Time Is Slipping Away.........

It's almost time for 2010 to make its' entrance! I'm trying to decide if most people will actually say two thousand ten or twenty ten - I'm voting for two thousand ten! The other way of saying it just sounds TOO futuristic!!

So does everybody have big plans for New Year's Eve? I remember the days when we used to actually go out! Yes, that was many years ago - these old folks have retired to the comfort of their home or someone else's home now for their party!

We have friends coming over for dinner and the evening - I've picked out a couple of games to play and we'll also play some pool! The hot tub is always an option but the downside is that when you get out, you're so relaxed and tired that you just want to go to bed!

I'm hoping the sky will be clear tomorrow night too so we can watch the fireworks on Pikes Peak from our deck! Probably from inside the house though as the temps have been below zero lately for that time of the night! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

An Abundance Of Laughter!

First of all, take a peek at this great picture Jessi took from upstairs, looking down - just a small glimpse into our Christmas morning!!

Jessi even had games for us to play! And they were great! The first one was such a simple one but so cute - we all had to sit down and she played the song "The 12 Days of Christmas" - and when it was your birthday month, you had to stand up and then sit down - Brad got his exercise on that one since his birthday is in January! We all looked like puppets at times!

The next game was hilarious - your partner was your spouse and when Jessi said "GO", you had to blow up 8 balloons and stuff them down the legs of a pair of panty hose!! OH my, it was hilarious - as soon as you finished, you had to put it on your head to portray being a reindeer with antlers!! The pictures tell it all!! We laughed and laughed and laughed!

The adults did their socks in the afternoon - each person bought $10 worth of things to put in their sock and we laid them all in the middle of the room - the guys and the girls each drew numbers one through four - and whoever got #1 got to pick a sock and open it - #2 could either steal the #1 person's sock or go for a new one - it was a lot of fun and again, we laughed and laughed during the sock opening, especially when Robby got all the car care products and looked up at everybody and declared, "I don't even have a car anymore!"

But the funniest part was when the girls discovered that I had marked all of our stocking stuffers with "M" for Man and "W" for Woman - Jessi actually went back THROUGH the trash to tear off some of the letters which are pictured below because the girls couldn't figure out how I could determine which ones were M's and W's because of course when you turn them upside down, they look the same - trust me, I'm really NOT going crazy, I CAN tell the difference!! One of the girls even claimed they all looked like the number 3! HMMMMM..........

What a wonderful Christmas we had together - what a wonderful family I have!

The Real Deal - Christmas Day 2009

Christmas is so much fun with little ones around - to see the joy on their faces as they open that special present, to hear their laughter and their giggles, and those oh so ever precious hugs that they give out - kids just make Christmas extra special!

Jessi and I were up early putting the cinnamon rolls in the oven to bake, cutting up the fruit for the whipped cream/yogurt dip and getting the egg scramble ready to pop in when the rolls came out! And before we knew it, the Smiths' and the Savages' had arrived!

Jessi and Gary have the biggest living room so we chose their house for Christmas morning! The kids were all giddy with excitement, knowing that Santa had filled their socks so we all grabbed a quick cup of coffee or juice and headed to the living room! Now usually Santa fills our socks too but this year we told Santa to just fill the kids' socks and we would take care of our own - and that's exactly what he did! It was much easier to just help and watch the kids open their socks instead of trying to open ours, take pictures, etc. etc. I DO love new ideas and this one was a good choice!
After the sock opening, we all grabbed some breakfast before the opening began - and again this year, another change - the adults all drew names so the packages beneath the tree were considerably less, but that was again a good choice! It was much more fun to watch the little ones open their gifts and have just a couple each for the adults!

Aleah took a nap during part of the opening and when Jill went upstairs to get her, she had worked her arm all the way out of her pj's!

Yes, all 4 little ones had matching pj's to wear and the oldest, Miss Rayna, had her own coordinating pair to match - trying to get a picture of all of them (smiling) was of course impossible but hey, we tried!

It was a crazy, loud morning but oh, so much fun watching those little ones open their gifts! No meltdowns Christmas morning - it was all about smiles! To be continued......

Christmas Eve - 2009

It seemed pretty strange to pack the car with OUR stuff and head up to Denver in lieu of the kids packing their stuff and coming to our house - but I have to admit now that it's all over, that it all really worked out well this way!

Since I didn't have to work on Christmas Eve, Glenn and I headed up to Jessi's house mid-morning - the weather was cold and it had snowed the night before but the roads weren't bad at all!

After helping Jessi for a while, Glenn and I got a try on their Wii! WOW - it was fun! We weren't very good at the games we played but we sure had fun trying them out! Now to decide if one of those would get lots of use at our house????

Part of the group went to the 4:00 Christmas Eve Service - the live nativity scene outside the church was fun to see and I always enjoy going to a service, no matter what church we attend!
Christmas Eve evening was spent at Jaime's house - we traditionally do fondue but with so many little ones, that's not an option for a few years so we decided on soup - baked potato bacon cheddar soup and chile - YUM!!

The kids and grandkids opened their presents from the other sides of their families and we knew this would be a preview of Christmas morning! Evan and Kylan loved their tractors they got and soon were racing around with them! Mackenzie got into the opening bit too, as did Rayna and little Aleah just looked around, having no idea what was really going on! It was fun to watch everyone open their gifts!

After the gift opening, we read our predictions for the year - I was just SURE that Glenn and I were going to win as we haven't won yet but darn it, we didn't! Jessi and Gary were one point ahead of us and took the frog for the year - sigh - guess there's always next year..........

I think we all ate enough candy, dessert and cookies to last a lifetime, and this was only Christmas Eve!!

What I Wouldn't Give............

.....for a cup of hot apple cider for my afternoon break -but all I have is yogurt, cracker mix and a huge plate of beautifully decorated cookies that one of our local body shops brought in (and I've already eaten one of those - after scraping off some of the inch thick frosting!).

Yes, there's hot chocolate and marshmellows in the cupboard - coffee that could be made (but I've already drank my 2 cups this morning) and the ever wonderful ice water but it's SNOWING OUT - I NEED APPLE CIDER!

Actually that's not what I REALLY want - I WANT TO GO HOME! It's been snowing all day and it's beautiful and cold out and it's the holiday season and I'm not busy and the clock is ticking SO SLOW today!

I've been reduced to stripping old files - that's how slow it is!

The holiday music is going strong, as is the heater on my feet - now if this clock would just turn a little bit faster, I could go home and park myself in front of the fireplace and enjoy the Christmas tree lights............

Friends!

Great minds think alike - I should have checked Jessi's blog BEFORE I posted my pictures, but I didn't! SO for those of you that read BOTH of our blogs, you'll be seeing the same pictures!

We had a fun weekend with Gary, Jessi and the kids, minus the sleeping part - for some reason, Mackenzie just doesn't sleep at our house! But since she is a Papa's girl (won't hardly even go to her mom when Papa is holding her and forget about me, I'm minced meat!!) Jessi and I have decided that the next time they come, Mackenzie will sleep in the loft with Glenn and I and HE can hold her when she starts screaming - don't you think that sounds like a great plan?

Saturday morning we headed over to Joleen's for our annual get together! The kids all played so well together and we enjoyed eating the spread that Joleen always puts out and opening presents!

Kayden and Evan had so much fun playing together and here they're battling their dinosaurs!

Riley, Sophie and Mackenzie posed for us under the Christmas tree - all such cuties!

Our other Christmas party over the weekend (the un-choir party) went as planned and we sure enjoyed seeing our friends, eating tons of great food and singing Christmas carols!

So today is not only the week of Christmas, but also the first day of winter - Solstice!! I'm SO excited to know that the days will now get LONGER from here on out! Only probably not as fast as I would like it to happen..........

Christmas Is Coming!

I'm still here - I'm still alive!! Even though I had so much of my Christmas list done BEFORE I went on vacation, I can't believe how many things I STILL had to do once I got home!! And throw that list in with 3 different Christmas parties and you'll understand why I'm been busy!

But I'm ALMOST ready - I think I say that every year! Today was cooking and baking day with the un-choir party tonight ( I know, a strange name but all the "old" choir members from the Lutheran church get together once a year at our "old" choir director's house and just have a ball!). Besides making my annual punch for it and a salad and a potato dish, I simmered up some apple cider which I seem to go through at about a bottle a week, and also made 6 loaves of my pumpkin bread! When I talked to Jill this afternoon, she pleadingly asked if I would be bringing it for Christmas so of course I couldn't say no

The presents are all wrapped - many, many less this year as the adults decided to draw names but of course we all buy for the kids - so my list was pretty short, considering! I do miss buying for the girls but I have to be honest in saying I DON'T miss buying for the guys - they're just so much harder it seems!

And of course my Christmas cards were ready to go in the mail when we got back from vacation so that's all taken care of - and I'm enjoying getting cards in the mail - the BEST part of picking up the mail each day!

The peanut butter balls and pecan clusters are all made along with a "new" recipe this year - a cracker mix - I'm not usually into mixes of crackers but my friend gave me some of this last year and it's fantastic!! So I decided to make a batch this year and share with friends and family! Does it make a lot??? ABSOLUTELY - I have given 12 tins away and still have a gallon ziploc bag left along with another huge bowl to take for Christmas day! It's easy as pie but sure takes a LOT of ingredients - like to the tune of 8 boxes of crackers, 2 goldfish bags, 1 bag of pretzels, a huge can of mixed nuts, 2 bags of cheetos, and a box of cheese twigs! You mix it up in a black garbage bag - how fun is that??

Also we were excited to have Robby, Jill and Aleah spend a night with us last weekend and Jessi and Gary and the kids spend a night this weekend with us! It will be interesting this year to have Papa and I pack up and head to Denver for Christmas in lieu of having it here at our house! But we'll all be together and that's what counts!

I'll leave you with a picture of Jill and Aleah from their visit to our place - and post pics of Evan and Mackenzie in my next blog of Christmas on Saturday morning with Jo and Becca!

Homeward Bound!

Did you think I was EVER going to get to the end of this vacation??? Yes, it did come to an end! One last picture of the kids in their bunkbeds!

We had a 6:30am pickup from our treehouse and were then whisked to the Disney Magical Express bus to take us to the airport! Jaime and Brad must have bought too much - their bags were overweight so it was shift time from their suitcases to our suitcases! And after a lot of standing in line, Jaime finally got someone to help her print out Kylan's boarding pass! Then the waiting game began............

My first stop was COFFEE! Yummy, yummy coffee!! I guess I must have got some for Glenn too as he's certainly drinking it in this picture!

Kylan and Rayna had fun running around the airport for awhile but of course Kylan ended up falling and here he's showing me his arm where he got a rug burn!

Our sandwiches and cheesecake tasted wonderful on the flight home! And before we knew it, we were back in Colorado - COLD Colorado I might add! But it's always great to be home once again from a trip! Thanks again Jaime and Brad for a great week! We truly enjoyed every minute of it!

A Day With Shannon and Ashley!

Saturday was our last day at Disney World - and what fun to share it with Brad's girls, Shannon and Ashley, who live right there in Orlando!

Since it was still raining that morning, the girls' mom brought them to our resort so they could see the treehouse and hang out for a little while! Then it was off to the bus stop! Below is a picture of what the kids did each day as they waited for the bus to come - they stood at the railing overlooking the lake and watched the fish and the turtles! The last couple of days we FINALLY remembered to bring bread to feed the fish!

We headed to Epcot again on Saturday - did some of our favorite rides again and sure enjoyed being with Shanon and Ashley! Of course all the kingdoms were decked out for Christmas and I love this Micky and Minnie that greets you when you walk into Epcot!

After we came out of the Nemo ride, the kids enjoyed watching the flying water - there were two different sections, one that did long spurts of water and one that just did more of the droplet kind! Rayna's trying to catch the water in this picture and if you look closely, you'll see the water in the air!

The bad news of the day was that Brad lost his cell phone - so he ended up turning in a police report but of course it has never shown up!

Our evening meal was at "The Coral Reef" - one huge side of the restaurant was an acquarium so it was fun to watch the fish, turtles and sharks swim by while we ate! Once again we had some great smoothies to drink before our meal arrived - I had salmon and it was wonderful! But again, WAY too much food so we took our cheesecake to go!

Since this was our LAST night to be there, we decided we had better get our shopping done! Why we left it till the last day was beyond me??? Mine was easy - a Christmas ornament - and they were all over so it wasn't hard to find what I wanted - I knew I wanted one that said 2009 on it! Rayna also found some cute Disney ornaments and a darling stretch bracelet made out of Mickeys'!

All too soon it was time to head back to our place to pack! Jaime and I stopped at the main resort to print out boarding passes for the next morning and to get our bill settled up - an easy enough process except Kylan's pass wouldn't print out!

After checking our meal and snack situation, we discovered that we STILL had 15 snack credits and 5 counter lunches left that were already paid for!! So while I waited for the boarding passes to print and the checkout info, Jaime went shopping - she does that SO WELL!!

There was a place to eat right in the same building so Jaime headed over there and filled a sack up with snacks for the credits AND got 5 lunches to go for our airplane ride the next morning - yummy sandwiches, chips, carrot cake and cheesecake!

Packing up wasn't too difficult - throw it all in the suitcase as it's all dirty anyway - have you ever noticed how dirty clothes take up less room than clean clothes?? We sent our leftover soda and food in the frig home with Shannon and Ashley and just left enough for some cereal in the morning - our last night in the treehouse, sigh.............

A Rainy Day At Hollywood Studios

It was bound to happen - since we knew we were staying a week at Disney World, we had brought our rain ponchos, thinking it would probably rain one day out of seven - it did - it actually rained a day and 1/2! But our spirts were high that morning when we set out - again in capris thinking the rain was going to stop - NOT!!

We donned our wonderful pink and yellow ponchos and tried to dodge the puddles as we walked to the bus stop - Kylan found one anyway and proceeded to step right in it so had wet shoes - a typical boy I guess!

We arrived at the park really hoping the rain would lessen but it didn't - and for some reason, it was really cold out! We shivered our way through a couple of the indoor rides and also saw a couple of theater presentations - getting Kylan in and out of the stroller in the rain and trying to cover him so he didn't get soaked was NOT FUN!! We decided on an early lunch and were not at all happy when the place we had planned to eat it was OUTSIDE!! Most of them are I guess - luckily we found a table where the water was NOT leaking through the roof and huddled together and ate our lunch!

It was still pouring as we made our way over to the 3D Muppet Theater and for once, we didn't mind standing in line since we were inside! We bemoaned the fact that a lot of the things we wanted to see and do were outside and of course just weren't happening because of the rain! After the Muppet presentation and we walked back out into the rain, we all looked at one another and said ENOUGH!! It was just too difficult with the 2 kids in the rain and the lovely ponchos we had on were not long enough so we were all soaked below the knees! Time to head back to the treehouse! We were SO GLAD we came back - got out of our wet clothes, relaxed and watched it rain!

But since we did have dinner reservations that evening back at Hollywood Studios, we put on our layers and our ponchos once again and headed back over for our evening meal! We ate at the 50's and 60's Prime Time Cafe - and it was a fun place! Of course the decor was all done from the 50's and it was fun to look around and see the things we had grown up with (at least Glenn and I). The waiters and waitresses all got into character and ours told us to get our elbows off the table and to clean our plates!

I didn't eat all of my vegetables so was told I WASN'T getting a snack!! But of course I did! They had the BEST chocolate malts there I have ever tasted! Food was good ole' home cooked like what your mom used to make - it was great!! Once again the waiter saw our Anniversary pins and brought out a cupcake with candles!

Kylan was in rare form as he had taken a good nap so spent part of the meal under the table!

I love this random picture that I took of our waiter - and Glenn looks like he has just told Rayna a secret and she's trying to decide whether to tell us or not!!

Unfortunately, we did NOT get to see Fantasmic that night because of the rain! After our meal, we slogged our way through the water and headed back home - the rain continued all night long, along with the thunder and lightning too! It did make for great sleeping though.........

Epcot

I think a person could spend a week at Epcot and still not see everything there is to see! We woke up bright and early and headed over on the buses - only we should have worn jeans that day - the wind was whipping around a lot so we donned jackets most of the day!

We all enjoyed "The Land" and "The Sea"! Of course in the land portion, was my favorite ride, Soarin' - and the rides through the greenhouses were amazing! Rayna and Kylan really enjoyed The Little Mermaid presentation and Finding Nemo - I think they were both spellbound during them!

Today our sit-down dinner was at lunchtime instead of in the evening - we had decided months ago we wanted to eat at La Cellier in the Canada Showplace because it got rave reviews! I knew when I went to book 60 days in advance that it would be tough getting a reservation and I was right - even though I was online booking at 5:00am in the morning, I still couldn't get a dinner reservation at this place - so I did the next best thing! I booked a lunch!

The food was fantastic!! I had filet mignon which was served in a wine/mushroom sauce over a bed of rice - their bread was out of this world -and their raspberry/strawberry smoothies hit the spot! When the waitress saw our "Happy Anniversay" pins, I know she would be bringing something cute for our dessert - and she did!! These cute little "mooses" were actually a chocolate mousse covered in sprinkled chocolate - oh my, it was divine!!

I had read ahead of time that Epcot featured a special program for kids called Kidcot and thought Rayna would enjoy doing it! Basically, you purchased a packet that had a passport, sticker stamps for the different countries and a pin to wear to show you were doing "Kidcot". At the first country, you received a mask to decorate which was glued to a stick and a paper cut-out of something that had to do with that particular country! The person sitting at the Kidcot station in each country would stamp your passport, write you a personal note, and attach another cut-out to your mask!

Rayna and I had a ball doing this - Glenn helped out by trying to locate the place in each country - let me say the kidcot stations were not always easy to find!! We felt like we were on The Amazing Race, running to each country to find the Kidcot station, getting the proper paperwork done and then racing to the next one!! We were getting short of time by this time so to us it WAS a race!! Here is a picture of Rayna decorating her mask!

Our first country was Canada - Kylan was sleeping in the stroller so while the rest of them went to watch the presentation "O Canada", I stayed outside with Kylan and listened to a great band!! When Kylan woke up, he had fun looking through the different masks!

Somewhere in one of the other countries, there was another band playing and Kylan decided to start dancing!

We loved walking through the different countries and riding a couple of the rides they offered in Mexico and Norway - after our Kidcot stop in Norway, I had Rayna pose with this creature - I didn't catch his name!

We ate Mexican for dinner that night and planted ourselves against a fence for support to wait for "Illuminations", the evening firework show at 9:30! It was getting nippy by this time and I happened to see a coffee place - so I stood in line for a long time, knowing that the end result would be warm and good!! But of course I knew I had to order decaff at this time of night! When I FINALLY got to the window, I placed my order and walked to the other side to wait for it - that's when I realized I had forgotten to say DECAFF!!! Gosh darn it!! The coffee was great but alas, I let Glenn drink most of it because the thought of no sleep just didn't sound too good!

Again, the fireworks display was fantastic! We were all in awe! So it was another late night as we raced to catch the bus back to the treehouse - luck was with us as we caught the first bus at each stop -the trick was to keep Kylan awake on the bus as we didn't want him falling asleep and then being wide awake when we got home! I think I sang Row, Row, Row Your Boat more than I've ever sang it before................

Cinderella's Castle

What little girl doesn't dream about becoming a princess for a day - having her picture taken with Cinderella in her castle - and having a special luncheon where each princess comes to your table to sign your autograph book and have a picture taken! This was Rayna's special day!!

They day started at the Bippity Boppity Boo salon - where the workers truly treated the little girls like a princess! First Rayna had to choose which princess she wanted to be - we had talked about this in advance and she had decided on Jasmine! Soon she was whisked to the dressing room where her delightful outfit, complete with shoes, crown and wand were waiting!

After dressing it was time for hair, makeup and nail painting! I could have used a makeover that day but I had to be content to sit and watch Rayna getting made up and of course I was behind the camera most of the time! Rayna decided she wanted to have black hair, just like Jasmine, so of course that's what she received! And by the way, her hairdresser's name was Jessica - how perfect!

After the makeover, we walked back to Liberty Square for a photo session, and then it was back to the castle to meet Cinderella! We opted to have the photographer take a picture with Jaime and I also in it so I was unable to take one, but his picture turned out wonderful and Rayna now has a special keepsake!

Then it was a climb up the red carpeted steps to the huge dining room! A wonderful luncheon was served and soon the trumpets sounded and the princesses arrived! Each princess would come to the table for an autograph and a picture! I snapped and snapped and of course they all came out good - along with Snow White and Jasmine were Belle, Princess Aurora and Sleeping Beauty!

Rayna was excited when Jasmine came over to the table - most of the little girls had chosen to be dressed like the other princesses and I believe there was only one other girl that was dressed like Jasmine - so Rayna felt VERY special, especially when Jasmine wrote in her autograph book - To My Twin!

We had seats right by the window so could look out onto Fantasyland as we ate! The castle had gorgeous windows with lots of stained glass in different sections!

Did Rayna enjoy dessert? I'm sure you have that answer by the chocolate on her face! What she is actually holding is a crown made of pure chocolate - it was dark chocolate so of course I had to help her eat it!

After our amazing time at the castle, we decided to walk around and ride some of Rayna's favorite rides - she got lots of compliments from people walking by us! And how fun to take home a complete outfit for dress up!!

They guys had their own day - they had reservations once again at the Crystal Palace where the Winnie The Pooh characters hang out but this time it was for breakfast! They rode a few rides and then it was back to the treehouse for all of us!

I cooked dinner that night - spagetti, salad and garlic bread - and then Glenn and I took the kids swimming while Jaime and Brad went to Downtown Disney for the evening! Another wonderful day at Disney World!

Tuesday - Animal Kingdom

Now isn't this a sweet picture of Rayna and Kylan eating their breakfast? Even though they never really got to sleep in, they were usually (and I say USUALLY) in pretty good moods when we woke them up!


To keep Kylan entertained on the bus system, Papa would always tell him to Hang On!! And Kylan would!!

Soon we were at the entrance to Animal Kingdom where we met Cindy, Rene', Brenner, and Erica for our last day all together! This kingdom to me is the relaxation kingdom!! There are so many pathways you can walk on and it's very peaceful!! Lots of wild animals to see on the walks and also on the Kilomanjero Expedition!

A couple of years ago when Glenn and I were there, they were just building the Mt. Everest roller coaster ride - so we were excited to ride it!! But after seeing the extremely deep plunge that the roller coaster takes, I was more than a little hesitant to ride, as was Jaime!! I did fine on the ride (although I'm not sure I would ride it again) but Jaime didn't fare as well - she felt pretty lousy for quite a while!!

One of Kylan's favorite spots was Dino Land - here the kids could dig in the dirt/sand or whatever type of mixture it was for bones!! It was about time I had a picture of him with a smile! This boneyard was just part of the huge playpark where kids could run around, slide, walk across bridges and climb!!

This is the entrance to the Boneyard and Rayna and Brenner are actually standing under the dinosaur on the bridge.

Two of my favorite presentations in this park are the Lion King and the 3D It's a Bug's Life!!
They also had some great bands performing Christmas music! This Puerto Rican band was awesome!! They even invited the little ones up to play an instrument and Kylan walked right up and played the jingle bells!!

Another thing Rayna and I did each day in the park was to press pennies! I had read online that there were penny machines throughout the parks so I brought lots and lots of pennies and quarters and whenever we would find a machine, she would press her pennies! Let me tell you, some of these machines were really hard to find! We finally got to the point that when we found one, we would do all 3 choices, just in case we didn't find another one for a while! It was a lot of fun for her and we bought her a book to put all of them in!

All too soon it was time to say goodbye to Cindy and Rene - such great friends and so easy to be with - I KNOW we'll be taking another trip with them soon!!

Our dinner reservations that night were over at the Animal Kingdom Lodge - wow - this place was amazing! Dinner was served buffet style and they had the BEST corn/red pepper chowder soup I have ever tasted! And their pina coladas weren't too shabby either....... As usual, we stuffed ourselves silly but it was oh so worth it!!

Another late night..........