Our 3 Day Weekend - A Perfect Beginning to Autumn

We had a wonderful 3 day weekend. We were finally able to get away at the family cabin in the mountains. I'm not sure what it is about being in the Colorado mountains, but being there always brings the peace, rest and relaxation that I need.

This was a big weekend for us and the cabin. Our family got to break in the "new" cabin. Confused? I'll explain.

When Caleb's parents built the cabin 3 short years ago, they never dreamed their family would grow as quickly as it did. In 5 years they gained 5 grandchildren and another daughter-in-law. Because of the size of their expanding family, it became nearly impossible for the entire family to all stay at the cabin at the same time. When they built the cabin, they built it with the hopes that the whole family would make memories there together, for long weekends and holidays.

So, they decided this past year that the cabin had to be expanded in order to accomadate everyone. That's 8 adults (4 couples) and 5 kids (all ages 5 and under) to be exact. So, over this past summer the cabin was under construction as it was expanded to 4 bedrooms (2 large bedrooms for the couples with kids) an extra bathroom, and a larger living room. Now we can all easily fit in the cabin and enjoy it for a lengthy stay - even in colder weather. :)

After arriving and oohing and aahing at the addition, we helped set up furniture and got a little settled in. In the evening we made a campfire at their firepit and enjoyed burgers, hot dogs and smores.

 

We slept wonderfully Satuday night. It may have been the best night of sleep I've had in months! Then Sunday the kids, Laney (my mother-in-law) and I spent the day hiking, walking, splashing at the nearby lake and playing in and around the cabin while Caleb helped his Dad finish staining the outside. After dinner we headed home. It was a wonderful time and just what we all needed.

 

We wanted to be home Monday because our small little town makes a big deal out of Labor Day weekend. They put on a Harvest Festival that includes many fun activities. We really wanted to see the Labor Day Parade and go to the fair where they have kids rides, face painting, a petting zoo, booths and food.

Of course I always have big dreams about what days like this will look like and most of the time reality falls a bit short. I forget how young my kids are and that they just don't have the ability to last as long at these things as I would hope. ;)

We only made it halfway through the hour and a half parade. Thankfully, the parade was very close to our house (within walking distance) and the 45 minutes that we were there, we all had a wonderful time. The kids loved it! I think their favorite part was jumping out of the crowd to catch candy that was being thrown out to the kids.

After we cut the parade short we headed back home to rest up a bit and cool off from the heat.

 



 

The calendar may say that Fall is coming, but unfortunately the weather doesn't agree. I'm so ready for Fall weather. We still had 90 degree days this past week.

Anywhoo, after a brief rest we headed to the fair. Ellie got to ride on the swing ride (too bad the rides cost a LOT more than I had remembered)

 

...and Ellie and Ethan had fun petting the pets in the petting zoo.

 

After only an hour at the fair the kids were hot and exhausted so we all headed home for some lunch and a little nap and rest time. We went back for an hour in the afternoon and Ellie got to ride just a few more rides.

 

 



Overall, it was a wonderful weekend. It was just the R&R that we needed and I got to spend some quality time with my adorable, beautiful babes and my handsome hubby.

Now bring on the cooler weather and some more Fall fun!

 

 

 

 

 

Lost My Blogging Mojo

I've never been one of the most amazing, fascinating bloggers. I'm still not amazing or fascinating. But suddenly I feel as though I have nothing creative or even interesting to blog about. I wonder if people are getting bored with updates on Ellie and Ethan.

I say I blog for myself to keep an online "diary" (or something like that), and that is mostly true. But I also love it when every once in a while I write a post that hits home with others. You know, one that many people can relate to. Or a post that's about a subject that I'm really passionate about, or a post about something I'm struggling with.

I guess it's true what they say sometimes. No news is good news?. I can say this, life for us has been busy but overall just good. Thank the Lord for that!

So, I guess I'm just saying that I'm sorry my blog hasn't been very exciting to read lately. I hope to get my mojo back soon. Not for everyone or anyone that reads this, but for myself too.

Okay, now that that's off my chest, here's some photos of this past week. It was a BUSY and fun one!

Last Friday I went to the zoo with my sisters, nieces and nephew, and parents. We had a GREAT time! Here are some of my favorite photos from the day.

Me and Jenn with our babies. Ashlynn is 7 months old.



Poor Alli and Courtney ended up carrying these two most of the day.




Ellie and Reagan. They love like sisters and fight like sisters. I love to watch these two together. They crack each other and everyone around them up!



The four older cousins



Me and Ellie on the carousel. Although this picture doesn't show it, she was overjoyed to be on the carousel.


On Sunday we went to the family cabin and spent the night there with Caleb's parents. We LOVE spending time at the cabin. I only wish I had gotten more pictures of our time there. Here's Elliana enjoying her first smore. :)



We spent the day of the 4th at the cabin. I think the highlight was taking the canoe out on the lake. Ellie really enjoyed that too.

In the evening we went to my parents house to watch fireworks. Even though Ellie is 2 1/2 years old, this was the first year that she got to watch the fireworks. She loved them!

Here's Elliana with her oldest cousin Devyn.



Sweet Reagan getting some alone time. :)



Our sweet, handsome Ethan.



Watching fireworks from the backyard.





And last but not least, here is a picture of our two babies together. I was putting away laundry in my room and turned around to see that Ellie had climbed into Ethan's bassinet. Yikes! Poor Ethan.



My sister Jenn used to climb into my crib when I was a baby. Maybe it's an oldest sister kind of thing?

My Amazing Husband

I'm going to try and make this a quick post since we're packing up to leave for Arizona in a few hours for my Uncle's funeral. Yeah, we're going in a 15 passenger van with my WHOLE family, including 4 kids. We'll be in the van for at least 16 hours. Should be fun, Right?!

Frankly, this whole week has been CRAZY. That's why I haven't had a chance to blog until now.

I had a wonderful Valentine's Day weekend. My amazing husband had a surprise planned for me for several weeks. He did a great job hiding the surprise from me because I was totally clueless that anything was up.

After church last Sunday he brought Elliana to me and said "say goodbye" and then proceeded to hand her off to his parents. My first thought was, where are we going, and my second thought was, how are we paying for this(Ever since I've been home full time we've had to watch our budget closer).

I'm happy to say you can have a lot of fun without spending very much money.

Caleb took us up to his family cabin for an overnight stay. It was my first night away from Elliana. We had an absolute amazing time. He really thought things through. He had packed everything Elliana needed for a night away, my bag and everything I would need, a delicious dinner for the two of us complete with sparkling cider and our wedding champagne glasses, dessert, and even a few chick flicks. He is good!

Here are some great pictures from our time away.

Doesn't this fireplace look cozy?



We took a short walk outside. There were many beutiful views. Don't be fooled by the sunny sky, it was still very cold outside.





Here is our amazing dinner. Doesn't it look delicious?





We always toast with these champagne glasses. These are the same glasses we had at our wedding almost 5 years ago.



Here we are cozying up after dinner.



Here we are on the deck the next morning. Isn't the view from the deck beautiful?!





Needless to say, I'm very thankful for the family cabin and for grandparents that were willing to keep Elliana overnight.

I hope you all have a great weekend. I already know it's going to be a tough one for our family for many reasons.

2009 Highlights

We had a wonderful, crazy, busy, blessed Christmas. I hope the rest of you did too. Sadly, our camera battery died on Christmas Eve, so I have no pictures to show for it. :( I'm a little depressed about that.

Since 2009 is coming to a close, I thought I'd write out several highlights from the year.

-Welcoming my sister Courtney, and her husband Jeremy home from their honeymoon.

-Maternity leave and learning how to be a family of 3 with our newborn Elliana.



-Getting to have the same months off with my sister Jenn, who also was on maternity leave.

-Our short but fun trip to Phoenix, Arizona to watch my Uncle Andy and Aunt Christina get married.




-The birth of our nephew, Nehemiah Duncan. He is SO cute!!



-Watching Elliana's unique relationship with each of her cousins. She loves all of them.





-Watching my mom come full circle, and eventually recover completely from her Guillain-Barre syndrome that hit her last year around the holidays.

-All of the healthy births of our friends and family. There was definitely a baby boom this year.

-After working long and hard, Caleb comleting his Masters degree. I'm so proud of you, babe!

-4th of July




-Enjoying Caleb's family cabin. His parents have dreamed of a mountain cabin for so long, and their dream finally came true this summer.




-Our trip to Washington for a family reunion on Caleb's Mom's side of the family.




-Various visits from out of state friends.



-Seeing Wizard of Oz onstage at the Candlelight Dinner Theater.




-Beginning this blog. :)

-Going to the Brad Paisley and Dierks Bentley concert with my sister-in-law, Shamree.

-God providing a way for me to be a stay at home Mom!! Thank you Lord!

-Watching Caleb's volleyball team and their very successful season that eventually lead to State where they took 2nd in State!




-Beginning the What's For Dinner blog with my sisters.


-Our first Halloween with Elliana (she was a bunny).



-Celebrating the first homes bought by Caleb's brother Josh, and his wife Shamree, and also my sister Courtney and her husband Jeremy.

-Thanksgiving.

-All of Elliana's milestones, and celebrating her first birthday. God is so good.




-The honor of getting to sing a solo for our church's Christmas Eve Service.

-Christmas day, spending time with my family and singing and worshipping with my very talented sisters and cousins.

-Spending the days after Christmas with Caleb's family at the family cabin.

Whew! I think that covers all of our highlights (or most of them). We're headed to Jackson Hole to spend some time with some long time friends. We'll be there over New Years.

Happy New Year everyone!!