Easter

One thing I absolutely LOVE about Colorado is the weather. It's spontaneous (to say the least). Although Saturday night brought rain and then snow, the morning following was filled with sunshine and cloudless skies. At first, I kept thinking, 'I'm going to end up hiding eggs indoors in places I can't remember and smell them a week from now!', but true to form, Easter afternoon was gorgeous!

Madison and Aaliyah were given a headstart for the egg hunt but that didn't discourage Andrew from getting tons of eggs. He looks like he's about to leapfrog over his cousin just to get an egg!Aaliyah found the last egg up in the tree. Madison was being a good cousin and got it down for her.
The face on Andrew is priceless!

Thank God all the snow was melted and we were able to have some fun outdoors.

Hmmm...

Live. And Live Well. BREATHE. Breathe in and Breathe deeply. Be PRESENT. Do not be past. Do not be future. Be now. On a crystal clear, breezy 70 degree day, roll down the windows and FEEL the wind against your skin. Feel the warmth of the sun. If you run, then allow those first few breaths on a cool Autumn day to FREEZE your lungs and do not just be alarmed, be ALIVE. Get knee-deep in a novel and LOSE track of time. If you bike, pedal HARD… and if you crash then crash well. Feel the SATISFACTION of a job well done-a paper well-written, a project thoroughly completed, a play well-performed. If you must wipe the snot from your 3-year old's nose, don't be disgusted if the Kleenex didn't catch it all… because soon he'll be wiping his own. If you've recently experienced loss, then GRIEVE. And Grieve well. At the table with friends and family, LAUGH. If you're eating and laughing at the same time, then might as well laugh until you puke. And if you eat, then SMELL. The aromas are not impediments to your day. Steak on the grill, coffee beans freshly ground, cookies in the oven. And TASTE. Taste every ounce of flavor. Taste every ounce of friendship. Taste every ounce of Life. Because-it-is-most-definitely-a-Gift.

My "baby" is no longer my baby! :(

Every mom's nightmare...When their kids grow up too fast and are no longer their baby. Madison turned seven this year and I have to admit, I'm a bit freaked out. I've raised both of my kids to be independent and now I feel a bit of regret in doing so. I know I've done well in raising them that way, but the selfish part of me wishes they were a bit more dependent on me. Luckily Madison has SO much hair (and quite honestly it's usually a crazy mess), so I am still in charge of combing and curling it. And though I am no longer needed to pick out what she wears, I am given responsibility of ironing it. :(

She was super excited for her birthday party. That morning, all I heard was: "How many more hours 'till we leave? Is my glitter still on? When do I get my skates? Is my hair still curled?"

Everything turned out great and went smoothly which is always a struggle when having a party. She got lots of Bratz dolls and a few Littlest Pet Shop pets which brings her collection to about 153! She also got a huge Pet Center from her Auntie Lynn. We saw this at the store and she took a picture of it with my camera phone and sent it to Auntie so she was sure to know exactly what she wanted! Auntie Lynn has a reputation of getting the 'best' presents so she wasn't about to risk her reputation by not getting it.

Madison, Kalyla, Amber, and Aloa.

My neice Aaliyah (left), Madison, Aloa and

Madison is still very shy. When we all sang 'Happy Birthday' to her she turned her head toward me and tucked in her bottom lip which is always an indication that she is uncomfortable with the attention fixated on her.

It was a nice having the party at Skate City because I didn't have to worry about cooking, cleaning or making sure things were in order. And, of course, Madison loved it because she got a brand new pair of white and pink skates for having the party there.

E is for Effort!

Andrew always puts forth his best effort in everything he does. He is such of a perfectionist to the point that he is too hard on himself. He has a book that is being published at school that started out as a free-write project and has taken on a new endeavor. It's called, 'Diary of a Fat Cat', which I would describe as a humorous day in the life of my (slightly obese) cat, Kitty. Other kids in his class have started similar projects such as: Diary of a Closterphobic Ferret and Diary of a Timid Turtle. I've promised him that if he writes more, then I would transfer it onto our computer and have it bound and made into an actual hardcover book. Of course, this has inspired him! Both of my kids are amazing, but I have to say they are quite amazing in completely different way, as are most kids. Andrew is my anal, neat freak, full of integrity. He can't stand being late and sticks to a schedule he has created. For instance, every schoolday he wakes up at exactly 7:10. That gives him enough time to eat a bowl of cereal, get ready for school, watch 20 minutes of cartoons, and leave by 8:10 and not a minute earlier or later. Mind you, he does this every day all by himself. If I tell him I'm going to Target in about an hour, I better not even think about changing my mind or it makes him a nervous wreck! I have learned not to tell Andrew ANYTHING about what is going on that day in case there is a change of plans.

Madison, on the other hand, is very free spirited and more like me. She is spontaneous and has to drag herself out of bed every morning. She isn't always organized but every so often gets an inclination to clean and organize EVERYTHING only to find that a week later it's in complete disarray. Like me, this drives her brother nuts! He will start pacing until he finally comes to me to tattle on her for making a complete mess of her room. They both try their hardest in everything they do, especially in school. Andrew is a math geek and loves to write. He picks up quickly on number theories and is eager to help anyone in his class that doesn't quite get the math assignment being taught. He recently got all A's on his report card, we are so proud of him! His teacher tells me often how much he enjoys having Andrew in his class. I hope this continues as he gets older and the challenges become greater.

Andrew and his teacher, Mr. Lardes.