Browsing Category

Family

2 In Family/ Motherhood/ Peek into our Week

Peek into our Midwest Week

This week in Minnesota is what dreams are made of – lots of sunshine and so much beauty all around!

Last Friday started with my Women’s Conference. The theme was “Be an Original” and the Key Note speakers were Lisa Bevere and Bob Goff. They were both phenomenal! I’ll share some of what I learned in another post. The music was awesome and the time with a bunch of great ladies was absolutely SOUL-FILLING!

Thank you, Ted, for holding down the fort so I could get away for 24 hours.

Ted got 4 boys to 3 different games at different times at 2 different parks!

Sunday was supposed to be our final day of soccer with SIX games… but it snowed for 4 straight hours and soccer was canceled. Yay! The boys played in the snow ALL.DAY.LONG.

I was okay with just staying in, watching the boys play from window, all while enjoying the warmth of my home – but my boys encouraged me to get outside. I’m so glad they did – it was glorious outside. Everything was white and pristine, and the weather was not too cold.

Monday was writing, cleaning and playing with Luke.

Ritter Farm

On Tuesday Luke and I explored a beautiful park called Ritter Farm. He wanted me to hold him during most of our hike, and that’s okay with me… I’m soaking up every minute of him being little and still wanting to be held because I know that he’ll turn 10 in 2.5 seconds. We collected bugs, climbed trees, and enjoyed all the pretty trees along the path.

Piggy back rides for the win!

 

Wednesday mornings I’ve been attending a women’s bible study called “Sisterhood” at River Valley Church – the same church that put on the women’s conference.  I started this Bible study about six weeks ago, without really knowing anyone. I am slowly getting to know some really precious women – and have enjoyed incredible teaching by the women’s ministry team.

Thursday started a four day weekend for the boys for something called MEA. I don’t even know what that stands for except that it’s like a “Fall Break.”

We met some new friends at the cutest apple farm in our town called Applewood Orchard. We rode a hayride, found our way through a Hedge Maze, ate apple cider donuts, drank apple cider, then sampled and picked our own apples. This apple farm grows a variety of apples. The boys scouted out where to pick their favorite flavor during the hay ride. First, we pulled our wagon over to the SnowSweet Apples (George’s choice). Next, Clark insisted we go pick some Sweetango Apples on the OPPOSITE side of the Orchard. He told me he’d tasted them at school and that they are the best. He was absolutely correct. They were the vey best apples I’ve ever eaten in my life. So sweet they taste like candy. Have you tried them before?

We all LOVED this little pumpkin/apple farm and will definitely be back!

Thursday night we went to dinner at a local pizza place with Clark’s soccer team. There was something special about this group of kids and their families. We all enjoyed sitting together during practices and getting to know each other, then cheering on our kids during soccer games. We bonded during this season and am sad that we won’t be hanging out 3 times a week anymore. Our dinner together was a fun way to end the season – but I hope we can continue getting together.

How was your week? Did you get beautiful fall weather like us?

 

October 19, 2018 By
Share Tweet Pin it +1
7 In Family/ Motherhood/ Raising boys

15 ways to BOND with your BOYS!

I’m a mom with four boys – that’s ONE mom and FOUR boys. I’m completely #outnumbered.

Since my sons are only young once, I want to make memories with them! One way we do this is by spending one-on-one time with each of them.  If I have $20 to spend – I’d rather buy a MEMORY rather than a TOY!  I treasure these memories, and my boys always get excited when it’s their turn for a “date with mom!”

Found George’s favorite hamburger spot in Minnesota – Portillo’s

All dressed up for our ‘date!’

Me and Luke exploring together

Here are some suggestions for connecting with your son:

  1. Take him out for food – just the two of you! Let him pick his favorite spot for ice cream, lunch or dinner – have some questions or ideas for conversation planned in advance. My boys love the ‘would you rather‘ questions.

  2. Go shooting at a local gun range.

  3. Hang out at Buffalo Wild Wings and watch a ball game.

  4. If you have a membership at a gym, work out together.

  5. Go fishing (make sure you have a license, if needed).

  6. Hike together.

  7. Go camping. Help them pack and prepare.

  8. Work on a simple project together – whether it’s building a lego set, cleaning out the car, building a fort in the living room or putting together something you’ve purchased from Ikea – do it together!

  9. Go for a bike ride.

  10. Cook a meal together. Have them choose the menu; you can buy the ingredients.

  11. Play with remote controlled cars.

  12. Go to a local go-kart racetrack.

  13. Play their favorite video game with them.

  14. Play a card game, board game, or backyard game together – my boys still love Tag, soccer, and sharks & minnows.

  15. Play a sport together – basketball, wrestling or hockey – my kids LOVE competing against my husband or me!

Here are some questions you could ask to get to know your child better:

Read this post next. A powerful tool to use with your kids: CLICK HERE!

September 23, 2018 By
Share Tweet Pin it +1
2 In Family/ Marriage/ Memories/ Minnesota/ Motherhood/ Peek into our Week/ Raising boys

Peek into our week(s) – Back to school

Back-to-School:

First day of school!

The boys started 5th grade, 3rd grade, 1st grade, and preschool! They weren’t looking forward to going back (who wants summer to end?), but they are doing great! They have good teachers and are meeting new friends. Luke loves his new preschool. It’s only 2.5 hours, 3 mornings a week…so it goes by REALLY fast (for both of us!)

 

Weekend on the lake:

Some friends invited us to join them at their cabin on a lake in Wisconsin and I was surprised at how relaxing and soul-filling it was to get away for a couple of days. I got a glimpse of why so many locals have “cabins on the lake!” It was Clark’s 9th birthday. He and his brothers fished, swam, went tubing, and made s’mores by the fire, and ended the night with sparklers!

My favorite part was watching the sunset on the lake…it was one of the prettiest things I’ve seen in a long time! I was surprised at how much Paul loved it too. The sunset lit up the lake with vibrant color and Paul exclaimed, “Mom! Do you see this? It’s BEAUTIFUL!!!! The lake is orange!”

Then, at night, George and I went back to the dock and stared up at the sky. There were more stars than he had ever seen in his life. He thought it was AMAZING! (So did I!) We could even see the milky way!!!

Time with my dad (aka Poppy) at Mall of America:

My dad came in for a short visit. We had dinner together on Monday night, then went to Mall of America on Tuesday. Tuesday is the BEST day to go…I’ll tell you why in a future post! He celebrated his grandson’s birthdays with rides and lunch…then we took him to the airport.

George’s birthday:

Somehow, our oldest son is now 11! He didn’t want a cake but asked for DONUTS and Portillo’s or Chipotle. Well, he got all of that.

A new Chipotle just opened in our town last weekend and it’s been crazy busy. I told George we could try to go on his birthday, but it may be too busy. We show up (on a Friday night at 6) and there is only one person in line ahead of us! George looks at me and says, “Mom, God answered my prayer. I asked him to make the line short so we could have dinner here and he answered my prayer!!” As soon as we ordered, the line was OUT THE DOOR and didn’t stop the entire time we were there!

Sunday Ted took him out for some father/son time at his other favorite restaurant – Portillo’s.

He also got a new Lego set that he’d been wanting for a long time. I thought it would take him a month to put together, but he finished in two days. He’ll gladly tell you all about it if you ask him.

Date Night:

Ted and I got to sneak away for a couple of hours and have dinner at Maynard’s on Lake Minnetonka! It was a perfect night to sit outside by the lake, eating, chatting and watching the boats.

That’s what we’ve been up to! What’s your week been like? Leave me a comment!

September 17, 2018 By
Share Tweet Pin it +1
3 In Faith/ Family/ Motherhood/ My Journey

What I learned in going back to work after being a full-time mom

Facebook memories let me know that today would have been my one-year “anniversary” of working at New Life Church in Colorado Springs.

Dr. Michelle Anthony is the Family Ministry Pastor at New Life, and in the summer of 2017, I asked her if we could meet so I could share some ideas on how to grow our volunteer team. At that meeting, she asked if I would go from being a volunteer to joining the staff.

 

As always, my first reaction was to say “no.”
 – I’m a mom with four kids, do I have enough ‘gas’ in my tank to do more?
 – I’ve been a full-time mom for 6 years, do I have marketable skills left?
 – With a church this size, will I have a voice?  Can I really make a difference?

 

I told her to give me a few days to pray about it and talk to Ted.

 

Ted encouraged me to go for it. It would be a part-time role, and he thought I couldn’t ask for a better opportunity. I prayed and felt good…nervous…but good.

 

So, I said yes.

 

I’m SOO very glad I said yes! It was an HONOR to work with amazing people, being a part of helping kids know Jesus and grow in their relationship with him. I also loved having the chance to bring to fruition those ideas I shared with Michelle at our initial meeting.

 

Years ago, I was a children’s ministry director of a smaller church and wore a lot of hats – greeter, teacher, worship leader, curriculum writer, curriculum prep, shopper, event planner, event host, etc.

 

When working with a larger team at a mega-church, each of us could specialize in our gifts. I enjoyed the opportunity to focus on one service (Friday night), and one theme (volunteerism), while supporting others in the church in what they did. We all worked together with one mission.

 

I loved being a part of the New Life church staff. Some days I couldn’t believe I was getting paid to do what I love!  Before I started, I was SO nervous; but 9 months later, when we found out we were moving, I mourned having to say good-bye!

New Life Family Ministry Team

Working again gave me confidence that the gifts God placed in me a long time ago did not disappear as a stay-at-home mom.

 

Mamas, the work you do at home is INCREDIBLY important. Stay engaged there. Be the best mama you can be for those children, cherishing the fact that you get to invest in them, mold their beliefs, and watch them grow!

 

Your time as a full-time mother is not causing your gifts to depreciate. Changing diapers and chasing after toddlers will NOT eliminate all your marketable skills. Your gifts will only grow stronger. Focus on the task of being a mom and a wife! Know that in the future, you will have opportunities and new ways to use your God-given gifts. God will EQUIP you to do whatever He calls you to do!

 

I’m so grateful to be home full-time again right now. Moving while Mommin’ is hard and all-consuming. The kids just started school, and I have 100 things on my to-do list. This blog post is NOT on that list…so I’m going to run now… thanks for reading my thoughts for today!
September 13, 2018 By
Share Tweet Pin it +1
4 In Family/ Motherhood/ Peek into our Week/ Raising boys

Our “FREE” trampoline that cost us $150

I was out running when I noticed a mini-trampoline sitting by the side of the road with someone’s trash. I went home and got my car, loaded it in the back of my van, and brought it home.

My boys were delighted.

They carried it to the backyard and let the neighbors know: “WE GOT A TRAMPOLINE!”

The kids came over and LINED UP to take a turn!!

Note: There is a FULL-SIZE trampoline that they can all jump on TOGETHER right next door, but Clark had everyone excited about this LITTLE trampoline. So, that day, they all jumped, one-by-one.

(I REALLY wish I had taken a picture of them LINED UP while ONE kid jumped.)

After the first day, the newness and “excitement” wore off, and the little trampoline doesn’t get used very much. My plan was to bring it in the basement to use on rainy days or during the long Minnesota winter. However, Ted noticed that a couple of the springs were missing and warned me that someone would probably get hurt jumping on it. He asked me to set it out with the trash when it came last week.

Unfortunately, I forgot.

About two hours after the trash was taken, Clark was jumping on the little trampoline.

He was trying to complete a JUMP – SPIN – NINJA Kick.

The jump was high… the spin was good……the kick, great…

BUT THE LANDING…bad.

He landed on the side of his foot.

It hurt so bad he came in and laid on the couch. He wouldn’t play or even walk on it.

Clark doesn’t complain very much. So, after a couple hours of him laying on the couch and refusing to put pressure on it,  I decided to take him to Urgent Care to get an X-ray.

Thankfully, there was no broken bone, but the doctor said that she thought it was a sprained ankle and he should stay off of it for up to two weeks!

Telling Clark to stay off of his feet is like telling a bird not to fly.

We paid for the urgent care visit and for crutches.

Total: Almost $150

(I never should have picked up that FREE trampoline!)

It is now sitting out by the trash, a little too late.

We prayed for him that night for Clark to have a quick healing and miraculously, 24 hours later, his foot was feeling all better. We made him stay off of it for nearly 3 days – just to make sure he didn’t re -injure it. By Sunday, he was 100% back to himself.

You may (or may not) have noticed a DONATE button on the right side of my blog. I’m now accepting any and all donations from those who enjoy the blog and want to give to the #boymom fund.

Boymom fund includes: 

  • Keeping 4 (constantly hungry) boys fed, plus
  • all the doctor visits,
  • coffee for mom to keep up with it all!

Thanks for reading, and for all the love and support!

 

September 4, 2018 By
Share Tweet Pin it +1
4 In Faith/ Family/ Finding our place/ House Hunting/ Minnesota/ My Journey

Miracles in Moving

Faith minus vulnerability and mystery equals extremism. If you’ve got all the answers, then don’t call what you do faith.” — Dr. Brené Brown

I’m so thankful that I have a God I can trust.  I look back on my life and see His faithfulness over and over.

However, entering new territory, heading toward the unknown, is still hard. Every time.

Why? Why do I fear? Why don’t I rest in the fact that the same God who provided for me throughout my life, will continue to be by my side?

He is faithful, so why do I worry?

There’s a story in the Bible about the Israelites traveling to an unknown place.  I can’t imagine being a mama back then – with no restaurants or grocery stores – no guarantee of food for my children. However, day after day, God miraculously provided food for them. Each morning, there was fresh “manna” on the ground. They ate all they wanted.

However, they weren’t sure the food would always be there. God provided yesterday, He provided today, but would He provide again tomorrow? And every.single.day. after that?

Would He always be this good?  

Since they weren’t sure, they began to gather as much as they could and store it in their tent for the days to come. However, the food they stored would be rotten by morning. They’d go outside to discover that God had, once again, provided fresh “manna” for them to eat. They slowly learned to trust Him, one day at a time. You can read the story in Exodus 16.

This season has a made me realize – I’m just Iike those Israelites!

I can look back and see how God provided for me (over and over) but I STILL say: “God, will you do it again? Will you be as good tomorrow as you were today?” In my heart, I know He will. But the trusting day-by-day is so hard.

 I reflected back on how God miraculously provided for us in Colorado, but wondered if He would do the same in Minnesota?!

For instance, we had to sell our house in Colorado before we could make an offer on a house in Minnesota.

The waiting, day after day.

Will we get an offer…WHEN will we get an offer…PLEASE someone…give us an offer!

The waiting, the trusting…was HARD.

We DID get an offer –  A FULL PRICE OFFER!

However, the family who wanted our home, wanted it in less than 30 days.

We had not yet decided on a house OR a mortgage company.

Ted and I talked, prayed, and chose our home Minnesota home, while I interviewed mortgage companies to find the best rate.

Once those big items were decided, we had only 2 and a half weeks before we had to be out of our Colorado house. The mortgage company needed almost 30 days to close on our loan. We’d be in limbo for about 10 days.

Ten days where we’d be ‘homeless’ – 10 days between the time we needed to be out of our Colorado home and close on our Minnesota home.

We asked the Minnesota homeowner if we could get a ‘pre-occupancy’ agreement – letting us move in early. We’d essentially “rent” the home from him until we close. This would save us from having to stay in a hotel for those 10 days, and even more important, we wouldn’t have to move our things TWO TIMES (from our Colorado home to storage, then from storage to our Minnesota home). That would be a lot of extra effort and EXPENSE!

The homeowner said NO. He’d had a bad experience with this before and he would not let us in early, even though he was no longer in the house – the house was EMPTY!

We asked the family purchasing our Colorado home if we could stay for 10 extra days. They said, “no, we have everything on a specific timeline.”

This was so discouraging.

So I prayed. I asked a few others to pray. Ted talked to our realtor to see if he could get the Minnesota homeowner to change his mind.

We waited.

I tried not to get anxious as our moving day approached.

Well, moving day came. Our movers asked us where they’d be taking our stuff. I gave them our new Minnesota home address…in faith, praying we’d have favor and could move our stuff in.

As our movers were finishing and Friday was coming to a close…we heard back from the Minnesota homeowner.

He would let us into his home early!!!

The movers left our home Friday and we met them at our new home on Monday morning at 7:30 AM!

Our Miracle Home in Minnesota!

Thank you God for answered prayer.

Thank you to our realtor who negotiated on our behalf.

Thank you to those who encouraged and prayed for us!

I’m thankful that I follow a God who provides, day after day, year after year, generation after generation.

If you are going through a tough situation, and wondering if God is with you, read this verse:

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9 NIV

PS – The homeowner really DID have a BAD experience and it’s a MIRACLE he let us in early! Someone had moved into this home a year earlier, requesting a “lease-to-own” deal. After moving in, he didn’t pay rent and did damage to the home and he couldn’t get the renter out. The floors had to be refinished, carpet replaced and walls painted.  What a mess! Somehow, in spite of this, we were allowed in early! Amazing!

Feel free to leave a comment about how you’ve seen God provide for you!

 

August 15, 2018 By
Share Tweet Pin it +1
4 In Family/ Friendship/ Memories/ Minnesota/ Peek into our Week/ Raising boys/ Traveling

Peek into our week(s) in Minnesota * Indiana * Illinois

 

My first couple weeks in Minnesota were uneventful….it was a whole lot of digging out from underneath a mountain of boxes. Moving is a LOT of work, but our house is beginning to feel like home!

We met lots of our new neighbors and couldn’t ask for a better neighborhood.

Saturday

We had dinner at a restaurant on a nearby lake with the ONE family we know in Minnesota! It was so nice to spend time with great friends in our new state.

Sunday

We piled in the car and drove to Indiana.

The kids were so excited to see their cousins, and equally excited to see the kittens that were just born.

Sunday’s drive was long. What was supposed to take eight hours, took ten. The traffic and tolls going through Illinois reminded us why we moved away 3 years ago.

When we finally arrived, my mom had a delicious dinner waiting for us (thank you mom!)!

Clark, Kate and KITTENS!

Monday

Ted worked and I got to spend time with my mom and sister.

Our kids had an amazing day together on the lake where my mom and sister live. Some of my favorite childhood memories were spent on the lake, and I’m glad my kids get to experience this too!

They are so creative when they are together …. they imagined that the paddle boards were their “ships” and spent the day finding treasure on the bottom of the lake. They were convinced that the sticks and rocks they found were extremely valuable and would make them millionaires!

That night, my sister and her husband hosted a dinner at their house and we enjoyed catching up with old friends.

 

Tuesday

George woke up covered in toilet paper and “duct taped” to his bed. Since he is the one that likes to sleep the latest, his cousins and brothers thought it would be hilarious to play a trick on him. He woke up with a sweet note and a struggle to get out of bed.

“Love ya George, with a lot of toilet paper.”

After that shenanigan, the kids walked to grandmas (next door!) for a donut, then spent more time on the lake – swimming, paddle boarding, looking for treasure, and riding the wave runner with Ted.

Donuts at Grandmas

That night, Ted and I got to go out on a double date with my sister (Krista) and her husband (Nate).  We took their boat to dinner – making two stops, the first one was for appetizers and the second was for dinner at one of their favorite restaurants.

Wednesday

We took the kids to a classic rootbeer stand for lunch and my brother-in-law took them tubing.

Rootbeer at Shopoff’s Drive-in

That evening we spent time with my dad’s side of the family – grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.

 

Thursday

Ted’s 40thbirthday

I had been so busy with the move, I hadn’t spent as much time as I needed to planning for Ted’s milestone birthday. However, once I got Nate and Krista involved…they moved mountains to make sure Ted had a memorable day. I’m so grateful for them!

My mom kept our four boys so that Ted, Nate, Krista and I could spend the day and night in Chicago.

My sister (Krista) and brother-in-law (Nate) at Buckingham Fountain in Chicago

 

The view from the condo we stayed in for the night

It was a perfect day! We walked, visited our favorite sights, got Sprinkles cupcakes, then rented bikes to ride along Lake Shore Drive. The day ended with an UH-mazing dinner at the Girl and the Goat. The owner and chef, Stephanie Izard, was the first female winner of Top Chef. Everything she makes is delicious!

 

Friday

We met up with our boys and drove to stay with friends for a couple of days.

My friend Stacey and all of our boys!

We had dinner at one of our favorite restaurants – The Turf Room – then came back to the house to eat some Portillo’s cake and sing Happy Birthday to Ted! We loved spending time with the friends who were able to come and celebrate him.

Dinner at The Turf Room. I’m holding a gift that my friend Lisa made for our new home.

Saturday

In the morning, Ted met up with a book club group that he used to be a part of when we lived in Illinois. The guys just finished reading his book and Ted got to meet them for breakfast, answer questions and hear from them what they learned from his book.

That afternoon, we took the boys to Geneva, IL – a quaint town with beautiful old homes, unique stores and a delicious ice cream shop. Then we went to a new park to play.

A cool OLD tree we found at the park

That night we went on a boat ride with friends. There’s a new music venue along the river, and One Republic was playing that night. We anchored the boat and enjoyed a free concert!

Sunday

We said good-bye to our friends and drove home. We had a fabulous time away. We all agreed that we LOVED our time with family and friends.

We are settling back in to our new home in Minnesota and excited to begin planting roots and building community.

 

 

 

 

 

August 12, 2018 By
Share Tweet Pin it +1
2 In Book Review/ Faith/ Family/ Inspiration

Before you quit, read this!

Do you feel Overwhelmed? Exhausted? Are you ready to quit?

Faith does not look at the FACTS and say “Well, I might as well give up.” Faith looks at circumstances that have “impossible” written all over them and then listens to what heaven is saying. In heaven, you will never hear God say, “You should quit. This is impossible.”

Scripture is clear that faith has nothing to do with what we feel or see. We walk by faith, not by sight. 2 Cor 5:7

If you listen, you will hear God telling you that He is on your side, he is FIGHTING FOR YOU, that with Him you are more than a conqueror!

Determine today, as a person of FAITH, to move your eyes off your situation and open your ears to God’s voice.

When you are in crisis, God is not. When you are in depression, God is not. When you are lost, God is not. When you want to quit, God will not. God has not vanished. Just because you may not understand the path you are traveling doesn’t mean God is not leading you! Choose to trust Him.

.

Choose to believe:

He will comfort you in all your troubles. Ps 23:4

God will meet all your needs (Phil 4:19)

He will turn your darkness into light and make straight your crooked path (Is 30:5)

Joy comes in the morning (Ps 30:5)

God will not forsake you (Ps 9:10)

.

When Marcus Luttrell (Lone Survivor) was training to be Navy seal he noticed that men around him were quitting, giving up and not fulfilling their dream to be a Seal!  These men were STRONG, some stronger than Marcus. Though they had physical strength, they didn’t have the mental strength. When you make up your mind that you are not going to quit, the battle is WON! There comes a time in every marriage, family or situation when it’s easier to quit than endure. Decide now that you WILL NOT QUIT!

.

I am never going to quit loving.

I am never going to quit serving.

I am never going to quit forgiving.

I am never going to quit praying.

I am never going to quit believing.

I am never going to quit being kind.

.

Inspiration came from the book “Love Like You’ve Never Been Hurt” by Jentezen Franklin.

Click here to read “Rediscovering Joy: A Journey of Self-Reflection, Resilience and Faith”

Books are affiliate links.

July 20, 2018 By
Share Tweet Pin it +1
4 In Family/ Finding our place/ House Hunting/ Minnesota/ Moving/ Peek into our Week/ Raising boys

A Peek into our week – Saying Goodbye to Colorado, Hello to Minnesota

Enjoying our final Pikes Peak sunset from our home in Colorado

Last week we said goodbye to Colorado – to our friends, to our home, and to that beautiful chapter of our lives.

Jared and Holly Newman – life long friends

Lots of friends came over to give us one last hug, we went to the Newman family’s house for one last dinner and I went to church one last time to see Kari Jobe and Louie Giglio! (It was so good!)

Early Wednesday morning two kind gentleman showed up at our house and started packing. Somehow, those two guys had my house completely packed and loaded on the moving truck in just 3 days!! (I think it took me 6 weeks to pack when we moved to Colorado)

Our family flew to Minneapolis on Saturday morning. Clark asked if we were in “first class” because the flight attendant offered him a snack and a drink. (He’s only flown one other time – and that was on another airline)

We stayed the weekend in a hotel.

Saturday – lots of swimming!

Sunday – Mall of America!

Before we moved, I told the boys that when we arrived in Minnesota, I’d let them spend $20 each at the Mall. It gave them one more reason to get excited about the move.

Our first stop – the Lego Store!

George was THRILLED to explore this place and had a hard time just picking out ONE thing. $20 doesn’t go very far there, but he found a set that he was excited to build.

Clark chose to buy a remote control car.

Paul wanted new running shoes. (I gave him a little extra since he chose RUNNING SHOES!)

Luke picked a Lightning McQueen toy.

I picked where we ate –  Wahlburgers. (It was great!)

They wanted to ride ALL the rides – but we picked one – The Ferris Wheel! It’s kind of crazy riding a Ferris Wheel inside a MALL!

Monday morning, we met the movers at our house.

There were a few things about this house that made me fall in love with it:

  1. I could tell it was a neighborhood with LOTS of kids – nearly every house has a play set, a trampoline, a soccer net or a basketball hoop.
  2. It has a nice backyard…big enough for FOUR boys to run some of their energy out with a game of tag or soccer.
  3. It has LOTS of trees! Since I’d no longer be able to see Pikes Peak, I wanted something pretty to look at and I do! I love all the trees and water in Minnesota.

Within an hour of pulling up to our home, the boys had already met the neighbor kids on both sides. They played all day. Clark called it the “best day ever” and said he’d be sad if I picked ANY other house in Minnesota.

George agreed and said this is his favorite house we’ve ever lived in.

All the boys have been sleeping SOO good in this house. I haven’t been wakened at all by any child! It may have something to do with the fact that they RUN, JUMP, PLAY, and SWIM all day! (Maybe that’s the title of my new book?!!)

We are grateful for a smooth transition and looking forward to making many happy memories here.

Thanks for your prayers, comments, texts and encouragement through this process!

July 18, 2018 By
Share Tweet Pin it +1
0 In Colorado/ Colorado Springs/ Family/ Memories/ Motherhood/ Peek into our Week/ Raising boys/ Things to do in Colorado

A PEEK into our WEEK: Breckenridge, hiking, time with friends, and racing!

Our Fourth of July

We took some red, white and blue pictures in Colorado Springs, but spent the 4th in Breckenridge! The boys loved the Parade and playing in the huge pile of snow that’s still on Peak 8. Ted and I enjoyed getting one last visit to Breckenridge before our move. We always enjoy the drive there – you never know what wildlife you’ll see. We stopped to watch some Buffalo roam on this trip.

 

Spent time with a childhood friend

Becky, a childhood friend, and two of her kids came to visit from Broomfield, CO. It was so fun having them spend 24 hours with us!

We hiked and explored, cooked together, and enjoyed catching up. We’re both Indiana girls and been friends all of our lives. I’ve enjoyed spending more time with her since we moved to Colorado.

Overdrive Raceway

The #eglyboys have been begging me to take them to Overdrive Raceway! We finally made it there, and they LOVED it! Clark drove as fast as he could – speeding around corners and weaving in and out between other drivers. George was slow and steady; cautiously driving around corners, and leading Paul “safely” around the track.

 

Hiking

We explored the Starsmore Nature Center and hiked in Cheyenne Canyon with friends. There are all kinds of trails you can follow in Cheyenne Canyon. However, Clark remembered one specific hike from a field trip and insisted we follow him. He promised us it would be beautiful! Somehow, he found the right trail, we followed him up a narrow passageway and from the top, we had an incredible 360 degree view of mountains and The Broadmoor! He makes an amazing tour guide for an 8-year-old.

The trail Clark insisted we follow.

 

One of my favorite things to do in Colorado is hiking and exploring with my boys!

 

Admiring the view!

That was our final ‘regular’ week in Colorado.…now we are packing and wrapping things up at home before we head to Minnesota! What did you do this week? Leave me a comment!

July 11, 2018 By
Share Tweet Pin it +1