Our Wyoming Friends...

There are somedays that I am very glad to be close to Cheyenne! Today was one of them! Being in Colorado Springs wouldn't be the same without visits from our friends up north! These friends have been in our lives since 2003 - Amanda and I met while pregnant with our boys...Zach and Will. They were born about 2 weeks apart and have been best buddies ever since. Zach calls Will his "favorite friend." It's amazing that 2 boys can play together so nicely...wild...crazy...and loud, but nicely!

Here is a flashback picture of Zach and Will at our home in Cheyenne. The boys were just over a year old.

Here they are now...several years later and still best buddies. They were so busy I didn't get a good face picture. The 3rd arm in this picture is Seth...poor guy really was the 3rd wheel. He could keep up most of the time, until Will and Zach decided to gang up on him and then he really wasn't sure what to do!

Practicing their "veg in front of the tv" pose. All boys and men need to learn this one right?

This is Will's baby sister...She is about 16 months and weighs about as much as Eli.

Grace was already starting to flirt with the Mulkey boys - she chose Eli this time, but as she gets older, who knows who she'll be going for??

Our "Playground!"

Even after being home for two weeks, the boys are still so very excited that we have "our own playground" in the backyard! Today was the first day in about a week and a half that we didn't get out to swing - only because the swingset was covered in a thin sheet of ice - brrrr - it was cold today!

Where in the world is Justin?

There has been little going on around this household, so I thought I would post a couple of pictures of Justin. On Wednesday Justin flew south to Ascension Island for the celebration of "America on Ascension Island Day." This is an island about 5,000 miles south of Florida, and about 1,000 miles off the coast of Africa. According to Wikepedia, "The island is the location of Wideawake Airfield, which is a joint facility of the Royal Air Force and the United States Air Force. The island was used extensively by the British military during the Falklands War." Justin said that there are is only a population of about 1,000 people and over 25% of those people are there for the military facility. He has been busy hiking...exploring...fishing (or I should say throwing up on a boat), attending meetings, and just have a great time!

Aparently the terrain is much different than Antigua, he said it is what you would picture the moon as looking like!

There are only 2 beaches on the island that swimming is allowed due to rough seas. This cross was one of several, but placed for a fisherman who was killed by a rogue wave.

I'm sure when he returns home next week, Justin will blog a bit for himself...but for now he has little or no internet access!

Happy Easter Daddy...Love Mommy, Zach, Seth, and Eli

This picture is for you Grandma Pam...thanks to you, the boys had a little something to wake up to this morning. Mommy wasn't able to get out this year to get them any goodies - but believe me, they were thrilled with these masks!! It was the perfect accessory to their Easter outfits, and the only way I could get the both of them to pose for pictures this morning.


Seth was completely against wear a tie with his hand-me-down dress shirt; that is, until he saw that Zach was going to wear one. Neither of them enjoyed being choked by the top button of their shirts, so they wore them with it unbuttoned!! Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of Eli this morning - he woke up just in time to hurry, get dressed, and race out the door...and by the time we got home he had pottied through his outfit and wasn't really in the mood for a photo session! Maybe next Sunday.


We decided to make some sugar cookies this afternoon....WHAT A MESS, but fun! Zach actually seemed to get the hang of things, although his cookies are all about 1/2 inch thick...


Seth on the other hand kept rolling and cutting...then re-rolling and cutting...and re-rolling again. This wouldn't have been a good thing in Grandma Shirley's kitchen that's forsure. I think that only one of his cut outs actually made it to the pan - and with as many times as he messed with it, I'm not sure I want to be the one eating it!!

We were planning on icing them also...but after we created such a huge mess, I really wasn't up for the whole frosting business. I let them have one cookie to eat - Zach iced his and added "green sugar" sprinkles. Seth wanted his "just regular."

We sure did miss Daddy today - Zach called him and asked if we could come down for a visit...their little hearts are really sure what to make of all of this!!

Happy Easter!!! We love you all!!

Two part Saturday blog...

Part 1...Zach and Eli....

Eli is changing every day...spinning...rocking on his knees...sticking his bum up in the air to make a teepee...eating...or I should say blowing his food out...drooling (notice the big drop coming off of his chin)...smiling...giggling...and finally growing some hair!

Zach is LOVING the snow!! He was so excited to run outside this morning to "catch some snowflakes" with his tongue...he seemed to have more trouble catching them with his eyes, which really disappointed him! After dinner tonight he said "Mom, since I ate such a good dinner could I have a cup of snow?" I said, "Well buddy, I guess that would be o.k." I'm surprised he didn't ask me "how many sugars" there was in the snow. (Thanks Paquette kids for starting that).

Part 2 - The Progression of Seth's Day....

It started with about an hour outside in the snow....

He came in smiling...but kept saying he was "freezing," and asking for hot cocoa...

About 4 hours later he finally got his hot cocoa...from Starbucks. How cute it that! He is a child after my own heart. I will drink anything in a Starbucks cup!

The boys decided to have their quiet time on the couch watching Cars...Seth only made it about 15 minutes into the movie. He proceeded to sleep over 3 hours! I guess I know forsure that Starbucks doesn't sneek caffeine into their kids' hot cocoa!!

A blog about nothing...Just for Daddy...

There is not much happening around our household today...just missing Daddy! Today has been a little bit harder for all of us...minus Eli - he really doesn't seem to be bothered by much -unless he's tired, then watch out!!


It's a poor picture, but Zach found my podometer today and has seriously been obsessed with it. I'm not sure of his total steps because he kept zeroing it out, but in a two hour window he had over 4,000 steps. He is so excited about this "little computer" that he wanted to wear jeans to bed so that he could have a pocket to clip it on. I convinced him that it could clip on his PJ's...the hard part was convincing him that he didn't need to open it every 5 minutes while laying in bed just to see if the number had changed or not. When I left the room he said "Mom...be sure to wake me up at 6 so I can see what number is inside." You bet buddy!!




I worked hard in the playroom/nursery today. I have been trying to figure out how to combine the two rooms without making it feel chaotic. I'm not sure if I succeeded or not - it's still pretty busy, but all of the kids enjoy using it!

Seth is so cute when he plays computer games. He does really well for a while and then I hear "Mooooommmmyyyyy....I need heeeeeelp." Starfall.com is one of his favorites, and he can do the majority of the "activities" by himself!

Growing by leaps and bounds...

It's been 6 months since I have measured the boys on our "tallest of allest" growth chart. Every day Zach's pants seem shorter and shorter, and Seth is starting to fit in to Zach's pants - except around the middle. He still seems to have his baby belly (not surprising with as much as he eats).

Zach had grown about an 1 over the last 6 months...about 2 inches in the last ten months. He was very excited to see that he was "still the tallest." Which he proceeded to tease Seth about for then next 10 minutes...bringing Seth to tears!!

Not for long Zach!! Seth is catching up...he grew about 2 inches in the last 6 months and just a touch over 3 inches in the last 10...there's not much space between them!!

I am going to just mark Eli on the chart according to his measurement at the dr's office. He wasn't so sure he could stand on his own for me to mark him. :) At the rate he is going he will out grow them both!!

Following in Daddy's Bike Trails...

I think the boys are going to be bike lovers just like their Daddy...they have been begging to ride their bikes ever since they noticed them in the garage. Today it was a whopping 50 degrees so we tried it out!!


Zach wore his helmet for about an hour before we even got outside...He just knew he had it on right, so I didn't bother to argue - - having it on backwards is better then not having it on at all, right Dad??

Seth spent most of his time whining that he "couldn't do it" that riding the tricycle was just "too hard" for him!! He really didn't understand the whole steering aspect of it all as you can see from his hand placement on the handle bars!!

Eli had a new ride also - I think this is the first time he has ridden in his big stroller...in comparison to the little cheapo umbrella stroller we have been using this felt like a motor home to him and to me! He enjoyed being outside, but it was still a bit too chilly for him. He only lasted about 15 minutes!!

Bath time!

Rub a dub dub three boys in the tub

and who do you think they be?

Zach, Seth, and Eli James,

playing together all three!!

Our First Moments without Daddy...

We got Daddy off to the airport before the storm came in. The boys are so excited to be experiencing Winter - I LOVE the snow, but I love the sun even more!!

The boys haven't completely gotten back on Colorado time - we were up at 5:00a.m. again...but then we had plenty of time to get ready for an Easter Party that we were invited to! Thank goodness for friends here who won't let me have time to be bummed about Justin being away...

Eli's first play date. This is Eli and Ross. They are only days apart...I'm not sure how big Ross is, but he is smaller in comparison! They laughed, giggled, and coughed at eachother - it was very cute!! I think these guys will be very good buddies, they better be, because their moms are, and plan to spend a lot of the next few months together!

The angle of the picture makes Ross look bigger than Eli...not the case I would guess a couple of pounds and several inches seperate these guys. Eli was almost 19 pounds, 28 1/2 inches at the doctors office - bigger than either Zach or Seth were!!

There were toys, crafts, dying eggs, snacks...and goody bags! Zach is concentrating very hard on putting his little Easter craft together.

The finished project!!! Zach is in the back row to the right, and Seth in the middle front! I was so proud of the boys...they haven't been around kids at all the last 4+ months, and they have just picked right off where they left off. They had a great time, and Zach begged to stay longer...but since we basically crashed the party I figured that 4 hours was plenty of time!

Part of our Journey Home!

I had just told Vonnie that I should have tried on the Military Contracted flight out of Antigua to get the boys into the cockpit, as I didn't ever expect to have that happen on a commercial flight. However as we landed in the Denver Airport and got off the plane, we were waiting in the jetway for our stroller when the Captain came out. He asked if we were waiting for a stroller and we said yes, he asked if we were in a hurry to catch a connecting flight, we said nope, just to get a rental car. He then offered to take the boys up in the cockpit to look around. After the last passenger got off the plane, we snuck back on and the Pilot escorted Zach and I back on the plane (Seth had just woken up and wasn't in the mood!) This is a pretty cool picture of Zach sitting in the pilot seat and wearing the pilot's hat. He looked like a natural!






On Vonnie's last post you saw that Seth said, "It really is Winter here...just a view out the front window of our house...after the 3 inches of snow we got yesterday morning...the storm was starting to burn off, and this was Pike's Peak with the clouds in front...Sorry, no palm trees!

We're Home!!

This is just a brief post to let you all know that we are home...in Colorado Springs! We left Antigua on Wednesday morning, spend the night in Orlando and took the first flight out on Thursday morning. It has been a long tiring last couple of days, but the boys have been little champions - doing great every step of the way! Thank goodness we only have to endure a 2 hour time change...the boys were up and raring to go at 4:00 a.m. Justin and I are exhausted!! Being home is bittersweet. The boys are so excited to be here, and to have daddy home...all the well knowing that he is leaving again on Sunday...that will be a hard day for us all! Thanks to all of you who have been thinking about us and praying for us this week, please continue to do so, especially for the boys as they have to go through another adjustment!! I will leave you with a few funny quotes from the boys the last few day!!

Seth: Are we going to live here now? (As we checked into our Orlando hotel room).
Zach: Is this plane ever going to blast off? (While waiting in the plane in Orlando).
Seth: Mom! It really really is winter now!! (As we arrived to cold weather in Denver).
Zach: I'm sooooo excited to be back to Colorado Springs!!
Seth: Can I go in this house?? (Walking up to the front steps of our home).
Seth: Can I play with the toys in this house?
Zach: I'm going to play out on the playground! (Heading outside to our swingset)
Seth: Mom, where is the playground? (Looking for Zach)
Eli: Aghhhhhhhh!!!!

Vonnie's Birthday Retreat

I guess you couldn't really call it a retreat...she had 4 roomates! When I asked Vonnie a week or so ago what she wanted to do before she and the boys left, she said... "Let's stay at Jolly Harbor!" We looked into it and were able to get the "local" price and stay in connecting rooms on Friday evening. The resort is "all-inclusive", so we got all of our food as well.





You might say that the Mulkey family has become a what we call "beach snobs!" While we truly love Jolly Harbor beach, we spent about 30 minutes out of 30 hours on the sand. The boys fell in love with the pools, and Vonnie and I liked the fact that we didn't have to wash sand off the boys before we could take them anywhere!




Zach told one of his CO friends that he was going to a hotel with "2-pools, AND a Beach!" The BIG pool had two fountains the boys swam on a lot. It also had a water fall, and a swim up bar! Pretty COOL...



Here are Zach and Daddy bringing back a hamburger and our Pina Coladas...(minus the Rum). The boys just wanted to white icee drinks. They probably drank a gallon of the stuff.





Mom and Dad taking turns in the pool...it turns out a couple of 30-somethings can't keep up with a 4-yr old, an almost 3-yr old, and a 6-month old. They had us running the whole time...probably over 15 hours in the pools, 30 minutes on a paddle boat, another 20 minutes on an ocean kayak...and only about 10 hours for them to sleep...they had a great time, as did Vonnie and I...

Here they are saying goodbye to the sugar mill out front...definitely a memorable birthday!

Family Photos...

A week or so ago, we were able to have a friend take some professional photos of us down at the beach. The weather was perfect, the boys were actually ALL happy, the sunset was beautiful, and we only ended up with about 20 or so sand mite bites a piece. We wanted to share a few of our favorites. Thanks Mike and Carol for making this happen for us!!





Vonnie admiring her prince charming...or maybe she was angry about the bites she was getting. I guess we will never know for sure, but I am pretty sure she was just looking longingly at the most handsome guy "in the ever!" (Seths' words!)







Enjoying a leisurely stroll along the sand...Vonnie went with some friends to pick out here BEAUTIFUL white dress...VA-VA-VOOM, and ordered all of the boys a light shirt from Old Navy...and with the unpredictability of our mail system, she got them here in perfect timing...my XXL almost covers the love handles...those won't be there in the next version of this shot!







Eli was pretty jealous of the rest of us getting to put our feet in the sand, so he talked me into putting him down and letting him go for a walk...he almost took a step! Must be the wonderful caribbean weather!







Wow, All 5 faces looking the same direction in what Mike calls "Sweet light". Wow has God blessed me with a wonderful wife, beautiful children, a wonderful opportunity this year, and the list goes on and on...

I don't know who was really admiring who, but both of them are stunning in this photo. That little guy is really going to be a heartbreaker!

And off we go into another sunset...as there will be many changes for our family over the next 18 months...hopefully it will end up with us back in our own house in Colorado Springs...but who knows?