Red White and Brave Parade...

This past weekend, we headed down town to the Red White and Brave Parade. It was a parade to welcome home the 4th Infantry Division that has just return to the local Army base, as well as a parade to celebrate the military. We doned our red white and blue...packed our chairs and snacks and headed down.



There was 40,000+ people there, we waited about an hour for the parade to start.



E being very patriotic.



These types of parades always make me tear up - I maintained my composure, but totally choked up when Zach asked me what the signs meant. It breaks my heart to think of families without their Mommies and Daddies, not to mention the young sons and daughters who are also fighting.



One of the few flyovers throughout the event!



This was a friend of Seth's. He was trying very hard to spot his Daddy amongst the many soldiers. His Daddy just returned a few months ago.



E waving his flags...



Zach absolutely loved the parade. He said many times "This is the BEST parade EVER!"



Towards the end some Navy Sailors in their perfectly pressed uniforms marched down main street carrying an enormous flag! What an amazing sight!

It's definitely moments like these that I am proud to be an American, and I am so thankful for the men and women who sacrifice themselves to serve our country!

First Day of School Take 2...

As Justin gently pointed out to me last night, I have been slightly biased in only writing a heartfelt post about Zach starting Kindergarten! Somehow amongst the chaos of Justin being gone for the past few weeks I forgot to post about Seth starting preschool this past week!

School for Seth is like candy...it is the highlight of his day. He is our social kid and craves time with other kids. He is just going to school 3 short mornings a week, but would love to go more!



Here is our token "go to school" picture. He is such a handsome little guy...He had a wonderful first week, and even has a little friend who wants to have a play date with him. It seems like the middle kid rarely has his own friends, so I am very excited for him to be making his own way. Although he and Zach are at the same school, they will only see each other during Wednesday Chapel - which I am also thankful for. Their time apart has helped with the at home fighting!



Can't forget how excited Eli is about school as well. Every day he asks for his Spider man backpack, and his blanket. He carries them out to the car and even takes them in to drop the boys off. But alas, he must spend those mornings by himself with Mommy!



The first morning the parents were invited into the classroom for a scavenger hunt and for story time. What a blessing it was to hear Seth's teacher say "I have been praying for each one of you boys and girls all summer long..." She has a heart for those few kids and is so excited to continue teaching them about Jesus!



Of course I had big plans to be busy in my home while the older boys were away at school, but instead I have taken advantage of spending time with Eli. There have been few times of alone times for him in his life, so I plan to take advantage of that. The first morning, we spent a few minutes in Starbucks together for "coppee." Which is what he called his milk the I bought him.

We have certainly had a busy last couple of weeks...and I am behind in posting, so hopefully this week I can get caught up...although my house is crying out for some attention as well...we'll see which one wins!

First Day of Kindergarten...

O.k., so we've been here before, heading out the door to school. Both Zach and Seth went to three day a week preschool last year. Today was different...today was Kindergarten...today was just the beginning of what seems like a lifetime of school. Today Zach was thrilled, and so was I! I love seeing my big boy excited about something. After spending a summer of him not being excited, and of him being "nervous" or "scared" to do anything new I was thrilled to see his eyes light up when we pulled up to school! Although I'll have to admit watching his eyes light up, made my eyes fill up a little (but I wasn't the only one!).



We happened upon this little book at the library yesterday...he said it was "perfect" for him to read this morning.



Reading his book on the front step...



"Let's go Mom, I don't want to be late..." Isn't he so cute!

In the big scheme of things, this is just a small milestone...but a milestone non the less!

I will leave you will a poem that I stole from a friend...

Kindergarten Wonder

I wonder what you're doing right now
And if everyone is treating you kind
I hope there is a special person,
A nice friend you can find.
I wonder if the teacher knows just how special you are to me.
And if the brightness of your heart is something she can see.
I wonder if you are thinking about me and if you need a hug.
I already miss the sound of your voice and how you give my leg a tug.
I wonder if you can possibly understand how hard it is for me to let you grow.
On this day know that my heart breaks, for this is the first step in letting my baby go.

Happy Birthday to you....

Today is my man's birthday!



Finally after six months of him teasing me about being older, he is the same age as I am!!

Babe, we wish you were here so we could celebrate with you...do you remember this??



Your birthday celebration when you were in Antigua? You went to the Epicurean and bought yourself some treats!!

We have had too many birthday celebrations without you! So just for you, we are having a movie night with popcorn (sorry no sugar cookies or lemon frosting). We are so blessed to have you in our lives - great daddy, and a wonderful husband! Thanks so much for all you do!

Taking You to New Heights...Pike's Peak!

Justin and I have been here before almost 3 years ago to be exact...but this time we decided to take the kiddos along with!

Here's a little history, if you are interested:

"The most visited mountain in North America and the second most visited mountain in the world behind Japan's Mount Fuji, Pikes Peak forms a stunning backdrop for Colorado Springs... At an altitude of 14,110 feet above sea level, Pikes Peak is the 31st highest peak out of 54 Colorado peaks. It is the farthest east of the big peaks in the Rocky Mountain chain, which contributed to its early fame among explorers, pioneers and immigrants and made it the symbol of the 1859 Gold Rush to Colorado with the slogan, "Pikes Peak or Bust"."



After 19 miles of twists and turns, we finally reached the top...



This is also the place where Katherine Lee Bates was inspired to write America the Beautiful.

It was quite an exciting time to be at the top. It was a mere 42 degrees (unfortunately there was no snow), the view was incredible and clear, and much to our delight the Pikes Peak Ascent was happening - so we were able to watch people of all shapes, sizes, and ages cross the finish line after climbing up. The next day was the marathon, climbing up and running down (no thanks!).



Zach started out being bored, but ended up pretending to be a Rescue Hero..."Rocky Canyon" who LOVE to climb rocks, especially rocks on "Spikes Speak."



Seth pretty much has no fear!!



No Eli isn't wearing a dress, just a basketball jersey of his brother's. It sure did help keep him warm though!



Pikes Peak...it's certainly one of those places that makes you realize how insignificant you are and how majestic God is.

As R.C. Sproul says...

"Men are never duly touched and impressed with a conviction of their insignificance, until they have contrasted themselves with the majesty of God."

Simpleness...

We spent the weekend plus a few days up in Wyoming. I have a lot of pictures to share with you on another day, but since it is late I will just say this...

It was beautiful, it was quiet, it was peaceful, and Seth has a new best friend...

We are so proud of you!!

Ever since we spent 4 months in the Caribbean, our boys have been very comfortable in the water. We have taken several sets of swimming lesson, but to no avail...the boys still didn't know how to swim. Any time we went to the pool, we resorted to using life jackets because it seemed easier and safer (since we are outnumbered)!!

The Day after we arrived in Colorado, the older boys started serious swim lessons.



Water Safety day...they had to swim in clothes!



Both boys had 1:1 teachers almost every day.



Thumbs up after Seth passed his level 2 test.

Seth ended the session in "level 3" completing about 10 skills,one of which was starting out with a front stroke then flipping to a back stroke, then repeating several times - he is officially a better swimmer than his mom!!



Zach with his teacher Ms. M



Talking about what it would be like if you fell into water with clothes on.

Zach was hesitant and spent day #2 on the edge crying, with his teacher just "chatting" with him. She won him over and he spent the rest of the sessions in the water. He was very happy with his completion of level #1.

All that to say, last evening we went to family swim at a local indoor pool. The boys were so excited to show Daddy how they could swim. The pool had a large slide which they could only go down if they passed the swim test (jumping in and then swimming a 1/2 length of the pool without stopping or touching the wall). Seth was like a speed boat and made it to the end in record time. Zach was much more methodical and slow, but easily accomplished the task!! The best part was seeing Zach get out of the pool and do a double fist pump while shouting "yea!" We couldn't be prouder of our little swimmers!!!

We've been here before...

With all the moving that has happened in our lives in the past few years, it is surprising that we still have a couple of those places that we can say we have "watched the boys grow up at..." It has been fun to revisit...and to remember how Zach was uncertain, and how Seth loved it, and now to see Eli experiencing those same moments...



Zach - 2004

Martinez Farms in Ft. Collins, Colorado, is one of those places. When we lived in Cheyenne we were regulars there.



Seth - 2007

After our moved to Colorado it was a bit more of a hike but we still stopped by on occasion.



Eli - 2009 (He has a strange way of feeding the goats, but they didn't seem to mind)

On our trip home from Oregon, we were able to get there again!!

But even better yet is feeding the giraffes at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. This never gets old...and the boys love it every time we go...



Zach - 2005



Seth - Christmas 2006



Eli - July 2009

We are so glad to be here in Colorado, even if it may only be a "pit stop" for us. We are definitely taking time to cherish these small moments, where we can say each of the boys were able to experience!!

On a side note if, you are always welcome here and you can experience some sort of animal feeding too!!