Callie is 11!

This precious girl turned 11 and I am just getting around to sharing... Whoa. I need to manage my time a little better, before things get really out of hand!

Oh my heart, she is just so pretty among other things of course!

This girls, oh where to start?! She is ALWAYS up for an adventure! Climb it, drive it, ride it, try it. She is my little dare devil! She will try anything once. I love this about you, you my friend are brave and uninhibited. I wish I could be more like this. Not caring what anything thinks or says, just enjoying every experience for what it is.  You are a skiing expert, you tried boogie boarding in the ocean this year and have recently been inquiring about bungee jumping and sky diving, yipes! 

She is my photogenic girl, she will stop drop and pose and look great doing it! 

The silliness doesn't ever stop, you crack me and daddy up daily with your silly stories, jokes and insights about life. Your parodies of songs are to DIE for! I love how you are so musical and clever. Speaking of musical, you certainly didn't get that from me, but you have such a natural talent for sounds and we are so proud that you were recommended for a music learning plan for gifted kids at school, I can't wait to see what you do!

You are currently so low maintenance I don't even know how to be your mom sometimes. You are self sufficient at so many things! You are pretty easy going and it drives me a little bananas that you don't want to brush your hair or dress up super fancy right now, but that's okay, maybe I had my fun with that while you were small and impressionable. But I hope that you always put your best foot forward and above all, be YOU and not what others want you to be. Lord knows you are too strong willed for that nonsense!

Again with the adventure...

You never run out of ideas to keep you and Kellen entertained. This creativity, again, I have no idea where it comes from, but who makes ninja costumes and sneaks around the house all day?Why, you my dear!

You love the outdoors! I think this goes with your nature of climbing and your spirit of adventure. I hope that you always choose being active and outside to staying in and being on technology (remember this dear one, if you ever get a cell phone!)

This year you got to meet your idol Sabrina Carpenter and it was so sweet to see how excited you were!

You have such a special bond with your grandparents, well all of your family really! You are so loved by your family!

Speaking of bonds, even though you don't always show it, you love your brother and are usually so sweet to him. Little brothers are tough, I get it, but you are patient and kind and I pray that you always keep that relationship with Kellen!

Again with the silliness!

You are fierce! Even though you are little and that's a-okay, you pack a punch with your sass and personality. You are such a wonderfully unique and precious girl and I am so thankful that God made you just the way you are! You are crazy smart and love books and writing. You love and are truly so talented at music! You have the biggest heart for people who have less and I think your 3 children around the globe that you want to help are a testament to your sense of injustice and fairness! You stand up for people who can't defend themselves and I can't wait to see how God uses you to help and touch others. I hope you never ever lose your sense of wanting to help and being someone important. I love you, hot stuff! Happy 11!

Halloween and how can it be November?

I blinked and we are already 1/3 of the way through the 11th month of the year, from here on out, it's crazy town USA with birthdays, the holidays and the general shenanigans!

We made it through Halloween, Callie's Birthday weekend, conferences and closed on a sweet piece of land in the country! (much more about that later)

So Halloween...
It was freezing this year, cold and short but fun!

They did most of the carving and cleaning this year, so it was more productive and far less work, which is what you always want as a parent!

Not too shabby for these two!

At school we had our annual monster party! It was a blast!

We did crafts and made monster cookies and watched Monsters University (Have I mentioned how much I love teaching elementary?!)

The most mismatched pair on the block. I had Kellen all convinced to be captain America or Spiderman and he went rogue and decided to be a lion. Which is super fitting given his obsession with lions, but these two things just don't quite go together!

We made a quick pit stop at Grandma and Grandpas's house to visit their neighbors and take some pictures with little monkey we found! 

By the time we made it back to our hood, the sun had set and the wind picked up and Wonder Woman's legs and toes were freezing and our big lion's costume was itchy! They called it quits on their own after about 20 minutes! So we headed home to pass out candy and get some fish tacos in our tummies (It was a Tuesday after all)

Pay day! Another great Halloween in the books!

Fantastico Fall Break

This year, fall break was good for my soul, all our souls, really! The weather was perfection, I took care of some serious cleaning and catching up business and we had SO much fun doing cool things.

The first real day of fall break we went back to Hudson Gardens, where we had the family pictures a few weeks ago. The kids were asking to go back when we had time to play, so we did just that!

I think we saw every square foot of the gardens and my kids climbed on everything. Most of the flowers were already gone for the season, but it was still beautiful! I really want to take them back next summer when everything is bloom. I'll have to remember to put that on the old calendario.

Another glorious day in the CO!

Then nature trails were super fun!

There were monarch butterflies everywhere! They were pretty magical. Every time you walked they fluttered by in herd, it was like a Disney movie!

The mini hay maze was super fun!

Callie was in love with this old barn, for some reason...

It was a fun trip and we can't wait to go back!

Besides going to Hudson, we went to Hammond's candy factory with my aunt Carol and Grandma it was a blast as well!

Silly boy! So Hammond's is a candy factory, the oldest in Denver and they still make candy with the old timey machines, the old fashioned way. And they give free tours every day and free samples. If you have not been, you should. But do not drive the way we did. We went some crazy way, through all the factories and more "industrial" parts of town. I got a whole new view of the city I have literally never seen before!

They were mesmerized...

Love this family of mine!

We had a great time on our candy factory adventure and I so glad these gals were able to spend the day with us!

The rest of fall break, Brien was gone hunting, well mostly hiking with guns, as their group likes to call it. So I was on my own with these crazies and we made it a pretty fun few days!

We cheers-ed OJ

We helped get the yard ready for winter to help daddy

We made crazy race tracks!

We made gross cookies...

We snuggled and watched the Broncos lose...

We played with our sweet cousin...

We played with tractors at Grandma's office...

It was a red letter week! Now we are refreshed and recharged and ready for a few more weeks of school! I heart fall break!

Pumpkin Patchin'

I don't know what it is, but I love the pumpkin patch! We started off fall break last week with a good old visit to the patch for family fun and it never disappoints.

I LOVE this place!

They have grown a titch since last year!

Some new fun cut outs! How cute us this?

Callie was feeling brave so we went on the haunted hay ride and it would have been terrifying if not for the super funny family in front of us making us laugh. 

Brien wore him self out riding these crazy tractor bikes. He said Kellen better learn quick so he can do it by himself next year!

Some old favorites! Kellen is obsessed with this talking pumpkin!

Aunt Jenny came and brought her little pumpkin...

So freakin' cute! I hope they put her in a pumpkin this year. I want to live vicariously through them because I never got my baby in pumpkin picture. Not all babies love being put in a cold slimy pumpkin, whatever....

Love my people!

It was  perfecto kind of day! Happy pumpkin season!