Projects!

Hi, my name is Alisa and I have a major aversion to the bobbin! Lets just say, GG to the rescue! I have been wanting to get a jump start on my sewing projects for Christmas before it gets crazy and little did I know I got in a bit over my head!

Gram came up to teach me a much needed thing or two. I learned a ton! She was very patient with me , which I really appreciate!

I just love her cute little hands and can't believe all that she can do with them. Despite her arthritis, she won a blue ribbon for her quilt at the fair!

Balloon Launch!

Saturday EARLY morning armed with powdered sugar doughnuts and milk, we headed down to Chatfield lake to watch the hot air balloons.

It's been in our backyard all these years and this was our first time to go watch. I want to kick myself! It was breathtaking! To top it off they handed out handfuls of Chick-fil-a coupons- which of course, made it the perfect morning:).






These two balloons were Nathan and Kendall's favorites:

Playing In The Raindrops!

It's been pouring here the last three days. Oh darn! Time to break out the hot chocolate:). Nathan doesn't have galoshes so he settled for his cowboy boots and had a blast running around with Aunt Cindi's umbrella. He is blurry in the pictures but he was having so much fun, I wanted to remember this day anyways.

The Night From @!*#!!!!

Justin, Nathan, and I headed off to St. Lukes Hospital late in the evening to have Nathan do his sleep study for possible sleep apnea. (He has been known to hold his breath several times a night, wake up, and gasp for air.) My mom was kind enough to stay with Kendall until I could be back(Kendall still occasionally wakes up for a snack) after Nathan fell asleep.

When we arrived, the doctor hooked Nathan up to 182, I mean 40 wires. They were everywhere! On his legs, back, chest, finger, HEAD, around his stomach, etc... The only thing that pretty much got him through it was the promise that when he woke up, we were going to IHOPs to get a funny face pancake.

He was so tired after getting all his "buttons" on that we brushed teeth, read a few stories, and piled on his blankets from home. He was out.

When I open the door to my house, a flood of heat greets me and almost knocks me flat out. My mom stumbles towards me and I get a nice cool, WET hug. Our AC is broke and she thought the best remedy would be a nice soak from the squirt bottle. Sounds good, mom knows best, so I get ready for bed and follow up with my squirt soak. I climb into bed next to her and the bed was nice and wet. She had been holding out on me and didn't tell me that it's even better if you squirt the sheets AND your pillow. Nice and Cool.

We had a bit of pillow talk and were getting a semi breeze from the open window, so that mixed with our wet pj's was enough to keep us comfortable and we drift to sleep. For about 1 hour. That's when I noticed my mom was M.I.A. I'm wondering where she went and found her in Nathan's room. Oh good, she is getting some sleep.

Unbeknownst to me, she starts hot flashing and that bed will no longer do the job. I wake up at 4am to snuggle with Kendall, give him a snack and check on my mom who is now on the couch.... in her bare essentials. She wakes up and decides she wants to workout at our clubhouse because it just might be a little cooler in there than on the couch. She leaves.

I hear Nathan and Justin walk in at 6:30 am and look down to see that I am now in my bare essentials. A wave of heat swirls around my head as I grab the squirt bottle and greet the boys. Justin says, "Hi! It's so hot! Why is the fireplace on?" Woops, my mom accidentally hit the wrong switch. Inside I was cheering for relief thinking to myself, "It's not because I'm getting older, thank goodness the fireplace is roaring- scorching me with heat"

Needless to say, the boys night wasn't exactly puppies and rainbows so by 6:45am we picked up mammy and were nice and cool, enjoying funny face pancakes at IHOP fully clothed and not wet!

***After reading this, my mom, feeling a little guilty, confesses to taking off her clothes, soaking them in the sink, wringing them out, and then putting them back on. She goes above and beyond a little "squirt-soak." We have been laughing so hard, we are crying and it's all due to NO sleep!

It Was Worth The Heat...I Think!

My sister-in -law and I found these fun platters at Pottery Barn for 75% off and I have been dying to put something on them. I then thought of these key lime cupcakes that Sara and Melissa make and was so excited because not only are they super tasty, they will match my platter. So in the heat of summer our air conditioner is on the brink of extinction, and what do I do? I make 48 key lime cupcakes to go on my stupid platter!

USA! USA! USA!

Our favorite moment so far was the 400 relay!!! We were jumping up and down screaming in the living room! The thrill of victory! This was even better than the super bowl! Was that not amazing?

I'm so excited for our cute "All American" gymnasts! After watching them for a while , Nathan told me, "Hey mom, I think I just might be able to do that." Then he did a somersault. We gave him a 10!Our friend has a great tradition that she does with her family for the Olympics. Throughout the games they take turns picking a country and enjoy the food from that country as well as learning a little bit about their culture. So far we picked Sweden and had Ableskivers and Swedish meatballs. Although it probably wasn't authentic, it sure was fun!

The Parker Angels!

Justin's brother and his family came up to spend the week! If my kids turn out to be even half as good as these kids are, I will be SO happy! Seriously, these kids are the sweetest, most unselfish kids I have ever met.

One tiny example: We were swimming at Grandma and Grandpa's pool when all of the sudden the wind started riping around and the temperature dropped. I'm talkin chilly! Especially for August. For some reason only two towels ended up at the pool. The Parker kids run home in the freezing cold with no towels and I answer the door to greet three Popsicles covered in chicken skin and blue lips! When I asked where their towels were they said while their teeth chattered, "we just wanted to make sure everyone else stayed warm".

I LOVE these kids! Please, Please rub of on Nathan!
My niece, Larissa and nephews Brandon, Logan, and Jonah going for a little ride on the choo-choo with Nathan and Kendall.

Munchkin!

The little squish turned 10 months old! Despite having to live through "Nathan hugs," being smothered by blankets and pillows, and premature awakenings by big brother, he remains alive! Some days, that is all we can ask for!

You Know You Had Fun When....

you start thinking about these boys and get a lump in your throat because they had to go home- far, far away. Memories made: Popsicles in the backyard, feeding the ducks, fat-free fried ice cream:), reading books in the tent, playing killer bunnies, Tanner's birthday party, caprese salad, Alvin and the Chipmunks at Bowles Crossing, finding amazing deals at JC Pennies, Gymboree , Gap, and Children's Place, Apples to Apples, Surprises from GG, splashing in the pool, Nathan "hugs"- sorry guys:), photo shoots, wadding in the creek,watering the garden, making butter for pioneer day, dinosaur capsules, visiting the fire station, Cindi sandwiches, riding the carousel,Apron history, picking peas and zucchini from the garden, Kendall crawling, the spray grounds, playing on the giant octopus with mammy,picnics at the park, playing bunny town aka: Smart A., purple play dough, marshmallow-less Lucky Charms ,running through papa's old fashioned sprinkler, reading books, Jakey's sprint accompanied by his dimples, treats and chats, the dollar store, free chicken strips at Chick-fil-a, and my very favorite:LAUGHING!

FHE with the Fire Fighters!

A HUGE shout out to the fire fighters over on Ken Caryl Ranch! The boys made chocolate chip zucchini muffins to deliver to them for family home evening. These men were AWESOME!!! Right in the middle of their dinner they said they would love to make time for their biggest fans.


I think they made a dream for Nathan and Tanner come true. Not only did they show them the fire truck and all sorts of compartments, hats and uniforms, the ladder and hose, but they let them sit in the fire truck and steer the wheel!
They were so mesmerized by the whole experience that they both had to color their stuff they got before they could go to bed. I've never seen such high quality work before. When you get stuff from the fire fighters, it's very serious business! A great BIG thanks to these guys for keeping us safe!