Ten years…What!?!?!?  I cannot believe that my little angel baby just turned double digits.  She had a family party at home this year.  She had her very best friend for a sleepover.  They had a blast making the birthday cupcakes together.  I had to make these pics black and white because the girls had crazy blue teeth from all the frosting.   Happy birthday to our sweet and sassy girl!

 

And….the very colorful 10th birthday cupcakes…..

 

 

Happy day baby Paige!

Momma

We took the kids to Playa del Carmen, Mexico last week for winter break.  We had so much fun and were really sad to see the week come to an end.  Until next time….

 

 

Sam, our archeologist in the making, really wanted to go see some ruins.  There is no shortage of ruins in this part of Mexico.  We took the bus about an hour south to the Tulum ruins.  These ruins are right on the water which means gorgeous views and cooler breezes.  We also saw about a million lizards…

 

Scott was really excited to take the kids snorkeling and lucky for us we were only a taxi ride away from this beautiful lagoon.  Alice and Mason enjoyed the snorkeling the most of all of us.

 

After a full morning of snorkeling, we walked down the beach road to a small restaurant/bar.  This was the view from our table.

 

 

The sunrises were spectacular. I took this picture right off of our deck.

Mason was happiest when his siblings chose to build sand castles with him.  Two buckets and a few shovels from Wal-Mart and we were set for the week.  The older three had a blast with some hand me down boogie boards.  Thank you to the family who went home on the day we arrived!

 

 

 

 

Closer to the end of our week, we ventured north to a crocodile sanctuary called Crococun.  The kids held crocodiles, snakes and birds.  They also fed deer and monkeys…

The coolest and most terrifying point in our guided tour was the walk through the croc exhibit.  There are no fences or railing, just one sidewalk through about 30 full-grown crocodiles.  This guy below kept swishing his tail and it was freaking me out!  He was big and so were his teeth!

 

 

 

Scott and I celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary and even got out for a nice dinner sans kids.  We had so much fun together and are pretty sure that we will go back…hopefully for a longer stay!

Jennifer

Yep.  That’s right.  We went to a puppy birthday party.  This was not just any puppy party….it was Rosie’s party (and the other pups in her litter).  There was ice-cream cake, party hats, leis and lots of puppy playtime.  It was pretty cute and a great way to get ten Newfoundlands all together in one spot. Many thanks to Marcy for hosting and Victoria for organizing.  I have to admit that this was probably the only dog birthday party I have ever attended.  Probably the last…

Enjoy the total puppy cuteness.

We all fell in love with Gus, the newest (12 week old) puppy.  Adorable.

 

Running Max.  Small in stature but not lacking in cuteness.

 

The kids had a blast watching the dogs play in the snow.  Of course, our dog loves the snow.  Thank goodness.

 

Big daddy, Zander.  He is a gorgeous Newfoundland.

 

Mama Bella.  She tried really hard to stay out of the mix but her puppies really like to antagonize her.

 

Another picture of Gus.  He was just so photogenic…

 

Those eyes…

 

Mama with her birthday bow.  She was a good sport….for a minute.

 

Lily kept her eye on the party from her spot in the kitchen.

Here’s our birthday girl.  She loved that lei so much, she ate it.

 

Rosie watching Max get his ice cream from a fork.  Jealous much?

 

Gracie keeping her eye on her sisters.

 

 

 

Happy Birthday, Rosie!!!!!

Happy Sunday to you all!

Jennifer

Buh-Bye Christmas Tree.

Probably one of my favorite evenings in Frisco is the annual burning of the Christmas trees.  Everybody dumps their tree in to one big pile and then about a month later the town sets them all on fire. It is a super fun community event and slightly bananas.  The kids sled on an enormous snow pile and the adults stand around trying not to lose another down puffy to the raining embers.  Unfortunately, Mason was sick so Scott drew the short straw and stayed home.  After about two hours of throwing trees on the fire, the town sets off fireworks from the marina to end the evening.

Always a good time, Frisco.  Until next year.  Now, where did I put that k-tape?……..

Alice had her last nordic race of the season today.  She skied really well.  It is so cool to see her improvement week to week.  Way to go Alice!  It was a gorgeous morning, 50 degrees and sunny, perfect!

 

These kids work so hard and really push themselves up and down serious hills.  They sure do make it look easy but we know it takes a ton of work….

Happy Saturday!  Looking forward to Spontaneous Combustion tonight (as long as everyone stays upright and healthy):)

Jennifer

Wow, has it really been two whole weeks since I have posted?  I have been trying to get back to this blog for a few days but nordic skiing, alpine skiing, taekwondo, and basketball have been taking up a lot of my time.  When you add in work, we are going all the time.  Did I tell you that I started a new job at the beginning of the month?  Well, I did.  I started working at the local elementary school four days a week as a special needs paraprofessional.  I LOVE the challenge and the extra bit of money isn’t bad either:)  Regardless of how busy we stay, we try to save time to enjoy the things we love like playing outside, going to church and spending time as a family.  Last weekend, Scott and Sam went out for an early morning skin up Copper Mountain and brought us back some yummy donuts.  Because I am not allowed to post without kid pictures….

Mason…enjoying his sprinkled donut!!!

Happy Sunday.  I hope you all have a super week with lots of glorious snow (and some sun too)!!!

Jennifer

Monday evenings are usually pretty quiet around here but last night we were b.u.s.y.  Paige had her first basketball game.  Unfortunately, only three out of seven players showed up for the game so the ones that showed played for the full hour.  They worked really hard and were tired when it was over:)

Mason had a taekwondo test for his yellow belt as well so we hustled right from the game to his testing. He did great and knew all the moves in his form. He is really enjoying this new activity and taking it very seriously.

And now it is Tuesday!  I hope you all have a great day!

Jennifer

Gettin’ warmed up after a long day of skiing.

Hot chocolate really hits the spot!

 

 

Happy Sunday Funday to you all!

Jennifer

Alice and a teammate waiting in the chute for their start.  They were one and two to go (every 15 seconds).

 

I love this picture of Alice.  This was the face she made after she came through the finish.  She left it all out on the course and we are so proud of her.  She is definitely getting faster and is really enjoying nordic racing.

 

 

Sam had an alpine race on Friday but Scott and I both had to work so we were unable to see him race.  He had a ton of fun, stayed up on his skis and had a pretty good course time.  We are hoping to get to the next race and I can get some pics.

Happy Saturday,

Jennifer

It’s a new year!  Everybody loves a fresh start.  January is always a time for us to sit back and take a deep breath.  December is a busy time for most but because the holidays is our busiest time at work, it seems like we don’t get a chance to really rest and reflect until after the New Year has started.

This year….

I want to take better pictures. I am going to use some Christmas money and take a photography class.

I am going to buy less processed and make more homemade.  Hummus…salsa…nut butters…falafel…

I am going to run two half marathons.

I am going to put my phone/computer/iPad down and play more with my kids.

I am going to start lifting weights, along with running (well, I am not getting any younger).

There you have it, in writing:)  

Happy New Year!  May 2015 be full of joy (and some wine…).

(obligatory grandparent picture)

Jennifer