food. Most of the families were able to make it. Grant had fun playing with his cousins, Draven and Dylan. They are both older than he is but they play well together. Leah as normal would not talk to anyone. We played a few games and the kids all opened presents. As always they made out like bandits! It was hard to wait a few more days until Christmas.

Thanksgiving

2009-12-24T19:37:00.009-07:00

We had a great Thanksgiving this year. We went to Midway, UT to visit with my family. Since my parents were on a mission during Thanksgiving we didn't get together last year. Fawn (lives in Midway) her husband and 3 kids, Chance (12), Seth (10) and Fara (3) and Cassie and her 3 kids Kayson (13), Chynna (12) and Hudson (4) were able to make it as well. Leah does not travel well so we were worried about the drive. She did great on the way there but threw up on the way home...at a restaurant not in the car thank goodness :) Grant played DS or watched movies the whole drive there and back, he was perfect, well except asking "are we there yet" every few minutes!!

Thanksgiving day was nice and relaxed. Well after the family pictures!! Fawn and Cassie wanted to take pictures so we decided Thanksgiving morning was the best day. Fawn wanted to take them at a VERY nice 19 million dollar house in Park City, fine by me :). So we woke up early and drove 20min. to Park City for pictures. The house was beautiful and had many lovely picture spots. I took pictures of Fawn and Cassie's families as well as some of my parents. I decided it would be good to get some of my family too....bad idea....Grant would not look at the camera and then cried.....My head blocked Kevin's head in 1/2 of them....yeah not good. Then just to make it better Grant decided to put his foot...with shoe on...in the pool to see how warm it was....yeah it was wonderful, by wonderful I mean AWFUL! That was the end of pictures.

Then back to my parent's house to cook cook cook. It was nice enough for the kids to play outside while we cooked, by we I mean my mom and sisters, I watched. Then the kids came in and made some cookies. Then we ate, yummy. I love Thanksgiving foods! That evening a high school friend (mostly of Heather and Fawn), Grant Glasscock, from Midland, Tx came over to visit. It was a great day...minus family pictures :)

Friday we met up with my grandparents, several Aunts and Uncles and a bunch of cousins at my Aunt's house in Alpine, UT. It had been many many years since I had seen some of them it was fun to get together.

Saturday we went shopping. I am not much of a shopper so it was just an OK day. We went to Salt Lake to shop at the all time favorite, Market Square aka junk store. My family loves this place, they have even won over Kevin, he requested we go. I hate hate hate it. Since I don't like shopping, shopping at a junk store is just the worst!! After that we went to Cafe Rio (my request). I have heard so much about this place but never tried it. It was OK. Not great not bad. Very similar to Qdoba (but I like Qdoba better).

That is it all in all a great visit!

....yes I know I am posting this on Christmas Eve!

Halloween

2009-12-21T22:22:00.000-07:00

Halloween always sneaks up on me! This year was no exception...that is why I am posting this in DECEMBER!! Grant really really wanted to be Mario, from Super Mario Brothers....well I waited too long to get it and had to order it on-line at the the last minute...he so was happy.

Leah wanted to be a princess, but I figured this is my last year to pick for her and for the next few years I am sure she will pick to be a princess....so I decided she would make a cute witch and I was right! I told her she was a princess witch, so we were both happy.

A few days before Halloween it snowed not just a little some but like 2 feet of snow! I figured that was going to make for a sucky Halloween. I was wrong! The sun came out an melted much of the snow. The night before Halloween we went to trunk or treat at church. It was fun and the kids loved practicing for the next day. I was smart this year and I didn't buy any candy I just recycled the candy from trunk or treating!

Our neighborhood had a Halloween party at the clubhouse. It was great. They had carmel apples to decorate. Spiders to make out of suckers. A candle holders to make. A bone hunt. And FOOD! The kids had fun and we saw a bunch of Grants school friends.

Then we decided to go to the shopping mall near us. We were not sure how cold it would get once the sun went down so we figured this would be a good activity just in case it was cold. In the few minutes it takes to get to the mall Leah fell to sleep.

When we got to the first store after waiting in a very slow moving line we saw this:

After going trick or treating at one store we decided it was not worth it so we headed home.

That evening I stayed home to hand out recycled candy while Kevin took the kids around. It was cold but not too bad. They met up with a neighbor and walked around the block. Then Kevin dropped off Leah to help me hand out candy. Grant didn't stay out too much longer. He loved helping to hand out candy with me. In fact it was getting late and we were running out of candy and he wanted to hand out more of his candy (that he had just collected) instead of turning out the lights. It was nice to only have candy around for a couple of days!!

Circus Fun

2009-12-14T09:02:00.000-07:00

In October we took the kids to the circus. I have been waiting to take them all year. I figured that Leah would finally be old enough. Right before we booked the tickets we found out Kevin's nephew, Micheal, would be staying with us for the night. It worked out perfect. Grant and Micheal especially had a great time. Leah did alright, as good as I expected. Kevin had never even been to the circus before!

We all liked the elephants the best. The clowns were great too. I still don't know how they did all the tricks!

After the circus we met up with Micheal's parents, Mike and Heather, at Gunther Toody's. It was fun to spend some time with them. They live in Casper, Wyoming so we don't see them very often.

A day at the beach

2009-12-11T14:36:00.000-07:00

Ok so it is not a beach beach, but it is for Colorado! We live in a neighborhood right next to a reservoir. We can walk right to the reservoir in like 10 minutes. We always mean to go but somehow we just don't make the time to go very often. The other day we packed up the sand toys and some snacks and walked over to the reservoir, well Grant rode his bike and Leah rode in the stroller. It was a nice night, cool but not cold. We, Kevin and I, decided it was took cold to swim so we would just play in the sand. Too bad Grant and Leah didn't think it was too cold. Grant had fun building sand castles.

Leah just wanted to throw the sand back in the water. Then, of course, Leah wanted to step on Grant's sand castles.

We also played at the playground. It was fun and relaxing. Why don't we do this more often? It is free. They kids love going. It is so close. Note to self go to reservoir WAY more often!!

Random Stuff continued.....

2009-12-09T22:11:00.000-07:00

I know it has been MONTHS since I have posted.....I have written the draft posts. The problem is pictures. You know I take pictures all the time, right. Well I take them and then save them to my computer and then really, then it is work so I don't even look at them. Sad I know. So I have all these draft posts, a day at the beach, halloween, the circus and on and on just waiting for pictures. I will post them before the end of the year, because really that is just sad!

So to start off today I will finish some random stuff that has happened since summer.

Grant lost his first tooth. It was wiggly for a few days and then really wiggly one morning before school. After school he came running off the bus yelling "I lost my tooth, I lost my tooth". He was so excited. After looking at his smile with his now missing tooth I asked him where the tooth was? He said "I lost it". I know you lost it where is it? He really lost it lost it. On the bus! So we had to write a letter to the tooth fairy instead of leaving his tooth under his pillow.

Leah is fully potty trained, YEAH! We started back in March! but I was not dedicated so we stopped for several months. Then in August I decided it was finally time! It only took her a few days to figure out peepee but poopoo that was a long process!! All in all she was trained in about a month. Now she insists on doing it herself.........with the door shut! She says "I do it myself, don't see me"!

Corn Maze! For work I get a membership to the Botanic Gardens and every year they let the members go to the corn maze for a free preview. Grant loved it last year so we decided to go again this year (click here to see last year). This time Leah loved it too! We even made it though the whole thing (last year we stopped at the 1/2 way point).

A fox and a ~~hound~~ bunny. Since we moved in 2.5yr ago we have had bunnies in our yard. Leah loves looking out the patio doors at them, yelling bunny bunny bunny! It is cute. The other morning we had more than just bunnies in our yard. There was a FOX sleeping between the trees. Oh yes and the bunnies (2 of them) were there as well!

Random Stuff

2009-09-14T08:45:00.001-06:00

I have some random pictures to post from this summer.

First up, Spray Park :)
Several time is summer we went over to the Southlands mall and playing in the spray park. Grant loved running through the water. Leah well she just sat by me. She didn't get it.

We also spent many summer days at the pool, sadly I have not pictures of that. Grant took some swimming lessons this summer and is doing quite well. He even was able to go down the slide by himself (with help from his noodle). Leah loved swimming as well. She wanted me to swim her around the deep end all day, not very relaxing for me.

I found this cute picture of Leah from last month.

More to come...I ran out of time :)

Grant's a first grader!

2009-08-17T20:36:00.005-06:00

Grant started first grade today! I think he was nervous. He woke up last night complaining that his legs hurt and he needed the heating pad. Then this morning he was up 20 minutes early (so was I). He choose to have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch. This year instead of going out and getting his school supplies I just bought them for the school...best idea ever! So he didn't even have to take anything, other than his lunch, to school today. Leah and I got dressed and walked Grant to the bus stop. We were just a bit early, remember he woke up early. He wanted to be the first in line...he was 3rd. I love the bus. I hate that I have to get up earlier to get him on the bus but I love that I can just send him out the door. He loves the bus too. I asked him if he wanted me to drive him today he said "NO"! Leah was sad that she didn't get to go on the bus with him :(

He came home talking about all the friends he saw and that he made new friends. He said 1st grade is so easy, "we didn't have to do math or reading or anything"! I was afraid to tell him that I am sure they will be doing all of those things soon enough.

His school has 7 first grade classes!! All the other grades have 4-5 classes!! The school is about 150-200 students over average (not at max, just full). Next year they are opening a new school closer to us. We assume that he will transfer to that school. We find out for sure in the fall. I hope so because the new school will be just about a mile away. Right now it takes like 7-10 minutes to get to school. It is win win for me because he should still be able to ride the bus, but we will not have to wake up quite so early.

Now if I can only get myself to sleep earlier so I am not so grumpy in the morning.

(today)

(last year)

Cheyenne Frontier Days 2009

2009-08-12T08:44:00.003-06:00

While living in Cheyenne (many years ago) I never thought I would actually go to Cheyenne for Frontier Days. When living there I wanted to leave during that time because it gets so crazy! Over the past few years we have ended up going (against my better judgment). Kevin has some friends that only coming in to town during that time so off to Cheyenne we go to see them.

Read all about last years adventures here.

We started off our fun this year by going to the mall to play at the playland (yea it is not very fun or special). Then we met up with his friends for some Mexican dinner. Then off to the Melodrama for a fun night (this really was fun). Thanks to Kevin's uncle Terry we didn't even have to bring the kids (that always makes things fun). Kevin's sister-in-law, Cathie, was the director so she got us so great seats front and center. Kevin was picked on, hee hee. He was called out as a trouble maker and shot. He was finally returned at the end of the last act. He had to go on stage. He didn't think it was very fun. After we picked up the kids and chatted a bit it was off to bed for the night.

Bright and early the night morning we went to the parade. Thanks to Leah waking up at 4am, then 6am, it was not hard to be there by 8:30 to get a good seat in the shade. Cathie saved us seats in front of the Atlas Theater. It was great. We were in the shade and had chairs. I have never watch a parade in such comfort. Not to mention that Cathie kept us well fed. We had popcorn, licorice and tootsie rolls.

(eating breakfast!)

(Grant waiting for the parade to start)

(Leah can almost have piggies with all her hair)

Then we were off to the park. We met back up with some of Kevin's friends. We did a super quick photo session. Then let the kids play. Then off to lunch.

Remember that we were up early, too early thanks Leah. So we headed over to see Cortney and let Grant and Dylan play for a bit. We all took naps on the couch. It was nice.

Finally we headed to dinner with Kevin's family. Then back home to Denver. It was a nice quick trip. I am sure we will be back again next year.

Breckenridge, Colorado

2009-08-03T23:13:00.002-06:00

A couple weekends ago we decide to head up to Breckenridge. I had a wedding so the family just decided to tag along. Kevin had never been and I have only been for weddings. On the drive up there we stopped in Idaho Springs for lunch.

I wanted to go on a nature hike as a family, not something we do often. I found a trail on line called St Mary's Glacier. It was right on the way to Breckenridge so we decided to try it. There was a nice path all the way up the mountain. It was only about a 1.5 mile hike so not bad. Did I mention to get to the glacier it was all up hill. Grant did great. Leah was another story. First she wanted daddy to carry her. Then she wanted to walk. But she didn't want to hold hands so she kept falling. Finally Kevin just gave her a piggy back ride. Kevin was tired :)

When we made it to the top it was so cool. There was snow in July. Both Grant and Leah fell in the snow. Leah feel in the mud. We threw some snow balls. Then headed back down the mountain. It was much easier to get down then up.

We made it to Breckenridge and headed downtown for dinner. We ate at a fun restaurant on the main street. Then we walked down the main street. We found a play ground so the kids played for a bit. It was such a cute little town. I loved all the flowers growing on along the street. All the shops were in cute old houses. (sorry no pictures it was getting too dark).

The next morning we had breakfast then I got ready for the wedding. While I was working Kevin took the kids to the hotel pool. Then they picked me up and we found a place for dinner. Then off to bed, I was tired!

The next morning we played at a playground next to Dillion Lake. The water was COLD, plus I guess people are not allowed in the lake, oops. Then we just headed home. It was nice to spend the weekend together.

A Bow Problem

2009-07-29T20:12:00.002-06:00

Yea I know I have a bow problem. As you can see Leah has many bows. I love them. Kevin hates them. We have been keeping them in one of our bathroom drawers. Leah gets them out everyday and throws them on the floor. Kevin steps on them and gets mad....everyday.

My friend Paula had these cute bow holders for her girls. They looked easy so I decided I could totally make them. I had a day off so I decided it was time.

I got all the supplies. Painted the wood backer. The next morning I could not find glue sticks, so back to the store. I glued on the flowers and added the ribbon. Just like that I had bow holders. I love them. They were so easy. I am so glad I made them. It is so much easier to find the right bows.

Vote for me Please

2009-07-27T13:43:00.004-06:00

I don't do this kind of thing very often, but here I am doing it. Please vote for me.

VOTE HERE

Feel free to leave comments as well :)
THANK YOU!

Tae Kwon Do

2009-07-25T09:23:00.007-06:00

Earlier this summer we started Grant in Tae Kwon Do. He is loving it. His neighbor friend has been going it for just about a year. He has been asking and asking and asking to start. We finally gave in and let him start. Next week is his first test to move from a white belt to a yellow belt. He is doing so good. He also took some swimming lessons earlier in the summer.

Here is just a cute picture of the kids together. Leah has been following Grant around all the time. It is so cute. She wants to do everything he does.

Coming Soon...
Trip to Breckenridge
Trip to Cheyenne
Craft project
Throwing up (this is a fun one)
Book Reviews

Sweet Katherine

2009-06-27T12:03:00.008-06:00

One of my dear friends lost her 5 month old baby last week. She passed away peacefully in her sleep on Thursday 6/18 just over a week ago. I am so sad for her and her family. There are no words to even describe all they are going through. Since I found out last week I have had such a heavy heart.

It has been a week of sadness and tears. Paula and I have known each other for years. About 6 years ago we joined a book club and have been reading together since. There are 4 of us still in the book club. We have all been through so much together. Paula invited us, the book club, to come to all the family times. It was so touching to be invited to Katherine's visitation on the evening before the funeral. I just could not stop crying. Then the next day was her funeral.

Wednesday the day of the funeral was suppose to be a much different day. We, the book club, had planned to spend the evening in Boulder. We planned for an early dinner, then some shopping and finally dessert while we discussed the book. Instead we spent the day burying Paula's sweet Katherine.

Katherine will be missed.
Memorial Obituaries Nelson, Katherine

A View...

2009-06-09T11:41:00.009-06:00

This was the view from my porch on Sunday afternoon. Yep, that is right it is a tornado. Yes, it was just over a mile from my house, yikes! I thought once I moved away from Texas I would be done with them! I guess not.

We were just spending a relaxing Sunday afternoon at home. Church was over. Leah was napping. Grant was planning DS. Kevin was reading the paper. I was watching TV. Then it happened....the tornado warning....but it was for up north miles and miles away from us. Then about 10 minutes later another warning...this time it was for our area. Kevin called for me to come look and this is what I saw.....

1:58 pm

2:00 pm

2:02 pm

Of course as a photographer I could not pass up taking some pictures. We woke up Leah and headed down to the basement. After cleaning out the closet under the stairs we all climbed in and had a fun 30 minutes. Kevin was watching out the window while I had the fun task of keeping the kids happy....did I mention we had to wake Leah up....yeah she was not happy.

I missed most of the storm, due to entertaining children....but it seems there was quite a bit of debris and very large hail (golf ball size) all around our house. Luckily the tornado did not pass over us...but it was too close for comfort.

The mall by my house was hit as well as a neighborhood in my ward. One of my friends was working at the mall during the tornado, talk about scary. Plus several of my neighbors were shopping during the storm. I am so glad we were safe at home. Here are some pictures (not mine) of that area.

Grant turns 6

2009-06-01T20:01:00.005-06:00

Grant turned 6...yeah yeah I know almost a month ago. His birthday is May 6, 2003. This year he had his first friend party! In years past we have mostly just had family and family friends. He was more than excited to be able to invite his friends.

First we had to pick a theme...his first choice was Star Wars...however one of his friends just had a Star Wars party and did so many fun things, so I told him he had to pick something else. Second he wanted Pokemon...I don't even know what that is! Kevin and I were pushing for a Pirate party....he wanted nothing to do with a pirate party. Finally he decided on a Super Mario party....I guess we can do that. Unfortunately you can't get Super Mario stuff at any of the stores in town. I was able to order some stuff on-line, thank goodness.

Now we had to decide who to invite....he had a list a mile long. I said we should just invite boys to trim the list some...he was not about to cut the girls from his list! So I told him we could invite 12...that somehow turned into 16! 12 came, 8 boys (including Grant) and 5 girls.

As they were arriving we had the kids color a picture. Then we served lunch, Pizza. Then cake....they were all sitting down so I figured it was easiest to just be done with eating. Then on to the games. Since I have never had a kid party before games were a new concept for me. I search on-line and found several ideas. We gave half the boys red "Mario" hats and the other half green "Luigi" hats and the girls of course had "Princess Peachy" crowns.

Stick the mustache on Mario....I got stick on mustaches and the kids had fun.

Pop the balloons and collect the coins.....Kevin and I stuck a bunch of coins in balloons and blew them up. I dropped all the balloons over the rail from the loft. It was fun but it was harder than expected for the kids to pop the balloons.

Musical chairs...ok but I don't think I will do this game again. It was too hard to tell what kid got to the chair first and no one wanted to admit they were out.

Princess Peachy rescue....we had clue that the kids had to follow, like go to the dungeon (basement) and stand on colored squares. The last clue took them to Leah's (Princess Peachy) room where she was trapped in her crib. Bowser (Kevin) was guarding her. The kids had to spin him around to release Peachy. Then chocolate coins fell from the sky.

Yoshi egg hunt....We hit gun coins in Easter eggs and hid them around the house.

Last we opened presents.

Finally we sent them outside to run around for 10-15 minutes until the parents arrived. It was cool outside so we could not spend too much time out there, plus it looked like it was going to rain at any minute.

Grant had a great day. He said it was "the best day ever". I think we are only going to do big parties every other year!! They are too much work for the parents!

After the party was trying to get some funny pictures, but Grant was TOO busy playing his new DS game to even look at me.

Leah at least looked at me!

I like Kevin actually liked his mustache :)

Stories from days gone by...The Jensen log..."The Sock Basket"

2009-05-27T23:43:00.002-06:00

This fun story from the past was posted by my sister Heather I thought it would be fun to post on my blog and add to it. Heather's words are in italics and mine are red.

Funny story just came to my mind today as I am folding clothes. I remember in Texas mounds and mounds of laundry in the laundry room outside mine and Fawn's room. I remember mostly the infamous sock basket. I know with five kids the laundry was a task like no other. I remember in our family we had was was known as the sock basket. I remember it was much larger than a basket in fact I think it was a sock TRUNK! And I can understand why. With only four in my family it is impossible to figure out whose socks are whose. Jared likes the one with the blue nike symbol on the back, Jon's are gray and he likes the ones that say Hane's in red on the back. Melissa will wear anybody's and they don't even have to match. I honestly avoid wearing socks at all cost and especially PANTYHOSE LOL which is why I wear my pants to work not. But anyways, I remember growing up all 7 people's socks went into the sock basket! Well let me tell you finding socks in the morning when you are running late to seminary is a daunting task!! HEHE practically impossible. As for me unmatching socks would destroy my day I would be worried all day someone would notice. But anyways that was our methodology for several years...all socks stemmed from the sock basket! Every once in a while when the sock basket got overflowous mom would have a sock matching party. And she would pay us a nickle for every match we made!! LOL good thinking mom! I remember it actually worked tho..those sock matching parties!! HEHE funny memories!..And no I don't have a sock basket now, although I did for a short time while the kids were little, habits run deep. But I had to say goodbye to sock basket tradition!! The sock truck made it all the way to Wyoming as well. The sock matching parties continued as well. No sock basket at my house....yet :)

Books, Books and more Books

2009-05-17T23:16:00.004-06:00

So far this year I have read several books (that is what happens when you are in 2 books clubs).

G o od H arbor by Anita Diamant

Set in the seaside town of Gloucester, on Cape Ann, Massachusetts, fifty-nine-year-old Kathleen Levine, a longtime resident, is graceful, maternal, and steady, a devoted children's librarian, a convert to Judaism, the mother of two grown sons. But when she is diagnosed with breast cancer -- which killed her sister fifteen years earlier -- her life is thrown into turmoil. Frightened, lonesome for a woman to talk to, burdened by secrets, she meets Joyce Tabachnik and a friendship is born. Forty-two-year-old Joyce, restless and funny, a freelance writer with literary aspirations, has just bought a small house in Gloucester, where she hopes to write as well as vacation with her family. Like Kathleen, Joyce is at a fragile juncture in her life. With her twelve-year-old daughter becoming increasingly testy and distant, she's also feeling a distinct lack of connection to her husband.

I liked it OK. It just nothing special.

Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas

During World War II, a family finds life turned upside down when the government opens a Japanese internment camp in their small Colorado town. After a young girl is murdered, all eyes (and suspicions) turn to the newcomers, the interlopers, the strangers.

This is Tallgrass as Rennie Stroud has never seen it before. She has just turned thirteen and, until this time, life has pretty much been what her father told her it should be: predictable and fair. But now the winds of change are coming and, with them, a shift in her perspective. And Rennie will discover secrets that can destroy even the most sacred things.

Part thriller, part historical novel, Tallgrass is a riveting exploration of the darkest--and best—parts of the human heart.

Another good read from Sandra Dallas. It was not my favorite from her but good none-the-less.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Pi Patel is an unusual boy. The son of a zookeeper, he has an encyclopedic knowledge of animal behavior, a fervent love of stories, and practices not only his native Hinduism, but also Christianity and Islam. When Pi is sixteen, his family emigrates from India to North America aboard a Japanese cargo ship, along with their zoo animals bound for new homes.

The ship sinks. Pi finds himself alone in a lifeboat, his only companions a hyena, an orangutan, a wounded zebra, and Richard Parker, a 450-pound Bengal tiger. Soon the tiger has dispatched all but Pi, whose fear, knowledge, and cunning allow him to coexist with Richard Parker for 227 days lost at sea. When they finally reach the coast of Mexico, Richard Parker flees to the jungle, never to be seen again. The Japanese authorities who interrogate Pi refuse to believe his story and press him to tell them "the truth." After hours of coercion, Pi tells a second story, a story much less fantastical, much more conventional-but is it more true?

Life of Pi is at once a realistic, rousing adventure and a meta-tale of survival that explores the redemptive power of storytelling and the transformative nature of fiction. It's a story, as one character puts it, to make you believe in God.

On of my all time favorite books. Very interesting ending. It really makes you think.

The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian

When Laurel Estabrook is attacked while riding her bicycle through Vermont’s back roads, her life is forever changed. Formerly outgoing, Laurel withdraws into her photography, spending all her free time at a homeless shelter. There she meets Bobbie Crocker, a man with a history of mental illness and a box of photographs that he won’t let anyone see. When Bobbie dies, Laurel discovers a deeply hidden secret–a story that leads her far from her old life, and into a cat-and-mouse game with pursuers who claim they want to save her.

In a tale that travels between the Roaring Twenties and the twenty-first century, between Jay Gatsby’s Long Island and rural New England, bestselling author Chris Bohjalian has written his most extraordinary novel yet.

I just finished this one. I quite enjoyed it. I did not see the ending coming. Very interesting read.

These Is My Words by Nancy E. Turner

This novel in diary format parallels the early history of the Arizona Territories as Sarah and her family travel from the New Mexico Territory and settle down to carve out a new life on a ranch near Tucson in the 1880s. Sarah's diary, based on the author's family memoirs, is a heartwarming and heartbreaking fictional account of a vibrant and gifted young woman. Sarah starts out as an illiterate, fiery 17 year old. Eventually, her writing becomes as smooth and polished as Sarah herself as she becomes a tenacious, literate, and loving wife and mother. A treasure trove of discovered books becomes the source of her self-education. Turner describes the trip in such detail that one has a sense of having traveled with Sarah, experiencing all of its heartache and sadness, its backbreaking exertion and struggles, its danger and adventure, its gentle and lighter moments. Life in the new country brings the constant fear of Indian raids and the threat and reality of floods, fire, and rattlesnakes; bandits; rough men, and pretentious women all have an effect on the protagonist but her strong marriage makes the effort worthwhile. Sarah centers her world around her home and family but maintains an independent spirit that keeps her whole and alive throughout her many trials and heartaches. This is a beautifully written book that quickly captures readers' attention and holds it tightly and emotionally until the end.

I liked this one but it is very sad...especially the beginning. I always like to read diary style books.

The Princess and the Hound by Mette Ivie Harrison

When duty steers Prince George into betrothal to an enemy king's daughter, he is surprised to find he admires the prickly, forthright princess, despite her apparent indifference to any but her beloved pet hound. As George attempts to win Beatrice's heart along with her hand, evidence of treachery back home leads him to startling truths about animal magic—the stigmatized gift of animal speech, which he secretly possesses—as well as information about his betrothed. The logic of Harrison's complicated plot isn't always clear, especially not the connections between an ancient legend and the characters' current dilemmas. Some readers may also question George's continuing devotion to Beatrice, given her frequent, chilly rebuffs. More compelling is George's poignant emotional growth, as his heart, once set afire, helps him to reconnect with his own true self and to embrace his ascent to the throne. The tale's perspective from that of a marriageable prince, not the more usual damsel's view, makes this stand out from other novels set in a folklore-influenced framework

OK, easy read. Not really my style but I didn't hate it.

Plainsong by Kent Haruf

In the small town of Holt, Tom Guthrie, a high school teacher, fights to keep his life together and to raise his two boys after their depressed mother first retreats into her bedroom, and then moves away to her sister's house. The boys, not yet adolescents, struggle to make sense of adult behavior and their mother's apparent abandonment. A pregnant teenage girl, kicked out by her mother and rejected by the father of her child, searches for a secure place in the world. And far out in the country, two elderly bachelor brothers work the family farm as they have their entire lives, all but isolated from life beyond their own community.

From these separate strands emerges a vision of life--and of the community and landscape that bind them together--that is both luminous and enduring. Plainsong is a story of the abandonment, grief, and stoicism that bring these people together, and it is a story of the kindness, hope, and dignity that redeem their lives. Utterly true to the rhythms and patterns of life, Plainsong is an American classic: a novel to care about, believe in, and learn from.

I liked it, didn't love it. It was easy to read and kept my interest.

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

Wayward daughters. Missing Husbands. Philandering partners. Curious conmen. If you've got a problem, and no one else can help you, then pay a visit to Precious Ramotswe, Botswana's only - and finest - female private detective.

Her methods may not be conventional, and her manner not exactly Miss Marple, but she's got warmth, wit and canny intuition on her side, not to mention Mr J.L.B. Matekoni, the charming proprietor of Tlokweng Road Speedy Motors. And Precious is going to need them all as she sets out on the trail of a missing child, a case that tumbles our heroine into a hotbed of strange situations and more than a little danger . . .

I liked it. It was a nice easy read. I enjoyed the humor in the book more that I thought I would.

Ok I think that is it? I have started keeping track of my books on goodread.com it is a fun way to share the books you have read with others....plus it helps me to remember what i have read!

Happy Easter!

2009-05-05T12:25:00.007-06:00

This year we decided to just have one Birthday/Easter Party for both the kids. It was great to have most of Kevin's family over for the party. We had lunch. Fruit and sandwiches. Leah was in love with all the fruit.

Then outside for a chilly Easter Egg Hunt.

Then cake (Leah had a much better experience this time).

Finally time for presents, it was great that they were both getting presents so neither one was sad! Grant is having his first official "friend" party this year...in May.

After the party the kids had fun playing with the balloons...who needs presents when you have balloons!! They were so cute running up and down the hall.

Memories...Jensen Family Log

2009-04-27T10:55:00.003-06:00

My mom asked us all to try to remember stories from our childhood. My sister Heather decided to add them to her blog so I will to (click on Heather's blog to read some fun stories).

I will start with a few Idaho memories. We moved away when I was in 1st grade so my memories are sketchy....

Pet: Big Red, our family dog. She was a big Irish Setter. We all loved her. We also had a little fluffy dog Pepper. Not to mentions a millions cats (really!). Big red use to take the baby kittens are pretend they were hers. I also remember riding her like a pony. Pepper, I only have one sad memory of Pepper, she/he (I am not sure?) was hit by a car. Most of us kids watched :( It was a white car. So sad. Fleas, that was one of my cats. I have seen more cats born in my life than I think it possible. I remember one day we were all out picking beans in the field (we lived on a farm) and I took off...not sure why? Anyhow i found a cat and some kittens.

For most of my life I shared a room with Cassie, my little sister, and Heather and Fawn, the 2 oldest, shared a room. I remember one day Heather was sick of sharing a room with Fawn so she gathered up all my stuff and through it down the basement stairs. I was now to share a room with Fawn and she would share with Cassie. I doubt it lasted long...

Little House on the Prairie. Oh how we loved that show. We all wanted to be part of the show. I can remember watching the shows over and over in the basement.

Blanket. I loved my blanket. I mean I LOVED my blanket. It was green. I was 4 or 5 and still loved my blanket. My mom and grandma convinced me to send my beloved blanket to my grandpa who was in the hospital (because he needed it more that I did). I sent it, sad day. Come to find out my mom just hid it in a closet! She kept it for me and I still have it.

Grant Learns to ride a BIKE!

2009-04-24T11:49:00.002-06:00

One sunny day (weeks ago) we decide it was time to teach Grant to ride without training wheels. He was close last summer but he was happy riding his scooter so he didn't try much. Any how after first teaching him to fall! He finally got the hang of it. He did great for his first day....until he got going too fast and forgot how to stop and sped arcoss the street and had to decide weather to hit a tree or a parked van! He decided on the tree (smart boy). He almost missed it but he hit his hand and crashed. We decided to take a break after that and then it snowed so we have not been out to practice again.

Just chillin' watching Grant ride up and down the block.

Disney On Ice

2009-04-21T11:21:00.003-06:00

We took the kids to see Disney on Ice. We went with our neighbors. They have a son, Ceja, that is Grant's age and another son, Jace, that is Leah's age. Grant and Ceja had a great time! The babies on the other hand were fine until the last 30min or so! Oh well to be expected of two year olds. Afterwards we went to dinner together it was a nice evening. I am so glad we have made so many friends in our neighborhood. There are also many kids Grant's age, most of the ones close to us are girls....but there are some boys too!

What is it with kids and soda!

Potty Training - Kinda

2009-04-20T13:46:00.003-06:00

A couple weeks ago Leah decided she did not want to wear diapers anymore! I was planning to start potty training her in a month or so anyway so we decided to just get started. The first few days were a MESS! Then she started to do better...as long as I took her often. We had several dry days, YAY! She was even able to stay dry for her naps. Then....she started getting naked! She started taking her clothes off all day long. So I had to start putting her in a onesie. Onesies make it hard to go potty, quickly! She we are taking a potty training break. It is a good thing too because she has been sick this week so it would have been a HUGE MESS!!

Grant's Program

2009-04-18T21:14:00.003-06:00

Grant had his first program. It was super cute. He could not tell us about it, as it was a surprise. I figured out he was singing songs, mostly about the alphabet. On the day of the program I asked him where he was going to be? He said "the back row". Poor child of mine he will live forever on the back row...both his parents were also back-row-ers. The front two rows had speaking parts. I asked Grant if he wanted a speaking part and he said "no I get to hold a sign and when I am holding the sign I don't even have to sign" So there you have it the back row is not that bad after all!

Random Stuff

2009-04-14T22:07:00.011-06:00

Meet: Spiky Mushroom

Grant came home from school with SpikyMushroom the other day. I am not sure where he came up with the name but I thought it was pretty cute. The hat and bandana came home from school to compete the ensemble!

Leah, what a mess.

Leah, Leah, Leah! I really don't know what to say, everywhere she goes she makes a mess. Each day, everyday, she empties he clothes out of her drawers, all the drawers...pants, shirts, pjs, oh and don't forgets each and every sock....did I mention she does this every day! When she eats it is like a tornado! When she is done with something she throws it on the floor. She also insists on feeding herself! If she is missing for more than a minute you know there is a huge mess somewhere. We have to lock all doors that can be locked just to keep them clean. Before we started locking doors she would empty the contents of our bathroom drawers...her favorite was her hair bow drawer...she has lots of bows!

New decorations :)

I added this to my dinning room table, I like it. I have tried a few different things but I needed something tall (IMO).

I am also trying to decide if I want stuff on top of my bookcases? Our ceilings are on the higher side so I feel like the shelves are a bit low? Anyhow I stuck some stuff up there any thoughts?? I think I like it better.

Happy 2 year bloggerversary to me! I started the blog on April 8, 2007!

Coming soon...
~~Leah potty training~~
~~Easter~~
~~Grant and Leah's family birthday party~~
~~Disney on Ice~~
~~Grant's school program~~
Book reviews
~~Grant learning to ride a bike~~
(not in any order no promises on how soon they are coming)

Happy 2nd Birthday Leah!

2009-03-29T22:03:00.004-06:00

Leah turned 2 on 3/25! I still can't believe it. I have a hard time remembering she was born in March and not June. I am so proud of her. She has done so well. I never feel the need to explain that she was born early anymore, I love that! She is just a delight to have in our home...most of the time. She is however one determined child (I guess she would have to be to over come all that she has).

About Leah these days....
She has to have things just her way. Like her own cookie not just a bite of mine. She gets mad and throws anything she does not want to eat on the floor. She can be very picky. One day I put her food on the table and MY food in her little purple bowl and she threw a fit until I gave her the bowl....then she sat happily and ate her food out of the bowl. She loves shoes....she can even get them on her feet herself...not always on the right feet. She wants to be outside all the time. She loves when her brother plays with her. She has the best belly laughs. I love you LEAH!

We are waiting to have her birthday party until Easter weekend. Since Grant's birthday is in May we decided we would just do one family party for both of them and Easter. Grant will get to have a friend party this year, so the party will be mroe for Leah.

As a family we went to Cold Stone Ice Cream. They give out free ice cream for your birthday (you just have to sign up on their website). She was excited to have her very own. We also had to get one for Grant, me and Kevin so it did add up but who doesn't love Cold Stone!

On her actual birthday Grant had a program at school (blog post coming in a few days). So we got her a cupcake so she could blow out candles. This however turned out to be not the best idea. I lit the candles and got the camera to take a picture....meanwhile Kevin had the video camera....She decide it would be fun to touch the fire.....not fun! She then cried while we sang happy birthday. Grant helped her blow out her candles. She was happy about halfway through her cupcake. About 10-15 minutes later while I was holding her she threw up all over me. Not the best birthday ever. Good thing she gets a replay in April.

{happy valentine's day}

2009-02-16T23:04:00.003-07:00

Happy Valentine's Day from Grant.

We had a fun Valentine's Day. We just stayed home this year. We spent the whole day just really doing nothing, it was great :)

National Western Stock Show

2009-01-26T22:39:00.003-07:00

The other day we decided to try out the National Western Stock Show. The weather was beautiful, I can't believe it has been this warm in January. First we watched some horse jumping. It was interesting. From the stands the horses looked small once we went down to see them up close they were normal sized. Leah's favorite new word has been baby so she pointed to all the horses and called them "baby" "baby", it was cute.

Next we went over to the main area. It was so busy. Kevin and I are not huge fans of crowds. We knew it was going to be busy since it was a Saturday but oh my it was BUSY! We made our way to the petting farm. Grant was in love. He could have stayed in there all day. Leah love it as well, of course calling all the animals "baby".

Then we went to the top level to see the rabbits and chickens. Again Grant loved the animals. he could pet some of the rabbits and he thought that was awesome. He wanted to buy one to take home with us, we of course had to say no.

Last we went to the ground level to see the "stock". Leah stayed outside for a snack. The area we walked around just had bulls not sure if there were cows as well?

Once we had our fill of the stock show we went to a fun dinner at Gunther Toody's. It is kinda a tradition to go there when we go downtown as a family.

This and That

2009-01-20T21:03:00.004-07:00

My wards book club was the other day. We read "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien. I enjoyed the book. I recommend it but be warned it is a war book so there is death and swearing. One of the members of the book club's Dad was in Vietnam, he came to speak to us during book club. It was very interesting to hear from him. Kevin wished he could have gone. Instead he was home baby-sitting Leah and 2 twin 4 year olds, hee hee!

Grant funnies: At church the other day Grant noticed a man who shaves his head and he said to me: Look mom that man is not wearing any hair! and it is clean pulled out. He was quite amazed. A few minutes later I looked over at Grant and he was sitting backwards in his chair and had his chest all pushed out. I asked him what he was doing and he said "I am showing my muscles to Lauren". Lauren is a year older than he is and lives a few houses away. A week or so ago Grant and I had a "date night". We went to see "Bedtime Stories." It was funny and we had a great date night. It was great to just we alone with Grant. Next time it is Kevin's turn.

Leah is doing better and better at talking all the time. Her favorite word is baby. Everything is a baby including, animals of all kinds, cartoons, and kids of all ages. She is also following her brother around all over the house. When I can't see them I yell for Grant to see if Leah is with him, "Grant is Leah with you" They both yell back "YEAH" it is co cute.

The other night we had a business dinner for Kevin's work to go to. His company does their Christmas party in January instead of December. It was fun to have a night out without kids. We had a good meal. They did some Karaoke, we didn't! The talked some about 2009 and they are expecting to be just fine. Such a relief to know they are doing well in this economy.

I have some pictures for another post...

Family Outing

2009-01-13T21:14:00.004-07:00

I decided we are going on at least one family outing every month. I am excited. For the month of January we decided to go to Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Kevin and I went there once, years ago. We have never taken the kids. I was surprised at how many things they had for little kids.

First we went to the Space area. Kevin loved it. Grant liked driving a remote controlled rocket. Leah had a melt down. I took Leah out to have a snack and then she was fine. Next we went to the Butterfly and Insect exhibit. Grant just kept asking if they were dead. Then off to the rocks.

Next we went to the 3rd floor to the Dinosaur exhibit. Grant liked this one. He got to make a cast of a dinosaur bone. Then we walked though some of the animal displays...again Grant wanted to know if they were dead. Last on this floor was the prehistoric area.

Then we ate lunch.

Last we went to the second floor. I made them look at the animal displays first before we went to the Discovery area. I knew Grant would like this area best so I saved it for last. It was in fact his favorite. He spent some time at each station. After they played for about an hour we called it a day. It was a fun outing and I can't wait for the next one.

Diggin' for bones

Ridin' cowboy...city style

Kristie gets crafty...

2009-01-08T15:46:00.004-07:00

I am not an super crafty person, I can do the crafts I just don't like many crafty things. I am not a nick-nak person and I find crafts can easily become clutter. Anyhow Kevin was doing year end stuff the other day so I spend the whole day (well a couple hours) watching HGTV...you know where this is going. We have lived here for ALMOST 2 years and I really have never decorated, it makes me sad. My living room/dinning room is the closest to being finished. Part of the problem is that I have no vision. I have to see it and I can't see in my head very well. In fact I repainted the living room/dinning room twice and my kitchen is on the 3rd color, silly I know.

Ok back to the living room since I am almost finished I really just have accessories left....the hardest part for me. I feel like everything is just clutter and needs dusted. I have no empty walls in my living room two walls have windows and the other two are open so I can't just fill the space with something big. So I made these circle things (I know nice name for them). I can't say I love them but they do fill the space. I just used foam and scrapbook paper. I could not find the perfect paper (I think that is why I am not in love with them), but then again I am not sure what the perfect paper is?

Now I just have to find a picture for the other side of these windows and I think I will be done, YAY. Then for the dinning room I just need a center piece.....

New Year

2009-01-07T11:46:00.001-07:00

This year we spent New Year's Eve by going out to dinner with some friends. It was fun to go out, without kids. After dinner we went to a friend's house for dessert and games. It was a fun night. We had to get early so we could get home and let the babysitters enjoy the night as well. I was glad to get home early but I wish the night didn't go by so fast. I was in bet before midnight, boring I know.

I am excited for 2009. I always love the new year, starting fresh. This year Leah will turn 2, I know I can't believe it. Grant will turn 6 and start 1st grade. Kevin will have his 20 year high school reunion (I don't know if we are going?). Kristie will, well I am getting too old to say it out loud! Anyhow it is going to be a great year, at least I hope it is!

Oh am I am going to TRY to be a better blogger.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

2009-01-07T11:19:00.008-07:00

Kevin had to work half of Christmas Eve and Leah had speech therapy so it didn't feel like Christmas for the first 1/2 of the day. As is tradition in my family we get to open one present on Christmas Eve...I think we got to pick one present growing up but I make my kids open the one I tell them to, Christmas pajamas. After opening their pajamas and changing into them we read some Christmas Stories. Then put out the milk and cookies for Santa. Finally right before going to sleep we tracked Santa on the computer.

We had an awesome Christmas Day! In the early morning hours...well just past 7am....Grant came running into our bedroom saying "Santa didn't come, Santa didn't come". He looked so sad. I am not sure why he thought Santa didn't come? Sure enough went we all went downstairs Santa had left presents and eaten his cookies.

Santa brought Grant a blue Nintendo DS! I don't think he quite realized what it was until we opened it and started playing (after 2 hours charging the battery). Santa brought Leah a little people doll house. It has a toilet and when you lift the lid it makes a flushing sound...you guessed right, this is her favorite part (Grant likes it as well).

Grant also was given, a couple DS games, Mack from cars, a few games, some Ben 10 action figures, a foam dart gun and a laser gun. Leah got a little people bus, a puppy in a carrier, some clothes, a farm house and couple books. I am sure there was more but that is what I remember. Oh I forgot they also got game chairs from the playroom.

Kevin's parents came down to spend the day with us. I made a turkey dinner complete with, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, stuffing and rolls. It was yummy. Note to my book club girls, I even used BOTH my ovens at the same time!! After lunch we took naps and watched some TV. As it started to get dark outside it was hard to believe yet another Christmas was coming to an end. This was our second Christmas in this house. I can't believe we have been here for almost two years...and that Leah will be two in a few short months.

Here is what Grant looked like all day, well as long as we let me play!

Finally a quick thank you to all our wonderful friends and family who took the time to send us a Christmas Card, we love hearing from you all.

Christmas Cookies

2009-01-07T11:09:00.004-07:00

Every year we have been making cookies with Grant for Christmas. Last year Kevin was home and it was a fun activity. This year I thought I would take it on myself while Kevin was working. We waited until Leah was napping to get started. I rolled out the dough and Grant cut out the cookies, he did great. Then we cooked them. Grant was so excited to decorate them. Finally they cooled and it was time to decorate them....Leah woke up. I got her some lunch and so maybe she would happily eat while we finish the cookies. I frosted and Grant decorated. At first he was dumping WAY too many sprinkles on each cookie. He even dumped out one whole bottle, on one cookie. He finally got the hang of it.

Meanwhile Leah was SCREAMING "COOOOOK-ie, COOOOOK-ie" over and over....I guess eating lunch while there were cookies near by was a bad idea. I gave her one. She has this BAD habit of only eating the frosting. For months now if you give her an oreo cookie she will open it, eat the cream and throw the cookie parts on the floor, stinker. So you can imagine what she did, yep, she sucked off all the frosting and threw the cookie on the floor and started to scream "COOOOK-ie" all over again....why did I decided it was a good idea to make cookies?

Finally we finished and packaged up some of the cookies to take to the neighbors. We put on our coats and started to make the rounds. On the way to the first house both Grant and Leah slipped on the ice and fell, they were ok. Grant fell 2 more times. I carried Leah and only ALMOST fell a couple of times! We got them all delivered and still had a few cookies left for ourselves.

Remind me next year to only attempt to make cookies when Kevin is home to help! My kitchen still needs cleaned!!

Christmas #1

2009-01-07T11:03:00.004-07:00

The weekend before Christmas we went to Cheyenne to celebrate with Kevin's family. We had an awesome meal followed by a yummy dessert.

We played the white elephant game. Kevin won some socks and I won some evergreen smelling room spray. It has become tradition to leave all the, awesome, gifts hidden around the host's house. Last year we hosted and the tradition was started. Lets just say I was finding these awesome gifts for days!! One of our gifts made it home with us...Kevin!! I guess it will just go in the box for the next white elephant game.

The kids opened presents. Grant got some games that we have been playing every day since! Leah got two dolls and a stroller/crib/high chair set. She loves playing with her babies now. Grant has even been caught playing babies!

Thanks Terry and Cathie for a great day.

Opening Presents

Leah was not so sure about the puppy, don't worry the puppy did not come home with us.

Bowling

2008-12-29T16:17:00.004-07:00

We went bowling for the first time ever. Our friends, the DeLysers, invited us to Tristan's birthday party. Grant had so much fun. He was not quite strong enough to get the ball going very fast. Thanks to the bumpers he actually did very well. He is so competitive. He wanted to make sure he was winning at all times.

Leah taking a snack break.

Waiting for Grant's turn.

Afterward they gave each kid a video game card. Of course Grant went right to the card racing game.

Leah pretending to race Grant.

Meet our newest addition...

2008-12-29T16:08:00.002-07:00

Way back in 1996 I bought my very first car...on my own with no parents help. I bought a 1994 Honda Accord. I loved that car. I drove "her" until Grant was born and then I drove the van and Kevin was lucky enough to get to drive "her". By this time she was getting old and was starting to show her age. For the last 2-3 years we knew her days were numbered. She had 150K miles and we kept needing to fix little things. Finally a few weeks ago she would not drive more than 30mph, sad times :( We decided she had a nice long life and it was time for a new car.

Kevin only likes Honda or Toyota so that narrowed down our search. We decided on either an accord again or a CRV. After test driving and comparing the two we finally decided on the CRV.
Since Kevin is going to be the one to drive it he picked the color and options. We decided to go new (even though we had not planned on it) for two reasons, first because Hondas hold their value the 2-3 yr old models were not that much cheaper and second because they were offering awesome deals on new purchases. We also saved money by going with a 2008 model rather than the 2009. Kevin has enjoyed having a new car. It has snowed several times since we bought it and it had been nice to have the 4x4 drive.

Thanksgiving

2008-12-29T16:04:00.003-07:00

This year we spent Thanksgiving with Kevin's family in Cheyenne. The food was awesome as always. We ate too much. Grant had fun playing video games all day, nice. He played with his cousin Dylan who is 2 years older than he is. Dylan was frustrated that Grant was not very good. Then he played outside in the freezing cold with Draven his other cousin. Leah pretended to be shy the whole time. We watched "Hancock". It was a fun day.

Now for some pictures.
Leah being Cute as ever

Grant trying to play with the big boys...yeah he was not very good and no one wanted to be on his team, so sad......He was the youngest and had never played the game before.

Chadwick Family, WHO?

2008-12-29T16:01:00.001-07:00

So I did it again, I dropped out of blog world. I have lots of excuses why but really I just didn't make time for it. So now I have some many things to blog about I don't even know where to start? Let's see I left off at Halloween.....

November as always was crazy busy for me. Everyone needs to get their pictures taken in time for Christmas so the first half of the month I was busy taking pictures and the second half of the month I was busy placing orders. I am glad to say I am 100% caught up...that does not mean I don't have things I need to do just that nothing is late or due, YAY.

Grant has been playing more and more with a neighbor boy, Ceja. It is so cute that they are becoming such good friends. They are both in kindergarten, but in different classes. I am so glad he found a BOY friend that lives so close. There are 3 girls close by that are also in kindergarten....but they just don't play well...the girls always want to play house, hehe.

Leah is finally starting to talk :) She has been getting speech therapy for like 4 months now (every week). Interestingly her first work (other than mama, dada, etc.) was "cracker" and that was also Grant's first real word...what can I say my kids like to eat. She is now saying all sorts of words, well at least she is trying to say them.

Kevin had a week off work and had plans to get many projects finished.....you know how this ends right....not much got done, oh well he had a good week. He was able to help finish all the projects I needed done :)

My Mom, the Artist

2008-11-21T09:46:00.003-07:00

My mom has always been an artist. Ever since I can remember she was painting something, sewing something, really anything creative she can do. One of my first memories is of my mom painting...I was young kindergarten or less...My mom was painting on a door in our house in Idaho. I was in the kitchen (I think) nearby. I found a chocolate chip on the floor and my mom would not let me eat it but she got me a new one :)

Anyhow she painted walls and not just walls but murals on walls. She painted so many pictures over the years I can still remember many of them hanging on our walls growing up...and Indian girl and a boy with a dog, specifically. All of my siblings including me got just a bit of her talent. I am sure it is this bit of talent that has helped myself, my sister and my brother to all become photographers. In fact my mom is also a photographer!

She has started to paint more while on her mission in Vermont. She has also been taking landscape photography (with a low cost point and shoot camera!). She started by entering several in a Fair. She entered 2 photographs and 4 paintings and ALL won blue ribbons and one painting won people's choice. Anyhow since then she has sold quite a few photographs and paintings at a store in Turnbridge, VT. My sister helped her start a blog to display her work.

Please take a minute to see the beautiful work my mom had created. http://artistrybyruby.blogspot.com/

Halloween

2008-11-17T19:53:00.003-07:00

This year the weather was perfect. In Colorado we expect the weather to be cold. Costumes are usually planned to allow one to wear sweats underneath. This year was not the case. The last few years Grant has made the final decision on what he wanted to be for Halloween BUT I was able to nudge him towards something I wanted him to be. This year he was on to my games. He wanted nothing to do with a Fireman, an Army man or a cute cuddly teddy bear. Nope, he had his heart set on a Red Power Range....not just any power range a muscle man power range. He was so funny if you ask him what he was going to be for Halloween he would reply " a red muscle man power ranger". he proudly wore the costume around for weeks before Halloween.

As soon as Kevin came home from work we went out to dinner then home to get all dressed up. Leah was a super cute butterfly. As I explained before I picked out her costume with the expectation that it would be cold...she was sweating the whole night. I took the kids to a few houses on our block, while Kevin handed out candy. Grant was so excited for the candy. Leah was confused and wanted to stop and eat all the candy. Then we switched and Kevin took the kids on the next block while I handed out the candy. Finally he dropped off Leah and took Grant around a few more blocks. Leah was upset that she could not go with them. She stayed to help me hand out candy. She again was not so excited about giving the candy out she just wanted to eat it. We found several candies with bite marks through the wrappers and all.

At the end of the night we had two very tired kids and more candy than we SHOULD ever eat...I am sad to report that now it is 2 weeks after Halloween and all the good candy is long gone.

Every mother dreams of that perfect picture of her two beautiful children together....loving each other and holding hands....well at least they are together, right?

Vermont {day eight, nine and ten}

2008-11-15T21:34:00.013-07:00

After spending the night in Maine we made out way back down the coast to New Hampshire. My mom wanted to see the beach so we picked a spot and played again...are you sick of ocean pictures yet?

My Parents, Nephi and Ruby Jensen

Then we made our way to Vermont, finally. Visiting my parents in Vermont was after all the reason for our vacation. We new we were late to see the fall colors in Vermont so we decided to go south first and visit with them last. On our way we stopped in Lebanon, New Hampshire for lunch and to get some supplies. Lebanon is the closest "big" city, it is about 25 minutes away.

We finally made our way into Vermont. We drove through Sharon....it is very small and South Royalton on our way to their house. We also drove up to the Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial....FYI my parents are in Vermont on a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Drove over the Quechee Gorge. Stopped at a covered bride in Woodstock. They took us to a silly place called "fools on the hill" (I think), someone has put out a bunch of stuff animal on the side of the hill. They have cows, sheep, bears and pigs. It was quite silly. Then another covered bridge in Taftsville. Finally we stopped at the Billings Farm for a tour. It was a working dairy farm. My dad was raise on a farm so it was interesting to see. They milked the cows right while we were there. I was afraid the cows we kick us because we could just walk right behind them as they were in their stalls...a worker told me the you were more likely to get hit with poop than to be kicked...nice! They had a nursery with little baby cows including one that was only a few days old. It had been cloudy all day and right as we were leaving it started to rain. It rained and rained all night.

Quechee Gorge

Fools on a Hill
Taftsville Covered Bridge
Billings Farm

The next day the sun was shining but it was still wet. I was determined to have my mom and dad take our family pictures, really it was one of my main goals!! So we got ready and drove over to the JS Birthplace. Since my parents work there we found a back road to take. We found a path with tons of leaves. It was still wet but we made the best of it...watch for pictures one day :)

We stopped in Turnbridge to see yet another covered bridge. Plus we visited a little shop where my mom has her photographs and painting featured. She has sold several, way to go Mom!

Turnbrige Covered Bridge

Some other Covered Bridge
A near by Farm House

Then we made our way north to Burlington to visit the Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Factory. They had a fun tour and of course we got to sample some ice cream....not enough so we had to buy some extra on the way out. Finally it was time to go back to Sharon and call it a night.

The next morning was our last day...I can't believe how fast it went. We got up and packed, why is it that nothing ever fits back in the bags as well the second time. We had an afternoon flight so we had a little time before we had to leave. We stopped at the JS Birthplace for a tour, finally. I never got a picture because the first day it was cloudy, the second day I was only thinking family pictures and today they were pulling all the flowers out for the winter.

We had to drive back to Albany, NY to fly home. We had an uneventful flight home. It was late when we got home and we were all tired. It is always good to sleep in your own bed.