The Christmas Weekend

We are a few days after the Christmas holiday and seemed to have survived! :)  Actually, for all that 2011 has been for us, Christmas was a nice relief to just sit back and enjoy family.  It was a little weird not having Grandma Jeane or Grandpa Ted with us (and it is still weird not having Grandpa Bill after almost 4 years now), but I think everyone was able to look past the grief this year has brought and really enjoy themselves and each others company.

The kids had a blast, of course. It is offiicially that time again to go through the toy bins and see what we can give away to make room for the crazy amount of toys and games they received once again this year. Every year we really work with the kids on how we can give to others that are not as fortunate as they are. It warms my heart that this year Kylee has actually thought about what she can do before I even mentioned it to her.

I think this Christmas was by far my favorite so far. Brian and I were able to enjoy a full day on Christmas Eve with the kids, just us - they got to open their presents from us, bake cookies for Santa and we let them know about our upcoming DisneyWorld trip (which soooo didn't go as planned, but the excitement grows each day as we get closer). We later enjoyed our church service at Vintage (which is always such an incredible service) and a song service at my parents church.

Christmas day of course was as crazy as anyone else's. We started at 5:30a.m. with Santa and then by 6:00a.m. we were at my parents. Noon at my aunt & uncles and dinner at Brian's parents house. We made a full day of it for sure and enjoyed every minute. Thankfully I had Monday off to recover from it all before having to go back to work.

What A Weekend

I think I am finally getting caught back up on life and can start writing here a bit more frequently again. I just finished a huge project over this weekend (that has taken me months - thanks to a minor mishap of my zip drive breaking right as I was finishing it the first time). I completed a DVD for my family with it starting back in the late 1940's early 1950's and working its way all the way up to today. It feels incredible to be getting ready to burn all 26 copies for family members and get to pass them out this upcoming weekend at our Christmas party. (And this time it is all saved on a removable hard drive and backed up on my hard drive - No way am I starting this project over again.) :)

This was a pretty big weekend for my baby sister too - she graudated Magma Cum Laude from UNC with her degree in Performing Arts. She is hopefully going to move on to becoming a Music Teacher here at a local school somewhere soon. I am so proud of her! What a huge accomplishment to not only graduate, but with honors and in a program that she actually had to apply and audition for, in order to enter. She worked so incredibly hard. I know she'll find a great school full of very lucky kids for her to teach! Congratulations Jamie on an incredible accomplishment. I know you will do great!

"He Takes The Tractor Another Round"

This post has been a work in progress since Thanksgiving evening.  It is hard to put into words the incredible life my grandparents offered us - the memories, the lessons learned, the love shown and the examples that were set for us.

So, short of the fact that we live in Colorado, Jason Aldean's song, Amarillo Sky speaks volumes of my Grandpa Ted. So much so, that we had it as one of the song choices for the slideshow at the viewing prior to his funeral a few weeks back.  He worked so incredibly hard planting and harvesting corn and hay and raising dairy cattle, all to retire from it less than two short months prior to his death.

Grandpa Ted was one of those men who never had a bad word to say about anyone (and no one had a bad word to say about him). He loved Bud Light, fried chicken and homemade noodle & butterball soup. Thanksgiving was his favorite holiday (probably because Grandma always cooked a meal fit for a king). He loved my Grandma with all that he was and you could see that up to the very end. His family was his passion and farming was just his way of life. He was one of those men who was small in frame but could probably out-lift most men. His favorite saying was....  "Be good...... But if you can't be good, be careful." I don't think there was a single day in my life that he didn't tell me that.  My aunt told me that he probably told us girls that so often because when he was growing up he was neither.  Apparently, he was your typical hell-raising farm boy back in the day! He was a man of incredible character and always led by example. You could always see the pride and love he had for his family shining through his eyes. He was someone that I wish I could have had more time with. I had expected to have more time with him with their upcoming retirement. A hard lesson learned.... no one is guaranteed tomorrow and how quickly my Grandpa passed is proof of that.

It is crazy to think that Grandpa was as healthy as he could be and threw his last bale of hay in September but by Thanksgiving afternoon, he was singing with the angels in Heaven. Over the last couple of weeks I have gone through what October (when we lost Grandma Jeane) and November have brought our way. The challenges we have faced, the grief we have felt and the many things I have learned from it all.

I have learned how incredibly blessed I am to have been given the opportunity to not only have almost 32 years years with Grandma Jeane and Grandpa Ted (and 29 years with Grandpa Bill) but to be able to have the relationship I had with each one of them. I said it prior to losing Grandpa Ted (but while we sat in his hospice room), I feel blessed to feel so devastated at losing my Grandparents. Feeling as devastated as I have these last few months just shows me how incredibly close I was with each of them. God blessed me with a family that is so close that losing one of them is heart wrenching. I am grateful that God blessed me with my Grandma Dorothy who is still with us and healthy. I pray that her heart heals from losing Grandpa. I am so very grateful for my parents and the chance to grow up in a close relationship with them (and that my kids get to have the same amazing experience of knowing their grandparents the way I knew mine). I am blessed with two sisters who are my absolute best friends. I am blessed with a husband who has endured a lot with me and two incredible kids who make me smile from the inside out with their adorable ways.

So although 2011 has proven to be a bit rough, I am grateful for all that I have gained from it and am looking forward to a fresh start in 2012.

Thankful

Wow - it has been awhile since I have written on here.  The last two months have proven to be challenging and difficult to say the least, but there is still much to be thankful for.

At the beginning of October, we had a scare with Kylee - her heart started racing on her so extremely fast that it caused her to get sick all over the place. We rushed her into the ER that Friday night. Thankfully her EKG and her x-rays came back normal - but it gave us a weekend with no answers. We were not sure if she was going to be ok or if it was something serious. I have never had two whole days feel like an absolute eternity the way that weekend felt to me. We tried to keep things as normal as possible - there was no need to scare her. We went to a wedding on Saturday and a craft fair on Sunday.  We got home - and the kids were playing, when I got a phone call. My Grandmother had passed away. I rushed to pick up my sisters and head to the hospital to be with our family. She had suffered from Alzheimer's for many years, but she was by no means to the state that we thought we would lose her already. She was only there for a small amount of pain management.  The heartbreak from everything was felt throughout the room. Nonetheless, she had been suffering for so long - and there was a sense of peace knowing that she was with my Grandpa and was no longer dealing with this horrible disease.
By Monday - we were able to get Kylee into Children's while arrangements were made for my Grandma. Some good news at a much needed time - Kylee was diagnosed with SVT (Supra-Ventricular Tachycardia) which will not cause any sort of damage or health issues! Praise God - my baby girl was going to be ok.

The week went on - trying to deal with arrangements for my Grandma and finding some sort of comfort that she was reunited with my Grandpa. The funeral provided that necessary closure, but we all still hurt so incredibly much. My Grandparents were those sort of people that didn't leave just memories - but a legacy for all of us that came after them. My sisters and I were so incredibly close to them. They were such a huge part of our upbringing.
October went on and we all started to find our way again. We had a great Halloween. The kids were adorable and they had a blast trick-or-treating. (**Pictured to be added**how much cuter can you get!!!)

We moved into November - and BAM - we're hit again. Grandpa Ted has cancer. It literally came out of nowhere. He threw his last bale of hay in September - he appeared healthy - just some mild shoulder pain. By the beginning of November though, you could tell he had lost a significant amount of weight. Whatever it was - it was hitting him hard.  For a week he went in for various testing, but by the beginning of week two (from actually being diagnosed with cancer) he was already in the hospital - and by the end of that week he was in the Hospice unit. He had some horrible days where he wasn't hardly conscious and then we had one incredible day where we spent the whole day watching football. He was able to eat and drink and although he couldn't really communicate well (they believe he had a mild stroke) he knew we were all there with him and he could easily follow our conversations.  I hold on to that day with everything I have right now.

Thanksgiving got here. Grandpa was still with us. Our local hospital puts on a Turkey Trot 5k every year, so I decided to go do day-of registration. I got there a couple hours before the race, signed up and spent some time with dad and Grandpa, Grandma and Aunt Alice up in Grandpa's room. It was much more peaceful hanging out with just a few of us - usually his room is flooded with our family and we are that sort of loud, obnoxious kind of family.  I got through my run - WOW - that one hurt. I haven't ran in over a week (which has been killing me to miss my daily runs) and I felt it. I also haven't slept in over a week and I felt that too. I got through mile 1 of three - and thought to myself, "If I just close my eyes right now, I could sleep for hours on this nice hard concrete floor." I got cleaned up, picked up the kids and headed back up to Grandpa's room at the hospital for Thanksgiving lunch. We decided to make it easy and do leftover Thanksgiving dinner on Thanksgiving. We had the turkey sandwiches, and some side dishes to go with.

By that afternoon, things had taken a bit of a turn. We knew ahead of time that it was only a matter of hours before Grandpa would pass. The signs and symptoms had been there for days, and he was struggling quite a bit more on this day. Thanksgiving was Grandpa's favorite holiday - so I guess it was only right that he attend the Thanksgiving banquet in Heaven. He passed shortly after 4:00 that afternoon. This was much more difficult than losing Grandma Jeane. Grandma had suffered from Alzheimer's for years. She wasn't the same women we grew up knowing - and it had been that way for 4 or 5 years. We knew she had been sick for a long time and we were at peace knowing she wasn't suffering anymore. With Grandpa though - it all happened so fast. There were so many people that Grandpa knew that didn't even have the chance to know he was sick. I am still fairly numb from it all. My Grandparents were like second parents for me and my sisters. And watching all of this unfold before us and having to watch our parents struggle through watching their parents pass on has been especially difficult.

There is still much to be thankful for though.

I am thankful that I have been blessed with 29 years with Grandpa Bill and just shy of 32 years with Grandma Jeane and Grandpa Ted. I am grateful that I still have Grandma Dorothy here with me. I am grateful for the fact that I can truly feel devastated at losing my Grandparents these last few years. To feel this devastated about it means that I had one of the best relationships you could ask for. I was given so many incredible memories that I can hold on to and pass on to my kids. I am grateful that God has blessed me with a family that is so close and tight. I am grateful that God has blessed me with incredible friends who have allowed me to cry on their shoulder and lean on them through these tough times. I am so very thankful for my husband who has done everything he can to keep me going. I am thankful for my church family who has lifted me and my family up in their prayers and I am grateful for the close family friends of my grandparents who have flooded our email, facebook pages, and phones with their kind words, thoughts, prayers and their sincere sadness at the loss of Grandpa. Times are tough right now, but God will help us move through this and on to better days!

How Life Changes

Well, the last 10 days or so have been unbelievably eventful, emotional and exhausting. We are just now getting back to normal again.

Everything happened over one weekend. It started out Friday late afternoon with a phone call from my mom saying that I needed to come get Kylee and take her in to the doctor. Her heart started racing on her causing her to get sick all over the place. We rushed her into Urgent Care just to be sent to the Emergency Room. After the EKG and X-Rays came back normal, they sent us home telling us it is some kind of Tachycardia, and we need to go see a pediatric cardiologist at Children's.  Not knowing the severity of what was going on drove me crazy all weekend. A million questions ran through my head and I had no idea how to answer them. It took all of my energy to maintain a calm demeanor so that I didn't cause any panic with Kylee. I just wanted Kylee to be able to be herself - to be my normal baby girl who runs around in circles and dances and sings. I didn't want her worrying about her heart or her health in anyway. Just seeing how sad she looked when the ER doctor told her she couldn't play soccer until the Cardiologist cleared her, broke my heart. That sad look was etched in my brain the entire weekend. I don't think I slept at all that night - I couldn't help but get up and check on her constantly.

I was so thankful for horrible weather on Saturday - it meant they would cancel the soccer game and reschedule it - so she didn't have to miss anything. Instead, we did a little shopping that morning. We had a wedding to go to for good friends of ours. The kids stayed with my parents - which made me nervous not to have Kylee with me, but I knew my parents could handle whatever would come of that night (thankfully nothing occurred). It was a beautiful ceremony in a beautiful church for two amazing people! Brian was in the wedding, so that meant I spent the evening alone so he could tend to his groomsman duties. Normally this wouldn't be a big deal, but I was exhausted, scared and a little broken up from the previous night. I had dealt with everything by myself the night before, because he was in Denver at rehearsal. I didn't want to be alone all night on Saturday too. Thankfully there was a large group of wonderful friends to sit with, so that helped, but I couldn't help but think of Kylee the whole night - wondering if she was ok. I am sure I annoyed my mom to no end, as I text her constantly checking in to see how things were going. We got home late to two sleeping babies, but unfortunately I again spent the night half awake, half asleep. Partly because I felt the need to keep checking on Kylee, partly because I ended up getting sick. Oy!

Sunday rolled around. I stumbled through the day not feeling well but good enough to get myself and the kids to church. Kylee sang that morning for preschool - so we were at my parents church in Greeley. I was very thankful not to have to drive to Fort Collins. My mom called me that morning and asked me to film Kylee. She said that Grandma was in quite a bit of pain still from a fall she had taken a week before and Hospice (who has overseen her care for the last 4 months or so) was moving her to their wing of the hospital to better provide pain management to her for a couple of days. I wanted to go to the hospital to see her, but knew that I wasn't feeling well and figured it better that I not jeopardize getting her sick. Instead, we waited for Brian to get home and went to the craft fair at Island Grove. There was nothing much to see there, but Kylee of course wanted to do something crafty - so we went to Michael's to get the kids each a little something - Kylee got a jewelry box to paint and bedazzle up while Triston found some cars. We weren't home for more than 15 minutes when my sister calls me and tells me to have my phone at my side that Grandma wasn't doing well. Not 5 minutes from hanging up on her, I get the call from my dad that she had passed away. An overwhelming rush of sadness hit me. This is a woman who helped raise me and my sisters. Who helped create the girls we are today. She was very sick with Alzheimer's, yes..... but she wasn't suppose to go just yet - she was suppose to be with us for a few more months. I wasn't prepared to lose her yet. I was suppose to go see her at least one last time before this happened! All I could think of is I had to go pick up my sisters and get up there - as if being there would somehow change the outcome. My sisters and I (all of whom were sick with the same stupid stomach bug) sat in a corner of her hospice room with my parents, aunts, uncles and cousins and just cried in disbelief and absolute sadness. None of us were ready to part with her.

The rest of the week was an absolute blur. Monday - we got Kylee into Children's and THANKFULLY found out that what she has is SVT (supra-ventricular tachycardia) which is not harmful. There are options for the future that would get rid of it if she chooses to. But, all that matters at this immediate moment is that she is healthy and can stay the same little girl that she is. Nothing about her habits has to change.

I spent Monday & Tuesday helping where I could with arrangements and just spending time with my kids. Thursday was the viewing and Friday was the funeral. By Friday I was so broken, exhausted and just overwhelmed. I finally broke down. I needed to - I had nothing left inside me at that moment.

We spent the weekend trying to get the kids and ourselves back to normal and now that we are half-way through the week, I think we are finally getting there. It is incredible how one weekend can change your entire life so dramatically - I'm thankful for so many things though. For my daughter's health, for almost 32 years of life with my grandma (and 29 years with my grandpa) and to have two grandparents still alive and doing well. I'm thankful for my kids and my husband - my sisters and my parents and the rest of my family and for all the good friends who were there during that weekend for me to lean on. You truly get a good understanding of those that are there for you during times like this, when you need them the most! Thankful is not a strong enough word for how I feel about each of them.

Late Nights, Mountains and More

Another weekend is gone - but we had a great time again!  Friday afternoon, Kylee had her first field trip of the year to the Aquariam. The kids loved checking out the different sea life - although the Nemo and Dori fish caught most of their attention. I loved seeing the reaction Kylee had to seeing a shark swim over the top of her. At first it sort of freaked her out - but she quickly got over that and was more intrigued with how fast it was swimming around (and how big its teeth were). She did make note that "he was ugly". What made this trip so much more fun is we got to carpool with the Balliet family - This is the third year that Kylee and Beau have gotten to go to school together. I would love to find a way for them to continue their adventure through school.

Saturday was a big day - Kylee had another soccer game - although she still is being called "princess" that little girl is doing outstanding out there - everytime she hits the field she gets a little bit more aggressive!  I am so glad she is enjoying it - I was a little nervous signing her up thinking that she may not enjoy it too much.

After soccer was over, I got a quick run in and managed to get ransacked by some mastif-looking dog. Some guy was walking his dog who must have thought that I was going to go at his owner, so he decided to head-butt my shoulder instead. It's still bruised 2 days later! I'm happy the dog kept his mouth shut. A dog bite to the shoulder may not have been too fun to recover from.

Brian had a bachelor party that night (for his friend Matt), which meant me and the kids had the entire night to ourselves. Brian had a great time at Dave & Busters. (Nothing like a big arcade to entertain a bunch of men!) The kids and I enjoyed a little shopping and our friend Ben's 30th birthday party! Got home early, but unfortunately did not go to bed early - we stayed up and watched movies all night long! Crazy kids!!! :)

Sunday was church and then off to the mountains to check out some beautiful colors and listen to the elk. We headed into Estes for a bit beforehand since they were having ElkFest. Listened to some beautiful Native American music and walked around the town. Then ended it with sitting in Rocky Mountain National Park to see all of the two elk that decided to come. Even though we didn't see a ton of wildlife - it was nice to get away (where the cell phones can't ring) and just relax with the four of us.

Running Around

Another fantastic weekend over with, and I am posting about it just in time for another one to start up! It is funny - before I started writing on this blog about things, I just looked at our weekends as just busy - but since I started blogging about them - I see all the fun we actually had and how enjoyable it was!  This last weekend was no different - although somewhat painful, we still had a blast!

The kids and I started Saturday morning out running a 10k race benefiting Timberline's Nine70 Youth Group. It was a blast (but like I said before - a little painful too). I hadn't pushed both kids in a jogging stroller but maybe once or twice this entire summer. For some reason, I thought I could manage 6.2 miles with them. The map did say it was mostly flat terrain. It mostly was - but there were a few solid hills to conquer. By mile marker 1 - I was wishing I wasn't pushing two kids in a stroller.... my arms hurt! 

  

Anyways, the day couldn't have been more perfect for a run. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and it was gorgeous weather. I didn't pull a bad time either - all things considered. Between pushing the stroller, thinking we were close to the finish line and letting the kids get out to run the end of it - then realizing, oops - we still had a half mile left and neither kid wanted to run that far - so loading them back up and then unloading them again (only this time, Triston wanted carried, so we walked the last 200 yards in) while Kylee ran into the finish line all by herself. She was so proud of being able to do that. Ear to ear smiles!!!! And then delicious pancakes for breakfast - of which both kids devoured! Triston paid for those pancakes with a nasty nose by Monday, but I think he found it was well worth it at the time.

(as you can tell - Triston hit his breaking point for the morning - it was definitely nap time!)

After the run - we got Kylee back to town for her soccer game. The more she plays the harder she goes after it. She seems to really be liking the sport.

We spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out at Grandma & Grandpa's while I scanned pictures and relaxed. Ate dinner with my sisters and brother-in-laws (and nieces) at Chili's - and then off to bed. Saturday was a pretty awesome day!

Sunday was a bit more relaxed with church and football. It is always nice to have a day to relax and catch up! :)

Sweet Music

I love sitting here at home relaxing and listening to the sweet music of my kids playing together in such a sweet way!

Sitting in the living room watching the Food Network Channel - Kylee and Triston are sitting on the couch sharing a large western slope peach and telling each other knock-knock jokes, most of which made no sense at all, but they understood one another perfectly. They laughed hysterically at each other. At one point I thought Triston was going to fall off of the couch.

As soon as they were done with their peaches, they were done with their jokes and moved on to pretending they were both Iron Chefs (one of Kylee's favorite shows is Iron Chef America).  They would run back and forth from their little play kitchen into the living room bringing me plastic food and air to eat and judge. Had that been real food, I would have gained 50 pounds! Since Triston mimics most everything Kylee does and says at this point, Kylee would tell me exactly what it was she made and Triston would be a word or two behind her telling me that he made the exact same thing. I gotta say - this was some of the best tasting air I've had in a long time! These kids are chef-bound for sure!

Watching them play together brings back all of the good memories of me and my sisters playing together - doesn't seem like it was all that long ago. It is incredible how fast time goes by now - but realizing that shows me just how important these memories are - and moments like tonight are ones I'll forever remember and treasure!

Soccer, A Party And Some Girl Time

It was a perfect morning for Kylee's very first soccer game. The weather was perfectly fall-like with cool temperatures just warm enough not to need a jacket. The sun was shining bright and the air was nice and crisp. It couldn't have been better!

Kylee had a blast playing. She still has plenty of room to improve in regards to being aggressive, but for her first time playing, I have to say she did a pretty dang good job! She was lovingly nicknamed "princess" by the coach - obviously a name that fits her. She is pretty dainty and sweet on the field initially, but as she gets going, she starts to go after the ball a bit more. Dancing and piano are areas she has shown to thrive in - we'll see if any of that carries over to competitive sports or not. For now, she is having fun - and that is all that matters. (She is the one wearing the pink pants on the field!)

While Kylee played - Triston tore it up on the playground. That kid has no fear at all. Things that even 5 and 6 year old kids won't climb, he is attempting (and conquering). I end up following him all over the park just waiting to have to catch him - I can't believe the balance and agility that kid has - he is just shy of causing me a heart attack every time we go there. I am just waiting for the broken bone(s) to happen with that kid!

Later in the day we had my aunt's retirement party. It is always a good time getting together with family. The kids got a chance to run off a ton of energy in Grandma & Grandpa's backyard, eat some yummy steak and veggies and then massive amounts of cake!

After it was all said and done, me and the sisters snuck out for an hour or two of quality girl time at Starbucks. Guessing we annoyed the guy sitting behind us to no end. You see - me and my sisters are able to carry on three separate conversations with each other and able to maintain that conversation and answer any questions. We probably covered 100 different topics in an hours time. That guy was probably willing us to shut up and leave. That or he could have possibly been a bit humored if he was able to follow any of what we had to say - since most of what we talked about are the crazy things our kids have put us through already!

What A Night!

What a night tonight was! We got Grandma moved into her new home at Meadowview! While the boys got all of her stuff moved to their new locations Amanda and I stayed at mom and dad's house watching my two and her two. Both Kennedi and Kylee are sick with fevers. Kylee has a small fever and is just lounging, while Kenna's is a bit more. The poor girl hasn't eaten all day and then decided she wanted to drink juice - well..... you can only imagine how long she kept that in her stomach - we ended up spending a good portion of our evening cleaning up thrown up juice off of mom's kitchen floor (thank goodness it wasn't the carpet), giving Kenna a bath and catering to two baby girls. Hope they feel better soon!

Labor Day Weekend

Labor Day weekend was packed full of fun! We started out with Kylee and her friend Lili getting pictures taken that morning (a month late, but at least we got them done). The girls had a great time - and we all got to go out to breakfast afterwards! It's been a long time since we have gotten to all spend time together like that.

After we left breakfast, we went to watch Brian play in the first ever "Not the Motherlode" tournament held at Cam's house. It was nice not driving hours on end to get to Aspen and spend hundreds of dollars on a weekend! We missed spending time with our friends who did go - and watching the pros play - but these guys all did a good job!  The kids had a blast playing in the sand and Brian and I had a good time spending the afternoon with great friends! 

On Sunday, the kids and I got to enjoy a warm bagel and coffee at Truman's before church. It was delicious! After church was over, we picked up Uncle Justin and headed to Chambers for a night in the mountains. I have to say - sleeping on the ground is not as easy as it once was. I think I turned over every 5 minutes so my hips wouldn't hurt - but seeing how much fun the kids had made it all worthwhile. The pictures pretty much say it all!

Grandma's Birthdays

This is getting out a few days late - but what a fantastic weekend celebrating both Grandma Jeane's and Grandma Dorothy's birthdays!

We started out by celebrating Grandma Jeane's birthday on Saturday. We had a wonderful time and ate some amazing homemade food (thanks Lani for the delicious green chili!!!)  Kylee got to make the birthday cake for great-grandma and I'm pretty sure everyone enjoyed it. The cake of course was Kylee's favorite, chocolate with vanilla icing and a whole lot of sprinkles. I think this kiddo plans on being a baker someday! :)

It was great to see grandma truly enjoy spending time with the family. Alzheimer's has taken its toll - but today it didn't stop grandma from having a wonderful time at her birthday party. She really seemed to have enjoyed the day. It makes my heart happy to see her having a good time!

On Sunday we celebrated Grandma Dorothy's birthday. Again - some fantastic homemade food. (I'm guessing everyone gained 5 pounds over the weekend). It was nice to relax hang out and watch the Rockies game together. Too bad they didn't win! Still fun, nonetheless. 

Mom helped Kylee make a birthday card for great-grandma while we were there - and Grandpa did his usual nap for the day! After all of that good food, I think most of us were ready for a nap.  I love getting together with family and just relaxing. It doesn't happen often enough, but it does make the moments you do get together that much more special.

Mom's Retirement Party

Mom's retiring this week, so we had her retirement lunch at Johnny Carinos today.  It was delicious! 

On top of getting to eat a wonderful lunch, it was so good to see everyone again.  There were so many people I haven't had a chance to visit with in such a long time. It is what I miss most about not working at State Farm anymore - all my SF friends. 

This is such a great opportunity for mom.  I am so excited for this next step in her life.  I know how much she use to want to stay at home with us kids when we were younger (and I now have a better appreciation for the sacrifice she made by going to work.)  It definitely wasn't us kids who were sacrificing while she worked.  Grandma & Grandpa did a wonderful job helping raise us and I couldn't have asked for more, just as I know my kids are doing just fine with their grandparents while I work.  The sacrifice is very much the mom's - it stinks leaving your kids every morning for 8+ hours to go to work and then try to get in "mom mode" afterwards.  I truly appreciate all my mom did for me and my sisters (and my dad too!!!)  They both worked (and still do) incredibly hard to make amazing memories for us girls and our families! 

On top of all fun things retiring brings, mom will gets to watch two of her grandkids (Kennedi & Paisley).  I know this is going to be some of the best times of mom's life and I'm so happy for her (and for the girls - as they don't know how much fun they are about to have.)

Congratulations mom on 37 years working at State Farm and even more so on your retirement!!!  Thank you for all you have done for us girls and our husbands and kids!  Love you!

Kylee's Turning 5

We have another week before Kylee actually turns five, but today couldn't have been a more perfect day for her party!  Kennedi stayed the night with us last night, so we woke up bright and early this morning to chocolate chip pancakes, egg whites and bacon.... according to Kylee, we only needed the chocolate chip pancakes.  The rest of the morning the kids got to relax and watch cartoons while I finished making our DisneyWorld Reservations (got both the dining reservations and Kylee's reservation at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique made)!  SSSSHHHHHH - The kids don't know. I'm too excited to wait until January to go - I can't imagine how excited the kids will be when we finally tell them. 

Anyways - We ran a few errands and then headed over to the park to get things set up for the party.  Kylee is four days younger than one of her best friends, Lili - so they got to celebrate together. The girls had so much fun playing on the playground, hanging out, getting their faces painted and eating some seriously good cake (thank you Mattie Balliet - by far my favorite cake so far!)  We finished the day up with Kylee spending some of her birthday money at Target and playing dress up in her new costumes.  As Kylee says - Today was an awesome day!

I can't say thank you enough to all of our friends and family who showed up to help us celebrate.  It is truly a blessing to have each of you in our lives. 

          Miss Kylee Rae

Here are the birthday girls!

Thanks to Aunt Jamie for helping with the gifts so I could take pictures.



The girl's fantastic birthday cake!