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!

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.

happy halloweenie!

another halloween...it was exhausting!  i think the between the ward trunk o' treat and the school parties and finally making the rounds in the neighborhood - the kids had a great time.  we recycled a few of our costumes this year.  i just didn't have it in me to go the extra creativity-mile.  but the boys costumes still fit them both perfectly so we went with those.  mari was adamant about being a mummy and so she and i got creative with fabric that i had on hand.  we had a lot of fun doing it and have talked about the other sewing projects we want to take on.  i've decided to set up a room downstairs for all that stuff.  hopefully it will help keep us busy this winter...when we're not on the slopes that is!

hope you had a safe and happy halloween night!

Sunday Six - 10/28/12

WOW - it's been a very busy few weeks.  here's a little bit of what we've been up to:

1.  at the end of september we decided to head to utah to watch byu play hawaii.  it was the first byu game for the kids and we had a BLAST!  we got to stay with jules & tj (thanks guys!!) and their cute kids.  we ate at cafe rio (of course) and had a wonderful bbq saturday afternoon at shannon & john's (thanks guys!!).  we took our kids on a tour of provo and byu campus.  it's changed a lot.  it's so beautiful.

first stop was the brigham young statue outside the ASB.  i wanted to recreate a picture from long ago...

the picture above is me and my two older brothers circa 1980 or so.  fun that the statue is still there, but you can't get as close to it now but the flowers are beautiful!

mari, dylan and natalie outside the JSB

before the game we stopped by the new broadcast building, which is located next to the marriott center.    i really wanted to see what it looked like and get a glimpse of where the journalism students were working.  it is an amazing building which now houses not just KBYU and the Daily Universe but also classical 89, BYUtv, BYUtv international, BYU radio and radio instrumental and radio international.  i was so bummed when i went inside and found that most of the building is secure and you can't really walk around anywhere.  far cry from when i was a student and anyone could just hop off the elevator at the WILK and wander around the news room and tv studio.  i felt like heavenly father gave me a sweet little gift though.  as i was standing at the curved glass windows that allow a view into the main feed area, a gentleman came and asked me if i knew what i was looking at.  i explained who i was and why i was there.  he then asked if i wanted a tour!  i was so excited - he walked me through the studios on the main floor - sports desks, kitchens, green screens...it was beautiful and so new and nice.  i was so thankful to have had a tour behind the scenes, and for the nice memories that returned as i reflected on my time there.

the game was a blast!  natalie and mari were just cute little buddies the whole trip.  byu blew out hawaii so we had lots of opportunities to sing the cougar fight song.  we spent a ridiculous amount on food at the stadium and left feeling happy and tired.  special thanks to don & janet for sharing their tix with us!!

eli was kind of a stinker and wouldn't pose for any pictures...but he loved the game and still asks if we can go "b-ya game".

and two of my favorite people in the whole world!!  shannon and julie - it was so fun to be together again.  can't wait till the next time!!

2.  a few weeks ago, after our family attended "mormon night at the rockies" i looked up the denver area byu alumni chapter.  i submitted my info and expressed interest in being involved.  shortly after i received a call from the chapter chair and we had a great conversation.  at the end, he asked if i'd be willing to be involved as part of the committee and that they had an opening for a secretary.  i said yes and now i'm heading up two events in the coming months - BYU Alumni & Friends Night with the Nuggets in January - and the BYU Modern Dance company will be coming in February and i'll be helping coordinate that event as well.  i've already met some great people and look forward to meeting many more.  i took over the facebook page as well and we've already tripled our followers in the last week.

3.  calgary's temple has finally been dedicated.  most of my family were able to attend one of the sessions.  i had originally planned to go home, but after our impromptu trip in july, decided to stay home.  i'm so anxious to see it - and even more anxious to go with members of my family.  it's just so lovely and so close to home.  i can't wait.

4.  a week before our utah trip our stake had the privilege of having elder holland visit.  i decided to sing in the choir and it was a great experience.  in retrospect i wish i had sat with my family so that i could have seen more of his face than the back of his head, but i was only a row behind him and was also able to shake his hand afterwards.  i'm always so impressed with him.  one night a few days later i kind of went on an elder holland bender - i got onto lds.org and watched talk after talk.  it was so uplifting!  he's definitely one of my favorites.

5.  shortly after moving to colorado, we got the kids signed up in their various activities & lessons.  dylan has been taking tae kwon do and LOVES it.  he recently tested for and received his yellow belt.  it was a huge achievement for him.  he did a great job!  so proud of my sweet boy.

6.  here's a little halloween preview....

 spooky!  stay tuned...more photos of the other ghouls to come...

july in calgary

it took us about 2 weeks to find a house here in colorado.  by the time we signed the lease i felt like i'd ate my last hotel breakfast and was sick of sleeping in a crummy bed.  i wanted to go HOME.

leaving north carolina was a really difficult and bittersweet experience for many reasons.  the trip out was long and had frequent moments of misery...our car being vandalized being the worst i think.  by mid-july i was exhausted.  phil was still traveling and i was lonely.  i think phil, after 12 years of marriage, knows when it's time for me to get back home and be with my mom, dad and sister again.  it was another long and rather difficult journey home - 19 1/2 hours in the car.  but it was heaven when we arrived.  phil only stayed a couple of days and had to return to work.

july in calgary is fun for many reasons - great weather, the stampede - but for me the highlight is spending bruno's birthday with him.  i was there when he was born and i've been with him for every birthday so far except for one.  we had a fun celebration again this year and i can't believe that little cutie is four-years-old.

bruno and i in 2008

bruno and i 2012

my sis was a total rock start the entire time - she's so close to the arrival of baby number 4 - and she was just a machine.  working, entertaining kids, cooking, playing baseball - you name it.  i was sad our trip wasn't timed just a little bit later...so we could see her new baby...but the little lady will arrive after my kids are in school anyway.

my dad is always a good sport - last summer he rented bikes for my kids.  this summer marissa was big enough to ride goldie's bike so dad and dylan went off to find a bike.  they couldn't find a rental bike so they stopped at the bishop's house to see if they could borrow one.  the bishop wasn't home, but they found a bike in the shed and it was perfect...so they stole it.  luckily the bishop was a good sport about it and dylan had a great bike to ride the entire time.  thank you DAD!!

we took off to look at the dinosaurs at the Royal Tyrell Museum as part of bruno's birthday celebrations!

 at a pond outside the museum the kids caught some frogs...ew

there's no place like home!

 bruno had a backyard party with water and lots of fun stuff!

mateo - nan's #1 kid - i can't believe how big he and dylan are now...2nd graders!!

 nanny and her #3 - enzo has more energy than any kid i've ever met...but he's a cutie!

this picture of dylan CRACKS ME UP!!  what's with the tongue?  we need to work on that.  i'm surprised he didn't bite it off.

 sweet preggo nanny and mat - proud parents!

 there's nothing like reading the comics while enjoying breakfast on the patio...

a huge thanks to my brother in law matias - for taking philip to his own personal heaven - canmore, alberta.  a day on the links and phil was a happy camper.  we even got a night out with the three couples to one of phil's favorite restaurants - the bear's den.  it wasn't as good as i remember it and maybe next time we'll try something different.  but the company was excellent and that was well worth the soaking we got leaving the restaurant in a downpour.

phil, you'll never really know how much i appreciate the trips home and the time and expense they require.  i love you!!