Knitted Symphony

Happy Thoughts and Faces

2012-01-18T11:32:00.000-07:00

Today is Baby #4's due date eve! (though I don't have a strong feeling that he/she will come on the due date) Anyway, to celebrate and keep my spirits and energy up I bought some flowers from the grocery store. So happy, just like this coming baby!

I think Aria is having an identity crisis. She doesn't know if she should be like Cadence or Finn. So, she turned into a hybrid and became...Aria the Fairy Knight! I don't know if I should give her a hug or run in fear as she tries to slay me with her sword.

Finn enjoys riding and playing on the Smart Cycle that a lady from church bought the kids. He is video game crazy already.

Look at this pretty girl! Don't you just want to zurburt her belly?!

Such a sweet pug face. A pug hug always makes you feel better.

At my mom's group, yesterday, some ladies came and talked to us about "Faith Art Journaling". It is the idea of spending time with the Lord in prayer and asking Him if there is anything He's trying to reveal/teach/ or just talk to you about right now. Then, you take that image that He placed in your head/heart and figure out a creative way to transfer that into an image. It's journaling with pictures more than words, which is right up my alley because I don't like to re-read my words, but I love to look back at pictures I've drawn to capture a moment in my life. MomPom already does this a lot with her journaling, I think.

We started with a piece of water color paper and painted a background. After that dried, we added our image. I felt led to draw this daisy surrounded by busy little bees. The bees are my family buzzing all around me. Sometimes it feels a bit chaotic and overwhelming, but I love them and it feels happy (see their happy faces). The daisy is me. The petals display characteristics I need and my family needs me to have, in order to best serve them, which is why I need Christ to be my center. Without Christ as my center, I cannot posses those characteristics successfully. After painting all that, I had the vision to add fallen petals, which have words on them of things I need to let go, that aren't from Christ and are not edifying to myself or family. All that to say, it was a fun exercise! I don't know that I would be able to keep a consistent faith art journal, just because it is a bit time consuming, but I love the concept and venue for creativity while focusing on Christ. I was thinking that maybe, in the fall when Cadence starts homeschool, we could have a "faith art journaling" time once a week and then we could both keep a journal. I think it would be a good introduction for Cadence into learning different ways to have a devotional time with the Lord. We'll see.

Brad's 31st Birthday!

2012-01-15T20:37:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, Brad!

Friday the 13th, my lovely husband turned 31 and I had the privilege of escorting him around town and treating him, hopefully, to a fun day celebrating him! All of my plans were a secret, so he just had to do as I said and go where I told him to go.:) I wasn't as bossy as that sounds.

We started the morning off by dropping Cadence off at preschool and then heading into Old Town to try a new breakfast place we had heard about called "Snooze". It always has lines out the door on the weekends. The food was pretty good and it had a retro feeling atmosphere. Here is Brad's breakfast. Look at those cute mugs. Don't they remind you of Dr. Seuss and something the Who's would drink coffee out of?

Next, we walked a block over to our favorite tea shop, "Happy Lucky's", where we talked, played scrabble and drank tea.

We made a quick pit stop to pick up Cadence and drop her off at home and then carried on our birthday adventure.

For lunch, I thought we could try a new sub shop in Old Town that had an appealing atmosphere, "Backcountry Provisions". It was a bit of a disappointment, but at least we can say that we tried it, now.

We had a little time to kill before the next stop, so we walked around Old Town some more. No Brad birthday would be complete without books, so into the used bookstore we went!

What a handsome man! I am so blessed!

Our next activity took us to "Odell's Brewery". I was hoping to go on the tour, but it ended up being full. Luckily, Brad had beer and good conversation with his friend, Gregor, so he was happy. I asked Gregor to hang out with Brad for a little bit while I ran some errands to get ready for the rest of our birthday adventures.

We ended the evening with a delicious meal at "Carrabbas", "Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol", and a quiet and relaxing nights stay at a nearby hotel. It was a lot of fun! We were even asleep by 10 or 10:30! Woo-hoo! Party!

The next day, I scheduled a massage for Brad in the afternoon and then we ate his birthday cake with the kids that evening. Cadence and Finn actually helped me make the cake and kept it a secret. We made a "Beer Cake". It isn't shaped like a mug of beer, it just has beer in it, as well as other ingredients to make it taste like a yummy cake rather than beer. Anyway, it was very good and very moist! I chose to make a beer cake because...well...Brad likes beer!

What a fun day with an amazing man! I love you, Brad!

Glasses

2012-01-04T20:49:00.000-07:00

I took Cadence to the eye doctor today for an eye exam because one of her eyes was a little lazy and I wondered if it was bothering her. I didn't think she'd really need glasses, maybe a patch or something temporary to help strengthen her lazy eye, but it turns out that she does need to wear glasses. She was such a good eye patient and the doctor was really great with her. It was fun getting to pick out her frames (she got to pick two). I had her try on some cute ones that reminded me of Granny's glasses (thicker frames with hearts and stars on the sides and one red pair), but they overpowered her face. She ended up picking a pink frame and a blueish/purpleish frame. We got to go back this evening to pick up her pink pair, but we have to wait until tomorrow to pick up her purple pair. She was super excited to wear them! She looks so cute and she even looks older. Don't grow up too fast, Cadence! I think, tomorrow, we shall take a trip to Hobby Lobby and buy some supplies to bedazzle her glasses case! Fun!

Christmas Snapshot

2012-01-02T20:52:00.000-07:00

Aria was getting into the Christmas spirit by trying on the stockings.

The stockings were hung by the t.v. with care.

Cadence and Finn got scooters for Christmas. Look how nice Cadence is being by sharing hers with Aria.

Skydancers! Cadence's new cartoon obsession.

These puppets are from when I was a kid! I just re-gifted them. Don't tell.

Yea for books and coloring!

Yeah for Dagedar!

Look at Aria dunk! What a vertical!

A Christmas Aria, ready for church.

Christmas dinner consisted of a ham,

MomPom's potato casserole (as requested by Brad),

and rolls. (and salad/veggies, but I didn't take a picture of them)

Yummy! A simple day to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus!

New Baby Decor

2011-12-31T16:19:00.000-07:00

With a new baby on the way (less than 3 weeks now!), new decor is in order for his/her room.

Here is the fabric I chose for the curtains. I love the country feel.

I sewed on sheer ribbon to tie the curtain up and made a cute balloon valance.

I put a colorful light bulb in this decorative birdcage for some fun lighting in the room. Look at the pretty pattern it creates on the wall. I need to figure out how to hide the cord (if there is a way without drilling into the ceiling and wall). Any ideas?

Here is the sleeping corner. I'd like to get more hoops to add more fabric to this wall.

Our friends at church made us these precious wood cut-outs. I think I will add more here, but I'm not sure what, yet. I love these praying children.

I still have some more re-decorating to do before this little one arrives, but this is what we have so far!

Preschool Christmas Program

2011-12-13T21:09:00.000-07:00

Here is a video of Finn and Cadence's Christmas program. Sorry for the shakiness and big head in front of me.:) As you'll see, Cadence is very serious and concentrating on the words and what's next. I love to watch her. Finn seems a little distracted but is so stinkin' cute!

The Nutcracker

2011-12-13T14:58:00.000-07:00

Sunday afternoon, Cadence and I got to go on a little date to see the "Nutcracker" ballet. It was the first time for both of us!

Cadence loved it and thought everything was very pretty. She wanted to know why there weren't any kids her age dancing (the youngest were around 7), because she wanted to dance with the ballerinas. Thankfully, I read the synopsis to her before the ballet started so I knew what was going on during the performance when she asked, which was every few minutes.:) The only thing that scared her was the crashing cymbals during the Mouse King fight. She really enjoyed clapping whenever the audience clapped.

At the end, she thought that the main character, "Clara", and the nutcracker were going to get married. Very cute!

A fun date and a fun way to celebrate this time of year!

Trim the Tree

2011-12-10T21:30:00.000-07:00

Last week, Cadence and Finn decorated the tree! They did a great job.

All I had to do was hand them the ornaments and they hung them on the tree. Of course, they could only reach half way up the tree, but Brad re-distributed the ornaments later.

When Aria woke up from her nap, she walked out into the living room, saw the tree, and said "Wow!". Then, we had to keep our eye on her because she kept trying to take the ornaments off. She did get a hold of two ornaments, an Irish blessing ball and a Broncos ball, and bashed them together. The Broncos ball won the battle. Her favorite ornaments are the pug ornaments.

What wonderful little elves!

Dancing Cadence

2011-12-07T21:54:00.000-07:00

Here is Cadence's dress rehearsal for her dance recital, a few weeks ago. Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Squared

2011-11-26T13:30:00.000-07:00

Last week, we hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for all the college kids before they headed home for the break. They are always a fun group to have around. They are very gracious, helpful and full of life.

They easily devoured a 22lb turkey, but they weren't as ravenous for the other side dishes.

The kids gobbled up the "Fruit Turkey" feathers.

Oh well, I guess that's what happens when you have a group comprised of mostly boys. Just give them meat!

I really do love all the planning and cooking, I just need a few more years of practice to really get the timing down of when you cook everything so that it's all ready on time.

Thankfully, a lady from church made these pies for dessert. Yum! Pumpkin and apple pies. I made a walnut chocolate chip pie, as well. Every holiday needs some chocolate.

To celebrate the actual Thanksgiving holiday, Brad, the kids and I just hung out at home. It was nice and low key.

We went out in the morning and took a family photo for our Christmas card picture.

Then, I made Brad go and lie down (he had a fever of 101) and the kids and I went out front to roller skate, ride bikes, push strollers, and race! Aria really liked being a part of the races with the big kids. She liked when I'd say, "Ready, set, go!". She definitely needs a baby stroller for Christmas. (Brad came home early the next day and let me take a nap. What a guy!)

While I finished getting dinner ready, Brad and the kids drew and colored their Thanksgiving place mats.

These are Cadence and Finn's Thanksgiving turkeys from Sunday School. They wrote what they are thankful for on the hand print feathers.

The kids didn't eat much food (Finn's eating his utensils in the top picture) , and I found myself thinking, "I wish they'd eat more so that we didn't have so many leftovers." I know there will come a day, though, when I'll be wishing they didn't eat so much.

I made sweet potato pie for dessert. My favorite! My pie plate is too shallow, so I made it in this casserole dish. They are thick slices of pie.:)

We have quite a bit of turkey leftover, so my mission is to find new recipes to use turkey in. Last night we had Turkey Taco Soup. It was pretty good. I'll probably make Turkey Enchiladas one night, but that's as far as I've gotten so far.

Fives High!

2011-11-14T22:03:00.000-07:00

High fives for Cadence! She turned 5 years old last week! It is amazing how time flies and how big she seems already. Cadence is such an inquisitive girl. I love that about her.

Snow

2011-10-28T22:30:00.000-06:00

It's cold!

Sunday School Craft

2011-10-21T08:04:00.001-06:00

A couple weeks ago, in Sunday School, the kids were learning about how God made the animalsl. Here is the cute craft we made!

I was just going to draw the mouth and whiskers on with a sharpie, but Cadence had the idea of using pipe cleaners. A much better idea! A future crafter in our midst? I hope so.:)

I just picked up the dusting mitts and copper kitchen sponges (for the ears) from the dollar store, and we had all the other materials on hand.

Doubles as a fun duster mitt. The kids can use the lion's mane to help dust the house.

Hanging out

2011-10-17T20:27:00.000-06:00

Here are some random pictures from moments throughout various days.

I love making crafts!

I'm a handsome guy!

I see Sea World through these goggles.

What?

I love chocolate chip cookies!

Swinging Time

2011-10-11T19:50:00.001-06:00

Cadence loves to tie things into knots and onto things. For example, she will tie her scarf into knots over and over again and then ask us to undo it. Do you know how hard it is to get these little knots out? Hard! One day, we were trying to put Finn's sneakers on, but we could loosen them enough to get them onto his feet because Cadence had gotten a hold of them at some point and tied several knots in the shoelaces. Uugh! I suppose it's a good skill for her to be practicing... tieing that is.

So, one day, she got creative and tied her jump rope to the deck out back and then Brad added a stick at the bottom for her to sit on, like a swing. It was working great, until the jump rope decided it was going to be a jump rope, not a swing, and was starting to unravel. So what does one do in this type of situation? Call Super Grandpa to the rescue! I asked my dad if he could make a swing seat, last week, and one week later...

we have a swing! What a guy! He even put carpet padding on the wood and hung it for us.

Baby #4 Decor

2011-10-10T04:34:00.002-06:00

So, here is the fabric inspiration for Baby #4's room decor. Farm! I love the more realistic drawings and animals. My goal is to make a mobile with knit farm animals. I'll let you know how that goes. Right now I'm in the pattern finding stage.

Pumpkin Spice Latte

2011-10-09T16:31:00.000-06:00

"Excuse me, I think I ordered the large cappuccino...Hello! It's like Campbell's Cup 'O Ccino."

Now that fall is here that can only mean one thing...Pumpkin! I love pumpkin flavored stuff, especially beverages. Starbucks has a Pumpkin Spice Latte that is delicious, so I decided to save myself some money and try making my own home version. I used some of the pumpkin puree I whipped up a couple weeks ago with the pumpkin we got from Farmer Ken at church. I have a lot of frozen pumpkin puree, which means lots of pumpkin recipes (such as pie!) in our future.

Let's see how it turned out.

Taste test.

And the verdict is....

Delicious! It's a winner!

A bit more work than ordering it at Starbuck's, but MUCH cheaper and more satisfying because I made it myself.

The perfect drink on a chilly fall day.

Pumpkin Spice Latte http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/beverage/diy-pumpkin-spice-latte-096277
makes 1-2 servings

Ingredients:
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons canned pumpkin OR 1 teaspoon of Torani Pumpkin Spice Syrup (your choice)
2 tablespoons sugar or sugar substitute - you can halve this amount
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1-2 shots espresso (about 1/4 cup of espresso or 1/2 cup of strong brewed coffee if you don't have an espresso machine.)

Directions:
In a saucepan combine milk, pumpkin and sugar and cook on medium heat, stirring, until steaming. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and spice, transfer to a blender and process for 15 seconds until foamy. If you don't have a blender, don't worry about it - just whisk the mixture really well with a wire whisk.

Pour into a large mug or two mugs. Add the espresso on top.

Optional: Top with whipped cream and sprinkle pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, or cinnamon on top.

Women of Faith

2011-10-04T20:32:00.000-06:00

This past weekend, my mom invited me to go to the Women of Faith Conference with her. It was a great time! The conference was very good, but the highlight of the weekend was hanging out with my mom. I love her! She is an amazing woman, mother and friend and Christ just radiates through her. We went down Friday afternoon and then stayed the night at the Westen Hotel, on the 16th street mall. It was a very nice hotel with comfy beds. Too bad we couldn't enjoy it longer.

My mom had an extra ticket, so we invited my friend, Rachel, to join us. She is a great lady and was a joy to be around. I really do enjoy her and miss being able to see her more often. We lived near each other in Lakewood.

There were several great speakers, my favorite being Marilyn Meberg, but the highlight of the actual conference was getting to see and listen to Amy Grant. She gave a short concert Saturday afternoon, but I wished I could have heard more from her. She seems to have a quiet, more subdued personality, especially compared to the other speakers, and that appeals to me. Who knows if that is true, but that's what I like to imagine. Seeing her brought back memories of me watering the brown patches of my dad's lawn while listening to Amy Grant cassette tapes on my walkman. I like her more folksy/country sound. She makes me think of Rich Mullins, who is another singer/personality I love.

In summary, a great weekend, a fun conference and two fabulous friends!

2011-09-22T09:17:00.000-06:00

Last night, I felt ambitious and made homemade raviolis with homemade ricotta cheese stuffing. Honestly, it's not that hard, just rolling the pasta out as flat as you can is time consuming and takes a little elbow grease. Maybe one day I will own a pasta roller. That would be fun! And ricotta, that is really simple to make. Here's the website I used for that http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/02/how-to-make-fresh-ricotta-fast-easy-homemade-cheese-the-food-lab-recipe.html.

my pasta dough, resting

Stuffed raviolis waiting to be boiled

all cooked and cooling off

sauced and ready to eat!

So, if you have the time, it's pretty fun and satisfying to make your own pasta. One day, I'd like to try making spinach pasta and tomato pasta. Yum!

Finn's Turn

2011-09-21T13:39:00.000-06:00

Today, Finn got to have his turn at going to a farm class. My dad was so wonderful and agreed to help me drive him since the times overlapped with my bible study group and Cadence's preschool.

So, off the boys went to the farm! My dad dropped Finn off for an hour and then took him to a couple of playgrounds afterwards. He packed a great lunch for him, it must have been good because Finn ate 2 sandwiches. They played on the playground and threw rocks into the City Park Lake.

Finn got to bring a brown egg home, just like Cadence. It sounds like he had a great time and will be ready to return next week!

Farm Class

2011-09-15T13:52:00.001-06:00

Cadence capped off her 4 week farm class with a pony ride!

Baby's first photo!

2011-09-04T15:55:00.000-06:00

Brad, Cadence and I went to see pictures of the baby, yesterday, at our 20 week ultrasound. Cadence was very interested and asked a lot of questions. She said that the baby looked squished and said that I need to make my tummy bigger to give it more room. I told her I'd work on it.

Gwen Doll

2011-08-25T12:07:00.002-06:00

Ms. Marie's (Paige's) little girl turned 2 this week and she had asked me to make a doll for Gwen. Of course, I was more than happy to do it. I love making the dolls and it's always fun when someone asks you to make something. She picked the colors and hairstyle and I knit it up!

I also love when the mom sends you a picture of their kid playing with the doll (even if it is just for the first day. Kelli sent me one of Sophie sleeping with her doll.). That is all the payment I need. It's wonderful!

I dropped Gwen's doll off yesterday and Marie already sent me these pictures of her playing with her doll. Here, they are having a little rest together.

Then, they had a tea party. Cute!

First Day of School

2011-08-24T14:07:00.000-06:00

This week, Cadence and Finn had their first days of preschool. Cadence returned on Monday for her last year of preschool. She slipped right back into the routine, no problem. I'm going to be helping in her class every Monday, so it was fun and helpful to see what she learns and how her teacher runs the class, since the kids tend to leave a lot out when you ask them to tell you about their day. I think it will be useful for me to see how her teacher runs the classroom to give me tips and ideas for when we start homeschool next year.

Just for laughs

2011-08-19T12:24:00.001-06:00

Aria loves to take out the pots and pans while I cook dinner. Thankfully, she found this tin pan to hit against her head. I don't think she would have been laughing had she used a real pan. I love how she neatly and matter of factly puts the pan away at the end. Always clean up your mess! (I wish they lived by that motto):)

Happy Birthday Finn!

2011-08-18T22:58:00.001-06:00

Guess who turned 3 today....Finnegan! Such a sweet boy and a sweet day.

Mermaid Mania

2011-08-17T19:37:00.001-06:00

The kids and I decided to go on a spur of the moment trip to the Denver Aquarium. I wanted to take them before next week, when they go back to preschool and we don't have time for these kinds of day trips and before Finn turned 3 (tomorrow!) because 2 and under was free.:) Also, they had a live mermaid show that I wanted the kids, especially Cadence, to be able to see before it was gone. Cadence thought it was totally awesome that we got to see real live mermaids! Finn liked them too, but he wanted to see some boy ones.

Camping

2011-08-12T15:03:00.000-06:00

Our first family camping trip was a success! We drove through beautiful Rocky Mountain National Park to get to Snow Mountain Ranch YMCA in Granby. My biggest fear was that the kids wouldn't sleep and then that would ruin the rest of the trip (tired, cranky kids and parents = no fun). Fortunately, they slept great!

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Happy Anniversary!

2011-08-10T20:05:00.000-06:00

Last week was our 9th anniversary! What a man the Lord gave me. He is wonderful in so many ways. We decided to forego gifts this year, but Brad still got me some very happy flowers and a delicious peach Odwalla drink. Yum! I am definitely a drink person. I love yummy drinks.

My lovely mother offered to come up and watch the kids so that we could spend a special day together! So, Brad came home at lunch time and our anniversary date began!

First, we ate lunch at a quaint little Italian place near campus. From there, we went to Old Town to walk around a bit and then spent some time at Happy Lucky's tea house drinking delicious tea and playing our own made up version of scrabble (very loose rules). It was so refreshing to be able to sit together in a calm atmosphere, talking and playing and not feeling exhausted. What a luxury.

After wandering around a bit more we headed to Odell Brewery to see if we could catch a beer tour. Unfortunately, it was all full, but it seemed to turn out for the best because we decided to hang out on the patio and enjoy a glass of beer (for Brad) and a coke (for April). There were quite a number of people hanging out, drinking beer. Many of them rode their bikes to the brewery. Where they were riding from, I'm still not sure, but it was a popular place for bikers to come. It was a very nice brewery and a fun atmosphere to hang out in with good company.

Next, we went to Mexicali for a cheap, but oh so delicious, Mexican dinner. Then, we got to end the night by going to a movie...after 7pm and not a cartoon. Can you believe it? I didn't know people were out at that time of night. It was a bit scary and I wasn't sure if I'd be able to stay up for the movie, but we did it! In fact, we made it home before 10pm. It's the little things in life that excite you.:) We saw the new X-men movie and it was very entertaining. Great fun!

So, another year of marriage and they just keep getting better and better, just like my wonderful Brad!

Horsetooth Tubing

2011-07-31T13:55:00.000-06:00

We went tubing with our friends, David and Bethany, yesterday on Horsetooth Reservoir. It was a lot of fun! Aria and I didn't go tubing, but Cadence, Finn and Brad did. Brad also tried kneeboarding, which he was a natural at. Unfortunately, he forgot to put sunscreen on his torso, so he's a bit red.

The "Daddy of 'em All"!

2011-07-28T16:05:00.000-06:00

Brad and I were blessed and fortunate enough to be invited by our friends, the Karbans, to see the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo yesterday. It was amazing and SO much fun! I absolutely loved it! The Rodeo was 3 hours of high energy, high impact excitement. There was never a lull or dull moment. In addition to all the arena events, the USAF Thunderbirds were flying their airplanes overhead, doing all sorts of tricks.

Unfortunately, I forgot my camera, so you will have to forgive the bad quality of my cell phone pictures....

Poudre River Picnic

2011-07-21T14:13:00.001-06:00

We headed up the Poudre River this afternoon for a picnic and splash in the river.

Date Day

2011-07-18T21:49:00.001-06:00

Today was a very special day...Cadence/Mommy Date Day! Last week, Cadence asked if we could have a date day, so of course, I was flattered and thrilled! Of course we can! ...

Octodogs

2011-07-17T18:34:00.001-06:00

Don't be scared, but we ate Octodogs tonight. It sounds scarier than it is.

First, I had to bring the Octodogs back to life (the opposite of what you would do with a real Octopus that you're going to eat. Actually, they are still kind of alive when the Koreans eat them, but we won't get into that.)...

Cadence Picture

2011-07-16T22:20:00.002-06:00

Works of Art

2011-07-16T22:11:00.000-06:00

Homeschool Prep

2011-07-16T19:39:00.000-06:00

I know it's early, like a whole year, but I LOVE to plan and prepare. The kids and I ventured out to the dollar store today to get some classroom decorations for our future home-school classroom. We found some fantastic wall decorations and workbooks. I say fantastic because they are just like the public school decorations and they were cheap. Woo-hoo! There was so much stuff, too. I had to restrain myself.

My first task will be to make a classroom calendar. I'll post it once I make it.

I found these great workbooks at the dollar store, too. I was excited to get these princess workbooks and a Spiderman one for Finn, once he's ready.

Yesterday, Cadence and I worked on writing the letter 'A,a', some sequencing exercises, and circles. See Cadence's circle caterpillar? She cut out all those circles by herself.

Also, this week, I found 3 more flip-top desks. So, now I have 4! The last one's in the garage, still. I will have to clean up the basement before it transforms into our classroom. Good thing I have time!

Buggie Bundles

2011-07-16T11:10:00.005-06:00

In an effort to use up some leftovers, I created "Buggie Bundles"! We had Shepherd's Pie the other night, so I took the leftover filling (minus the potatoes) and added taco seasoning. Then, I put the filling inside some large Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, rolled them up, and baked them. Once cooled, I added cucumber wheels (fastened with carrot spokes), carrot headlights and a pretzel steering wheel. Aria ate it up! Cadence displayed her usual resistance to any food outside her comfort zone of mac & cheese, chicken nuggets and hot dogs, but enjoyed that it was a car. Finn, once he took a bite, really liked it. He wanted the car to actually drive, though. I find that taco seasoning, in moderation (you know what I'm talking about Brad), makes almost anything delicious and kid friendly!

On a side note, Cadence decided to be a bee today. She and Finn are watching "Bee Movie".

A surprise for you!

2011-07-12T13:23:00.000-06:00

Hewlitt Gulch

2011-07-12T12:27:00.000-06:00

This past Saturday, we packed up some lunches and ventured up the Poudre Canyon to go on a little hike. The river was beautiful! So full and roaring along, full of rafters, canoes, and khakers. I wish we had something to float down the river in. Anyway, we pulled over at a nice little trail called "Hewlitt Gulch". We're not sure what a gulch is, but it was a beautiful walk.

I bet you didn't know that Brad was a Sherpa. Look at him go! What an amazing man!

We walked along the trail which crossed over little creeks several times. While Brad and I chose to cross over on the rocks, Cadence and Finn preferred to walk right through the water. Finn doesn't seem to quite understand balance and speed, yet, so he had a few spills into the water, but he didn't seem to mind. What a trooper!

We stopped under a tree to enjoy our picnic lunches. I think Cadence and Finn were leaving messages in the dirt for those who followed.

What better way to spend a beautiful Saturday than in the great outdoors with my amazing family?!

Splash Park

2011-07-10T22:30:00.000-06:00

The other day, I decided to take the kids to the nearby splash park to cool off. The splash park has a plethora of great features:
1. The kids get to get wet!
2. Mommy doesn't have to put on a swimsuit and get in the water.
3. Mommy can cool off too, without getting drenched.
4. The kids don't drip all over the place track dirt into the house as the run in and out.
5. It's free!
6. It kills time, the kids are outside, mommy has an excuse to sit and relax and not get annoyed at the kids for bothering her while she's trying to get stuff done around the house.:)
7. The playground's right next to the splash park, so Cadence and Finn can run back and forth between the two while I stay with Aria.
8. Running burns energy, hot sun tires them out = nap/rest time is long and peaceful for all.

Aria loved sitting in the water. It took her a little time to work up the courage to venture out into the water, but once she did, she loved it!

Cadence and Finn loved playing on the playground and then running back to the water to cool off.

This may just look like a normal guy to you, but he was the hero of the day. He was going around to every pole and piece of playground equipment to make sure it was all secure and safe. What a guy!

Then, it was time for a goldfish snack break.

4th of July

2011-07-05T21:14:00.000-06:00

This year, we had planned to lay low and spend the 4th of July at home. Our plans changed, though, when we got a very welcomed invitation to spend the day with my parents!

The kids had fun playing in the pool and pretending my mom was the monster and spraying her with the water. She was such a good sport playing with them out in the hot sun. Her clothes were drenched.

We ate some delicious steaks and my mom made her very yummy brownies for dessert. Yeah for no diet!

We set off a few fireworks, but it wasn't dark enough to get the full effect. Still, the kids really liked throwing those pop-its on the ground, the fountain, and all the sparklers.

It was a fun day for all!

Greeley Stampede

2011-06-29T21:41:00.000-06:00

Yee-haw! We went to the Greeley Stampede again, this year. It was so much fun!

Finn was tall enough to go on all the same rides as Cadence, this year, so that was very exciting.

Their favorite ride was this big slide. I went on it once, and it was a lot of fun.

Little Miss Aria was such a good sport. She didn't get to go on any rides, but she was perfectly content watching all the people and all the amusements.

And, of course, we ate some delicious, and very unhealthy, carnival food. Yummy! Brad had a giant turkey leg, Cadence had pizza, Aria and I had hot dogs, and Finn had a corn dog (or Slushie dog as he called it...from Phineas and Ferb).

Cadence was disappointed beca use she really wanted to ride the mechanical bull. Maybe next year, when she has a little more coordination.

Next month, Brad and I get to go to the rodeo at Cheyenne Frontier Days with our friends from church. I am sooooo excited! I've always wanted to go to Frontier Days, and it will be a blast watching the rodeo with our friends who know all about that stuff. We really need to get some cowboy hats and boots to fit in. Don't you like Aria's little boots?

Practice Run

2011-06-26T13:55:00.000-06:00

Last weekend was Father's Day, and Brad wanted to have a practice camp out in the backyard with Cadence and Finn before our trip to Moab in August.

So, he set up the tent in the afternoon and everyone had fun playing in it.

Unfortunately, it rained and thundered that night. So, the kids got pretty scared and wanted to come in. Oh, well. It was a good try.

Before heading out to the tent, though, we made s'mores in the microwave (because of the rain).

For dinner we had this dancing chicken. I made Brad a beer-can bbq chicken. I gave him a potato head to help keep the juices and flavor in.

I bought this crocheted headband from Brad's cousin. Isn't it cute?

Just Buggin'

2011-06-19T22:07:00.000-06:00

I just wanted to post some pictures of my brave kids with creepy crawlers.

Cadence used to be so timid of bugs and unfamiliar things. Now look at her!

They both held a tarantula at the Butterfly Pavilion.

They played with this cute caterpillar in our backyard. Finn was actually more skiddish around it than Cadence.

Cadence let him crawl all over her. He seemed to like her bathing suit. Fun days!

Delayed Train

2011-06-15T10:33:00.000-06:00

Last week, Brad took Cadence and Finn to see "Thomas and Friends Live" at the Budweiser Events Center. They had a blast, including Brad!

They both wore their Thomas shirts. Finn has Thomas on his and Cadence has Lady on hers.

As soon as Finn got home he started jumping up and down telling me all about the show. He gave me a full recap. He was so excited! Cadence, of course, filled in and corrected his missing facts.

Well, Baby Bird Watch 2011 is over. The birds left the nest. Here are the last pictures we took of them in the nest, all grown up.

Now, we are just left with this poopy mess. They didn't even clean up before they moved. Oh well. I was thankful to have them for the short time that they were here, though, I do miss their little chirps. It's amazing how fast they grow. Thankfully, our babies don't grow that fast.

Swimming

2011-06-05T20:44:00.001-06:00

This past Saturday was our first swim lesson day! I love swimming! Cadence went into her own preschool class. She said she liked it, but got scared when they were doing back floats. That is a scary feeling, at first.

Finn, Aria, Brad and I went to the parent/tot class. Finn seemed so much bigger than the other kids. He did great! He loved throwing the toy and then "swimming" to it. Aria wasn't as fond of the lesson, but she did pretty well.

Bird watch check in. It is amazing the similarities you can find between chicks and human babies. I can hear these little chicks chirping frequently throughout the day. They are very loud, just like human babies. You wouldn't think so much sound could come out of such little creatures. Also, the poor mama bird seems so busy. Flying back and forth to take care of them and tend to their needs every time they chirp. I've only had one newborn to deal with at a time. She has FOUR to deal with at once. Obviously, there are many things that make human babies more difficult than chicks (i.e. the fall and all that), but it's fun to draw some parallels.

Look at how big these hungry little birds mouths are! Amazing! Feed us!

The Firebird

2011-06-02T22:19:00.000-06:00

Today, the kids and I set off on a picnic. This wasn't just any picnic, though. It was a picnic at Library Park, where they were performing a free children's play. It was so pleasant!

We arrived 30 minutes before so that we could get a spot in the shade and eat our lunch on our picnic blanket.

Aria sat in her portable high chair and enjoyed looking at all the new faces around her.

Finn and Cadence each had their Veggie Tales lunch boxes and ate, anxiously awaiting for the princess to arrive.

The play was performed by a troupe of teenagers. The whole thing reminded me of that scene from "Finding Neverland", when the orphan kids go to the opening of James Barrie's play and are laughing and clapping and just getting swept away in the magic of the whole thing.

Also, during that scene, there were some stodgy adults who didn't appreciate the kids' noise during the play. This lady was like that. She kept shushing the kids around her. Well, it's a good thing she came to a free kids play in the park and sat right in the middle of the kids! Cranky old woman! She did not deserve to be there. She was like Sylvia's mom in "Finding Neverland", before she "believed" at the end. This lady did not "believe" by the end. She packed up her chair and walked away with a sourpuss face.

Cadence, Finn and I loved the Firebird. She was beautiful. She turned into a beautiful princess at the end and Cadence like that. Finn liked when prince Ivan had to wrestle the bad Tsar's HUGE bear. It was pretty impressive. After the play was over, we got to meet the firebird/princess. She was a very sweet 14 year old girl. It was a fun outing!

Once we got home, and Aria decided not to nap for more than 30 minutes (sad face), we decided to fill the pool and take a dip. Finally, a sunny day to enjoy summer in!

This is the best Ice Cream Truck I've ever seen. It wasn't playing music that sounded like someone was turning a crank to make it play, and it didn't have old pictures with chipped white paint. This one was bright and vibrant, playing Island music. It made me think that I would feel like I was on a tropical Island if I bought something. I didn't buy anything, though, so I can't tell you if that's true.

Here's a little check on our birds.

Baby Mohawks

2011-05-31T12:33:00.000-06:00

Look at how sweet these baby birds look. Don't you love their feathery mohawks?! It's amazing how quickly they change (just like our babies).:)

Look at this adorable mohawk on 2-month-old Finn! It has filled in quite nicely.

This guy is peaking his eye open. I think he wants us to leave him alone. Okay. Rest well.

Maston Baby Bird Watch 2011 to be continued...

Baby Bird Watch, continue

2011-05-29T19:54:00.000-06:00

So, two of our babies have left the nest for the night, and I already miss them. Cadence and Finn went to Grandma and Grandpa's house for a sleepover tonight. They were so excited! They packed their suitcases two days ago and have been pulling them all over the house ever since. Aria doesn't know what to do with all this attention, quiet atmosphere, and free reign of ALL the toys. She even got a bath, all to herself. What a luxury! She seems to be living it up, though, and I'm sure Cadence and Finn are living it up at the Grandparent's house.

It's funny, when I only had Cadence, I felt like I was always busy. But now, when I only have Aria, I feel like I've forgotten what to do with just one. I'm used to having the other kids around to make noise and entertain each other. It feels weird. I re-watched Cadence's dance recital video twice, already, today. It's a good one. I highly recommend re-visiting it.:) Cadence also had a end of the year preschool performance where she sang a couple songs with her classmates. I'm not exaggerating, I could hear Cadence singing over the other kids. It was wonderful!

Anyway, back to Maston Baby Bird watch 2011! Today, the hatchlings have loss more of their down and their beaks are more definable. You can also see the dark spots where their eyes are. So cool!

Coo coo ca-choo, Mrs. ROBIN(son)

2011-05-27T17:15:00.000-06:00

2 years old

Here's my first baby bird! Isn't she beautiful?! I think so. I love her freckles under her eyes.

4 years old

Hatchling #2...a bit more carnivorous.

Our youngest hatchling

I went out to water our hanging flower "bird" pot today (being careful not to water the nest itself), so that those precious baby birds will continue to have coverage from predators, and I was greeted not by the expected little eggs, but by a plethora of fuzzy little heads and wings!

I'm not sure when these little guys hatched, but I'm thinking it was recently. I couldn't make out their heads, but I could see some wings pulsing in and out as the little fuzzballs slept. I don't think they can open their eyes yet.

I will have to keep a watch on them to see how they grow and develop, making sure not to get too close because I don't want to cause their mom to abandon them by making them smell like me.

Matthew 6:25-26 "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?"

Maston Baby Bird Watch 2011 is on!!!

Jewels for Jesus

2011-05-23T22:11:00.001-06:00

This past Saturday, I had the privilege of sharing a devotional at our Women's Fellowship meeting.

I have always wanted to dye my hair pink, so I got pink strands.
We were learning how to put sparkly hair strands in our hair, so I chose a diamond themed devotional.

I made each lady a bookmark with a "Diamond" acronym on the back (see the end of this blog).

What is your engagement story? Brad and I had been dating for about 3 months when he took me to a fancy dinner at the Broker, in Denver. Of course, it was a wonderful dinner. Afterwards, we drove back up to Fort Collins and were walking around Old Town. When we passed in front of Austin's restaurant, where we had our first date, Brad got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Yes! Then, we headed to the wine bar next door, Ciao Vino's, to celebrate with champagne and strawberries. It was a wonderful night and has been a wonderful 8 and half years.

Jer. 9:7 "...I will refine and test them..."
Isa 1:25 "...I will thoroughly purge away your dross."

Fire is always used for purging, for burning up the impurities found in precious metals and stones. Let's take a look at how diamonds are made, a brief geography lesson.:)

they are under incredible pressure and intense heat deep within the Earth's surface.
they are carried to the surface through volcanic eruptions via kimberlite magmas.
both diamond and graphite (which is the stable form of carbon at the Earth's surface) are made of carbon.
in contrast, diamond is the hardest gem while graphite is the softest. Odd?
to prevent diamond from converting to graphite, they must be transported to the Earth's surface extremely fast.
diamond hardness comes from the carbon atoms being linked together in a 3-dimensional network.
whereas, graphite atoms are linked into loose sheets, sliding past each other easily
when cutting, diamond dust must be used to cut diamonds since they are the hardest known substance.
diamonds are cut precisely to maximize the brilliance and fire (the rainbows and glints of color) of the stone. the placement of each facet around the diamond and the table on top are carefully measured and cut to take advantage of the prism effect and let the diamond sparkle.
the presence of any blemishes, flaws, scratches or nicks effect the diamonds clarity.

How is Christ like a Diamond?

He underwent incredible pain and pressure to bring us a beautiful gift...salvation.
He is omnipotent; having infinite and unlimited power.
He is the only thing strong enough to "cut" us.
the Trinity is linked together in One.

How are we like diamonds?

we have times when we feel like we're under incredible pressure and intense heat.
many of us go through some turbulent journeys that feel like volcanic eruptions.
we are made up of the same stuff as non-believers, but held together and refined by God.
Christ cleansed us of all our impurities by dieing on the cross.
Phil. 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." In Christ, we become mighty, whereas we were soft and weak before.
We are cut by the Master Craftsman to sparkle and reflect the light of Christ to the maximum.
Our impurities and sins effect the scale of our clarity, but God's refining fire can purge away our dross.

engagement ring

sweet 16 ring

Diamonds can also be an heirloom that you pass down from generation to generation. My engagement ring diamond is Brad's grandma Maston's. I never met her, but the diamond feels special and loved. My mom gave me a diamond ring on my sweet 16 that her mom had given her and my grandma's mom had given her. I'm looking forward to passing that on as well.

How much more important, though, is our faith and salvation to pass down? The definition of heritage is "something that comes or belongs to one by reason of birth; an inherited lot or portion." When we believe that Christ is our Lord and Savior and accept His salvation, we are born again. Jesus Christ is our heritage to be passed down from generation to generation.

How can we pass down this inheritance?

allow Christ to "cut" the lines in you the way He as our Maker wants. Then, we will reflect His light to the maximum in our lives.
maintenance. Don't forget to "clean" yourself, as I've done with my ring. I have let gunk and dirt build up around my diamond, making the shine and sparkle dull. Regular "cleaning/maintenance" will keep dirt from building up in us, allowing Christ to be reflected in our lives.
even if we've let some dirt build up, we can always come to the Lord and He will shine us up. He will do the work. We just have to be willing to sit and rest in Him and let Him chip away all that dirt. He will never neglect us, as I've done with my diamond. John 15:4 "Abide in Me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me."

My mom just recently, within the past few years, got a diamond ring. She didn't have an engagement ring. It's never too late to become a diamond. God's love and salvation is eternal and unbound. It is a precious gem that He is giving to us for free, transforming us into Diamond Reflections of Christ's love, glory, grace and mercy.

D- Delight In The Lord

"Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." Psalm 37:4

I- Increase In Love

"And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men,

A- Abide In Christ

"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." John 15:5

M- Minister To Others

"Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality." Romans 12:13

O- Obey God's Word

"And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments." 1 John 2:3

N- Never Give Up

"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:1,2

D- Die To Self

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20

Dear Lord, we are diamonds in the rough and need You and Your sacrifice on the cross to make us shine. I pray that You would help all of us to be in regular, daily communion/relationship with You so that we can feel like Your beautiful and precious treasures and sparkle for You daily. We love You and thank You for Your death and resurrection so that we can one day be in the presence of our Master Craftsman. Amen.

(Diamond acronym from http://www.juliabettencourt.com/dev/diamondsdev.html)

Robin's Nest

2011-05-18T21:14:00.000-06:00

Today, amidst the rainy and dreary day, a bright and joyful surprise awaited us! Isn't this a lovely hanging plant? My parents gave it to us. Well, their is a hidden beauty and treasure inside.

Brad was standing outside, looking at the rain, and I asked him to move the planter out into the rain to drink up the water. As he went to move it, he noticed this cute little nest with 5 eggs. At first, he thought, "I didn't know they sold these plants with decorative nests and eggs.". Then, he realized, it's real! A beautiful Robin chose to build her nest and lay her eggs in our plant! I am so honored!

Look at how perfect the nest is. It's a work of art. Aren't those eggs amazing? We had noticed some Robins hanging out around this plant for awhile, but we just thought they liked sitting on it because it was sheltered under the overhang. Surprise, surprise! They were building a family and a safe spot to grow them! Wow!

I hope they stay safe there from any storms or predators that might come along. I'm glad to know that the nest is there, so that I will water around it. Don't worry, we didn't end up putting the plant out in the rain. We returned it to it's safe place under the overhang and will leave it alone, excited to know that those precious little eggs are there!

Tiny Dancer

2011-05-13T21:33:00.000-06:00

Here are Finn and I, waiting for Cadence to dance!

Here is Cadence at her spring recital. She was a beautiful dancer! You can't tell from the video, but she was singing along with the music.

Zoo Day

2011-05-10T10:39:00.001-06:00

We woke up yesterday, saw the beautiful weather outside, and decided it was a perfect day to go to the zoo! Woo-hoo! I love zoo trips!

Cadence loves to pose for the camera, so I got plenty of pictures of her. Don't you like her zoo outfit? She put it all together herself.

Finn wanted to wear matching hats with daddy. Finn wanted to see sheep and Cadence really wanted to ride the train (which we did at the end).

As soon as we pulled into the zoo parking lot Cadence said, "Grandpa used to take me to the zoo." She misses her Grandpa dates. We ate our lunch by the seals, my favorite. They were poking their heads in and out of the water for us while we enjoyed our packed lunches. Finn was great at making all the animal sounds for us. He's got a talent!

Aria was content to stroll around and look at everything, so I'll take that as a sign that she liked it. We are looking forward to several more trips to the zoo this summer, hopefully meeting up with friends and cousins.

Going To The Zoo

Words and Music by Tom Paxton

Daddy's taking us to the zoo tomorrow,

Zoo tomorrow, zoo tomorrow;

Daddy's taking us to the zoo tomorrow,

We can stay all day.

[Cho:]
We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo;
How about you, you, you?
You can come too, too, too.
We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo.

See the elephant with the long trunk swingin',

Great big ears and long trunk swingin',

Snuffin' up peanuts with the long trunk swingin';

We can stay all day.

[Cho:]

See all the monkeys scritch scritch scratchin',

Jumpin' all around and scritch scritch scratchin',

Hangin' by their long tails scritch scritch scratchin';

We can stay all day.

[Cho:]

Big black bear, all a huff huff a-puffin';

Coat's too heavy, he's huff huff a-puffin',

Don't get too near the huff huff a-puffin',

Or you won't stay all day.

[Cho:]

Seals in the pool all honk honk honkin',

Catchin' fish and honk honk honkin',

Little seals honk honk honkin'; (high pitched voice)

We can stay all day.

[Cho:]

(Slower tempo)

We stayed all day and we're gettin' sleepy,

Sittin' in the car gettin' sleep sleep sleepy,

Home already and we're sleep sleep sleepy,

We have stayed all day.

[Cho: (alternate)]

We've been to the zoo, zoo, zoo;

So have you, you, you.

You came too, too, too,

We're been to the zoo, zoo, zoo.

Momma's taking us to the zoo tomorrow,

Zoo tomorrow, zoo tomorrow;

Momma's taking us to the zoo tomorrow,

We can stay all day.

cho:

Owlet Party!

2011-05-10T10:19:00.000-06:00

Our little Owlet, Aria, turned 1 last week, but we had her birthday party just this past Saturday.

It was such a joy to have our family up to celebrate this beautiful little girl!

My inspiration for the owl themed party started with these little cupcakes right here. I saw them in my Family Fun magazine and wanted to make them for her party.

Sam was showing us her ostrich impression, which isn't an owl, but is still a bird. I appreciate her enthusiasm!

Even our lovely guests got into the owl theme and bought Aria some wonderful owl presents. I guess she's going to like owls now!

Aria loves her granny and grandma!

From there, our owl theme expanded and grew into...

a pinata,

owl barrets for the girls and a finger puppet for Finn,

stuffed owl party favors,

and owl party bags.

In the party bags and pinata we had Tootsie Roll pops, because the wise old owl always asks, "How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll pop?".

Pugsley needed a party and sun break

Other snacks included chips, yogurt and chocolate covered pretzels and pretzel M&M's. BBQ chef Brad was cooking up hot dogs, turkey dogs, polish sausage, hamburgers and turkey burgers to perfection. We had plenty of drinks and delicious fruit salad. Yummy! I definitely wasn't counting my weight watcher's points that day.

Present time!

Cousin Love

Water fun!

I had a lot of fun planning for the party and making all the favors and decorations. I can honestly say, though, that I am happy to finally have had the party, had a lot of fun and not have to do anymore party preparations until the next birthday.

I moved some of Aria's party decorations into her room to enjoy longer. See the pompoms? I just couldn't bring myself to thrown it all away, yet.

Happy first year, owlet Aria!

Romantic Getaway

2011-05-02T15:01:00.000-06:00

We were blessed to have my mom stay with the kids this weekend and scurry off for a little getaway in the mountains! It was wonderful! We were able to relax, sleep in, fish (Brad) and knit (April).

We're on vacation!

Cottage Entrance

We stayed in this quaint and cozy cottage. It was perfect! It had a lovely bed with cozy quilts, a warm fireplace, a tiny kitchen, and a balcony overlooking the river with a grill and hot tub.

Preparing to fish

Heading out to fish

Brad went fishing straight away on the first day and caught one fish! He set off early the next morning to try again, but came back and climbed back into bed due to his line and hands freezing up. Personally, I'd rather be in a warm, cozy bed...and I was.

Hot tub in the snow

Hot tub fun

The hot tub was a wonderful treat! It was extremely relaxing and peaceful to sit in the warm water, listening to the running river, talking with my sweet hubby. It was snowing the second night, which made it even more fun to sit in the hot tub.

Little Miss Mop Head!

2011-04-30T08:27:00.000-06:00

Happy birthday, Aria!

Woo-hoo! I'm one!

Why is this on my head?

Cheese!

I love my lambie

I love being one!

We love you little Miss Aria! You are such a joy and blessing to our family!

Horsetooth Picnic

2011-04-25T20:12:00.008-06:00

We love picnics! It is so much fun to eat food outdoors, I don't know why. So, we packed up our food and headed down the road to our lovely Horsetooth Reservoir. It was a little bit windy and chilly at times, but not too bad.

Apparently, we took too long getting to the reservoir and Finn fell asleep. Tired out before we even started.

So, we started our picnic without him and let him catch a few more zzzz's.

Once awake, he still needed some time to cuddle before he was ready to dig into lunch and go explore the area.

After everyone's bellies were full, we set off on our exploration. Down to the water to throw rocks! It was a fun and muddy endeavor.

Cadence enjoys posing for pictures, and it is usually some sort of dance pose (this is a plie).

Aria enjoyed riding in the carrier. I think I'd like that too!

From there, we wandered around the reservoir and up the hill to talk to some geese. We decided to talk like geese to each other for the walk back to the car. One honk = "Hello", two honks = "Good-bye", one long honk = "I love you" and hiss = "You're under attack!". It's a complicated system and I don't know if you'll be able to decode it, but good luck.

I love that Brad and the kids enjoy being outside and exploring nature. Our goal this summer is to try some family camping trips for the first time. We'll see what happens!

Maston Family Musicians Strike Again!

2011-04-25T13:30:00.001-06:00

Back by popular demand...the Maston Family Musicians! With their leader...Brad! Cadence is playing the ever popular, popcorn kernel shaker. Finn loses steam at the end and decides he wants to count the band in, even though they are already going. Aria decides to add some of her own beautiful vocals. Music to my ears!

Resurrection Day!

2011-04-24T20:31:00.008-06:00

Aria's grabbing you!

Even though Brad is not a huge fan of all the commercialism and what it has turned Easter into (bunnies and springtime), he is a good sport about it and still lets me indulge. I purchased mostly bug related items (i.e. butterfly nets, bug catchers, etc.) from the dollar bins and laid them out on the living room chairs last night. The kids get up before us, so I figured they could explore their new toys for a few minutes before they came in to wake us up. Once up, I snuck out back and "hid" their Easter eggs. I didn't hide them too well because I didn't think they'd really search, but Cadence was looking all around. I guess I will have to actually hide them, next year, to give her more of a challenge. Even in the rainy midst, they had a fun little Easter egg hunt. Cadence's eggs were filled with gummy candies and princess socks. Finn's were filled with gummy candies and Spiderman socks.

Dawn, our friend from church, bought these adorable Easter outfits for the kids and gave them to us at the Good Friday service. Cadence and Aria are so puffy...I love it! Finn looks so handsome in his vest and tie. When I dressed him this morning Cadence said, "I (Cadence) will be a princess and Finn will be a pastor, like daddy."

My parents came up for the church service and then came over for lunch and to spend the afternoon with us. It was wonderful! Such a nice change in roles to be able to cook for them for a change (though I do still love going to their house for meals, so we won't give that up just yet). My mom bought the kids this "Hot Potato" game that was a plush potato that played music as you passed it around. Whoever was holding it when the music stopped had to take a chip. Three chips and you were out. The music always seemed to stop when Finn was holding it. I think he enjoyed it because we would always laugh. He was hamming it up.

I got to teach the kid's Sunday school this morning and it was fun to read the Resurrection story on the children's level. We read the story in a children's Bible and then another version of it through the Resurrection eggs http://rainbowcastle.org/resurrectioneggs.html. The kids took turns opening the egg and then I read the message that went with that item. The other thing that struck me, while reading through that story, was that Judas Iscariot had to kiss Jesus to let them know who He was. One, it was dark (which Brad reminded me of), but two, I took for granted that they didn't have Internet, t.v., magazines, newspapers, etc. to see what Jesus looked like. So, even if he was famous around town and people had heard of Him, they didn't necessarily know what He looked like. That is crazy to think about. That Jesus could be walking through town and not everyone would know that was Him. It seems absurd in this media age, but not in His time. I hope that when we get to Heaven Jesus has a big movie screen and He'll let us watch all the things He did (i.e., creating the world, creating a baby, Noah and the flood, the list goes on and on).

Thank you Lord for dying on the cross and rising again so that we can one day be with You!

Easter Greeting

2011-04-23T10:11:00.001-06:00

I pray you have a joyous Resurrection Day celebration!

Sink Your Teeth In

2011-04-21T23:02:00.017-06:00

As you may recall, a few months ago Finn gave Cadence this beauty by running into her face with his head (by accident).

This is what happened a few days ago.

Cadence took Finn's toy. Finn got angry. Cadence tried to give the toy back. Finn didn't realize Cadence gave the toy back and sunk his teeth into her side.

I don't know about you, but I would not like to be attacked by these choppers (no matter how cute the face is that comes with them).

That was an eventful day. Thankfully, with the craziness come sweet tender moments as well.

Early Easter Feast

2011-04-21T21:17:00.007-06:00

Tonight, we had the college kids over for an Easter feast. It was a great time! There were 10 college kids and they were great company. I wanted to take pictures of all the food, but I got swept up in getting the food to the table and getting everyone fed, and forgot to take pictures. I did, however, get before and after pictures.

Here are the set tables, awaiting guests. Cadence set all the places for me, put the chocolate eggs on the tables, and cut up colorful pieces of paper to decorate the tables. She was a great helper.

Here's Cadence and Finn's special table.

One of the college girls brought me these beautiful tulips! How thoughtful.

I made these pompom napkin rings to hold cloth napkins that I made from scrap material. I really like them (the pompoms and the napkins).

The yellow Sunflowers are from the Sunflower Market. They look so cheerful.

Thankfully, we ate on disposable plates and used plastic utensils and cups. So, the only dishes to clean up are those that I cooked the food in, which is enough. I think I will tackle that task tomorrow.

Since I forgot to take pictures of the food, I will just have to tell you what the menu was.

Main Course = Martha Stewart's Easter Ham Recipe

Side Dishes = MomPom's Holiday Jello

Martha Stewart's Buttered New Potatoes Recipe

Bodacious Broccoli Salad

Weight Watchers Spring Salad with Strawberries and Feta Cheese

Homemade Honey Wheat Rolls

Dessert = Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes

Sweet Potato Pie

It was a delicious night!

And, because I prefer to have posts with pictures of the kids and Brad, here are some photos from Izabel's Chuck E Cheese birthday party this past weekend.

Laughing Baby Girls

2011-04-15T20:18:00.000-06:00

Up top is 5 month old, Cadence, laughing for the first time. Down below is 4 month old, Aria, laughing for the first time. I think Aria laughed sooner because she had Cadence and Finn entertaining her. Cadence only had Pugsley. Though he's a funny dog, he's no match for Cadence and Finn throwing a balloon in the air. Unfortunately, I don't have a video of Finn's first laugh, but he sure has a good, hearty laugh now!

Don't you just love the sound of baby laughter?

Izabel's Girl

2011-04-14T20:59:00.000-06:00

Happy 4th birthday, Izabel! Martina said that Izabel's favorite color is red, so there you go.

I was proud of myself because I crocheted this flower all by myself! My first crochet project. It was fun, and now I'd like to do more crocheting. There are so many different stitches you can do with crochet, it's just amazing how it all comes together.

We will be going to Izabel's birthday party this Sunday evening, at Chuck-E-Cheese. Needless to say, Cadence and Finn are ecstatic to be going there. I hope she likes her doll!

Maston Family Musicians

2011-04-14T10:46:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, we received a new treat...a piano! Some acquaintances were selling their church piano for pretty cheap, so we bought it. We've always wanted a piano and are so excited to learn to play better. I only learned the bare minimum of piano skills to pass my college music therapy proficiencies, but I'd actually like to learn to play (now that I'm not being judged or graded). We are excited to get the kids comfortable with the instrument and then start them in lessons once they're a little older (a couple more years for Cadence).

It didn't come with a piano bench, though. Once we get one, I am looking forward to making a piano bench cover using some cute, probably flowery, fabric.

Prior to our new piano delivery, though, the kids performed a lovely concert for me. Enjoy the refined music of the Maston Family Musicians!

Bike Ride

2011-04-13T14:22:00.000-06:00

Monday was such a beautiful day that we decided to go on a family bike ride to the "big" (as the kids call it) playground. It was a lovely 10-15 minute ride along the Spring Creek Trail through underpasses, over wood bridges, and by happy horses.

Brad pulled Cadence and Finn in the bike trailer and Aria rode with me in the baby bike seat. Every time we went through a tunnel or over a bridge, Brad and the kids would yell.

Once at the playground, the kids split! Cadence and Finn started climbing and sliding, while Aria headed for the baby swings and baby slide. She really likes to swing. (These playground pictures are from the "small" playground near our house, a different day).

Oh, no! Brad's hat shrunk! (Just kidding. It's Finn's.)

Such a pleasant day together. I love my family!

A Day at the Farm...I Mean, Grandma & Grandpa's

2011-04-09T19:45:00.000-06:00

Today we went out to Brighton to visit my parents. It was a grey morning, but cleared up to be a beautiful blue afternoon (though my mom still stayed in her double layer of clothes, a sweater and turtleneck, despite the warming of temperature).:)

We were greeted with hugs and kisses and then off to the backyard for an Easter egg hunt that my mom set up. Finn had to find the blue eggs and Cadence had to find the pink eggs. They were hidden in really hard places too, like the grass and the tree with no leaves. Just kidding, it was great! They had fun finding their eggs.

From there, the kids went promptly to the swings and slide. Poor Miss Aria was not feeling well today, due to new teeth, we think. So she was a bit of a grumpy pants, but she made it through the day relatively well. She was happy while swinging and strolling in the the stroller, though.

After lunch, my mom took the kids out to feed the neighbor's horses. Not only did they get to feed the horses hay and carrots, they got to sit on them too! The neighbor also let each of them take a turn driving the tractor down the street. I think Finn enjoyed honking the horn the most, while driving.

Finally, the wind picked up and the tumbleweed started rolling. So we knew it was time to go before we were swallowed to death by all those rolling weeds. It was a lovely Saturday with great food, great company, a great nap (for Brad) and great fun!

Happy 31st Birthday!

2011-03-27T20:17:00.000-06:00

It's the beginning of a wonderful year! I am truly blessed. Three beautiful children, a handsome and loving husband and an all powerful Savior who loves and protects me. Wow!

My day began with my amazing mom coming up to watch the kids so that I could go get an hour long massage (a Christmas present from Brad). It was divine. After that, I went to Starbuck's to cash in on my free birthday drink, and then headed to Target with the intent of buying a baby bicycle seat. My plans were changed when I stepped through those automatic doors and saw the dollar bins. There were so many fun Easter items that I decided to use my gift card to get the kids Easter presents. Very fun! I do plan to go back, though, and pick up that baby bike seat.

That afternoon was observation day at Cadence's dance class. It was such a treat to watch her dance. Some of my favorite Cadence dance moments were: 1)every time she spins she tilts her head to one side and closes her eyes, 2) when they were running through their routine, Cadence did all of the moves, but I could tell she was waiting for the part where they got to put their arms in the air and jump up and down. Her face lit up every time they got to that part. She is a beautiful dancer and I love watching her do something she enjoys.

Next, Brad came home and our date night began! Before leaving, though, Cadence and Brad sang happy birthday to me (Finn and Aria were napping) and I blew out the candles on the brownies the kids made for me with my mom. Cadence frosted her half in pink (Finn was going to frost his in blue).

Cadence made me this birthday card. Isn't it wonderful! She drew our whole family, including Pugsley (he's the circle). Aria is sitting on Brad's shoulders. Cadence and I have the long hair. What an artist!

We headed to Boulder to eat at my favorite restaurant, The Cheesecake Factory. The food was delicious!

From there, we walked a couple of blocks to Dushanbe Teahouse. The tea was warm and inviting, but more importantly, the conversation and time with Brad was wonderful. It was so nice to be able to talk to each other without interruptions. I love spending time alone with Brad and am so thankful God gave me such a perfect companion.

It was a wonderful birthday filled with tons of love and I am so happy to be 31!

Fort Maston

2011-03-21T15:02:00.000-06:00

We felt that Fort Collins did not have enough protection, hence, Fort Maston!

Phase one consisted of building a tunnel. Subsequent phases simply consisted of expansion. The kids wanted me to go on and on, all day, but we ran out of space and chairs. Once our fort crumbled, (I'm afraid we were our own worst enemy and broke down our walls from the inside out) that was that. I just didn't have the energy for another building project. I have to admit, I'm only an amateur builder. Our professional builder, Brad, was unavailable. His excuse...working; bringing home the bacon; earning a living for his family...or something like that.:)

Next, our apprentice builders, Cadence and Finn, moved on to a slightly smaller scaled project...cushion hills. Aria loved this! She was Queen of the Hill. She climbed to the top all by herself.

Hear her mighty and victorious roar!

Loco for Locomotives!

2011-03-11T10:44:00.001-07:00

For about a month now, every time we would pull into the garage Finn would see this Thomas the Train set we got from Joe and Martina and ask to play with it. I kept putting off taking it out because I knew that Aria would just knock it down and he would get mad...drama, drama, drama. Well, yesterday, I caved and set it up while Aria was napping. I have to admit, I quite enjoyed connecting all his pieces and making our very own "Island of Sodor". Once Aria awoke, we had the expected drama, but we are dealing with it.

Finn loves to carry this cardboard background around (in the above picture). He lays it down and points out and names all the trains he has and those that he doesn't. He has made it quite clear that he doesn't have James or Gordon. I wonder if he's hinting at something?

To combat The Monster of Sodor, aka Aria, we decided to set our island up outside on the deck (thank you Lord for the beautiful weather), so that when the slumbering giant wakes this time, she won't be able to destroy it. Bonus = I don't have to keep setting it up every 10 minutes!

Just a day at the vet

2011-03-10T21:30:00.000-07:00

Look at this cute, post-surgery pug. If he had a purple bandage on his other leg they would look like wrist warmers and he could go for a jog. Brad dropped Pugsley off at the vet, bright and early, at 7:30. He went in for a much needed teeth cleaning (Aunt Jenny would be so proud) and growth removal from his eyelid. All went well, and he was out of surgery and coming out of the anesthesia by 10:30. He stayed at the vet until 3:30 for recovery, and then came home to us with this big smile and cute bandage. That was actually the first thing I said when I saw him, "Oh, he looks so cute with his ankle wrapped up." So, his eye looks much better, his teeth are pearly white, his breath smells great, and he's back to lying around on the couch. Good ol' pug! We love him!

Things

2011-03-08T22:03:00.001-07:00

Cadence has been asking me to make her a Canopy for her bed ever since we moved here. She had one at our townhouse, but it wasn't very secure and she pulled it down. So far, this one is still up! Granted, she is older and understands not to pull on it, like she did the last one, but it still gets little tugs and has not fallen. She is so cute. Every night, she closes the canopy around her head to block out Finn and all his noise and go into her private little "room" to sleep.

Cadence made these tissue paper flowers with Grandma and wanted to put them on the canopy. I think they are the perfect addition.

This is her view, looking up, from inside the canopy.

I found this pretty sheet, which MomPom said she used to have the same set, at the thrift store when Brad and I were on our date. I love these kinds of flower prints.

Can you tell which side is Cadence's and which is Finn's? Maybe Finn needs a camouflage canopy.

Here's our happy family, hanging out on the couch, watching "The Berenstein Bears" before bed (our normal nightly routine).

Finn needs to text his peeps.

Still texting his homies.

Aria was enjoying some delicious dinner, but got some of the "peek-a-boo" napkin stuck to her nose. An occupational hazard when you wear your food on your face.

Me: "You have something on your face." Aria: "Who, me?"

Eating is fun!

Aah, a sweet sister cuddle. Serene Cadence.

Creepy "Heeere's Johny!" Cadence.

Cuddly Cadence.

Smoochy Cadence.