Summer days...

It's official...summer is here! It's 8:30 in the morning and both kiddos are still asleep. Ahhh, the sound of silence! I think Jason and I wore them out at the fire station yesterday. We spent all day playing softball, frisbee, tag, and other games. Reid and I even squeezed in some time to take some selfies! With summer time though, comes summer messes!
I've already had to give Alli "the talk." Typical kid stuff, they make messes all over the house and leave them for someone else to clean up (AKA Mom) then ask me to do 101 things with them. Finally, I had to put my foot down. I explained that if she wanted me to do fun stuff with her, she would have to start picking up her stuff. Otherwise I can't be mommy, I have to be the maid. Maids clean, mom's play and have fun with their kids. This analogy has worked so far. She really wanted me to play library with her but I declined saying, "Sorry honey, but right now I can't be mommy, I have to be the maid." Her eyes got real big, then she got real excited and told me to go sit down while she cleaned up her mess so that we could play. Yep, playing trumps all!

Mythical Creatures

I'm pretty much obsessed with history, especially that dealing with the Celtics, Norse, and Vikings. It's nice to know that I've passed that on to my daughter as well. We do have our differences though. For example, Allison loves Egyptian mythology while I prefer Greek mythology. But that's neither here nor there....she is only 7 so she has plenty of time to expand her horizons!
Anyways...while cruising Facebook, I came across one of their silly quizzes. This particular one was titled "Which Mythical Creature Are You?" Couldn't help myself, had to take it! The little girl in me was giddy to find out just what my results would be! I knew there was no way I would end up with unicorn (much too care bear like) or fairy (um..if you know me, then enough said) but would I be a dragon? What about a Centaur? Is the suspense getting to you yet? Fine. I'll share the news.....
And the winner is.......Phoenix!  If you're not all nerd like me, here's the characteristic of a Phoenix:

You fiery inferno of awesome. You’re associated with hope, immortality, and regeneration. You’re essentially immortal, so you’re an old soul, and a pro at deflecting drama without causing more conflict. You prefer observation to action, and you’re an excellent judge of character. You’re quiet by nature, but when it comes to a fight, you’re a fierce adversary.

Aren't I a beauty! I still think that dragon would be tough contender though. Here's what it says about the dragon:

You inspire fear and awe, and you’re fiercely protective of the people and possessions you cherish. You’re a creature of comfort, you enjoy living luxuriously, but you’re by no means lazy. If provoked, you’re a fearsome enemy, but you’re not easily angered. You enjoy time to yourself, but you also require intellectual stimulation, because behind all that raw power, you’re also sharp as a tack. 

Sometimes, it's just nice to have an afternoon to waste on silly entertaining stuff like this!

Chasing the Cold Away with Christmas Cookies!

Brrr....is it cold outside! This year has been crazy in terms of weather. This past week it hasn't been above freezing and it isn't even winter yet! All this cold brings on lots of extra chores. Jason's been having to chop ice multiple times a day for the calves, in addition to putting out extra hay for the new baby calves to bed down on. By the end of the day, everyone's worn out from the extra efforts of working in the cold. So this mama decided it was time for a little fun! To help warm us up, I made some hot Wassail for us to sip on while we decorated some Christmas sugar cookies. We all had so much fun decorating the cookies and eating the extra icing! We all voted and agreed that Daddy decorated the most beautiful cookie!

Here some other great photo's of our family fun night. Let's just say, bedtime was interesting after all that frosting!

Mommy Affirmation

Tonight a couple of kids came over to play so that their dad could help Jason with some manual labor stuff. The kids had a blast playing play-doh, having pillow fights, running the circle in the house, and listening to a story I read them called, "Charlie and the Christmas Kitten." The greatest part of the evening for me was just after I had read them the story and Allison came up to me and softly said, "Mom, you were really great tonight!" Then, she gave me a quick hug with a loving smile and proceeded to chase after her friend. Her affirmation felt so good and unexpected! I'm still on cloud 9! Looking in her eyes, I could literally see how proud she was of me and how thankful she was that I was chilled about the messes and into having fun with the kids. I'm so thankful that I get to be Allison and Reid's mommy!

Christmas Card 2013

5x7 Folded Card

View the entire collection of cards.

In October, we had some family pictures taken at Cann Garden. You wouldn't believe how hot it was that day! But contrary to all the sweating, I think our pictures turned out beautifully! Reid is so ornery while Allison is so calm. This day also happened to be Allison's 7th Birthday! I can't believe how big both my babies are getting. Everyday, I find myself in awe and somewhat disbelief at just how blessed I am to be married to such an amazing man and having two beautiful, kind children as a result of that. 

This picture really captures the real Allison!

Love the men in my life!

Isn't she absolutely beautiful?!

Yowza! That is one good looking' cowboy! ;)

Fishy kisses by the pond

I love you Jason!

So hot! 

Our sweet little family!

Colorado Vacation Part 1: The drive out!

In October our family took a vacation to Colorado. We took a different route than usual and boy am I glad! This route took us through New Mexico where we stopped and explored a town called Taos. If you've never been, I suggest you check it out! The town itself is very authentic looking, in fact the plaza hasn't changed it's shape in over 300 years! Everywhere you look, evidence of the Spanish Conquistadors are blended with the native Pueblo people.  Jason, who has a keen sense of direction, was struggling in this town because all the business that surround the plaza area look so similar being made from adobe. Even though we only had a few hours to give for this little adventure, we made time to stop at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory to buy a caramel apple! We all shared the apple on an outside bench while a local played his harmonica for us. It was so fun to watch Reid get up and dance to the music!

Taos, NM plaza

After leaving Taos, we started to notice some really cool looking structures in the middle of nowhere! Later we found out that they were homes called "Earthships." Basically, these homes were made out of recycled materials, had composting toilets, indoor gardens, and other cool features. Here's a picture of one we happened to see!

The scariest bridge I have ever been on, we crossed: Rio Grande Gorge Bridge! Holy shnikes this sucker was huge! To be exact, it's 650 feet above the Rio Grande and spans 1,280 feet. The wind was so terrible on the bridge that we weren't comfortable taking the kids out, they didn't want to go anyway so no matter! The little bit of distance that I walked, made me so dizzy! I had to look at my feet just so I wouldn't fall down! Jason walked to the middle where the lookout point was. My handsome hubby is so brave!

As I looked over this huge cliff, I couldn't help but think about how Indians would sometimes use the "Buffalo Jump" method to hunt buffalo. Before guns were introduced, it's said that sometimes Indians would herd buffaloes to a cliff where the animal would jump off and another group of the hunt would be waiting down below to kill the crippled animals. Obviously, this gorge would be way to steep but it's a cool thought none the less!