I'm tellin' ya

Colorado has some of the most beautiful sunsets I've seen in a long time.



We spent the weekend on a spontaneous trip to Colorado. Up and back in 4 days.
We had a great visit with a couple of friends & sure enjoyed the warmer weather.
Here are a few things we did spontaneously!
(Be ye warned: A LOT of pictures, very little text)






I love it when we get to spend regular everyday time with Daddy. I think that Daddy loves it too.


And the kiddos got to attend a birthday party & they played a bit of baseball!

These 2 girls are the same age (A-bear is slightly younger). Can you believe the difference in height? A-Bear has gotten so big!

HY hit a ball for the first time. I was so pleased to see how fast he caught on.



Thanks so much Graffitti for letting us come so spontaneously! It's too fun to see you.


We did see Lise and her family, but wouldn't you know it...I didn't stop to take pictures, except for our very delightful FHE on keeping the 10 Commandments. (I was totally floored at how good the kids where for the lesson---not like the lessons at home that's for sure). I snapped this shot while the kids were leading the closing song. Notice Mini-E is multi-tasking.


The two E's really got into it.

Thanks so much for a fun weekend. Next time, I get a picture with Lise and me! It's been a few years.

Cut me some slack

Last Thursday we piled in the car and headed to Colorado for a little family trip. Farmboy loves to drive, and I love to not drive so it works out just right. The drive wasn't too bad. It was actually quite beautiful at times. And HY was in heaven--what will all the tunnels and trains. Plus he got to indulge in his latest craze. (Thomas the Train)


But what's in Colorado? Only some of our dearest friends EVER!

Talk about fun. Our kids had so much fun playing and dressing up (we don't have dress up clothes at our house, so this was a real treat.)
Mini-E was a princess for the first time.


(Big Boy J was a good sport and let me put a tu tu on & this red hat).

We visited the Cozy Cow & learned all about where milk comes from. And we splurged on some egg nog (mamma's fav) and chocolate milk (daddy's fav). But we didn't stay long because it was windy and freezing!

We made the yummiest meals ever. And Red E was her Momma's big helper.


Of course HY came to help "clean up"---

Mini-E favorite spot was in the retro high chair eating her usual 4 bowls of Cereal!
Yes, FOUR bowls!

gotta find me one of those cool chairs...

Hair courtesy of Lise

On Saturday, we were joined by another favorite family.

more pictures here.

We wanted the BYU game, ate hogies & just hung out. It was a fabulous reunion.


HY and Red E played all day and night with minimal problems. I'm not surprised, this little lady is such a sweetheart.

But Mini-E & Big Boy J were another story. A bit of competition there! But I'm convinced they love each other deep down inside.

more here.

A big huge Thank you to our Friends who invited us into their home and let us be apart of their everyday lives. It was such a treat! We love you!!!

Since being home, I've cleaned & cleaned & cleaned* & still my house isn't the way I'd like it to be. I've been busy with photos session, planning Thanksgiving, designing custom Christmas Cards, & trying to get everything in order for a Christmas Mini-Session. (watch for that soon)

*laundry, unpack, bathrooms, de-clutter, dinner, dinner, sweep, mop, kitchen...the list goes on

So, there you have it.
We have Christmas lights up, but not turned on (there are 3 people on our street with lights on--crazy)

And last night I was treated with the a girl's night out to the Cheesecake Factory and TWILIGHT! A true treat!

Sum it up Sunday

SadlyI've done it again. Poor little blog. All alone. Holidays really throw off the schedule, but that's the way we like it right?

Here's a bit of what we've been doing this week:

Here's a little something that I created for Aunt Runnie's YW in Excellence Program. The girls are making a recipe book & this is the cover. It didn't turn out the way invisioned it, but...sometimes you take what you can get in the way of creativity.
Thanksgiving dinner at Aunt CC's house. Here's the beautiful table set by her kids. Sadly, it took much MUCH longer to create this meal than to consume it. I suppose that's the story everyone has to tell.
This little girl is a bundle. You may recognize her from here & here. She's grown quite a bit I'd say. I was so happy when she & her parents dropped by for a visit. What a treat.
Visited this favorite friend & her fiance (yes, she is getting married...they have a date set & all) & watched the BYU game!!! We were so pleased (& a little nervous) watching our Cougars! But they came through once again. Ra-ra-ra, ra, ra-Go Cougars! Thanks for letting us hang out with you hf.

And I did a few of these last night & today. I'm all out of creativity so I decided to only do QuickPages that I found on Ikea Goddess. There seemed to be an abundance of them. They aren't my favorite when it comes to scrapbooking, but I try to use them ONLY to catch up on the old stuff. That's my rule...generally.

If you can dream it Friday

I realize that today is NOT Friday, but some of you won't even read this until Friday & I will be gone. Gone to Colorado.--I'm going for a Wedding of one of my cousins(sorry girls, not in Denver). I'll be sure to take lots of pictures.

How cute is this. She let little HY pluck a few of the harp strings.

As for Dream it Friday: Continuing nicely with the wedding/colorado theme this is a video from when I was in Colorado staying with Graffiti. One of the things on my list (things I want to accomplish in life) was to have a harpist at my wedding. Well, I had the harpist, but alas--no harp. Watch the video & you'll see how amazing this girl really is.

One of the most honest, gracious, generous, fun, intelligent, talented & innovative people I know. So glad she's my friend. Some day we'll share how she got her name.

PS: check out Jennie's blog. She's got some fabulous news. Don't hesitate to give her some love.

The universe is speaking to me...

...but am I going to listen???

So lately it seems that every where I look people are getting their hair cut. I run into a friend at the store & she introduces me to ...yep..."a girl who does hair"! I visit a friend in the ward. She asks, "So who does YOUR hair?" Tina got her hair cut a few months ago= darling. Graffit just got her hair cut last week= darling! So, what's the deal? Should I cut it or not. It's simply horrible in my opinion, but perhaps I'm just going thru the "in-between-stage." I put it in a pony tail EVERY single day. No joke! And when I say 'get it cut'...I mean...ALL of it! Off! Short! So, what think all you beauty queens, mothers, & friends?

picture by RachelCreative

You gotta have these-

Yep, that's right. I made homemade wipies. Thanks to Graffiti & her recipe. The hardest part was cutting the paper towels. So before putting HY down to bed for about the up-teenth-time(you gotta love getting back into a real schedule after a vacation)--I was a homemaker for about 10 minutes.


Check out Graffit's recipe. You'll save a bundle on wipies.


Question for all you smart mothers...What do I do when my 2 year old can open those "child-proof" locks??? Oh, & is there anything I can put on his door to make it "kick resistant"? If not, than I'm about to get creative. Suggestions welcome!

A-Bear & Mini-E

I know this LO is like picture overload, but sometimes I just can't choose just ONE (or 2 or 5) of my favorite pictures. These 2 little girls were so cute together. A-Bear (aka Baby AJ: daughter of Graffiti) has the greatest expressions. And the most fabulous eyebrows!! Mini-E was thrilled to have someone her own age to play with. Why should HY have all the fun, right? Credits:{ Simply Sarah Template, Snuggle Paper & Accessories}

Take me out to the ball game

Last night we did this... Yep, you guessed it. A Colorado Rockies Baseball Game. We may have only lasted for 3 innings, but boy did we have fun. Here are a few of my favorite moments: {Mini-E giving giggles to Graffiti. Cooling off with a bit of ice. Our water stash...thanks Rich-Daddy for always being prepared.}

I *heart* these pictures of my 2 men.

Cutest little family ever. Wish I hadn't overexposed this. A poor baby AJ...so sad.