Balloon Fiesta 2013

We sure do love our International Balloon Fiesta.  It really never gets old.  I know I say that every year, but it's still true, so I'm still saying it.  It's simply awesome!  My boys love it too.  You'd think they'd get used to it, but they still excitedly point out balloons floating overhead as we drive to school. 

This year, we drove around the first weekend, following them around a bit from our car, then parked and watched a few come down around us.  A fun new favorite or our family's was the Hummingbird Balloon (see pic).  The following week, we had planned to hit the Thursday morning Mass Ascension, but it was too windy and they cancelled, so we headed out of town to Pagosa instead.  We were just glad we'd chased them a bit that first Saturday.

A fun addition to this year's fiesta was the addition of balloons all around the house, and I'm not talking about the kind you blow up.  Ash and Beck both put crayons to paper and created their own Mass Ascensions featuring some of their favorite balloons.  We also had a balloon park constructed of Legos gracing their bedroom floor for a few days, complete with several Lego balloons.  Balloons, balloons...everywhere you looked.  It was so much fun to see the imaginative things they were coming up with!  

We heart hot air balloons, always:) 

Fall Break in Pagosa

  

Wahoo for fall break!  We were more than ready to head outta town for a few days.  At least I was.  A couple of months ago we started perusing the internet for rentals in both Taos and Pagosa Springs, and this time we chose the latter.  It was a wonderful trip and we all had such a great time!  The boys were in heaven...foosball, football, deer spotting, fire building, hot tubbing, mini golf and everything in between.  Cabins are the best.  Corey and I loved being away from the stresses and pulls of normal day life, and the freedom to just spend time with our little clan.  The stunning fall backdrop for our trip didn't hurt either.  It was GORGEOUS.  Absolutely.  Bright yellow aspens, reddish-brown scrub oak, and evergreen pines galore made it extra special.  As an added bonus, it snowed the first day we were there.  What crazy weather!  We came prepared with all the snow gear though, thank goodness:)  Under Asher's guidance, the boys made a little snowman.  They were bound and determined, despite the wet, inch deep snow and by the time they were finished they were soaked and happy.  By the time we left, the weather was clear, sunny and at about 60.  Whew!

 

We hit the Rocky Mountain Wildlife Park, which was literally two minutes from our cabin.  It was small, but very cool.  They have animals that have been hurt or needed to be taken care of for one reason or another.  We went for the feeding time (well worth it!), and saw the worker feed and tell us all about the Grizzly Bear they have.  Her name is Princess and she was massive and amazing and my favorite!  They also had a gorgeous elk, porcupines, a cougar, some mules, wolves, a bobcat, goats and rabbits.  Such a fun little excursion.

 

We did go to a hot spring pool, Healing Waters, in town.  It was like a giant bathtub.  Ahhhh.  Asher swam around while Beckett saved the lives of Lady Bugs floating on the surface of the water.  One little lady even hitched a ride home in our suitcase, somehow surviving a jaunt in Beck's pocket.

The deer all around the cabin were amazing to spot and watch.  We saw so many, and close enough that they'd stare back at us through the windows.  Ash and Beck loved them, and showed it by yelling, "Bye, deer!!" as we'd drive off from the cabin...surely scaring away every deer within a quarter mile. 

It really was a fantastic trip, in a beautiful local.  I can't wait for the next one!  Maybe next time we can stretch our 4 days into 7, ahhhhh.

School Boy!

Beckett had his first day of preschool...finally (his feelings, not mine). He has been beyond excited to begin preschool, and when Asher started school two weeks before he did, he was downright mad. Really.  He couldn't understand how his school wasn't starting on the same day, and was counting down the days until he was a school kid too.  It's been so good for him and so fun!  He comes home from school telling me about his new friends, and how he dug a really deep hole during 'recess',  that he likes to play in the house, and how someone brought b-day cupcakes with rings in them and he ended up with a pink one instead of his favorite color blue (he was really mad, because "pink is for girls!").  My favorite thing he likes to do is to have 'jobs'.  At preschool, they give the kids responsibilities, ie clean-up manager.  He played clean-up manager at home the other day and vacuumed, and swept the floors, then did a little dusting, and still wanted some more jobs to do.  The biggest shocker?  He actually did a great job!  The little guy was checking his own work and would circle back around with the vacuum to catch any missed specks on the floor. Um, thank you, preschool teachers.  My efforts for the past few years were eclipsed in a couple of weeks by his preschool experience.  Wow. 

Beck is such a little smarty pants, reading, writing (ie. trtl= turtle), drawing.  He's so excited to learn new things.  Today in the car he said to me, "mom, right now I'm studying plants."  He still loves to dress up and really get into character (see pic below...ALL his idea), and his imagination is amazing.  He loves to build and create new things (also, see pic below of weaponry ala Beckett).  Things are never dull, and he asks me to play with him all the time.  In the past couple of weeks, I've been a princess, Sonic,  April from TMNT and a warrior. Keep it up little buddy. 

For the record, the first day of preschool was a killer for me.  I was so sad driving off, and when I looked back and saw two empty car seats, the tears took over.  I even accidentally showed up early to pick him up.  I could've sworn I had the time right but I was a half hour early.  I do actually enjoy running errands, and trying to clean the house all on my own, but at the same time, I miss having a little buddy:(  Maybe preschool is for me too.  Baby steps.

The Fair

 

 

Ah, the State Fair.  I've always liked the fair, though I'm not sure why.  When I really think about it, greasy food, crowds of people, rides thrown up overnight, booths with pushy salespeople, and smelly, fly ridden animal stalls aren't something to get excited about.  But, somehow, all of that gets forgotten and you want to try it again.  To be honest, we haven't been in several years but we always talk about going.  This year, Corey was out of town and a friend of mine texted me letting me know it was FREE fair day.  Psh.  I figured, why not?  It was short day at school anyway, and with Corey gone I didn't feel guilty about not bringing him along with us, so we went.  It was so much fun!  The boys ate mini donuts, cotton candy, and slush puppies, practiced their cow-milking skills and admired all the randomness the fair offers.  They liked all the animals and the petting zoo (a zebra, cool!), and sitting in some old army vehicles...especially when a nearby man showed them where the horn was.  Yes, I was very grateful for that kind gesture. 

  

We did meet up with my friend, Donna for a bit and made it over to the pig races.  I've never seen them before, but they were a huge hit with the kids.  They chose Asher to be the 'Team Leader' aka the kid with the flag that gets a prize if their team pig wins.  Wouldn't you know it?  His pig won and he became the very proud recipient of a pooping pig key chain.  I am not kidding.  I believe the disgusting little piggie now resides in his 'treasure box' under his bed.

It was a fun time at the fair!  And while we did miss Corey being with us, we definitely made the most of it...just me and the boys:)

Birthday

Yes, it's birthday time again.  This year, Corey was out of town, doing Wood Badge, on my big day, which was not my favorite, but really not too big a deal. It was a really busy Saturday anyway with two soccer games, and helping out with a youth temple trip that night.  Jen and Josh decided to make it special for me by sending his parents over to my house with a huge chocolate cake and some ice cream to boot.  It was SUCH a surprise, and such a thoughtful gesture.  I loved it, and the boys and I loved eating it.  Yum.

Corey, being at Wood Badge for the whole weekend, had zero cellular phone access. BUT, he did figure out a way to get access to the scout office phone.  He and his group of fellow Owls called and sang me an awesome rendition of 'Happy Birthday'.  It was my very own a capella boy band.  The bad news:  I missed the call.  The good news:  I have it on my voicemail to play whenever I so desire!  It was a very fun b-day surprise.

I was supposed to help out with the youth, but alas, Beck had a high fever, so it was out.  I cancelled the babysitter and stayed home with my boys instead.  They were such sweeties, wishing me happy birthday throughout the day, then doing their best to make it festive that night.  Besides eating cake, we put up a banner my mom had sent along with some other b-day prizes.  Both boys made me sweet, thoughtful cards and Beck gave me some of his treasured polished rocks:) Cute little party animals...they just love a reason to celebrate.

After the boys were in bed, I treated myself to a bath and a book.  As I sat there, I spied the canister of Crayola Colored Bath Tablets, took a second to consider, then grabbed a couple and plunked them in. Who says they're just for kids?  And maybe, just maybe they shaved a couple of years off of my age...fountain of youth, anyone?

It was an unexpectedly fun birthday. Thanks everyone!

P.S.  We had a family party the following weekend with presents and super duper salted caramel chocolate cake.  Also fun, except that Corey ended up with a migraine and he insisted on suffering through a dinner out.  Poor guy:(  Thanks for being an amazing husband and making it another great year.  Love you.

A New Way to Ride

My Asher, who is now 7, hasn't had a whole lot of interest in riding his bike sans training wheels, but we decided it's time and that he could do it so off they came!  Being Labor Day weekend, we had some extra time and also a track at the local middle school that would be free...the sun was shining and the time just seemed right! 

Corey and I quickly learned that teaching a child to ride a bike takes patience, and that you should hide your frustration at all times, which of course I wasn't perfect at.  That being said, he was riding in no time at all...probably 10 minutes or so.  He did great!  He was cruising around the track like a pro in no time.  Now he just needs to perfect starting and stopping and we've got a rider! His bike's getting a little small for him too, so we need to start thinking about an upgrade. Just look at this handsome little biker!

I'm so proud of him. He picked it up SO fast and is excited about his newest skill.  I feel bad we waited so long to get him out there on 2 wheels.  Way to go Ashman!

First Day of School

Ah, the first day of school.  It used to be one of my favorite things as a kid, but as a parent I am a fence sitter.  I love it because there is less fighting and Asher is excited to go back.  A happy school kid equals a happy mom.  I don't love it because then he's gone.  Again.  And that makes me sad.  I miss just having everyone together and free to go and do whatever we want.  Summer is free time, fun time and family time, and things just get so busy once school is in again.  This year looks to be the same.  We are already talking about soccer season times two, preschool and school events, basketball season, Lobo football games, and more.
This year, Asher starts the Second Grade, and will have Ms. Thorne as a teacher, who we met a few days before school started and she seems very energized and nice.  He was so excited on the first day!  Corey, as always, went in late to work and came along for the big morning, which is always fun.
Asher's lunchbox choice is always an ordeal.  This year he had his heart set on a UNM Lobos lunchbox, which really doesn't exist.  Trust me, I looked high and low.  With a little ingenuity, we came up with a solution that involved a Costco lunchbox with a Lobos iron-on patch.  Voila.  It's pretty awesome, and I think Ash should watch it or his Dad may snag it for his own!  Hopefully this one lasts more than a few months.  I'm crossing my fingers.

Beckett happily informed me that with Asher at school, we are going to be playing lots of games together.  That first day we came home for few matches of Hi-Ho Cherry-O.  I am thankful to still have a little buddy at home.  Next year may well kill me.  Just the other day, Corey and I were talking to Beck about preschool, and he turned to me and said, "Mom, next year there won't be anyone home with you.  You'll be all alone." Stab. Me. Through. The. Heart.  Ouch.  He's right though!  I think Corey was caught between laughing and shedding a tear for me.  He gave me the 'ah, I'm sorry' look to be safe:)

This will be a great year for Asher, and I'm excited to watch and help him to learn and grow.
 Here's to the 2nd Grade!