Our Little Artist!

Elizabeth's 1st grade musical was upon us. The three 1st grade classes at Peabody practiced for the entire first half of the school  year. We had the VanDusseldorps over for mini pizzas and then we all braved the snow storm and took a seat in the back!

(That's why my photos are so terrible.) 

 After the lovely music performance, families retreated to the main hallway to view some lovely 1st grade art!

Each of the kids wore a unique fish around their necks.

We searched high and low for Elizabeth's art, with no success. Elizabeth later found out that the art wasn't up because she hadn't finished it! I guess we will check it out when she comes home with it. 

Thank you to the VanDusseldorps and the Eastwoods for supporting Elizabeth. 

UNITED IN ORANGE...For Life!

As we all know, the entire state of Colorado became tickled orange and blue when Payton Manning lead the Denver Broncos to the playoff this season. After a great regular season, Broncos fans across the nation prepared themselves for the Super Bowl! 

We spent the four weeks of the playoffs cheering on our team and supporting them by proudly rocking orange and blue in any way possible.

Peabody had weekly spirit days and each Friday the playground was flooded with team spirit!

Even Owen and Gus joined in the excitement that filled the cool Denver air!

 There was no question that the Broncos would make it to the Super Bowl...

...and they did!

With no efforts to contain our excitement we spent the two weeks leading up the big game preparing to vicariously hoist the Lombardi trophy!

There were decorations...

 

..and beer pong...

 ...and delicious food...

 ...and friends!

 Hosting the big party is never an easy feat. There were 13 kids at our house so it was important that we had entertainment planned. 

The kids spent hours out in the snow building an igloo!

The final product.

 We also set up a TV in Elizabeth's room. We filled the room with snacks and the little kids spent most of their time watching Croods!

 The grown ups had a TV in the kitchen so that we wouldn't have to miss a play.

 The game began, and then it ended. Period.

With heavy heads and heavy hearts, we watched the Denver Broncos destroy their chances of victory, one disappointing play at a time.

There's always next year...or something like that!

If nothing else, we enjoyed great company throughout the entire season. I am always amazed at how a game can bring so many people together. The Broncos ultimately brought the community together. We were UNITED IN ORANGE and even though Seattle got the homecoming parade, we are true Broncos fans at heart and we will look forward to next season, undoubtedly!

YeeHaw!

It had been a while since we've had a girls night! The PBR Finals couldn't have come any sooner! Cara, Dana, Jen, Wintre and myself pulled on our cowgirl boots and headed on out to the Stock Show! 

But first we "tailgated" in the parking lot at Dana's office with these Angry Balls! (Nothing about that statement sounds right!)

 It had been a long time since I had been to the stock show. When I was young, my Grandparents would take us every year. 

 Now that we're older, we get to enjoy a different side of the stock show! Including the Coors Bull!

The cowboy asked Cara not to touch this...animal...but she couldn't resist! 

 I LOVE MY FRIENDS! 

Nate would have loved this GIANT smoker!

 We had purchased tickets for the PBR Finals! 

We were giddy to see the bull riders. Introductions included fire!

PBR!

And then the bull riders came out! 

 As always, we had a great time with one another. 

Looking forward to our next Ladies' Night!

A New Year Begins

As I begin to pick myself apart in a yearly attempt to develop New Years Resolutions, I decided that it would be beneficial to first reflect on some of the experiences, both good and bad, that we shared in the past year.

Grandma Liz and our trip to Iowa. Summer Fun. Tiny Town. Train Museum. Estes Park. Swimming and volleyball at KPP. BBQs with friends. Girls nights. Date nights. OUR NEW HOME and the adventures that followed. Grand Lake. Life with epilepsy. Continuation from Kindergarten into the 1st grade. Preschool. Elizabeth turned 7. Abigail turned 4. Soccer. Gymnastics. Social Work. Jewish Family Service. PTO. 6 years of marriage and going strong. Wedding. AHS tragedy. August John. Owen Bruce. Hosting our first Thanksgiving. Christmas Party.

We are very excited to begin a new year. We ended 2013 and began 2014 with friends! In years past, we have gone out to dinner with a couple of couples while the kids stayed at home with sitters. This year, we all decided that we wanted to share the holiday with our kids. We joined Dana at the Syers' house for a surf and turf dinner, a Whiskey tasting, games and good conversation. 

Nate and Wes decided that they are going to become whiskey aficionados! They picked up a couple of different whiskeys and had a blind tasting. Yes, they even took notes and voted on their favorites. 

We all brought sides to share and our own steaks. I found some lobster tail at the store and thought it would be a great addition to our dinner.

YUM! 

 I found a box of noise makers and party hats at Party City. The kids enjoyed them and likely shared germs with one another. 

 The kids played and watched The Croods while we enjoyed our adult dinner. Then we had a mini New Years celebration with the kids at 9:30 which allowed them to fall asleep (which my kids DID NOT do)! We had confetti poppers and glow sticks. 

Brrrrrr....

 We three and our fancy Happy New Year tiaras. 

 We cleaned up after dinner and played board games and this sneaky roulette game, which Elizabeth was strangely amused by!

 Then we played Ticket to Ride. The boys had a beer tasting in store but we had all eaten so much at dinner that we were tired and full! A relaxing game hit the spot as we killed the last hour before the countdown. 

I think that 2014 is going to be a great year. With the exception of the obvious "new beginnings" resolutions such as health, weight loss and organization, I plan to enjoy the year to its fullest. We are always so busy and I am guilty of overextending myself. I look toward a growing passion to strengthen relationships with friends, family members, and with God. I also look forward to graduation in May and the beginning of my career which is on the horizon. I will be turning 30 in November and am excited about that as well! I have accomplished so much, not only this year, but in the past few years. I am a blessed wife, mother, and individual and I look forward to moving into the new journeys that 2014 will bring! 

HAPPY NEW YEAR! MAY 2014 BRING YOU MANY BLESSINGS!