Oh Holy Night...

Oh holy mess is more like it, but at least NOW it feels like Christmas. Until I'm frosting cookies late into the night while watching Christmas movies, it just doesn't seem like Christmas to me. Other than issues with "sprinkle adherance," it actually went pretty smoothly for a change.

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Note to self for next year...tightly replace the cap on the large bottle of green food coloring next time so that when you knock it over, you don't spill the entire bottle on your white countertops (and perhaps you won't have green hands at work the next day either). Just sayin'.

Birthday Boy...

Does anyone else find it hard to believe that Austin is 14 years old? I mean really... where DID the time go? It seems like just yesterday he was starting kindergarten and now he's signed up for high school (yes... HIGH SCHOOL!?!).

Caitlin could surely do this better, but here is my attempt at describing Austin:

Adorable

Understanding (most of the time - it's difficult with Caitlin around)

Silly

Thoughtful

Intelligent (hasn't missed an Honor Roll yet)

Nice

Happy birthday buddy!

"Tis the Season

Yes - it is the season to be extremely busy, but with fun stuff. After prepping ourselves by buying and watching the movie "The Christmas Story" (no, I had never seen it - blasphemous, I know), we went to see the play at Pioneer Memorial Theater. I gotta say... the play was even funnier than the movie! We had a delightful dinner before going to the theater. We're happy Brian was able to make it. If he makes me cranky, I'll share a lovely little anecdote with you all, but for now, I'm going to enjoy the leverage.

The next night, we braved the cold and went to see the "Zoo Lights." The kids had been to see these lights before and were prepared (correction - Grandma Jessie was prepared) with their special 3D type glasses that made every light look like a snowman - pretty cool.

It was a balmy 24 degrees - warmest night of the week (the "warm before the storm")!

Austin is such a boy. To his credit, he did convince me that his head was actually stuck.

It was fun going to the zoo with younger kids - they were so much more enthusiastic than my children. It seems like yesterday that Austin and Caitlin were the same age as Riley and Drew! Where did the time go?I claim ignorance regarding child labor laws - we put Austin and Caitlin to work over the weekend. They made HUNDREDS of pizzelles (Italian cookies made on a special waffle iron). Caitlin was also the "powdered sugar sprinkler" as well.

Yes - my children do own clothing that does not have the Denver Bronco logo on it. The Bronco's just happened to be playing, so they HAD to wear their Bronco apparel.

That blinding white in the background is the snow that came after "the warm before the storm."

The Cruelty of Fox

Seriously...how dare they make us wait until April for new Glee episodes!!! I know they have to show American Idol, but that really is no excuse - especially after last night's stellar episode! I loved, loved, loved it! I guess we will just have to bask in the knowledge that the DVD is coming out on the 29th (so I can clear up 13 hours on the DVR) and Idina Menzel (the original Elphaba from "Wicked") is joining the show as a recurring character - good stuff! Looking at the bright side - we won't be having to flip back and forth (DVR style) between Glee and Modern Family anymore (yeah - that's not so "bright," but it's the best I can come up with).

Fun with the cousins...

We TOTALLY tricked Lisa last week! It has been so long since she lived in Utah that she didn't realize that "20% chance of snow" meant 100% chance of a blizzard at Mom's house! So that is how we lulled them into a false sense of climate security and northward they came. Hee hee hee. After every picture we took, Mom would say, "take the picture in front of the tree!" so this one's for the Mother... TJ is channeling Chuck Bass again. Trevor (not prepared for the cold) put on my coat as soon as we arrived.

The Snow Bunnies..

I can only assume this was "Extreme Monopoly" - you know... the kind that requires it be played on a pool table with lots of extra room. Hey Austin - where is all your money? DOH!

Fun times!

Thanksgiving

We had a great time on Thanksgiving. Caitlin did a lovely job setting the table. Caitlin "helped" all day long.
Austin got himself all decked out after dinner in hopes of a Bronco win.

Six tries later, we got a picture with Mom's eyes open.

Caitlin will be re-creating the "pom pom beanbag" for every Bronco game since they managed to win thus completing the fabulous day.

Updates...

No - I wasn't one of the loonies who camped out at the In-N-Out Burger last week. The In-N-Out at Jordan Landing will be open within a month, but I still won't be camping out - I'm not big on crowds or long lines.

No - I didn't see "New Moon" again already (I'm waiting until Monday to see it again)... however, we went to see "The Blind Side." EXCELLENT show! I would highly recommend seeing it. It was easily one of the most inspiring and enjoyable shows I've seen in a long time.

And finally, yes - Caitlin sang her duet in church today. It was the final song of the Primary program and she and her friend Dillan did a fabulous job. They both used their "strong voices," found all the notes and sang with their mouths open (no mumbling!). I wasn't the only one with tears in my eyes. I looked around and saw many people wiping their eyes. It took us a while to get out of the church because everybody stopped Catie to tell her what a great job she did (we even had a phone call afterwards).

So, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I'm grateful for the good sense not to do silly things like camping out at fast food joints; I'm grateful for reserved seating at movie theaters (so we can always have good seats at sold out shows); and I'm grateful my daughter didn't inherit my nerves so we can enjoy listening to her sing.

The Day (er..Night) Finally Came

I thought about posting this right after I got home from the movie, but I chose to make sleep a priority (since I only had an hour from the time I got home to the time I had to start the morning routine).

I REALLY liked the movie this time! It followed the book very well (that was my main beef with "Twilight" - that and the "cheese" factor) and the parts that were variations from the book actually worked better than they did in the book (lots of funny little one-liners...more humor in this one). Annie and I both remarked on how much better a movie is when they have a budget to make it well.

I must say I am firmly on "Team Jacob" now. I kind of wished Edward would have stayed away because Jacob was so .. ahem .. charming (among his other attributes - see below) and his chemistry with Bella was quite intriguing. It was a little disconcerting listening to all the "cougars" in the audience expressing their "pleasure" at seeing his scantily clad body on the screen. He is only 17 after all.

At least when I go back to the theater repeatedly to see this one, I will at least like the movie (and maybe Annie won't be so annoyed with me because there aren't as many cheesy parts to giggle at). What did you guys think of it?

PS - only 222 days until Eclipse comes out!

Gettin' close!!!

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One other thing that's getting close... check out the progress on our In N Out! I must have been neglecting my old friends Target & Sonic (right behind the In N Out) because I was shocked when Austin & I went to Sonic & Target and we saw that they were close to done!

Denver... Part 1

So we were off to Denver last weekend and had a FABULOUS time! We went with our friends and their two kids so our kids were kept busy the ENTIRE time! Within minutes of arriving at the hotel, the kids were off to .... the pool of course. We took off in the S.S. Goodship (a.k.a. the "Super Steeler Goodship" which was the mini-van our friends rented - these are the "Ferrari" friends so you KNOW driving a mini-van was painful!). Here are Mia and Catie playing on the i-Touch in the "stern."

Bowling was on the itinerary that first night. I will now publicly admit that Brian beat me by 3 pins in the second game. I didn't want to crush his dreams, so I went easy on him (it had NOTHING to do with the fact that I hadn't bowled in who knows how long and DANG that ball was getting heavy).

Denver... Part 2

Our hotel was pretty close to the zoo, so we thought that might be a good idea. Well... after trolling the parking lots and the neighboring park for 30 minutes without being able to find a parking place, we started to question our decision. Fortunately, Sean was piloting the SS Goodship and he managed to find a spot (beating out several other cars in the process). When we finally got to the front gate of the zoo, there was a sign that said "FREE DAY" which was why it was body to body masses of humanity there. We turned around and left.

Fortunately, we parked in the parking lot of the Museum of Nature and Science, so we thought, "why not"? We had a fun and educational afternoon. We're still getting used to Austin with braces!

Mia and Caitlin were inseperable.
Mia's brother Davis discovered our family moth.
Um... Austin & Caitlin...don't look behind you.
PS... We were thinking of Logan in this room full of dinosaurs! It was then time for the girl's night out!!! We hit up downtown Denver for a lovely dinner at Maggiano's (SOOO glad we made reservations).
Our apres-dinner transportation was a horse drawn carriage. I think the girls were just a little excited! They got up close and personal with the horse after the ride (the horse started to nuzzle Caitlin's shoulder so she moved to the other side).
And then... for the piece de resistance... it was time for "Wicked"! Without getting all ferklempt, can I just say that there is absolutely NOTHING that compares with seeing pure joy in your child's face. Caitlin literally split her lips smiling so much. When the music started, Caitlin and Mia grabbed each other's hands and didn't let go for half of the first act. It was priceless!

Worth EVERY penny!!!

Denver ... Part 3

While we waited and waited and waited for our table for breakfast ($9.00 French Toast for the kids - what?!), the kids kept themselves entertained with a spirited round of "rock paper scissors." While we were waiting, I noticed that one of our fellow diners looked eerily familiar. I finally realized that she looked like the choreographer Mandy Moore from "So You Think You Can Dance" - seriously - spitting image! Well, when one of the waiters went to her table and immediately fell to the ground all enraptured, I thought I might just be right. As we were leaving, I took Caitlin and Mia to her table and asked if it was indeed her, she said yes and proceeded to be so cute with the girls asking their names and if they like to dance. She happened to choreograph the very first dance I ever saw on SYTYCD... this little (Emmy nominated) number below.

On our second attempt at the zoo, we had it all to ourselves. This gibbon took a particular liking to Brian - he was quite entertaining. We had a fabulous day - the weather was perfect. Who would have thought it would be in the 60's in Denver during November.

This photo is courtesy of Stu the limo driver. He had the unenviable task of transporting us to and from the game (the children were quite rowdy while doing their "limo dance" ... not to be confused with the "elevator dance.") Here's our motley crew before Monday Night Football.

At the game, we were completely surrounded by Steeler fans (they do travel well), but Brian and Austin still managed some smiles. Of course, this was in the first half. There was nothing to smile about in the second half. The Broncos didn't get the memo that they have to win every time we come to town.

(Heavy sigh)... at least we got to see the stadium lit up at night and some of the cast members of "Wicked" sang the national anthem and we didn't freeze like we thought we would and we didn't have to do the driving back to the hotel and our Steeler friends didn't rub it in and the hamburger joint across the street from our hotel was still open when we got back for the 11:30 cheeseburger run. Indeed, much to be thankful for.

Good times!!!

Today was the day!!!

B E F O R E . . .A F T E R . . .

If you can't tell the difference, please note the blue and orange BRACES Austin is now sporting. The balloons were from the Orthodontist's office (so sweet!). Let the new nicknames begin!

Tinsel Teeth...Metal Head...Brace Face... does anybody have any others?

Halloween '09

May I present "Roadkill" (Austin's new nickname) and Elphaba. I was impressed (and disturbed) at Austin's request for authenticity - but we opted not to actually run over him (JK). We didn't manage to get any songs out of Caitlin - maybe that's a good thing. Grandma Jessie dropped by after work (that Macy's dress code is getting freaky). I must say... she was rockin' the pink wig & stockings. PS - her earrings were blinking spiders.
The pumpkins that actually managed to get carved BEFORE Halloween (3 were carved the day after and 3 were carved the week before at a pumpkin party, so we did manage to get to all 9 pumpkins after our pathetic display last year). The "Bronco Pumpkin Curse" was in full effect as it resulted in a Denver loss yesterday (yes Brian, I DO affect the outcomes of sporting events with my actions).
Both kids managed over 10 pounds of candy (which will translate to 20 pounds on Mom's backside).
After Caitlin de-greenified, I found her categorizing and bagging up her candy (based on candy size, packaging, candy type, etc.). Oh crap - what have we done to her?! We'll be enrolling her in therapy sometime soon.

After all the festivities, Austin was frantic to return to his "farm" and do his harvesting. He'll never know how many pieces of candy I swiped while he was farming (he he he).