I have great kids.

While it can sometimes be easy to find fault with my "predicament," lately I am feeling way more like reveling in my membership to the elite club of
"Boy Mom."

Because...

I have great kids.

They are all...

Compassionate and generous.

Outgoing and friendly.

Super smart.

And more than a little cute!

So there, I've said it. I have great kids. Don't feel sorry for me even though I live in a house with an {over}abundance of noise, chaos, wrestling, dirt, bruises, and smells.

It truly is my joy to be the proud keeper of these little men... and if anyone can do it -- it's me!

Caprisun Love

Nolan, making out with his Caprisun at his Best Friend's birthday party yesterday.

Pretty obvious from the look on his face what a treat juice is?? :)

Teasers

Just a couple of birthday party teasers... just because I have an extra minute.

{Wearing his straw hat, taking a break from riding his horse, eating a vanilla wafer.. all while Mama decorates the house for the party. Rough life!}

{Rockin' his "Thing 3" shirt and his Cat in the Hat balloon hat from the balloon twister we hired.}

Looking back through the pictures reminds me of how much fun he had and how many people showed up to celebrate our little man's special day. We are SO blessed!

Dog Days of Summer 2011

Maybe it's just writer's block, but I haven't had the desire to put up and narrarate Nolan's birthday party pictures or document all the little things that are going on around here lately. Suffice it to say he made out like a bandit with toys, clothes and college money and had a blast. I will get around to sharing pictures soon enough. In the meantime...

It is hot.

School starts in just over 3 weeks! (not that I'm counting down or anything...)

***

We seriously love our town. Out with the old {mall} and in with the new! We watched for about 30 minutes as the demolition commenced. Can't wait for the redevelopment!

I'm sure we'll end up with another destination close to home that we will love, just like the promenade with the splash pad, Higgy's, and the singing horse statues.

Potty training Nolan, take two.

We had been letting bedtime slip later and later until Warren even saw 10:30 one night recently. Reeling that in and getting some drama when it's bedtime. Crocodile tears don't scare me...

And so it begins.

This kid has been working hard at Speed and Agility Camp, running ladders and the like.

And is now the proud owner of shoulder pads, with the rest of the uniform coming on Tuesday after the fitting with his FOOTBALL TEAM! And so it begins...

This kid, the one who always puts his cap on backwards and tries so hard to ride Jack's monster trike:

He just celebrated his SECOND birthday on Saturday (real birthday is today!) in grand fashion at his cowboy themed party,

With his two other "things", a slew of neighbors, family, and friends... and his beaming parents!

He is now officially a toddler! And so it begins...

What do you do when Mom isn't feeling well?

Make a huge "blankie nest," covering nearly the whole living room floor of course!

Then raid the suckers and help yourself, while big brother uses Mama's nice camera (a big "no-no") to document all the shenanigans.

Good thing you guys are cute, and the pictures weren't half bad!

Oh, Jack!  Those eyes and that smattering of freckles... they will get you far, my dear :)

Family Date Night

We do these often, maybe three times per month.  Strike out on the town with the kids and sometimes a plan.

I think this was on Saturday, the day before Eldorado Canyon but I could be wrong. 

We went downtown, walked the 16th Street Mall, took a "Storm Trooper Bus" :) and ended up eating at the place Bryan and I went on our first date... this time with a few extra men and a few less Margaritas!

{I had to order a mini Margarita from The Rio, so cute!}

It is kinda crazy to think that since we got married at the ripe old age of 23, all that has come to pass. So many houses and kids and trips and ups and downs. There was an unspoken toast with our "mama and daddy" drinks at the location of our very first date that night. Cheers to many more Family Date Nights!

After dinner it was raining very lightly, but that didn't stop us from dropping in to a cool downtown park we have always seen and wondered about.

{Too cool!}

Yesterday, I was a little sick feeling truth be told. It was weird, felt like maybe the flu but it would completely go away for several hours and then come back (I am NOT pregnant). So, point being the most ambitious thing I did yesterday was to remove all the temporary tattoos the boys plastered all over themselves.

It was a chore...

Anyhow, I am back to 100% today, heading to the rec center to go swimming in just a few minutes.

Thinking I need to start running again... maybe starting this evening.

Eldorado Canyon State Park

It's another picture dump post!

Boys loved looking at the crazy rock climbers with this telescope.  Why didn't I take a picture of the rock climbers? 

Nolan, living dangerously.  Haha it sersiously was not at all dangerous so it is funny to me that it looks like our toddler was walking on the ledge of a cliff in the pictures.

Now this... this may have truly been dangerous :)

Jack is becoming more and more of a dare-devil in his own rite.

And then the two of them together is a calamity in the making!

I absolutely LOVE this picture of Jack! 

Brothers....

Oh! It's amazing how much better it works when Daddy actually aims and focuses :)

The views...

Oh my!  Warren's outfit (he picked it out to wear hiking) which he got in Alaska last month.  The shirt is soooo funny, literally the mug of a charging bear, paired with his camo hunting pants.  He was READY!

So very pretty!

Peace out!  Until next time...

Just some pictures.

A book that stands the test of time, that even I might need to reread every now and then.  Oh yes, I am so very far from perfect!  I swear whenever we read this with the kids though they are extra good for a couple days and we can refer back to its simple yet resounding messages.

More and more these two are bonded and it is not unusual for me to see them holding hands sharing a piece of fruit in the gazebo in front of our house.  They both love fruit so much!

Maybe this is why childproofing never really worked for us???

No matter the Wii, iPod, iPad, computer, TV... the kids all LOVE the etchasketch and take turns making "masterpieces."

Bryan is using raw local honey (these from Lyons) to manage his mild seasonal allergies.  I always feel a little silly when I mention any health tips or anything like that, not being the least bit qualified outside of myself being a very healthy person (can't even recall last time I had so much as a cold and I am fit as a fiddle and even have LOW cholesterol), but a few things that we do around here that stand out are:

1. We use spinach on everything in place of any other lettuce, like tacos, sandwiches, etc.
2. We don't drink or even buy juice, opting out of those extra calories and sugar.
3. We love Ezekiel bread and all things whole grain and I am even experimenting with new seeds (outside of my usual flax seeds) and bought some Hemp and Chia (yup, like the Chia pet!).  They offer tons of antioxidants and Omega-3 and fiber.
4. We take a daily vitamin (even though I understand it's most likely not necessary) and I love to take one other supplement, right now Mega D3 with vitamin D, resveratrol and red wine extract.
5. We are active!  Kids are outside more than inside.  I clean my own house pretty much non stop all day activity there! 

They are working so hard this Summer!  And playing hard too and being plenty ornery and obnoxious at times.  But they are learning new things nonetheless!

Jumpin' Jordy's Bounce house is so close to our house and is a favorite desperate to get out and burn some little boy energy destination.  They throw themselves against the walls of the jumping castle, pretending a bomb has gone off.  Cracks me up every time. Boys... they are SO odd! :)

Ha!  Another "health tip": sleep.  And lots of it.  The boys go to bed early, even in the Summer, I know I am so mean.  But they need and benefit from the nearly 12 hours per night and I know I certainly benefit from some down time without kids.  Amen.

I may have created a monster :)  Bryan loves thrifting now too and recently found this Polycom projector for under $10, planning to sell it on ebay for a handsome profit!

This milestone really should have its own post, but I am all kinds of helter-skelter these days... so drum roll please... WARREN CAN SWIM!!  So proud as usual of the way he knocks these kinds of milestones out of the park.

Surely, Nolan loves his birthday present from Mama and Daddy.

Surely....

And one last one, just because I can't get enough of this scene, I should have been a teacher.

These are all just cell phone pics, since I have yet to figure out how to capture the candid in-the-moment life type images with my DSLR.  Everyone starts posing when I break that out.  Oh well...

We went to Eldorado Canyon today and hiked the Fowler trail there.  It was perfect.  Perfect weather, not a bug in sight, lots of rock climbers to gawk at, and a happy family of five trudging along enjoying this awesome State that we get to call home.  I have pictures to share from that too... and yes they are just more cell phone pics :)