Halloween 2010

Even though it fell on a "School Night" - and the party couldn't get "out of control", we still managed to have a great time on Halloween!

We had the Contreras Family over again this year. And, for some more added fun - and kid noise, we decided to add the Wallace Family as well! We had a house full of kids, but I loved it! The excitement, the joy, the noise - it just takes you back to the excitement you remember as a kid at Halloween.

It reminds me of when I was a kid and the entire family met "in town" at Grandma's House to Trick or Treat, eat too much, and visit w/family. I'm glad we can build similar memories for Abby - and Trick or Treating is ALWAYS more fun w/your buddies!

Amy C. made her (now famous) Mummy Dogs again this year and we told them they had to finish their dinner before Trick or Treating. You have never seen kids eat SO fast and SO well! :)




Then we attempted some Group Shots - maybe we should have done that BEFORE the major excitement set in. Or not - these are TRUE to the feelings of the moment I guess.

Belle, Iron Man, Thomas, James, Snow White and Pocahontas...

My Precious Puppy and Beautiful Belle...

Three of the Four Contreras Kids...

Beauty and the Beast...

Then, they were OFF and running...

Andy was happy that he got a sucker (below) and to try his hand at playing w/Zach (Above). Mostly he just talked/yelled at him and Zach wasn't quite sure what to do w/that!

Baby Andrew you ask? Well, he wasn't all that impressed - maybe next year... :)

Disney On Ice!

Halloween morning Grammy, Abby, and I went to see "Disney on Ice - Let's Celebrate" at the Rose Garden. Abby was SO excited - and that is MY FAVORITE part of the day - watching her get all excited and smile from ear to ear!

The pictures really don't turn out well with the lighting and the show lights in there, but this is mostly a post for her, and her Daddy, Papa, and Brother. She wanted them to see what they were missing by staying home and doing boy things. So, I told her I would take lots of pictures to show them!

We got there and Abby got Cotton Candy as her snack and light up fairy wings as her souvenir!




Mickey, Minnie, The Fairy Godmother, and all the the Princesses (sans Sleeping Beauty - ?) were there!

Others that were there - and we were REALLY excited about were Stitch, the Toy Story Toys, Peter Pan, Tink, and Alice.

It was actually a really good show - better than last year. It was just a variety of different characters in different little stories as opposed to focusing on 2 or 3 of the movies. It was cool - kept her attention, and a smile on her face, 100% of the time!

Princess Play

Grammy, Abby, and I went to Disney on Ice this last Sunday - Halloween. But, another post about that later...

Abby was having a hard time deciding which tiara to wear that day over breakfast. Andy was a great Baby Brother and helped her decide by modeling for her!

I love that he is wearing his "Super Hero" PJs while modeling a Tiara!

In the end, Abby wore the Pink one and I wore the one Andy modeled - whew glad we got that figured out!

Cupcake Cutie!

The Saturday before Halloween the Beavs playes the Cal Bears - at home. We had a big day the following day, so we decided to leave the kids home w/our good Friend Auntie Kati! Her and Rob were nice enough to Adopt our kids for the day. Not sure what they did EXACTLY, but this is a picture I found on my camera...

Apparently they had a Halloween Party that evening - or at least I hope! :0)

They did actually, becuase we went and picked up our kids from it after the game. They were running around a house full of strangely dressed people enjoying cupcakes that Kati had made earlier that day. Red Velvet Cupcakes w/Pink "Brains" for frosting. I think Andy either really enjoyed them, or was really hungry!

Anyways, Beavs won (woohoo) and Andy got a cupcake - or at least as much of it as he got in his mouth! :)

PS Harvest Party

The Friday before Halloween, Abby has her Harvest Party at Preschool. We had two Belles, two Transformer Bumblebees, two G.I. Joes, and two Ballerinas. Lucky, at this age, that is cool. Or else we might have had an issue! :)

The kids were so cute and well behaved. I love these days when I get to spend the entire time in Abby's classroom.

It makes me realize, or reminds me, of a lot of things:
1. Abby is a GOOD kid and I'm so proud of the way she listens and respects her teachers!
2. I'm SO glad she has the opportunity to attend such a great PS.
3. What a good, hands on Dad that Trav is.
4. How tiring these children are and how much I respect her teachers!
5. I'm SOOOOOOOOO glad I'm not a PS Teacher! :)

I was put in charge of the photo taking for the class, so I won't bore you w/ALL the pictures I took, but here are some cute ones of Abby and her best buddies!

Top Left to Right: Tori, Henry, Nate, Nate's brother Isaac, & the other Belle - Ava.
Below that are some photos of Abby, Michael (Iron Man), and Tyler (Mario)



Trav was able to come to the party as well and he was in charge of a station - which is GREAT, because that meant I didn't have to be! :) He really got into helping them create their snack for later that day - Monster Hands. The teacher even gave him a chat to learn and teach the kids - he really got into it. Such a good Dad!!! Next time you see him, ask his to teach you the "Making Monster Stew" song! :)

Here are some photos of:
- Abby, Michael, Tyler, and Emily making their Monster Hands.
- Abby and Michael making their glass pumpkin decorations at the craft table.
- Calvin "cleaning up" after snack time.

So, since both Trav and I were both there - and busy, you are wondering where and what Andy is up to right? Well, he played in the kitchen w/the little girls, ate his weight in Pirate Booty, hung out w/Friend Wyatt and Miss Amie, and oh... yeah... he has a Blue Sucker! :)

Welcome Baby Andrew!

My dear friend Amy Contreras had her 4th baby on 10/22/2010 at 11:30pm - Andrew James. 8lb, 8oz of pure perfection. He is so sweet and cute and beautiful - It makes me want another one - for about 3.5 seconds. Then, I was over it pretty quick! I will just love on him as I see fit! I just love his little cheeks and soft skin and 100% baby-ness that is him!

I can't wait to watch him and my Andy grow and change over the next few years alongside eachother! She also has a little boy (did I mention she has FOUR children now?) that is 18 months older than Andy. So, my Andy is sandwiched right in-between her Zach and her new little Andrew. I have a feeling that those three will make quite the little club of little men and I can't wait to watch!

Her older two (yes, she really does have FOUR kids) are Alex (6) and Kayla (4) and they are just great buddies to Abby. Kayla and Abby are only 6 weeks apart, and Alex and Abby just "click" for a lack of a better term. So, I love the dynamic and nice 2:1 ratio we have going on w/them right now!

Now, I tease her about the four kids (pretty bad actually), but I must take a serious moment and just give Amy some props. She is a GREAT mom and even GREATER person. If anyone was made to have a big family, it was Amy. Every time I see her, and hang out w/her and her kids I'm amazed by her attitude, enthusiasm, and love she has for her kids. Her laid back, but totally organized way of doing things makes me want to be a better mom - I wish I could find that balance! She really does inspire me. She is giving, forgiving, sweet, calm, and as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside. Her children are well behaved, loving, and just so darn cute!

What can I say, we love the Contreras family (Michael isn't that 1/2 bad either) and feel VERY blessed to have sat next to them in church those 4 years ago! Who knew that two little bald baby girls would bring us together and give us such a great family to parent alongside?

Anyways, here is Abby, meeting Andrew this last week. I have to say, she was an old pro - I didn't have to remind her about anything about holding a baby - she had it down!

Pumpkins!

The week before Halloween this year was WET - Rain, Rain, Rain... There was a break in the flood on Wednesday evening. So, we (and by WE I mean Trav and the Kids) ran outside and got some Pumpkin Carving done!

This was Andy's first year involved in the action, and I have to say he was less than impressed. Abby at this age couldn't wait to dig into the pumpkins and thought it was so funny. Andy, Andy basically gave them both the "Huh?" stare. We tried to get him into it - 'no go' really. Maybe it was the looming rumor that he would end up inside one? I dunno...



But like most men - he did get a tad bit more interested when he realized that there were tools involved in the process. He tapped the pumpkin a little w/the scoop. Mostly he just walked around w/it and checked other things out.

Abby you ask? Well, sadly... Abby "girled out" on Trav this year. This was the first year she didn't really want a part of the guts and basically spent most of the time making faces and letting Daddy do the work - girl after my own heart actually... :)

In the end, they both appeased me long enough to do the posed Pumpkin Pictures - the real reason I enjoy pumpkin carving! Andy did end up in the pumpkin, but I guess we needed a bigger/taller one because he was having no part in the "sitting down" inside of it.

Then we (and by WE I mean me and the kids) all went inside, got cleaned up, warmed up, and ate dinner.

Trav spent the next two evenings finishing up - Don't they look great!?!?

Andy - 15 Months Old!

Andy turned 15 months old on 10/24 - what a big little man!

Let's see... most recently

• He got tooth #8 (and I'm hoping we might be done for a little while? Most likely not...).
• He joined us at the "Family Table"
• He learned to RUN
• He still loves to read, get into everything, and to yell at the TV when Football is on.
• He can go up AND down the stairs well enough I don't really watch him anymore - let's face it, I'm busy - Just Kidding! He is really good at it now though!
• He has started to attempt a spoon and fork - he is about 50/50 accurate I would say.
• He has learned "Touchdown" (complete w/arm signal), "O-S-U", and "Papa". Hmmm... Can you tell WHO has been working w/him on his words? :)
• He is just a happy, funny, little boy. I remember why I like this age - they become entertainers and just make you laugh - and we all need that most days!

Goin' on a Punkin Hunt...

This year marked our 3rd trip out to the Bauman's Pumpkin Patch. I always thought it was cool, but this year I realized HOW cool it really is! Funny given the weather, because we actually didn't take the time to enjoy all it had to offer this year.

Abby went to the Pumpkin Patch THREE times this season - THREE different patches. So, I had something to compare it to...

1. I joined a Christian Moms Group called "MOPS" (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers) this fall and maybe I will explain that in another post, but for now - just go w/it. Anyway, they had a "Mommy and Me" trip to a patch close to our house earlier in the month.

Now, Trav and I went to this same patch when Abby was about Andy's age (or exactly actually). It was the weekend before Halloween and there were NO pumpkins left in the patch and there was just a barnyard full of totes of pumpkins and some displays to take your picture at. We thought it was because we were so late in the season and just took our pictures, bought our pumpkins from a tote and left. Well, that wasn't the case.

This year when I went back, I thought I was at my parents house - with totes of pumpkins added. There were some black tile slides, and a "hay maze" made out of a barn full or straw, but that was about it outside of the barnyard and baby animals to look at. Disappointing, but Abby liked it. She picked her pumpkin out of a tote, and we went thru the McDonald's Drive thru on the way home. She was happy.

2. The second trip was thru her PS. Now this patch sounded cooler (hayride, boat ride, train ride, etc.), but there were NO pumpkins. Her and Trav came home w/two green pumpkins because they were so picked over. Sad. But, we still had Bauman's to look forward to and boy am I glad we go there!

3. Trip #3 was on a wet and soggy day and it almost didn't happen because of rain and some last minute scheduling stuff. But it did - and I'm glad it did! I mean really where else, but the country, could Elizabeth and Abby have this much fun in their boots?

Have I told you lately (like in the last two posts) that these two just crack me up every time I see them together? I think they found, and sampled, EVERY puddle they could find. Those new boots have been QUALITY tested and I must say - they did just fine! :)




Where else but in the country could you find pumpkins, this big, and orange? Because apparently Hillsboro had a shortage!

Andy wasn't sure what to think of it exactly. I'm sure it was something like "I hear talk of being put IN one of these, could I really be hearing that right?" Oh yes little man, welcome to Pumpkin Carving w/Mommy - you will fit in one of these - mark my words!

He rocked the new boots. Okay, well Papa and Trevor spent most of the time putting them back on him, but they were cute and looked stylish!

The rain actually held off the entire time we were out in the patch hunting - which was good. It allowed us to get some great photos! (Which is really the only reason *I* go to the patch - Shhh, don't tell).

We then bribed the kids w/donuts and treats to get past all the activities. Now, we usually do stay and do the activities - this is where you could honestly spend all day if you wanted to. But, since the weather was iffy, we didn't want to buy a pass only to be rained out. So, off to the food court (greenhouse - warm!) we went. We feasted on Bauman Farms donuts, caramel corn, apple cider slushies, apple cider, caramel apples, and fruit leather (random). It was great. That is what *I* call a good time at the pumpkin patch!

So the verdict you ask? Bauman's wins HANDS DOWN. Seriously, if you have never been, go. Here is the website - check it out!

http://www.baumanfarms.com/

Honk!

So, this weekend Trav is gone on a Boys' Rally Weekend Thingy. I'm not sure what it even involves outside of cars and beer. But, he always seems to have a good time! That left me alone w/the kids from Friday a.m. until Sunday a.m. - Eek! Something I know I'm capable of, but don't really look forward to.

Wasn't it a WONDERFUL surprise when my Dad called yesterday and said that him and mom would take the kids, for TWO nights, until Sunday a.m.! What? I would be alone, in my house, for 36 hrs - sign me up!

Abby had school today and then we came home, ate lunch, and got them packed to leave. Right before they left, they were all snuggly and came to sit w/me while Trav loaded up the car. They were being so cute I told Trav to get the camera and come in.

Well, right about that time, I "honked" Abby's nose. She "honked" mine. That was it, that was all it took for Andy to learn a new trick. It was all downhill from there...




We did get a few good shots after they got all the "honking" out of their little systems! :)

I sure do love these two little boogers!

Puppy

So, here is a picture from this week (Tuesday). Andy fell asleep in his chair before 1pm that day. Naptime is at 1:30pm, but hey... he was obviously tired. Cute picture - I personally love the one sock on, one sock off. You will also notice he is hanging onto puppy. His most precious puppy.... Precious Puppy that is in almost EVERY picture of Andy. Sadly, we lost puppy the very next day. :(

Andy had a Doctors appointment right next to Costco that day. Right after the appointment I had a 20 minute window to run into Costco, get a price adjustment, grab lunch for the kids (they love the hotdogs there), before picking up Abby from PS.

I had to go to Costco for the soul purpose of getting $15 back that they had overcharged me two days before. That $15 cost us Puppy. Somewhere between the food court (we were playing peek-a-boo w/him while waiting for our order), and the car (parked right next the the handicapped parking, so close), we lost puppy. Andy was throwing a fit and tired and I was just trying to "get out of there". I'm kicking myself SO hard over this. I feel so bad. That damn dog goes EVERYWHERE w/Andy. Everywhere.

As we were driving away Andy was throwing himself a MAJOR fit and I looked for his binky and his puppy to appease him. Thinking back now, I think he was crying because he dropped puppy. I pulled over and tore the car apart - no puppy. I drove back to my parking spot. No puppy. I went to customer service, walked the parking lot, and chatted up every Costco person around - no Puppy. Some one took our Puppy. Who does that? What parent wouldn't know how important a lovely is to another kid?

Now, I know this is just a stuffed animal and thank the heavens that I had the foresight to order a second one months ago. But, I'm just so upset at myself, society, and even Costco. If they had never overcharged me, I would have never been there to lose puppy.

Maybe I have just seen to many Toy Story Movies? Maybe I'm losing it? I don't know... this isn't the first time I have failed my kids, nor will it be the last, but I feel bad over this.

Trav went back later that day and looked EVERYWHERE he could think of, I have called every day since to see if he has shown up. He hasn't. But, let me tell you, everyday I call they tell me what IS there. If you are missing a red monkey, a blue Thomas Train, a white bunny, or a green frog - call Costco. They have it.


Anyway... Life happens, we move on, and now that I have vented a little, I will too.

Love you Blue Puppy, You will be missed!

It is days like this...

that I'm VERY thankful that this blog is restricted to a select few. Because, really... These photos are too funny not to share...

I'm not exactly sure what she has been watching (DWTS), but she is under the impression that this is "Dressed up like a dancer". :)

I think that Trav was going to have a heart attack over the see-thru skirt, but he made it... :)

PS Pumpkin Patch Field Trip

Abby had her first Field Trip as a big four year old. I won't bore you w/a bunch of pictures of kids you don't know. But, they all were very cute and I know Trav said he had a great time taking her (I didn't get to go - tear...)




Oh here is a random photo of Jenna and Steph (two of the moms that I know read this blog). They are just as pretty on the inside as they are on the outside - We are so lucky to have such a great group of mommies - and kids!

Anyways, not sure why my husband is taking random pictures of them, but it was too cute not to post! :)

Home Again!

First day home from our Denver trip and Cal and Ty were SO excited - they showed up at 7:30am the next morning to greet us! Well Janet had a dentist appointment at 8am, so I was baby-sitting, but I'm sure they would have come to greet us given the chance!

Denver Trip - Day FIVE

Day #5 in Denver was a "Flying Day". Nothing much happened - which is good when you are traveling w/two small children! My kids were angels on the plane - just angels. I couldn't have been more happy w/them considering that they were overtired and ready to get home. Here is a picture from security. Abby is just awesome - enough said...



A VERY special thanks to the Wheelers' for hosting us. We are very blessed to have you guys as friends and now family! I mean really - Abby doesn't call all her friends "cousins", so apparently you guys touched her too! Until next time - we love you and can't wait to go back!

Denver Trip - Day FOUR

Day #4 in Denver started off w/a piano recital by none other than my two kids! They were so dang cute sitting there together it made me want to run out and buy a piano - almost. Do you know how loud, and bad, and loud, and bad, and loud two kids can be on one piano in one house? Wow. But they were cute. Very cute. I love the smile on Andy's face - so proud of himself!




After that, we took a day trip up to Estes Park. Now I have been to Denver four times. I have also been to Estes four times. In fact it has been the one constant to all my trips. Each time I have visited Courtney, she has lived in a different Denver area. But, each time, somehow... we end up in Estes!

Estes is a cute little touristy town. It has the Stanley Hotel from the "Shining" there. Now, I know what you are going to say "No Danielle. The Shining was filmed at Timberline". Yes, it was. But, they used the Stanley Hotel as well. So there.

We have done numerous things there. Once we took pictures of the hotel and the Elk that were walking around outside of it. One time we found a Swedish Shop and stocked up on Diam Candy Bars - random. Once we ate at the Estes Park Brewery. Um, let's just say they should leave the Microbrews up to the NW and stick to Bud and Coors in Colorado! :) Once, the first time, I don't think I left the touristy street w/the 10,000 candy and t-shirt shops. But, each time we have done something different - so it is fun!

This is the view as you are driving into Estes. It is just so cool - views like this are why I always have to get to the Rockies when I visit Denver. It would be like going to Oregon w/out visiting the Beach - you just can't miss it!

Once in Estes proper - and by that, I mean Touristy Row, we HAVE to stop and get our "old time" photo done. I'm not sure why. The first time I went w/Trav, we did it for fun. Both of us had always wanted to do one...

This was March of 2005 - Right before we got married...

The next time was November of 2007. Little Abby was 15 months old and just as cute as a button! To this day, this photo is framed in my living room. No small feat for those of you that have seen the number of photos I cycle thru my frames!

This time we added a 4th to the picture and I have to say, he gives the "button" a run for her money! :) But, I have to say she looks adorable in this one as well - this is up on my fireplace as we speak!

Next was Pizza at this hole in the wall place that I WILL go back to some day. It was so yummy, next time I might go to Estes just for that!

After lunch we did some "high speed" gift shopping. Hard to do w/four kids that want to hit the candy store and have nap time looming. But, we did it and we headed up to the Ranch for horseback rides. Definitely a highlight for Abby, and I have to give props to my iPhone on this one. I just randomly Googled "things to do in Estes w/kids" into it and wha-la. Pony Rides. Duh, what can be more Colorado-ish than a pony ride in the Rockies!?!?!?

Abby picked out Duke and I have to say, that this, her new "cousins", and the Kangaroo at the Zoo, are they three things I hear about from this trip. Her and Duke toured the resort area and the barnyard for close to 1/2 hour. She LOVED it and was pretty darn cute as well.

Andy was SO interested in what Abby was doing and showed NO fear of the horse. He kept toddling after her down the gravel road and I could NOT keep him out of the dust and grime and from tripping over rocks. He had to get to her. Not that the grassy area was much better I discovered. Can we say Deer Droppings? OMG, what do they feed those Deer in Colorado - it was everywhere!? Anyway... Off topic... Andy got to sit on the Pony as well and was just so happy to be like big sister!

After our 1/2 hour was up, we bid Duke our good-byes and headed back into Denver.

This was our view as we left Estes. Again, just pretty. Kids slept on the way home, so Trav and I got to enjoy the scenery and the quiet drive!

We got home from Estes, packed swim suits, and headed off to the Greeley Funplex. Yes, we crammed all of this into ONE day. The kids were GREAT and we wanted to take them swimming because 1) I knew they would love it, and 2) we had already told them we were going. So, off to the Funplex we went and it was COOL! It is like a Mini Great Wolf Lodge - complete w/dumping bucket - the whole works. It was so much fun and I'm glad we went!

Denver Trip - Day THREE

Day Three in Denver started w/a lazy morning at home followed by a trip to Cracker Barrel for Brunch. I mean really, you CAN'T go to Denver and NOT go to Cracker Barrel! Well, you can. But then we wouldn't have our tradition of the remembering why Travis "never wants to go to another Cracker Barrel again", now would we?

Trav went on a family vacation once and ate at the Cracker Barrel and Applebee's enough times to last him a lifetime. He came home from that trip and said "never again". So, last time we went to Denver I told that to Courtney. So, of course, we HAD to go there! Keeping w/tradition, we HAD to go there again this time! It is just our little torture we put him thru! Because, I can.

Andy apparently hasn't been there enough times - he was pretty impressed w/it! He had hash browns and a pancake and sausage and... Well, you get the picture. He liked it. He started hamming it up for me when I pulled out the camera, so I took FULL advantage of that - as most of you know, he usually won't look at the camera when I'm behind it w/out MUCH coaxing. So, like I said, I took advantage!




Next, we had to take some Rocking Chair pictures outside... Oh, and Abby had Cherry Topped Pancakes. Interesting choice in my opinion, but she liked them. Logan and Abby were really cute playing Checkers as well. They had NO idea how, but had fun making patterns on the squares!

Next, we got back in the car and headed to a Dairy close by to buy some fresh ice cream for dessert and check out some farm animals - yummy! (the ice cream, NOT the animals)

Andy got to see a baby cow up close and personal - he was happy.

Then, back in the car, back to the Wheelers' for about an hour, then back in the car and headed up to Fort Collins to check out the Budweiser Plant. Trav took the "behind the scenes" Beermaster tour while the rest of us took the regular old tour. Both ended at the Clydesdale's and the Bar. So, all parties involved were happy.

Thanks to Jeremiah and Courtney (non-drinkers) for being good sports and giving Trav this time - he really enjoyed the tour - and the beer! :)

The kids, of course, didn't care much about the tour. But, they were really good considering it was at 2pm in the afternoon, it was boring to them, they outnumbered the adults, and they were promised "Rootbeer" at the end of the tour and had to settle for Sprite - seriously, they didn't have Rootbeer! They did, however, eat their weight in free pretzels. Serves them right for not having Rootbeer on tap!

Oh, but Abby did think the Horses were really cool - as did Andy actually. If he could have said it, I think he would have said "Woh". He just stared at him... forever.

Here are some "behind the scenes" pictures Trav took while on the tour....

Then, we got BACK in the car and drove to Loveland and had dinner w/Trav's old boss and his wife. At a NICE restaurant. My kids were ANGELS I tell you. Angels. I couldn't have been more proud of them - especially after the long day they had had.

Next, we got BACK in the car and drove home to the Wheelers' house, put the kids to bed, watched the Beaver Game - go Beavs! There were board games and dessert involved as well - noticing a trend? :)