Mr. Messy

Eating nicely is overrated.

I would rather make a big mess and wear it!

The Brothers

Adventures with Papa

Papa & the older boys ventured off to Monument Lake again this morning. They couldn't wait to go out in the canoe again! This time Papa brought his fishing pole, and Luke caught a fish! No big whopper stories here though ... a little fish perfect for a little boy.

Luke was so excited and reported,

"Don't worry, Mom. He's not that slimy!"

There are many reasons why we are blessed to have Papa live so close to us, and days like today are a perfect example. These adventures with Papa are moments the boys will remember for years to come.

Celebrating Father's Day

What better way to celebrate Father's Day than with a cookout at Fox Run Park with Dad and Papa! We scouted out the last picnic-table-with-grill-spot in the park and settled in for a fun afternoon with brats, deviled eggs, chips, watermelon, and fresh peach pie for dessert. The boys enjoyed exploring in the trees near our picnic spot and playing some catch.

Boys on the Blanket

"I love to be outside in the fresh air!"

Quite the pair!

Time for some football!

Scott and the ever-so-smiley Grant!

Father's Day got a little emotional for some...

Low Country Boil

Table for 10 on the patio, please!

Gather up some shrimp, andouille sausage, corn on the cob, potatoes, carrots & onions. Throw them in a big ol' pot of water with some salt and Old Bay seasoning. Boil that up. Drain the water. Dump on the table covered in newspaper. Dig in!

And so goes the menu for our latest Supper Club gathering. Tonight we hosted 4 other couples for our monthly Supper Club, and we tried a rather out-of-the-box idea (especially for a couple with roots from the Midwest.) We had heard about a Shrimp Boil ... or as friends on the coast may call it ... a Low Country Boil. With warm weather upon us and the patio ready for guests, we dined al fresco and loved our latest culinary experience of the Low Country Boil. In addition to the main course, we also sipped a signature drink for the evening -- Ruby Mint Spritzers -- and noshed on some crab-inspired appetizers and desserts including a mixed berry cobbler and pecan pie bar cookies.

Adding the final ingredient ... the shrimp!

Time to eat! Dumping dinner on the table...

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Our favorite summer sport is back ... BASEBALL! Scott is coaching Luke's team again, and they are off to a great start. At today's game, they had some great hits and good fielding. Looking forward to cheering the team on this summer!

Do You Canoe?

WE DO! Papa has a new canoe. Who better to try it out than his grandsons! Today we ventured out to nearby Monument Lake for the canoe's first trip on the open waters.

Lifejackets, check.

Oars, check.

Quick safety course about canoe rules, check.

2 little boys who were VERY excited to go out with Papa in his canoe, check.

In all, we spent close to 2 hours paddling around the lake. When it looked like the rain was setting in and we decided to pack up, Luke and Reid were very disappointed to wrap up their adventures. Our outdoorsy boys could have stayed at the lake all day! Perhaps canoe trips with Papa might become a weekly outing this summer...

Pushing away from the shore.

Headed out to the middle of the lake...

Canoe paddles make great lightsabers.

"...But I don't want to get out of the canoe.

I'm having too much fun."

Coat of Paint

It's amazing what a coat of paint can do for a wall. Since we moved into our house nearly 3 years ago, we've had one mauve accent wall that we didn't particularly like. Wasn't the best. Wasn't the worst. Just not necessarily our style. Eventually, we'd like to remodel the kitchen, but we're not at the best time in our life to be taking on a major renovation like that. So in the mean time, we'll settle with a new coat of paint! Changing the paint from mauve to chocolate brown was an easy done-in-a-day project that made a huge difference for sprucing up our main level. A huge thanks to Scott (and handy assistants Luke and Reid) for a job well done!

{BEFORE}

{AFTER}

Have a Seat

Look who's sitting up! Today Grant marked another milestone off the list. He can sit up on his own for about 20-30 seconds at a time. Way to go, big guy!

Mr. Sitter

Flash Mob

We all have items on our Life List (or Bucket List) that we dream of accomplishing. Perhaps it's skydiving. Or taking a trip to some faraway land. For others, it's dancing in a flash mob (well, for Jami, at least!) And wouldn't you know, the whole family got involved with the dancing! We attended several practices and learned the routine through a video posted on YouTube. After about 2 weeks, we were ready to perform!

Tonight we headed out to the SkySox Stadium (our local minor league baseball team), where we performed the flash mob up in the stands before the first pitch. Mom danced. Luke danced, too. Dad danced while holding Grant, and Reid watched it all unfold. The routine helped to raise awareness for one of AspenPointe's military support programs ... and more than anything ... it was FUN!

Here's a clip of the flash mob video. (The dancing actually starts about 1 min. into the video. We are way in the back so you can't see us, but we're grooving away back there!) A huge kudos to Jami's friend Julia who organized this event!

The Guys at the Game

Waving our flags proudly

Laughter is Contagious

The Crew

So many of our summer evenings ... we spend outside. Playing basketball. Riding bikes and scooters. Going for walks. Eating popsicles. Laughing. Watching the sun set behind the mountains. Our family is happiest just kicking back and relaxing outside. And here we are ... doing just that ... on a random evening. The expressions are priceless of our silly crew!

Four Months

Just some fun photos of Mr. Grant at 4 months...

Kickin' back on the couch.

It's cool to drool.

Pushing up & checking out the world

Gala

Tonight we celebrated with Junior League friends at our End-of-the-Year Gala at the Garden of the Gods Club. What a grand finale to a great year! For the past year, Jami has enjoyed serving on the Board of Directors as the VP Community Outreach and working with the committees for Public Relations/Communications, Kids in the Kitchen, Advisory Future Planning, and Community Service Corps. Volunteering with the Junior League has been such a great opportunity to become better acquainted with our community, as well as meet some amazing friends along the way. Looking forward to another great year ahead!

Supper Club Friends

Each month we gather together

for Supper Club with some Junior League

wives and their engineer husbands!

Fun with the Fam

Nothing beats spending a few days with family! The Goffs came out to Colorado Springs for several days, which we filled with adventures of the cousins playing together, time outdoors in our Colorado sunshine, and even some shopping.

Cruisin' with the cousins.

Pool Party!

Dalton, Reid, Luke & Gracyn in the pool.

Dalton decided to pick on his little sister

by squirting her with the hose...

but she's a tough little girl and

it didn't seem to phase her too much!

Funny kiddos!

The Cousins

Gracyn loved swinging in our backyard.

The Sisters & Their Lil' Ones

Papa & Grant

Summer, Summer, Summertime!

We are looking upon this summer with some great anticipation. Our three little guys. Great Colorado weather. Baseball. BBQs. Trampoline time. Riding bikes. It's such a fun season to get out and explore, and we're looking forward to enjoying every moment.

Mom School is making a return this summer! Week 1 was SHARKS! We transformed our driveway into an ocean with sidewalk chalk sea creatures galore (and a great scuba guy that Luke drew!) We watched some shark shows and read some shark books. It was a simple and easy week to start off the summer. Week 2 is Vacation Bible School week, so we're taking a little more spiritual turn with Mom School as the older boys are in VBS every morning. Week 3 ... MAGIC! Oh, let the fun begin!

Mama & the Boys of Summer

Aren't these two just a pair!

Grant is really starting to push up now.