FAVORITES TAG

This is my second tag in 2 days! Here's the info:

My Favorites Right Now Are: (drumroll, please)
Food: I love chicken enchiladas (today, tomorrow it might be something new)
Drink: really cold milk
Fruit: raspberries
Ice cream: Black Walnut
Candy bar: Mr. Goodbar
Music: country
TV Show: anything on FOOD NETWORK
Movie: White Christmas
Book: I read so many books every week, it's hard to choose... Um, I pick Fairest by Gail Carson Levine- it was cute, and my most recent read
Sound: my kids' laughter
Smell: fresh baked bread
Sight: the leaves changing color on the trees
Touch: Kellie's curls
Taste: hazelnut hot chocolate

Again- I tag Janice! You're it!

HUSBAND TAG

I've been tagged! I've put it off for a few days, but since my adoring fans want to know...
What is his name? Matthew Lane
Nicknames? Matt, Babe!,
How long have you been married? 9 years, 1 month and 14 days
How long did you date? 4 months until we were engaged, 4 more months until the wedding
How old is he? 31
Who eats more sweets? depends on the day- Matt eats more cookies, I eat more popcorn
Who said "I love you" first? I said it out loud first, but Matt had written it in a card first.
Who is taller? Matt
Who can sing better? Matt
Who is smarter? Academically, Matt is. Common Sense, me.
Who does the laundry? To be honest this is one job out of the many that Matt tackles most of the time. I REALLY hate laundry. I do it, but Matt probably stays on top of it most of the time.
Who pays the bills? Me mostly, but Matt has been known to help
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? me
Who mows the lawn? 98% of the time, it's Matt
Who cooks dinner? 98% of the time, it's me
Who drives? I normally let Matt drive, because it's easier than telling him to move out of the way so I can see around him. He claims it is just as important for the passengers to be aware of their surroundings as the driver, I claim it is more dangerous if the driver can't see his (or her) surroundings. I just get tired of telling him to sit back so I can see. It's not worth the arguing.
Who is more stubborn? Since I get to answer, I say Matt, but I can't guarantee he'd agree if you asked him first.
Who kissed who first? Technically, I kissed Matt first. He was so nervous. He kept leaning in to kiss me, and then he'd lose his nerve and lean back out. After about an hour of watching him teeter-tottering, I "took pity" on the poor guy and helped him out by just planting one on him. I think he was a bit surprised. So, it was Matt's idea first, but I helped him out a bit.
Who asked who out first? Matt called me. I was a bit surprised actually. At FHE, I would find Matt sitting next to me. Didn't talk to me, just sat there. Then, at a party at a friend's house, he somehow managed to sit by me. (silently) At church, he was right behind me. I was beginning to think that the guy never spoke to anyone, when out of the blue he called one afternoon. The rest, as they say is history. We were hardly ever separated after his initial "stalkings". (This makes him sound creepy, it really wasn't- he was kinda cute, really!)
Who proposed? Matt. But I wasn't really surprised, I knew it was coming, I just didn't know when. (He kidnapped my Teddy Bear and sent me on a scavenger hunt to get him back. At the end of the hunt, I got my teddy bear, some roses, and a ring on my finger!)
Who has more siblings? Me, Matt's an only child
Who wears the pants? I wear the "ALL THINGS DOMESTIC" pants, Matt wears all the rest

I send this on to JANICE, as her adoring fan, I'd like her to answer this tag!

Who Stole the Cookie...

Last week my visiting teacher's dropped some cookies off for me. They were in an old ice cream bucket with a lid. I had them on the counter, and since they had a lid on them, I figured they were safe. I was wrong.

First, Kellie just reached up and took them off the counter. (When did she get that tall?) I was extra surprised when I realized that she had mastered the art of opening buckets. Operation "Save the Cookies" began.

My next maneuver was to push the bucket all the way to the back of the counter, where she couldn't reach. I was outsmarted when I heard the familiar screech of my kitchen chairs scraping across the floor. Now when I hear this noise I know I have about 5 seconds before Kellie is into something. She's learned to push the chairs or ottomans over to whatever is out of reach and climb up. Once again, I made it just in time to save the cookies.

Throughout the day she tried standing at the counter pointing. Then she tried standing at the counter pointing and screaming. She tried getting Aaron to get them for her. She even tried buttering me up by hugging and snuggling then quickly running into the kitchen to wait expectantly. The girl definitely gets points for persistence.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not one of those moms who refuse to give her kids cookies or sweets, I just don't think she needs to eat them ALL DAY. She just will NOT stop until the bucket is empty.

You can imagine my surprise, when later that evening I happened to look over at my daughter. (She had been extra quiet for a while, so I figured something must be up...) There sitting on the floor was Kellie, happy as could be, savoring every bite of her chocolate chip cookie.

I did my mental checklist. She's not tall enough to get it herself. The boys were upstairs in the bath. I didn't hear a chair scraping across the floor. Now how did she get that cookie?

Upon further examination we found a child's rake on the floor in the kitchen. (A neighbor had given us the rake as a Happy 1st day of Fall gift earlier this week) We figure she must have used the rake to reach up and snag the bucket. How she managed to do it so quietly, I'll never know. We figured if she could resort to such desperate measures she deserved her treat. Here's the evidence...

Caught in the Act!

Her next defiant bite! (So there, Mom!)

Her choice of "weapon".

Matt's New Job

For the last 6 years, Matt has worked for the school district here. He started in the classroom at Greeley West, and three years and his Master's degree later, he ended up in the district offices as the Math Coordinator. During that time, Matt has been trying to decide what direction he wanted to take his career, and I think we've finally got it figured out.

In about 2 1/2 weeks, Matt will be taking over as the new Editorial Director over Math Content, for a company based outside of Longmont called Sopris West. They produce textbooks and curriculum for school districts and they specialize in interventions. Matt is so very excited, and although it's sad to leave the district here, we feel this is a really good move for Matt's career and for our family.

So the big question is: Will we be moving?

The answer is Yes, and No. We eventually want to be closer to reduce the 1/2 an hour commute, but we feel it is important that Aaron finish out the school year here, and it may take us a while to get our house on the market and sold. In the meantime, we are going to stay put and focus on paying off some things, so that when we do finally move, we have less to worry about. If all goes as planned, we'd like to be settled and moved before the next school year comes.

We look forward to starting this new adventure, and to being a little bit closer to family, but are so sad to think about leaving Greeley after living here for the past 10 years.

Aaron's Birthday

Aaron had a wonderful 7th birthday. All the kids in his class made cards to give him and at the end of the day I brought little mini cupcakes to share with his class. We opened gifts and enjoyed cake. Thanks to everyone who called and sent gifts and cards. You really helped make his day extra special! Aaron and his gifts.
It's always fun to get money! (Thanks Grandma J and Grandma Rose!)
Aaron and all his gifts. He got a Lightning McQueen race car, the new Thomas movie, a flashlight book, 2 other Ready to Read books, and some nice new clothes.
Aaron's Birthday cake.
"It looks just like a present with all that curly ribbon!"

Somebody's 7!

Aaron is 7 today! (I have baby pictures of Aaron, but I didn't have a digital camera until Aaron was 3, so this is the youngest picture of him I could find for this post.) I can't believe my oldest baby just isn't a baby anymore. I thought I would dedicate this post to all things Aaron- here goes...

1.) Aaron's due date was September 10. (All things considered I guess I'm glad that he was late since September 11th occurred in the year he was born.) He weighed 9 lbs 4 oz.

2.) Aaron loves spaghetti. He is especially fond of meatballs, and cheese on top is a must.

3.) When Aaron turned one, he got the movie Monster's Inc for his birthday. We went about a year when he would cry if he couldn't watch it- EVERY DAY. (sometimes more than once a day) Ironically, now it scares the eebeegeebees out of him.

4.) He is famous for saying, "When I was a little kid..."

5.) He has very neat handwriting for a 7 year old. He gets compliments!

6.) He loves to teach things to other kids. I understand that he is frequently trying to help kids on the playground learn how to swing. "You have to pump your legs, like this..."

7.) He loves the color blue. He was really upset when he realized that Caleb has blue eyes, and he doesn't. (By the way, Aaron has REALLY beautiful deep brown eyes, and really long, dark eyelashes that most girls would trade anything for!)

8.) For the first 2 years of his life, Aaron was either rocked, cuddled or walked to sleep. (Then we got smart, and after about a week of fussing, he learned to go to sleep on his own.) He has NEVER gotten out of bed once we put him in, either.

9.) He loves to play in the back yard with his dog, Sally. It's one of his favorite things to do. In fact, he is always looking out for the dog. "Mom, can we let her in?... Can she get out of her crate?... I need to hug her goodnight ... Will you tell her I love her while I'm at school?"

10.) He loves Cars and Thomas. A LOT. Sometimes, if you look closely at his schoolwork, in the corners, or on the back, he has drawn lightning bolts and the #95, like Lightning McQueen, the racecar.

It was brought to my attention that I forgot to mention Aaron's love of all cookies! He LOVES cookies, and is in heaven if you make them for him. Also, he LOVES blueberry muffins!

ZOO!

This Saturday we attended the Denver Zoo in honor of all our kids birthdays. It was a beautiful day. We got there at about 9 am and the weather was perfect. Sunny, but not too hot. The kids had such a good time. Here's some highlights:

My bears; Matt, Aaron and Caleb.

Aaron, Jordan and Caleb watching the monkeys.

Mr. Monkey.

Kellie, Julie, Aaron and Caleb with the statue of Klondike and Snow. (two polar bear twins that were born at the Denver Zoo. )

Aunt Melanie trying to point out the sleeping wolves to Caleb.

The baby Zebra.

The Sea Lion. (or is it a seal? I'm not sure!)

Baby Giraffe.

Kellie trying to get free from her "cage".

We ended our trip with a ride on the Zoo train. Caleb was so excited!

All aboard!

Back at Grandma and Granpa J's house we enjoyed cupcakes that Grandma had decorated with zoo animals. So cute!

Here they are!

Enjoying our cake!

Kellie got some necklaces to open even though her birthday is not officially until next month.

The boys opening their gifts.

Thanks for the books and movies from Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt Melanie and Uncle Jordan! You really helped make the day special!

My "Makeup Artist"

For those of you who are familiar with Kellie, you know that she loves chapstick! (or glue sticks that look like chapstick...) Anyway, this morning I found her with a tube of lipstick. She thought it was great! She painted her face, then her shirt and pants, and by the time I found her, the tube had melted in her hands and she was smearing it on the bookcase and the wall. I knew lipstick could melt- what I didn't know is how much my daughter would enjoy painting with it. Here's my little "makeup artist":

(Please ignore the hair. Like its owner, sometimes it has a mind of its own!)

Caleb's Birthday

This evening we enjoyed opening presents, followed by cake and ice cream. Caleb has been so excited all week and kept asking if it was time to find out what was inside them all. "Are they all for me, Mom? ALL of them?" Here's some of the highlights of this evening. Thanks to everyone who sent a gift or card, it helped make his day extra special!

Caleb and his presents.

Caleb and all his opened gifts!

The Polka dot cake he picked out at the store.

Getting ready to blow out his candles...

Stay tuned next weekend as we take this party to the Denver Zoo. All the kids are going to celebrate their birthdays at the zoo, since all of their birthdays are within a few weeks of each other.

Somebody's 4!

Caleb on the day he was born. (September 5, 2004)

I woke up today to Caleb crawling in bed with me. As he snuggled into the covers I leaned over and said, "Happy Birthday big boy!" He snuggled in a little closer and whispered, "That's me, isn't it? Today gets to be MY birthday!" I am always amazed at the wonderment kids find in little things. Anyway, since "today gets to be" CALEB's birthday, I thought it would be nice to dedicate this post to all things Caleb. Here goes...

1.) Caleb LOVES trains! His favorites are probably Thomas and Percy.
2.) His favorite food is turkey sandwich.

3.) He has a great laugh and loves to tease people. He likes to tell me that my name is really Caleb, and his name is Mommy- that way he gets to be the boss!

4.) He knows and sings all the words to "Real Gone" and "Life is a Highway" from the Cars Soundtrack. Instead of singing "Slow down! You're going to Crash!" He sings the lyrics "Slow down! I'm going to crash!" (kind of appropriate, really...)

5.) He was my biggest baby... weighing in at 9 lbs 7 oz.

6.) He loves monkeys! It started with the Curious George movie- and has spread from there.

7.) He still likes to nap and even asks for it. "Okay mom, I'm ready and I'm tired. Let's go!"

8.) He has never slept in the bed with mom and dad for even one night. (even when he's sick!) He has always been such an independent sleeper, that even as a baby he never liked to be rocked or cuddled to sleep. He was much happier if you just layed him in bed and walked away. No crying. No fuss.

9.)He doesn't like to wear sandals without socks. (I know it's a fashion emergency, but he just doesn't care- he INSISTS on wearing socks and no amount of arguing ever changes his mind!)

10.) He loves to hug and can frequently be heard saying "Me. ME! It's my turn now!" Then he burrows between you and whoever you are currently hugging.

What a handsome guy! We love you, Caleb!

Fall Madness

Every year, about this time, I start to go a little crazy. Maybe it's seeing the school supplies lined up in the stores, or perhaps it's those beautiful foggy mornings. It could be the fact that all my babies were born in the Fall, or all those wonderful baking smells. All I know is that I always have a hard time enjoying the last few weeks of summer. I want Fall!

I am READY for Fall. The trees are so much prettier with their bright, bold colors. Sweaters always feel so cuddly and warm after being locked up for 6 months. My crockpot gets dusted off as I dig out my favorite soup recipes. It makes me want to hole up in my kitchen, absorbing all those wonderful baking smells! Why does everything smell so much better when it's chilly outside?

Matt is very tolerant of my FALL ADDICTION. He humors me as I pull out all my Fall decorations, even though it's only the 1st of September and Fall doesn't officially start until the 22nd. He doesn't complain too much as he samples all my baking goods. He even watches all my favortite Fall movies with me after we put the kids in bed. I love the quote in You've Got Mail: "Don't you love New York in the fall? It makes me wanna buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address." I have to admit I pull out my Gilmore Girls dvd's and watch all the Fall episodes. Such beautiful leaves! (Sometime, I hope to see New England in the Fall.) I also grab the Peanuts movies off the shelf. You know the ones where Lucy trips up Charlie Brown with the football. (It's classic material....)

I think I'm rubbing off on my kids, too. Just yesterday Aaron was asking when his trees were going to change color! I remember when he was about 4 and he cried when all his leaves went away. So sad, but looks like he's cheered up since then, and actually looks forward to the season. Caleb asked for pants this week so his legs could stay warm. I think Kellie is still oblivious, but she does enjoy eating, so I'm sure I'll convert her too. Soon.

So, here I sit, anxiously watching for the signs that Fall has arrived! If you want to help feed my addiction, then let me know if you spot any colored leaves! Send me a soup recipe! In the meantime, I'll just sit here, like Linus waiting for the Great Pumpkin, and wait. (Fall had better actually show up, though! I think the Great Pumpkin is still MIA) :)

Aaron 2007
Kellie 2007
Caleb 2007

Handy-Man Matt

W're just getting back to normal after a long Labor Day weekend. Instead of attending bar-b-ques or lazing around a pool, we chose to take the long weekend to catch up on our home maintenance. Oh the joys of owning our own home! No landlord to call when something breaks. Matt can do most of the jobs himself, the only problem is finding the time to get it done. Here's what we accomplished this weekend:

amazon lawn mowed

mulch border cleared of all grass and weeds

broken doorbell replaced

broken shelf mended

new shelves mounted in the garage

pegboard for the tools installed

(tools actually hung up!)

garage partially cleaned

ceiling fan installed in Kellie's room

new curtain rod mounted

Here's some photos:

Handy-Man Matt

new doorbell

new shelves

Kellie's ceiling fan

mowed lawn/clean border!