Team Entrada

Live and let live

2012-01-18T14:56:00.002-07:00

Slow.Simple.Satisfying.

When there is TIME to just be in the moment and do the things on our "when we have time list"

Our January has given us that....live and let live.

Mason and I finally made it to the Train Museum outside of Golden

If you live in the area I highly recommend it. Mason thought we were actually going on a train trip and packed his bag.

and everytime the train whistle would blow he would take off in a full sprint, worried we were going to miss the train.

I was sad to remind him over and over that these trains weren't moving.

Playing pretend was second best. I said "lets pretend to be train engineers from one hundred years ago" and he said "yes, when dinosaurs were still here!"

to which I said "next field trip needs to be the Dinosaur museum."

Satisfying,making our own pizzas with olive smiley faces.

Satisfying when the renovations begin in your home because you know the end product will be worth it.

Satisfying when the Broncos win their first playoff game. Slow, my learning curve for decorating cakes.

Simple. The love between a fury sibling and one with opposable thumbs.

Simple. When friends come for an easy Friday night dinner and bring their simply adorable one year old.

Or when we get to visit friends with new baby brothers (even though Mason got the flu 15 minutes before we arrived :-(

Satisfying. Celebrating 88 years of life with a wonderful man we get to call Grandpa.

Simple, Saturday nights spent with an Aunt and Uncle while we watched the Broncos getting their a$$ handed to them by the Patriots. Still love you Tebow!

Slow.Simple.Satisfying. January.

PS Thank you sweet friends and cousins for your comments. XOXO

Resolutions...1-5

2012-01-09T09:12:00.000-07:00

I usually think New Years resolutions are meaningless. Why do they have to start January 1st? If you don't like something you are doing than make a decision to change it. BUT here I am listing a few of mine for 2012.
Resolution #1
The obvious resolution to be continued and taken up a notch:

I know the typical resolution for people is to loose weight or be healthier. For some reason the pressure of January 1st to start a total body change doesn't usually work for my Psyche.

Please let me toot my own horn for a minute:)

I decided last May that I was going to complete a 6-week workout tape that had sat in a box since college and with that I would eat two colorful things everyday! Its was like regaining a long lost friend, endorphins. Love those endorphins. I have always been a big outdoors person but leisure walking wasn't cutting it so I started running more. I lost weight but my body hurt.

I started to hate running. My shins hurt, my feet hurt and along with that came the wonderful emotion called guilt. I was feeling guilty because it couldn't be a workout if I wasn't running. That's when I decided to run one or two days and to hike or take long strenuous walks using an iPhone app to interval train. I combined this with some lunges, dips, and calf raises while Mason played at the park. I than dropped running all together and I was getting better results. This also made me decide that I wasn't going to let myself feel guilty by people's comments about running being the only form of beneficial cardio. I am envious of people who love to run but I accept that I am not one of them.

Than something even more awesome happened...my brother in law Nick opened a gym. I go twice a week for 60 minutes of pure muscle workout! Sometimes its boxing and sometimes its more of a cross fit workout. I get to visit with one of my favorite people while he kicks my ASS and when I leave my body and mind feel their best. Plus its pretty cool to see someone at age 29 living their dream.

I am not skinny, not even close, but I have muscles and I feel AWESOME! I am not saying I don't miss the college days of being a slender size 8 but a fit size 12-14 is ok with me. I am a foodie, I literally love all kinds of food. I recently read a great quote though that I think if I could live by 6 days a week would help "Eat for the body you want, not the body you have!" Isn't it weird as we get older that vanity takes a back seat to health? I don't want to do all this to be a knockout, I want to do this so I can enjoy my family and all the fun activities we like to do.

In the mix of this of course is trying to have another baby. This was something I was hoping would have happened sooner than later but I am learning to trust his will and rely less on my plan. My husband helps me with this too and I have to say there is no other I would want to share this life with than him. I had a miscarriage back in November at 11 weeks pregnant. It hurt emotionally and physically and still does at times, especially when Mason asks me "when is your baby going to come out!" Miscarriage is a topic people don't like to talk about and they may be shocked I am writing about on my blog but it happens and everyone deals with it differently. I thank God for my supportive Husband, Mom, family and girlfriends, they all helped me back to the other side.

Resolution #2
To not say "I'm sorry" all the time.

I was in the grocery store and turned the aisle and almost bumped another shopper and of course said "Oh so sorry!" to which he said "Why are you sorry? You couldn't see me." And that got me thinking about all the trivial times I say "sorry" and more importantly that I always assume its my fault. I think this will be challenging for me.

Resolution #3
To create a family cookbook from both sides of our families. Food and memories go hand-in-hand and I would love to pass this onto my kiddos.

Resolution #4
To enjoy a purely Colorado adventure summer! To see places in this great state we haven't seen.

Resolution #5
To give my time to charity at least twice a month.

So I guess we will see next year how I do...

Rocking around the Christmas Tree

2012-01-06T09:37:00.001-07:00

The festivities began on the 23rd.

Matt and Mason headed up to the mountains a few hours before me to help my Dad split a cord of wood. For those of you who don't know that is an actual measurement, its a 4-ft x 4-ft x 8-ft pile of wood. A splitter is a loud piece of machinery that splits the wood....it has a lever,smells of gas, and requires the use of ear plugs...if you want to still have your hearing. I got to man the lever for an hour, the vibration is AMAZING, if you know what I mean:) My Dad wanted a picture in front of the pile, he is weird

but than we took a family one too and that is even weirder. Is that a word?

Any who after the wood was stacked we turned in to the warm house to sip libations by the Christmas tree.

Matt worked on his art skills

WOW that is one excellent Santy Claus! Fridge material if you ask me....

We ate yummy dutch oven chicken enchiladas and turned in early for the night. Here is the thing about staying at my parents that I sorta dislike. They have a huge king bed in the guest room but we have a three year old who is insistent on being in it too. I love to fall asleep with him in there but about 4 hours in to the night he is perpendicular to us and kicking. SO we are always tired when we stay there....I decided about 4 hours in to move up to the couch. Unfortunately my parents are old conservative hippies (oxy moron right?) and refuse to sleep in clothing...YA so when my dad got up to let the dogs out I caught a blurry glance of a nude dude! It might be the first time I thanked God for my really poor eye sight...my poor dad was so embarrassed. AND I WAS LIKE "people when we are here underwear are required!"

Mom got him a robe for Christmas.

The 24th brought beautiful weather and we took advantage of it...just after my Dad and Matt finished snaking the sewer line. On a quick side note I would like to announce that Mason is 95% potty trained! Well Mason hadn't been feeling well the day before and had a massive blowout...Matt put a few too many disposable wipes down the new toilet. It took a while to figure out what was going on and when we did it was Christmas Eve morning! Luckily the guys had to return the splitter and could rent the snake, saved all of us a fortune on a plumber!

Oh the holidays....

Well back to sledding...I am a real speed demon.

And Matt is quite the louge master. Look at the use of that hand.

And Hunter is a snow maniac. He could have been an avalanche rescue dog IF he were searching for a tennis ball and weighed 40lbs less. Sorry Hunter but thanks for finding 40-frozen tennis balls under there.

Frisky pups...

After some fresh mountain air

I put on my Christmas best

set the table by the fire

and watched my Momma find this little bling left by her Hubby for their 39th wedding anniversary! Go Dad, hubba hubba.

with these two napping at 5:30

and this one drinking it was shaping up to be a late evening.

which is always fun because the next morning you know you will be woken much to early by that sweet voice asking "did Santa come?"...and what did we find but three new mountain bikes, a new all clad set for me, new snow gear for Matt, and a play kitchen for Mason! That Santa sure does spoil us.

After some of Mom's delicious quiche (seriously delicious) we packed up and got ready for round 2!

I stunk at picture taking this year at Dad Gilbreaths but I managed to get a few.

Sweet Ellie adores Mason and takes such good care of him.

And this little guy is the newest member to Gilbreath clan. Nick and Angie got Duke about a month ago. He is a golden-doodle and one of the coolest dogs already.

Mason got a lot of cool stuff from the fam but these were toys of his oldest cousin Luke, who turns 16 in March. Mason hasn't stopped playing with them.

Oh did I mention this guy? Love him!

Well the holidays are exhausting but were a lot of fun this year too!

The 26th was spent doing a lot of this....

By New Years we were still into taking it easy

We headed up to, yup you guessed it, my parents! Aww brothers...I love when these two hang out because they make fun of each other only like brothers can.

It was so fun to have Nick, Ang, and Duke join us.

I again did not pick up my camera a lot but I did have this little gem of a photo from their wedding I have been dying to share. Angie is such beautiful person inside and out, couldn't have picked a better wife for Nick and sister in law for me:) I love them and the way they love Mason too!

New Years was spent taking a lovely mountain walk with the dogs, babying my Dad who had shoulder surgery on the 28th, and cooking beef tenderloin and mushroom orzo. For dessert we ate chocolate covered strawberries and toasted with a bottle of Dom I had been saving for such an occasion. We all (minus Mason) made it to midnight. AMAZING!!!

It was a wonderful way to bring in the New Year!

Some thoughts on the season....

2011-12-29T15:36:00.001-07:00

I am not sure what happened to me this Christmas Season but I think I was channeling an 80 year old grumpy man for most of it, possibly Andy Rooney!

I don't know what it was but I couldn't really find the spirit?

I think part of the issue is the commercialism that is shoved down our throats. Seriously! Can we not keep our seasons separate anymore. Before Thanksgiving I couldn't find any thing "thanksgivingish" because it was already Christmas. Call me a traditionalist but I like my pumpkin pie season and than my pecan bar season, which starts December 1st!

There is already Valentines deco out!

Of course in the midst of my Bahumbugness there was a ever so cute and entertaining child.

His teacher begged me to bring him to school on a non-school day because Mason and the girl next to him were the only 2 of 12 that would sing! She wasn't lying.

And than of course there is Santa and Mason's adorable innocence about the man from that north place. Mason asked Santa "what would you like for Christmas?" Santa looked surprised. Had anyone ever thought about poor Santa. Maybe he is sick of only cookies and milk, maybe he needs a gym membership or a gift card to take Mrs. Claus out to a nice dinner? I don't know but Mason simple question made me love him even more. Is that possible?

I digress....

So we did the usual Christmas activities...and I mustered up some smiles.

And than I grumbled because I had to clean up flour.

The season did bring time with Grandma Bert and her teaching Mason the beloved recipe of Thumbprints.

Watching the two of them made me melt a little and just as the tears started to form the two of them broke out into Jingle Bells. I knew my grumpy man had to leave this 32 year old body soon.

BUT THAN....

Our Christmas tree died.

I know yatta yatta we should go artificial....well I don't like them, I like real trees! Just for the record I like other peoples artificial trees. We bought this Noble knowing full well it was from Washington State and in Washington State they have humidity in the air. In Colorado we are shriveled prunes. This poor guy was shriveling up and looking more and more like a fire hazard as the days past.

So one night Matt could sense my stress about it! He suggested "Babe there is a 4-ft artificial tree downstairs. We could turn our laundry hamper upside down and put it up there and place the tree skirt around it!"

Ummm NO!!!

and while Mason listened to us bicker he interjected "Where will Santa put my presents if there is no tree?"

And that was enough for me to take matters into my own hands. Here is my "I am woman here me roar" moment. I single handily went out and bought a new (negotiated price) tree, took it off my car, undecorated and took the other one down, vacuumed every pine needle, put the new one up, re-vacuumed and re-decorated it! All with a 3 year old home! Boo YA!

I than drank a bottle of wine!

Tree #2, just for you Mason so Santa has a place to put the presents.

Two days later I got the stomach flu, the really bad kind that you don't leave the bathroom or bedroom! At that point I was channeling the Grinch, Scrooge and a grumpy old man....it was bad!

But than a few more days past, I felt better and the presents were wrapped.

Our house comic was off work for a few days!

and it dumped 10-inches of glorious white stuff outside.

the old man exited my body and I finally began to hum "The Christmas Song" and I decided there is always next year. Maybe some Christmas Seasons are less exciting? For me its the few days before and the day of that I need to get that feeling! That one that makes you all tingly because you can feel his grace and energy in the air. The true reason we celebrate this season.

and here is a little snippet of Mason singing his "Snowman song!"

How many am I? I'm three

2011-12-04T16:19:00.000-07:00

Dearest Mason,

The three candles have been blown out on your cupcake. Friends and family have gathered to celebrate you. Our little light. Its funny because this year you weren't as amped to be the center of attention at your birthday party, which is totally the opposite of me. Baffling. You did want to sing "Happy Birthday" as long as it was to Papa or your George.

At three you are already a giver.

Its amazing what this year has given us. Not only big life changes but all the changes in you! Your personality, emerging daily and lighting up our house. Books would define you as a "spirited" child, you are! You are full of spunk and God's goodness, all wrapped up in one little package. You are stubborn, loving, active and imaginative. You are smart and kind. You are our hearts!

You love to play pretend. You are my little creative monkey, the stories you tell and the magical powers you have are extraordinary. You are able to turn our chairs into flying cars and jump to the top of buildings. You love to talk on the phone and you are the first to respond to an imaginative fire....right after you put on all of your fire gear of course. You remind us daily that channeling our inner kid is so much fun!

The simplest things make you radiate. Just this morning you climbed into our bed to announce "that you went out to the living room already to check and "yup, it was still Christmas , the tree was here! but you didn't see any presents so Santa must still be in that north place!" Dad and I are so excited for Christmas this year because God's light shines bright through you when we think about this special season.

We love waking up to your sweet voice. The big kisses you plant on our lips with "I love you so much Mom or Dad!" Sometimes we are woken up in the middle of the night and we scoop you into our bed and snuggling. I kiss your cheekies a lot when you do this and in your sleep you smile. These moments will always be in my heart.

I think one thing you do get from me and possible your birth order as first born, is Bossiness. Ya its hard to believe but I was very bossy...its ok because as you get older you learn to channel this trait as being direct and assertive. Right now you practice this dominate trait on the dogs and your stuffed animals. Poor George, has sat on a lot of time outs lately.

But you also like giving praise.

Maybe just maybe Dad and I are doing some of this parenting stuff correctly!?!?Some days it doesn't feel like that but than there are those moments you show us you have been listening.

SCHOOL!!! When I come to pick you up at school, I sit outside your class room to watch you...creepy right?:) You are so kind;sharing toys, giving hugs to classmates and helping your teachers. You have a new best friend everyday. My favorite part of these days is when you see me, nothing melts my heart like the way your face lights up as you throw yourself into my arms. The worst parts of those days are the mornings. You have been going to school two days a week for almost a year and every time its a struggle. Its tears and "Mom don't leave me." It stinks but I know how blessed we have it, so like, many things in life, we just do it.

Your teachers comment frequently about three things:
1. Your communication skills. You are a talker. You ask A LOT of questions. Some of them I really have to think about how to answer. For example, the other night while saying our prayers you asked me "where is Jesus?" I told you he is everywhere, kind of a lame answer since you are three and everywhere is an odd concept. SO I said he is in our hearts, your heart, and my heart and Daddy's heart. You looked down your shirt and said "ok, yup I see a baby Jesus in there but I think mine's in my belly!"

2.Your helpfulness; you are a roll your sleeves up and help kind of kid, praying you carrying this through your teenage years! You love to help Dad outside with the yard work. You will stay out there for hours with him, telling me that "this is work for you and Dad only!" It really breaks my heart to have sometime to myself:) but I do have to tell you Girls can mow lawns and Boys can cook dinner!

You do love to cook. Our pancake breakfasts and blueberry muffin making are so fun.

Its funny because with how much you love to help you sure do not like to pick up your toys.

3.Your athletic skills. Mrs. Maria thinks you are a MBA star in the making. You do have one heck of a shot. You can thank Uncle Nick and Aunt Ang. for getting you that basketball hoop for your birthday. They are just helping you on your way to our meal ticket:) You are sports obsessed. Many objects in our house become a bat and a ball and I am forced to utter words my parents frequently shouted at us "no ball throwing in the house!!!"
You started riding a bike this year too! You will go on 2-3 mile adventures with me and 90% of the time you don't complain or need me to carry the bike. Hey we can't be perfect.

But to your Dad and I you are perfect. We are enjoying all these moments, even the challenging ones. We know these days will pass and if we could, we would slow the hands of time. God truly has given us the best gift of being your parents.

All of our love,

Mom (and Dad)

Fun October

2011-11-18T17:34:00.001-07:00

We had our first time pumpkin patch adventure

with Mason's sweet cousins Ellie

and Lauren.

And of course his Aunt Theresa who I did not get a photo of:(

They are so good to him.

We had our first pony ride, not exactly what I imagined but fun none the less.

We had homemade applesauce on a pumpkin table. Do you think he brought enough pumpkins home? What? He's my first born!

We raked (and our still raking) leaves.

25 contractor bags full so far.

I love the raking, great arm workout, but the picking up not so much! Luckily I have this one to help.

We had fun birthdays with close friends. Sawyer turned two and Thea turned one!!! FUN FUN FUN!

Most of my pictures were out of focus except for this one:(

We of course carved pumpkins and Mr. Design Star Dad really got into it!

We celebrated four years of marriage...no photo:)

We inched closer to age three! He is such a little boy now, love love love.

and of course we went Trick - O - Treating.

Such a cute shark.

Although he insisted he was "a mean shark and would bite!" Oh boys...

GG even joined in on the festivities, gladly accepting candy at each stop.

Thanks Funtober, you so groovy!

Letting go of the purple bag...

2011-11-15T15:54:00.001-07:00

When Matt and I moved into the house, this purple bag (that looks like a Crown Royal Bag) appeared on my kitchen counter one day. Thinking it was a gift from a new neighbor, I peaked inside. It was a basic metal tin. I asked Matt was it was. He told me it was his Nana Schissler, Grandma Bert's mother.

Of course I politely introduced myself and asked Matt is she would be staying a while.

He was bringing her down to GG's house that day....

Fast forward to fall and Grandma asked me one day "what I thought she should do with her mother's remains?" She said "I know its just her physical being and she is singing in Heaven's choir, should I just flush them!" She of course was joking.

The cute little town of Pinecliffe is about 40 minutes west of where we live. Grandma had always spoken so fondly of this place. It was where her family would summer. Her father had purchased a very modest cabin there in the 1930's. It had/has no running water and one hell of a stair case up a cliff side, to the one bedroom structure. They called the cabin "Jericho."

Her dad would even hold Sunday service at the local post office and they would have youth groups from their church come up in the summer. Her mother would do all the cooking and entertaining. She loved this place as much as her father did. After Grandma graduated high school her parents let her and some girlfriends go up for the weekend. They of course invited boys and they had 3.2 beer...can we say necking? Oh ya! Go Grandma! She did happen to already be dating Grandpa:)

ANYWAYS just a little back story...

SO I suggested the cabin as a place to "free" Nana's remains and she loved it.

We weren't sure if anyone was living there. Mountain people are weird, I should know. So I parked on the road and went up by myself to check it out. After climbing the first very steep set of stairs, this sign greeted me...JOY! It was eerie and the exact place a serial killer would dwell....but it was vacated, so I went down and got Mason and GG. The whole way back up I was thinking my husband would be seriously ticked if he knew what I was doing with our first born child...

But as I got them up there the sun appeared over the crest of the cabin and a very calming energy settled in.

I thought about all the generations and how this little piece of history was being shared with Mason. How family we have never met were probably rejoicing in us being there.

When I turned I saw this sign. Grace is a special name in our family. I was so glad we had this little adventure.

The beauty of the mountains always have a my heart and I am so thankful for that day

and I know she is too!

This life really is beautiful!

Hello...Hello...is anybody out there?!?!

2011-11-01T18:23:00.001-06:00

I guess we went silent for a little while, an unintentional hiatus!

I have a lot of pictures I would like to share with my four readers...soon.

Maybe my silence is a result of all the laundry and cleaning I have to do these days.

Between potty training and typical toddler behavior I am learning to channel my inner messy beast...its not easy for neat freaks. I am in therapy.

Seriously when does the percentage of food he eats increase and the food on the face,clothes, and carpet decrease? I know guys that are still mastering this in their twenties.

Lucky he is so darn cute!

And did I mention the dirt...my goodness the dirt....oh well I guess kids will be kids and that is exactly what Mason is!

Be back soon....

Mayberry?!?! nope, just Flower Street

2011-09-23T08:40:00.002-06:00

After the handshakes were done and all the millions of pieces of paper were signed, we have begun to settle into our new home.

Our little street feels like stepping back to a time when everyone "knows each others names." Neighbors can frequently be seen gathering in their driveways to chat and have a beverage. Everyone watches out for each other and their homes. Its really neat!

A lot of our neighbors are in their 70's and its as if we just inherited new sets of grandparents. Mason has learned all of their names and cracks me up because he will say "Hi Jim, beautiful day!" or whomever he sees. Our kid is a riot.

I am sure part of their warmth is the history and love they have for Grandma and Grandpa. Our closest neighbors are in their 60's and have five grandchildren all around Mason's age. Its great to have kid interaction. Its also funny because Matt use to date one of their daughters when they were in highschool. Its great when she comes to visit her parents because she is really cool and someone I will be friends with...kind of funny how life works.

We have received an adundance of "welcome to the neighborhood gifts"

From wine

to fresh fried catfish (seriously delicious)

and lots and lots of garden treats and Rocky ford canteloupe (we didn't get Listeria!)

The large yard is great and we even have a gardener that came with the house

Grandma Bert comes up several times a week to do yard work. At first I felt really bad letting her do this but its something she enjoys and misses about her home. I think its a win win situation because she doesn't feel like she has to do all of it, she does what she can and than gets to leave it. I think its good for her mentally and physically.

Which leads me to "how are G and G adjusting to this big change?"......GREAT!!! It has gone so much smoother than we anitcipated. They are literally a few minutes drive from us and come up a couple times a week. And we go down and let Mason delight all the older folks with his crazy antics. We have had Sunday super a few times. Weekday dinners. Afternoon visits with wine.

Grandpa comes up to sit on the back porch like he use too. Grandma comes up and putters around, changing over our laundry and going through the cupboards looking for snacks. It feels like its all of OUR house and that is exactly what Matt and I had envisioned with this. We feel blessed.

How is Mason doing? Well for the first week it was really tough. He kept saying "I want to go home" and we would say "we are home" to which he would say "my old home, I miss my old home!"

It broke my heart.

I had to go to Golden to pick up some contacts after we got back from our trip and of course had Mason with me...it sent him into a frizy! He kept saying "Can we get our old house back, I really miss it!"

What can I say change is hard for my guy.....

but as time passes and we head into the fall months

he is starting to love his surroundings

and knowing our first home is just off in the distance, like an old friend who is right behind you, supporting you

and helping you look into the future at all the wonderful things that lie ahead!

Part 2: A person to celebrate, my Mom

2011-09-16T16:32:00.000-06:00

My beautiful mother turned 60 on June 23rd. I waited to do this post because her milestone birthday was the reason for our Hawaii trip.

Maybe this little montage is silly but I know she will read it and its my way of sending a little more birthday love and gratitude to the amazing woman I get to call my Mom.

There are so many pieces that make up my mom. She is a born care taker. She is the only person I want around when I am sick and the person I go to whenever I need advice. She is my rock. Growing up she was a fun but strict Mom. She was creative and always pushed me to work hard. She made learning fun, one of the first presents I can remember was a chemistry set. She never let me quit, if I signed up for it, I had to finish it. There were times I cursed her and she would say "that's fine you feel that way but I will always love you!"

To me she was and is the perfect Mom.

She (and my Dad) nurtured my love for traveling.

The deep importance of family.

I have never heard my mother speak an ill word about her family or her "in-laws", she doesn't like the word "in-law" because we are all just family. My Grandma June is someone my mom always strives to be like. If my mom has a hero in this lifetime, it is Grandma June. My Grandpa Marv (her dad) is her strength, the person she learned her hard work from. If you ask her "these two went straight to heaven, no questions asked!"

Her love for God and family feed her philosophy of "being there in the moment and supporting your family no matter what" She thanks God every day for the moment she is in....

She has taught me about the patience and devotion of marriage.

I truly believe my Dad is her soul mate but she will be the first to tell you 38 years of marriage doesn't come easy. "The love part is easy. If you have respect for each other and the desire to see each other succeed, you can make it work! Prayer is never a bad thing either"

Those were her words of advice on my wedding day.

My Mom was born and raised in Lake Arrow Head, California. She is one of eight children, two girls and six boys. She is the second oldest. She grew up in a loving and deeply religious family. She is a rule follower, a straight A student, and was Cheer captain in high school. She went to UCLA as a pre-med student and as my dad describes her "she was a flower of innocence in a short skirt who had a drive to succeed stronger than anyone I have ever met."

She is the only girl my Dad ever brought home to meet his family.

In the early 70's my parents packed up there VW van and moved west to Colorado. They lived in a small cabin in Woodland Park. I am pretty sure my mom wore no bra and had flowers in hair...but she was in love and this rule following girl began to move out of her comfort zone.

My Dad suggested they become engineers and they applied and were accepted at the Colorado School of Mines. My Mom is a natural born nerd and I have heard her friends from Mines joke about her always running the curve. She finished her BS in Chemical engineering in 3.5 years and with a 4.00.

Ten years later, she finished her master's in Environmental Engineering while working full time and having two children. How did she do it all? She is a freak of nature:) and put sleep on a back burner. These are traits she did not pass on!

My mom is a HUGE animal lover, another thing she has passed on. I can not tell you how many animals we took in over the years or how she always convinced my dad that "dogs are meant to be inside animals and one more kitten wouldn't hurt."

She loves the outdoors and the Colorado Mountains, the place they still call home.

She is neat freak and one hell of a cook.

She brings a new meaning to the word "hard worker," in my professional years she has taught me so much technically and personally about being a woman in a male dominated business. She is kind and direct and her clients love her.

Some of our family friends (life long friends made at Mines) threw my mom a birthday bash this summer. These are people that I have known my whole life and who's children I have grown up with. It was so awesome to hear their stories and toasts to my Mom. To hear that their love and respect for her is so similar to mine. My mom is so humble and though it is hard for her to be the center of attention I know this dinner meant so much to her.

How cool is it that this woman who is my best friend is also the grandmother to my son? She is the person (along with Matt) who did not leave my side the entire time I labored and had a C-section with Mason. And hopefully she will be right there again when we have another.

So when we asked her how she wanted to celebrate her 60th we were not surprised to hear she wanted to travel and celebrate with her kids and grand kids. No big celebration, no surprises, just simple....she really didn't want it to be about her but about us...but of course we were having none of that!

So us kids hired a personal chef for the evening!

Who pampered us with amazing food and service.

The kids laughed and made S'mores well into the evening hours

And we dined on Mahi Mahi and pork tenderloin

And at the end of the night my selfless mother let Mason blow out her candles....than we ate the most amazing upside down pineapple cake and drank champagne. We gazed at the stars late in the night and just "sat in the moment!"

Happy 60th Mom, We are so blessed to have you in our lives. There is no other that could be my mother:)

We love you!

Part 1: Hale Nani Loa and our Big Island Adventure

2011-09-05T22:04:00.001-06:00

The home we rented translates as "House by the Sea" in Hawaiian.

It was hard to tell where the pool ended and the ocean began and we never tired of the view and serenity of this beautiful home...I will add more house pictures on the next post.

Every night gave way to a unique sunset...like this night was the "swirly" night as Matt has dubbed it.

And this night was the "classic" ocean sunset...

We didn't do as much hiking as we would have liked but this Pololu Valley hike was lovely. My Uncle Darrel (Mom's brother), Aunt Annie and the twins, Gianni and Dani, joined us for the vacation.

We are in a hiking dilemma right now. Mason is too heavy for our pack and can hike a good portion himself...BUT when he tires so do our backs (well mostly Matt's back!)

My adorable parents

After we trekked down the 1000-ft elevation change we were greeted by an awesome black sand beach with huge swings in the nearby woods!

We would venture out during the days and get back to the house around 3 to enjoy the kids favorite part....The pool!

Mason was a prune, spending half of his Hawaii trip in the water.

A fast friendship was formed between Keegan and the twins. It was really cute to watch them buddy around. Keegan spent almost every night over with the twins!

While Mason and Cormic spent most of their time trying to do what the older kids did. After my Dad showed them how to "cannon ball" and "can-opener" into the water it became a non-stop activity.

I also have to say after ten days in a pool with five kids, Thank God for Chlorine!

The Armstead family!

A few days into our trip we took the VERY long car ride south to Volcano National Park. The road was curvy and with four kids in the car, I was a little frazzled when we finally arrived. Oh and Mason threw up all over me, I of course had a change of clothes for him and not myself:) Poor dude gets car sick!

The Park is HUGE and we ventured down to the ocean area. There was no activity going on while we were down there but this sign reassured me that we need not stay long....

but since we were there why not risk our families lives for a quick photo op!

About a half hour after we returned to the vistor center we heard they had closed the road we were just on because of lava flow....thank you god!

I think the Park could be really awesome if you had the time to hike in...i.e. no young kids. The geology nerd in me found the lava fields intriguing...I also thought that amongst the barren lava fields such beauty would spring up.

Of course some of the best memories on family trips are the simple moments! Like stopping in town to eat homemade ice cream on the ocean...

and checking out the local farmer's markets

or passenger window snap shots because your husband won't pull over for you to take a photo of the cute seaside church!

I have officially traveled to all the major Hawaiian islands and I have to say the "Big Island" is the most cultural of the islands.

A deep pride lives amongst the people and their history and pride runs deep!

My favorite part about traveling is getting off the beaten path and seeing how the local people live

Even Mason got into it!

Another part about traveling is the adventure...This is from the lookout at Waipio Valley.

You can drive a one-way cliff down to the huge valley...we didn't do it...but that is a story for another post!

Instead we headed back into rainy Waimea for some Italian food (didn't you know the Hawaiians are famous for it:) and Park time. This park was huge and built of all wood. Very impressive.

Most nights we cooked at the house, each couple taking a turn. If you were at my wedding you know I have a thing for grilled pineapple. So Matt appeased me again by grilling some!

We spent a lot of time just "being" and "enjoying"

No makeup or blow dryers, just laughter and cuddle time!

sharing experiences for the first time with our Mason

It truly is a trip we will never forget.

And the best part is the reason we were there.....

Matt turns 30 and the end of an era

2011-08-22T11:00:00.001-06:00

I had been going back and fourth about doing something for Matt's 30th!

He turned 30 on 7.7.11!

With our house on the market I initially wasn't up for having a party there but at the end of June our house went under contract, so I decided to do something at the Entrada house. It could be our Entrada farewell party too!

As we all know, I am crazy, and I love throwing parties!

For Matt's I decided a "baseball" theme. I didn't get as many picture as I had intended.

We had a small but lovely crowd of family and close friends.

and it gave us all time to say goodbye to a house that holds a lot of memories

My two photo models.

Cerbs found the perfect birthday present for Matt, kind of an inside joke.

Snickers and Cherry Coke were Matt's food staples while playing baseball in Europe with Cerbo.

Matt tends to be a "safe" eater or as I refer to him, picky.

We had some good BBQ grub

Got some great snuggle time with Thea (my mom is aching for a granddaughter.)

Played some ol' classics in the garage and combo'd it with some bad parenting.

Don't worry we didn't let him drink the beer.

I was on my A game for about 15-minutes until I had to call in a sub because Angie needed help staging an intervention for Nick.

You see Nick has a thing for meat, especially grilled meat. Poor guy, his fiance had to find him huddled in a corner eating bratwurst.

Sorry I digress.....

Happy Birthday to the love of my life. Its hard to believe its almost been 9 years since I met you. You are looking good for thirty.....

mature, wise, and smarter than you were at 21.

and you even have a "mini" you that hopefully some day we will celebrate 30 with!

*These are just sneak peak of some Hawaii pictures

"Sisters" and Kenny

2011-08-20T16:38:00.000-06:00

I love Kenny Chesney's Music.

When I was getting ready to turn 30 I told Angela "my only birthday wish is to see Kenny live!"

That didn't happen because he took some time off of touring.

When I found out he was coming to Red Rocks this summer I was elated. The first show sold out in minutes, they opened a second show. It sold out in minutes. I didn't get tickets in time, I was bummed. I heard they had decided to do a third show so I contacted a high school friend who does country music reviews, she set me up with a ticket code to buy tickets a half hour before they opened to the public on the StubHub.com.

I GOT THREE TICKETS!

And who better to take with you?

Than both of your Ang's, that also love country and Kenny!

It was going to be a girls night!

We got dressed for fun, had some pre-concert drinks and headed out in the pouring rain to Red Rocks. Did I say pouring rain? I mean full out thunderstorm rain, but we didn't care we were going to see Kenny live at Red Rocks (best venue EVER).

We reached the ticket entrance and the ticket guy scanned my tickets and told me "These were for Wednesday's show." It was Friday, the last show of his Denver tour. I freaked out. I even pulled the cry routine. He still didn't let us in. We tried another entrance and the box office. No hope. I felt so stupid for not checking the tickets, something I would usually do. I felt so let down because life was insane at the moment and I had wanted this break for one night.

So my girls took me out drinking at the Rockrest (an old college hangout). We sat in this old dive bar booth talking and drinking for hours. We had rain soaked hair and smeared makeup. We ate bar food, greasy yummy bar food that we would never eat otherwise.

The night turned out perfect because of these two!

Someday I will see Kenny, mark my word!

.......And we're back, time to get caught up on this here blog!

2011-08-18T10:56:00.000-06:00

Matt and I have dubbed July 2011 the most intense month of our lives BUT ten days in Hawaii can fix, pretty much anything. We are on the other side and feeling a little more normal.

I have SOOOO many pictures I want to share so we will start with a little in this entry and see if I can keep up in the next few weeks.

With Emily and the boys in town for the month of June and first week of July we got to have some much needed cousin time before the Hawaii trip.

The tattoo brothers came over for play time

And we headed to the mountains too.

Cormic is a "spit fire," aren't most two year olds? He and Mason seem to get on each other's nerves quickly, Cormic's defense mechanism...biting. Mason's is slugging. Fun times! They are only eight months apart and someday they will be buds, I just know it.

Keegan is now 5. He is smart and sweet (with a little attitude.) I can not believe he starts Kindergarten in a few weeks.

Mason adores his cousins (for the most part) but he is not especially fond of sharing "his Papa!"

Papa's favorite things; My mom, my dog, my son and nephews, the rest of us...possibly in that order.

Cormic turned two on July 9th, we got to celebrate early in conjunction with the 4th of July.

My mother, who always means well, thinks birthday means presents for everyone. I am sure Keegan and Mason were just as excited for Cormic's birthday as he was.

The day was lovely, it always is at 268 Spring Drive. We had lots of outdoor play.

Endless un-wanted water fights

and yard work carried out by our child labor force

some hammock time

and of course CARS cupcakes...how else would we compensate them for all their hard work?

I love this picture because Mason could not resist sneaking a taste before the candles were blow out.

Cormic seriously got down on this monster cupcake.

Happy Birthday big guy, you are one sweet blessing we could not imagine our lives without you.

We love you!

We ended the evening with fireworks, or should I say sparklers and smoke bombs. Its fire season so you have to improvise. I did sing "Proud to be an American" which I think was a nice addition to the evening.

Moving Central

2011-07-21T09:01:00.000-06:00

I have so many pictures I would like to post on the blog from July BUT

our life is consumed with a lot of moving right now!

We close on the Entrada house in a week and leave the following day for a 10 day trip to Hawaii! That is what is getting me through. This past weekend we moved Grandma and Grandpa. Angie and I did most of the packing with the guys doing all of the moving. Grandma is in the hospital. She has been there since Saturday with pneumonia. Its emotional and stressful.

The packing of our house is slightly stressful but throw in a whole lot of other parts and things going on and its over whelming.

I am one of those people that believes "things happen for a reason" and in the past few months and weeks I have been thankful for a few things that have helped me manage the stress. I don't feel like myself right now and I am looking forward to getting back to me soon:)

1. In June I read two books; The Messenger and The Shack. Awesome reads that give you perspective, which is exactly what I need right now.

2. Meals on Wheels; I love this charity and every time Mason and I deliver, I walk away so fulfilled. I decided last Friday amongst the chaos to do a route in Golden. This route is mostly mobile homes and assisted living. The clients are so sweet and tickled to see Mason bring their sack lunch and milk. I beam as a mother when he hands them their food and says "here ya go, I'm Mason" and than blows them a kiss with a wave as we walk away. Children are the light.

On this particular route their is a gentleman in his early 40's. He is blind and disabled. His dog is his alarm system to alert him that we are there. He always comes out smiling and though he can not see Mason, when he hears his little voice it lights up his face. Usually when I hand him his meal he shys away but this last time I touched his arm and he said "it has been so long since another human has touched me" and not in a perverted way but a truly human to human way. It rocked me to the core.

3. Nick and Angie; we have such awesome friends and family but I have to thank these two on here because they have been our helping force. They are our family and our friends and its such a blessing to know that no matter what happens in life you have people who will help you get through it.

God is cool like that putting people in our lives at the right times, always knowing what his children need.

Count those blessings....

2011-06-27T07:04:00.001-06:00

Some days I have to count my blessings

especially on Monday mornings

when the weekend seems so far away

I have to remind myself

that God is good to me

because instead of giving me triplet boys he gave me only ONE crazy

territory marking son who thinks he can pee outside where ever he pleases!

Hindsight note: Should have seen this coming after we promoted "watering the trees," great idea if you live in the mountains!

CALIFORNIA

2011-06-23T13:57:00.001-06:00

With Matt at home fulfilling his handyman duties, Mason, myself and my parents set out for Southern Caly to visit family and attend my cousin Amy's high school graduation.

Mason was pumped about traveling!

and with car seat and "pack pack" we set off for a fun adventure! Mason gets and A+ for airplane travel and I would personally like to hug Steve Jobs for the IPad. Parents should not leave home with out one:)

We arrived fairly late to my Aunt Kelly's house. They greeted us with drinks and chocolate cake..yum! My Aunt Kelly couldn't wait to give my mom her birthday gift. My mom is hard to shop for and this hand made afghan (king size) in my mom's favorite colors was PERFECT!!! She loves it.

The next morning my cousin Kelsie came up so we could meet the newest addition to the family, Miss Abby June. So precious with a fitting middle name after our sweet Grandma June. I think most of us granddaughters plan to use that middle name:)

Mason was smitten with Abby too, which gives me high hopes for the future.

He was in heaven with all these cousins around. Sweet Jenna reading to him.

Cutie pie Owen shared all his fun toys.

And he got to reconnect with his kindred spirit and cousin Karly. She is my cousin Kelsie's oldest. They are only 8 weeks apart and have similar personalities.

Mason was very intrigued by her "toe paint"...he would say "how you paint your toes Karly? I take your color off and put yellow on!"

He found someone who loves olives just as much as he does and "olive hands" talk about memory lane for me and my cousins.

this is how most of the play time went....Mason chased Karly

Karly chased Mason

They would race

play some ball

Then Mason would throw a ball at Karly's head and she would slam his fingers in the door:)

They were two little monkeys. A life long friendship forming just like my cousins and I, brings a tear to a mamma's eye....

Lets get back to why we were there:)

this gorgeous girl was graduating high school! Such a free spirit, kind, loving, and fun soul that I am so proud to call a cousin (photo credit to Katie, I hijacked this from FB:)

Her big sisters were beaming with pride to watch their baby sister walk this path! They even laced her Cons just right!

By the second day Mason was going on energy reserves. Don't you love when grandparents forget what having a 2-year old is like and give him a blue sucker before heading to a 2-hour graduation ceremony? I actually think its a pay back versus memory loss:)

Pure exhaustion written on his face.

I was hoping he would fall asleep in my arms but tight space and lots of people erupted in a meltdown! Mason and I headed to the rental car for the remainder of the ceremony and I left the camera with my Dad. We did hear Amy's name called out over the intercom...WOOT WOOT!

Amy taking those steps towards freedom from High school! Bittersweet!?!? Nah! This girl is ready to take on the world.

Proud Mom watching the last of her girls graduate high school.

The next day we spent getting ready for the big party!

Again Mason was in a state of bliss with all these kids around and family.

My Dad and his two sisters! My Aunt Kelly and Auntie Sue are the best!

The food was great, spending time with family and getting to know Amy's buddies was so much fun! All I can say is look at world there is a cool bunch of kids out there.

Mason lasted a lot longer than I expected but finally crashed around 11:00. I was ready too after three chocolate cake shots! Man those are so tasty!

The last day we were there we just veg'd out and enjoyed each others company.

We sat and talked about great memories of those we love and miss so dearly (the white house in the background was my grandparents, lots of memories there), laughed about family stories, rejoiced about the future, ate yummy chicken enchiladas and drank margaritas....and than right when the yellow cake with chocolate frosting appeared...I got the stomach flu! It was a long night and that darn flu ran its course through the family over the next few days. The flight home was a little challenging and without my parents would have been near impossible!

Thank you family for having us, we are so blessed to call you family! We miss you already and love you more than you know.

Its official

2011-06-20T10:19:00.000-06:00

The past month has been hectic. Balance has been hard to find. Getting our house ready to list was quite the task and has made me appreciate Matt even more than I do. He is one sexy handyman.

Throw in some trips (pictures soon), a lot of family functions, jobs, and a TWO YEAR OLD and its a bit of a challenge. BUT we made it, I believe all you can really do is trust in god and as long as you have that the rest will just work out.

We officially listed last Wednesday and it has been quite a learning process for me. I have never sold a home or moved as a child. The market is not great right now but again I just walk in faith because stressing isn't going to sell our home. I do know that our realtor is in our lives for a reason and she is awesome. I thought it would be fun to do some "before" and "after" pictures to show you what a stager can bring to your home...our realtor pays for that as part of her services and I think it is a great marketing tool.

Living/ kitchen area before

Living/kitchen area after

living room before

living room after

back yard before

back yard after

The back yard can only be credited to Mother Nature and Matt. I think listing in the summer months definitely helps make your home more appealing.

Regretfully, I didn't take befores of the rest of the house but here are the afters.

When you have kids they slowly start to take over the house with their things and though I am a firm believer that your children have to live in their house, there are so many ways to still maintain your adult home too. We just rearranged some furniture in Mason's room.

I think our basement area is the biggest makeover. This space is small and it became storage central for everything we didn't want to look at upstairs or things we didn't want Mason to destroy. Now it is a play area and my craft area.

The downstairs guestroom and my office. This space is pretty much the same with some sprucing.

We did steal our neighbors idea of decorating our window wells. We attached bamboo siding along the metal and added new rock and an simple pot with reeds.

Definitely more appealing than looking at corrugated metal.

A simple re-arrangement of our furniture did wonders. She brought over the rug to break up the space (not crazy about the rug, its sheep's wool and CREAM and sheds everywhere) but it does look nice.

Our bedroom looks similar to before. I am embarrassed to admit we do not have a headboard, the stager made this one for us to use. I was surprised when she came to do the consultation that she was ok with the navy blue comforter that Matt has had since college. I loath the look of this cheapo comforter but it is the most comfortable thing ever...I will tell you what saved it. The beautiful quilt that was made by one of my dearest friends (Kai) as a wedding gift. I have put that on our bed everyday since I received it and I love that the stager loved it as much as me. One day "Old blue" will be retired.

The Master bath after. This is all Matt. Yes, our bathroom is outdated but new flooring, sinks and faucets, a new toilet and a complete re-grout to our shower has made it sparkle. Matt spent two full days removing the existing grout and re-grouting and sealing the bath/shower, while Mason and I were in California. He also hand scrapped every tile to removed soap build up. It sparkles!

Our Kitchen is also outdated except the appliances. It is a small space but it is very functional for me. I did a complete reorganization of my cupboards to make it as efficient as possible while we try to sell. Not having my mixer or knives on the counter is a little annoying but I love the clean space.

The curb appeal was fairly easy! Last years hail storm allowed us to get a new roof and exterior paint job. Paired with our normal landscaping upkeep it looks pretty darn nice. We have been actively listed for 4 days and have had 2 showings and lots of "lookie loos." Keeping our fingers crossed and our trust in God that this baby will sell quickly!

BUGS and Mo Bugs

2011-06-03T08:00:00.000-06:00

Mason has been learning about Bugs at school which pairs nicely with the season. I am sure they didn't plan that curriculum it just a coincidence!

We have been finding worms when we garden and dig mug. Mason insisted one day that he carry this "sleeping" worm around until it wakes up. He and GG even made up a song about the worm going to worm heaven. He has also been storing worms in his pants, he says they tickle! I am more than disturbed by this and we are seeking counseling immediately:)

So I figured with all this bug talk we should head out to the Butterfly Pavilion to meet Rosie the Trantula!

There are some really cool insects at that place...

and they have butterflies too! Hence the name...

And this morning we discovered a large miller moth at our doorstep. Mason and I named him "Mo." I would say "would you like anything Mo!" and Mason would say "Can you hear those birds Mo?" and I would say "Those birds would love to eat some Mo!"

You get it!

After ten minutes of chatter with Mo I turned my back to water the flowers and Mason got a hold of Mo...holding him by one wing and asking him "if he liked trash trucks!"

Don't worry I saved him and he is now in rehabilitation capsule so he can fly free again.

The end.

Oh except one more thing I do stand up on Friday evening from 8-9 in our living room after a few adult beverages have been consumed. I am usually the only one laughing so please come by to laugh too, I could use the self esteem boost.

ok. The end.

Testosterone

2011-06-02T08:00:00.001-06:00

Guess who is here? For the next 6 weeks!

This guy

and his big brother!

And some strange guy sunbathing fully dressed. I think he's British.

Anyways, Keegan, Cormic, and Emily are here for part of the Summer for Emily's internship at Lockheed Martin. Cade had to stay in PA to work:(

Mason (and us) were so excited to see them.

And so was Grandma.

Can you blame her with all these handsome grand boys?

Cormic is skeptical of my dad, maybe because his dad sounds just like him?

We had a fun Sunday night catching up. There were a few scuffles, some dirt throwing but mostly just time enjoying family we miss so much....it would have been perfect if Cade would have been here too.

blackberry crumb bars and war stories

2011-06-01T14:43:00.000-06:00

Mason and I started our holiday weekend on Friday morning by baking some blackberry crumb bars,

http://www.marthastewart.com/316277/blackberry-crumb-bars to take over to G and G's house. I add oatmeal to my crumb topping.

Grandpa and I sat on the deck watching Grandma and Mason make mud pies while we enjoyed a piece of the dessert and conversation. These days our conversations revolve primarily around the house but this day we talked about things Grandpa has done in his life. His career and friendships with people like Jimmy Hoffa...politics and our similar beliefs...and than the conversation turned to War. World War II and his days as an Army machine gunner. Repelling down cliffs in the middle of the night with nothing but your rope and gun and taking out the enemy. Or waking up in your trench to find that your buddy is laying dead next to you, his throat slit in the middle of the night. Wondering why God took him and not you? He shared some fairly disturbing stories with me. The gore didn't affect me. It was sitting there looking at this man who has done so much in his lifetime and still after 67 years he thinks about the affects of war EVERYDAY! The friends who didn't come back and the ones that did. He left as an innocent 20 year old guy on a ship across the Atlantic and came back forever changed.

It definitely put a spin on my thoughts this memorial day. Gratitude is not a strong enough emotion.

A lesson in fleeing

2011-05-24T16:02:00.001-06:00

Most of you that read our blog our my friends on facebook so this is news you already know.

Friday evening Matt, Mason, and I ventured out to the mall to find something for Matt and I to wear out Saturday night for Angela's birthday. We never go out, therefore our wardrobe is out of date and my mommy outfit of yoga pants just wouldn't cut it.

ANYWAYS....

Mason has a problem listening when we are in public and to add to it, when we tell him to stop or come back he turns it into a game of chase.....

well this time Matt went to grab him and he turned around and ran full force into a low lying wood shelf...his face burst open. I heard the cry and Matt said "This is bad!" I couldn't see the blood yet and was thinking concussion. When he turned his head it was obvious we were heading to the doctor.

While we were driving to the nearest hospital I called our Pediatrician to see if we could take him to the Children's Hospital Urgent Care at Lutheran...he said '"yes" and notified them. Mason was not hysterical just shocked and asking "if we could go home now." Matt and I were handling it in stride as well. I get this trait from my mom, in emergency's this calmness comes over me and all I can see is the solution. I thank God for that because I could easily have lost it....

Children's Urgent Care is great. They had games, Popsicles, and a list of kids DVD's. If you have ever done an actual ER visit you know how painful that could be with a kid.

We took Mason to this same urgent care once before when he had the flu, (probably H1N1) and I was glad we knew about it.

They placed a bandage and numbing gel on his cut for about a half hour and gave him some ibuprofen.

When the nurses and doctors came back in we decided to do stitches. We gave his "ouie a bath" and got the "magic thread" out. We decided to "burrito wrap" Mason because he is a fighter...this is basically a straight jacket using a sheet. Not my favorite moment of being a mom.

I held his hand and Matt held his feet while the brave doctor put three stitches in a wiggly and shocked two year old. If you have ever watched stitches going in than you know its amazing hand work, a little different when its your scared two year old.

As soon as the whole thing was over Mason asked if "we could go back to the mall and get fries?"

He doesn't really skip a beat...but lets hope this will help him start listening a little more. I think he will have a scar as a reminder.

We get the stitches out Thursday so that should be fun!

Creekside and Mother's day weekend

2011-05-23T10:43:00.000-06:00

We celebrated Mother's day with my parents on Friday evening in Golden.

with drinks flowing and spring like weather, we truly enjoyed our evening.

There are no words to describe the love and respect I have for my parents.

and how it warms your heart to see them as grandparents...they are such kids at heart!

We all enjoyed the aroma of lilacs as we strolled along, Mason would say "smells good!"

spoiled with love

we had a lot of stick throwing this evening...Papa would supply the stick and Mason would throw it!

Daddy helped too!

The bridge over Clear Creek

My beautiful mother, there could be no other than you.

The rest of the weekend we spent doing yard work and getting some sun. Just what I wanted.

I woke Sunday morning to a Starbucks, Huevos Rancheros, and CBS Sunday Morning. Pure bliss.

But the best part was Mason telling me "Happy mother's day I love you!"

The best gift god has given me....is being a mom.

Watering the trees

2011-05-16T10:45:00.001-06:00

I am going to get around to posting our Mother's day weekend pictures but until than...

I am not really sure how this potty training thing is going to work? Mason is about 10% interested. He is almost 2.5 and I get a bit of judgement from other Moms because of that...which to be honest I really do not care what other Moms think:) If I have learned one thing in my short time of being a parent it is that "what works for your family may not work for mine so lets support each other instead of judge!"

Can I get a "AMEN SISTA?"

I do know that my son is STUBBORN and if we push one thing he pulls the other way. So we are just easing into this and I am not really worrying about if he is potty trained by a certain age.

I am certain he will not go to college in diapers so that should help his dating life.

My mom suggested "having him water the trees so they will grow."

This seems to be something boys enjoy so we are giving it a try....

Happy Monday

Genes

2011-05-10T13:33:00.001-06:00

When I was a little girl I had a lot of stuffed animals. I lined them up every night on my floor in order. I kept a notebook with a date next to the name of each animal, that way each of them would get a turn sleeping with me. I also counted everything in my head, steps I took, clouds I saw that day, crayons I used ect and kept track in this same notebook. The counting of Santa's cookies on the christmas eve plate than added to the jar the next morning was a give away to the truths my parents had been hiding.

I was and am weird.

This guy has more OCD characteristics than I wish to discuss! (who do you think Mason looks like???)

SO when I came outside on Saturday evening to see Mason had done this with his cars, I knew he was not exempt from that gene...that gene that says "you might be an engineer."

and than I saw this and thought

please don't let him become an architect....

our worlds would collide!

My heart misses them

2011-05-06T08:00:00.003-06:00

It has been one whole year since I have seen my baby Brother and ten months since I have squeezed the cheekies of my dear nephews and hugged my sister in law. My heart misses them.

August seems so far away but it will be here before we know it and we can not wait to hug on all of you but until than know you are never more than a thought away.

Love, Your Sister and Crazy Aunt Micah.

"Life is what happens when you are making plans"

2011-05-05T08:00:00.006-06:00

A lot of people have been asking me about another Gilbreath baby...well we have been practicing a lot.

BUT you see this summer is going to be a busy one for us.

This one turns 21. In 6 days to be exact.

This one turns 60 in June, not the spider, the beautiful grandmother holding him.

This one turns 30 in July and needs his side kick (me) to be a non-pregnanted (yes! that is a word I made up) lady so that I can partake in the festivities.

We have a lovely trip planned to Hawaii in August.

Pregnant ladies in Hawaii, that's fine. Me pregnant on a plane for 7 hours and than in Hawaii = no one wants to be around me because I am mean and swollen.

These two are getting married in September.

This wedding is going to be the wedding of the decade...forget about Will and Kate, these two and their friends and families are going to show those Royals how weddings are done.

AND I can not be pregnant for that.

So "The Plan" is to put all that practicing to good use in the fall, when life slows down a little, and maybe just maybe with God's graces there will be a baby "sister" or "brother" for Mason to love on next summer....the end.

April you ain't no fool

2011-05-04T11:50:00.000-06:00

April brought....

play dates...these two are going to be quite the pair someday.

time with friends, little and big. Seeing my mommy friends is the best!

cutie pie Sawyer

Sweet Ariana, just getting this walking thing down.

Loving the slide, it seems like just yesterday Mason was this age.

I think he is ready for a little sister...as long as she doesn't touch his cars.

Love my wild child!

Dad's hairstyling...he has dubbed this one the 1920's style! Serious Babe you have issues.

April brought, Spring Snow storms followed

by sunny days

and yard work..oh the yard work its non-stop with my husband. See that bare spot? Its things like that keeping him awake at night.

A Friday evening visit from Uncle Nick. Mason likes to invite all house guests to play cars with him in which he will tell you what car you are and how you will play with it! This kid seriously needs a sibling.

And this guy is getting a little tired of filling the sibling position.

April brought..watching his Daddy throw "the pill" and than declaring to strangers his daddy "plays for the Rockies!"

And bleacher lounging after his Daddy realized he can't throw "the pill" as hard as he use to and that he doesn't play for the Rockies. Don't worry Mason he has a PE and that is almost as cool!

And of course April brought Easter....

adorable place settings...those wood chargers are from our wedding. I am glad my mom gets use out of a few of the 50 we bought:)

Time with Papa

presents from Grandma...full fireman gear with hose and all!

make believe shaving

Fireman Mason instructing Dad about the rules of the Fireman

Family time, Grandma Bert careful with the flat screen! She cracks me up.

Guy time! What the hay? Why you fools in the living room watching TV while us girls do the kitchen work?

Ah Ha I guess one of you is trained:)

Snuggle time with Dad

And homemade coconut cake. I used Barefoot Contessa's recipe this year! Delicious! Great April.

This is overdue, no more promises on the blog. I am unable to keep them because I am busy trying to raise an upstanding two year old.

To busy analyzing will and kate's kiss

2011-04-29T09:26:00.000-06:00

I meant to post some pictures but I got so caught up in the last nights office episode (which was highly disappointing) and the royal wedding that I forgot to. I know the three people who read our blog are really worried about the promise I made and didn't follow through on, SO I will post our April photos soon. Like while it's still April and before it is May.

Just for the record I did not get up at 4am to watch the wedding but when I was forced to get up because my husband is the loudest bathroom person EVER I did immediatly turn the TV onto the Today show. Just in time to catch the couples first kiss. I than went into a serious venting session about our media having to analyze everything...it's a frigging kiss in front of millions of people...not exactly the arena for tongue! But if I were the princess I would have showed some nipple.

Have a nice Friday and a groovy weekend too!

A house a home part 3: A lesson learned

2011-04-27T12:12:00.001-06:00

No pictures this post...check back tomorrow for those:)

To conclude my past two posts; we are still buying G and G's house (as long as ours sells) but we are a little delayed in listing and here is why:

Senior Care is quite a complex reality but it can basically be summed up into two categories:
1. Independent living
2. Assisted living

G and G fall into the first category. As we began to look at independent living facilities we had no idea there would be such limited housing available. Long waiting lists for patio homes (which is what Grandma would prefer) and large non refundable entry fees at some of the facilities. Some truly promote your Independence while others do all the every day tasks for them, like cooking and cleaning.

The places that do everything for them, felt more like nursing care and as grandma put it "I don't want to be around all these old people because they make me feel old!"

One of the first places we toured did not have kitchens in their apartments. They had three large meals in their dinning hall. As we sat there eating no one was smiling and I had to fight back all my tears trying to picture G and G living there. When we told the other family members their reaction was the same as ours; there is no way Grandma would be Grandma with out a stove! Such a simple thing but something that defines who she is. Where would we get our weekly banana bread and marble squares? I am only joking but baking is something she truly enjoys.

Soapbox moment:
Having done hours of research, talking to people in the field and visiting 5 of these places; I can tell you there is not enough care for our seniors. There are some great places and some really not so great places. And though our parents are still functioning just fine this will be something we all have to think about someday and something our kids will have to think about. Long term health insurance is a huge benefit if you can get it. This will allow hospice or long term nursing care in your home for minimal cost when and if they need it. MOST ASSISTED LIVING FACILITIES DO NOT TAKE IT!

I can also tell you that if you start this process do your research! Stop by the places unannounced or make a lunch appointment to eat with some of the residents there because everyone of of these places is trying to SELL you on how lovely their facility is. There is always fine print and some of it is pretty deceiving. We have to be a culture that starts advocating for and taking care of our seniors....they are such a knowledgeable and unique generation.

OK I have stepped off of the soapbox now:

Luckily for us G and G are still capable to make decisions. I am so proud of the two of them because even though this has been a really hard decision to make, they are doing it while they still can, not leaving it to their kids and grand kids to have to make.

We have narrowed our search down to two places that will promote G and G to live and feel independent; cook for themselves, clean, garden, join in activities if they choose or just be as they always have been, independent. They will be with-in three miles of us. We have placed them on a waiting list for a patio home knowing that they may have to do some apartment living in the meantime, which is their decision completely. And as of now we will list our house in June but as I say often "its always in God's Hands."

The Little Boy and the Old Man by Shel Silverstein

Said the little boy, "Sometimes I drop my spoon."

Said the old man, "I do that too."

The little boy whispered, "I wet my pants."

I do that too," laughed the little old man.

Said the little boy, "I often cry."

The old man nodded, "So do I."

But worst of all," said the boy, "it seems

Grown-ups don't pay attention to me."

And he felt the warmth of a wrinkled old hand.

I know what you mean," said the little old man."

A house a home: part 2

2011-04-21T08:00:00.006-06:00

When Grandma and Grandpa began discussing leaving their home of 50 years because it had become to much work, Matt and I started to ponder their future with them. You see their two sons, Mark and Charlie, don't live close. One is in Crested Butte, 5 hour drive from Denver, and the other lives in Wisconsin. The really hard part is they and us always assumed this would be Nancy's department...but that is not what God had planned so there is no time to sit and worry about what might have been because the thing we do know is that she would want them to be happy and safe.

I digress....as Matt and I began to have conversations about how we could include G and G into our family home, we began to think about leaving our home. Maybe we could find a home with a Mother in law suite or build one? As we started to do the research we discovered this was a much easier idea in our heads than reality...unless you have a large budget or a decent amount of land. The other problem was geographical because neither party wanted to leave the general area we live; Arvada-Golden area.

During all this movement Grandma and Grandpa decided they felt like a burden to us, they just couldn't feel comfortable having us take care of them as they age and we continue to build our family. Something Matt and I disagreed with but had to respect. So as soon as that door opened it closed. And once again I turned the plan over to God.

Than they did something suddenly, they listed their home for sale and began to look at independent senior living. Grandma began to see a reality in saying goodbye to their home of 50 years and it scared her. She began asking us to buy their house....so Matt and I took a day or two to really think about this.

Its the perfect layout, Three bedrooms upstairs, one downstairs. We could expand our family easily.

It has a huge yard with a view of the mountains.

Its less than a mile from Majestic View Park and Nature Center.

Its the house Nancy grew up in and where Matt lived during his high school years (when his parents moved north.) Mason's bedroom could be the room his Grandma grew up in...just slightly sentimental.

Us being there would give Grandma and Grandpa a sense of comfort in their aging years, they could be close to us in location and they could visit as much as they wanted.

It all seemed pretty perfect.

So we agreed to buy it! But its never that easy....

A House A home: part one

2011-04-20T12:25:00.000-06:00

Our little Entrada house is not just a house,its a home!

It began as a college house for Matt and Nick, purchased in May of 2001 by Steve and Nancy.
It hosted several LARGE gatherings of drunk college kids and several room mates. The walls were adorned with life size Victoria secret posters and a mixed bag of handy down furniture.

Its the house where I first met Matt in the fall of 2002.

where he swooned me with his golden locks and cute smile.

Its the home we first lived together, graduated college, started careers, became engaged, came home to as a married couple AND

brought our baby boy home too.

Its were all of our siblings have lived and left (even Cade for a few months.)

Where Matt and I stood sobbing in the kitchen after Nick's moving truck pulled away to Arizona because it truly was the end of an era.

Its where someone near and dear to us has been mourned and missed, everyday!

Its where neighbors have become our friends and where people look out for each other and their animals while away.

Its on the outskirts of Golden, the town we love so much...near the mountains and the miles of trails we love to hike and run.

Its our 3 bedroom 2 bath 1170-sq ft home. It ain't fancy but its our first home and its been a great home.

Sure it has its negatives, like it backs up to a decently busy road.

The kitchen needs some updating and more space.

The living room and dining area are small and on cold days when everyone resides there it feels really small.

BUT the biggest negative is the layout of our house. The upstairs only has two bedrooms and the third bedroom is two stories down in the basement. And according to Mason, that is where the monsters live.

Yes, expanding our family could be done, people do it in far "worse" situations. The kids could share a room in time.

BUT maybe we have outgrown our little home?

And as God so often does, plans have presented themselves....

What's cookin' good lookin'

2011-04-11T10:47:00.000-06:00

Mason is bonkers about cooking.

and once you let them help you once

they want to help you every time

So I just set up a "safe" station

while he explores I can do the other cooking!

His current favorite is lemon with sugar! Ha!

Note to Self: I need to order some kid cooking items for his Easter basket.

I know there are a million blogs about cooking but this recipe for "Jalapeno Thingies" by the Pioneer Woman is worth blogging about.

I make these frequently when we have guests over and they are devoured.

Here is the link:

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/07/bacon-wrapped_j/

She details it quite well on her blog.

The only changes I make is adding some cheddar. I do some with just Cheddar for my husband that doesn't like "creamy" things (man is he missing out) and some combo. I also do them in the oven on broil instead of a grill. I place them on a lined cookie sheet on a cookie rack, so all the grease can drain off.

Also we tried them on a burger (suggestion by our friend Chris Valdez) and they were delish!

Just wanted to share. Happy Monday!

Can we bottle some of that energy?

2011-04-04T11:35:00.000-06:00

A lot of Mason pictures in this post, I guess when you are parent that is what becomes of pictures and things you talk about. I swear I still have a brain and can talk about interesting things but he is the core, the substance, the light of our eyes..ok you get it!

We have been keeping busy these days. We were getting ready to list our house and to buy G and G's house in Arvada....we still our. Its just not a next week thing more of a next year thing. Its a long story and a whole other blog post (I will do soon) but for now we are going to hand over the timing to God and let the doors open as they will.

So back to our crazy two year old, with Mason I have discovered the more activity the better. I try to balance our weeks with my work and lots of activity mixed in with the normal weekly routine. As with all things, some days are much easier than others. Thank god on the challenging days there is always wine...of course in the evening when he is in bed!

This past week we fit the zoo amongst other things into the schedule. The Rockies are back in action but instead of participating in the opening day madness we went to the zoo with ten thousand other people who had the same idea.

Mason got his hippo climbing on...

And tail sliding..

while I caught up with my girlfriend Lauren and her little guy, Camden. Isn't he a cutie pie? They are so much easier at this stage but I just heard he is crawling so good luck Roots!

By the time we got home from the zoo a nap was needed!

By my third attempt of laying him down I couldn't see or hear him on the monitor so I went to check..

He had put all his bed belongings and himself under the fitted sheet! "Ya mom, find me."

A nap in his bed wasn't in the stars this day...

I think there is a short window for Mason to take naps and when I miss it he goes to crazy town. He literally starts climbing the "walls." Some days I just deal but this day we were meeting my parents, their friend Lisa, and Matt in Golden for dinner. He NEEDED TO SLEEP.

So I put him in the car and before I even got the harness buckled on his seat he was out!

I drove Lookout Mountain. I rolled down the windows and listened to some tunes and acted like I was taking a mini road trip.

I even got out of the car to take some scenic pictures of our recent fire.

and our little town tucked between the Mesas.

After the 40-minute recharge (for both of us) he was back and ready for more action!

so we chatted with the chickens and waited for the rest of the crew!

And when Dad arrived his little guy couldn't get to his arms fast enough! They have such a cool bond.

And patio dinning with Grandma and Papa was a lovely way to spend Friday evening.

My dad, who is already Mason's favorite, took Mason over to the firehouse. Mason got to go inside and climb on the real fire trucks and they even gave him a new fire hat.

He was a pretty happy kid and we hadn't even made our way over to the ice cream parlor yet!

I can tell April is shaping up to be a great month!

What do monsters, dinosaurs, toe nail clippers and showers have in common?

2011-03-23T11:18:00.000-06:00

Lets see what have we been up to since I last posted...well Mason got a new pair of Thomas the Train Crocs that he insists on wearing everywhere and I screwed up our child. Yup don't take parenting advice from me...

I am not sure why I did this...I think I would like to place blame on my dad but really I just need to talk to the woman in the mirror and admit its my own doing.

It started with our hot water closet on our upstairs level. This unknown room had become a fascination to Mason, we obviously do not want him in there so I told him that is where dinosaurs live. When he would ask to see them I would tell him they are sleeping. Fear Tactic #1.

Than about 6 months back when Mason started not listening to me AT ALL I would use fear tactic #2 to get him to stop doing whatever mischievous thing he was doing. For example, we needed to leave the house and he would say "No" and would want to stay upstairs unsupervised...the first few times I would try to grab him and this would turn into a fun game of chase and my blood pressure would soar and my head would spin. When I would catch him a nice tantrum of kicking would ensue so I thought maybe if I try to trick him, scare him, this will end the battle. I would tell him "ok bye, watch out for the monsters!" and head down the stairs. Seconds later he would come screaming down the stairs and we could leave....

At this point you think I would have enough common sense to ask my self "at some point is he going to start having nightmares about this or is scaring your kid really a good move?" But it all seemed to be working so I stuck with it...well it still works but now we have constant conversation about monsters and dinosaurs, especially right before bed. That's right I lied to my kid and I screwed him up! Lets hope its temporary.
And to top it all off he has developed some additional fears about showering and toe nail clippers.

He usually gets a bath but if we are in a hurry we just throw him in with one of us...try holding a slippery wet toddler that is screaming bloody murder and wiggling like a baby pig, not easy. I think this fear is interesting because he has no problem sticking his head in the sprinkler or the pool!

The toe nail clippers or for that matter touching his feet is a whole other ball of wax...

We like to tease him and ask if he would like to take a shower and he likes to tell Matt and I "I'll take shower tomorrow." and "lets cut toe-nails Tuesday." Already procrastinating.

I keep telling him you can not put off today what needs to be done tomorrow so at least I have that piece of parenting going for me.

We do have a particular and spirited child and I wouldn't trade him for anything BUT I will remind him of these silly fears when he gets older. Some he created on his own and others his mom brainwashed him with...that way he can blame me for whatever issues he might have.

Keeping us on our toes

2011-03-08T14:46:00.000-07:00

I think Spring is around the corner because last week on my run I saw this rattle snake. It just barely became roadkill by our stroller. Yikes!

Mason hasn't had much of a reprieve from illness, this last virus turned into croup which is hanging on like a crazy ex-girlfriend. He sounds like a chain smoker and has a lovely barking cough that rears its ugly head in the middle of the night, poor dude! There isn't much doctors can do for croup but offer a steroid to reduce the swelling in the vocal cords...otherwise hot steam from the shower, humidifiers, and cold air are your best chance at providing comfort.

Its funny how kids can be so stubborn. I HATED shots when I was younger, to the point I would embarrass my parents at the doctor's office. A team of nurses and doctors would have to restrain me. My son on the other hand decided he would rather have a shot of the medicine than take it in the form of chocolate. After the nurse and I tried to persuade him to take the oral version he continued to refuse and so he got a shot. The shot did not go well either and telling your two year old "I told you so" doesn't do anything.

Despite not feeling well Mason has found enough energy to keep up with his usually shenanigans, like covering the dogs with all of his bedding. I do SO MUCH LAUNDRY! Sorry green peace.

Or throwing a roll of toilet paper down the stairs before I can grab it from him. "Cleaning up after your kids is like shoveling during a blizzard, sometimes its just pointless."

And why is it that kids like to color everything but the coloring book? I tell ya, two is a lovely age but sometimes I think my dad was right on when he would say:

"I always love you but sometimes I like you best when you are sleeping."

The white mug

2011-02-28T09:59:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday! Can you believe its the last day of February? I can't...so many great things happened during this short month and I am sure March is going to be lovely as well.

I am a mis-matched coffee cup kind of girl, meaning I do not have one full set of matching mugs. I love this white mug. Not because its simple and white like all my other matching dishware but because every time it makes it way to the front of the cupboard for me to pour my morning coffee or tea in, I get to think about someone who holds such a big part of our hearts.

This person shared our home with us for about two years...this became her "unspoken for" mug. Every morning I would make coffee and know that as soon as she came up that would be the cup she would choose. Over time it was just hers. There were many conversations over our morning coffee; tears, laughter, boy talk and political talk. You name it we talked about it.

So when I saw it was the mug in line for use today it made me smile and miss Ang.

Germ warfare

2011-02-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

I have had strep throat twice in the past month...more than I have had it in the past ten years. Annoyed is an understatement. Everyone told me that once Mason started school he/we would be sick and I guess its like having a new baby, everyone tells you get ready to have no sleep BUT until you are in the trenches do you realize what "they" mean.

My quick List of Complaints:

1. General Doctors are over booked and can not see sick patients on a whim, annoying!

2. Being really sick with a sick kid is double annoying and one of those "pull yourself up by the boot straps kind of things."

3. When will I learn to listen to my body and stop going full force when I start to feel sick?

4. When my husband doesn't ever get sick and tells me "its all in your head, you just have to tell your white blood cells to fight and they will." Really? I love you but sometimes I don't like you.

5. When will I start to listen to my mother? She knows me so well and told me as soon as I started to sound like a smoker that I should get a strep culture. Momma really does know best.

6. Boogers and Diarrhea! Sorry to gross you out but days of this from your baby not only makes you sad for them but also equals lots of laundry and baths.

So this is how we spent our weekend! There are a few things odd about this picture. Mason is laying still. Mason's P-J's don't match, that means Matt dressed him.

The Blessings (you always have to count them):

1.A husband who leaves work early (he never does this) to take our sick child to the doctor and picks up dinner and flowers for his wife.

2. A cancellation at the doctor so I could get my throat culture and thus antibiotics.

3. Sleep.NyQuil.

4. The fact we live in a country that we can get medical help for a simple virus even if its not convenient.

5.Appreciation that most of the time we feel healthy. I know there are families and people dealing with chronic illness and they should be the ones venting not me.

Mason is still feeling so-so and I guess we are adapting to the new "normal" of constant sniffles.

He doesn't seem to skip a beat for very long, kids are darn resilient.

And one more blessing, Grandma Bert's Christmas Cactus of 30 years bloomed again, you can call me Polly Positive if you want!

Life is a zoo

2011-02-23T09:44:00.000-07:00

As Paul Simon once sang "Someone told me its all happening at the zoo."

The spring like weather has allowed us to use our zoo membership quite a bit. The lizard is not real, please don't tell Mason. The Yellow match box car in his hand is now an official part of the cheetah exhibit. Lesson learned about letting Mason bring a toy into the zoo....he threw it in there and than freaked out when I obviously could not retrieve it. He is still talking about it and tells most strangers about his lost "Yellow Ambulance."

A Tuesday morning in February is a great time to go to the Denver Zoo, small crowds and the lots of animals around ever corner. This of course is my favorite animal who is currently in a "Chase me" stage. It drives me bonkers and I can see why people use those leash things...I haven't bought one...YET!

The lions are awesome on quiet days, their calls are amazing and Mason enjoys mimicking them. I play the Momma lion and he is the baby lion, appropriate roles I would say.

My little lion would like to ride the carousel one hundred and one times and the baby train I barely fit in...I have started to stay on the other side of the zoo because I like to avoid the tantrums that ensue when "Thomas" blares it's train horn calling all toddlers to melt until their parents agree to ride it.

The zoo has so much to see and here are a few of our current favorites.These adorable little dik diks.

I would like to own one.

and the crazy haired African Crane who pecks at your face on the other side of the plexi glass.

And of course the magnificent giraffe.

The day Kathryn met me at the zoo we got to witness some giraffe porn!

One guy with all those ladies, can you blame him?

Our favorite part of going to the zoo recently was seeing this beautiful baby girl dressed in her zoo attire (baby giraffe). She warms your heart in ways you can not imagine.

As I pulled up to the zoo to meet Kathryn and Thea, I kept thinking how cool it is when your girlfriends become Moms. If you would have told me ten years ago we would be doing this on a Tuesday afternoon, I would have laughed. Not these career driven independent women....but that is the beautiful thing about growing up, I now realize we can be those women and be Moms. Maybe you really can have it all?

Love you beautiful girls! And love seeing one of my dearest friends being a Mom!

February...you are a fickle month!

2011-02-16T10:54:00.000-07:00

Oh February, you are such a peaceful and quiet month...when our two year old is sleeping!

Really you are a mixed bag of a month just like this post.

When the weather is nice, we love to get outside and enjoy mother nature's hibernation and when its freezing, we do out best to not let cabin fever set in.

Matt and I decided to test out Mason's hiking limits one Sunday. We received A Hiking with Kids in Colorado book for Christmas so we choose a close hike....Lair O' the Bear.

Its a nice trail along Bear Creek

that loops with minimal elevation gain, about a 1.5 mile.

Mason made it about half way before wanting to be carried for a while.

We didn't bring the pack. His main concern for most of the hike was where our car was. When we reached the "Summit" we could see the car below which gave him peace of mind to finish the hike. He cracks me up!

We will keep working on his endurance but I think the pack will be a necessity for a bit longer.

On one of our frigid days we headed over to G and G's for our weekly get together. Mason dressed Grandpa in scarves.

and used his toddler decorating skills to give GG's living room a makeover.

I do not allow this but I am quieted by Grandma and Grandpa over and over again "Will you relax, he is just a toddler and this is what they do, he isn't harming anything." I do however make him pick it up with my assistance, makes me feel like I am an ok parent.

Four of our favorite Valentines! The red was planned. Grandma calls me with the funniest request, I seriously love that lady!

We also ventured out one Saturday evening for our niece Lauren's basketball game. Mason adores his cousin's Luke, Lauren and Ellie and Ellie is such a little mother for 7. She wears him out and we appreciate that. Mason only tried to bolt onto the court a few times before he figured out that he isn't part of their team.

My pictures of Lauren playing ball were really fuzzy but it was so fun to watch her play. She is such a quiet beautiful soul of an 11 year old but put her on a basketball court and her inner defensive player comes out. Matt and I were laughing so hard because she reminded us of Matt SUPER COMPETITIVE! I also must say girls basketball is hilarious...I played and I remember how catty it was. To see this age group elbowing and hair pulling had all of us chuckling.

And of course February brings Valentine's day, not my favorite holiday but more fun this year because of Mason's interest.

One cabin fever ridden day I made some Valentine's Decorations. What? Mason isn't the only one who gets to color, cut, and paste. A little asymmetrical and non-uniform...

Matt and I were invited to our neighbors this past Saturday for a Valentine's Dinner so Ang. and Jason came over to hang with the lil' man. He was in heaven and we got to have adult interaction. Its funny because our neighbors our in their late 50's and we were by far the youngest people there by 15 years BUT we had such a good time. And the best part is when you have a few too many glasses of red wine you only have to walk next door and crawl into bed. Love our lovely neighbors! Love my husband, love our son and love our family. Guess all you really need is love...cheesy I know!

Fireman Mason's outing with Aunt Ang.

2011-02-03T09:45:00.000-07:00

On one of our weekly outings, Aunt Angela was able to join us.

We took Mason to the Denver Children's Museum.

We told him about the real life fire truck that would be there and he knew no other footwear would do than his fireman boots!

He could hardly contain his composure when we walked inside. Ang helped him get suited up.

He kept saying "Mason a firefighter."

Waiting our turn to drive.

once he got in the driver seat we had a hard time getting him out.

Angela showing him how to work the sirens. We are still talking about this outing and obsessed would be an understatement about his love of firetrucks.

We somehow convinced him that there were other cool things to see in the museum, bribery my friends is a great parenting tool:)

We headed upstairs to the bug life/wilderness exhibit. They have ant costumes you can put on and crawl through the tunnels but Mason's heart belongs to the firefighting attire.

He does, however, enjoy hoarding. He took all the stuffed animals and acorns from the exhibit and stockpiled them. Man we need to give this kid a sibling.

Such a fun day with Aunt Angela

He even made us lunch.

Thanks Ang for spending time with us, your the bestest!

Giddy Up Cowboy

2011-02-02T13:30:00.000-07:00

I have been feeling nostalgic lately. Maybe its because we went to stock show or all those candy hearts I have been eating or maybe its the fact we have been stuck in the house. Regardless, I needed a segway into this post about our recent outing to the Stock show. Seeing all those animals, especially the horses brings back some of my best childhood memories. I love horses and some day will own one again (I know my husband is saying "do you know how much they cost to feed and maintain?")

So this post is a little past and present, ye haw!

Yup this is me on my first horse "Tuffy Bear." I am Mason's age. Tuffy was a buckskin and a gentle giant. Except one time he "bucked" me off and a stick went about 2-inches into my leg, still have the scar. My dad made me get back on after I was cleaned up. Good thing because that could have been the end of horses for me.

When I was 8 I found him dead in our corrals on Easter. Its a long story but the short of it is he was shot by someone doing target practice around my parents house. I had a lot of nightmares about it as a kid but my mom forcing me into piano lessons at the time really healed me:)

Pack trips were a part of my growing up as well. Buns of steel has nothing on sitting in a saddle for eight hours, trust me. Cowgirls don't complain...got it!

Look at this hot mama, my mama! This was her first horse Stormy.

And Cade he was quite the little cowboy, I can see some of Mason in this picture.

First off WOW can you tell its the 80's? Anyways, this is my dad's horse Rogue. Lots of stories with this guy, he was a part of our lives for 16 years until lightning got the better of him:( A retired race horse, my Dad got him when he was just 3 and not many other people could handle his power quite like my dad. The mare is Abby, we breed her and had a foaled a baby horse called a foal. Complex I know but really an amazing experience.

This is my horse Duke, the horse after Tuffy Bear that I had all the way to college. He was awesome and gentle and smooth. No tragic death here, just time. Love ya big guy! We had a lot of great horses and I thank my folks for teaching me the work and love that goes with caring for them.

Matt doesn't believe me but I can saddle a horse, pick their hooves, and tie a mean knot..and throwing hale bales, forget about it!

Stock show is a big event in Denver for three weeks in January and we decided it was time for Mason to get his first dose. My godparents Linda and Gary joined us as well.

Mason loved it because he got to share it with two of his favorites.

My city boy husband even got in on the action.

A real Llama...so soft!

and afterwards you hit up the hand sani. They did not have these when I was a kid but hey we use to have candy cigarettes. Not only is my husband a city boy he is a clean and anti-germ city boy. Really I am just teasing him, he loves the outdoors, I wouldn't have married him but he has not been around livestock much. Its weird because Matt was built to be a cowboy (bow-legs) but he refuses to wear Wranglers. Its a shame, a darn shame.

The tractors were the highlight of the adventure. Not only for Mason but for all the guys. If only I had $47,000 laying around I would buy this tractor just so they could move dirt around my parents house.

watching the steer competition. No rodeo this year, Mason does not have the attention span for that.

And the whole group.

Fun day of animals and fair food.

In a couple more years Mason will be doing the Muttin Bustin, we began training recently.

Happy Trails!

School...its a love/hate thing

2011-01-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

We are in our third week of preschool and like the title says, its a love/hate relationship so far. He strongly dislikes his mother leaving him and he loves when she comes back for him. Luckily his teacher tells me he loves the in between as well.

The decision: Our beautiful caretaker Marilyn has been with Mason since he was 8 weeks old. I was blessed to find her and though I only needed her two days a week we built a friendship and a trust. As a first time mom and a mom period leaving your baby with anyone is seriously tough stuff but with time it got a little easier knowing what great hands my baby was in.

In August Marilyn decided to go back to school with her daughter to pursue a dream she has always had and as her friend I knew supporting her was the only way it could be.

After researching and looking at local schools and talking to people the preschool at the corner of our street got the best reviews. Its safe and clean, the teachers are loving and strict, there is playtime, learning time, and nap time. There are other children and germs. BUT my only child is adjusting, making friends, learning to share, constantly sick, and learning to adjust to the two day schedule of preschool. As am I. I know how blessed we are to have this part time schedule and I know it is the right thing for Mason.

The best part of it all is when I come to pick him up at 2:00, he drops everything and runs full blast to me

"Mommy you came back!"

A love that will stand the test of time

2011-01-24T12:33:00.000-07:00

The second child and only daughter of a Baptist Minister. Her Mother played the role of minister's wife and college professor at a women's college. This Denver born and raised girl, beautiful and talkative, caught the eye of a handsome man eight years her senior.

Just back from the second world war this second child and only son of a Denver pharmacist and god loving mother, attended church at his childhood church, Berkley Baptist. Sitting in the back he watched her, later calling her home and asking permission to "court" the minister's only daughter. The response from the minister "Well yes Roberta you can go on a date with Larry, for god sake he has been staring holes through you at church while I give my sermons, didn't you notice?"

And so it began, they courted for a summer and a fall and were married December 29, 1950 at her father's church. Her father insisted Christmas time was a great time for a wedding because the church would be beautifully decorated with white Christmas Lillie's and poinsettias. And like most father's, the best is the only way when it comes to daughters. One member of the church would replace all the colored Christmas lights with white bulbs while another would make their simple but beautiful wedding cake. Her mother would make her gown and with over 200 people in attendance these two would vow to always love each other...AND THEY HAVE.

From newlyweds making no more than $100.00/week

To first time parents

To parents of three. Two boys and one girl. Life would be busy and full of love and everyday trials. They would buy a home in Arvada when their youngest was just 7, this is the same home they still live in.

They would raise their American family there.

And one day they would all be grown.

Then they would welcome two grandsons

and a precious granddaughter

and when he would retire from a wonderful career they would travel the world. Taking over 50 cruises.

and he would ski a lot! teaching his grand kids too.

Years later they would become great-grandparents

and they would temporarily have to say goodbye to a daughter they love so much, something no parent should have to go through.

but with faith and love for God and each other they find the strength to continue.

We celebrated Grandma and Grandpa's 60th Wedding Anniversary at Strings Restaurant in Denver on January 8th.

I can't remember when you weren't there

When I didn't care for anyone but you

I swear we've been through everything there is

Can't imagine anything we've missed

Can't imagine anything the two of us can't do

Through the years, through all the good and bad

I knew how much we had, I've always been so glad

To be with you ... Through the years

It's better every day, you've kissed my tears away

As long as it's okay, I'll stay with you

Through the years

Through the years, when everything went wrong

Together we were strong, I know that I belong

Right here with you ... Through the years

I never had a doubt, we'd always work things out

I've learned what love's about, by loving you

Through the years

Through the years, you've never let me down

You've turned my life around, the sweetest days I've found

I've found with you ... Through the years

It's better every day, you've kissed my tears away

As long as it's okay, I'll stay with you

Through the years!

In a world where marriage often ends in divorce it is refreshing to see a couple that's love will stand the test of time. Congratulations on 60 years, our love is deep and strong for the pair of you.

Its freaking cold and Happy New Year

2011-01-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

On the 30th temperatures began to drop and an Arctic front made a grand entrance.

Finally some white stuff but with it some seriously cold temperatures. We remained in the single digits with

-30 wind chills for most of the New Year's weekend. Its cold but I love it.

We spent New Years cuddled in with yummy food, beverage, and movies. What else do you need? Sometimes I try to remember our life before Mason and it seems so foreign. What did we do with all that time?

We were watching the news and all the Denverites that ventured out downtown for the fireworks and festivities in 5 degree weather, these cute young girls in their short skirts and heels. That use to be us, I mean Matt wasn't a cute young girl but he liked them. Anyways, I love that with age you are confident in just being happy with where you are at and I am perfectly happy spending New Years in yoga pants.

Matt is always trying new beers and this one was Delicious.

working on our photography skills.

I also ask myself frequently "Who is this kid?" Pant less with slippers in 5 degree weather is the way to bring in the New Year.

He is such a riot which leads me to a recent story. We were walking in Golden along the creek and Mason is obsessed with sticks (most boys are) except he has a really hard time saying "S" so it is pronounce dicks. He would scream "Look Mommy Big Dick, oh Little Dick" as he collected one after another. People were looking at me so awkwardly. Hilarious!

We spent a lot of our time indoors playing with play dough, blocks, and perfecting our singing with this new karaoke machine my parents got him. My son loves to sing, something he gets from his dad:)

After a few days of playing inside we decided Cabin fever had officially set in so off we went.

Our park has a decent hill but as you can see this storm didn't bring as much snow as it did cold. We were just so eager to get out there it didn't matter.

Teaching Mason how to make snow angels.

Sledding buddies

We can not give thanks enough to God for a beautiful 2010 and we are looking forward to 2011 as well.

Christmas part 2- Ala Gilbreath

2011-01-19T10:39:00.000-07:00

After a quick drop off of the first round of gifts at our house we were off to pick up Grandma and Grandpa and headed north.

We always drive HWY 287 up to Longmont, which is one of my favorite drives. The views of the Rockies are gorgeous and there are a lot of homesteads along the way which leaves the big fields open and undeveloped.

Steve and the girls did a lovely job on the tree, Nancy would be proud.

As I have mentioned in past posts, Christmas was Nancy's favorite holiday and all of her decorations are awesome, they remind me of her which always makes Christmas bittersweet.

One of my favorite dudes, grandpa Larry! Seriously love this guy.

And of course these two are such a kick and two of my favorites. Ang found a Christmas apron Nancy made her when she was 5 so we made her sport it!

As soon as Chris, T, and the kids arrived we got right to some present opening.

The adorable Ellie. Mason adores his Ellie and she adores her Mason.

Aunt T, Lauren, and Ellie picked out this underwear for Mason. SO CUTE! We all know he is just a little obsessed with Firetrucks. I just need a cooperative 2 year old to wear them.

After a delicious Prime Rib dinner with all the fixings (Matt's Dad is quite the chef) we headed downstairs for some good ol' fashioned ping pong. Uncle Matt and nephew Luke.

The downstairs of Steve and Nancy's house is awesome! A huge rec room, bar, and the boys rooms. It reminds me a lot of my Grandparents house in California.

Ellie and Mason doing some bear wrestling, a new sport at the Gilbreath household.

Nancy made these for her little athletes and I think they are so cool. Of course the middle child Nick had to be different and go with number 4.

Another sport that happens downstairs is wine drinking, our champion:)

But seriously Angela is the champion of Pecan Pie making. Another tradition Mom Nancy always had and Ang has taken over the reins. Look at the placement of those pecans...a 10 I say.

Group photos, can you see how excited the guys are to do this?

Our newly engaged couple. YES! Nick asked Angie in early December and she agreed to marry him:) Now I love Nick just like a brother but Angie she is the "bees knees" and I can not wait to officially have her as a "sister." You probably can't tell they are wearing ribbons but they are. Angela found these in a drawer when we were setting the table, They are "Bride" and "Groom" ribbons, fitting. We are always finding stuff like that, knowing that Mom is definitely taking part in our activities.

Toots and Boots, just some nicknames I came up with for these two. Great coordination on the outfits by the way:)

Steve and the kids and some one's hand I forgot to crop out:)

Such a lovely Christmas this year. We are so blessed to have these people as family. They are fun, loving, and would lay down in traffic for you.

They are da coolest!

Christmas Part 1 - Ala Armstead

2011-01-16T21:04:00.000-07:00

Like I said in my last post but didn't explain very well, I have A LOT of photos! So I am going to break the holiday pics into a couple posts...come on you know you want something to do at work other than work:)

My childhood home was all ready for Christmas!

The festivities began the 23rd when my parents stopped by our house in Golden to pick up some things on their way home...like our dogs...and my son. It was our plan to go up that night but not for them to steal my first born child by luring him into the Tahoe with Builder Bob DVD's playing in the back.

Of course Mason was like "Please mom can I go" except in two year old talk which is a demand "Mason go with Papa and Grandma!" So I said "sure" and threw some things in a bag and tried to cut the crazy over bearing mother strings. Don't get me wrong there are few people I trust with keeping Mason over night and they are two of them...and this wasn't even over night just a few hours until I would join them but this first child thing takes over all reason in my head. I hurried and packed and realized I still had a million things to do before leaving. I kept calling them and calling them. So then I am freaking out...finally my dad picks up" We wondered how many times you would keep calling?" You mean you were not answering on purpose? "Ya we thought it was funny!"

HILARIOUS! They know me all too well and remind me often they were first time parents once too!

Matt joined us on the morning of the 24th (darn work deadlines before the holiday). He had/has been working a lot of hours so it was nice to have sometime together. We set out on a hike trying to feel better about the massive calorie intake that would occur later that night.

It has been a unseasonably warm fall/winter here which allowed us to hike on Christmas Eve day. My parents are at 9,000-ft so even more amazing that is was relatively warm.

We did a simple hike to the creek Cade and I grew up playing at. They whole time we were hiking it kept hitting me, I grew up here! How did I not think it was cool to grow up here? And how great is it that my kiddos get to experience this too!

After the hike my mom insisted we open a present. Mine happened to be a new NIKON 3100 SLR...she wanted me to get it charged so I could use it! I was blown away, I have wanted one for so long but just couldn't stomach the price...THANK YOU THANK YOU and now I have to learn to use it to its full capabilities so bear with me. I will be taking a class in the future...

So here is our Christmas Eve and Christmas morning in a photo montage

Oh Christmas Tree Oh Christmas Tree you are one huge tree!

My handsome husband who loves fire duty, mostly chopping the wood.

Yummy appetizers like baked brie with raspberry chutney

Lazy Chocolate Dog

Spoiled Yellow Dog

Unconditional love between grandparents and grandchild

A delicious dinner shared with family

Fun gifts from Cade, Emily, and the kids. Tears because we missed them so much.

Some crazy lady who loves avocados

The sweetest cheekie boy a mom could ever ask for

childhood ornaments

special blue bags from a husband to a wife for their anniversary of 38 years. They have two anniversary's because they were married twice. The first time just the two of them on skis in Colorado on Christmas Eve, the second in a church as their parents and wished for.

A giving two year old who liked handing out the presents more than opening them

My beautiful mother as a grandmother, my cup runeth over.

One of the best men I know, my daddy, who is Mason's favorite, a jokester and huge fan of Clive Cluster books

Chocolate Santa's at 9:00 at night equal a dramatic meltdown in the near future.

Santa's helpers trying to assemble the "Big" gift and cursing at the person who bought such gift (me).

BUT

the next morning he woke in a flash to see what Santa had brought him and he couldn't believe his eyes

A real fire truck that drives! With sirens and horns, reverse and forward. Pure elation.

See I told you it would be worth it!

And what else....

A new Trash Truck fully equipped...Oh me oh my we will need a new house to store all these things

And we were only half way done, more fun to be had more family to see, gear up boys.

I suggest a shot of espresso or maybe three?

Mount Evans Boulevard at Spring Drive, my home.

So many pictures not enough blogging

2011-01-10T10:22:00.000-07:00

Let's go back a few weeks so I can upload photos in chronological order. Otherwise Left brainers have a hard time staying true to themselves and I am trying to stay true to myself these days!

Sugar cookie making! A tradition with my mom that she does with each grandson (and hopefully someday a granddaughter) every Christmas. This year was Mason's turn, for two reasons. 1. He is the only grand kid in Colorado right now and 2. He is the only grand kid in Colorado right now:(

Look at my dad intently watching as though there might be a quiz later, really you just press the cutter in the dough...you can do it Dad! Oh ya I remember your job, eating the dough and the finished product. Love you big guy. PS I get my smartass attitude from you.

Sprinkles are quite cool and when you are two and a little OCD (sorry Mason runs in the genes) you have to place each sprinkle precisely on the cookie.

Then you offer one to Papa, take one for yourself, and then put one on your cookie. Mason decorated two cookies, it took 30 minutes.

He had a side cookie not being decorated so he could snack while he worked. Seriously efficient.

All that cookie making sure wipes you out.

Why are parents beds so comfortable? I still love my parents bed and I loved my grandparents bed too. Plus my mom always has a fun DVD for the kids on in this room so you can just cuddle in.

Cute pillows Mom, wonder who picked them out?

Oh ya and the best part about sugar cookie making at Grandma and Papa's is the favorite part of every time we go there....the PLAY DOUGH!

On another note, Mason started preschool today. That is about all I can muster out because I have been crying for the past few weeks about it. Its part-time, its close and its the right thing but for now I am seeking counseling because other moms tell me he will grow up one day and even go to college and perhaps get married. Is this true? Oh dear god what will I do? More on that later must do real work!