NEWPORT

mountains

2011-10-12T19:06:00.001-07:00

Trinidad night life

2011-10-12T18:10:00.000-07:00

Ryan went to town around 6pm and someone told him that a Mama and baby bear had been sleeping in their tree all day. I couldn't pass on a photo opportunity like that!

Baby bear was just waking up and starting to move around!

Mama bear was pretty content wedged on her branch! Doesn't that look comfy!

I think I will look up more often, you never know what you will see!

Cayden's reading

2011-10-05T15:16:00.003-07:00

Cayden has been working on Hooked on Phonics. He was very proud to be able to read a book. We had to share!

poor puppy

2011-10-05T15:16:00.001-07:00

We think Kayle met a Scorpion during the night. The next day she woke up getting sick and then starting showing puffy spots, like hives, all over. It got worse as the day went on. This picture was right before we gave her a few benadryl. Poor thing!

Joella is 3!

2011-10-05T15:15:00.000-07:00

September 22, 2011 Joella turned 3. She has been very excited to have a Dora birthday cake. So I did my best....good thing that frosting hides flaws cause the cake stuck to the pan and I had to do some patch work.

We celebrated a little early, meeting both sets of grandparents and some friends in Colorado Springs. Focus on the Family has a great place to entertain little ones. So glad Shari was able to make it and bring her kids, Bryce, Aubrey, and Shayla.

Putting on a play.

Then to the park for some cake!

We had a great day, thanks everyone for coming!

cousins

2011-10-05T15:14:00.004-07:00

Being in Colorado allows us to see our COUSINS! We haven't seen my sister kids since last summer, over a year! So I was very thrilled with the chance to visit them over Labor day weekend.

Joella (2), Corbin (3), Cayden (5), and Alayna (5) all waiting so patiently for lunch with spoons in hand.

Can you tell the smiles are forced? Kiddos were not too happy to be going on a walk instead of playing at the play ground!

We did make it to the other play ground, which brought back the smiles.

Cayden thought this was the coolest!

Photo time! All the cousins together.

Coltin 9, Alayna 5, Cayden 5, Corbin 3, Joella 2, and Everit 7.

This one is probably my favorite!

moving to colorado

2011-10-05T15:14:00.003-07:00

It finally happened! We moved back to Colorado, still seems like a blur at some times. Like I will wake up and everything will be back to normal. Crazy to think that our many prayers have been answered of being closer to family and in a climate that we love! Still it was a lot harder than I envisioned of leaving friends, MO family, and a home we had really stared to love.

A job opening for a gunsmith instructor at TSJC came about in June with a start date of August 15. Ryan applied and we tried not to get our hopes up (this is however the vision he had when he went to school there of someday returning to teach). The process was very slow going and we ended up accepting the job with only two weeks till start date. Not much planning time to move across country! What is the best is seeing God's hand in this move and watching Him do the impossible.

Some great friend of ours (the Nolans) allowed us to live in their back yard in our camper while we searched for a rental.

This is the view of Fisher's Peak.

The kids pulled their chairs behind the camper to sit and watch the horse eat. It was very cute.

Kids having fun getting tractor rides with neighbor Dave Nolan.

It didn't take us long before we headed to the Mnts. Hiking in the woods not worrying about ticks and chiggers is amazing!!!

water

2011-08-29T14:22:00.001-07:00

How did we stay cooler in MO? WATER!

Cayden's five

2011-08-29T13:24:00.001-07:00

My, my how time flies! Can't believe it has been five years since we were in the hospital with Cayden. He is such a joy and turned into so much fun to be around. I asked him if it was okay to celebrate early this year since we were moving. He didn't have too much of a problem with that!

Friends showing up!

Zoey, Fred, and Cayden.

Ready to play!

Cutie Parker.

Landon, Cayden, Zoey, Isabelle, and Parker all liked the cake!

Just love this photo! Great friends Libby, Joella, and Isabelle.

It turned out to be great weather, a break from the heat! Great way to celebrate and say goodbye to our Missouri family.

Happy 4th of July

2011-07-03T19:29:00.001-07:00

puppy

2011-07-03T19:28:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged about our puppy. She is getting big so fast. I stated this post forever ago and she just keeps getting bigger. But who doesn't love puppy photos even if they are waaaay old by now!

Kayle Rose was born Feb 13 with 11 other brothers and sisters. They were all an accident as the mother was suppose to be spayed within a few days. But what a happy accident!

The kids loved being able to pick out a puppy to bring home.

Ahhhhh

Not sure what the cat thinks!

Getting bigger, doesn't quite fit in my lab.

Found Cayden sleeping on the floor and Kayle on the bed?!?!?!

camping

2011-07-03T19:27:00.003-07:00

The last weekend of June we got away for a camping trip. Ryan's folks were visiting and we found a great place about an hour and half south of us. The campsites were near the lake where the kids were able to go fishing and the dogs did some swimming. They also had a great playground and three pools. We really enjoyed ourselves and didn't want to leave!

We replaced the old pop up camper with a new one....a bit bigger and more comfortable with Missouri camping (air conditioning).

The kids love that there are bunk beds in the back. Cayden is peeking out the window.

Bo (Ryan's parents dog) and Kayle have so much fun playing around. Kayle thinks Bo is her personal chew toy. Got your tail!

It has helped having Bo around in the training of Kayle. Here they are taking turns playing fetch. Labs are so smart.

Kayle thought it was more fun to play keep away with the ball.

she loves piggy back rides too.....

The best is watching them swim in the water. What Lab doesn't love to get wet!

Ready, Set, Go!

Good thing dogs can't read!

fishing

2011-07-03T19:27:00.001-07:00

For Memorial day we took a trip to Illinois. Ryan works with a guy that has some property with ponds. We packed up a picnic lunch and had fun fishing. I think Joella caught the most!

Popidy helped Cayden.

weekend in KS

2011-04-29T12:58:00.000-07:00

We had a great visit with my parents celebrating Easter weekend. We meet up at a camp ground in Milford Lake, KS.

Kayle discovered what waves were. It was very cute.

All the kids loved playing in the sand. We got there on Friday and it was warm enough the kids couldn't help but go in the water.

My father used to always say "Laura, what time is is?" "NAP TIME!"

And we had to do some egg hunting.

Kayle found a chew toy to entertain herself.

Love ya Dee dee and Papa! Can't wait till next year.

basket

2011-04-19T10:27:00.000-07:00

What's in YOUR Easter basket?

The loss of a best friend and a new adventure

2011-03-27T19:34:00.000-07:00

Our beloved doggie had to be put down a couple weeks ago. Dakota Rose was going to be 13 years old this summer. Ryan and his family raised her from seven days old. It's amazing how attached you can get to animals. She was our "kid" for the first five years of marriage. We have many great memories and will miss her.

Cayden and Dakota.

I think Dakota thought she was Danny's girlfriend.

My favorite picture with her and a stuffed rabbit that she loved to bits.........literally.

Now for a new adventure with a new addition to our family.

February trip

2011-03-17T13:14:00.000-07:00

In February we made a trip to Southern Colorado to visit some friends. It was great to get away and felt like a real vacation! The kids did really well traveling.

We took a long break at Bass Pro Shop in KS city. They have some really neat animal displays and very yummy fudge! It made a for a great pit stop!

Fishers Peak, Trinidad. We were blessed to stay at the Nolans and

were able to touch base with several friends.

Ahhhhhh.....Mountains! Colorado Springs.

Nana and Poppidy joined us in the Springs.

We also got to touch base with Ryan's old friend Joey Buttenweiser and his family. He is a fire fighter and to Cayden's delight we got a tour!

Aubrey and Joella.

Cayden and Bryce...a.k.a. Cayden's new best friend!

pockets

2011-03-17T13:05:00.000-07:00

Joella loves pockets! These are just too cute not to share.

superheroes

2011-03-17T12:44:00.000-07:00

There are a few superheroes running around our house these days.

After getting Joella into her pjs the other day, she began to run laps around the house. It took me a few laps before I figured out what she was doing. With one arm straight out in front of her making a fist and the other behind her back she ran around saying "Superman to the rescue!"

birds

2011-02-26T21:22:00.000-08:00

We filled the bird feeder! It's so neat to see bright red cardinals against the white snow. The kids and I have great lunch conversations watching the birds. We also got a new camera so it's been fun to capture some good photos. I'll try not to bore you with too many!

swim lessons

2011-02-10T20:01:00.000-08:00

The kiddos have loved taking swim lessons....Ryan has enjoyed documenting it in photos and video!

Cayden was nervous at first but warmed up quickly.

jumping in...

kickin'...

floating on his back...

& blowing bubbles.

Joella playing with a ring...

jumping in the water (she was the best in her class at this and had so much fun doing it)

& swimming laps.

White Christmas!

2010-12-30T12:26:00.000-08:00

Yipee! We had an amazingly great Christmas! I feel so blessed! God's word is true "Delight yourself in the Lord and He shall give you the desires of you heart. Psalms 37:4"

Cayden's Sunday School went in front the church and sang three songs, Silent Night, Dummer Boy and Jingle Bells. We have been practicing, and whenever the songs would come on the radio Cayden would get excited that they were playing his song.

Cayden was the third kid in. They really did do a good job.

My parents were able to make it out! My first time to have them all to myself for Christmas (sorry Annette). It was such a wonderful visit. Christmas eve we went ice skating (one of my favorite things).

Cayden and Joella's first time skating! They did good but both didn't last long.

But they enjoyed climbing on all the bleachers.

Joella and Papa.

Cayden, Ryan and their snowman!

A few pictures before going to Christmas eve services.

Joella and Dee dee.

The girls!

The snow was so beautiful Christmas morning I had to take some photos. I love it when it covers every branch. Don't know if we will get this much snow again, it was a good 4 inches!

J for Jesus, Happy Birthday!

Snow angles!

Joella meet Mr. Snowman.

One thing we love about this house is the location. Just through the woods is the golf course. Which has some great hills to sled on!

Poor Joella got dumped on with snow at the bottom of the hill. She wasn't to sure about sledding after that.

Hope you had a blessed Christmas!

Let it Snow!

2010-12-16T13:09:00.000-08:00

How exciting to wake up to snow! Even more to hear the giggles and see the delight on my kids faces as the look out the window! I was hoping to let Ryan sleep in a bit while I started the traditional Sunday morning pancakes. But that didn't work once Cayden saw the snow outside. He lit up and squealed with delight. Then went over every possible activity we would be doing with the new fallen snow. Before I could get him to quite down he ran shrieking to tell Daddy "It SNOWED!"

We even managed to get in some sledding before heading to church. Then went again in the afternoon. There is a golf course that backs up to our house, it has the perfect sledding hill!

Early Christmas

2010-12-16T13:07:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Christmas early with Nana and Popidy. I was super excited to have help getting up the decorations (we did it all in one day, even putting the empty boxes back in storage!)

We went over the story of Jesus birth as the kids help put out the nativity set.

Then under the tree we set up a train. The kids are loving playing with it and hauling the little nativity people around. (Thanks Freddie and Tony for passing on this great train!)

zoo day in November

2010-12-08T12:13:00.000-08:00

While Ryan's parents were in town we did a trip to the zoo!

I can't tell who is more tired?

turkey day

2010-12-01T11:21:00.000-08:00

8:00 started our Thanksgiving day out with a 5k....

(that is me coming across the finish line, right above the guy with the white hat.) This was my second race, which I am glad that I improved a little bit on my time. It was a bit chilly so everyone else stayed in the car most of the time, but I was glad they came to cheer me on.

9:15 we headed home for a huge country breakfast and to watch parade....

4ish we were blessed to have our friends and Ryan's folks to join us for dinner. It was yummy!

Hope you enjoyed your turkey day!

Many reasons for being thankful at our house! This marks a whole year of living in our home. We just love it and are enjoying making it our own. We are thankful for God's many blessings!

Carving pumpkin

2010-11-02T11:41:00.000-07:00

Time to carve the pumpkins. Nana and Popity joined in on the fun this year.

I found a really neat story to go along with our pumpkin carving this year. So while the "kids" made a big mess I read it. I think we will keep up with this tradition. Oh and having pizza the same night because the boxes make for a great carving area.

This is a story about a farmer and a pumpkin. The Farmer lives wa-a-a-a-ay out in the country. On his farm He has a pumpkin patch. Pumpkins are really special. They start out as small oval seeds that grow into big, orange pumpkins. The farmer plants the seeds, waters, and cares for the pumpkin vines and patiently waits as they grow. Finally by October there are big, orange pumpkins in his pumpkin patch! Some are tall and lean, some are short and round, and some have bumps and lumps. But they are all pumpkins and all were planted and cared for by the Farmer. One day the Farmer chose a pumpkin for a special project. He brings it in from the field and washes it off. You have to be careful with pumpkins; they're tough on the outside, but if you drop them, they break into pieces! The Farmer takes a large knife and cuts a hole in the top of the pumpkin. Inside there is yucky, slimy pulp waiting for Him. That has to go! He cleans it all out and throws it away - never to be seen again. After that He gives the pumpkin a new face! He cuts two triangles for eyes, a square for a nose, and a big, wide smile! Then He does something really special. He puts a small white candle down inside the pumpkin and lights the wick. How that pumpkin glows! As people pass by, they see the smiling pumpkin and smile back. They know that once again the Farmer has taken a simple pumpkin and changed it into a glorious sight!

The Meaning of the Parable: Just like us, all the pumpkins were different. But there was something the same about every one of them - that yucky, slimy pulp on the inside! The yucky, slimy pulp is like the sin that's in us. Romans 3:23 says: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." That's every single one of us. God has made a way that all our sin can be forgiven and washed away. God even says He'll cast them as far as the East is from the West. Romans 5:8 says: "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." John 3:16 goes on to say: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." After cleaning out that pumpkin, the Farmer gave the pumpkin a new face! The Bible says God can make us a new creation too. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" Then came the really special part. The light was placed inside that pumpkin and it glowed for all to see! 2 Corinthians 4:6 says: "For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ." And Matthew 5:16 says: "In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." So we can become like that pumpkin in the Christian object lesson - a glorious sight for others to see the love of Jesus!

A mans idea of carving a pumpkin. (I'm glad I was filming or I may and put an end to this once I saw the splatter!)

Fall Festival

2010-11-01T12:47:00.000-07:00

Cayden's school had a party to celebrate the fall season. We of course had fun dressing up in costumes. There was a costume contest for each age group. Both kiddos got 2nd place in there age group! They also did a Chili contest, which I ended up winning. Wonder if the judges knew there was elk in there!

Lady bug

Buzz Lightyear

past pumpkins

2010-11-01T12:28:00.000-07:00

I thought it was fun to look back over the years and all the pumpkin picking we have done.

Cayden 2006

Cayden 2007

Cayden and Joella 2008

Joella 2008

Cayden and Joella 2009

2010

pumpkins

2010-10-30T13:31:00.000-07:00

It's our 4th year going to the pumpkin patch near us. The kids love it more each year. They have lots for the kids to do hay rides, pony rides, mazes, slides, tractor.... Nana and Popity got to join us this year so the kids got to be a bit spoiled and do it all! We ran out of time the first day, so we had to go back for more another day.

cute pumpkins!

Cayden and Joella got to ride together in the back. Super fun to see Cayden pointing stuff out to Joella as they rode.

leaves

2010-10-13T18:53:00.000-07:00

Fall is here...yippee! I love so much about the fall, cool temperatures, less bugs, beautiful trees, the list goes on. The kids and I got to enjoy the leaves for the first time ever with so much gusto. We are still playing in them days later! Who knew you could get so much entertainment from falling leaves. We first raked ourselves a little pile, then jumped, then throw, then buried each other. Currently we have been making mazes and trying to "find your way out." Too much fun!

Daddy came and helped us make our pile bigger. This is his idea of raking!

a few videos....

2010-10-05T12:40:00.000-07:00

I've mentioned before that Joella loves to sing Jesus loves me. I grabbed the camera and recorded her singing while we were reading our bibles.

Popidy in training

2010-09-30T13:07:00.000-07:00

This was Popidy's (Ryan's dad) fire hat that he wore as a firefighter in NJ. Cayden now has it hanging in his room. Isn't he adorable!

making pretzels with daddy

2010-09-30T12:47:00.000-07:00

Happy 2nd Birthday Joella!

2010-09-26T19:51:00.000-07:00

Yeah for two! Joella is a super special girl who is definitely growing up TWO fast........pun intended :) She loves to play with her big brother, cooking in the toy kitchen. I know she will be a good mommy someday cause she loves to wrap and feed her baby dolls. She will hold her baby and rock back and forth humming a song.....so sweet. Her favorite songs, and the only ones she knows are Jesus loves me and Happy Birthday. She loves to play ready-set-go by lining up on one side of the room and running into your arms, one of my favorites too. If Daddy is sitting on the floor she has to sit in his lap, it doesn't matter if he is in the middle of a wrestling match with brother. And Daddy just loves this! Joella also loves to play Hide and Seek, only her version is just to curl up in a ball beside you saying "hide hide hide" then we throw a blanket over search to find her.

She has gotten into more of the two-year-old having a few fits, I see it similar to turning on a light switch. Everything will be going just fine then something didn't go quite her way and SWITCH....melt down time.

We celebrated her birthday on Saturday night with some of her closest friends. I found this cake online and thought it was so cute and prefect for a 2nd birthday since there are two flip flops. They turned out pretty good.

Very excited for ice cream too!

All the girls got to have their toe nails painted and little stickers put on. While the boys got some tattoos.

Isabel looks like a pro at this!

Joella thought she could do a better job herself.

Libby wasn't too sure. But she did have fun the the stickers.

I love this photo! Libby 27months, Joella 24months, and Isabel 22months.

All good mommies in training.

Joella and Isabel showing off their toes.

It was a great party and we feel so blessed to have so many friends and family who also love your little girl. She is such a joy.

ready...set...go!

2010-09-25T11:26:00.000-07:00

more preschool pic

2010-09-22T11:28:00.000-07:00

Off to preschool again!

1st day of preschool

2010-09-21T12:41:00.000-07:00

Cayden is signed up for a Co-op homeschooling group called A.R.C.H.E. He has two preschool classes he is in, Fun & Games and Discover God's World with Boz the Bear. We go every Friday, each class is an hour long. Each parent must stay and volunteer, so Joella and I get to hang out in the nursery for a while. Cayden loved his second class but was a bit nervous the first one which is understandable since he knows nobody yet.

Of course we had to have some silly photos....

why do the fingers in the mouth make it a silly photo?

We are so proud of our 4 year old!!

Happy 4th Birthday Cayden!

2010-08-30T18:50:00.000-07:00

Cayden turned 4 years old on August 29th. My how time flies. He sure is growing up fast and becoming such a great kid. So funny and full of life. We love him so much and enjoy all the things he comes up with each day. What a joy it is to watch him grow and learn.

We stared his day out with a big breakfast. Cayden loved the special pancakes Ryan made him.

Then we had a few friends over to celebrate. They all had fun sliding down the slip n slide, going on a treasure hunt, and eating lego cake that turned your mouth blue!

Note: blue frosting going in turns green when it comes out the next day so don't be too alarmed!

Joella's first haircut

2010-08-15T19:40:00.001-07:00

Joella got her first haircut. Our friend Christine helped us out by giving her a trim. We have been struggling with her pulling her hair out (you can see the bald spot on the side....makes mama very sad!) The hair cut seemed to help cover the spot. Please keep her in your prayers.

tomatoes

2010-08-15T19:26:00.000-07:00

These are what real tomatoes look like if you were wondering .....

I had to poke fun at my Mom's tiny tomato plant in Colorado but they were only cherry tomatoes, sorry Mom!

Cayden helped me demonstrate how big the plants were getting.

And some peppers!

1st dentist

2010-08-14T17:15:00.000-07:00

In July Cayden had his first trip to the dentist. He did really well, we were very proud of how brave he was.

car wash

2010-08-14T16:59:00.000-07:00

Sometime kids don't always understand what we are telling them. I've realize I have to be very careful in how I say things. Perfect example: Cayden had the hose and was rinsing the van off while Joella was picking up a sponge. I told her to "let Daddy have it" Cayden thought I was talking to him and quickly turned the hose on Ryan. In an attempt to correct the mistake I said "no, I meant Joella." Cayden then turned the hose on Joella! We all had great laughs over this misunderstanding.

Gabes

2010-07-18T10:42:00.000-07:00

Funny things kids say. During our lunch today Cayden was having a conversation and mentioned Gabes. I asked him who is Gabes? Ryan knew it was Gabriel his cousin (Rhonda's baby). Then Cayden turns to me and says, "It's a nicklename."

more Colorado

2010-07-17T11:49:00.000-07:00

I still haven't shared photos from our 2nd week vacation to Colorado. We went camping with Ryan's family at North Michigan Reservoir. His sister Rhonda and her family made it in from Oregon. We all had such a wonderful time. Fishing, boat rides, hiking (Ryan and I made it the 7 miles in to the spot he grew up hunting.) playing games and lots of laughs. We donated quite a bit of blood to the local mosquitos!

Saw some moose on our way up there. A bull got up from his napping spot and came right up toward us, crossing the road. Then a bit further down the road we saw a mother and twins bedded down.

It was so great to be up in the Mountains again. Wish we were there now!

Knucklebars

2010-07-17T11:12:00.000-07:00

Most people call them Granola bars, but Cayden has always said knucklebars. I came across this great recipe and have several people who wanted it. I decided to just do a link to the website I got it from. It's definitely worth giving it a try. We love it!

Colorado vacation!

2010-07-15T18:52:00.000-07:00

Just got back from two wonderful weeks in "God's Country" a.k.a. Colorado. It was great to get out of the Missery....I'm mean the Missouri heat for a while. First off we visited my folks (Dee dee and Papa) who just recently moved to Cedaredge, it's close to Grand Junction. We had so much fun exploring a new area. And had to do everything in one week.

A drive up to Lands End on the Grand Mesa

Boat ride on the reservoir in Crawford

Of course a ride on Dee dee and Papa's horses

Hike in Delta

Crossing a cool bridge, it felt a bit like Indiana Jones

Shootn' BBs off the back porch

Bubble bath in Dee dee's new jet tub

We love you Dee dee and Papa!

We meet up with the cousins, Annette's kiddos, at my Aunt Susie & Uncle Sonny's 50th Anniversary celebration.

"Ohhh meow, meow" Joella was so cute and loved the kitty Coltin caught.

Had to get a picture of all the cousins together!

I'll get to our second week in another post. In the meantime check out Rhonda's blog, she did a great job of covering it for us.

peppers with daddy

2010-06-22T11:04:00.000-07:00

It was a fun Father's day with our Daddy! A day of firsts, we picked our first veggies from our garden, two green peppers. They tasted great in our omelets. First movie at the theater for the kids. We went to a theater that plays older movies and saw "How to train a dragon." Cayden was a bit scared at first, he doesn't like loud noises! But once he realized that the only other option was to go home he started really liking it. Joella on the other hand was probably a bit young for the theater, can't really entertain in the dark! Oh well lesson learned!

We sure do love our Daddy!

mud pie anyone?

2010-06-22T11:02:00.001-07:00

visitors

2010-06-14T12:29:00.000-07:00

We had a few visitors in May, I'm just now getting around to posting some pictures. Nana and Popity came for about 10 days. The kids had lots of fun. And of course we did some house projects! Joella's room got rearranged and decorated. The front entry way got doors painted inside and outside. A water faucet, garbage disposal, and laundry pump all got put in. Thanks for all the help Nana and Popity!

Joella's Room

Cayden's room got new curtains back in January.

Yes, that is a real axe on my son's wall. Ryan even sharpened it before he hung it! Yikes! But he assures me that the brackets he built are very strong. The helmet is from Popity when he was a firefighter.

The lamp was Ryan's Grandfather Pop Pop made out of an old alarm box.

It's great to have 5 generations of firefighters in the family.

T Ball

2010-06-02T13:05:00.000-07:00

Cayden started his first year of T ball back in April. I finally got some good photos together. It is so cute to watch a bunch of 3 to 5 year olds running around. Most days the dirt is way more fun to play in than paying attention to the game!

8 years

2010-06-02T12:47:00.000-07:00

Wow it has already been 8 years since Ryan and I got married! We were blessed this year to have his parents come out and watch the kids while we spent a night away. We enjoyed each others company at a winery and a B&B. There was a little trail below our cabin that led to a stream. I took photography in college and love being artistic with a camera. But with kids I don't really get to do this much. It was fun actually being able to spend some time taking photos and not busy chasing the kids.

This is the view from the winery! A spectacular day after weeks of rain.

The Ranch house cabin at Heaven on Earth B & B. The owner even delivers the breakfast to you in the morning whenever you would like it!

A great anniversary!

fun outings

2010-06-02T12:07:00.001-07:00

We enjoyed the weather in May with a few fun family outings. There is a wonderful pond with a trail around it. It has become one of our favorite places to go.

Hi fishies! Hi milk! (Joella calls any form of liquid milk. I've really been trying to get her to say water. It is really confusing when we are driving some where and cross over a river or lake. I think she wants a drink of milk but instead she is just pointing out the water).

We also love our free St. Louis zoo!

The sting ray exhibit is back. It was fun to try and pet them.

special moment

2010-06-02T11:38:00.000-07:00

I had to share a VERY special moment. The other day I was driving the kids to take care of some friends dogs that we are watching while they are on vacation. We started talking about God and it went something like this....

I said "God is right here with us whereever we go." I continued to tell Cayden how excited I was that God lives in my heart and that I had asked Jesus to forgive me and asked Him into my heart. I told him someday he too could ask Jesus into his heart. His response was "but Mommy I have asked Jesus into my heart!" I was overjoyed with emotions and praise! I pulled the car over to give him big hugs and tell him how excited I was.

Praise God that he is beginning to understand. I know we will have many more of these moments to come!

garden

2010-05-18T11:08:00.000-07:00

So we are giving it a try. I've never done any gardening but "everything grows in Missouri" so can't be to hard! Well see how it goes. Here is my cute family getting it all together!

Mama's day

2010-05-12T11:40:00.000-07:00

I had a great mother's day, hope you did too. The weekend started off with some time spent in the yard adding mulch, which looks terrific don't you think! Ryan, who is an amazing husband and I'm sooooo blessed to be his wife, really made the day so special. He really spoiled me all weekend even making me a delicious crab leg dinner, my favorite!

Happy Mother's Day!

quick trip

2010-05-12T10:53:00.000-07:00

We took a quick trip to Colorado to help clean out Nana and Popity's garage. We did lots of Craiglisting, a garage sale, and dumpster filling. But we did take a day and play with the kids.

A walk with Nana, Bo, and a balloon.

Cayden had so much fun having a pal like Bo around.

Joella got to walk a balloon. She was so cute pulling it around.

Hugs for the "Nunu" aka horsie. Isn't it funny how kids pick up crazy names for things. I think she picked up Nunu when I was reading her a book on the plane ride back in Dec. Trying to entertain I sang the Long Ranger tune when we got to the horse page, it kinda stuck with her.

This was Joella's first ride.

flowers

2010-04-23T19:28:00.001-07:00

It seems that EVERYTHING in our yard is blooming! It is so wonderful to see all the surprises. God has really blessed us with this yard.

Easter weekend!

2010-04-23T18:55:00.001-07:00

We had a grand time hanging out in KS with my folks and sister's family. Milford Lake is about half way between our homes. It was fun camping even if there wasn't lots of sleeping at night.

I love it that both our kids like looking through books. Cayden has always been big into books and Joella is just starting to show more interest. She does want to be just like him.

We had a little egg hunt. Joella's first.

Dee dee and Joella swinging.

Papa and Cayden

All the cousins: Corbin(2), Alayna(4), Coltin(8), Cayden(3), Everitt(6), and Joella(1). Cayden just loved being around his cousins. Him and Alayna are the closest in age and they are so cute together.

tree

2010-04-05T11:46:00.000-07:00

This is the tree in my front yard!

pot-ty trained and sillies

2010-03-17T11:56:00.000-07:00

Hey look who's POT-ty trained at 18 months...I wish! And some other silly photos. Kids are so much entertainment, we love it all!

curlz

2010-03-17T11:43:00.000-07:00

Joella is full of curls in the back of her head. I realized the other day while talking on Skype to Auntie Rhonda that not everyone has seen or knows of these beautiful curls! We just absolutely love them and hope they stick around. (sorry the photos aren't the best, its just a bit difficult getting a 18 month old to hold still while you point the camera at the back of her head!)

almost spring

2010-03-17T11:31:00.000-07:00

It looks like spring is coming! Yeah! The weather got warm for a few weeks. I was even able to put shorts on and sit outside. The kiddos have really enjoyed going out everyday. We got up the swing set we were given. They love it! I'm even seeing some flowers blooming in our garden. That is the fun thing about moving into a new house, you get to see what all they planted. Now if I can just keep straight what is a good plant and what is a weed.

winter fun!

2010-03-11T11:31:00.000-08:00

We had a bit of snow this year. We enjoyed the hill out our back yard. I was surprised how Cayden would carry the sled up the hill all by himself. He had so much fun. We also got to have our friends Fredrick and Isabel over to play while their parents went on a Valentine's date. (We did some babysitting swaping-Ryan and I got our date in the night before while Cayden and Joella went to their house to play. What a great way to get away and not pay for a babysitters!)

Cayden and Fredrick riding the horses....deer!

Baseball on the golf course.

Joella and Isabel got to have a ride.

Christmas 2009

2010-01-28T08:18:00.000-08:00

Okay so I'm a bit behind in posting this but I started so I decided to finish it.....We had a great time with family this holiday. I flew out early on the 17th with the kiddos to spend some time with my family in Grand Lake. My sister and her family came up and we celebrated Christmas together. Papa even got us a sleigh ride but we had to help feed the cows. I just loved the scenery.

Ryan only got 4 days off work, so we meet up with him on Dec 23, staying in Berthoud with his folks for several days. We were able to meet our nephew for the first time, Gabriel. Ryan's sister, Rhonda, and brother-in-law, Steve, just adopted him in September. We were thrilled to finally meet him!

Kitchen remodel

2010-01-28T08:15:00.000-08:00

I have finally got some before/after photos on the house! We were blessed to have Ryan's folks out here last week for some remodeling. The remodel consisted of lots of painting (ceiling, walls, paneling, cabinets, oven....just about everything got painted), putting up trim, three new lights, tore down soffits, build shelves in pantry, & new pantry doors. It was a busy week but it now looks so great. Thank you, Thank you, Nana and Popity for all the help and hard work. We love you!

So we will start with the before.....

Pantry

Ugly green oven, YUCK!

The during....

This photo was actually taken back in November when we did the big 'cut-out-a-window-in-two-walls' remodel. But I haven't blogged about it yet.

Remove the soffits!

Paint over the ugly paneling.

And then the after.....

Oooooooo

Ahhhhh

Ohhhh

Voila! Our Coffee Kitchen is complete. We just have the finishing touches of hardware and maybe a few pictures on the walls.

Oh Christmas tree

2009-12-10T13:22:00.000-08:00

this use to always be a favorite thing Ryan and I did every year, hunting for the perfect tree to cut down. We miss that crisp mountain air and piles of snow to trudge through. Oh well, here in MO we kept tradition alive by getting a real tree, from Lowe's.

Happy Turkey Day!

2009-12-10T13:09:00.000-08:00

We have so much to be thankful for and have been so blessed this year. One of the many things is my whole family came and spent a few days with us. We had fun visiting our Zoo and Science Center. Cayden & Joella just loved playing with their cousins. Hope we can do this again real soon!

6 cousins!

The two youngest got along great, Joella 14 months and Corbin 2.

Trunk or Treat

2009-11-06T11:55:00.000-08:00

Our church had a Trunk or Treat which was moved indoors due to all the rain. Thanks to our friend Christine, the kids costumes turned out great!

Cayden our little cowboy! Thanks Aunt Net for the horsy!

Joella, our little Caterpillar. Thanks Christine, she looked adorable!

Tori had a little hard time holding Joella in costume.

Joella was taught how to do 'fishy lips'! Too funny!

Pumpkin Pickin' Pictures

2009-11-06T11:14:00.000-08:00

We always have fun going and getting our pumpkins from a local farm. They have all sorts of things for kids to play on. Cayden was fixed on only one thing....Tractor Ride!! Joella was so cute toddling around trying to pick up the pumpkins like her Daddy.

These are the best pics we got. Why is it so hard to get both kids looking at you at the same time!

Pumpkin carving.

Home owners...

2009-10-30T06:22:00.000-07:00

Well we did it, we are home owners again....or should I say home buyers! We closed on the house yesterday. It has lots of updating projects to do, which we do enjoy. We are taking the next month to get a bunch done and slowly move in.

We are very thankful God has given us some direction after 1.5 years waiting. Unfortunately it isn't our hearts desire of moving back to Colorado. But we choose to stay in God's will and follow His direction and His timing...not always the easy road to take. So we look forward to whatever He has for us here. Knowing that His ways are perfect. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

I'll post some BEFORE pictures. The AFTER pictures won't come for quite some time.

We love the land around the house. Nice big trees. It even bumps up to a golf course. We know we will never have neighbors to the back side.

Joella's 1st birthday

2009-10-14T07:49:00.000-07:00

Joella turned one on September 22, 2009. We were so blessed to have grandparents make the trip in. We had a party with butterfly as the theme. She wasn't too sure about her cake.

Nana and Joella.

Libby came!

Hmmmm....cake?

Tea anyone?

On Joella's actual birthday we went to the zoo. Dee dee was able to come with us. We had fun visiting the new sting ray exhibit. They let you put your hand in the tank and touch them as they swim by. Cayden's arm was a little too short to reach in but he kept trying.

Dee dee and Joella enjoying the zoolife.

Joella had to ware her birthday shirt.

All tuckered out!

Who wants cake? We later figured out that like any girl Joella preferred the chocolate over vanilla cake.

Camping in September

2009-10-14T07:30:00.000-07:00

We spent Labor day weekend with some friends, the DeMoors, camping. The kids did great in the day....sleeping at night was not so good. Some of the memorial moments were getting a flat tire on the camper, Ryan falling 15 ft trying to climb a tree while hanging a swing, and finding a cooper head snake right in our camp! Yikes! Here are some photos of the trip.

Joella swinging with Daddy. Hang on tight!

Joella and Mommy relaxing.

Anyone up for a smore?

Joella just loved hanging out with Tori. I think the feeling was mutual.

Cayden's first canoe ride.

Cayden's three!

2009-08-30T05:03:00.002-07:00

We celebrated Cayden's Third Birthday 8.29.09. He is turning into an amazing little man. Can't believe it was three years ago that he joined our family. We had a Fireman's Birthday party with a few friends.

A before picture...trying the cake.

Joella enjoyed herself!

Playing in the sandbox with Zoey and Fred.

Dinner time!

Yummy Fire engine cake! He later had a tummy ache and we convinced him it was too much cake. Maybe he won't like sugar sooooo much....doubtful!

Joella loved crawling around with her BFF Isabel.

They were so cute dancing at the fence. They are two months apart (Joella is older) but you couldn't tell. We think Isabel is sure advanced for her age.

first few steps

2009-08-30T05:03:00.001-07:00

Joella took her first few steps on 8-22-09, her 11 month birthday! We tried to capture it on video with a cracker bribe! This is the best video we were able to get just the last few falling steps. She really walked from the couch.

dump truck driving

2009-08-19T06:09:00.000-07:00

Joella is doing great at learning to walk. She has learned how to drive cars real well from her big brother. However, we need to get some more girly toys in the house!

...more Florida

2009-06-19T11:10:00.000-07:00

We spent a day on Sanibel Island. Full of seashells. Cayden loved to find shells and throw them into the water. He is such a boy!

Found a star fish!

Joella spent some time in the pool. I think she is a water baby too!

Have to love the sunsets. Ryan & I got away from the kids for the night. Thanks so much Nana and Popity!

Now don't you just wish you could be sitting in that beach chair? I know I do!

Florida vacation

2009-06-18T11:58:00.000-07:00

We spent a week in Florida for Ryan's cousin's wedding. Spent as much time as we could in the water. Either the pool or the ocean, Cayden must be part fish.

Big muscles, grrrrrrr.

"Daddy what are you doing to me?"

Cayden all ready to do a "big job" as ring bearer.

"Hello fishy!"

Splashin' about

2009-05-26T13:10:00.000-07:00

We got a lot of rain the other day. Our giant sand box became a lake. Cayden had fun splashing around. I love mud boots!

OUCH!

2009-05-26T12:54:00.000-07:00

We had to share a good head injury. Like any great parents we took pictures right after our kid hit the corner of the wall.

April fun

2009-04-30T12:40:00.001-07:00

I've been working on getting this posted for over a month! I'm surprised that it is still saved and doesn't automatically delete after so long. Anywho....

We had a great time visiting family and friends in Colorado. Here are some fun pictures to recap.

The Mauler cousins.

Easter egg hunting.

Papa and Joella.

Auntie Rhonda met Joella for the first time.

Nana and Joella

Danny Chapman's wedding, all dressed up.

Love the Bumbo! If you don't have one I recommend it!

Cayden loves his tractor from Aunt Net! He had to pull it out the second we got home from our 14 hour trip!

Cayden loves to tell stories. He has quite the imagination. They don't all make sense but he sure does like to talk! Ryan got one I had to share.

A walk in March

2009-04-30T12:33:00.000-07:00

Thought I would update with a few photos...

I love the blooming trees in the Spring

6 months old!

2009-03-23T11:17:00.000-07:00

Can't believe it is true, Joella is 1/2 a year old!

They grow up way to fast. Here are some cute smiles. Enjoy!

In the first two she scratched her nose if

anyone was wondering what it was.

Those little finger nails are soooo hard to keep cut.

And big brother doesn't always want to get pictures taken.

So we had to do some coaxing to get this cheesy smile.

He loves his "ol' Mc Donald"outfit a.k.a. overalls!

He tells me all the time when he is going out to play that he is going to feed the cows.

And then he feeds the elephants, horses, giraffes and

whatever animal he can think of at the time.

Lets try a video.

The blog world....

2009-03-02T11:38:00.000-08:00

What a great way for people to stay in touch with each others lives! Especially with kiddos & miles between us all. So I guess we will join in the fun. Not sure how often I will get to update but today I find myself with no work at nap time and a wide awake 5 month old on my lap....which of course means I don't get to nap!

Here is the family update!

Cayden is 2 1/2 years old. He loves to play soccer, sing songs, & love on his baby sister. He also plays a mean air guitar! I'll have to get it on video...very cute!

Joella's 5 months old. She is really starting to reach and play with things. We are starting her on solid food, good ol' rice cereal. She doesn't like this at all! But she does like to talk or babble alot. I guess she is just trying to compete with her older brother.