More Voorhies Please

Saturday, we sought out that Rocky Mountain high with our friends, the Voorhies. It was such a beautiful day but a little on the crowded side (duh, Erin it's Labor Day weekend).

We hiked around a little at a place called Hidden Valley, got our feet wet in the stream, and went on to Sprague Lake to do some "fishing", some relaxing, and to walk the trail around the lake. After all that fun, we still had the energy to stop at Viestenz-Smith Park in Big Thompson Canyon to play for a bit. (If you live in the area, that park is awesome and totally worth the drive.) The kids had sooooo much fun--so did the big people. Summer and Mike are (still) hilarious and so much fun to just sit around and chat with.

Playing spot the elk near Beaver Meadows. There were TONS of them out and about.

Isabel, Kennedy, and Milo hiking around together after we had our picnic lunch at Hidden Valley. The kids were amused by the ground squirrels as long as they kept their distance--which they don't really do!
Hiking at the base of Hidden Valley.
The kids balancing precariously on a log that was a whole 2 1/2 feet above the little stream. You would have thought it was 6 feet above if you'd seen the amount of jumping and reaching the moms were doing everytime the kids moved. ;)
The kids fishing with Mike and Spencer at Sprague Lake. We layed a blanket out and just sat enjoying the weather, the shade, and the scenery forever. (Oh and this was before a certain dad, AHEM SPENCER, got a little too agressive with his casting technique and flung his son's fake fish hook thing off into the murkey depths of the lake. Let's just say that a pinecone is a pretty lame replacement and the 4 year old in question was not impressed.)
When I asked Isabel what her favorite part of our day was she said, "Um, playing with my friend Kennedy and holding the baby, Sophie, and hiking around. (pause) Oh! And holding that baby Sophie."

Kennedy and Isabel checking out the little fishing dock at sunset.

Isabel, Milo and Kennedy attempting to fit into the stump together. This lasted about 4 seconds and then it was on to more great adventures!

TwinTalk

**Milo is a thumb sucker. He loves nothing more than to settle in at night with his "thumbie", a "blankie" (preferrably his purple one), and his "softies" (the yarn ties on his blankies that he likes to rub with his fingers while he sucks his thumb). Today, Isabel was wearing some silly socks from the Dollar Spot at Target. The socks had orange puffballs on the backs of the ankles and she thought they were sweeeeet. Milo had been eyeballing them and talking about them all morning. Well, as soon as she took those suckers off, he dove for one of them, rushed to the corner, laid down and started sucking his thumb and rubbing the orangle puffball. I started laughing and asked what he was doing. His response was, "I just wanted to suck my thumbie and try using this bubble thing as a softie before Issy gets mad at me!". So funny and so silly. :)

**Earlier in the week, Isabel made a bracelet out of a piece of paper and then, very solemnly handed it to me. I thanked her and she said (in a very serious tone of voice), "Um, mom, since I wasn't born when YOU got married, I didn't get you a present. I've just been feeling kinda bad about that so here you go!". How thoughtful of her eh?

**The next day, we were driving in the car when Isabel piped up with one of her most random questions yet (and that's saying a lot). "Mom?! Why I am never old enough to just go buy a needle and some string and go make me a rug?!". WHAT??? After some clarification and probing, I figured out that that darn Sister Bear was the source of this angst too. I'm telling you, this girl lives for the Berenstein Bears. Apparently, in one of the books, Sister Bear makes a rug with some needle and some string. I see a potholder-making kit in our future!

**This week when I was giving Milo and hug before one of his naps, he rubbed my sides (love handles) then patted them and said with a big sigh, "I LOVE the way my Mommy feels." I started laughing and asked what that meant. "She's just so soft and smooth and soft!"

**Yesterday (post to come), we went on a mountain adventure with our friends, the Voorhies. Their daughter, Kennedy, rode in our car for part of the trip. After she asked me a question and referred to me as Erin, Isabel piped up with, "Uh Kennedy, most people around here call my mom Aunt Erin. I guess you could probably do that too...I mean, if you want to." I guess she thinks that would be a shortcut to making Kennedy her cousin. (Her greatest source of angst this week was trying to understand that Kennedy is NOT her cousin and that Kennedy will NEVER be her cousin--unless some pretty crazy stuff goes down in this family. Ha ha.)

Happy Birthday Lyla & Olivia!!

The most adorable girl-girl twins ever! :)

Today is Lyla and Olivia's FIRST BIRTHDAY!! I can't believe how time flies. I was lucky enough to see them just minutes after they were born and to spend the first week or so of their little lives with them and I've been in love ever since. (Honestly, isn't have nieces and nephews the greatest?? We all of love ours soooo much.)

Even, though this is, technically, Lyla and Olivia's day to celebrate it really is all about the mom and dad right? Melissa and Justin have done such a great job with these girls. They are happy, healthy, and adorable! Having twins is so hard sometimes, but so fun and so silly too. I am so proud of Melissa and so proud of Justin. We love you guys soooo much!! (Also, at the risk of potentially embarassing Melissa I have to YEAH for breastfeeding twins to the year mark!!!!! YOU ROCK.)

One of those...

Days.

You know, I don't like complaining much. I'm a big fan of the expression, "suck it up sister!". Life is what you make of it right?

This week, I'm tired though. I'm a little tired and a little grouchy. Too little sleep and a bunch of extra busy shifts at work have left me a little...crabby.

So, today...

• Isabel dumped half a bottle (seriously, HALF) of Hidden Valley Ranch on her teeny tiny salad. Hidden Valley Ranch is barfy (IMHO) anyway. Half a bottle of it in a teeny tiny bowl and all over your table is extra barfy.
• Milo whacked Isabel with the "caster rester" (also known as their toy cash register). She followed that up with a complete and total meltdown.
• Isabel is, somehow, covered in itchy mosquito bites even though we've not been outside in the morning/evening at all this week.
• People feel some sort of compelling need to tell me every adoption horror story they've ever heard. Ever. You know, ones about how their brother's plumber's priest's sister was going to adopt a baby from Ecuador but the birthmom changed her mind when they got there and then she had three eyes anyways and tried to extort money from them so instead they just didn't adopt and got a dog instead. Maybe I should get a dog? Is that what you're trying to tell me?
• Also, people feel another sort of compelling need to tell me every story about every person they've ever known who has been waiting to adopt and then got pregnant. Now, don't get me wrong. I know that this happens. I know people to whom this has happened. I'm just pretty darn close to 100% certain that this is NOT going to happen to ME. And I'm doing my best to be okay with that. It's a little disruptive though when people are constantly telling you these stories. I'm not sure how I'm supposed to take it?
• We FINALLY (everybody cheer with me now!) found a new babysitter. She is sweet, kind, loving, and adored by the children. However, today when I was orienting her, she had a whopping seizure. It involved a 9-1-1 call and everything. The poor thing was sooo shaken. (For the record, so was I. Resuscitating big people is not really my area of expertise!) So, she's out of commission until she figures out what caused her to seize today.
• My cute twin nieces are having their FIRST birthday on Thursday and we won't be able to go to Utah for the shindig and celebration. :( Stuff like this makes me so sad that we don't all live in the same state at least.
• We are currently in need of a new fridge, a new computer, and the check engine light is on in our Subaru AGAIN. (Isn't that how it always goes? If one thing breaks around here, 2 or 3 more soon follow.)

Here's the thing. Today, I get to take a nap with my kids. Tomorrow my cute kids get to start preschool and we (Spencer and I) both get to go with them. This morning, we got to go to the park and play with Sage and Porter. Today, I got to talk to one of my bestest friends ever, Shikay, and she made me laugh so hard my face hurt. Thursday, I get to have breakfast with 7 of the greatest nurses and friends a girl could ever know. Tonight, I get to go to a job that I absolutely LOVE with all of my being. Sunday, we had the previously mentioned fabulous dinner with fabulous friends. Today, I read this post by my sister-in-law that reminded me how difficult our first year was and how thankful I am for every moment I have with my kids and how important it is that I enjoy them.

I feel like, the older I get, the more clearly I know this: when God gives us challenges, He also gives us tools. When He knows we will struggle, He does his best to provide us with arms to hug us, friends to make us laugh, family to love us unconditionally, and--if we're listening--the reassurance that this will all pass. That, if we stay the course, we will be blessed and we will come out stronger for having done so.

PB Cookies & Old Friends

Kennedy & Isabel at the park this summer in Utah.

Last night we had some old friends over for dinner, Summer and Mike Voorhies (and their cute girls Kennedy and Sophie). They just moved to Parker, Colorado and we could not be happier about it! :) Actually, we could. But that would involve them living in Fort Collins. ;)

We had so much good food and so much good conversation. They are both smart, hilarious, and--did I mention--hilarious. We're so excited to have them closer to us. I already have about 57 day trips planned out for us. You don't mind right Sum?

Kennedy has a strong personality like another little girl that we know, so we weren't sure if they would LOVE each other or be a little too much for each other. Turns out, we had nothing to worry about. They all got along great and kept us cracking up with all of their antics. There were no less than 30 costume changes during the night too. The only thing that has caused contention is that Milo and Isabel are insisting that Kennedy CAN be their cousin and want to know why I won't tell them WHEN she will be their cousin. (This argument is similar to the "Mom, yes, we ARE riding the bus to preschool" argument. No matter what I say, they are convinced otherwise. I surrender.)

Summer brought over the yummiest PB Cookies ever. Turns out, it was a recipe that I shared with her when she got married--but I'd forgotten about it for a few years! Here it is, in all it's glory. It's a PB cookie that anyone can love (even Spencer).

Best Ever PB Cookies

1/2 c. reduced fat or regular creamy PB (sorry, not the natural kind)

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. packed brown sugar

1 egg

3 Tbsp skim milk

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 c. mini semisweet chocolate chips (or whatever other kind you want to use)

-Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

-Combine PB, sugar, brown sugar, mix well. Stir in egg, milk, and vanilla. Add combined flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips.

-Using a small cookie scoop (if you have one), drop 2 inches apart on a baking stone or baking sheet. Flatten slightly with the bottom of a glass or measuring cup that has been dipped in granulated sugar.

-Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.

-Allow to cool briefly (3ish minutes) on the cookie sheet or stone and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

On a side note, Milo is currently dressed up like a monkey (Halloween '07 costume), referring to himself as "The Easter Monkey" and going around asking all of us what we'd like for Easter. Apparently, Easter Monkeys limit their gift giving to "eggs or furniture...or hugs, Mommy".

In case you were wondering...35 days

Until the return of Jim and Pam!!!!

Last night we had the Pierces over for dinner. We had yummy BLTs and corn on the cob--all with fresh veggies from the farm. It was to. die. for. I love August.

I will just come right out and say that this whole dinner invite was simply a ruse. It was actually an attempt at a "dry run" for Office Party. Office Party occurs every Thursday night from September through May (reruns included). Overall, we were satisfied with response times (everyone arrived in a timely manner), the humor level (mucho laughter), and the usual eating on the living room floor (not enough chairs for all the grownups and kids to eat at the table). We're hoping to have a safely padded room for the kids to run wild in once the actual episodes resume (on September 25th!!) so as to minimize disruptions ;). Also, Mike still needs to work a little on his respect and understanding of the fact that The Office is obviously a romantic comedy that happens to take place in an office. It is not, as some people might believe, a workplace comedy with a few romances thrown in for good measure. Also, I am working on forgiving Mike for saying that 30 Rock "might be funnier than The Office".

I am so excited for this to return--I think this is, easily, the most "into" a show I've ever been. (Although, to be fair, I will say that I think I've blocked out the 90210 days so...) Will Jim and Pam finally get engaged? Will they jerk us around for another whole season?? What will become of Dwight and Angela slash Angela and Andy??? My heart is all a flutter just thinking about it!

On another note, YAY for the U.S. women's beach volleyball! GOLD MEDAL!!! Those girls are amazing. As always, it was one of my fave events to watch!

It'll make you cry...

Finally, Blogger cooperates. The Fab Four in March of '06.

Well, maybe it won't make you cry, but it definitely made me cry! My sister-in-law, Abbie, put together a beautiful post about her brothers and her sister (the biological ones that is) for her blog. The pictures are great (and some are super funny, popped collars were hot in 1987 apparently) and the memories are even better.

Spencer is lucky in that he has such strong and amazing relationships with his siblings. They have all grown and matured into such different people yet they are so close, supportive, and caring of one another. I can't even begin to summarize it all...I'll just say that you should check out Abbie's post, we should all take a moment to reflect on the blessings that siblings are in our lives, and that I love each of them to pieces (and Erika and Melissa Rae their half-sisters).

I'd post a super cute picture of the fabulous foursome right here but I'm getting no love from Blogger tonight. Perhaps tomorrow...

We've been kinda busy...

...going to the zoo with our fun friends Anna, Joan, Erin, Dylan, Avarie, Christian and more! We saw more obscene and, quite frankly, disgusting animal behavior on this zoo trip than on all our others combined! (Monkeys anyone?)

One of the more well-behaved animals that day.

...partying like rock stars. Pretty easy to do when a.) your sweet older (and, therefore, super cool) cousin has a birthday and b.) your shoulda-been-a-party-planner-or-travel-agent grandma plans a rock star birthday party complete with cool rock star sunglasses, glittery hula hoops, make-your-own rock star necklaces, and a video camera for making rock star videos.

The beautiful birthday girl--7 years old!

...letting our jaws hit the floor when we got home from an afternoon at the gym to find that our yard had been destroyed by a wind/hail storm. Our trees lost nearly 2/3 of their leaves, we couldn’t see our driveway (covered in the previously mentioned leaves and other debris), and the front of our house has been plastered with more of those same wet leaves. Hail was inches thick in the yards around us too!

Our neighbor's milk delivery cooler and driveway.

...answering questions such as, “Mom why did Heavenly Father put gypsies on this earth anyways?” and “Mom, why do rock stars wear such ridiculous sunglasses?!”.

...having our hearts melted by pictures like this one from Erika’s wedding:

RMNP

This weekend we went camping at Rocky Mountain National Park (within a short distance of Estes Park's hospital for any who are wondering) with my parents. It was so beautiful and so fun. The weather was perfect, the campground was gorgeous, the food was good, and the kids had a blast. We saw deer, elk, squirrels, and all kinds of birds. It was so darn fun, we just might go again next weekend!

Beautiful stream that ran along the side of our campground.
Grandma Kim and Grandpa Manuel on a bridge.
Sitting by a stream with Daddy.
What is going on here? Isabel crossed her legs like that every time she sat in her camping chair and she insisted on calling her hot chocolate "hot cocoa". Guess that's the fancier way to do it?

View across one of the beautiful valleys.
These ground squirrels have no fear. They will, seriously, nibble on your toes if you wear sandals.
Mommy & Milo
Sadly, both of my children are now afflicted by "Ican'tlookatthecameraorImakeweirdfaceineverypicture-itis".
Don't do this. Really, don't. Picking flowers is a HUGE no-no. If your children "accidentally" pick some flowers, hide them in your pocket. Then, whatever you do, do NOT go to the Ranger talk that night about "Humans and preservation: minimizing your impact on the park". It will make you feel hideously guilty. You'll think that the ranger knows it was you. Or your children.

The Perfect Ice Cream Sandwich

Tree swing? Check.
Puffy dress (over your existing clothes, of course)? Check.
Tiara? Check.
Weirdo Toffutti ice cream sandwich your mom bought you? Check.
Eating it with the most serious and intense precision ever? Check.

Perfect. :)

More fun than you can...

Holy fun Batman!! We just got back from a very long trip to Utah. Erika, Spencer's youngest stepsister, got married to the always-hilarious-and-even-funnier-than-I-thought-he-was Tyler on Friday. The wedding was beautiful, the reception was perfect, and we had tons of fun throughout the trip. (Although, I made Spencer leave a bit early and drive like crazy to get home fast because Milo broke out in hives on Sunday morning. Let's just say that those EpiPens don't offer me much peace of mind. :) )

Back Row: Isabel, Royan, Milo, Eli

Front Row: Olivia (the gymnast), Audrie, Lyla

We had so much fun with all of the cousins. Isabel told me "Mom, when I grow up I am moving to UTAH !"more times than I can count.

Abbie (Spencer's youngest sister), Forrest, Eli, and Audrie were in town from Texas for the wedding. We hadn't seen them in over a year (sniffle) and we'd never met baby Audrie so we were pumped. Folks, we were not disappointed. Audrie is, as we suspected, completely adorable and excellent at snuggling. Eli is, as we also suspected, utterly adorable, hilarious, and Milo's newest BFF. Their parents are also still amazingly funny, smart, nice, and fun to be around. WHY does Texas have to be so far away?

This picture cracks me up. Milo was not amused by Isabel's attempts to make him pose for what appear to be engagement photos.

The flower girl and her best guy. :)

Isabel took her job as flower girl very seriously. She would stay right next to Erika then venture away for a drink or a snack and tell me "Okay mom, I'm going to go visit with some more family now." or "Has anyone seen the bride?" and off she'd go to mingle or stand by Erika some more. She got some sweet Fancy Nancy shoes (with leg ribbons!!!) for her hard work. She's in heaven. :)

Milo LOVED riding in Uncle Justin's Rhino. His hair was so windblown by the end--it looked like he'd taken a blowdryer and some hairspray to it.

Isabel, on the other hand, would only ride in the Rhino if Daddy was driving and kept telling him "Please, no rocks okay? I do NOT want to go over any of those rocks!" The scary rocks in question? The gravel in Grandma's driveway.

Tiff, Melissa, me (with Isabel and Milo), Summer, and Mindy. (Stef had already left.)

On Tuesday, we met some of my oldest friends from elementary, jr high, and high school at the park. The kids all played and we did our best to visit--not easy when someone always wants a snack, a drink, or needs a sunscreen reapplication. It was so fun to see how big all of the kids are and to catch up. The highlight was, by far, Mindy getting stung by a bee. Thankfully, it was on the arm this time. :)

Lyla, Milo, Isabel, Brynn, Halle, Olivia (none of my pictures with H&B's little brother, Owen, in the mix turned out!)

On Wednesday, we went to Aislinn and Justin's for a playdate. We had SO much fun. :) Aislinn had twins just a few months after Milo and Isabel were born. It was so fun to work together when we were pregnant and to commiserate that first year and a half. Melissa brought her twins too so it was a regular ol' twintastic event! Halle and Brynn are adorable and so sweet. It was fun to just hang out and laugh and bond over twin-mommyhood again. We miss you guys!!

Milo, Isabel, & Cara

On Wednesday, we also went up to Primary Children's Medical Center to visit Cara, one of the twins' primary nurses from their days in the NICU. Cara was a lifesaver for me and did such a terrific job with the kids. She had a special affection for Milo and made it so much easier to leave him when Isabel was at home and he was still there. She's a Family Nurse Practioner now and works on the Sedation Team at PCMC. What a smartie!! :) She's coming to visit us in September (right Cara?!) and we can't wait.

The blushing bride-to-be, Erika.

On Wednesday night, I laughed so hard my face hurt. Seriously. It was Erika's bachelorette party. This is the only picture that I can post on this blog. Okay, so it's one of the only pictures I took but, seriously, it was HILARIOUS. We got pedicures and then went bowling. Melissa Rae (a.k.a. the greatest maid of honor ever) brought a game for us to play. Anytime someone got a spare or a strike, Erika had to draw a "dare card" from the deck. She had to do a variety of embarassing things such as singing to a random guy who was on a date with another girl, asking another guy to propose to her, and calling the last person on a stranger's cellphone. SO FUNNY.

This is the amazing wedding planner slash mother-of-the-bride slash fantastically amazing Grami Tami. She did such a great job on everything. It was perfect. The food, the pictures, the decor, the colors, everything. And she only cried 2 1/2 times. :)

The cutie-patootie-Kings

We had a fun, fun, fun bbq at Grandma Cathryn's house with the Seeley/Nelson side of the family. There were kids EVERYWHERE. We should have counted because it was impressive. Spencer has such a fun and funny family. We love hanging out with them because there is ALWAYS something entertaining to talk about and there are so many kids that everyone has somebody (or several somebodies) to play with.

Spencer's cousins Goldie, (mom of)Ava, and Sydney. Also known as: our future bandmates. As in RockBand.

Spencer's Aunt Stacy, (mom of) Hannah, and (great aunt of) Olivia.

Everyone was kung-fu fighting! Milo was in heaven. Uncle Cade loves a good fight as does his adorable son Jason.

Spencer's cousin Hannah, Aunt Lorena, and cousin Brooke (daughter of Lorena)

The famous Arizona Seeleys were in town and joined us for the bbq. We only get to see them once every 14 years or so...okay maybe it's only been 2 years but it felt much longer than that...

Other than that, the usual RockBand shenanigans went down, we swam in the no-longer-poopy pool, and we had some good eats (Cafe Rio anyone?). It was a good time all around. I want to go back! But, sadly, I am a grownup and I must return to my responsibilities...like mowing my dang lawn and hiring a new nanny. SIGH. Real life is kinda lame. ;) But, we did miss our library and our bikes so tonight we're off on a family bike ride to the library!