January 2013 Monthly Round-Up

January 2013 has already come and gone - I can hardly believe how fast time seems to go by these days. We had a great month. We started out the new year with Aunt Katie coming to our house for a visit. She and the boys had a blast with crazy Nerf gun battles and epic hide-and-go-seek.

Katie and I went to see The Hobbit and even tried out a new (to me) Mexican restaurant here in Castle Rock that was great. She tried guacamole for the first time ever and loved it! :)

Byron and the boys went skiing at Copper Mountain early in the month. They had a great time. I was a little worried because Jack had sworn off skiing ever again after breaking his collarbone last year on their last ski trip. But after moving out here and hearing his friends talk about how much skiing they do, he must have changed his mind. He did just fine getting back up on skis again.

The boys continued swimming lessons in January. They are really improving their swim strokes. I love seeing their progress. And of course, they love being able to swim in the water park after lessons twice a week.

We spent a Saturday in January going to the Downtown Aquarium in Denver. It was a fun day with lots to see.

We tried to go on a hike to Devil's Head mountain, but we didn't realize the road up there would be closed until April. So we made it part of the way up and then stopped to hike around the low mountains instead. It was still a beautiful hike.

The boys have loved having their Kindles since Christmas. Definitely the best Christmas present ever. Dad has helped them download a few apps he plays on his phone and now they all play together.

Daisy and I have been walking down to get the boys from school most days when the weather is good. It's funny to watch her sit patiently waiting for the boys to come over the hill into the park where we wait for them. She doesn't move a muscle when all the other kids come past us, and then she sees them and goes crazy. She must be able to smell them or hear that it's them. Somehow she knows.

At the end of the month, we got a bit more snow. We hadn't had any since Christmas. It started snowing a little bit one night as we were going into the rec center for swim lessons. By the time we came out, it was full-on crazy snowing. As in, I-could-hardly-see-to-drive-us-home snowing. It was crazy. And kinda scary. (And being a mom means you can't panic your kids by freaking out in front of them.) But we made it home just fine in my lovely, trusty minivan.

The next morning, everything was peaceful and white, with the moon still out over the west.

And that's it for January...

December 2012 Round-Up

December was an awesome month for us. I love how these round-ups have really shown us all the things we do get to do during each month. What a blessed life we have! I truly appreciate each day we get to spend together - there's nothing greater than family. :)

So what did we get up to in December? We started out the month with Grandma Debbie here for visit. I hinted at some fun things we did - it included not one, but two trips to IKEA. We might have done a little bit of shopping...

After our shopping trip to downtown Castle Rock, we brought home a very cool nightstand for Jack. We then knew we'd have to get one for Nathan too, so my mom decided to make one. (My mom is a very talented artist and crafter - I like to think I inherited a lot of my craftiness from her.) We then decorated the boys' room with all the maps and globes we found on our shopping trip. It was a great weekend project.

We were so glad Grandma could come and spend some time with us. We're looking forward to her next visit.

The start of December for us always brings the Lego Advent Calendar. We love to see what each day brings as we count down to Christmas.

The boys started swim lessons last month, and then started diving lessons at the start of December. They weren't too thrilled after the first class, each having experienced their first belly flops. I forgot how hard it is to learn how to dive. Poor guys. By the third lesson, Nathan got some pretty good dives in by the third week, but Jack was not a fan and was super glad when it was all done. At least they tried...

Mid-month, the boys attended a movie night at their new school. Imagine 200 elementary-school kids trying to watch a movie without their parents. It was a crazy time. Jack and Nathan, normally extremely quiet by nature, were not amused. Oh well...

We got a bunch of snow here in Colorado. It never seems to last very long, but it sure is beautiful, especially when I don't have to shovel it.

Before we knew it, Christmas was here. We were so lucky to have Byron's sister, husband, and boys come to our house for the holiday. Jack and Nathan love their cousins and always have so much fun. We spent the first day they were here hiking at Garden of the Gods.

We spent the rest of the time playing at home (with a side trip to Jumpstreet). There was a lot of video-game-playing and some card games too.

We made a lot of great food too - including my favorite meal of the year, Christmas Eve appetizers (with chocolate fondue).

Christmas Day was a wonderful, low-key day with family...

The big hit of Christmas was the boys' new Kindles. They love them - and they'll come in very handy when school starts up again for doing homework.

The boys go back to school on January 7. Until then, their main goal in life is to stay in their pajamas for as long as possible each day - the whole day if they can. I think it's a great goal...LOL.

November 2012 Round-Up

November is done - we had a great month full of exploring and learning about our new town.

At the start of the month, I finished unpacking the house and we resumed our normal family life - including lots of board games that were finally unpacked and available.

We hiked as a family at Castlewood Canyon, which is very close to our house. It's one of the most beautiful places we've ever hiked.

Dad spent a few nights out of town this month, so the boys insist on sleeping with me even though they're honestly way too large to share a bed with anyone anymore.

We've also spent a good deal of time at the park down the street. It's connected to the school playground, so we all love to go down there to play. The boys even love to ride their bikes down there by themselves to play - there are usually lots of kids there to hang out with too.

Another benefit of unpacking - everything old is new again. The boys have rediscovered Rock Band and have been playing nonstop.

Mid-month, I helped organize a PTO event for their school - Turkey Game Night. It was a free bingo game night for the kids and families to win prizes and have fun. The boys had a great time - but they weren't happy that they never got a bingo.

We spent Thanksgiving at our home this year, just the 4 of us. Our dinner was great (if I do say so myself) with turkey, stuffing, 2 types of mashed potatoes, gravy, broccoli, biscuits, and cranberry sauce, plus 3 pies.

The next day, we hiked at Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. If possible, this place was even more beautiful than Castlewood Canyon...

Then, we decorated for Christmas. So glad to have our holiday stuff up to enjoy for the month.

The last week of the month, the boys started swim lessons at the rec center. They love swimming there - the pool is amazing.

And finally, on the 29th, my mom came to town to visit, making her the first guest in our new home. We had a great time shopping and doing stuff with the boys.

That's it for November - can't wait for all the fun of December...