Summer Vacation Is HERE!

Today is the first day of summer vacation, and we are spending it getting ready for the first camping trip of the season! We will be heading to the Great Sand Dunes in the morning...to play in the water and sand. We'll also visit the hot springs at Salida. So I won't be posting till next week...Happy Memorial Day weekend! Thank you to all those who serve in our military. May you be honored and appreciated this weekend.

Picnic, party, field day...

It's already been a crazy week...and it's only Tuesday?!

Yesterday we had a first grade picnic at a 35-acre ranch owned by one of the school families. They own a local landscaping and decking company, and it was evident with their own property. I can't even begin to describe what a neat place it was, so I will let the pictures speak for themselves. I will mention that they had a private, 9 hole golf course and a gazebo over the water with a see-through floor so you could see the fish in the water. Lots of cool details went into building this place.








This morning was field day...and the kids had a great time.




For dinner tonight we went to Jason's Deli and celebrated Emma's upcoming birthday with all her Grandparents. My mom made giant cupcakes, which Nate devoured! And Emma was so thrilled to get some new Barbie clothes and books from her favorite series, The Magic Treehouse.






Tomorrow Emma has a half day of school...then Nate and I will join her for the all-school picnic...then it will be summer vacation!

Party like you're seven....almost!

Emma's 7th birthday is next weekend, but we had her birthday party on Sunday at a fun place called Artsports. They have lots of trampolines and foam pits, and the kids got to play for 2 hours! It was a great party experience!

Emma's birthday outfit.



The birthday girl having a blast.






Nate had just as much fun as the older kids.



So did Tim.



Dinner, cupcakes and presents.







This was the easiest birthday party I've ever hosted. Aside from making cupcakes, all we had to do was show up! Of course I love the planning that goes into making a great party; but with the week we just had, this was perfect! Stress-free, fun and easy.

Manitou Lake

We love all lakes. Since its a little early for waterskiing in Colorado, we decided to go fishing/kayaking. The wind was out-of-control strong, so we didn't kayak much for fear we would end up over the spill way. But we had a great time fishing, and we all caught some fish...even me!











We are so excited to be getting some summer-like weather around here. Bring on the summer hobbies!

Is this week over yet?

On Monday and Tuesday Nate had a fever. On Wednesday and Thursday Emma had a fever. Nate broke out in a rash of blisters on his arms and legs. For two days we thought he had chicken pox. For two days Emma had a stomach bug, then she broke out in blisters on her throat. We found out Nate has hand, foot, mouth disease. We found out Emma has strep.

I'm tired!

Fruit Pizza

I decided to surprise Tim with his all-time favorite dessert: fruit pizza! This is a simple recipe but it is so tasty!


1 tube refrigerated sugar cookie dough
8 oz cream cheese
1 can pineapple tidbits (small can)
Fruit as desired.

On this one I used raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, kiwi, banana and pineapple. Since fresh fruit varies by seasons, you can mix it up and use whatever is available. Other ideas: grapes, peaches, mandarin oranges.

Roll sugar cookie dough out into a greased and floured 13X9 baking dish. Bake according to directions. Let cool completely. For frosting: beat cream cheese with juice from pineapple and about 2 tablespoons of sugar. You can add more or less sugar depending on how sweet you want it. Spread cream cheese frosting on cookie. Layer fruit on top.

Queen Esther

Emma was Queen Esther for Bible character day at school, and she wrote a report about the brave queen.


Nate wanted to be in a picture, too!

Emma in the kitchen

The other day I picked Emma up from school and she was in tears because she didn't know how to cook anything all by herslef. So we discussed how I could teach her to cook, and she decided that night she would cook dinner alone. She decided to make tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, which we had decided she already knew how to make and didn't need any coaching. She did such a good job and was so proud of her meal.




After we ate Emma said, "That was hard doing all that stuff at the same time." I asked her what she thought it would be like to cook all that dinner while two kids were wanting her to do things for them. "OH man! That would be even harder!" I wonder if she understood where I was coming from?!

Mothers Day Moments

I am blessed!