Whatweareworkingwith...

In just a little under two weeks, my mom and aunt will be flying to Albuquerque to take over the troops while Jeremy and I fly back east for one of my oldest and dearest friend's wedding. And as if taking care of our offspring for five days isn't enough, they've also offered to re-paint the The Deuce's room while we're gone. And clean my oven. Oh wait, that's just my wishful thinking! Seriously though, the boys room has been a project on the to-do list for a while. And we're not exactly motivated to get it done, mostly because of the work that we know is associated with it but also because we seem to lack the creative juices to get it done. The few things we've managed to accomplish came only because of a random trip to Hobby Lobby with the husband one night. This was my pick...

This was Jer's...{opposites attract, right?!}

And here is one of my work in progress quilts. I still need to pick a border, binding and backing for it but you get the general idea...

So I am calling on all of you out in blogland, HELP! Ideas, thoughts, creative inspiration? I am clay for the molding...what would you do? Tell me your picks for paint colors, DIY projects, anything! Me and my mush for brains would be forever grateful!

Father's Day Weekend

For Father's Day, the boys and I loaded up on Friday and headed to Chama to spend the weekend with my dad and the rest of my family {Jer went fishing with his dad and grandpa}! It was a little hectic and I was pretty much second guessing my decision about an hour into our DVD-less drive, but once we were there we had a lot of fun and enjoyed our weekend away with my family! 

The Deuce had an especially good time, mostly because their  every request was met with great enthusiasm by a Grampa and Nana who just love them to pieces {I'm pretty sure the feeling is mutual}!  I think their excitement was also spurred on by the fact that they got to do a lot of things that they wouldn't otherwise do at home, like taking a bath in the kitchen sink. They had a good time! And I had a good time trying out dad's new Sham Wow!  

 -----------------------------------------------------------

I have to say that one of my favorite parts of the whole weekend was just sitting on the deck and enjoying the quiet. It is so amazingly peaceful in the mountains! Every night, we would all hang out and enjoy the sun setting and the coolness of the evening. It was lovely and I thoroughly enjoyed the time spent talking and laughing with my family. It's not often that we all are in a place with no distractions! And it's even more infrequent that we get to debate over whether the constellation we're looking at is the Big Dipper or the Little Dipper, all the while eating a S'more.                                                       

This weekend was also filled with lots and lots of horseback rides and visits to the barn. The boys just think it's the neatest thing to have real live horses just a stone's throw away. I had to laugh after I took the photo above {of dad and Vicky taking the boys on a ride}, only because it seemed to me that for once, somebody else looked like a bigger circus than I do when I travel with all three kids by myself! And even though the boys got to do most of the riding this weekend, dad still convinced me to break away and go with him for a "short" ride. Two and half hours later, we begrudgingly returned. I'm here to tell you, what's beautiful on foot, is even more beautiful on horseback!

The rest of our weekend was just as delightful; lots of laughs, and time spent shooting, riding four wheelers  and horses, and {of course!} eating good food!


On Saturday, we also took the boys to the Cumbres & Toltec Railroad to see the trains. I don't think I've ever seen Ben stand so still. While the trains moved but only a few inches, the boys' sense of awe was absolutely contagious. Pretty soon, I don't think they'll let us get away without riding it!

It was a wonderful weekend and while we were sad to load up and head home on Sunday, we were also thankful that we got to spend the day with my dad in Chama and  also back home, with Jer!

Thankful

Amongst many other things, today I am thankful for...
The blue eyes that seem to mirror the Creator's sky.
Making our daily lunch mess outside.
Swings and the contentment they bring.
And for the extra set of hands who willingly helped keep that swing a swingin'.
And finally, for the fact that at the park, even time-out offers a chance to just sit in the shade and enjoy our Father's handiwork.

What are you thankful for today?

Painting the Town

It's no secret that life at home with small children can get a little...uh...hairy, at times. Especially those days when you're all stuck at home. Lately, we've been having a lot more of those "home" days. Although we'd all much rather be at the park, lunch with friends, or just running errands, the fact of the matter is that I just can't do it everyday! So in an effort to help combat The Deuce from running around the house like the hooligans that they are, I thought I would introduce a little structured play. So, the boys and I tried our hand at finger painting this week. Not quite ready for the "real" stuff, I concocted a recipe from the web, 2 tablespoons of flour, water (add to desired consistency), and a drop of food coloring. They painted on wax paper taped to their trays and when they were done, I pressed a piece of paper down on top of the wax paper to transfer their art work.

Little Picasso's, I tell ya!

-Utter concentration-

Diggin' the mess!

I love Abe's *paintin* face!

Ben looks like he's got a busted lip but it's just paint :)

Ben's Masterpiece!
A.B.'s Masterpiece!

What a Zoo!

This weekend, my mom and Mark were in town and we decided to subject them to the desert heat and hit the zoo. It was the first time for us four too!

The boys had all kinds of grand adventures!

And saw all kinds of exotic animals!

Abe explored...

...and Ben adored...Grandpa Mark.

And more Grandpa Mark.

And even more Grandpa Mark.

And we all felt like Abe looked by the end of the day.

Yeah for the zoo!

Ice Cream, You Scream!

We most certainly DID NOT give the boys some of our milkshakes tonight...In their pajamas...

On the kitchen counter... Without any bibs...
Five minutes before bedtime...

Nope. Un-Uh. Not us.

Because that would have been just ridiculous.

And we are definitely not ridiculous.

Besides, it's not like they would have enjoyed it anyway.

Now if you'll excuse me, I don't have a mess in the kitchen to clean up.

Chatter Box, Benny

Our Benji has been quite the talker lately! Gibberish pours out of his mouth when he's playing, crawling, drifting off to sleep....you get the idea. It's really quite cute. Amidst his "talking" are small doses of actual words....Abe, A.B. mama, dada, hi, and ki-ki (kitty). It's so strange to hear him same actual words, or variations thereof. To see him crawl after his brother saying, "Abe! Abe!" To hear him whisper "ki-ki" as the cat walks by. Maybe it's that it makes him one step closer to actually being small person verses a little baby. I don't know, but it's weird.

Yesterday morning Ben signed his first word too-"All done." I know, right? All done!?! Truly though, he did. He had finished most of his breakfast and I was trying to coax him into a few last bites. Normally he would have just pursed his lips and shook his head no, but not today! He waved his hand back and forth several times. I, of course, freaked out and allowed my voice to go into the "only dogs can hear" decibel. The boys just looked at me wide-eyed wondering what all the fuss was about. Classic.

While we haven't waded completely into the pool of signing, which is mostly just laziness and even a bit of doubt on my part, I am working somewhat diligently on mealtime words: eat, drink, all done, more, etc. Other than Ben's signing yesterday, it doesn't seem to have made an impact much at all. Mostly The Deuce just laugh at me and act like I'm playing some sort of silly game with them. It's okay though, I think I would laugh at me too. : )

Ah, the beautiful transformation of motherhood. I think there should be a set of milestones that we meet right along with the bambinos. Month 12-13 "Displays ability to jump around during mealtimes while making hand gestures and using silly sing-song voice"-Check.