Gearing up for Christmas

Crazy how fast Christmas crept up on us this year. We got back from Idaho and immediately got started on putting up all our decorations so we can enjoy them before we leave for Utah to spend a week with Grandma Ricks, aunt Christine and aunt Deborah. It has been so fun listening to Christmas music and see and feel the girls excitement for everything. Taylor especially is excited and fully gets the concept of Santa and presents. We helped start up the season again this year with the community Christmas festival with reindeer, Santa, crafts, and the beloved train. This year was pretty warm compared to prior years and so we really got to enjoy ourselves. We also didn't have to wait in the long line for Santa because we will see him later at a different function, luckily the girls we're fine with just seeing him! It has become a fun tradition for us and the girls just loved it.

(sorry for the blurry picture but I couldn't resist, it just shows how much they love this train)

Thanksgiving

This year for Thanksgiving we headed to Sugar City, ID to be with the Jeppson side of the family. Nate's parents recently returned from a mission in Austria and so it was so nice to be with them and hear (and taste) all about the things they experienced. Taylor and Kennedy loved being with their cousins and Grandma and Grandpa Jeppson. We had a good visit with lots of good food. Thank you Grandma for all your hard work and hospitality while we were there!

Kennedy and Grandma Jeppson

Taylor with Moses, Logan and Duncan doing a Thanksgiving cake walk

Nate and Kennedy getting ready to dig in
Grandpa Jeppson, Angela, Grandma Jeppson, and Ben Ashcraft

Taylor was very excited to eat turkey since in school they memorized a poem about the turkey running away because people want to eat it for Thanksgiving, although like most all meat she would hardly touch it.

Grandpa teasing the kids trying to eat their food
Sunday all dressed up in their Christmas dresses

Let it snow!

"Mommy, Daddy...mommy, daddy!! Guess what?? Its snowing!! That means its Christmas, Yea!!"

We woke up this morning to Taylor's excitement at the first snow fall of the season. Kennedy was so amazed by the snow and they were both so excited to get all bundled up to go play. There is something so magical about the first snow fall.

Denver Museum of Nature and Science

Last week I took the girls to the museum with some of our friends. It was a lot of fun and we got to see a lot of new things. We explored a space exhibit, the discovery zone and the dinosaur exhibit. With everything we did, surprisingly enough these are the only pictures I got. We got to pretend we were astronauts in space and drive space shuttles. The girls loved finding dinosaur bones, seeing the fossils, and comparing foot prints.

Island Park bliss

Sunrise on the lake

(Laura, Brooke, me, Sabrina and Jami)

My Friend Sabrina arranged for a girls trip in Island Park. Her dad built a beautiful home right on Island park reservoir and so she invited a few of us to have a relaxing weekend in October with no kids, no reason not to stay up until the wee hours in the morning, and plenty of junk food. It was so fun to be with my friends and get away! Nate took Thursday and Friday off work and was a stay at home dad while I was gone. He did such a good job with them, even if they didn't get their hair combed everyday. :) They did a lot of fun things, including going to the zoo on a free zoo day which I don't think I would have braved myself. I came back to a clean house, semi clean children and a husband who had a new appreciation for what I do day in and day out. It was heaven. Thank you Nate for being brave with the girls! Thank you Sabrina for putting it all together and thank you to all my friends for such a great time!

Halloween 2008

I always look forward to Halloween, and this year was no different. I love the crisp fall weather, apple cider, pumpkin bread and desserts, parties, and all that candy. Thankfully having kids lets me live through them as I have learned that without them I was always left wanting more. I have two adorable girls who dressed up as an adorable butterfly and witch. This year with Taylor's preschool class we had even more fun as she would come home and teach me all the songs she was learning (see our "watch this" section on the left hand side for footage of the preschool program). To tops things off, this year was the warmest Halloween in Colorado in 15 years...it got up to 77 degrees in the day and at night for trick or treating the kids didn't have to wear coats (a miracle in itself). We went to Jami and Spencer's for chili and lots of other yummy food. After the kids were done trick or treating, we all gathered in the street around a fire pit and passed out candy, made smores and let the kids play. It was such a fun way to spend the night. The kids loved trick or treating. Kennedy got so into it and lasted so much longer than anyone could have anticipated. I'm already looking forward to next year!

Taylor decorating half of a sugar cookie before she gobbled it down

Kennedy getting more frosting on herself than the cookie itself

Taylor's preschool class all gussied up

Kennedy...my cute witch

Kennedy and Nate on their way to trick or treat

(Crew as a hamburger in the background...love that kid!)
Taylor the butterfly off to trick or treat
One of the pumpkins I carved, with a little help from Taylor. Oh how she loves her princesses!

To Utah and back

My friend Laura and I decided it would be fun to stuff our kids all in one car and make the blessed trip to Utah to visit our families. The car ride didn't go completely as planned but all the kids did surprisingly well for such a long drive. We had a wonderful visit with Grandma Ricks and Aunt Christine. Taylor and Kennedy loved being at their Grandma Ricks' house and all the fun things we got to do while we were there. As always time passes quickly and it is hard to have to say goodbye. We wish we could see all our grandparents and families more often!

Taylor and Grandma Ricks roasting hot dogs and later smarshmellows a.k.a marshmallows

I love the fall! Going up the canyon and taking in all the yellow, orange and red leaves was so fun

Despite falling every 5 seconds, Kennedy loved being in the canyon

me and me sister, Christine

I miss being able to go up the canyon for dinner, its so close in Utah

We went to the Hogal Zoo and had so much fun

The girls saddling up on a wood horse at Wheeler Farm
With all the animals at the farm, of course the duck pond was the biggest hit