Christmas Cookies

Mammy hosted her annual Christmas cookie decorating session.  While we were busy with the cookies Dad and Papa took advantage of the gorgeous weather and strung up  lights on the outside of their house

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 Nathan was so speedy that he had finished up with his cookies and decided to watch a Christmas movie downstairs while the die hard decorators finished up the batches.  Lots of gooey green frosting and sprinkles made its was onto soft sour cream trees. Yum- Seriously, nothing compares to Mammy's soft sour cream cookie recipe. 

Chatfield Botanic Gardens

 Do you know who always has something up their sleeve?  Mammy!

She was able to get us free tickets to the lights at the Chatfield Botanic Gardens.

We blind folded the boys and drove them to the surprise lights.  When they took of the blind folds, they gasped.

We walked through the lit park and enjoyed every second!

 I'm pretty sure our favorite part was getting warm while touring the oldest house this side of Chatfield.

(look close, I'm pretty sure there are two boys peeking out)

Tea Party

Mom had just purchased a new car.

 It was Gram's old car.  Gram drove down to Albuquerque and Mom and I flew down to ABQ to pick up the car  and drive it  back to it's new home.

It was the perfect excuse to get together with with the Aunts, cousins, and Gram.

Aunt Jeri booked us a spot at the St. James Tea Room.

We got all dressed up in our fancy hats and had us a grand ole time laughing, eating, sipping tea, exchanging gifts, and being together.

Gram had a diamond ring made into three necklaces and gave each daughter one with a poem she wrote.  Very nice touch to the evening.

I love these girls and wish I could see them more often!

The Backyard Leaves of Fall...

 I was not prepared for the hours I would spend gazing out these huge kitchen windows enjoying the vibrant colors of fall.  I would find myself on several mornings whipping up a batch of coconut milk hot chocolate and then settling into a kitchen chair that faces out to the backyard.

I was mesmerized as the leaves on our Ash trees turned bright yellow and orange and would dance to the ground when the gusts of wind would break them free from the branches.

At times there would be hundreds that would helicopter twirl in a sea of yellow across the yard and as much as I enjoyed watching the leaves my favorite was when the boys would grab a rake and start piling giant masses of crunchy leaves together.

I loved watching them gallop towards the piles and at bursting speeds they would leap up and fly into their leaf mountain.

It was if someone pressed the repeat button and they would re-rake up the pile, run, and jump.

Indeed it was a happy morning and down it went into the books.

Halloween Piano Recital

 If there is one thing I really look froward to in October it is this.... Sister Shaws' Piano Recital.

It's my favorite.

All the boys and girls get to dress up and play spooky songs for the parents and grandparents.

This year Nathan learned the song Pirates Curse.  So, naturally he had to be a Pirate for Halloween.  Lucky for us, we had Justin's pirate costume that survived all these years and it was a perfect fit!

I enjoyed listening to him practice at home and after 100 times of hearing it- it is still one of my favorite songs that he plays!

Nathan did super and like all the other moms watching their kids, my chest got all proud and poofy.

Sister Shaw had a wonderful turnout and handed the kids a Halloween goody as they exited the recital.

Halloween Dinner...

For FHE on Monday night we decided to opt out of a regular meal and have a Halloween dinner!

We ate:

Mummy Dogs

Banana Ghosts

Apple Smiles

and topped it off with Candy Corn Parfaits.

The Giving Tree

In our backyard we have a tree full of awe and wonder.

Her branches full of beautiful green leaves that stretch out across the sky and provides a thick canopy in the backyard.  Her roots are deep and penetrate the good ole Colorado ground.  Her trunk is thick and strong and often we contemplate if her cousins dot the grounds of Pimberly.

She is big and grand and oh so giving.

Justin hooked up his repelling gear high up onto the trunk so that he could trim out the dead branches.  After he finished up, he harnessed anybody willing and gave them the swing of their lives.

Back and froth we swung wondering if this was how a bird in flight felt.  The rush of wind on your face sucked out a deep and invigorating belly laugh.

It was contagious and freeing and mandatory that you swing over and over.  

Mammy and Papa joined in for the fun too!

Kendall is SEVEN!

This year this boy has been an absolute DREAM.

Sure he has his moments just like everyone else but boy do the good days with this child overshadow the few tricky days 100 fold.

He has brought laughter into our home everyday.

He picks up the slack and just appears like a poof of giggles out of nowhere to make a bed, clean a bathroom, or empty the dishwasher.

I admire that Kendall is close to the spirit and find myself looking forward to our conversations about special things.

I love his ability to memorize things easily.

I love that he sets goals (running and reading to name a few) and tries to break them and strives to get better and better.

I love how compassion for others oozes out his little 7 year old body.

He has many noble qualities and I feel so lucky to get to be his mom.

For his birthday this year he woke up to a room full of blue balloons that covered every inch of the carpet and the traditional Bronco colored streamers that hung from the door frame.

We celebrated with a few gifts before going to Chick-fil-a for breakfast.  Mammy and Papa met us there and after we went to their pumpkin patch.

The boys harvested the biggest orangest pumpkins from their green swirly vines.

The night before his birthday, Kendall and I made chocolate chip cookies for him to deliver to each child in his class.

We sent him off to school with his treats and a surprise lunch. Each item in his lunch box was wrapped in colorful paper.

When the boys were at school I got busy and made some puppy dog cupcakes that greeted them on the counter for their after school snack.

This year we had a family birthday party for Kendall so Grandma, Grandpa, Mammy, Papa, Aunt Lisa, Cole, Cara, Aunt Martha, Uncle Todd, Buddy, and Shea came to help us celebrate.

Grandma brought a chocolate roll and we sang to Kendall.

It was a perfect day for a special boy.

Kendall got pants, a Lego game, money, a journal, a sweatshirt, lots of books, treats, and cards for his birthday this year.