Karate Kid

Julia had her first karate lesson after school today. She jumped right in & followed directions and really got into it! She even impressed the instructor who picked her to be a 'Karate Queen' and got to stand in front of the group along with the karate king. That's 'Master Julia' from now on, if you please.

(Horrible cell phone pic but that's her on the left (in the light blue shirt) being Karate Queen in front of the group)

Happy Birthday

It's so fun to have so many spring birthdays around here. Sunday we got to have brunch for Susan's birthday--happy birthday, Big Sis!!


That amazing iPhone always steals the show...

Blizzard

Here are some photos from today's blizzard...

This is a mini drift stuck between the screen & glass on our back storm door...our very own glacier!

Our swingset buried by drifts...that's a 5 foot fence...

Hang in there little buddies!

You know you're a redneck when...

...a visit to Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World is at the top of the short list of spring break activities. Lions and tigers and bears...oh my! Pontoon boats and lanterns and tents..what fun! We're so easily entertained...it's frightening.

CANDY!

We decided that today's spring break activity would be a tour of a local candy factory...Hammond's Candy. It's been around since 1920 but we've never taken the time for a free tour. We got to see how they make peppermint pillows & fudge & butterscotch swirls...oh the smells...oh the tastes!!! It's so amazing that they still make and pack everything by hand...awesome!! And we managed to get out of the candy store (the end of the tour, of course) only spending $6!!
Could have been a lot worse...believe me!!! There was a bag of chicken bones with my name on it...maybe next time!!

Zoo

We've had quite a spring break so far--specifically, our attempts to get to the zoo. We tried to go yesterday when the temp was in the high 70's but of course, there was NO PARKING anywhere in or around the zoo. We even tried having lunch and coming back to the zoo later but no luck--it was just packed all day long. Horrible!! But we did get to spend a little time at City Park which is always an adventure...

So anyway, it rained all night last night and the temp dropped down into the 50's. When we woke up this morning and saw all the puddles and clouds, we thought..."what a perfect day for the zoo." Only in Colorado. But we were so right. The zoo was practically deserted and wasn't too cold--all the fair weather friends were tucked in at home and there was just a little chilly wind every now and then to remind us that it's still March.

The animals were enjoying the cool weather and were in prime form...a mandrill took a swipe at Sophie from behind the glass, a duck buzzed by Emma's head and a black swan tried to take a chunk out of Julia's face but hey, that's what makes the zoo so fun!
We even sprang for pizza at the Elephant Restaurant ($30 later...what were we thinking!) Oh well--it was worth it after all the effort it took to get there!!
One of these things is not like the other...can you tell which one...?!
(mama don't do hats)

When this swan wasn't trying to do bodily harm to my youngest, it made the prettiest sound...I don't usually take nature/wildlife shots but this had me captivated!!

There were some Native American performers there & our brave children were so worried they'd have to go up and dance--they just peeked in at them from around a pillar...refused to go in!!

Happy Birthday

Yesterday was Steve's birthday so today we all got to go to his house for brunch/cake/home decorating. Fun! We even got to have a ride in Mark's sweet new truck!! We had a good time--and we hope Steve had a good day too!!

My ticket out of dish washing duty

I had a ganglion cyst (bundle of nerves attached to a tendon) in my hand removed today. The nurses & doctor were relly nice--the surgery itself only took about 20 minutes but now I have this big bandage I have to wear (and keep dry) until Wednesday...so no wet chores for me!! Aw shucks.
It's still pretty numb but I can feel a hint of the pain to come so I took a Tylenol with codeine before it hits me full force. Hopefully it won't be too bad!!

Saturday Update: OWWWWWWWWWWWCH!!!!

Happiness is...

...a nap in the sun with your tennis ball by your side...

but can you keep all that extra-grassy happiness outside?

Party

Sophie's first party of the weekend was this afternoon (her second is tomorrow)...popular gal. The party today was a horseback riding birthday party for her friend Julia--it was held on a farm up in Berthoud--about a 45 minute drive from our house (apparently the parents won the party in an auction or something). What a drive but it was worth it. The kids got to ride a horse, do a craft, watch a chicken lay an egg and jump on a trampoline sunk into the ground. Yippee-ty-yay!!



Emma also brought her camera along today & wanted to add her take on the big party...
A new Colt Peeks Through the Fence...

Sophie riding off into the sunset...

...and Mama Horse wishing she could do the same...

Julia didn't get to ride a horse but found plenty of horses to keep her entertained!

Boing!!

(no children were hurt in the process of documenting these stunts!! A miracle, really.)

boogie fever

Santa Maria!! My laptop works again!!! Turns out it was the charger that died--not the battery...so now I'm back in business!!!

Last week the girls' school had a "Spring Fling" dance. They hustled and macarena'd there way into a monstrously good time!! Here are some highlights...
Sophie, Julia & Pals (and the vice principal in the background...wondering how she managed to draw the short straw)

Emma thought wearing a dress was 'uncool' :( but still partied with her friends (who also thought dresses were uncool)

Julia Mixing it Up in the Conga Line With the Big Girls...Fearless!

RU

I'm a little behind in my blogging...my laptop battery/charger is on the fritz so I'm struggling to get my pics where they belong...

Anyway, I finally waded through my background packet for the Sheriff's office. Turned it in yesterday...woohoo! One of the requirements for that was to attach my college transcripts. So Julia and I headed on over to the 'Pink Palace' at Regis to pick those up and decided to make a day of it...took a picnic lunch to eat on the quad & then headed over to Susan's to try to walk to the cupcake shop near her house. Unfortunately, the cupcake place is closed on Mondays--go figure--but it was a nice day for a walk...and a picnic...