Pre Easter

The week before Easter, I spent the entire day in the kitchen. I learned to bake bread from scratch. Never mind the fact that I was on the phone the entire day with my mom. She was on the other end boosting my confidence in this new endeavor. My bread came out just OK. I hope to have better luck next time.

Emily and Ty also dyed Easter Eggs because Em saw the box of egg dye in the pantry. She JUST HAD to dye the eggs. So I figured since were already hard at it, why not bake some cookies.

Ensenada, Mexico

So the 2nd half of Spring Break, Rick and I ditched the kids. We left them with Nonny and Papa and Acka (Ty's name for Becca). Thank you mom and dad and B for keeping our precious gems. My mom insisted that Rick and I drop Em and Ty off with them on Wednesday night so that we wouldn't have to rouse them out of bed at an ungodly hour.

We were so excited to leave DIA as the snow just really started falling. We missed the blizzard that you all were stuck in. We actually had several friends calling us that morning wishing us well on our trip and were praying that we were going to be able to get out before the snow.

We landed in San Diego on Thursday morning and found our way to the port. I literally gasped. It was soooo exciting to see the Carnival Elation cruise ship just sitting there waiting for us to board. We also got to see several navy ships. That was pretty cool to see them up that close. And just be so in awe of some the history that has taken place on some of those carriers.




We had an absolute blast with our friends Wally and Michelle. We relaxed, ate, gambled, saw several shows and relaxed some more. Oh we drank too (just a little).

When we got into port in we de-boarded for our day in Ensenada. We drove through town to get to the La Bufadora (Buffalo Snore). It was this natural blow hole that was beautiful to see.

We made our way through a flea market and made several purchases and stopped for lunch and tried fish tacos for the first time. I must say they were delicious along side a nice cold mexican beer.


Later that afternoon we found ourselves in this wine warehouse for the oldest vineyard in Mexico. Of course I had to sample the wine. I will have to say that I am now a fan of port. It was Yum-O. Rick really is not a wine connoisseur. As you can tell, he did not have as much fun with this part of our day as I did.





Again, later that same afternoon, we visited downtown Ensenada. We found ourselves a nice little outdoor table at this restaurant and enjoyed several more ice cold mexican beers before we had to make our way back to port to get back on the Elation.


We got to spend an entire day "at sea!" What a relaxing trip. I absolutely treasured all the time I got to spend with my fabulous husband. It's not very often that we get to have moments like this. (Thanks again, mom and dad, B too).



BACK TO REALITY!!!

Spring Break

We started Emily's first Spring Break with a trip to Indiana to see Rick's family and some friends. We had a great time. We spent every afternoon outside with the kiddos. It was hysterical watching Emily, Tyler and Brennon play together. They had a blast together. They played badmitton, rode on Brennon's four-wheeler and played with bubbles. Each night they all just collapsed into a pile of tired mush.

Oh did they have fun with the bubbles. We went through about 6 bottles of bubbles. There were more that were spilled than there were blown.

One afternoon of our vacation, Rick drove us to Carrollton, Kentucky. He was actually surprised to see how it has changed SOME. I think he enjoyed his trip down memory lane. After his trip, he drove us to Clifty State Park. There we did some hiking to see some various waterfalls and caves. The kids actually believed Rick when he told them that wild bears lived in them there caves (Rick's language, not mine). After our hike, we went to the playground and goofed around. What a GREAT AFTERNOON.




















It is funny to watch Emily get braver by the day. All this is thanks to her little brother.

Thanks Grandma, we had a great time visiting you. We hope to see you in June for your Birthday.

OUR CRUISE

So Rick and I are taking a Carnival Cruise at the end of March. We are joining our friends Wally and Michelle in Ensenada, Mexico. CAN'T WAIT. There is so much to do between now and then. I must tan, I must shop, I must tan.

I want to thank nonny and papa and nini too for keeping the kiddos so that Rick and I can have some time to ourselves and get away for a few days. Did I mention I CAN'T WAIT?

FUN TIMES

The past couple of weeks have been crazy. My little sister celebrated her 16th Birthday and then she broke her foot a few days later, my little brother and his wife found out that they are expecting a daughter, Madison Keileen, in July. CONGRATULATIONS. Emily received her first of many Daisy Girl Scout badges and she also made her first public debut in a Kindergarten Concert. WHEW!!!

The kiddos and I met with Briana and Reagan at the Children's Museum on President's Day. They had a blast exploring all kinds of things. The girls had fun spending the afternoon together.

Ty was quite handy with the screwdriver (I wonder where he gets that from). He never ceases to amaze me. Ty isn't quite 2 years old and has absolutely no fear. He will play with the big boys given the chance. He loves to follow around my nephew, Jordan. Because "Jord," as Ty calls him, is 4 1/2 years old and is his buddy. It was funny to watch him on the playground. He was quite the little thug. Walking around the way he does and just checking out the other little boys and measuring them up. THAT'S MY BOY!!!

Rick and I took the peeps to see the Disney Playhouse Live at the Broomfield Event Center. We had a great time. This was Ty's first experience and I do have to say he did AWESOME. Emily loves to go to shows like this. I have to remember that someday my kids are going to grow up and I will no longer be able to see the Disney shows, unless I go by myself. How embarrassing would that be?

Going Back to School

OK, so I've decided to go back to school. I've spent the last few weeks researching my options and after much consideration, I've enrolled. I'M SO EXCITED. I'm going to get my Bachelor's in Business Administration with a Concentration in Human Resource Management. I'm going to go part-time so it should take me 2-3 years to earn my degree.

I figured Emily and Ty will be in school full time in the blink of an eye. I will need to go back to work. Rather than look for a "job," I thought I'd venture out into a new career.

Emily and I were discussing my going back to school. She asked me if her and I could do our homework together and she asked if I get to go to the library on Fridays like she does. She's also offered me the use of her cool colored pencils and crayons to do my work. I thought that was really sweet. It actually brought a tear to my eye.

I was explaining to her that when she and Ty are in school full-time, there really wasn't a whole lot for mommy to do. I told her that I would have to find a really cool job. With all her innocence, she turned to me and told me, "mommy, you already have a cool job, you're our mommy." That was truly a moment that brought tears to my eyes and made me heart swell with all the love I have for this little girl.

Now that I think about it, my little girl has touched a spot in my heart today. She can make me cry with just the little comments she makes in passing, she can make me laugh like no other and she can frustrate me like no other. That's what kids do. Life is great being a mommy. I wouldn't trade it for the world.

January 2009 HAPPY NEW YEAR

We rang in 2009 with a rather small celebration at home with family and our close friends. Tyler didn't make it to the New Year. But his sissy did enough celebrating for the both of them. She didn't last much past midnight.

Emily is already planning for Valentine's Day. She thinks I need to find a "heart" tree to decorate. Thank goodness there aren't a whole lot of decorations for the "Love" holiday. She's also explaining to Ty that the Easter Bunny will be visiting us as soon as it quits snowing. I love how she likes to explain things to her little brother.

Emily has joined Daisy Girl Scouts. She is so excited to go on this journey. I think she'll enjoy it.

Tyler is starting to say more and more words. We try to teach him a new one each day. So far, DA DA is the hardest one for him. For whatever reason, Ty likes to call Rick mama. Who knows why.

I'm excited for this year to get started. The rest of this winter seems to be quiet so far with nothing in sight. We have a few weddings to ATTEND this year. I say that jokingly. Only because, we had so many weddings we were part of last year.