Spring Break 2014

We put off making any plans for longer than usual this year, and for no particular reason.  A few weeks ago, we decided we'd do a short-ish roadtrip (around 6 hours), and we'd stay for 4 days or so.  Denver fit the bill and we haven't been in ages, literally.  Last time Corey and I were there was with our friends Chris and Jessica for an REM concert, and that was before any of us had kids. Denver did not disappoint!

We headed out early on Wednesday morning, and stopped in at Colorado Springs for lunch and a couple of fun things to visit.  After burgers and custard at Culver's, we headed on over to the US Olympic Training Center.  Whoa, is all I can say.  It was very cool to tour around and see all the facilities and the athletes working their tails off.  It brought out a little patriotism in me too.  What a great place.  After that we drove up to the US Airforce Academy.  Of course, it did start snowing like crazy just about then, flakes falling everywhere, but we embraced the crazy weather, put on our coats and walked up the trail to the Airforce chapel for a look around.  The boys loved seeing the different jets, planes, etc that are displayed out on the field too.  We watched the movie at the visitor's center, and as we left, we asked Asher what he thought of the place.  He told us he thought it was pretty cool, except for the part where they were yelling so much at the new cadets...why'd they have to do that?
From there, we drove to Denver, checked in to our hotel room at Embassy Suites (oh my,  did the kids ever LOVE breakfast every day), swam with the kids and crashed.

Denver itself offered us much in the way of entertainment. We visited the Mint, and were amazed at how money is made, especially prior to the 1970's. The boys were even entertained by the tour, and the giant bags of pennies.  We also walked across the street to the Denver Firefighter's Museum where Ash and Beck (and even Corey) dressed up and played fireman.  They loved it.  I loved the old building, old firetrucks and displays on how things used to be.  I'm always amazed at all the work that went into now seemingly simple things. That first day in Denver, we also bought our tickets to the Rockies game.  This ended up being one of the highlights of the trip (especially for Corey!).  While purchasing the tickets, he happened to ask the guy if they did tours of the ballpark.  Yes, yes they do.  And when Corey asked about whether or not they took you to the clubhouse and found out that yes, in fact they do that too....he was elated.  He turned to me, eyes wide like an excited child and said, "shut-up!"  It was fun to see him so excited about something.  And the tour did turn out to be pretty cool, clubhouse and all.  That night we ate at a novelty of a restaurant, Casa Bonita.  The food was terrible but the boys loved the cowboy skits, juggling of flaming sticks and table side cliff diving.  Oh, and an old, run-down arcade with prizes that the boys still thought was amazing. Thankfully, lunch at the Cheesecake Factory still had me smiling so I didn't mind the nasty food so much and was just happy the kids were enjoying themselves so much.

 

 

 

The next day was also fun filled.  The original plan was to hit the zoo, but when we couldn't find parking after driving up and down the underground structure, we headed next door to the Museum of History and Science, which we also loved.  We did, however miss the upper floor, and there was talk of coming back to take in the mummies (yay!) and dinosaurs, but it didn't happen, and so now we'll just have to go back sooner:)  That night was the Rockies vs. Phillies game.  It was a great game...meeting the mascot Dinger, homeruns, triples and doubles, and perfect weather to boot. It was a great night for some baseball!

We finally made it to the zoo the following day, and were pleasantly surprised at how nice it was. We hadn't heard much about it really...good or bad.  There were even some penguins!! Our zoo has been promising penguins for several years now, and the exhibit is still not ready.  Asher brings it up ALL the time, and wants to know when they'll be gracing our zoo with their presence. The boys, and especially Asher didn't want to leave the penguins. They were very cute little guys.  The rest of that day was a late lunch and movie...Rio 2, which the kids loved, and we liked (Corey's opinion:  it was a little long).  That night, after some food, and a very quick perusing of the nearby Park Meadows shopping area, I weaseled in a to-go treat from the Cheesecake Factory for a late night snack for Corey and I.  Mmmmm. Don't judge:)

The last day of our stay was Easter Sunday.  After the boys woke up and had their Easter basket fun by messing up the hotel room with some blue Easter grass and eating chocolate and jelly beans we got ready for church.  The plan had been to go to a sacrament meeting at the church down the street (Corey had mapped it all out), and then drive on home.  When we walked in, things seemed a little off... a huge choir was singing/practicing but there was almost no one sitting in the congregation.  And, there was a cultural hall chock-full of folding chairs.  It could all mean only one thing....Stake conference, and we were an hour early.  After enjoying the lovely music for a few minutes, we ended up just driving back home.  Such a sad Easter Sunday, truly! The boys looked so handsome in their new ties, and the only pictures I have are the boys sitting in the backseat on the drive home....we had meant to change clothes but ended up not bothering at all.

So, we're back to life, back home, back to responsibilities, stresses, and the windy Spring weather.  But, we are one step closer to summer with only a month of school left, so I can rest happily with that little tidbit floating around in the back of my mind;) Denver, you were lots of fun.

Soccer Players!

This year, soccer has been so much fun to watch.  Asher, in particular, has really picked up his game and was on a team (The Earthquakes) with a bunch of other great players.  These boys only lost one game the whole season!  They were ultra competitive, played well as a team, learned a lot, tried hard and had a great coach too.  Asher really enjoyed learning more of the defensive skills this year and wasn't afraid to attack that ball.  His scoring was awesome too.  It really was such a fun year to watch him grow and have fun out there!  I also love seeing how he is so positive with his team mates and loves to cheer on his friends...his sportsmanship is amazing.

Beckett also had a great soccer year.  It was his first year playing so we weren't sure what he'd think.  He'd had some experience playing in the back yard with Ash, and was excited to sign up last spring.  The first half of the year, he was a scoring maniac for his team (the Green Hornets) , with an average of 5 goals per game.  It was hilarious.  By the spring season, the kiddos were starting to catch on better so his dominance wasn't so obvious.  He shared the ball a little better (phew) and still had a great time playing out there.  Those little guys are too cute with their uniforms on, and the games are very entertaining, although not for the reasons you'd expect.  U5 games are the best for kids scoring in the other teams goals, butterfly chasing, throwing fits and demanding time out from the game, picking clover, etc.  Oh, and the snacks reign supreme.  Love it.

Honestly though, cheering on my boys never gets old!

Hoopin' it Up

We have loved watching Ash play basketball.  This is the first year he's played and the kid's got some real drive.  He played with the YMCA league and lucked out with a great coach.  He had a blast learning all the basic skills and really loved playing the game.  He scored at least one shot nearly every game, and would run down the court, arms up high to celebrate.  Yes, it's borderline 'show-boating", but he's sure cute, and is such a team player, cheering his fellow players on so loudly during his own time on the bench that there's really no harm in it.  He loves to practice, loves to play and spends so much time in the backyard shooting hoops that I'd say this is definitely his current fave sport.  I'm loving it too...it's the only indoor sport he's played so far...no wind, rain, or cold weather.  Basketball has definitely been a fun sport for all.  We love our #5.  Go Ash!

Valentine's Day

These two boys had fun picking out what to do for their valentines this year.  Asher went with a sports theme, while Beck wanted a planet one (he's been learning about the solar system at preschool).  We all had fun making them, and the boys came home with tons of treats, hearts, candy, notes, toys and smiles.  All in all a fun day of l'amour! Corey treated me to a beautiful bouquet of flowers (shame on him...we did a night away instead of gifts this year!), which were beautiful and smelled as good.

 

Last year we started something with Aaron and Meagan where we switch off taking each other's kids for a night out for Valentine's Day.  This year we went to Santa Fe for a night at our favorite Bed and Breakfast, Las Palomas.  We actually stayed at this place one Valentine's Day before we had kids!  They have adorable southwestern Casitas with fireplaces, saltillo tile, kitchens, bathrobes, etc.  So cute and romantic. For Dinner, we found a quaint little restaurant off the plaza that was recommended to us by the man who checked us in. To top it off, Cor had reservations for us at 10,000 Waves a fab little Japanese Spa tucked away in the hills above Santa Fe, where we had our own Japanese soaking tubs, sauna, etc.  It was relaxing, decadent, romantic and wonderful!  We did a little perusing around the plaza too, but mostly just cozied up in our casita and enjoyed the time away.  Wonderful night and wonderful husband for getting it all together!

 These last two pictures are a couple I thought were fun from a little storm we had in early February.  We get snow so seldom that a dusting of snow makes for a morning of wonder and awe.  The boys just stared out my bedroom window at the winter wonderland before them...then Beck and I made a snow bear that morning (Ash had school, boo).  We had to take a picture quick because Dion wanted to scarf for himself!

Beckett's Ninja Turtle Bash

  Five whole years have gone by since this little guy came into our lives (2 months early!), and he's kept us on our toes ever since.  His spunk, sweetness, and passion for life are all the things we love about our B.  He's wanted a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Party for months now, so we pulled one together and it really was a good time...and he had fun, which is all that matters really!

For his preschool birthday celebration, he wanted Ninja Turtle cupcakes, so I did my best to deliver.  After what I thought would be a little work and ended up being a little more, I finished them up:)  The next day, wouldn't you know it, Beck ate his cupcake and left the super cute, labor intensive part on his plate.  "I don't like that frosting!" Bah!  So, I may need to find ways to use good ole, Beckett approved buttercream frosting in a better way.  Ah, well.  Most of the other kids liked it just fine. Funny kid.

For his friend party, Beck invited all of his best buddies and cousins and we played games like the Mutant Slime Relay, Pin the Mask on Leo (Beck's fave TMNT), the Stack the Sewer Lids (aka Oreo) contest, and a Pinata.  Beckett reeaaaallly wanted a pinata, and was the one reason we had a party at home instead of at Chuck E. Cheese like his brother did this year.  I told him if we did it there, I wasn't doing a pinata, and that was the deal breaker for him.  There had to be a pinata!!

We had the kids make their own pizzas, which was, I think one of the best parts.  The kids loved eating pizzas of their very own creation. Corey and I even wore green in support of our favorite mean, green turtles;) The cake was a big Leonardo, which, if you look closely, is only partly fondant and was easily peeled off the top to reveal plain old buttercream frosting, in honor of Beckett's new frosting preferences.

I was so glad he had a good time at the party, especially since he wasn't feeling well on his actual birth date.  What a great day for a really amazing, smart and funny little boy.  We sure do love you buddy, even though we wished you'd stop growing so fast. 

Pinewood Derby, Baby!

Oh boy, oh boy.  The good old Pinewood Derby.  This was an event we knew would come once Asher was a Cub Scout, but I can't say it was one we were super excited about tackling.  Everybody knows that an 8 year old isn't going to do his own car all by himself.  That's just not what happens because who is going to hand their boy a saw and some drills and tell them, "Good luck, buddy!"  Nope, that's just not how it's done.  SO, we had a great book to give us a good jumping off place, I helped mark up the little block of wood, and Corey was off to cut it.  Things went okay, but not exactly as planned.  Still, it seemed like it might work out.

The day of the race (of course), Asher had it all painted up in his very own design (all by himself, yay!) and Corey added some weights to it that he had carefully hand picked himself.  All looked to be fine and dandy, but the car was just not moving like it should when we gave it a trial run. 

Corey (a little desparately) called up our friend Danny, who is a passionate scouter and an experienced pinewood derby-er.  In a very short time, Corey went to his house and came back with what looked like the same car, but when it rolled along it was apparent that there had been some definite changes made.  Good changes.  Changes that helped Asher to end up with a winning car. 

 

At the actual event, Asher excitedly ran his car in race after race, and won nearly every time.  I believe there was one other car that was faster, but it belonged to one of the Webelos, so Asher's was still a winner amongst his age group and beyond.  He was ecstatic!  It was a huge relief to Corey too, because he was feeling really bad about what was going on before the Danny modifications.  Other dads congratulated Corey (and Ash) on such a huge success his first time out...he came out looking like a champ too!  But, we were sure to give credit where it was due.

Beck had a car too, which he was really proud of, but thankfully didn't need to be in any official races. He had fun running his after the regular races and can't wait to do it for real.

This first year was a big success, but we were definitely sponsored by some kind service from a very nice friend.  We've all vowed to start earlier and do better next year!  The kids loved this event!