Happy 4th Birthday!

Today Matthew turned 4!!! We had a great day. This morning we played at "Fat City" for a couple hours. They have a three story foam factory full of multi colored foam balls that can be thrown, shot, sucked up and rained around the room. Matthew had a blast and I think Daddy was a close second. Our little monkey climbed up the lattice ropes, slid head first down the chute slide and vacuumed up as many balls as he could so they could fall from the sky.

Birthday gifts had a creative theme ranging from playdough and paint to the John Deer apron from Grandma and Grandpa.

Matthew was actually so excited about his presents that he opted to wait 'til after dinner for his cake!

We thought this monkey cake was quite appropriate for our very mischievous little man. He enjoyed it as well!

We love you and are so proud of you, Matthew! We are so thankful that God gave you to us as our son. We love to see you learning and growing and can't wait to see who you are growing up to be. Love, Mommy and Daddy

Christmas Parties

Our Management Team at work did a nice dinner at The Fort for our Holiday Celebration. We had Buffalo Tongue, Rocky Mountain Oyserts, Elk, Bison Steaks, Quail, etc. It was a lot of fun!

Left to Right: Tammi Abt (Technician Manager), Steve, Joanna Rump (Luke's wife and also a Veterinarian on sabbatical to raise kids), Me (Business Specialist), Luke Rump (DVM Manager and part owner), Mary Romano (owner's wife and bookkeeper), and Sam Romano (owner and my boss).

Entertaining Themselves?!?!

Yup, that's tape on his face.
Yes, that is a collander on his head.

Isn't that the cutest smile you've ever seen!!!

Duck!

I looked out the window last week to see a cute pair of mallard ducks sitting in the snow in my front yard. Apparently they found the crab apples that the squirrels hadn't got and were enjoying a snack.

I looked a few minutes later and they were gone...but not for long.

They came back with all their friends and settled in for a long feast.

Steve had other plans for the ducks!

He chased them off and then called me the next couple days to make sure they weren't back. Matthew and I got a kick out of it.

The Dichotomy That is My Child

So.....I was getting ready for work Tuesday morning and was doing great on time. I went to find Matthew to get him dressed for preschool and this is what I found.

The white stuff is a whole box of bisquick that was given to us the day before and I had left on the table. Oh, and I was dressed all in black and somehow managed to keep myself clean while vacuuming up this mess. Needless to say we were 15 minutes late to preschool.

That same day was Matthew's preschool Christmas program at Trinity Lutheran. Guess what he was playing? An Angel!!!! He sure did look cute - what is that saying about looks being deceiving?

What did you say???

I'm referring to my voice. I caught the nasty cold that's been going around and ended up loosing my voice. I gotta say, it's tough trying to direct a house of boys (husband and sons) with no voice. I have to make sure they are looking directly at me since all I can do is whisper. I can't exactly yell "Matthew Stephen, get over here right now" in a whisper. Maybe it is a blessing in disquise and they all will realize how much they don't listen to me. Or maybe not! :-) Anyway, the added benefit was that Steve took the boys to Pre-school and childcare today so I could stay home alone and rest. It was amazing to be in my own house by myself - that rarely happens. It was sooooo quiet! I kind of didn't want to sleep 'cause I didn't want to waste this precious alone time. But alas, my bed won the arguement and I slept for a good part of the day. I'm feeling better tonight, but I still don't have a voice. Tomorrow should be an interesting day.

Shootings

I'm feeling rather anxious about this last shooting at two churches here in Colorado. Press conferences about all the details of people's lives lost when a gunman goes nuts should not be something we are used to. First Columbine High School, then the High School in Bailey, and now a YWAM base and a church. All of these places should be safe and welcoming, not riddled with bullet holes.

I pray for the familes and friends of the victimes who's lives have been permanently altered. I pray for their comfort and healing.

The Tree Came Tumbling Down

We have, or rather had, a 80 foot 70 year old cottonwood tree in our back yard that provided fabulous shade in the summer. That tree was one of the selling points for this house. But the tree met it's demise when canker moved in. We ended up having to pay a pretty penny to get it removed last week.

There's another pile of wood just as big on the other side of the driveway.
Matthew and Steve had fun in the snow.

Parent Job Description

(Forwarded from a fellow parent - we both agree we still would have taken the job)

POSITION :
Mom, Mommy, Mama, Ma
Dad, Daddy, Dada, Pa, PopJOB

DESCRIPTION :
Long term, team players needed, for challenging permanent work in an, often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call. Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities! Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties also required.

RESPONSIBILITIES :
The rest of your life.
Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily, until someone needs $5.
Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly.
Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 m ph in three seconds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf.
Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers.
Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects.
Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks.
Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next.
Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices.
Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.
Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product.
Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION :
None.
Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you.

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE :
None required unfortunately.
On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.

WAGES AND COMPENSATION :
Get this! You pay them! Offering frequent raises and bonuses.
A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent.
When you die, you give them whatever is left.
The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.

BENEFITS :
While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered; this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth, unconditional love, and free hugs and kisses for life if you play your cards right.

Forward this on to all the PARENTS you know, in appreciation for everything they do on a daily basis, letting them know they are appreciated for the fabulous job they do...or forward with love to anyone thinking of applying for the job.

** AND A FOOTNOTE 'THERE IS NO RETIREMENT -- EVER!!!

Brothers

It was 76 degrees in Denver today. We went to the park on the hill hoping for a beautiful sunset, but there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Oh well, we had lots of fun playing anyway.

Football at the Park

We were out enjoying the beautiful weather yesterday and Matthew and Steve threw around the Football.
Tyler had fun just playing in the sand and sliding down the slide.

Sleepy Boy

Tyler just couldn't get through his lunch. My sweet sleepy boy!

Friends

There is nothing better than a visit with a friend! My dear friend Lisa came to town from NM for a few days. I'm so glad I got to spend a little time with her and the kids got to play. They were being quite silly - as evidenced in these photos.

Matthew, Shiloh, Tyler and Landon

Landon, Matthew and Shiloh

Leaves

Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all.- Stanley Horowitz

I love fall. In fact, I think it is my favorite season. Steve was raking leaves today and the boys had lots of fun.

Matthew made a "gimongous" pile of leaves.

Pumpkin Power

Matthew and Tyler both loved their costumes! Matthew the Power Ranger and Tyler the Pumpkin (he wouldn't wear the hat). They got to got to a Fall Festival at Matthew's school and then go Trick-or-Treating. The last couple years we have gone early and then used the extra candy to hand out to the loads of kids that come to our door. It's great, then we have less candy around. The little guy in the "Blue's Clues" outfit is Connor O. - Matthew's little buddy from pre-school.

Go Fish!

We were invited to attend a kids concert held at Denver First Church today by our good friends Scott and Lynn. Matthew had a great time dancing to the music and playing with his glow stick. The group is called Go Fish. Their tag line is "great music for kis that won't drive parents bonkers". I gotta say I think they accomplished their goal. I really enjoyed the concert.

For your listening pleasure here is a sample of what I'm sure will be Matthew's favorite song Super Hero.

Berry Patch Farms

Steve was busy doing a side electrical job today so I took the kids to "Berry Patch Farms" in Thornton. It's a great little farm near the Platte River with lots of u-pick produce. If the fall they have Country Harvest Days each Saturday in October.

The boys got to go on a hay ride and go through a hay bale maze. Matthew picked his own pumpkin and got his face painted, and Tyler was happy as a clam playing in the dirt! Plus, we saw Alpacas, turkeys, chickens, and kitties. What a day!

Uh oh, Walking!!!

Tyler has been very busy of late! He has cut teeth numbers 9 and 10 (lower molars), started walking, and learned to say "uh oh" all in the same week! He took his first unaided steps Sept. 30th and was soooo proud of himself. He has been practicing ever since and started walking in earnest on Friday. I think it helps that there is a little girl in his daycare that started walking last week and he doesn't want to be shown up by a girl!

His vocabulary now includes mommy, dada, uh oh, and ba (translated as bottle). Of course it only takes a good screech to get attention otherwise.

It's so fun to watch them both grow and learn - they are such little sponges.

Cracked Pot

A fellow MOPS Mom shared this little story....

An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which she carried across her neck. One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walks from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream. 'I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house.' The old woman smiled, 'Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side?' 'That's because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them.' 'For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. 'Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house.'

Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You've just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them.

SO, to all of my crackpot friends, have a great day and remember to smell the flowers on your side of the path!

Cider Days

Last weekend we took the boys to "Cider Days" in Lakewood. Matthew had a blast on the jumping balloon, mini merry-go-round, and tractor ride. We also got to watch some of the tractor pull, see a lumber cutting exhibit and lots of old cars - great reminders of Maine.

Fall Foliage

We had a family outing today to Golden Gate State Park - about 30 miles northwest of Denver. The weather was perfect and the Aspens were at their peak of fall color. We got a few pictures before my batteries died (I thought they were charged, but apparently not). Matthew did much better coming down than going up. He decided he needed to sit and rest because he was tired. Why do children have so much more energy when they are playing in the back yard and want Mommy to chase them everywhere and then when they are out doing something Mommy and Daddy want to do they suddenly have no energy!?!? We must have worn them out because Matthew and Tyler both fell asleep in the car on the way home, so of course naps were non-existant this afternoon, but it was worth it just the same.