easter 2013

we had a lovely easter sunday today.  very low key, very quiet.  just the way i like it.  here are the latest pics of the kiddos.  dylan 7, marissa 10 and eli 3.  i love these kids so much.  every day is a new pile of laughs.  they are just so much fun!

ski videos - M & D

mari and dylan's skiing videos would take too long to load here so here are links to view them online:

marissa - http://vimeo.com/63198323

dylan - http://vimeo.com/62582263

they've both been skiing the same number of times, but it's so interesting to see how differently they ski.  dylan's video is so bumpy because i'm doing everything i can to stay with him, and still somewhat record at the same time.  he tends to go fast, 'sort of' making turns, rushing to the bottom.

marissa is much more cautious, takes her turns really slow and is obviously concentrating hard on what she's doing.  she's had one really bad fall and that might be partly why.  she wasn't injured, but her ski came off and she had a pretty decent bruise afterwards just below her knee.

i can't wait to spring ski with these kids!

dylan's taekwondo & tournament

dylan continues to excel with taekwondo.  we could not be more pleased.  he recently completed a board breaking class, which was super cool.  i was really impressed with him!

(sorry about the poor quality phone pics)

dylan also completed his first tkd tournament.  he was so worried he would not get a medal.  his first competition was a board breaking event.  he was required to do five different moves.  unfortunately he didn't break the board with his hand and was eliminated.  he was pretty upset and feeling pretty down on himself.  but that afternoon he competed with other kids his age (some ranks above and some below him) in sparring and forms.  he was thrilled to find out he medaled in both!  a bronze in form and a silver in sparring.  watching him compete in the gold medal round was STRESSFUL.  we're so proud of him!

 he's got his game face on...

he kicks!

success!  broken board.

studying his video from the first round of sparring...hilarious!

i LOVE this picture.   dylan's face is priceless.  the cute redhead next to him is the kid he lost to in the final round - his name is tannis.  they were both such good sports and hope to see each other again at the next tournament in the fall.

point for dylan...

point for the other guy...ouch.  awesome.

our little pirate princess

marissa has been singing with the choir at school.  this year they did their own version of a broadway play.  marissa was one of the pirate ladies.  her costume was awesome and she just had the best time with it!

the skiing family

we have had the BEST time skiing this year.  i'm so glad we got ski passes for the whole family.  the kids seem to be really enjoying it and it's so fun to have an activity that everyone loves to do together.  they hardly ever complain about the early morning and long drive.  it's been a winter i will cherish forever...watching my babies learn, grow and excel.  could a mother ask for more?  can't wait for spring skiing!!

here are a couple videos of eli - the first was his very first attempt down the slopes alone.  i LOVE how he laughs all the way down.  after the second video we spent the rest of the afternoon on the green runs with him skiing independently.  very cool!

the glenns in colorado

my brother jj and his awesome wife amanda came to visit us here in parker, co.  it was so great to see them and their four beautiful babies!  i know it's a sacrifice to travel and we feel so lucky to have had them here.  we enjoyed yummy food, a trip to the race shop to see race cars, a freezing-cold visit to the park and a snowy trip to the wildlife center.  brrr!  it's been chilly here but it didn't ruin our fun!

the trip to the race shop was fun.  everyone got a chance to sit in the race car.

 i just loved being with sweet baby remi...i miss her!

 lilly is an amazing little lady.  she was my buddy everywhere we went.  she's so fun to chat with and asks lots of great questions!

 poor davidge didn't want to wear a coat, but it was too chilly to go without one! what a cutie.

 lola is a hoot!  we had fun playing games and making jewelry.

these arizonians were not used to the chilly temps!

 amanda and jj on valentine's day at 5 guys.

 me and my valentine.

 cousins!

can't wait until we get to see our cousins again.  makes me so thankful that we've moved west!

dylan - green belt level 2

dylan tested again for his next belt at TaeKwonDo and passed.  he's now a Green Belt Level 2.  it's so fun to watch a child find something they have a passion for and excel at it.  he never complains about going to class and is improving rapidly.  it's a good outlet for all the energy he's got!  good job dylan - we're proud of you!

i love this picture.  the other kid has the best face.  he should have blocked the kick!

dylan and master quinn.  he's a great leader and a good example to our little d-man.

iphone gems - end of 2012

here are the rest of my iphone gems from 2012:

 we did the potty training thing for the LAST time!  yahoo!!

broken arm marissa had to watch her final game of the season from the bench but she cheered her team and they finished strong with a win!

dylan rocked perfect attendance for the second cycle in a row.  i sorta feel like this is an award for the mom :)

we like watching daddy play hockey on saturday nights!

dylan has caught the hockey bug too and he and phil try to hit open skate on the weekends when we aren't skiing.

my little buddy.

eli is my good helper when we have to shovel the driveway.

i discovered this delicious treat.  yum.

the cast finally came off.  she continued to wear a splint for three more weeks.

dylan got a bunch of broncos gear for christmas.  he loves it!

the first two days of christmas in utah were spent like this - in bed with a bad stomach bug.

our drive back to colorado was a bit treacherous at times but we made it back home safe and sound.