Just Sharin'...

I *think* these are my favorites from my most recent session, although every time I look at them I see different things and gravitate to different ones:

I have another session on Saturday with a lovely family from my neighborhood that I did last year too! Here were my favorites of them from last year:

That is, if the snow melts and we get our Fall scene back outside!

Oh! In other exciting news, it turns out Warren's football team did make the playoffs so the season is in fact not over. They play on Saturday morning against Broomfield. Go Outlaws!!

Friday Phone-fare!

{Getting water bottles and raisins at Costco for National Walk to School Day.  The boys helped me hand them out to kids that came to school on foot.  It was cute, Jack kept shouting "get your free raisins and water here!"}

{Warren is doing two after school clubs that just started this week.  Homework club (he loves it and got so much of his homework done there on Monday!) and Cupstacking.}

{With one of his best buddies!}

{I had to drag Nolan out of the girl toy aisle the other day.  He has a soft spot for babies...good thing!  I finally scheduled my first OB appt.  I am a little gun shy so going later than normal this time to avoid any drama, hopefully.}

{Nolan loves cake.  He had been asking me to make him a happy birthday Halloween cake for several days, so I finally obliged.  The boys ate every crumb over three days.}

{Little Nolan standing in as the model while I tested out this location for a photo session on Thursday with two little boy cousins.  Will share a few of those soon!}

{It's fun to watch things grow!  My paperwhites went from this...}

{To this, in less than a week! Can't wait for them to bloom!}

It's not often I go a week without updating here.  Life is full and busy.  The daily routine goes by at warp speed most days and before I know it I am already upstairs for the night, enjoying my one on one homework/study time with my oldest.  We had been doing homework right after school before football practice, but it was too chaotic especially when I have the little neighbor girls too.  He would get his work done, but the quality wasn't quite up to par.  So, we switched it up and now do homework after dinner, when Jack and Nolan are already in bed.  I moved his desk into my room.  I sit and fold the day's laundry and he does an awesome job on his work.  Then I usually let him watch an episode of Property Brothers or House Hunters (the kid loves real estate!), before going to bed.  He is staying up a bit later than previous, but it is worth it.  I love it when I change something up like this for the better! 

I have been feeling quite a bit more nauseous and pregnant each week, which I am taking as a good thing for the likelihood that this is a good pregnancy. I can't wait until after this first ultrasound to be able to share our good news openly!

Jack had his last baseball camp session last night.  He came home and immediately went to the basement with Daddy to practice what he had learned.  So cute!  Warren had his first football game in the snow last Saturday in Evergreen.  They kicked butt and won!  Then they scrimmaged a 4th grade team on Tuesday and didn't fare too badly considering the mismatch of size etc.  They play again today in Wheatridge, which is apparently the number one team in the league, not only are they undefeated, but no team has yet to score a touchdown on them.  Yikes. 

Then I have another picture session tomorrow!  And another typical busy week ahead. 

I should really call it Sunday Phone-Fare...

...but whatever.

Here are the latest cell phone pics from approximately the last 7 days:

{Such a huge step for these "do it yourself-ers" to hire someone to paint our fireplace surround white...but oh so worth it!}

{Bryan was able save his back for the real painting!}

{The first wall to be completed with the new color.}

{Friday night, just Warren and I drove all the way to Long Ranch Park football field way in West Arvada for his game.  It was scenic and made even more so when the Outlaws lined the horizon to relieve themselves.  I saw just about every mom there taking this exact same picture with her phone :) }

{And they played until late, under the lights, and had a decided victory by a long shot.  We met up with Daddy, Jack and Nolan at Old Chicago's to celebrate.  They missed this game for Jack's baseball camp.  Yup, we are to the point of divide and conquer already with the kids' sports!}

{And the next few pics are teasers for what we did on Saturday.  We drove for over two hours somewhere awesome to stay the night.}

{There were Night Crawlers...}

{And the view from the master bed wasn't half bad... can you see my foot?}

Much more to come...

But for now, I am exhausted.  Starting to feel more nausea by the day and I have a super busy day tomorrow.  Helping out in Warren's class every Monday morning.  Throw in a play date for Jack and the usual grind and I better be eating some Wheaties in the morning.

This past few days...

...were a busy blurr.

Jack started his baseball camp.  He looks GOOD with a baseball glove.  I love these 6 weeks camps that are put on by a nearby high school retired coach.  Such a good introduction to a sport - Warren did the basketball one last year and loved it. 

We had the Outlaws pancake breakfast fundraiser at Applebees early (early!) on Saturday morning.  Watching my big boys hustle around carrying plates and saying things like "may I clear any of your plates?" and "may I seat you?" completely melted my heart and was reinvigorating after the major butt-whopping they got by the Golden team the night before.  As usual, my neighbors who showed up reinforced the fact that we have a kick-ass community who all supports each others' kids in a way that makes me swell with pride. 

Speaking of our neighborhood, we had our end of the Summer picnic/BBQ, wherein there are always many highlights like our tent nearly blowing away this year and the kids re purposing the corn hole game, shirts optional. 

By Sunday morning though, I was tired and so very crabby about keeping up the house. My {self-diagnosed OCD} was kicking in big time and all I could see was fingerprints covering the entire house. SO, we packed it up and headed out! Anywhere! Ended up in Nederland for a perfect day of awesome Wild Mountain BBQ lunch, underground thrifting :), eating blueberries right out of the clam shell, letting kids each pick out a toy (Nolan got a train, Jack got a dinosaur "fossil", and Warren picked a Newton's cradle) from a local "Science Store", riding the Carousel of Happiness, eating ice cream in a re purposed railroad car, and walking to Chipeta Park where the kids had a dirty all out blast before piling up in the car and making the trek home just in time for a big Costco haul. Whew. That had to be a run-on sentence but I am too lazy to proof read today.

{Looking leery of the Carousel of Happiness}

{Oh hello, Mama Lawson... future homesteader??... Hmmmm....}

We took highway 72 from our house to Nederland and that route offered a much more authentic peek into the mountain lifestyle. All the way there my mind was gradually letting go of the grime at home and marveling at all the rustic cabins we were passing. I couldn't help but wonder what that would be like. Having a homestead with some land. I spend so much time maintaining this house, it is exhausting at times. Wouldn't it be great to try on a different living arrangement for size?? Ahhhhh, or maybe I just need a vacation from the monotony of my suburban life ;) At any rate, I wonder if we would have still chosen this house and location had we known we would be a single income family with three (and I'm SURE we'll end up with a fourth boy someday soon, hi Roman! ;) ) rowdy rough and tumble boys. Maybe it's the third generation Alaskan that is coming out in me but sometimes I wonder if I am not more suited for a less cookie cutter existence. What would my Great Grandma, Nola, who homesteaded in gold mining camps in Talkeetna and authored Talkeetna Echos and Talkeetna Cronies think...

Anyhow, I'm definitely not done with this train of thought but the Sunday routine is calling and I've got three seriously filthy boys to feed and wash and put to bed!

at the beginning

It's fun to sit back and watch something great start.  Like Warren's love of football and how proud he was that they won their first game on Saturday against Arvada.  How the parents all made a human tunnel for them to run through and more than one kid asked "did we win, coach?"  So cute.  We are at the beginning of a long journey through our kids' years of games, practices, scrimmages, team pictures, pancake breakfast fundraisers, and team meetings.  I am a happy passenger on the journey!

{A journey that started many many years ago, when Daddy himself was in peewee football}

{Can you see #7?}

{So amazed how well these kids actually played the game.}

{Warren even requested the under eye black stickers that come with a pencil to write on them.  Wants me to write his brothers' names on them for Friday's game! Cuteness overload...}

{This is not relevant at all, but Nolan fell asleep at the top of the stairs yesterday and so that is where he napped. He is low-key about his napping venues.}

Another beginning? Watching these two starts their journey towards marriage, as I got to take some engagement pictures at the Broadmoor last weekend of Aunt Jenn and her fiance, Mike.

{Love her hair piece!  And the candid moment here.}

{Check out her gorgeous sparkler!}

{It was surprisingly cold and windy at the Broadmoor that morning, but the water behind is such a great backdrop!}

{He's a lucky guy!}

{I can see the cute little kiddos already :)}

I think it is the start of something good...and maybe some cousins on the horizon? :)