Memorial day and anniversary

It rained and was cold, but we got to test out our chili's for the cookoff in June. They turned out pretty good, with a few changes to be made...lookin' to win, but know there are a lot of cookoff veterans that will get in my way.

The deck is awesome. They got all but the trim done and we've gotten to enjoy a few cocktails on it. Can't wait till it's completely finished and we really get to enjoy it. Emmett and Jolene play on it almost everyday. It's kinda like having an extra room on the house. We've started pulling the weeds out in the yard, only to discover a large amount of grass growing beneath it. All the seed we planted last year is really filling in great. We are going to continue the back-breaking task of pulling the weeds so maybe we'll have a yard by the 4th.

We celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary while mom watched the runchkins. Luke and I got to try out an out of the way restaurant that is half way up the North Fork, called the Trail Shop. It was good food, good wine, a great view with great company. It was slightly raining and a bit chilly, so they had the fireplace burning...it was nice. We stopped in town for another cocktail before heading home to relieve mom. We've got two more events this week where mom is filling in. Luke has an cocktail/art event on Friday night and we have a BBQ with friends on Saturday night. Luke and I are living it up for our anniversary week!

Next weekend for Father's Day we are headed to Utah to visit Trish and Cody for a bit of camping. Mom and Chrissy are driving, from separate locations, and we are meeting there on Thursday night. Should be a great time, weather permitting for the camping part....

new deck

When we got home from the springs trip, the new deck had been started. Trent got the old deck off and the new deck started, but it's been raining ever since and work has stopped. So much for a big Memorial Day deck party....we'll see.

A few days later..... after it rained like crazy!

This is today's progress. It hasn't rained since late last night and you can see the impending storm in the background.

Last day of the first year of Preschool

I can't believe it's already been one year of preschool. Emmett's school had a Parent's Day tea on the last day of school. Luke and I, with Jolene, of course got to meet Emmett at school and he gave us some homemade flowers and made us a snack of fruit kebabs. Mrs. McLain had sat each kid down and ask them a round of questions that she then lamanated into a placemat. It was pretty funny stuff. Emmett rarely came home with artwork, guess he's not much into drawing as you can see from his picture of our family. Can't wait to see what he learns next year when he's in a three day class!

High Five, Mouse!

We had a great time visit with family and friends in the Springs this past weekend. We got in Friday after a pretty long drive with the kiddos and were treated to Deb's Swedish meatballs, along with a few glasses of wine(for opening night). Aunt Amy came down to visit while we were in town. It was good to get to catch up with her. Saturday, Mark and Deb hosted a BBQ, so a few friends could visit with us and the kids. John and Wendy came and made these awesome white cloud martinis! yum! Sarah, Ryan and the girls also came down. Always so much fun to get to see them, and the girls are instant Jolene watchers! Tim just happened to be in town after he completed a half marathon with his sister in California. The kids LOVE uncle Timmy cause he gets out there and plays hard with them. Lily and Anna kept choosing him to be the alien that was supposed to chase them. Poor guy, but you know he loves it! Lots of drinks were consumed and tons of games played. Amy, Sarah, Deb and I even played a drunk game of Sorry! We wound up convincing the Christensens' to stay a bit longer for dinner so the "kids" could all hang out longer. A great way to spend a Saturday, for sure. On Sunday, we went out for breakfast and met the cousins for a game of Bowling. This was Emmett's first time bowling and he did pretty well(considering he was having diabetes issues-crazy high numbers). He bowled a 73, with bumpers of course, and can't wait to go again. Monday, finally brought on some sunshine. Luke and Mark got to go golfing with Uncle Bobby, while Deb and I took the kids shopping. At naptime, Deb and I went out for a run, which wound up being a walk up a huge hill and a jog down the other side! At least we got some physical activity in this weekend. Another first for the kids, Mark and Deb too us to a Skysox game on Monday night. They are the farm team for the Rockies. It was bit chilly so we didn't stay for too long, maybe til the 5th inning or so. The mascot is a Fox and the kids were not sure of him at first, but by the end they were calling out to him and we got their picture with him. Jolene, I think, stole the show when she started yelling " High Five, Mouse" and " High Five Bunny!" Everyone around us was cracking up. Not once did she call him a fox. Certainly was the funny catch phrase for the rest of the trip.
Most of the pics were on Sarah's camera and Debbie's camera.....hint, hint, hint ;)

Pampered Chef Party

I got to host a Pampered Chef party on Monday morning. Lots of great women and wonderful conversation! It's been a while since I've been to a pampered chef party so there are some really great things these days. I wound up getting some great kitchen items and more off my wish list than I expected! Mom came for a bit, but was stricken with a sinus infection leading to an ear infection just a few days before she and Chrissy leave for Italy! Plus, with all the kids, it's a pretty crazy party anyway.....we are always outnumbered by the kids. Most of us have two kids, some with three....it can be pretty darn crazy sometimes! Mom leaves for Ft. Collins and then we pack up and leave for the Springs to visit Grandma and Grandpa for a long weekend. busy, busy, busy.