Luke & Lego Indiana Jones

Once upon a time, there was a little boy named Luke who turned 6.

His one wish was to have a Lego Indiana Jones birthday party.

What kind of cake to serve at a Lego Indiana Jones soiree?

Why ... dirt cupcakes in camo papers, of course!

Luke was so excited for his birthday adventure!

We even had a special guest appearance by

Indiana Jones himself! He read a story to the

children to kick off the party.

After the story, the children went on a hunt for clues

to find the treasure! First stop (here) the mummy gallery.

They also searched for clues in the snake pit,

gooey food containers, and ended up ...

... finding the treasure chest at the end,

complete with goody bags for the kids!

Happy 6th Birthday, Luke!

The birthday girl who curls.

We have been known to sidestep the traditional gift-giving and go for more of the "gift of experience" from time to time. Ballroom dance lessons. Indoor skydiving. A cooking class. Flying lessons. Some are practical. Some are fun. And others are just funny. Jami's 33rd birthday gift was exactly that.

On the morning of Jami's birthday, Scott asked, "What is one Olympic sport you've always wanted to try?" Although the original guess of the luge was not correct (hey, wouldn't that be a kick!) Scott revealed a fun surprise gift he had arranged for Jami's birthday. CURLING! Yes, that Winter Olympics sport that resembles shuffleboard on ice. We have always joked that perhaps someday that would be our ticket to the Winter Olympics. After all, it doesn't look that difficult. Oh, how wrong we were!

A little history about curling... It originated in the 1500s in Scotland when people would hurl flat river stones on the ice. Today, it is quite common in Canada and is known to be a very social (and courteous) sport.

On Friday evening, we headed over to our local ice rink for our "Learn to Curl" class. Members of the Broadmoor Curling Club (who knew we had a local curling club?!) taught our class, which had about 25 newbies to curling. After about an hour of instruction, they turned us loose on the ice to practice our skills and then actually play the game! Let's just say the game involved a lot of falling, sliding, laughing, learning, and sweeping. Check out these action shots...

Sweeping is key to heating up the ice

so that the stone will slide better.

Scott (left) works his sweeping magic.

Jami's turn to sweep. This is actually harder than it looks

to stay in front of the stone. You also can't touch the stone.

So many rules!

Scott demonstrates his fine curling technique.

Someone is serious business about curling!

Ha! Not really ... just trying to keep balance and not fall down!

The Curling Couple!

You say it's your birthday...

It's my birthday too--yeah. They say it's your birthday. We're gonna have a good time!

In our family, most birthdays fall in one of two months ... January or October. We love being able to celebrate together as a family! We paid tribute to the January birthdays of Papa, Jami & Luke with a night out to our favorite Mexican restaurant Salsa Brava. Cheers to a good time ... and good food!

Ski Keystone!

One of the best parts about Colorado is the availability of weekend getaway destinations just a few hours away! This weekend Jami and some friends took a trek to the mountains of Keystone for a Girls' Weekend Ski Trip! Friday was dedicated to some outlet mall shopping and dinner out in Keystone Village. We spent Saturday on the slopes all day and then visited a pub at the base of the mountain to hear a local band play that evening. On Sunday, we packed up all our gear and took the scenic way home, stopping for a bit in Breckenridge along the way. What a fun weekend!

The Girls :: Beth, Kristin, Kat, Jami & Trish

Waiting for the shuttle bus to take us to the slopes!

View from the top!

In the distance on the left ... the wavy lines are

the ski runs at Breckenridge.

Waiting in the lift line. The weather was gorgeous!

Pucks & the Park

The letter of the weekend ... letter P.

:: Pucks ::

Let's hear it for Air Force Hockey!

We joined our friends the Masseys for an evening

out cheering on the Air Force Hockey team.

With seats right down near the ice, the boys loved

the action and excitement ... and even caught a puck!

:: Park ::

Our Colorado weather has been gorgeous lately,

so we took advantage of our blue skies and warmer

temps for a "winter picnic in the park." We all

enjoyed the fresh air!

Luke is ready to try out for the "snow soccer" team!

Trip to Pueblo!

First trip of 2010 ... a short road trip to Pueblo to visit a friend and tour the city! Our Phoenix friend Shauna was in Pueblo for a visit, so we hopped down to visit with her, too! We lunched at the delish Italian restaurant Rosario's, walked along the Pueblo Riverwalk, and looked around the downtown area. Such a great day!

The girls by the Riverwalk -- Jami, Shauna, and Crystal!

The boys & a dark blue sky! Right before we departed,

a storm started to roll in. We drove through this crazy mix

of sleet, snow, and hail on the way home.

Ode to Christmas Break

This Christmas vacation was certainly one to be remembered. Perhaps it's because we now have a school-aged child (the big kindergartener!) so we're more in tune once again with the concept of a "Christmas break." Or maybe it's because we stayed in Colorado and enjoyed all the beauty of this season. Perhaps it's because the events of this year have really given us cause to stop and think about what truly is important in life and how we spend our days. Regardless our Christmas break was filled with some wonderful memories (some old, some new), many laughs, and moments that we will treasure for years to come. Here's how we spent our 19 days with the boys off school and 11 days with Dear Ol' Dad at home.

Redefined the art of relaxing ... slept in some mornings and took a few naps along the way.

Rediscovered how early anxious children can arise in the morning, especially on certain ho-ho-holidays and when on ski trips.

Worked hard on house projects like touch-up painting and furniture rearranging.

Worked out with trips to the YMCA, a New Year's Day 5K run, and soccer games.

Played games, like the Lego Indiana Jones video game and sight word bingo.

Played around in the mountains on a "staycation" to Loveland Ski Area.

Enjoyed several get-togethers with our neighbors.

Visited the neighboring town of Pueblo to catch up with a friend.

Tried a new sport -- snowshoeing for Jami, skiing for Luke & Reid.

Sported tiaras and top hats at our New Year's Eve festivities.

Celebrated the engagement of Scott's brother Eric and his fiancee Charity.

Celebrated the birth of Gracyn, our new niece and cousin.

This Christmas break was a wonderful mix of spending time with family and friends (the family we choose for ourselves) ... honoring traditions and trying new things ... and enjoying little moments and major milestones. What a wonderful end to 2009 and a fantastic start to 2010!