Welcome to Our Little Corner of the World

January 24

2012-01-24T21:35:00.000-07:00

Django went to the groomers today. They gave him a bath, clipped his nails, cut his hair and brushed his teeth. Love a clean puppy!

January 23

2012-01-24T21:31:00.000-07:00

Now that Christmas thank you cards are done, it's time to start working on making Zoe's birthday invitations. The bottom picture is what I came up with. Now I have to make 13 more!

January 22

2012-01-24T21:27:00.000-07:00

Late is better than never....Finally got all of our thank you cards written, addressed and ready to mail from Christmas.

January 21

2012-01-24T21:21:00.000-07:00

We went out for dinner and drinks with our good friend Merg tonight. The place we went to for dinner had S'Mores on the menu for dessert and we couldn't resist. Yum!

January 20

2012-01-24T21:18:00.000-07:00

Addy loves playing on the playground at Zoe's school. Today it was nice out and we went early to pick Zoe up so that Addy could play.

January 19

2012-01-24T21:16:00.000-07:00

Addy and I ate lunch with Zoe at her school today. It's one of the things that we get to do now that I am not working and I really cherish the little things like this. That is one of Zoe's BFF's sitting next to her.

January 18

2012-01-24T21:14:00.000-07:00

Zoe and I go to Panera sometimes to do her homework. It's the place I always loved to do homework at and it helps her focus on the task at hand. It's been fun seeing her progression with her writing and it's something that we will continue to work on with her.

January 17

2012-01-24T21:12:00.000-07:00

IKEA has opened in Denver and I went today with a good friend. It was her first time shopping there and as you can see by our cart, she really liked it! I had a handful of things in the cart, but she really took advantage of the great prices and I can't wait to go to her house to see where everything ended up that she bought.

January 16

2012-01-24T21:09:00.000-07:00

Today was MLK day and the kids were off of school. I met a few of my friends and we had a sewing date while our kids played together. We made travel snack packs out of fabric and lined with oil cloth for easy cleaning. They turned out so cute and are so handy!

January 15

2012-01-24T21:06:00.000-07:00

Filled up the tank today and thought this would make a good picture-of-the-day to show the price of gas. This is cheap these days and I used my 20 cents discount at King Soopers to get $2.719 per gallon.

January 14

2012-01-24T21:03:00.000-07:00

Django is the only dog that I have ever owned or seen that actually buries his bones. When he gets a brand new bone, he waits at the backdoor with it in his mouth and then runs out to the back fence and buries it. The best part is watching him use his nose to cover it back up with the dirt. I had to take this with my zoom lens on my camera so that he wouldn't stop when I came outside. He digs it up usually within a few days and enjoys it.

January 13

2012-01-24T20:59:00.000-07:00

Jared's work had a 1920's-themed holiday party and we had so much fun. They had a real speakeasy (that required a password for entry), gambling tables, music, great food and plenty of beer (he works at a brewery). It was fun to dress up. The pictures above were from a photobooth they had set-up with a professional photographer taking the pictures. It was a memorable evening!

January 12

2012-01-24T20:56:00.000-07:00

TCBY is back in town and I am SO excited! We took the girls today for an afternoon treat and it didn't disappoint.

January 11

2012-01-24T20:53:00.000-07:00

This picture means so much to me. Zoe's reading skills have really improved since starting 1st grade. This is a great book called "Mama, Do You Love Me?" that she got for her birthday. This was the first time that she sat down and read the entire thing without any help from Mom.

January 10, 2012

2012-01-24T20:50:00.000-07:00

I met two of my great friends from my old job for lunch today. It was great to catch up with both of them. I miss seeing them on a daily basis, so I love being able to meet up for lunch.

January 9, 2011

2012-01-09T17:40:00.001-07:00

I admit it, I was SO ready for school to start again. Today was the big day and the girls were ready too. They both jumped out of bed, got themselves dressed (without any nagging from Mom), brushed their teeth and hair and were ready to go on time. It will be nice to get back on a schedule for both them and me!

January 8, 2011

2012-01-09T17:37:00.001-07:00

The girls got their face painted at the Farmer's Market today. The girl did a great job and best of all, it was free!

Oh ya, and our beloved Steelers also lost to the Broncos. Boo hoo.

January 7, 2011

2012-01-09T17:33:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed celebrating our friend Drew's birthday tonight. Most of our good friends and their kids were there. We gave Drew the new spring seasonal from New Belgium and customized the 6-pack for him.

January 6, 2011

2012-01-09T17:24:00.000-07:00

Here are Zoe and Addy with their besties. Sleepover time! Addy stayed over at their house and Zoe and her friend stayed over at my Mom and Dad's house as a special treat.

Here is the "Make a silly face" picture

January 5, 2011

2012-01-05T22:10:00.000-07:00

What a beautiful day! 60 degree weather and I was able to get on the cruiser and take a half an hour bike ride. Did I mention I got to go all by myself?? It was like a mini-vacation. What a great way to clear the mind and what great weather to enjoy!

January 4, 2011

2012-01-05T18:58:00.000-07:00

Zoe had another good friend from school over to play today. The made their own wands, painted, played outside and enjoyed a lot of laughs together!

January 3, 2011

2012-01-03T18:25:00.000-07:00

Zoe had one of her best friends from school over today and they played all day together. One of the things they did was a new dancing game that the girls got on the Wii. It was cute to see them busting a move.

January 2, 2011

2012-01-02T22:26:00.000-07:00

We took Addy and our dog, Django, up to the frisbee golf course down the street from our house today. We have had a really cold winter here in Colorado and it was about 50 degrees out today which felt semi-tropical. It was Addy's first time playing frisbee golf and she did great. It was a great afternoon and some quality family time. (Zoe was at her Grammy's house)

January 1, 2012

2012-01-02T22:19:00.000-07:00

Happy New Years!!

Jared and I went to our friends party for New Years Eve and they had a "Prom" party. It was a great time and a good excuse to get dressed up for the night. We watched a 10 minute slide show at the end of the night of a compilation of pictures from the last year with all of our friends and it was so amazing. It really made me realize how lucky we are to have the friends that we do.

Time Flies!

2012-01-02T22:10:00.000-07:00

Highlights of the second half of 2010 for the West family

July

Jared and I took a trip to Portland for a friends wedding. Amazed by the beautiful landscape and loved the city. Caught up with old friends and made some new ones.

August

Had a long weekend in Winter Park with our besties and their kiddos.

September

Tour de Fat - the coolest and best bicycle parade in all of the land takes place in our hometown. This is a picture of the group of friends that we rode with.

September is also when my baby turned 4

We also had Jared's parents in town for Addy's birthday and a much-anticipated visit. This is all of us at Lily Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park.

October

The girls were both Rapunzel for Halloween, courtesy of the amazing dresses made by my amazing mother.

November

We spent 10 days in Illinois with Jared's family. This is a shot of everyone that was over at his parents house for Thanksgiving. We were so excited to be back with everyone and so sad to leave.

December

Merry Christmas from the West girls!

Summertime!

2011-07-12T21:38:00.000-06:00

I once again, find myself slacking on the updates for the blog. I think it has to do with the fact that it's summertime and I would much rather be outside! Here are some highlights of our summer so far. Thanks for checking in!
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My cousin Laura, graduated with her PhD and was out for the ceremony in May. We had the Iowa Z's as well as my parents, aunt, uncle and grandma over for a BBQ. It was a great time and it's always nice to catch up with family.

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Jerry and Linda came to visit us in May. They were able to be here for Zoe's last day of kindergarten. We had a great time and it never feels like enough time that we get to spend with them!

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Garden Tour with the Girls ~ Tara, Jill, myself and Jami had a wonderful time riding our bikes around the Jr. League Garden Tour this year. We had great weather and it's so nice to spend time with great friends. Tara made us a wonderful breakfast before we left and it started the day off great!

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The girls and I took Jared hiking for Father's Day this year. It was a great day for a hike and the trail we took kept crossing this creek at different parts and the girls loved getting their feet wet.

Daddy's girls

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I had a ladies night in my backyard and "Garden Party" was the theme. We had a great time and enjoyed relaxing and catching up with everyone.

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Greeley Stampede - My parents, sister and myself took the girls to see their first rodeo at the Greeley Stampede. We got to see cowboys and bulls, but the clowns were the girls favorites.

The carnival was a hit with the girls. Below are Addy and Grammy enjoying the Dumbo ride.

Of course Poppy offered to ride the train with Zoe.

Addy rode a rollercoaster with Auntie and absolutely LOVED it!

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4th of July

We went over to a friends house for the 4th and the kids had a really successful lemonade stand.

BIG Time Slacker!

2011-04-24T22:21:00.000-06:00

Hello.............is there anyone out there? I think the title of the post sums it all up. So I am just going to share some recent (and not so recent pics). Thanks for checking in!

Addy, Zoe and Bela drawing the world's largest hopscotch on our sidewalk.

The girls at the 4-H Carnival digging for prizes in a vat of corn kernels

Zoe at her ballet class

Jen and Django on a walk

Weeeeeeeeeeeeee

Tade is quite the ladies man with Kavi and Addy

Addy's first dentist appointment. "Mom, he told me to stop sucking my thumb."

This has (suprisingly) been the most effective method of getting that thumb out. I

t's not stopped completely, but she has cut-back.

The first step is admitting you have a problem.

LOL

Riding our bikes to the Shepardson Carnival.

That's Mommy pulling Zoe who is pulling Addy in the trailer.

It's a great workout!

Face painting after the carnival

Django!! 6 months old

Sisters

A beautiful shot of the moon rising in Old Town

Zoe - 6 years old

Addison - 3 years old

Zoe and Django

At the Kite Festival

Daddy and his gals watching the kites

Zoe lost her first tooth!

Jen and Jared catching the Flobots at an Etown taping in Boulder

February 19th

2011-02-22T20:54:00.000-07:00

Scrapbook Road Trip

We had our monthly scrapbook club gathering at a scrapbook store in Denver this month. There were nine of us and we had a great time scrappin' and laughin' from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.

We crammed our stuff into Jill's car for the drive to Denver. There were four of us in her car.

Of course, we forgot to take any pictures inside so we took them outside as we were leaving. What lame scrapbookers we are!

February 18th

2011-02-22T20:50:00.000-07:00

Zoe has really been enjoying her ballet class that she takes after school. It's cute to see all of the girls with their leotard's and tights dancing around the room. They always do a routine at the end of class to the song from Dumbo "Baby Mine" and it makes me tear up everytime I hear it.

February 17th

2011-02-22T20:46:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my office

This is where I spend most of my time (unfortunately) during the week. At least I have my own office which allows me to listen to my iPod all day long. February 1st was my 12 year anniversary of working for this company and it's hard to believe that it's been that long!

February 16th

2011-02-22T20:43:00.000-07:00

I love Dove dark chocolate and part of the reason are the little messages that they put inside of the wrapper. This was the one I got today at work. Good advice!

February 15th

2011-02-22T20:41:00.000-07:00

This was one of the projects that Zoe's class did at their Valentine's party. Awwwww

February 14th

2011-02-22T20:38:00.000-07:00

Happy Valentine's Day

Zoe's teacher gave her this valentine and I thought that it was so clever!

Feburary 13th

2011-02-22T20:36:00.000-07:00

Zoe's Birthday Party

We invited all 22 kids from Zoe's class to her birthday party at a local place called Kidz Fit. 18 of them came and we had a blast. There was minimal entertaining on our end and we enjoyed cupcakes while Zoe opened her gifts. We had a great time.

February 12th

2011-02-22T20:30:00.000-07:00

Jared and I went out to dinner tonight. We tried out a new restaurant downtown and really liked it. We ended up ordering a plate each and sharing. It was nice to have some alone time and adult conversation...although we just ended up talking about the kids!

February 11th

2011-02-22T20:27:00.000-07:00

These are the valentines that I made for Addy's daycare. They turned out really cute and she gave each kiddo a whistle and a thing of play-doh. The initials stand for Anika, Drea, Shane, Mrs. Hawkes (one for Zoe's teacher), Molly, Maddox, Adeleigh and Sabrina.

February 10th

2011-02-22T20:23:00.000-07:00

Happy 6th Birthday Zoe

This girl is all about iCarly right now.

She ended up getting an iCarly backpack, silly bands, stickers and Wii game.

This was her big gift from Mom and Dad, a new scooter.

Hard to believe that she turned six already. She amazes us on a daily basis with her kind and loving heart. She is so thoughtful and I am in awe that we have such a wonderful six year old.

February 9th

2011-02-17T20:58:00.000-07:00

He is seriously this cute

Django loves to go for rides in the car. He does a great job and often, I'll look over and he's asleep like he is here. He is such a good puppy, we really lucked out!

February 8th

2011-02-17T20:55:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Grammy

We were able to celebrate Grammy's birthday tonight. We enjoyed dinner and cake and then the girls offered to help her open her presents :-)

February 7th

2011-02-17T20:53:00.000-07:00

Addy's sitter called in sick today (for the first time in almost 2 years that we've been there) so I took the day off and we went to storytime at the library. After the storytime, Addy wanted to play some games on the computer there while I got books for the girls. I love the pigtails!

February 6th

2011-02-17T20:51:00.000-07:00

This is the kitchen-warming gift that I got for Becky and Truby's newly remodeled kitchen. Becky was going with a vintage kind of look, so this yellow bowl is perfect with the colors she chose.

February 5th

2011-02-17T20:48:00.000-07:00

Hanging out

We ended up at Becky and Truby's house tonight with Jim and Merg. Played a great round of Pictionary.

Here are all the kids watching a movie before they go to sleep in their basement.

February 4th

2011-02-17T20:41:00.000-07:00

Zoe's birthday is next week and she has decided to invite her entire class to her party. So I had to make 25 invitations which I thought turned out really cute. I made it using my new Cricut machine that I got for Christmas.

February 3rd

2011-02-17T20:39:00.000-07:00

It's still brutally cold here. Mojo decided to warm up in the bathroom on the vent. Smart kitty.

February 2nd

2011-02-17T20:36:00.000-07:00

Addy loves to ham it up for the camera. This is one of her famous looks. She loves skirts and headbands and anything girly.

February 1st

2011-02-17T20:33:00.000-07:00

Snow day...without snow!

Today Zoe got to stay home from school because of the brutal cold. They were estimating with the wind chill that it would get to -20 out today. So she and I stayed home and we enjoyed some hot chocolate!

January 31st

2011-02-17T20:29:00.000-07:00

Happy 100th day of Kindergarten

Zoe's homework for her 100th day of Kindergarten was to put 100 of anything on a poster and bring it to school for the big celebration. So Zoe painted the ocean background and we glued sand to the bottom. Then she glued 100 goldfish crackers on and wrote "I wish for 100 fish"

January 30th

2011-02-17T20:24:00.000-07:00

I think I went to switch the laundry and this is what I came back to. What fun is painting poster board when you can paint yourself?

January 29th

2011-02-17T20:22:00.000-07:00

Ben and Jerry's

We took Django and the girls to Old Town to enjoy some sunshine and some much needed nice weather. We are working on socializing Django so we have to take any chance we can to get him out in the public since it's winter. He's doing great with meeting new people and dogs. The girls like these outings since they usually end up at Ben and Jerry's.

January 28th

2011-02-17T20:18:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the lack of posting. We moved the computer into a new room and just hooked the internet back up. So excuse the blast of posts here.

Our new pets

Meet our new princess pets - Addy the princess kitty and Zoe the princess bunny. Priceless.

January 27th

2011-01-29T08:11:00.000-07:00

Django has been keeping us busy lately. He has puppy class once a week and has also been going to puppy daycare once a week. We had a vet appointment today and he is now 4 months old and weighs 29 pounds. They think he will be about a 60 pound dog when he is full grown. The vet and everyone on the daycare/classes side tell us all the time that we have a great puppy. They probably tell everyone that, but I have to agree with them!

January 26th

2011-01-29T08:07:00.000-07:00

Found this t-ball set at Target on clearance for $5. The girls couldn't wait to play it and today it was finally nice enough outside to try it out. They did great and had a lot of fun. This is definitely a toy that we can't play in front of the dog right now or he'll destroy the ball.

January 25th

2011-01-25T21:00:00.000-07:00

Zoe's Ballet Class

Zoe started ballet class today after school. She was so excited because six other kindergartner's were in her class: Maggie, Elena, Lauren H, Lauren S, Claudia and Allie. They were all so cute in their leotards, tights and ballet slippers.

January 24th

2011-01-25T20:57:00.000-07:00

The girls were playing like they were puppies inside of Django's kennel. I should have timed it to see how long they could stay in there before they got into a fight. Ahhh, sisters.

January 23rd

2011-01-25T20:54:00.000-07:00

We got Django a tennis ball throwing contraption (for lack of a better term) because this dog loves to play ball. So we took him to the school up the street where they have a fenced in area (to keep kids in or out, still not sure) that we could let him off the leash to run and fetch. We made it all of about 5 minutes before the cold wind started to really blow and we had to pack up and go home. So I am sure the next weekend that we have nice weather, you will know what the picture of the day will be!

By the way, STEELERS WON AND THEY ARE GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL IN TWO WEEKS!!!!!! This is an homage to my love of the Steelers and my love for PEZ dispensers.

January 22nd

2011-01-25T20:50:00.000-07:00

Zoe and I went to the party store today to buy the necessary iCarly party plates, napkins, etc. for her birthday party next month. We came across these glasses and couldn't help ourselves. Today on a podcast, I heard someone say that the greatest gift a woman could ever receive is a daughter. I am going to have to agree with her!

January 21st

2011-01-25T20:46:00.000-07:00

Scrapbook Club with the ladies!

Jill, Trish, Denise, Debbie, Jill and I met for our monthly scrapbook club. Debbie was a wonderful host (as always) and I worked on my Project Life album to get it current. We shared some good laughs, which is always easy to do with good company.

January 20th

2011-01-20T20:27:00.000-07:00

We tried out a new recipe tonight from Rachel Ray. We made Greek-style meatballs with flatbread, Greek yougurt, cucumbers and red onion. We had roasted green beans and almonds with it. The recipe is definitely a keeper!

January 19th

2011-01-20T20:24:00.000-07:00

Okay, I am a late bloomer with the Harry Potter series, but I am officially hooked! I started reading the series this fall and just finished book 5, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" tonight. After I read the book, I watch the movie. So I guess you know what I will be up to tomorrow night!

January 18th

2011-01-18T21:36:00.001-07:00

First Day of Puppy Class

Tonight was Django's first night at Puppy Class. There were four other puppies in the class with him. A Boston Terrier, a Shitzu-Poodle mix, a Doberman Pincher and a Corgi. He did well and at this point, the classes are more to socialize them with other dogs. He made the teacher laugh when he tried to climb up one of the agility pieces that was against the wall. He's too small, but we may have found a hobby for him when he's bigger!

January 17th

2011-01-18T21:32:00.001-07:00

My sister helped watch the girls today since it was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. I met them for lunch at Noodles and we were lucky enough to see the MLK Parade coming down the main street, College Ave.

I took both girls outside and explained that they were marching in honor of Dr. King. Zoe looked at them and then back at me and said "Mom, they're walking, not marching." Always the observant one!

This is the school project that Zoe brought home. It made me tear up.

Week 3 - January 16th

2011-01-18T21:28:00.000-07:00

E-Town taping

Jared won tickets through work to attend a taping of E-Town, a radio show based out of Boulder. It featured Keller Williams and the Keels and Marc Broussard. We were able to leave the girls with my parents and head to Boulder for a date.

What a show. Keller's enthusiasm was infectious. The couple that he played with were talented. They played Bluegrass and then were interviewed by the radio show host on stage. Then Marc Broussard came out to perform. I had never heard of him before and I was blown away by his talent. He is 29 and sings Blues and Soul music. He was incredible. When we got home, I downloaded some of his music and I can't wait for him to return to Colorado so we can catch an entire show.

We ate dinner at a place called BJ's Brewhouse and Pizza on the Pearl Street Mall. The food was amazing. So amazing, I took a picture of it:

We shared two appetizers. One was with Ahi Tuna and Won Ton Chips and the other was a Flatbread Pizza with Italian Sausage, Basil and Tomato. Bon Apetit!

January 15th

2011-01-18T21:18:00.000-07:00

Let's go Steelers

Addy was so excited for the game - she had to take a nap half way through it. Best part was that Jared put the "Terrible Towel" over her as a blanket. There's nothing like NFL playoff football, especially when the Steelers are playing. They played the Ravens and beat them to move on to the AFC Championship game this weekend against the Jets. Go Steelers!

January 14th

2011-01-16T09:25:00.000-07:00

New Belgium Holiday Party

We enjoyed the New Belgium holiday party tonight. Since December is so busy for everyone, they hold their annual holiday party in January. We had a great time. The food was amazing and the caterers incorporated some of New Belgium's beers into each dish. They had dancing, pool, air hockey, shuffle board and plenty of mingling space. At the end of the night, they had free shuttle buses to get us home safely. The best part for me was meeting the guys that Jared works with everyday and hearing all of the wonderful things they love about him. I'm a lucky gal!

January 13th

2011-01-16T09:19:00.000-07:00

What a difference a couple of days makes!

On Tuesday it was -7 at 7:30 a.m.

On Thursday, it's 45 at 4:30 p.m.

I'll take the Thursday weather any day!

January 12th

2011-01-16T09:16:00.000-07:00

The girls were at Poppy and Grammy's house tonight. When I got there, they were helping Grammy make biscuits. They turned out delicious. We cherish times like these that they get to spend with family.

January 11th

2011-01-16T09:12:00.000-07:00

Brrrrrrrrrrr

When Zoe and I got in the car this morning to head over to my Mom and Dad's house so Poppy could take her to school, the temperature gauge in the car read -7! It was bitterly cold out and we spent as little time as possible outside today.

January 10th

2011-01-16T09:10:00.000-07:00

Mojo and Django

We have had Django for three weeks now and he and Mojo love to play together. It's fun to see them get along so well already.

Mojo really missed having a pal around the house.

January 9th

2011-01-16T09:07:00.000-07:00

We had a great time playing in the snow this morning. While we scooped the driveway and sidewalk, the girls played around in the yard. We even had Django out with us who loved running through the white stuff. We all had a great time and Jared made the girls hot chocolate once we got back inside.

January 8th

2011-01-16T09:02:00.000-07:00

Jared and I met up with our friends Travis, Merg and Jim at the Island Grill to eat some dinner and watch the playoff game between the Jets and the Colts. This is our perfect date night - friends, food and football!

January 7th

2011-01-16T08:23:00.000-07:00

Greeley Family Funplex

We took the girls to the "Greeley Family Funplex" to go swimming tonight. It's about a 40 minute drive from our house, but it was worth it. We had so much fun. The play areas were perfect for the girls and they loved the slides and the lazy river. They even had two large slides that Jared and I went down.

January 6th

2011-01-13T22:53:00.000-07:00

It arrived!

My "Project Life" album and accessories. I got the big, white box delivered at work today. It was hard not to tear it open right there to see all the goodies inside. I waited until I got home to enjoy the contents!

January 5th

2011-01-13T22:51:00.000-07:00

We walked out of the house this morning and this is what we were greeted with. Breathtaking...

January 4th

2011-01-13T22:43:00.000-07:00

The girls were in the bathroom, with the door closed, giggling.

When I opened the door, this is what I found....Zoe brushing Addy's teeth.

Sisters!

January 3rd

2011-01-13T22:40:00.000-07:00

My friend Becky is such a great friend. She watched the girls for me so that I could get some things done around the house. I brought lunch over and the girls (hers, Bela and Kavi and mine, Zoe and Addy), enjoyed eating and playing together. The girls ages: Bela is 6, Zoe is 5, Kavi is 4 and Addy is 3. Bodhi, Bela and Kavi's little brother didn't make the picture but he is 1.

January 2nd

2011-01-13T22:37:00.000-07:00

We have had Django for 2 1/2 weeks now and it's amazing how quickly he has adapted and become part of the family. The girls adore him and he just started climbing into their laps when he feels like cuddling. Too cute!

January 1, 2011

2011-01-13T22:32:00.001-07:00

Ringing in the New Year

We had a great time at our friends New Years Eve party. We celebrated with great friends and yes, the girls were up at midnight to see the ball drop. We look forward to all the fun and love in 2011!

Django is his name-o

2011-01-13T22:26:00.001-07:00

Meet Django - pronounced Jango, rhymes with mango. He is a Schnauzer/Border Collie/some kind of terrier mix and he is 14 weeks old now.

He is our new puppy that we got on December 16th. No, he wasn't a Christmas puppy or a "planned to get" puppy. I was cruising the "Pets" ads on Craigslist (which I had been doing for months) when I saw his picture. He was part of a rescue group called "A Puppy's Voice" that rescues puppies from high-kill shelters in New Mexico. The group has all of their puppies in foster homes and when I saw his mug, I knew I had to meet him. So I filled out the application and emailed Jared at work with an email titled "Our Dog" explaining that we were going to meet the dog the next day. It was love at first sight! They had given him the name "McGruff" which was fitting given his beard. We weren't sold on the name and found the name Django and loved it! Even though he is going through the chewing stage, he is a great dog already.

Hello 2011 - Picture a day is back!!

2011-01-13T21:02:00.000-07:00

Given our misfortune with the computer crash and losing a ton of pictures, I couldn't have picked a better time to participate in "Project Life" for 2011 and do a picture-a-day in 2011. I am so excited to take part in this project again and I hope to capture all that 2011 has to offer our family in 2011 and post it on the blog.

Thanks for checking in and I hope you enjoy the ride - All aboard!

Broken Computer = Sad Blog

2011-01-04T13:09:00.000-07:00

Hello out there...is anyone out there? It's been 2 months since I've posted anything. Things got hectic (as they always seem to) with the holiday season and then IT happened. The computer crashed. Pictures, music, everything - gone - just like that. I can't preach the benefits of backing up all of your files people. Needless to say, I will be back to blogging again sooner than later, but we have to get everything set back up on the computer. Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and welcome to 2011!!

Happy Fall Y'all

2010-11-01T21:50:00.000-06:00

The beautiful tree in our front yard.

It puts on quite a show every year from green to yellow, then purple to orange.

It's my favorite!

Face painting at Chick-Fil-A to celebrate their one-year anniversary in their new location.

I love it that they decided to get the same thing!

Heading to Treatsylvania the weekend before Halloween for non-scary Trick-or-Treating!

Family Photo at Treatsylvania during the hayride

Mr. Potatohead - Pumpkin Style

Happy Halloween! The girls at Grammy and Poppy's house.

Zoe wanted to be a "good" witch (can you tell we are reading "The Wizard of Oz"?)

Addy was a ladybug.

Enjoying a bounce house at our friend Jaime and Neil's before Trick-or Treating

No matter how hard we tried, you just can't get this many kids at this age to look at the camera when you want them to!

Trick-or-Treat!

We made these ghosts from old tomato cages, white muslim and cut the faces out of black foam sheets. We strung orange and purple lights through the cages and put them in the front yard. I think they turned out great!

The pumpkins that we carved. Happy Halloween!!

Homecoming Parade

2010-10-25T17:57:00.000-06:00

Zoe and Addy watching the parade

I am pretty sure I didn't ask them to say "Ahhhhhh"

Lovely fall colors on the CSU campus

Tired of Mom taking pictures all the time

When the Rams go marching....

The marching band was too loud for Addy!

Orange-out day at CSU game

2010-10-17T08:43:00.003-06:00

Tailgating at CSU game

Zoe enjoying her lemonade slushy at her first CSU football game

It was "Orange Out" day in honor of the ol' Colorado A & M college that CSU used to be. Their colors were orange and green and a lot of people showed up in their Aggie Orange.

Go Rams!

Gardens at CSU

2010-10-17T08:22:00.002-06:00

CSU's Annual Trial Gardens

Zoe walking through teh gardens with mom's alma matter in the background ~ the old Fort Collins High School

Addison Grace

Zoe Elizabeth

The family

Market Days at Osborn Farm

2010-10-05T19:41:00.006-06:00

My sister and I took Zoe, Addy and their friends Bela and Kavi to Osborn Farm in Loveland on Sunday. They were having their annual "Market Days" which inlcudes a small flea market, kids activities, vendors and pumpkins. What a beautiful day!

Bela, Kavi, Zoe and Addy I love this picture - even though it wasn't the "perfect" one I had in mind, it is so them.
Zoe, Bela and Kavi ~ Addy wasn't up to cooperating for most of the photo-ops

Bela getting her face painted

Zoe

Kavi

All 3 girls got the same thing - 3 flowers and a vine. Each of them was only $1 for the face painting. What a deal!

The tractor-train ride. I was nervous sending Addy by herself and told Zoe to make sure that Addy sat down the whole time. She is our daredevil!

I think Addy had fun!

A great shot of the covered wagon that we got to take a ride in. That's Longs Peak in the background in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Maggie and Charlie meet Zoe and Bela

Getting ready for the ride

I love this one of all the girls. Zoe started laughing while I was taking it and told the other girls "Mom wants a picture of our booties!"

There was also a petting zoo and hayride and each of the girls went home with a mini-pumpkin. This was the best deal of the season. We did all of this stuff for under $30!

Tour de Fat 2010

2010-09-12T08:10:00.006-06:00

We LOVE living in Fort Collins. One of our favorite parts is the annual "Tour de Fat" bike parade put on by the brewery that Jared works at, New Belgium. This year they estimated somewhere close to 15,000 bike riders! The parade starts at the brewery and winds through town and back to the brewery where they have a little festival. Everyone dresses up in different costumes and decorates their bikes. It is so much fun to see all of the creativity that people have.

This year, a bunch of us girls decided to be "Runaway Brides." It was fun once we were all together that morning to see our different versions of a runaway bride.

Jared was Tiger Woods, the day after the famous car accident (hence the black eye) and I am wearing a dress that my mom made for me for the occasion! Our bike "parking" lot at our friends Kim and Jeff's house where we all met for breakfast before the ride.
Our group of "Runaway Brides"

The Deuto's

Jill and the signs that we made for our bikes

Funk and Donna

Tara - love the veil!

A view of the crowd as we were getting ready to leave

Jill and I getting ready for the ride

Jared had a broken golf club on his bike as part of his Tiger Woods outfit. He's riding his New Belgium cruiser bike that he got after working at the brewery for a year.

Here is a view of the crowd looking towards the brewery

Part of the crowd during the ride

How amazing is this flower? Loved it!

Tara, Becky and Jaime during the ride

Jeremy provides the music every year from this contraption

Zoe was a bunny and Addy was a cat (riding in our bike trailer behind me)

Zoe and her dancing

2010-09-08T20:06:00.002-06:00

Zoe has always loved music and dancing. Lately, whenever she is excited or happy about something, she does this dance. She shakes her knees and starts convulsing her body while pointing her fingers all over the place. Jill caught her dancing at Panera one morning before school.

David Gray & Ray LaMontagne

2010-09-07T20:08:00.004-06:00

12th row seats at Red Rocks! A view of one of the side rocks and looking up at the rest of the crowd
Jill's camera takes these cool pictures. This was between sets.

Ray LaMontagne

David Gray really puts on a great show!

My sister and I bought tickets to see David Gray and Ray LaMontagne months ago. We are so lucky to have Red Rocks Ampitheater here in Colorado. It is an amazing place to see a show and we couldn't believe that these two were touring together. We ended up in the 12th row thanks to being a part of David Gray's fan club. It was a beautiful night for a show and they both played full sets about an hour and a half long. They ended up closing out the night with "Dig a Pony" by the Beatles. What a night!

I love the Goodbyn lunch box!

2010-09-07T20:03:00.002-06:00

Zoe's lunch box came with a bunch of stickers so she could decorate the front of it. Here is the first time she took her lunch to school. Figured out that it was too much when more than half of it came back. She picked out all the fruit and veggies.

Now that Zoe is in Kindergarten, she eats lunch at school some days and takes her lunch on other days. I found the Goodbyn lunch box online and was able to get one at a local store in town. I LOVE this thing! It's sturdy and snaps shut tight and I also don't have to use a bunch of bags or containers to pack Zoe's lunch. Another great selling point? It's dishwasher safe. It's a hit at Zoe's school too. Her teacher asked me where I got it because she loves it.

You know you have good friends and family when...

2010-08-29T20:13:00.006-06:00

You know you have good friends and family when...they spend 6 hours on a Sunday at your house putting together the swingset that's been sitting in boxes in your garage for months.My dad, Jared, our friend Truby and I worked on deciphering the directions, hardware and lumber. Thankfully Truby is an engineer so he was able to read the directions well. Also, my mom helped out by watching the kids in the morning.
Here is the main base and deck

The roof is going up

I went and picked up lunch and dropped the girls off at a birthday party. When I got back, they had completed the playhouse.

Putting up the swing beam

Ta da, the finished product!

The girls play store with this part of the set

The rock wall and slide

The clubhouse

The girls were so excited to play on it once it was done, even the rain couldn't stop them!

It's times like these when you truly appreciate those in your life.

Rockies Game

2010-08-29T20:05:00.005-06:00

Take us out to the ballgame....

The family
Jill, Mom, Dad and Addy

Becky, Kavi and Truby

Jami, Travis, Gitana and Bela

Jaime and Tucker

Shane and Cassie

Dr. Buehner (I just had to - congrats Mike!) and Truby

Nothing feels like summer than a good ol' baseball game with friends and family! We got to see the Rockies play the Brewers a few weekends ago and had a great time. There were 19 of us that all sat together, thanks to tickets my mom scored through her work. We had a great time and we SO appreciate the playground area that was right above our seats!

Zoe's first day of kindergarten

2010-08-19T20:40:00.003-06:00

In front of the house before we left Zoe got to bring her stuffed animal "Bella" to school with her on the first day.
So crazy - this is where mommy went to school

Lining up outside of the class. Only half of the class went her first day. The other half went the day before.

All ready for her big day!

Could it be? Our baby is old enough to be in kindergarten? It's true and we are so proud of how Zoe handled her first day of school. She woke me up with "Mom, it's my first day of kindergarten." Believe me, this girl does not normally bound out of bed for anything. We are so excited for all the new experiences - teachers, friends, classes, and growing up. Great things are in this kids future, I just know it!!

Moments from this summer

2010-08-16T20:50:00.002-06:00

Life is good. Golfing in our friends tournament on a beautiful Colorado day.

Zoe with her good friends Zoe J. and Madison at a preschool picnic

Addy, being Addy

This is where are car broke down. In the mountains on a Sunday drive. At least we had the camping chairs in the back and a stack of library books to keep us occupied while we waited for my Dad and the tow truck!

On top of the tanks at New Belgium Brewery. You can see Jared, his cousin and wife, their friend and Jared's uncle Dean in the distance. I was too scared to go any further.

Mojo - the coolest cat, cuddling with me

Mom and the girls at Inspiration Park

We had a bunch of family in town - Jared's parents on the left, and then the rest is all of my mom's side of the family.

We went golfing with Jared's dad and our friend Merg at the Olde Course in Loveland.

Taken with my camera phone outside of the Denver Art Museum

Just a little glimpse into our lives this busy summer.

A vist from Nanny and Papa West

2010-08-16T20:31:00.003-06:00

The girls showing some sisterly love

Zoe trying on Mommy's hat
The girls checking out the lake
Jared and Dad getting the grill ready for burgers and hot dogs

Nanny and Papa West came to visit us and help watch the girls while Addy's sitter was on vacation. Unfortunately, I didn't pull my camera out very much. Sorry! The pictures above were taken when we went on a picnic up the Big Thompson Canyon. We had great weather while they were here and really enjoyed spending time with them and their dogs, Maddi and Oscar.

Picnic with cousin Laura

2010-07-11T21:47:00.004-06:00

Jen, Laura, Jill and the girls enjoying a picnic in the mountains The view of the Big Thompson River from our picnic area
Dad taking a picture of the scenery with his new camera
A great picnic thanks to mom!

Zoe and Addy hanging out next to a calmer part of the river

Zoe

Addy

A view of the pond that is at this picnic area

Another view of the pond

Sisters

We had a great visit from my cousin Laura. She used to live 30 minutes away when she was attending UNC, but now lives in West Virginia. Luckily for us, she still has to come back to finish some stuff for her PhD. It was great to see her and spend some time with her. Jill and I went to dinner with Laura and her friend Charlotte last Thursday and we shared some good memories and great laughs on the patio at Coopersmith's restaurant. It was sad to see her go. I look forward to her next trip.

Happy 5th of July

2010-07-11T21:41:00.003-06:00

Rescheduled fireworks for our family

Watching the fireworks

"Oh say can you see.." We (finally) hung the flag up that Jared's parents gave us.

Jared got the girls (okay, and himself) fireworks that are legal in CO for the 4th. Since it rained so much, we had to do them on the 5th. It didn't really matter to the girls. They thought they were pretty cool. I am not a big fan of setting off our own fireworks, but they were pretty mellow and some of them were pretty cool.

Randoms

2010-07-11T21:34:00.002-06:00

A small creek at the golf course I played at last Friday. It's a good friends charity tournament that we help at each year. This was the first year that Jill and I were able to golf in it. We won for "Highest Score" (which isn't really winning in golf, but we'll take it anyways!) S'mores in the backyard
One of the many reasons I love summer!

I walked out of the grocery store a couple of weeks ago and this is what I saw. Thank goodness for camera phones!

Zoe on one of our bike rides to her preschool

Just some random pictures that I've snapped lately. Reminders of the little things in our lives that sometimes are easily overlooked and forgotten, but seem so important at the time.

Happy 4th of July!!

2010-07-05T07:59:00.001-06:00

Our plans involved riding our bikes down to City Park where they have the big fireworks show in town. The rain had other plans. It started hailing and raining hard around 6 p.m. and finally stopped in the middle of the fireworks show at 10 p.m. We still braved it (although we drove down) and had a great time. Thanks to the weather, we got great seats to enjoy the fireworks and the great finale.

Flowers from my garden

2010-07-04T10:56:00.003-06:00

My good friend Amy has a birthday on Monday. Since Friday was the last day I would see her before her big day, I cut some flowers from my garden and disguised a Gatorade bottle as a vase, using a ribbon. I thought they turned out really pretty!

Greeley Stampede Parade and Carnival

2010-07-04T10:50:00.004-06:00

Happy 4th of July! They open the parade with a parade of these steer.

Those horns are huge when they are up close!
Addy enjoying the parade

Zoe in her festive dress

The girls riding in the cars at the carnival.

My mom, aunt Patsy, sister Jill and I took Zoe and Addy to the Greeley Stampede parade and carnival yesterday. We had a great time and enjoyed seeing the parade and even found a great spot in the shade for the whole thing. Then we headed to the carnival, enjoyed some lunch and fun on the rides with the girls.