On Saturday May 19th we walked for our 2nd time in Great Strides, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's walk to raise money for CF. This year we were lucky to have a young woman from our ward take us on as one of her service projects. She helped with the t-shirt design, as well as selling t-shirts, collecting money and distributing shirts, and she advertised and recruited friends to come walk with us. We were very grateful for her support. And we were blown away by the support we received. There were 62 teams at the walk, with a little over 600 total walkers. Our team alone had around 50 walkers!! While we did not crack the top five in terms of team fundraising (5th place was around $4,200), we did very well. I was touched by the number of people who contributed and by the amount we raised. Our walk day total was $1,445--which nearly triples what we raised last year!! I'm so grateful to everyone who donated. I am in process of designing a thank you card and hope to have everything out by the end of June. Our team and supporters deserve so much credit! With the momentum we got this year, I'm looking forward to do even more next year. (I just hope that our health and Finn's cooperates to give me the time I need to do some business fundraising.) Our local walk raised a total of over $140,000! Last year we had a set a record at $112,000, so this year was just amazing! And for the first time, I actually knew other CF families at the walk and it was so fun to see them there and actually see their CF kids. (Our kids are not allowed to come within 3 feet of each other so normally get-togethers don't actually involve the kids, so this was the first time to actually see these little guys in person. It was awesome!) As a thank you, I put together a video of our walk. It was such a fun day, rain and all, and we weren't even 5 minutes away before Kai said he wanted to do it again. What a great big brother he is!
Families are what make life rich. Love is what binds us together. Joy is being surrounded by both. ~Unknown
Monday, May 28, 2012
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Kai turns 5!
On Saturday May 12th we hosted our first-ever "friends' party" to celebrate Kai's 5th birthday. Planning this event stressed me out. I'm not good at creative things and the trend these days seems to be throwing over-the-top homemade parties with everything done cutesy and crafty. I so WISH I was one of those moms, but it's just not a talent I have. It took me a while to make peace with that and then once I did, Kai's party became a lot less stressful.
Kai decided he wanted a super-hero themed party and so we went to Wal-Mart to check out what was the available. Thankfully, Avengers is a pretty big movie right now (ha!) and all of that paraphernalia features several different superheroes, so we were all over that. We bought invitations, plates, napkins, cups, and even wall stickers. I planned on making a cake myself (note to self: you are also NOT a cake decorator.....suck it up and buy one next time!) and organizing the games.
The day before the party I was anxiously decorating a cake that did not turn out at all how I had envisioned it. (Let's say I pictured a beautiful perfect cake and I made a pile of yummy crumbs.) I also had to shop for our lunch items, make jell-o jigglers, and have Reid help cut-out the fabric for homemade capes. The morning of the party we were cleaning and organizing and decorating. It was practically a full-day affair.
We used the wall stickers to decorate the wall in the toy room with a city landscape littered with superheros. And then we set-up an obstacle course for our superheros in training. Upstairs we strung up the streamers and I added helium balloons to the rooms and the mailbox. Reid had to figure out a way to hang a pinata from our ceiling, too. Finally it was 10:59 and we were ready for our first party guest.
When the boys arrived we fitted them with their capes. Once most of the guests were there we headed to the basement where we had everyone run the obstacle course. Of course they all wanted to do it a few times! After that it was time for superhero sandwiches in the kitchen. We followed that with cake and ice cream. While we were doing all of that, a friend of ours was busy painting superhero masks on the boys' faces. After cake and ice cream we moved to presents where Kai received all kinds of great gifts. Finally, it was time for the pinata. I was so afraid the pinata would break before everyone had a chance, but it turned out to be much tougher than I thought and all of the boys got several turns before Kai finally took it down.
It was a good party. Lots of fun and lots of work, but worth it to see how happy Kai was. He was so funny as every time someone wished him "Happy Birthday" he would say, "It's not my birthday. It's my birthday party!" I tried to explain to him and I failed. Oh well. We all laughed.
The day of his birthday was actually a school day. So, I sent him to school with chocolate chip cookies and he was happy. Later that day he opened the gifts from family which included a bicycle from us and he has been elated ever since. Now I just have to get him riding it more!
I can't believe he's five already! I miss my little man, but I love seeing him grow up and become such a good kid. I'm proud of him and I look forward to the next five years and beyond. Happy Birthday sweet Kai!
Kai decided he wanted a super-hero themed party and so we went to Wal-Mart to check out what was the available. Thankfully, Avengers is a pretty big movie right now (ha!) and all of that paraphernalia features several different superheroes, so we were all over that. We bought invitations, plates, napkins, cups, and even wall stickers. I planned on making a cake myself (note to self: you are also NOT a cake decorator.....suck it up and buy one next time!) and organizing the games.
The day before the party I was anxiously decorating a cake that did not turn out at all how I had envisioned it. (Let's say I pictured a beautiful perfect cake and I made a pile of yummy crumbs.) I also had to shop for our lunch items, make jell-o jigglers, and have Reid help cut-out the fabric for homemade capes. The morning of the party we were cleaning and organizing and decorating. It was practically a full-day affair.
We used the wall stickers to decorate the wall in the toy room with a city landscape littered with superheros. And then we set-up an obstacle course for our superheros in training. Upstairs we strung up the streamers and I added helium balloons to the rooms and the mailbox. Reid had to figure out a way to hang a pinata from our ceiling, too. Finally it was 10:59 and we were ready for our first party guest.
When the boys arrived we fitted them with their capes. Once most of the guests were there we headed to the basement where we had everyone run the obstacle course. Of course they all wanted to do it a few times! After that it was time for superhero sandwiches in the kitchen. We followed that with cake and ice cream. While we were doing all of that, a friend of ours was busy painting superhero masks on the boys' faces. After cake and ice cream we moved to presents where Kai received all kinds of great gifts. Finally, it was time for the pinata. I was so afraid the pinata would break before everyone had a chance, but it turned out to be much tougher than I thought and all of the boys got several turns before Kai finally took it down.
It was a good party. Lots of fun and lots of work, but worth it to see how happy Kai was. He was so funny as every time someone wished him "Happy Birthday" he would say, "It's not my birthday. It's my birthday party!" I tried to explain to him and I failed. Oh well. We all laughed.
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| Most of the boys...well, the ones who were on time. :) |
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| Our party kept just growing larger as the time passed. |
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| Blowing out the candles |
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| I'm so glad there's no close up of this mess of a cake! |
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| Superhero costume gear from Bennett |
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| Everyone had to help Kai open his presents! This is a hotwheels track from Drake. |
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| Tanner taking a swing at the pinata |
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| Collecting some of the candy |
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| Joseph and Eli with their faces painted. Kai opted out of the face painting--silly kid! |
The day of his birthday was actually a school day. So, I sent him to school with chocolate chip cookies and he was happy. Later that day he opened the gifts from family which included a bicycle from us and he has been elated ever since. Now I just have to get him riding it more!
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| Opening his presents from Grandma. She did a great job this year. He LOVED them! |
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| We haven't started his aquasaur tank yet, but he's very excited about it. |
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| Both boys loved the card--as always. |
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| His new "training bike" as he calls it. |
I can't believe he's five already! I miss my little man, but I love seeing him grow up and become such a good kid. I'm proud of him and I look forward to the next five years and beyond. Happy Birthday sweet Kai!
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Seven Falls
There are about 4 months of "warm" weather here in Colorado and I set-out each summer to take full advantage of every nice day. Last week we had Reid's older brother, Cordell, visiting with us and so we decided to show him some of Colorado. After picking Kai up from school on Thursday morning (the 10th), we headed down to Seven Falls. We have lived here for 4 years and have never been. We enjoyed it and I wished we had more time to finish a hike. If the entrance fees weren't so pricey, I would go right back so that we can finish the hikes. Maybe we will another day...
To get up to the hikes you have to climb 224 stairs. They are steep and narrow (my size 7 shoe hung over the front and back end of the step). I was nervous about the boys on the stairs, but Kai did fantastic. In fact, he put the adults to shame! He went all the way up and all the way down all by himself and with us telling him to slow down so we could keep up. Finn managed to go up about a quarter of the way and then wanted me to carry him. So I carried him the rest of the way up. He actually managed to go all the way down by himself (with me holding his hand). I was impressed!
After Seven Falls, we decided to take a quick swing through Garden of the Gods before doing dinner at Freddy's. It was a good day and we completely wore the boys out! Mission accomplished!
To get up to the hikes you have to climb 224 stairs. They are steep and narrow (my size 7 shoe hung over the front and back end of the step). I was nervous about the boys on the stairs, but Kai did fantastic. In fact, he put the adults to shame! He went all the way up and all the way down all by himself and with us telling him to slow down so we could keep up. Finn managed to go up about a quarter of the way and then wanted me to carry him. So I carried him the rest of the way up. He actually managed to go all the way down by himself (with me holding his hand). I was impressed!
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| At the bottom of the falls |
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| There is an elevator that takes you to a look out point for better viewing. That's where this balcony is. |
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| What they were looking at through the binoculars. |
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| Talking to his Uncle Cordell about the falls |
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| Shorty falls....one of the 7 |
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| At the half-way point on the way up the stairs. I was so out of breath at this point that I had to sit down. |
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| We have two little boys who love to "hike". I can't wait for them to be big enough to start doing some real hikes with their dad. They are going to LOVE it! |
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| I LOVE this picture! Finn saw Kai posing while I was counting so he posed for the camera , too. It's awesome! |
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| Two little boys in front of a big rock |
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| The first set of stairs on the way down |
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| Reid and Kai descending the stairs |
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| The final set of stairs to get down |
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| Cordell taking a picture at Garden of the Gods |
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
For the past year we have had a family membership to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. It has been fun for us and as you have probably noticed, we have taken many trips. We actually have several friends who still want to go with us to the zoo, so we will probably be renewing the membership next month.
May in Colorado is still a bit unpredictable. There are days that it snows, and days that it is 80 degrees outside. You never really know what you're going to get until a few days before. Going into Friday May 4th, it looked like it was going to be nice and I was craving an outing. That morning I decided that after Kai's soccer class we would take a low-key trip to the zoo. We went to soccer as normal, headed to the post office and the bank, and then stopped at the Subway in Wal-Mart for lunch. We then took the 35 minute drive to the zoo. We got right as others were stopping for lunch, but it was still quite crowded. I hadn't anticipated all of the school groups that would be there. We still had a good time, though, even stopping for ice cream. It's a good thing the boys like the zoo as we will probably be heading back a few more times this summer.
May in Colorado is still a bit unpredictable. There are days that it snows, and days that it is 80 degrees outside. You never really know what you're going to get until a few days before. Going into Friday May 4th, it looked like it was going to be nice and I was craving an outing. That morning I decided that after Kai's soccer class we would take a low-key trip to the zoo. We went to soccer as normal, headed to the post office and the bank, and then stopped at the Subway in Wal-Mart for lunch. We then took the 35 minute drive to the zoo. We got right as others were stopping for lunch, but it was still quite crowded. I hadn't anticipated all of the school groups that would be there. We still had a good time, though, even stopping for ice cream. It's a good thing the boys like the zoo as we will probably be heading back a few more times this summer.
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| Going down the slide at the zoo "playground" |
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| He's turning into such a good boy! I love him and I love this expression. He was having a good time. |
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| We got to see the grizzly right up close! |
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| My boys love to play "birds". They climb in a big bucket and put another big bucket on top and then they hatch out and want me to feed them and teach them how to fly. So, these eggs were perfect for my little "birds". |
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| The train costs $1 per ride. I don't carry cash but luckily had $2 on me at the time. I walked up to ask the train operator how much it was for a ride thinking there was no way we'd have enough. Another mom was just getting her child off of the train and handed me two tickets for free train rides! The boys were in heaven and didn't want to get off. So after our free rides I decided I would pay for a second ride. The train operator told me not to worry about it. She said since there was no one else around or waiting that she would just run it again free of charge. It made my boys' day and it showed me that there are still good people in the world. What a great treat! |
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| Finn was exhausted at this point but he LOVED this train. He talked about it for a week straight after this. I will be bringing cash the next time we go to the zoo! |
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Easter Pictures
I know Easter was over a month ago, but well, it's been busy here. Some are some pictures from our low-key Easter.
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| Waiting for the eggs is always difficult! |
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| Jello eggs |
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| Finn's Easter basket |
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| The Easter bunny didn't bring much candy, but did bring Imaginext airplanes. They were a big hit! |
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