Pumpkins and Papas

I love October. Fall is in the air. Activities with the kids are aplenty. Holidays are right around the corner. It's just a great month. Ours started out busy and is going to end on that note.

Emma and I had a special Mommy/Daughter event last Sunday, we went to see the Olympic Gymnastic Stars Show here in town. We had so much fun watching the gymnastic events during the games, and it was great to see the amazing athletes again up close.

Last week was also Emma's annual pumpkin patch field trip. This year they visited the Colorado Pumpkin Patch, which is very close to our 'hood. Her and her classmates had the best time! There was a fun slide for them to go down, it was very fast too - as I found out when I rode down with Emma! They found their way through the maze, played on tractors and picked out their very own special pumpkins to take home.

To finish off the week, the girls and I took a trip to see my 91 year old grandpa in Kansas. Brian had planned to go with us, but with the craziness at work, he couldn't afford to be away on Friday. His phone is literally ringing off the hook. So - girl trip! We headed out Friday morning, driving across the lovely state of Kansas. Could there be a more boring drive? I shouldn't say that, because I had two wonderful little girls in the backseat keeping me entertained. I think they quite enjoyed getting to overload on movies since they don't get to do that at home! My grandpa was so excited to see us, you could see his face light up. He's not getting around so well anymore and we are thankful for every moment that we have with him.

And as I sat here today looking through my calendar, there are is so much more fun planned for the remainder of the month. Tomorrow night is Family Night at the club - spaghetti dinner and Ratatouille showing. My mom is coming down this weekend for Boo at the Zoo, we are taking Camryn back to the pumpkin patch (she was a little sad she didn't get to go with Emma), Emma has a classmate birthday party and we are planning to take my girlfriend that finished the Kona Ironman competition last Saturday out for brunch to celebrate! Next week is book club, a Bar Mitzvah, adult Halloween party, kids Halloween party, and a wedding that Nanna and Pappa will be coming from Las Vegas for. I'll post more pictures as we celebrate our way through October.

Happy Fall!

Magical moments

White Christmas? Chances are rare, even in Colorado, of seeing snow on Christmas. But that's exactly what we got this year - yippee!! Wonderful day to stay inside with the family, cuddled up in front of the fire, celebrating.

We were plenty busy in the days leading up to Christmas. The girls decorated a gingerbread train, I got in some good weekend runs, we hit Christmas Eve candlelight service with Grammy and Papa Mike and baked a cake for Jesus' birthday.

Each year, the holidays get more and more fun with the girls. Emma was super excited about Santa coming on Christmas Eve. At one point, I went to check if she was sleeping yet. Our conversation:

Emma: Did Santa come yet?

Me: No, but he just called and said he won't come until you fall asleep

Emma: On his cell phone?

Me: yep, on his cell phone, now go to sleep

Emma: Mommy, Santa is SO magic.

In the midst of the holiday hustle and bustle, I hope you and your family experienced some of the magic this year.

Hot Date Night

Nope, not the kind of hot date you are thinking of. Brian and I had an evening alone tonight since Grammy was serving up dinner for the girls. So, we used it to get in a little exercise together and catch up on each other's day. Only reason it was a hot date was because it was about 85 degrees when we started out. Good thing we get a real date night tomorrow when we head up to Denver for Brian's recognition cocktail reception and dinner!

One good thing about hitting the incline was I got a good taste of what my body will feel like during the relay in August. I'll be running 3 times over about a 30-33 hour time period, for a total of 14-19 miles. So, how do you train for something like this? I sure am not planning to wake my happy self up at 2 am to get in a moonlight run but I can get in some same-day routines. This morning, I hit the trail early to log 6 before work. And 10 hours later, we hit the incline and logged a few more miles. Legs are tired but not overly so - alas, there is hope for survival! I can't tell you how excited and nervous I am at the same time for this relay.

Unsung Heroes

Single parents! A big shout out to ya, 'cause I honestly don't know how you do it. Same to those dealing with a deployed spouse or a spouse that travels frequently for work - you have all my respect. It is HARD.

Yup, I'm ready for Brian to get home. It's only been three days and we have three more to go. Thankfully, one of my best friends from college, Debbie, and her family are getting into town this weekend for a visit. It will be really nice to have the company.

Back to missing my hubby - man, it's got me in the dumps tonight. He's having a great time in Scotland, playing the links but he calls and emails every day saying how much he misses us. I'm missing my morning workouts, that has me blue too. I sleep better when I'm exercising and when he's home. I eat better. I'm less stressed. The last time we went this long apart was over seven years ago when he had to move a month ahead of me out to CO. It's way harder this time around, especially with the kiddos.

Looking forward to Sunday....

Fun in the Sun

Here is Emma, our "Bubble Girl" :)! I wasn't sure if she would wear this floaty suit when I bought it, but she actually loved it. Brian and I couldn't help but laugh, though, when she put it on. It's quite silly looking.

What a beautiful weekend here in sunny (usually) Colorado! I was able to get in my long run on Saturday morning with Jennifer (go girl! - she was 1st in the double stroller division at her race Sunday) before the rest of the weekend fun began.

We took the girls to the Sky Sox game on Saturday evening with about twenty friends. It was their first baseball game, so we figured we'd be leaving early but they actually made it to the 8th. Emma loved Sox the Fox and Camryn enjoyed all the ballpark grub.

Couldn't have asked for a better Mother's Day! Brian and the girls let me sleep in, which meant 7:30 (I wish I had it in me to sleep later), and we all headed out for a Mother's Day breakfast. Next, it was off to the pool. That wore the girls out good, we all got in long afternoon naps.

One of my favorite things about being a Mom is watching my children develop and figure out new things. Camryn's latest thing - "Where it go"? She will take things, anything, and try to hide it. Then she walks around with her arms out wide, asking - "Where it go"? Too cute.