Meyers Minutes

We're BAAAACK....

2010-07-09T13:52:00.000-07:00

.....and without any real good reason for being gone other than a very busy life and a broken camera. But alas, the camera has been replaced so I've managed to snap a few shots of the recent craziness in our world. End of pre-school, summer fun in the sun, visits from G & G Lasswell and the Astors, and just general "life" stuff.

Meyers, Astor, and Crawford kids - impossible to get 7 kiddos to cooperate for a photo!

The "bigs" on the light rail train - Sam, Ethan, and Maddie

Brogan and his tool box and work belt

Astor boys and Meyers kids

Watching the Highlands Ranch 4th of July Parade

Sibling love. And btw, aren't the lupine gorgeous!!!

Mr. B in the Yampa

My little Ms. Maddie

Mommy and B at the hot springs in Steamboat

At the Old Town Hot Springs in Steamboat with Aunt Sandy and Uncle Dave

Jon enjoying his father's day round of golf in Steamboat

Crazy Mr. B

Maddie on her last day of pre-school - this was her year-long boyfriend Mylo

I have a pantry!!!

2010-04-07T18:49:00.000-07:00

Note that the title of this post is "I" have a new pantry, not "We" have a new pantry. That's because I am the one who has wondered about the lack of a pantry in this house since we considered buying it. I'm the one who watched the piles of junk and boxes and food items pile up on the counter space that was here. I'm the one who SWORE I'd be a happier woman and a better wife/mother if only I could actually store kitchen food/equipment IN my kitchen rather than in the coat closet down the hall or upstairs in the guest bedroom closet. SOOOO, Jon, being the amazing husband that he is, figured it was worth a few bucks and a mess in the kitchen for a few days to make me happy. And boy was it a worthwhile investment!!! The new pantry (which replaced upper/lower cabinets and the aforementioned countertop) has at least twice the storage space as the stuff that was there before. PLUS, it has a door so I can just close it and everything is hidden. YIPPPPEEE!!!!

The hole left after Jon and I did the demo (the fridge is on the right side of the photo)

It's coming along...here you see the new framing and drywall (fridge will be where the shop-vac is in the photo)

Ahhhh, doors!!!

Storage, glorious storage!! See, I'm pretty easy to please, right!?!?!?

Easter

2010-04-07T18:41:00.001-07:00

We enjoyed a wonderful Easter celebration this year. A great service at church followed by an Easter egg hunt and family lunch at our house. Our kids weren't feeling great but they were troopers and managed to enjoy some of the fun!

Aunt Tina, cousins Amy, Joel, and Emily, me, Maddie, and Brogan

Ms. Maddie

Little B

Our Easter honey bunnies!

Where to begin...

2010-03-14T19:29:00.000-07:00

So I wrote up the synopsis of the last 2 months and THEN tried to add the pictures - big mistake. I'm too tired to try to re-organize so you can enjoy the photos in no particular order and then read the explanations if you so choose. As always, there are MANY more pictures on my facebook page as it's much easier to upload and write brief descriptions there. Enjoy!

Maddie and my Grandma (Gigi)

Cousins Amy, Emily, Madeline, and Brogan

All the chefs ready to make their pizzas

Visiting the Taits in AZ - me, B, Grandma Barbie, Maddie, and Grandpa Al

Birthday celebration #2 in AZ

Brogan and Grandpa "Yin"

The kids were great bedfellows throughout our time in AZ

Grandpa Bill, Nana, Maddie, and B at Goldfied - an old ghost town in AZ. Brogan was obviously in a "mood".

At the pool in AZ at Jon's folks' place.

Birthday celebration #1 in AZ

Brogan's 1st official haircut (he's almost 2 1/2!!)

Our church skate night - both kids were great on wheels!

Ok, it's been more than 2 months since my last update. Let's see what's happened since then...

I was asked to help out at a colleague's office for a week while the office manager was out. A week turned into a month, which turned into a permanent position (as a meeting planner, not the office manager!). It's actually been an obvious answer to prayer and so far it's just a great arrangement. The company is Kinsley and I have known just about everybody there for years due to my industry volunteer position. I'm working 3 days/week and then traveling as necessary for clients. Needless to say, this all happened very quickly so most of January and early February were a blur of adjusting to life as a working mom of 2!! Jon and the kids have been awesome and we've definitely settled into a routine.

February was also a bit nutty. Not only did I accept the permanent position but I traveled to Dallas with the team for a huge conference. The week after I got back, Jon was off to a 3 day meeting in CO Springs. In the midst of THAT, my sweet 83-year-old Grandma had her knee replaced and we did our best to visit and help out as much as we could. Then the 4 of us headed to AZ for some time with various family and a little break from the cold winter weather. We had a blast!

March began with Madeline's 5th birthday on the 1st. We celebrated in AZ with the family there and then had a family dinner here in CO, followed by her official party - "Cooking with Chef Madeline". 12 friends at our house to make pizzas, decorate cupcakes, and do all other official birthday "stuff". It was such a wonderful time and I think Maddie loved every minute of it! My dad was in town for the festivities and we were blessed to have him be a part of things.

SOOOO, here it is, March 14, and I think, I THINK, our life is going to be a bit quieter for the next few weeks. At least I hope so.

Here are a few other random thoughts/kid comments/stories from the last 2 months:

Maddie to Jon upon the arrival of his giant order of chips and guacamole at a restaurant- "I'm not really a fan of chips".

Brogan to Maddie when she asks to use his scooter - "No. You have your own". B didn't even look at her or stop what he was doing to respond.

Brogan talks like Elmer Fudd - no "R's" or "L's". For example: "Peese, I have a yittle bit mo?" when asking for something else to eat. Or, "Mommy, I wiwwy, wiwwy, want to get to the zoo". It's pretty cute.

I'm sure there are other endearing memories but I'll be honest, today was ROUGH and not much else is coming to mind. At least that is sweet and worth noting. I'm pretty sure you don't want to read a post about 2 year olds spitting in the grocery store or 5 year olds throwing fits about toys their brothers "borrowed".....

Christmas Craziness

2010-01-08T20:29:00.001-08:00

So, the last few weeks have been totally crazy, but what a blast! We had my parents, my sister, her fiance and their cat here for Christmas and we also hosted the extended family (about 20 of them!) for Christmas Eve dinner. Christmas Day was spent mostly in our PJ's with lots of fun exploring Santa's treasures as well as those left by family and friends. We are very blessed. Enjoy the review of our Christmas revelry - we had a wonderful time celebrating our Lord's birth!

Maddie in the outfit she got from Grandma Sue and Grandpa Lynn

We spent 3 days in Steamboat Springs with my folks before they headed back to CA. Lots of snow fell during our stay which made for great tubing, snowshoing, and general exploring!

The Yampa River flowing through downtown Steamboat

We took the Gondola to the top of the mountain and enjoyed the Western BBQ - great food a really fun band. They had all kinds of activities for the kids, including the spoons contest. Maddie obviously took it very seriously...

Maddie and Daddy at the BBQ

Happy little B hangin' at our friends' townhome in Steamboat

Me and Maddie at the bottom of the AWESOME sledding hill we found in the townhome's neighborhood!

My mom, dad, Maddie, and a very grumpy Brogan

Maddie and Grandpa Lynn on their first ever snowshoeing outing

We enjoyed an afternoon at Chuck E. Cheese's with Erin and Wilson

Jon and I had a blast taking Maddie up to Winter Park for a ski day - she wore the harness (I was the lead on this little adventure!) and she did so great. We hopped right on the lift and went up the mountain for a few green runs and even a blue!

Maddie and Mommy on the slopes

On Christmas day with my cousin Kaylee and her boyfriend Dan

Sweet little Odie and big sister Hazie - wiped out from the Christmas morning frenzy

Bruce (erin and wilson's cat) and Odie were best buds by the end of the week

Me and Madeline in the matching aprons from my mom. Maddie's expression is the result of her statement right before the photo - "I really have to go potty!"

Brogan and my dad - definitely best buddies.

Madeline and Mr. B in the great hats from Auntie Erin

Uncle Wilson, Auntie Erin and the kiddos

Opening stocking stuffers

One of B's favorite gifts from "Sauntie" Erin

Our little family on Christmas Eve

Guess who's excited from Christmas?!?!?!

Christmas Performances

2009-12-21T13:01:00.000-08:00

It's been a busy couple of weeks around here. Maddie had a little Christmas program with her pre-K class and it was so cute! They recited a poem about the Christmas story, sang a few songs, and then decorated cookies. Then, last Saturday, she had her ballet recital. Her class did a routine to sweet song about baking a cake, hence the chef costumes. She smiled through the entire performance and was even singing along to the words - too cute!

We also paid a visit to Mr. Claus and to my surprise, Brogan was totally willing to sit on his lap and even told him his request (a jingle bell). Maddie's requests for Webkinz, a scooter, and Fruit Loops (yes, the cereal!) were also relayed so we'll see if Santa comes through...

Our little ballerina

Striking a pose

Visit with Santa

Maddie and her special friend Mylo - apparently these 2 are quite the romantic item lately (according to their teachers). So cute!

Maddie and some of her school friends during their performance

Party Time!

2009-12-08T13:24:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year - Christmas parties galore!! We hosted the annual roomie holiday - "Thanksmas" - and as usual, it was chaos. 8 adults who haven't seen each other nearly often enough, combined with 8 kids between 18 months and 5 years makes for some nuttiness. But we wouldn't have it any other way! 5 days after that little gathering, Jon and I hosted our annual Christmas party with our friends from our various walks of life. We had a great turnout and really enjoyed seeing so many people at the same time! I have so much fun decorating the house and getting the food ready in advance of the season so it's fun to share it all.

Roomies - Christine, Carrie (30 weeks prego!), Anna, and Meg

The "savory" table at our party - meatballs and many cheeses with all sorts of fruits, nuts, crackers, etc.

The "sweet" table - chocolate fountain with dipping items and cookies/bars galore!

Roomie kids - Josh and Kaitlyn McKee, Grace and Nora Wallace, Maddie, Adelaine and Lukas Goodworth, Brogan

Story time with Uncle Adam - the kids were enraptured!

Thanksgiving Feast!

2009-11-21T09:39:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was Madeline's pre-school Thanksgiving Feast - so much fun! Jon couldn't join us as he's been serving on a jury all week so it was me and the kids. Maddie's class (in the Native American costumes) joined with another class (dressed as Pilgrims) and sang a few songs. I took the video on our old-school video camera, which means I don't have a digital file to post. But I'll write the lyrics to one of the songs as it was just too funny! After the "show", we all enjoyed a teaser Thanksgiving meal - can't wait for the real thing on Thursday!

"Mr. Turkey"

Mr. Turkey, Mr. Turkey
Are you getting nice and fat?
We are waiting for Thanksgiving
So what do you think of that?

Mr. Turkey, Mr. Turkey
Do you ever wonder why
People eat you at Thanksgiving
Instead of Chicken Pie?

Brogan has learned most of this song and it is hysterical to listen to the two of thing sing it. There are funny motions that go along with it, too.

Odie and friends

2009-11-13T12:47:00.000-08:00

Little Mr. Odie is settling right in to our family. He and Hazie are best buddies and playmates now. Odie loves to pick a fight and Hazie is incredibly tolerant, but definitely puts him in his place when needed. We're all enjoying having a little kitten and he's quite the snuggler. Enjoy the photos!

Watching leaves and birds in the backyard

Naptime snuggles on the kitty castle

B, Maddie, and the little fuzz ball!

Sharing Jon's lap - so fun to have 2 lap kitties!

Halloween Fun

2009-11-01T10:18:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed a very fun Halloween yesterday. Started the festivities at a friend's brithday party where Maddie won the best costume prize - so fun! Then we came back to our 'hood for trick or treating and an informal block party in the neighbor's front yard. We had the fire pit going, adult beverages flowing, and plenty of candy for the kids...great for everyone!!

Me and Maddie - thanks to Erin for the great Foothill Pep President duds!!

Dorothy and the scarecrow

Our jack o' lanterns

Maddie and her puppy pumpkin

B was excited about his design!

Rodeo "Odie" Meyers joins the family!

2009-10-26T12:31:00.000-07:00

We've been talking about adding a second cat to our family and this little guy just happened to "find" me over the weekend. I was on a walk with a friend and we passed by a woman who had just taken a box of kittens out of her car (she was on her way to the park to see if she could find homes for them). I knew once I looked inside it would be hard to resist so I called Jon and he was up for it! Little Odie is a bundle of adorable, fun energy and I think he'll be a great addition. We're taking him to the vet today to get him checked out, as we've been keeping him separate from Hazie just in case there are any health issues. We'll keep you posted on how their introduction goes...

Brogan turns 2!

2009-10-21T14:26:00.001-07:00

Our little guy is 2 - wow! We had a great time celebrating with family at Brogan's "things that go" party. Just about all his gifts had wheels (or pictures of wheels!) and he was thrilled. We are so blessed to have so many people in our life that love our kids. Thanks to all of you!

Riding the scooter he got from Aunt Sandy, Uncle Dave, Gigi and Great-Grandpa

The train cake Auntie Erin and I made

Presents!

4 generations of Lasswells - Gigi, Great Grandpa, Sue, Lynn, Erin, Jon, Meg, Maddie, and Brogan

Loading the excavator from Aunt Kate/Uncle Travis/Sarah/Austin into the back of the dump truck he got from Aunt Tina/Uncle Will/Joel/Amy/Emily

New York City

2009-09-29T12:51:00.001-07:00

Jon and I just returned from an awesome long weekend in NYC visiting Erin and Wilson. The kids stayed behind, though I doubt they even realized we were gone since they got to spend 2 days with Will, Tina, and kids and then 2 days with Sandy and Dave. Lucky kiddos!

Our trip was prompted by the purchase of tickets to see U2 in concert at Giants Stadium - an unbelievable show! All the concert pictures are on my facebook page but I threw one in here, too. We spent the rest of the weekend exploring the city (as best we could with Jon's sprained ankle) and visiting with friends. I teamed up with Erin's good friend Kate to throw Erin a surprise bridal brunch - it was a blast! We relaxed at Erin and Wilson's apartment where we played a fair share of Wii games and bonded with our nephew, Bruce the cat.

Me, Courtney, Erin, Chris, Minnie, Erin G., and Kate

We did the Circle Line tour around Manhattan - a perfect day for it, obviously!

The Brooklyn Bridge

Me and Erin on the Circle Line boat

Times Square

The ridiculous stage set at the U2 show

Wilson, Erin, Me, and Jon at the concert

We had a most delicious lunch here at Shake Shack in Madison Square Park

Summer videos

2009-09-20T14:29:00.001-07:00

I always forget to post videos to my updates, so here are a few from the summer. Enjoy!

Maddie is quite the adventurous one when it comes to anything related to the water. We were at the Old Town Hot Springs in Steamboat and she saw some big kids jumping off the diving board. She had never done it before but decided she just had to try. So she walked to the end and didn't even hesitate to jump in. After a couple of jumps to Jon who was waiting to "catch" her, she decided she didn't need him there any more and would just jump and then swim to the side by herself. Pretty cool!

Brogan is quite the fish, too. He had a blast in the little kid area at the hot springs pools. No fear of the water for this kid!

Just a glimpse into a normal day around our house - crazy kids doing crazy stuff!!

Last First Day of Pre-school

2009-09-13T12:41:00.001-07:00

Maddie started her final day of pre-school last week. She was a quite hesitant on the "meet the teacher" day (quite out of character for her!) but once we got in the room, she loved it and has been running to her room each day since. Her teachers seem great and we are so blessed to have a Christ-centered pre-school that is also committed to teaching the important fundamentals. Can't believe she'll be in Kindergarten next year!

Mrs. Erin and Mrs. Janell

Our sweet little Madeline

Heaven on Earth - Steamboat Springs!

2009-09-08T13:38:00.000-07:00

As we do every year, we headed to Steamboat Springs in honor of our anniversary. It doesn't matter to us that our annivesary is in May; as long as we get up there some time in the summer, we're happy! Our friends, the Mays, are always so generous in letting us stay in their beautiful condo for the weekend - thanks Chris and Resa! This year we did several activities that we've never done before, despite our 20ish trips to this amazing mountain town. The kids are old enough to enjoy some things we couldn't do before and it was great! Here was the breakdown of the weekend:
exploring activities at the mountain base
Yampa River Botanic Gardens
Mini-golf
family naps
hot tub
dinner at a new restaurant in town - Boathouse Pub (right on the river downtown!)
day at Old Town Hot Springs
more naps!
meeting up with college and MPI friends
mini-hike

We had perfect weather and really enjoyed having an entire weekend with just the 4 of us!

Hangin' at the Hot Springs - Jon bought Nachos and Brogan couldn't get enough of the delicious cheezy sauce!

Maddie and me - our little fish wasn't tall enough to ride the giant waterslide (see background of this photo) so she went ahead and passed the swim test in order to do so! She rode the PITCH BLACK tube slide (230 feet long) 3 times and absolutely loved it!

The gorgeous Yampa River - just outside the great little restaurant we discoverd

Classic Steamboat photo - the horse outside F.M. Light and Sons

Trying on western gear inside the store!

Picnic at the mini-golf course. Maddie chose to play golf rather than do the alpine slide (a choice she admitted regretting later that day!), but B LOVED the golf!

He was determined to make this putt...

At the botanic gardens

Our little cuties!

Roomie Camping Trip

2009-09-08T13:26:00.000-07:00

This was our second annual Colorado roomie camping weekend and compared to the inagural trip last year, it was one million times more enjoyable! Most of that had to do with our perfect weather, though having all the kids one year older definitely helped, too. We went to Wellington Lake, a beautiful private park/campground only about 1 1/2 hours from home and it was beautiful! Everyone got along well and had fun exploring the campground, wading in the lake, catching minnows, and roasting marshmallows. It's always so fun to have our group together and see the kids growing up; we just wish Anna and her family were in Colorado to join us on these weekend adventures!

The 6 kids (l to r): Nora Wallace, Josh McKee, Brogan, Kaitlyn McKee, Grace Wallace, and Maddie

Playtime in the lake

Brogan loved having a big boy to hang around with. Joshua was very patient with him!

Grace and Maddie; best buddies all weekend

Brogan loved roasting his marshmallows! Don't think he actually ate any of them, but that's not the point, right?

We rented a canoe one afternoon and took turns taking the kids for rides around the lake

Mealtime was always a bit crazed, but quite tasty!

B and Maddie checking out the beautiful lake

Yummy Zucchini Blueberry Bread

2009-08-31T18:56:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I've never posted a recipe to my blog, but I'm cooking all the time and often trying new things, so why not? I didn't have the foresight to take a picture of the finished product but trust me (and the rest of my family!), the bread is delicious! I found the original recipe on allrecipes.com, but it was way high in fat and calories so I lightened it up and it was so tasty. Since zucchinis are everywhere right now it's a great way to use them up.

Zucchini Blueberry Bread

3 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup applesauce (preferably "no sugar added")
1/4 vegetable oil
3 tsps vanilla extract
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 - 3/4 cup white sugar
2 cups shredded zucchini (dry it a bit by pressing between paper towels in a strainer) - you could definitely use 3 cups and the recipe would still be great!
3 cups flour (I used 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 all-purpose)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 pint fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 350*. Lightly grease 2 loaf pans (or 4 mini-loaf pans)

In a large bowl, beat together eggs, applesauce, oil, vanilla, and sugars. Fold in the zucchini. Beat in the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Gently fold in the blueberries. Pour evenly into pans.

Bake 40 -50 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center of a loaf comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes in pans; turn out onto wire racks and cool completely.

Fun in the Sun - CA style

2009-08-18T12:38:00.001-07:00

The kids and I spent a few days in So Cal last week with my mom and dad. They needed a grandkid fix and who was I to say no??? We all had a blast swimming in the pool, hanging out at Newport Beach, and getting together with dear friends. Only bummer was that Jon had to stay home and work. Stupid job... :)

Grandma Sue, Grandpa Lynn, B, and Maddie

My little beach bum

Ahhhh, the Pacific. And of course, Ruby's on the pier in the background - yummy!

Some of my life long friends from CA - Diane (with baby #3 in the oven) and Annabel

Riding the ponies at Irvine park has become a tradition for us. Maddie rode the trotting pony this time and loved bouncing along!

Brogan loved his "horsey ride"

Grandma Sue and Maddie

The train at Irvine Park

Playdate at Diane's with her boys (Sam and Ben - on the right), Maddie, Brogan, and my friend Lisa and her kids (Landon and Makenna - on the left).

Bedtime stories with Grandma

Brogan loved reading the "airplane book" with my dad each night. This kid is OBSESSED with airplanes right now!

God's good timing allowed me to visit with my dear friends Brian and Kirsten Marsh (and their boys Ian and Trevor). They were my junior high pastors and Brian married Jon and me. Now they live in Missoula, Montana so having our paths cross in CA was just great!

This is how the kids spent every afternoon...

Pool time with Grandpa and Grandma!

Meyers cousins - together at last!

2009-08-18T12:31:00.001-07:00

Jon's sister Kate and her kids came to CO for a couple of weeks so we were able to have ALL 7 Meyers cousins together. The kids had a blast and the adults had a great time, too. Sure wish Travis could have been here and we REALLY wish they lived closer than Alaska. Hopefully that next Air Force move brings them a whole lot closer to CO...

Family BBQ at our house

All the kids in the hot tub

Siblings - Jon, Kate, and Will

Family photo (minus Travis) - Jon, Brogan, Meg, Maddie, Kate, Sarah, Bill, Pat, Joel, Will, Emily, Tina, Amy, and Austin

The cousins - Joel, Amy, Sarah, Austin, Emily, Maddie, and Brogan

Roomie Weekend in the Northwest

2009-08-17T14:30:00.001-07:00

I enjoyed an amazing weekend in the Northwest with my dearest friends - the "roomies". Carrie, Christine, and I flew to Portland to meet up with Anna and then travel north to WA to stay at Anna's aunt and uncle's house on Whidbey Island. We celebrated my birthday with a great dinner in Seattle and then spent the rest of the weekend wandering, meandering, browsing, and doing many other "ings" we just don't get to do with kids in tow. The time together was a blessing and as usual, we laughed until it hurt and chatted about everything and then some. I am blessed beyond belief by these women!!

Some beauties from the Portland Rose Garden

The pier in Coupeville - the adorable town where Anna's aunt and uncle live

Flowers in Coupeville

On the ferry to Friday Harbor, San Juan Island - we spent the day on the island and had so much fun!

Christine, Carrie and I on the Deception Pass Bridge on Whidbey Island

View from the bridge

Classic scene from Seattle

Dinner at a cute little place in Pike Place Market, Seattle

Christmas in July

2009-07-29T20:38:00.000-07:00

The kids and I spent a day last week at "Santa's Workshop" - a great little amusement park outside of Colorado Springs. We went with two other moms and their kids and had such a blast! The place is totally geared for young kids and all our 4 year olds could ride just about every ride. Even the 1 and 2 year olds could do several and they all spent most of the day giggling and running from one thing to the next. We'll definitely be heading back there again in the future!

I was the only mom that could handle the spinning rides (I love 'em!) so I took the kids on this one. Our barrel got going so fast and we were all giggling like crazy!

Josiah, Lauren, and Brogan drove the taxi. Maddie, Rachel, and Gabby were in the bus in the back.

Elizabeth and her kiddos on the merry-go-round (or is it a carousel?)

Rachel and Maddie - they had to ride every ride together whenever possible!

Brogan is fearless - he went on every ride and had a look of complete glee all day!

The airplane ride

Playtime with Friends

2009-07-29T20:28:00.001-07:00

We've enjoyed many a playdate this summer with a variety of friends. The kids love playing with so many different kids and the moms love it too!

Annie Crawford and Maddie

Maddie and Ethan Crawford at Central Park in Stapleton

Checking out the fire trucks at our community ice cream social

Maddie and Natalie Mosher in the fire engine

Roomie playdate - Brogan, Grace, Maddie, and Josh

Both kids are fish - they absolutely love the water in any shape or form!

Fountains at Civic Green Park in our neighborhood

Rachel, Maddie, Brogan, and Lauren in the sand "boat" at our house

More Summer Fun

2009-07-15T13:53:00.001-07:00

As usual, we've been trying to make the most of our summer days and have found ourselves having all kinds of fun! Playdates with friends, family outings, and visits from out-of-town friends and family made for a crazy month of June, but we had such a great time!

An impromptu trip to Heritage Square on Father's Day - Maddie and Mommy on the Alpine Slide

Daddy and Brogan getting ready to head down the hill. B was so excited to "drive"!

I think this was Brogan's very first amusement park ride - he definitely enjoyed it.

Maddie was thrilled to be big enough to ride by herself on a few of the rides!

Our dear friends the Kucinskis came to visit in June. They left CO a year and a half ago to move to OK and this was the first time they've been back as a family. Little Courtney (above with Maddie) wasn't around yet when they left so it was so fun to meet her!

Aaron K., Maddie, Brogan, and Nathan K. - all in PJ's and watching cartoons upon waking.

We hosted a BBQ for the Kucinskis while they were here so they could see as many friends as possible. I think we had 11 families with 21 kids 5 and under - total madness but lots of fun!

Our annual summer trip to Tiny Town. Brogan is VERY into trains right now so he loved the ride!

Several of the kiddos checking out some of the buildings...

Smile! Isaac, Rachel, Lauren, Maddie, and Joey

Adventures in Alaska

2009-07-15T13:26:00.001-07:00

We had the amazing opportunity to go to Alaska at the beginning of the month to visit Jon's sister Kate and her family. Kate, her hubby Travis and their 2 kids (Sarah - 7 yr and Austin - 3 yr) were the most amazing hosts we could have ever asked for! Not only did they put us up at their house for 8 nights, but they took us all over the place on a variety of modes of transportation. Our kids were super travelers and had so much fun playing with their cousins. The Lord blessed us with incredible weather for the entire trip ( NO RAIN!!!) so we were really able to play tourist and enjoy the unbelievable sites. And of course, with 20 hours of daylight there was plenty of time to play. :) Below are just a few of the 400+ pics we took. If you want to see a more full slideshow (about 100 pics), feel free to check out this link:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=86274&id=531524643&l=192cb64aea

Moms and daughters - on a bridge over a creek in the neighborhood

view of Seward harbor as we returned from the Kenai Fjords boat/wildlife trip - amazing!

At the Seward harbor before boarding our boat - it was an 8 hour ride and all in all, everyone did really well.

Meyers family and Lewis family

The 4 adults enjoyed an incredible day out (kids were home with a sitter). We rode 60 miles roundtrip on ATV's to the Knik glacier. We crossed rivers, rode through swamps, and even saw a mama and baby moose having a drink. It was so awesome!

The 8 of us did a 16-mile bike ride along a creek path in Anchorage that also followed along the bay. We started out around 7:30 pm and by the time we returned to the car to load up (with several stops to watch airplanes land at the airport, eat ice cream/play at the playground, and go potty) it was 11:00 pm! The kids were troopers and it was a really fun way to see some amazing sites.

Our first full day in AK included a 5 mile hike (roundtrip) along the Russian River to a sweet salmon fishing spot. Jon carried B in the pack and Maddie walked along with the rest of us. The kids were pooped by the time we got back to the cars but it was a very fun day.

The cousins at the start of the hike - Brogan, Maddie, Austin, and Sarah

En route to the Russian River

Sweet view from the airplane as we headed toward Anchorage

Fun with Family

2009-06-16T20:22:00.000-07:00

Here are a bunch of pics of our gang over the last month or so. We've enjoyed adventures of all kinds and are awaiting many more over the course of the summer. Stay tuned!

With cousin Amy at her performance of "The Wizard of Oz" - she was in the Lullaby League

Fun in the giant tub at our house - Brogan, Maddie, Emmy, and Amy

Joel was instrumental in helping Jon assemble our new grill. Will and B are checking it out!

Family BBQ/dinner at the Sr. Meyers - Aunt Debbie and Grandpa-Great trekked down from Fort Collins to join in the fun.

Both kids LOVED having Auntie Erin here and she was by far the main attraction during our visit to the zoo...

Jon and B in Tropical Discovery at the zoo

Maddie and Grandpa Lynn

Mommy and Maddie feeding the lorakeets

B has to do EVERYTHING his big sister does these days...

Sisters!!! I am blessed.

Goofin' around at the zoo

Wilson and Erin attending the wedding of one of Wilson's friends - they look pretty snazzy!

Auntie Erin, Uncle Wilson and the crazy kiddos

The West Course at the Broadmoor - my MPI golf tournament was here a couple of weeks ago and I got to play 9 holes - pretty cool!

We may not be much good at golfing, but at least we look the part, right???

Random fun around the house

2009-06-12T14:16:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been a month since my last post; things have been quite busy! Between the end of school, wrapping up my presidency with MPI and 10 days of family visitors, we've had a ton going on. Thankfully I've managed to keep the camera handy so we have some fun memories from everything. In the midst of it all, Brogan's vocabulary has exploded! He repeats everything and is stringing 3-word sentences together. Here are a few of my favorite recent sayings/words:

"Gampa" - Grandpa
"Gam-oos" - Grandma Sue
"I dood it"
"Dit der" - Sit there
"Miiiiiine" - no interpretation needed!!! He uses this word anytime he wants something or is holding something he doesn't want to give up.
"My hold it"
"Almost" - said while trying to hit the ping pong ball with the paddle
"Bay-ball" - his new favorite sport to play
"Hot tub"
"beetle", "Bug", and "Ant" - all used frequently during our visit to the cabin

Helping me make smoothies - one of his favorite treats!

Our neighbors across the street have 4 girls - a built-in playgroup for Maddie. Here are the 3 youngest in full dress-up mode with Madeline.

Bubble Beards in the tub!

One day Maddie decided it would be fun to switch clothes with Brogan - here's the final result!

Maddie decided to add some accessories to the outfit she took off Brogan

Just some cute photos...

2009-05-13T19:36:00.001-07:00

Cowgirl day at school

Mr. B LOVES the bath!!

All settled in for movie night at home

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T16:07:00.000-07:00

It's been a great weekend to celebrate. We kicked off the festivities yesterday with brunch out with Jon's folks. Today, the 4 of us went to church and then picked out a new tree (a blue spruce) for the backyard. The kids surprised me with a massage appointment this afternoon so I was able to enjoy a workout at the gym and then have a quiet hour at the spa - fabulous all the way around! I am so blessed to be a mom to these kids and a wife to their dad - God is good!

Spring Soccer is here!

2009-05-10T15:05:00.001-07:00

Maddie kicked off her soccer career a few weeks ago with the Hatrix team. She's in a 4 and under program that is 5 weeks of clinic-style teaching. The kids are in a few different groups and they are learning a bunch of basic skills while playing fun games like "Mr. Fox" and "Sleepy Pirates" - you'll have to ask Maddie for the details of these!!! She has loved playing and definitely enjoys all the different drills and games. Brogan has come along each week and loves to run around the field kicking or throwing balls (soccer, baseball, etc). We think he's definitely got sports in his future, too!

Madeline's AWANA Awards Night

2009-05-10T14:46:00.000-07:00

Madeline has participated in our church's AWANA program all year; she has gone just about every Tuesday night to learn Bible lessons, play games, sing songs, do crafts, and generally enjoy being a pre-schooler. We've worked on learning a verse each week and she was fabulous at committing those little nuggets to memory! Last week was the Awards Night, during which each kid received a certificate and got to perform with their class. It was such fun to see Maddie relishing in all the "glory". Here are some pics of her and her friends, as well as a video of her singing. You'll notice that she sees me with the camera toward the end of the video and starts to really give off the extra cheesy grin - too funny!

Maddie, Rachel, Luke, and Josiah

Our little Cubbie!

Singing with her class

Home Improvement Fun!

2009-04-23T12:42:00.000-07:00

As it always seems to this time of year, the home improvement bug bit me and I decided the best "cure" was to tackle our main floor powder room. It was going to be a quick and easy weekend project - some new paint and chair rail. Well, I was a bit overly confident as the chair rail part of the project nearly killed us! The painting was no problem as I've done more rooms than I can count in the past 9 years, but the chair rail was a first for both Jon and me. It probably wouldn't have been too bad if not for the random 5" curved corner wall that the builder decided was necessary - since when is putting in 4 square walls such a bad idea?!?!? Anyway, with the help of Uncle Dave's miter saw and our neighbor Pete's handiness, we got the job done and it turned out pretty well. I forgot to take "before" pictures but trust me, the peachy/pink walls are nothing to be missed! And of course the pictures below aren't a totally honest representation of the work - the bottom section of the walls are chocolate brown and the top sections are a warm khaki color. Light blue accents finish the "look".

Easter

2009-04-22T14:58:00.001-07:00

I was very remiss about capturing the Easter festivities on the actual day, so the photos below will have to do. I didn't even manage to get the kids with their baskets - oh well! We enjoyed a wonderful service at church (joined by Jon's parents, Sandy, and Dave) and then spent the afternoon/evening at San and Dave's. The weather was cold and rainy so we did an indoor egg hunt for the kids - they didn't seem to mind as it was a means to an end - a very candy filled end, at that!

Maddie and B all gussied up for Easter

Some of the eggs we dyed

Decorating the Easter cookies

It snowed - finally!

2009-04-07T13:49:00.001-07:00

Yay for snow! Since we had just about NO snow for 2 months in February and most of March, it was actually wonderful to get a big dump of the white stuff at the end of the month. Brogan had a horrible fear of the snow back in January (the last time it really snowed!) but seemed to do much better this time around. We built a ramp in the front yard and all the neighbor kids took turns riding down it on the inner tube - it was fun! We also built a huge snowman but of course I forgot to take a picture of it. Oh well...

Jon and little B in the backyard

Our Snow Angel!

B is none to pleased at this point, but he did end up having fun, I promise!

The backyard at the end of the big storm

The neighbor girls enjoying the ramp - Madeleine B., Caroline, Kate, Madelyn B., and our Madeline. Yep, that's right, 3 Maddies right in our little cluster of houses - too funny!

Random March Happenings

2009-04-07T13:24:00.001-07:00

We've been busy this month, as usual! Other than the one big snow storm (see previous post) the weather has been wonderful and we've kept busy with all kinds of activities. Enjoy the month in review...

Hot Tubbing with Daddy

Foam Factory at Mr. Biggs

Drums at the Denver Zoo

Our friend Autumn joined us at the zoo

We went roller skating with our neighbors - it was a blast!

Silly kids!!

Mozart in Training - Brogan really loves to play the "pano"!

All dressed up for church - Grandma Sue gave Maddie her dress and the matching one for her doll
Naptime with Daddy - so sweet!

Maddie and B have such a good time playing together now!

Our friends Rachel and Lauren came to play and watch movies

Madeline is 4!

2009-04-07T13:16:00.000-07:00

In addition to the Disney celebration, we enjoyed some ice cream pie here in CO with the local family. Selfishly, it was nice to keep it simple and not do the big "party"!!

Great Grandpa Lee and Gigi with the birthday girl

Maddie and her cousins - Amy, Emily, and Joel

Blowing out candles

Maddie likes to read the funny pages - she was doing this the morning of her party!

What did you say?

2009-03-26T13:22:00.000-07:00

Mr. B (almost 18 months) has quite the budding vocabulary. No surprise considering his big sister and her non-stop chatting! Here are a few of the fun things he says:

"waff" - waffle

"ee a go" - here you go

"ank oo" - thank you

"man e nin" - Madeline

"guck" - truck

"gack" - snack

"wadoo" - water

"muck" - milk

And of course, too many more too count, a few of which are mama, dada, ball, bowl, night-night, cat, dog, and lots of animal sounds.

It is so fun to watch his personality continue to develop. He is very much a mamas boy right now (much to my chagrin!) and he screams whenever I even leave the room, but we are assuming this is a passing phase and hope it ends quickly! Other than that, he is so easy going and loves to play with trains, cars, and anything else that "goes" - typical boy, right???

Trip to California

2009-03-09T12:39:00.001-07:00

We returned a few days ago from a fabulous week in California! We visited family, spent 3 days at Disneyland Resort (see photos in next post), enjoyed a couple of beach days, and celebrated Madeline's 4th birthday. Jon's parents drove over from their winter place in AZ and joined us for one day at Disneyland and then we went with my parents on another day. The day in between was spent at CA Adventure (the other Disney theme park) with just the adult Meyers - Maddie and Brogan went to the beach with my mom and dad. After all the birthday madness, my grandparents came to visit (from AZ) and spend time with the kids. We went to Irvine Regional Park to ride the train, feed the ducks, ride ponies, and visit the little zoo there. It was a blast!

Maddie, Brogan (quite grumpy at the time!), Great Grandpa and Grandma Tait

Brogan's first pony ride - his trusty steed was named Rocky

Train ride with Grandma and Grandpa

Maddie and Daddy at Newport Beach

Brogan at Newport Beach

The birthday girl!

Madeline's Disneyland Birthday

2009-03-09T12:28:00.000-07:00

Disneyland was a wonderful as I remember - we had perfect weather and it truly was magical to experience "the happiest place on earth" through the eyes of a little girl. We took hundreds of photos but below are just a few of our time at the park.

Tinkerbell and the Birthday Girl

Upon arrival with Grandpa Lynn and Grandma Sue

Meeting Minnie Mouse - Maddie's favorite character!

With Nana and Grandpa Bill in front of "It's a Small World"

Our family at the signature Disney locale - Sleeping Beauty's Castle

Where Did January Go????

2009-02-13T20:05:00.000-08:00

The last month flew by! Not sure what "major" activities we did, but from the looks of the photos, we did a lot of building and constructing. The kids both love to work with their hands when it comes to play time and it's lots of fun for me and Jon, too!

One of Maddie and Daddy's famous pillow forts

Brogan had so much fun playing in this bin!

Shaving cream mountains

Our little engineer. I hate to label the kid at such a young age, but he seriously gets it done with the tinker toys and other blocks!!

Our church skate night - Maddie's first time on wheels and she loved it!

Zoo outing on one of the many warm January days - here's Maddie with Josh and Ethan

B and Maddie wearing their "capes"

Just about the only snow day last month - we made the most of it!

A floor to ceiling block tower. Clearly Daddy's project as I can't get more than 2 blocks to stack up at a time...

Maddie built this domino tower all by herself!

Ping Pong Madness - installment #2

2009-02-13T19:30:00.000-08:00

So sorry for the delay in posting - the last month has been a blur! Here's a video clip of Brogan with the ping pong paddle and ball. He went through a phase of being completely obsessed with carrying the paddle at all times (he even went to bed with it one night!) and actually got pretty good and making contact with the ball.

Ping Pong Madness - installment #1

2009-01-06T19:08:00.000-08:00

So the obsession for ping pong in this family runs strong for ALL members of our household (except for me). The kids both love it (more pictures and video of that to come) and it seems even our kitty Hazie enjoys the game. This video is the real deal; she just hopped up on the table with my dad and Jon and joined in the game!

Christmas Chaos

2009-01-06T18:44:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful time during the Christmas "break". Jon was home for most of two weeks, which was such a blessing to me and the kids. My parents also spent a week here so I was very spoiled with all the extra hands! The kids loved all the additional playmates, of course. We hosted Christmas Eve dinner for my family and our friends the Crawfords; it was a great way to usher in that most magical of days - Christmas!

Santa managed to find our house and with Maddie being almost 4, it was a very big deal. She actually heard his jingle bells when she was getting ready for bed the night before and couldn't run fast enough into her bed. She was truly afraid he would pass up our house because she wasn't asleep yet. :) It's so fun to watch the magic of make-believe with kids at this age and it's such a blessing to be on the parent side. Thankfully Santa's helpers had the bike put together BEFORE Christmas Eve...

We were also able to celebrate a belated Christmas with some of Jon's family up at his Grandpa and aunt's house in Fort Collins. The Colorado cousins had so much fun together it was nice to have Uncle Warren visiting from CA.

All in all, we could not have been more blessed at the end of 2008 and are eagerly awaiting what God has in store for us this year.

Grandma Sue and the kids at the family piano - she learned on it as a kid, my sister and I learned on it and now our kids will have the opportunity!

Christmas Eve family photo

Maddie and Ethan Crawford in their PJ's on Christmas Eve

Santa came! Maddie got a 'big girl' bike and was riding it around the living room within minutes.

Brogan's Christmas was full of "things that go". He is definitely all boy, all the time!

What toddler doesn't want to help mom with the cleaning?!?!?

Grandma Sue and Grandpa Lynn shortly after waking up on Christmas Morning

Brogan and the rest of us enjoyed the sunny Christmas Day weather....

...perfect for trying out the new wheels!

Celebrating Christmas day with the Lasswells - Gigi and Great-Grandpa

Maddie LOVES her Aunt Sandy (aka Auntie Santa)

Do you think this kid likes opening gifts?!?!?

All the CO cousins with Great Aunt Debbie, Great Uncle Warren, and Grandpa Great

Jon, B, Maddie, and Grandpa Great

Madeline's School and Ballet Performances

2008-12-22T13:40:00.001-08:00

It's been a busy couple of weeks for Madeline! Her pre-school class did a very small performance on their last day of school in which they sang 5 songs. Maddie didn't seem in the mood to sing, so she mostly just stood there and opened her mouth occasionally. Not sure why she was feeling shy since she's been singing the songs at home for weeks! Oh well.

Then, a couple of days ago, she had her first ballet recital. As is true with most kids this age, it's more about the costume and the experience than the actual performing! But Maddie really seemed to enjoy herself and wasn't intimidated by being on the big stage in the auditorium. She must get that from her Auntie Erin... There is a video of part of her routine at the bottom of this post.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Maddie with her school friends and Ms. Kim - they hand-painted these shirts earlier in the week.

Our little ballerina!

Maddie and 2 of her friends from ballet class

Princess Madeline

Pre-Christmas Festivities

2008-12-21T19:27:00.000-08:00

We've been busy preparing for Christmas in a variety of ways. We got the house decorated in time for our annual Christmas party last week. Brogan and the cat only knocked a few ornaments off the tree as it was going up and they both seem to have lost interest at this point. Phew!!! We had cousin Emily spend the day last week and she came with us to visit Santa. Emily was very clear on her requests: makeup and a guitar. Maddie has yet to share her wish list with anyone (including me or Santa) and is now concerned that he might bring her coal because she wouldn't tell him what she wanted. We shall see....

Maddie's friend Ethan came over a couple of weeks ago to help decorate (and taste!) the requisite Christmas cookie cutouts. The kids actually did a really great job and had a lot of fun in the process. We love Christmas around here and it's been so fun to enjoy the anticipation of both Santa's arrival and baby Jesus' birthday!

Emily and Madeline with Mr. Claus

Brogan and Maddie with Santa. I thought Brogan would freak out but he was actually great! Totally fascinated with all of Santa's bells and whistles so I couldn't even get him to look at the camera.

Maddie and Ethan working in the kitchen.

Christmas Tree Cutting

2008-12-21T17:25:00.000-08:00

This was the 3rd year in a row that some portion of our family has gone to cut a Christmas tree. Maddie and Jon have gone every time; this was the first outing for Brogan and me and the first for our family of four! We went into the mountains with our friends the Mays and the O'Neals and enjoyed a beautiful early December day. We hiked around for about an hour, found our tree, and then had a picnic lunch before heading home. Maddie has taken to naming the tree each year, so this year it's been dubbed "Mary Moo Cow". Who knows where she comes up with this stuff.... The tree is for the kids and their ornaments and it lives upstairs near their rooms. It's a fun family tradition we look forward to doing every year!

Maddie and Brogan with their tree

Grant O'Neal, Maddie, and little B

Maddie with Smokey Bear

The four of us with our "giant" tree right behind Brogan's head. It's about 4 feet tall. :)

Thanksmas 2008

2008-12-15T13:01:00.000-08:00

Ah, yes, it's that time of year again. The annual roommate holiday that generally falls sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas (hence "Thanksmas") is always a hectic but FUN time with friends. As the number of children increases each year, so does the level of noise and chaos. But seeing our 4 families together and the amazing ways in which we are blessed makes the madness totally enjoyable. And besides, an adult conversation held over several glasses of wine and an uniterrupted time at the table is overrated anyway....

The 4 "bigs" - big brothers Lukas and Joshua and big sisters Madeline and Grace

Brogan (1 yr), Madeline (3 1/2), Nora (6 mo), Grace (3), Joshua (4), Kaitlyn (1 1/2), Lukas (3 1/2), Adelaine (1 1/2)

As you can probably guess, the arranging and taking of the annual "kid" photo is a most ridiculous endeavour. But as I say, at least all the kids are IN the picture, regardless of where they are looking or what they are doing.

The 4 roomies - me, Anna, Christine, and Carrie

Thanksgiving in Mexico

2008-12-04T06:01:00.000-08:00

Hola? Como estan? We returned a few days ago from a fabulous week in Mexico with my family. We spent a week at the Gran Porto Real resort in Playa del Carmen and it was just about perfect. The weather couldn't have been better, the resort was amazing with a lovely beach and of course it was great to have so much time with my parents, grandparents, sister, and aunt. Other than Brogan being determined to wake me to watch the sunrise every morning, we had no other complaints. The kids were really good travelers and as long as Maddie had her daily "fruity drink", she was happy. Not sure if it's a good or bad thing that my 3-year-old daughter asks me the following: "Mommy, when can we go to the bar to get my margarita?"!!!!

The whole clan (except for Aunt Karlie, who was taking the picture)

Brogan absolutely loved the ocean. He wasn't so sure about the sand on the first few days, but he got used to it and couldn't get enough by the end of the week!

Grandma Sue and little B

The view from our room - not a bad way to start and end each day, that's for sure!

Our sand bunnies - note that Maddie is completely covered up to her waist. She spent a good part of the week as a "corndog" - made for fun cleanup at the end of every day....

Brogan loved running the long halls of the hotel. He only landed on his giant noggin once or twice. :)

One the gazillion iguanas at the Tulum ruins site - the kids thought they were awesome!

Me and my sister (Auntie Erin) at Tulum

Maddie at Tulum - she actually thought the old "castles" were pretty cool!

Me and Jon at Tulum

My grandparents (the Taits), Erin, and Maddie

Maddie had her hair braided the 2nd night of the trip - it was nice and easy for the rest of the week, though I think we are STILL finding sand and other beach treasures in her hair....

Who says buckets are for sand???

A constant theme of the week - one of us chasing the little dude as he was determined to walk or run everywhere, regardless of dangerous bodies of water at every turn.

Maddie and Auntie Erin - they were best friends all week. Poor Erin couldn't even go to the bathroom without Maddie insisting she go along.

Yep, this scene was pretty much the norm for 7 straight days - I can't complain!

Grandpa Lynn and Maddie

3 generations of ladies - my mom, me, and Maddie

Halloween Fun

2008-11-02T12:08:00.000-08:00

Halloween was a ton of fun, as always! What kid doesn't love dressing up and eating candy?!?!? We started the week by raking leaves and jumping in them (of course!), carving pumpkins, and then going to our church's fall festival before hitting the neighborhood for trick or treating. Both kids seemed to have a great time.

Brogan is on the move!

Our little tiger and frog

Roooaaar!!

Carving pumpkins with cousin Emily

Yay for leaves!

Brogan was not nearly as excited about the leaves as his big sister...

Funny "B" Moments

2008-10-23T13:52:00.000-07:00

Great Aunt Karlie sent a Michigan State sweat suit for his birthday - Go Spartans!

"What? Isn't this what YOU look like when you eat pasta????"

Here are a few seconds of Brogan "driving" the laundry basket around the house. He is just days away from walking, as he's taking more and more independent steps each day.

Brogan turns 1!

2008-10-14T14:04:00.001-07:00

Where does the time go? Our little guy had his first birthday on Saturday and we were blessed to celebrate with family and close friends. My parents and sister flew in from CA and all the local family from both sides joined us, too. And of course, it wouldn't have been a complete party without my college roomies and families (we missed you Anna!)

We visited the Children's Museum with my folks and everyone had a great time. Maddie is at the perfect age and Brogan managed to enjoy some of the exhibits, too.

Maddie, Brogan, and both sets of grandparents (Lynn and Sue Lasswell on the left; Pat and Bill Meyers on the right)

All bundled up as we explored the CSU campus while visiting my cousins, Kaylee and Patrick

Fun at the museum!

Maddie wants to be a vet when she grows up, so this exhibit was perfect for her!

Madeline stayed very busy serving Grandma and Grandpa at the lunch counter in the museum

Nirvana for Brogan - a wall of balls!

The bumblebee cake Maddie and I made for the birthday party

The Lasswell ladies - Meg, Sue, and Erin

Maddie, Grace Wallace, cousins Amy and Emily

The birthday boy - he didn't make a huge mess of the cupcake, much to my disappointment!
Meyers family photo on Little B's big day

Sister Weekend in San Francisco

2008-10-14T13:51:00.000-07:00

I got to spend a fabulous weekend with my sister in San Francisco 2 weeks ago. We had such a great time! We explored the wineries in Sonoma on Saturday and then spent our second day riding bikes around the city. The weather was perfect and it was wonderful to spend so much time with Erin.

Jordan Winery - built to look like a French chateau. We did a tour and tasting with food pairings and it was awesome! The best chardonnay I've ever had.
Inside the tasting room at Jordan Winery - note the delicious spread of cheeses. There's not much better then good cheese and good wine!

The sea lion insanity at Pier 39

View of the Golden Gate Bridge as we rode our bikes - we actually rode across the bridge and back as part of our self-guided tour!
Lookin' fine!
Alcatraz

Some of the vines at Stryker Winery - I had no idea the vines turned color in the fall - it was beautiful!

A nice, quiet September

2008-09-29T13:30:00.001-07:00

This month has been such a nice change of pace for us! We are usually going at the speed of light and for whatever reason, didn't find ourselves overly busy during the last few weeks. We've enjoyed some fun family outings on the weekends since the weather here has been absolutely perfect for weeks. We took a bike ride along the Platte River trail, from Littleton to Downtown Denver (15 miles). We checked out Oktoberfest on Larimer Street and then had lunch on the 16th Street Mall before taking the light rail train home. The kids did great in the bike trailer for the 1.5 hour ride and Jon and I were thrilled to get the exercise!

Jon took a quick trip to CA for work last week so I took the kids to the fun fall event that our church sponsors - the Amazing Togathering. It took place at the Chatfield Corn Maze and we had a blast! Maddie rode the barrel train 5 times, we ate WAAAAY too many fresh donuts, we explored the mini-maze, and had a yummy BBQ dinner. I don't have any photos as Jon had the camera with him, but trust me, the kids were cute. :)

Last weekend Jon and I were able to celebrate the 11th anniversary of our first date. The kids had a slumber party at Nana and Grandpa's house, so everyone made the most of the evening. It was so nice to have a grown-up dinner out and then sleep at home without any interruptions!

Below are just some random photos of us over the last few weeks - enjoy!

Brogan Lee - 11 months

Self-portrait on our date night!

Ms. Maddie dressed for school

Celebrating Grace Wallace's 3rd birthday

Final Summer Flings

2008-09-10T13:02:00.001-07:00

Hard to believe, but summer is drawing to a close here in Colorado. The weather has been wonderful and we're enjoying all sorts of outdoor activities while we can! We're also back to the usual "school" routine - pre-school 3 days a week, AWANA on Tuesday nights, and Maddie's newest hobby - ballet. She's only been once, but seemed to enjoy it. She actually did more observing than participating, but was quite content. There is a video below of her "dancing" - pretty funny, really!

In the petting zoo at Highlands Ranch Days - she also pet a bunny, a donkey, and a camel!

On the Zoo Train with Ethan Crawford

In the hammock with little B

Ethan and Maddie had the best time with this sled at Ethan's house. It was an airplane and a school bus, among other things.

Our pretty ballerina

He's on the move...

2008-09-10T12:19:00.000-07:00

Brogan has been a very relaxed, laid back baby from the very beginning. Sometimes this is incredibly frustrating, but most of the time, it is a huge blessing! He's been in no hurry to reach his milestones; however, he seems to have been on a mission to "catch up" these last couple of weeks! He's used the Butt-Scoot as his method of transportation for 4 months - see the video below for actual footage. No crawling at all for this kid - way to much effort involved, I guess. But now he's realizing that he can't scoot up hill or up stairs, so he's figured out how to crawl in those situations. He is also pulling himself to standing anywhere he can and I'm sure he'll be cruising before we know it! He'll be 11 months tomorrow and he already seems like such a big boy.

First (and hopefully annual!) Roomie Camping Trip

2008-08-28T19:29:00.000-07:00

It seems that we are gluttons for punishment as we decided (back in April when summer was just a glimmer in the future) that camping at 10,600 feet in late August would be a great idea, especially with kids! Turns out we were right based on the memories we made, but VERY wrong based on the weather we endured, which pretty much covered all 4 seasons within each 24 hour period. But all in all, the weekend was a blast and we'll definitely do it again next year (in July, at a lower elevation!)

Brogan and Kaitlyn enjoy a romantic dinner for 2

Are they playing a game, or is Maddie running for her life from a scary monster?!?!?

"hiking" with the toddlers and Brogan

Sweet friends - Maddie and Grace

The big kids roasted marshmallows at 10:30 am!

Joshua, Maddie, and Grace

Story time with Carrie - I think Christine is more engrossed than the kids!

All 6 kids in varying stages of contentment - Brogan, Madeline, Kaitlyn, Josh, Grace, and Nora

Brogan's happy face would never tell that Daddy had to take him for a drive at 2:30 a.m. to settle him down the night before!

Nora and Phil - this little 10 week old was probably the best kid camper of all!

Siblings - Then and Now

2008-08-28T19:13:00.001-07:00

I was doing some long-overdue organizing of photos today and thought it would be fun to share some of my favorites of the 2 kids together over the last 10 months. They both sure have changed a lot!

October 11, 2007

Brogan's first visit with Santa - you can see how excited he was!!

Little B and Maddie just hangin' out in January

The dude has some serious cheeks and thighs! - March 2008

Swimming in our hot tub last week

Hanging with "cousin" Ebony (Aunt Sandy and Uncle Dave's dog)

Getting big! (August 2008)

First Day of School

2008-08-28T19:03:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe, but it's that time of year again! Maddie started her 2nd year of pre-school last week and has been loving every minute of it. Her teachers, Ms. Kim and Mrs. Powell, are wonderful and she already has several new friends. Maddie and I were both VERY ready for school to start again and now that we have our separate time 3 mornings a week, we are getting along with each other much better!

Visit with Grandma, Grandpa, and Auntie Erin

2008-08-06T12:34:00.000-07:00

My parents (Lynn and Sue) and my sister Erin came to visit last week. We had a wonderful time and the kids were totally spoiled, of course! We're sad they live so far away in CA but at least the time they spend here seems to be getting more and more frequent!

Auntie Erin, G & G, Maddie, and little B

The sisters and Madeline

G & G with the kids on the train at Tiny Town

Brogan's first carousel ride at the Denver Zoo

We went into the Lorikeet exhibit and Maddie got to feed the birds. This one is actually sitting on her arm!

In the petting zoo area at the Denver Zoo

Mr. B with Grandpa Lynn

Storytime with Grandma Sue

SURPRISE! Happy 30th to me...

2008-08-05T13:42:00.001-07:00

I hit the big 3-0 on July 24 and Jon did an impressive job of planning a wonderful surprise party! I thought we were headed out for "grown-up" dinner with my parents who were in town visiting. We were dropping the kids of at Aunt Sandy and Uncle Dave's when I walked in and heard the huge "SURPRISE!!!!" So many wonderful friends and family were there to help celebrate and it was awesome!

My cake with a picture of me when I was 5 or 6

The backyard was decked out in wonderful birthday decorations....

Me and Maddie, my sweet little girl.

More Summer Fun

2008-07-18T20:09:00.000-07:00

Well, the last week has been relatively quiet compared to the last month or so. We didn't have any plans during the week and are actually home for the entire weekend - yoohoo! I never thought I would actually be excited about housework, but when it's been neglected for this long it's just so gratifying to get it done. Anyhoo, Maddie has taken a liking to playing family photographer and she often grabs the camera (without asking, of course!) and starts documenting things. Brogan is her favorite subject and she captured this cute photo of him.

Here's Maddie with her best "cheese" face. Isn't it funny how none of us seem to be able to naturally smile on command?

Jon and I enjoyed a grown-up getaway last weekend in honor of our friend Steve's wedding to Kristen. Jon and I went to college with Steve and are so excited about their new life together! The wedding was at the Aspen Lodge in Estes Park and it was a most perfect summer weekend.

Steve and some pretty hot mammas - Meg, Christine, and Carrie

Jon and I with Longs Peak in the background. Not a bad place to spend a couple of days with good friends!

Jon's Birthday Weekend

2008-07-08T20:42:00.000-07:00

Well, our busy summer continues on at full speed! We enjoyed another wonderful weekend away - this time at our family friends' "cabin". The Benjamins were kind enough to invite the 4 of us, along with my Aunt Sandy, Uncle Dave, and cousins, to relax and enjoy their beautiful mountain home. It was a very relaxing time full of many of our favorite activities: hikes/walks, fishing, paintball, disc golf, napping, hot tubbing, eating and drinking. Jon had a great time celebrating #31!

Maddie's 1st ATV ride

The view from the deck - those are the Sangre de Cristo mountains in the background.

Not a bad place to get a haircut from Aunt Sandy!

We celebrated 3 birthdays - Kaylee (18), Jon (31) and Theresa Benjamin (40-something!)

Maddie LIVED in the hot tub - at least 3 hours a day, each day.

Out exploring with the kids. Maddie loved finding rocks and pine cones.

Helping Daddy open gifts on his birthday

Never too young to learn Guitar Hero! Cousin Patrick is a good teacher. ;)

Little B and Maddie snuggling on the couch

Roughing it!

Weekend in Steamboat with McKees

2008-07-01T14:07:00.000-07:00

We went to our favorite place, Steamboat Springs, over the weekend. Christine, Brian, Joshua, and Kaitlyn McKee joined us and we all had a blast! The weather was perfect and the kids all had a great time. Other than Brogan needing a 3 am drive around town to fall asleep, things couldn't have been better!

Brogan (8 1/2 months) and Kaitlyn (1 yr)

Maddie and Josh on the horse outside of the famous F.M. Light and Sons western shop.

Out and about in town after dinner.

Jon "babysat" while the rest of us did the Alpine Slide - it was awesome!

Maddie and Mommy went full speed the whole time!

Kaitlyn and Brogan

Maddie said riding the chairlift was her favorite part!

The big kids loved taking turns pushing little B in the stroller

Burrito time!

Morning snuggles and cartoons

Dad weekend with kids

2008-07-01T14:02:00.000-07:00

I went to Dallas for a leadership conference last weekend and Jon was Super-Dad while I was gone. He had a great time with the kids but was VERY ready for a long nap by the time I got home!

Jon got Brogan to show some CU pride while I was gone!

The kids love the water and are always thrilled to splash around!

Family Adventures - Keystone and the Zoo

2008-06-10T12:28:00.000-07:00

At the zoo with Ethan Crawford - perfect weather and not too crowded!

We enjoyed a wonderful weekend in Keystone. I played golf for the very first time (a 9-hole tourney for my MPI group) and I accomplished my goal for the day - make contact with the ball! I even managed to hit it forward and straight a few times. :) The 4 of us spent the rest of the weekend exploring, paddleboating, playing "kid" golf (as Maddie calls it) and just enjoying some time away together. As you can see, the scenery was stunning.

I think we visited this playground at the resort at least 3 times in 2 days.

Maddie was helping daddy shave and ended up with some on her nose!

Memorial Day Weekend

2008-05-26T13:09:00.001-07:00

We've enjoyed a wonderful holiday weekend. We celebrated my cousin Kaylee's high school graduation and Aunt Sandy's birthday. This photo is of Maddie and Kaylee doing "Cheers!" with their "Maddie-ritas" - a custom drink blend made by Uncle Dave just for the kids.

We also took advantage of the gorgeous spring weather and went for our first family hike with Brogan. We were on the trail at Deer Creek Canyon for about an hour, though I don't think we covered too much distance since we were "hiking" at Maddie's 3-year old pace.

She loved checking out all the rocks, bugs, and wildflowers and decided that these little white ones were her favorite.

Brogan was a cool dude in the backpack and even managed to nap for a bit while we explored. It was a very fun morning and we look forward to many more this summer!

The Yard Project!

2008-05-26T13:04:00.000-07:00

It may not look much different to those of you who have seen our yard before, but trust me, we did some major work! We moved just about ALL the rock in the yard, pulled gazillions of weeds, put down new landscape cloth, and then moved the rocks back. We also put down new mulch and bark all around the yard. We planted some new perennials as well as a bunch of annuals in the ground and in pots, so now we just have to wait to see if everything stays alive and flourishes over the summer!

Brogan's Dedication

2008-05-13T10:09:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed celebrating Mother's Day by having Brogan dedicated at church. It was a wonderful time with family as we promised to do our best to raise the little guy as God would have us do!

We enjoyed having lunch with Jon's folks and his Aunt Debbie after the service and then I played Mrs. Green Thumb all afternoon as I planted flowers in several pots. I got them all arranged in the yard just in time to hear the weather forecast for SNOW last night, so I quickly put them in the garage for the night. Of course, the snow never came and instead we're getting a lot of wonderful rain that my flowers are missing out on. Oh well. That's Spring in the Rockies for you!

Here goes...

2008-05-04T19:26:00.000-07:00

Ok, Ok, I give in! I must admit that I'm a regular blog visitor so it only makes sense to do one of our own. And since I try to send out pictures regularly ANYWAY, I might as well make them available to you whenever you want to take a peek. Enjoy keeping up with all the craziness in the Meyers household - it's a wild ride, that's for sure!