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.

Firestation Visit

Friday I took Matthew to pre-school so he could join his class to visit the fire station. He was so excited and the kids had loads of fun. The firman put on his full outfit with coat, pants, boots, gloves, hat, oxygen and oxygen mask. He sounded like darth vader, but it was great for the kids to see.

The kids also got to see two of the firemen slide down the pole and then they were allowed to sit up in the firetruck. Last, but certianly not least, they actually got to shoot water from the fire hose. What fun!!

Sword Fight

Matthew and I made paper daggers yesterday and he and Steve commenced to sword fighting in the back yard. It was a lot of fun to watch my "little kid" and "big kid" play together.

"Superbugs"

I am personally opposed to the number and frequency of vaccination for children in America. I have read article after article that continues to support the belief that many children are being harmed in the process of supporting the idea that all these vaccinations are for the greater good of everyone. I'm glad we still have a choice whether we choose all, some or none of the vaccinations recommended (not required) by the CDC and state governments, but I fear the day when the choice is taken away. As a sample of what I'm talking about take a look at this article. Vaccine Tied to "Suberbug" Ear Infection
Parents need to educate themselves on other forms of medicine (homeopathics, herbs, chiropractic, food sensitivity elimination, probiotics, medicinal foods, etc) that can fight these virulent forms of bacteria and virus that are being introduced or we are going to have some very sick kids. No, I'm not being an alarmist, I'm being honest.

Pachalbel's Canon in D

A friend forwarded this to me from a blog. I'm sure many of you will be able to relate.

Back-to-School Night

Steve and I experienced our first school event with Matthew. What a crazy thought. Matthew goes to pre-school Tuesday and Thursday at Trinity Lutheran Early Childhood Education Center. Mrs Terri and Mrs. Torri are his teachers.

He led me by the hand down to his classroom, sat on his little carpet square and kept still (sort of) when the teacher was telling us about a typical day at pre-school. In the middle of her explanation Matthew pipes up and says "Excuse me, Teacher, I need to tell my Mom something". So the teacher obliges his request and with everyone in the room watching and listening Matthew comes over to tell me that he mixed two frostings to put on the cookies. "Wow" I said and he went back to his carpet square content to listen to the rest of the teacher's dialogue.

He loves his pre-school, asking everyday if he gets to go.

Pure Silliness

When we were at the pediatrician's office a while back Matthew noticed that the Doctor's hair was styled to stand up and be kind of spikey. Never shy, Matthew asked to touch the Doctor's hair. Ever since then Matthew asks if I can make his hair spikey, so we use gel and hairspray to goop it up and he thinks it's sooooo fun. This is one of those silly times.

PJ Twins

We got matching PJs for the boys - don't they look cute!!!

A quick moment with Mommy, then Tyler was off to help Daddy play guitar.

Tommy Emmanuel

I married a guitar player. So more times than I can remember Steve calls me over to the computer to see another guy playing a "smokin riff" on the guitar. But of all the guitar plays Steve has introduced me to my favorite by far is Tommy Emmanuel. Let me introduce you to a man I call the quintessential entertainer. He shows such passion and feeling for the music he writes and plays. If you live in Denver I would highly recommend going to see him Sept 21 and 22 at Swallow Hill. See the link below for more info on venue and tickets. You'll find other links to his performances at the bottom of my blog page or just do a search for Tommy Emmanuel on YouTube.

http://events.swallowhill.com/eventperformances.asp?evt=677&c=47&pg=2

Here is just a sample of his talent.