Where are the Rest of the Reindeer?

We took the girls to go see two reindeer at a nursery in town.  The girls weren't too sure about the reindeer...they weren't the friendliest.  Carter did try to get close to them, where Rylyn wanted nothing to do with them.  Rylyn was concerened though when she only saw two and asked, "Where are the other reindeer?" 

Getting into the Holiday Spirit

The girls have been so excited for Christmas.  They loved getting the house and tree decorated for the holidays.  The ornaments are the hit this year.  They can't seem to leave them alone...everyday the ornaments seem to be rearranged!  They ask every night on the way home from work to drive around the neighborhood to look at the lights.  They are so cute singing xmas songs in the car and pointing out every house we drive by.  They got to make gingerbread houses too and what a hit those are.  They look at them daily and want three pieces off of their houses each night after dinner.  So precious and fun.

Rylyn's Christmas Performance at Preschool

Rylyn just had her holiday performance at her preschool.  She was a gift in the show and got to wear a big red bow around her.  She had a speaking part all by herself and she nailed it!  She had the longest part: she had to say, "God's love is the best gift we can give at Christmas and since God he lives within us, all we really need to give is...ourselves!"  She did it perfectly.  We were so proud!

My 1st 10k!

We look like twins in our black outfits!

Yes, I have completed my first 10k, 6.2 miles...don't know why exactly I wanted to do this to myself, but I did.  The only reason I think I actually did it was because I had two running buddies help me prepare for this event.  We ran in the Heart Center of the Rockies race on November 6th.  It was beautiful weather for November and the course was around a pretty lake.  It wasn't bad until about mile 5 when I wanted to be done.  I ended up completing it in 1 hour and 5 minutes...(I never said I was fast) and Johnny and the girls were there to see me cross the finish line.  6.2 miles was long enough for me...don't have the urge any time soon to run any further than that.

Halloween Fun!

The girls were afraid of the scary pirate (uncle Bryan)




Carol and Grandpa (picture above) Grandpa and Brinlee



Dad and Mom

Jason, Julie, and the girls (Uncle Jason had scary hands too)!

We had a Halloween get together with the kids and their cousins.  My grandpa Glenn and his wife Carol were in town and got to see the children at their wildest!  We ate some italian food, went trick or treating, and called it a night...that was a lot for all of us on a Sunday night!  Rylyn was a princess, Carter was a ladybug, Kyla was a cheerleader, and Lauren was a cowgirl riding her horse.  So fun!

Rylyn, Rena, and Owen

Myself and my Blind Ref





Fall Fun

Dad and Rylyn getting ready to leave for dad's day...of course it was a rainy, muddy day for a pumpkin patch!  They still went and enjoyed the rain with a few donuts and a nice pumpkin souvineer (see pic below).





Rylyn so happy about her "star" pumpkin she found at the pumpkin patch with dad.  We all got a good laugh out of it!





At Rylyn's preschool, the girls got to visit the petting zoo and pet bunnies, cows, sheep, goats, and donkeys.







Also at Rylyn's preschool, there were pony rides.  Carter got to ride her first pony.  She was so little up there that I had to hold her leg to get her to stay on the pony.  She enjoyed the bumpy ride.



They both wanted to go (after our 45 minute wait) on another ride when they finished.

 

My Little Pumpkins...

 

We went to the pumpkin patch this weekend to find us some perfect little pumpkins for the girls.  At the pumpkin patch were some animals, corn mazes, and pumpkins of all kinds.  The girls enjoy the wagon ride as much as the hunt for the pumpkins.  They got to pet a pig and thought the pig was funny.  The weather was beautiful and a great Sunday family afternoon.

Pumpkins from the garden

We planted pumpkins this summer and two out of the four were ready to pick this weekend.  The girls loved checking on the pumpkins and watching them turn from green to orange.  Then they were finally ready to pick.  Here are the girls today next to the two we picked.

So cute

The girls have their moments when they are so sweet to each other, so I grabbed the camera and got this moment on film.  Rylyn was so helpful to Carter and wrapped her in a blanket, got her a drink, and read her a story...precious.

Rylyn's 1st Day of Preschool

Rylyn attended her first day of Preschool at the Harmony School on Wed, Sept 9th. She was so excited to go and see her classroom and meet her teacher.  She attends school in the afternoons from 12:30-3:30 three days a week.  She had a rough start were she would cry and not want to be left at school. After a few times going though, she got the hang of it and now enjoys going to school.  Such a big girl now!

Final Days of Summer

Last weekend, we went to the lake by my parents house.  We rode in the back of the pick-up with the girls along a dirt road to get to the lake--they really liked not being inside the car in their carseats-sitting with mom and dad in the back with the wind blowing on them was way cooler.  We went for a canoe ride to a little sandy beach area.  The girls were so good in the little canoe and were excited to be in a boat with Grammie and Papa. They got to go swimming in the lake also.  To my surprise, they had fun playing in the dark muddy water and looking at the fish swimming around them---fun Sunday at the lake.

Sunflower Fun

We found a sunflower patch off the side of the road that we went and explored. It was so fun for the girls because the sunflowers were little, just like them.  They ran up and down the rows of dirt inbetween the sunflowers.  It was early and the sunflowers were facing the sun, so every pic I took was them facing the sun--oh well.

My First 5K Run

Us, after the race, in our cool bright yellow race shirts

Yes, I have to confess, I am becoming a runner.  I have been running for the last few weeks because I entered a 5 k race with my old teaching partner (she just ran a half marathon)!!  She has been helping me to stay motivated and learn to love running.  Its safe to say that I don't LOVE running by any means yet, but it is not the worst thing in the world either.  So on Sat we met early at the race and ran it together.  The whole time she kept convicing me I could do it and, yes I did finish. We completed the race together and I was proud that I met my goal of finishing a 3.1 mile run.  I finished by running slow and steady...I'm not out there to beat anyone, just to get some exercise. (33:30 was my time, see slow and steady said the tortise to the hare).  The actual race was a fun experience and fun to do with a friend. I think I would like to do another and now I will have to try to convince Johnny to do one with me too. Who knows, maybe some day I will write again telling you all how much I LOVE running...hhhmm, maybe.

Rylyn's Summer Dance Class

Rylyn is the middle waiting patiently for her turn

Rylyn listening very carefully and following every direction

After Rylyn's last tap/ballet class was cancelled last spring, we have been looking for another place for her to take a dance class.  We decided on one for the summer and it wasn't Rylyn's favorite...it was very individual oriented and seemed like a professional ballerina school. Because of that, she didn't get to dance much; mostly spent her class time waiting, watching, and sitting around.  Eventhough the class was not very active, she did such a good job with her steps/ballet positions and really focused on what she was asked to do.  It was only 4 sessions and she was glad when it was over.  Carter wanted to join in too, but this was for 3-4 year olds only.  So, we are on the hunt, once again for another place...maybe we should try gymnastics this time.

Summer Garden Success

Rylyn sitting on the edge of the overflowing garden box.

I had to get back with you after leaving you in suspense from my last garden box post in May.  It was our first garden and wow, was it amazing to watch everything grow.  We have picked a lot of tomatoes and lettuce over the last few months and can't wait for our pumpkins to be ready to harvest.  The girls really enjoyed looking at the big green spiders in the tomato plants.  As the season begins to die down, we have decided that we are going to do a garden again next summer.

Grammie's Celebration

My beloved grammie, Patricia Giarrusso, passed away in June of a stroke.  My family flew back to California this weekend to attend a celebration that my aunt held for her.  I have not been back to CA for a long time and it was my first trip without Johnny or the children.  Johnny experienced his first weekend alone with the kids and survived.  It was a quick trip and one filled with family, love, and support for my grammie.  Though it was a hard occasion to attend for all of us, we got to see many relatives and friends we haven't seen in a long time. 

SUMMER

The girls have been so much fun this summer!  They have been playing in the pools in the backyard and going to the neighborhood pool.  Lucky for us, they both love the water and are always up for a day with water and water toys!  When they are not swimming, they are playing at the park, seeing friends, reading books, or playing dress up...these are the days...:)