Colby's First Birthday!

Never mind that this post is almost TWO months late, I have a lot of catching up to do and I'm gonna start here, so there.

The planning of Colby's party started off much like Kyla's, we were going to have a small get together with just family and a couple friends, pick a theme, plan a menu add in a few activities to keep the kiddos busy and botta bing - we're having hay rides!  Yee Haw!!

We had a Barnyard themed party and a BBQ lunch, here are some of the special details that didn't make it on Facebook : )

First and foremost:

THE Cake

Hey little guy

This cake was my FAVORITE thing about the party.  I found this cake online along with a tutorial on how to make this super simple, easy cake.

I instantly fell in love then asked my friends' sister in law, Erica of Icing and Sprinkles to make this cake.

And it was beautiful.  Amen.

(oh, and I made the little animals with a little help from Kyla... or not.)

On to the food...

Veggie platter

Shredded BBQ Beef sandwiches on buns, homemade Macaroni and Cheese

(pictures of just the name tags is good enough, right ; )

Potato chips and mini pigs in a blanket (hotdogs wrapped in croissants)

Oh yeah, and the cake...

Did I mention it came with a baby cake... I mean, a smash cake??

The table (the hot food was keeping warm in the oven, I'm lucky I snapped this pic!)

Sweet Tea and Lemonade

Izze Sodas and juice in the wheelbarrow

Favors for the big kids.  I found the cutest easter eggs that were farm themed.  Think egg shaped pigs, cows, chickens, bulls and farmers, SO cute!  They were filled with candy and those pill things you put in water and they turn into sponges... you know.  

T-shirts for the babies

And bandanas

Birthday banner I made using Martha's crafty goodness

Photos from Colby's first year.

Super cute balloons I ordered online

I thought I was so smart, finding a great website, saving a million dollars...

Then it cost 2 million to fill the suckers up!

But look how cuuuuuute they are!!

Craft/ Seed planting table for the kids

Supplies

dirt

Planting!

Examples ; )

Hay Rides!

A good time had by all!

Some of my faves of the day...

Colby and his cake

He ate the. entire. thing.

oh my!

Check out the sweetness!

Happy Birthday, my Lovey : )

Oh, and you I can thank Jack Bauer and the Finale of 24 for this post, for without it I would not have taken the time to write this post tonight.

I'm super productive!

I took a trip to Washington DC last weekend to visit my college roommate, Candice, which is a totally different post in it's own, but I had big plans for for my looooong travel days ALONE!  I flew to DC via Houston, you don't have to look at a map to know that Houston is in NO WAY on the way to DC.  I lugged brought my laptop with me with an entire list of ideas to blog about, lots of music to listen to, a book to read and hours upon hours of nothing to do put sit on an airplane.  Well, I'm not sure what happened to my big plans, I'm not even sure what I did my entire flight from CO Springs to Houston,  but it was not productive.  I didn't have wi-fi on my flights like I have been hearing the entire world tweet about as they Facebook at 30,000 ft. but we did get hardy snacks on all flights, thanks Continental!  All this to say I obviously do not have 20 blogs ready to publish every other day (like that would ever happen!  ha!)  but I do have a lot of ideas, things, you know that I think about often.  SO coming to a blog near you, or actually just this one, new content, funny quotes, touching stories, and hilarious picture heavy posts!  Like, as soon as I get the time  : D  I kid, I kid, if 27 hours wasn't enough I don't know what is!

In other news, we were at the park the other day and some boys called Kyla stupid, she walked away and said, "I'm not stupid, I'm beautiful!"  haha!  That's my girl!  Now I need to teach her some new vocabulary, like brilliant, well educated and idiot... well maybe not that last one : )

Okay, off to the library we go!  Time for storytime and new bedtime story books, thank God for the library!

Leaving a Legacy

Sometimes when I come across something special I think about how someday it will be fun to pass it along to Kyla and she can someday pass it along to her daughter.  I know families who have brought their baby home from the hospital in a gown passed down through the generations or families that use a special bassinet for each new baby.  It makes me think of all the keepsakes people pass on to their children:  wedding dresses, jewelry, cars, estates... you know that kind of stuff.  Well I have a little something to pass down too, I wore it as a little girl.  My great grandma had saved it and gave it to me shortly before she passed away.  I am so thankful Grammy was able to meet Kyla, her great, great granddaughter!  Kyla was only a few months old when Grammy gave me the outfit, but now, three years later, it fits!

TA-DA!

Oh yeah!

radical.

gnarly!

Got any more moves??

"Well... maybe just one..."

vogue.

awww, I couldn't be more proud right now : )

It's really a shame I don't have a picture of ME wearing this outfit!  Really, it would have brought this post full circle

wait...

what do we have here???

It may not be the exact same

(actually, it might be.  Grammy was pretty good with the patching)

but I think it's safe to say I had more than one of these precious gems!

Who would cry wearing this outfit?!?

Not the Fashion Police!

Recap!

So you know it's been too long when you come to your own blog and DON'T RECOGNIZE IT!

True story!  Ha Ha!  Really I was wondering how I had stumbled across someone's blog about golfing, oh my.  It's been on my mind but I haven't had the time, or maybe it's the energy.

This past month most of my free time and brain cells have gone into planning Colby's first birthday party.  I love putting time and energy into details that mean a lot, even if no one else notices : )  I do.  Next I'll be sure to make a full entry on his Barnyard theme party.  I was stressing over the weather, like I always do (why do I do this???) but the day was beautiful and dare I say HOT??  Perfect for hay rides!!  Okay, I'll save it for later : )

Right now Kyla and Colby are napping after a fun trip to the pool.  We joined a health club (do people even say that anymore?  Sounds so 80's to me!) ... we joined a new gym that we have been lusting over for two years now.  After the YMCA started charging us family rates in order to drop the kids off, it wasn't worth it to me anymore, the family rate was a lot more than my 'young adult' membership and Stephen never goes to the gym.  Anyway, VillaSport (and Spa!)  is uh-mazing!  I love everything about it, from the ice right down to the TV in the sauna... I KNOW!  AND the indoor/outdoor hot tub with fireplace and heated benches (next to the hot tub) with... a tv... it's posh people.  Let's just say it offers a LOT more for not much more money than the Y.  I was really excited about the indoor splash park for the kids and the outdoor pool for the summer.  If you know anything about Colorado, you know about the serious LACK of outdoor pools, not to mention the city is closing all 2 the public pools to save money.  Let me just say, my summer was starting to look pretty good!

Let me tell you about our first trip there.  We all go, Stephen and I and the kids, we change (great family changing rooms), put our things in the locker, grab our towels (LOVE that I don't have to tote around 4 towels, or 4 wet towels) walk through the peaceful lap pool area and enter through the doors of the splash park... it was 1. Loud 2. loud and 3. loud.  As you can probably imagine water squirting, splashing, spraying and DUMPING out of 100 gallon buckets can be... loud.  Kyla was scared, Colby was scared.  Kyla didn't want to go on any of the slides, Colby wanted to climb up my neck and suck his thumb.   I think we stayed for about 15 minutes and both kids were doing that pathetic shiver thing.  Pack. Up. And. Go.

Let me tell you about my second trip there.  I go on a Monday morning with the kids.  I'm loving the fact that I can stay on the elliptical for an infinite amount of time because it has a... TV!  (I swear, my life does not revolve around these things!!  maybe it's the fact that the only time our tv is ever on its showing Dora or Mickey Mouse)  SO, I drop the kids off ie.  Prop Colby against a toy and run out!  Phewf!  It worked!  Get on the elliptical for 40 minutes and the pager goes off.  I decide I'm done, done and go to pick up the kids.  Colby is freaking out, not okay, thought he was being abandoned forever, wouldn't go back in his car seat and wouldn't go to bed.

Great.  Now my summer is starting to look, not as good.

BUT, I took Colby back again yesterday and he lasted another 40 minutes, put him in again today for a little while before we went swimming, just for good measure.  Each time he does a little better.

We went to the pool again last week and Kyla did great, only covered her ears when the BIG splash happened every 5 minutes or so.  Then again today.  Today she was racing on the slides, running around, going down the tube slides and no ear covering.  Colby was splashing, crawling in the water and sticking his face in to blow bubbles.  Million times improvement!!!

I am blown away thinking about how much they have both grown and improved in just 3 trips to the pool (and 3 trips to the kids area for Colby... Kyla loves it every time )  I have hope that this summer I'll be able to put the kids in to play for an hour or so, lay out at the 'adult only' pool or workout, or sit in the hot tub and then get the kids out and play at the pool.  I am SO hopeful just thinking about it but mostly really proud and amazed at how quickly kids can adapt and change.  Maybe by the end of the summer Kyla will be swimming across the pool for $1!  Maybe!

Be sure to go here for more pictures : )

Fads: Volcano Edition

Yes... volcano.

When I say Kyla is obsessed with volcanoes, that is an understatement.

When driving in the car, "Mom!  Look!  A volcano!"

(Larkspur)

When looking through a magazing, "Mom!  Look!  A volcano!"

When watching tv, "Mom!  Look!  A volcano!"

(notice the top right corner)

When driving down I-25, "Mom!  Watch out!!"

(power plant in Colorado Springs)

When eating dinner in our kitchen, looking out the window, "Mom!  Look!  Pikes Peak is like a volcano!"

(Surprisingly, when the sun sets, there are quite often clouds over Pikes Peak that look like this)

What did she want for her birthday??

What did she get for her birthday??

"Lava" included


Looking at a picture of Stephen and I on our Honeymoon in Hawaii

"There's you and dad and I was in your tummy so the volcano smoke can't get me"


"No. You weren't in my tummy then."


"I was!"


"ok."

With all this talk about volcanoes, I've even learned a bit more. Did you know volcanos can steam, smoke and erupt lava? They do all three. Kyla and I talk about volcanos a lot. She tells me that volcanos look like mountains and that not all mountains are volcanos, but look like them. She also tells me about underwater volcanos.

But lets not forget about the full on eruption with flowing hot liquid magma, or lava!

Even as I'm writing this, Kyla is watching Dora. She just told me, 

"A volcano is a mountain that EXPLODES! KA BOOM!"


I like this one, it's pretty

I wish I could find the real (non istockphoto with X) picture of it, I've scoured in interwebs the best I know how and this is the best thing I can find!

I ask Kyla if she wants to go to Hawaii to see a real volcano.  She says she'll just get back in my tummy so the smoke can't get her.

Um, no.

Smokers

Me:  "I swear, people smoke more in the grocery store parking lot than anywhere else!"

Stephen:  "Don't you pretty much only go to the grocery store?"

Me:  "nuh... errr... uhh, Good point."

Top 5: Beauty Products Edition

I'm not constantly looking for new products, but when I hear a good recommendation I pay attention!  Here are some of my faves right now.


1.  Origins Save the Males Moisturizer

It's plain and simple, not heavy or oily, no scent.  It's for men.  I love it.  I like that I can squeeze it out and don't have to 'dig' it out of a pot like many moisturizers.  It also lasts me 3-4 months.




2.  Smashbox Blush/Soft Lights Duo

Two powders in one!  A blush and a highlighter.  The two can be layered together or worn alone and used as bronzer, blush, eye shadow or highlighter.  I use it as blush with a highlight on my cheekbones.  It gives me a natural and radiant glow!  (at least that's what the website said.)

3.  ENJOY Shine and Smooth

     I use a dab of this before drying my hair.  It makes my hair silky and smooth and shiny and soft.  AND it smells like green apples!  I also spilled almost an entire bottle of this in my hospital bag when I had Colby.  Don't dump this on your clothes - it stains!  But why would you go dumping a $25 bottle of anything on your clothes?!?


4.  Gillette Satin Care Shave Gel in Apricot

     Shave gel is shave gel... but this one smells like 'Radiant Apricot' and that is why I love it.  I also love it because every time I use it it makes me think of my friend Becca - as a matter of fact, I've been meaning to tell her that, and that she needs to try this.  Hi B!  : )




5.  Origins Foundation

     I've tried my fair share of foundations and this is my favorite.  It's not greasy, it doesn't make me break out and it blends really well.  They also have concealers if you need that type of this *looks away*.  I don't like using my fingers to apply make up, my favorite trick that I learned from my college girlfriend Shelby, is to use Swisspers wedges.  They make the makeup go on evenly and it's easier to smooth it all out... whatever that means.  But they do.  I'll never go back... to whatever I was doing before, ever!

Oh, and don't use a different brand of wedges, the others are too porous and don't work the same.

What are your favorites??  I'm in the market for mascara, razors and shampoo and conditioner.  My currents aren't pulling their weight!  Tell me!

Keystone

Kim and David are here visiting for the week!  They got here last Friday and are staying until this Saturday!  Last Sunday we headed up to the mountains for some snowboarding, hanging out and pretty much, my way of getting to see my friend Shelby from college, who was up in Avon  : )

We stayed at a condo in Keystone.  All my sisters, David, Kristin AND Shelby and Dan were snowboarding/skiing for the day in Keystone!  

Stef, Sara and Laura

Once they were done, and watched the USA/Canada game everyone came over to the condo (JUST as I was getting there) for a chili dinner and hanging out.  

It was SO good to see Shelby and Dan, it has been a year, AND they got engaged that very day on a gondola!  Too bad Shelbs had to wear a glove all day... I'm pretty sure she's not hurt over it : )

Shelby and Dan

I'm so, so excited for them and am rooting for a Colorado wedding!  YEAH!

During dinner the snow kept coming down and Stef had to get back to Breck, Sara and Laura had to get back to the Springs, Kristin had to get back to Boulder and Shelby and Dan had to get back to Avon!  LOTS of driving, LOTS of snow!  Fortunately everyone made it safely, though it was an early night for the rest of us!

Colby went to bed early so Kyla and I headed down to the hot tub and pool to wear her out relax!

The next morning Stephen made it up after the non existant snow storm in the Springs.  Good thing he stuck around to plow.  We all headed over to Vail so Stef and David could snowboard and the rest of us could get lunch and meet up with Shelby and Dan.

We had lunch at the Red Lion... why is that like 1 of 2 'normalish' places to eat in the village?  I swear I eat there every time I'm in Vail, it's not even that good.

We walked around and did some shopping, 

met up with Shelby and Dan, sat in the sun with Kim, checked out the playground,

 had drinks at the other 'normalish' place and called it a day!

We made it back in time to watch the Bachelor finale!  PHEW!  Wouldn't want to miss that ; )

Anyway!  On Tuesday Kim and David went snowboarding at Breckenridge

Kim and David

Stephen had planned to ski with them but we decided to high tail it home early in the day.  I have never in my life known Stephen to pass up skiing!  Something about needing to work and not wanting to get injured.  For me, I really had zero interest to ski... umm, does this mean we're getting old?!?

It was a fun trip, fun to get away for a couple days and fun to see Shelby!  I don't get to see my Florida girls enough and I miss them ALL!

And Sam too - Don't see him enough either :)

OH... did I mention I didn't bring a camera?  Cause I didn't.