Gold Medalist

With our two older boys, Luke is more the runner, and Reid is more the climber. Both are equally important skills to get you out of a pickle if being chased by a monster ... or Darth Vader ... or any other rapidly approaching Bad Guy. From a young age, we've noticed that Reid has some big-time upper body strength (for a little guy) and really loves to swing, hang, and climb. When we started him in gymnastics in the fall, our hope was that it would be a good outlet for his 4-year-old energy. But in his gymnastics class, we've found so much more ... confidence, discipline, patience, and courage. The gymnastics year wrapped up today, but not without a little fanfare. Introducing our Gold Medalist!

Coach Steve helps Reid on the high bar.

The Medal Ceremony

Way to go, Reid!

We are so very proud of you!

Chatterbox

Someone certainly has a lot to say these days ... and we love our little chatterbox!

Look ... Up in the Sky!

Reason #347 why we love living in Colorado Springs ... the Thunderbirds air show at the United States Air Force Academy graduation! We had some cloudy/rainy weather in the days preceding, but it cleared up just enough to enjoy the annual company BBQ at Scott's work which has front row seats for the airshow. They are located directly across from the Academy. Once again, the Thunderbirds wowed and impressed the onlookers. Always amazing to watch!

Thunderbirds + Snowy Pikes Peak

A little blue sky peeking through!

Sweet Father/Son Moment

Jets are LOUD!

Mama & Baby G

Photographing the Boys

Sometimes we try to get the boys together to take a photo. We have these grand hopes of all three boys looking straight at the camera, smiling, hair nicely combed, no food on their faces. WHO ARE WE KIDDING?!! So we take photo after photo ... still clinging to the hope that maybe, just maybe, for one fleeting second they will all at least look straight ahead and not make a funny face. And then the baby starts to fuss ... and one brother starts to whine ... and the other brother says, "Are we done YET?" We settle for this. A snapshot of our lives which so aptly frames the state of our household. Just. Plain. Funny.

It is next to impossible to get a 4-month-old to smile at the same time as everyone else, so sometimes you have to opt for the photo with the smiling baby even if it means his brothers have something goofy going on. It is also impossible to get a 4-year-old to smile -- at anything -- because he doesn't really like to get his picture taken. But every once in a blue moon, he'll agree ... but only if he can keep the Spiderman bandaids on his forehead. [Please note there is no medical necessity for these bandaids ... other than "Look, Mommy, I used the bandaids to make an X on my head. Isn't that cool?"] And then the oldest and wisest of the three who has had 7 years of extensive training in the art of "look-at-the-camera-and-smile" would rather work on the art of "wriggling-eyebrows-and-nose."

So while this may not have been the photo opp we'd hoped for, it certainly captures the expressions that we love ... our funny little boys.

1, 2, 3 Times the Fun

We have some friends (from our Arizona days) who have triplets. Actually, triplet boys!! And they were born within a few days of Grant. We had the wonderful opportunity to meet up with our dear friend Shauna and the adorable boys while they are in Denver visiting family.

Grant worked his way into the triplet line-up

with Bradley, Ben & Justin. Oh, and 4 babies lined up

on a blanket like this wiggle a lot, waving arms

and legs all around. Their constant motion is too cute!

The Girls & Grant

Mmmmmmm...

Turning 4 months old means enjoying some of the finer privileges in life. Like fine dining. On rice cereal. At his 4 month well-check, Grant received the green light to start rice cereal, and the first meal turned out to be a pretty good one for our little guy.

"C'mon, Grant. Take a bite..."

"Mom, what are you feeding me??"

"Hey, this is A-OK."

Dad's on duty now.

When eating your first big meal,

it is important to wear as much as possible.

Behold this newfangled gadget they use to feed me.

Grant's 4 Month Stats...

Height: 26 3/4 inches (95th percentile)

Weight: 14 pounds 4 ounces (50th percentile)

Sunday Runday

One of the key fundraisers for our Junior League is a 4-mile race open to runners, walkers, and strollers. It's a trail run along Monument Valley Park downtown and features a flat course (a welcome change from our super hilly neighborhood). We loaded up the crew on Sunday morning and enjoyed a family morning out at the race. Jami ran & pushed Grant in the stroller (who slept much of the race and smiled the rest). Our mother-son duo also won an award for "first female to finish pushing a stroller!" The prize ... a goodie bag from the organic baby food company Happy Baby, complete with samples & coupons just in time for our little guy who will be sampling more flavors in the coming months. The Cupcake Truck even stopped by the event, so we enjoyed a sweet post-race treat!

Run, Mom, Run!

(Reid is just being silly here ...

sometimes you ask for a smile

and you get an extreme frown instead!)

But Mom wasn't the only one running that day. The boys had a race on the track, too. Here's a fun little video. Check out Luke (wearing a green striped shirt) flying down the track ... he won 1st place! At the very end, you will see Reid running in a grey hoodie and navy pants, too. Way to go boys! Such a fun day of family fitness.

Lego Mania

To say the boys like legos is a huge understatement. Each day they carve out a little bit of time to build some new spaceship ... or flying aircraft ... or car with monster wheels. A mall in South Denver recently opened a new Lego store, so we took a little field trip to visit on opening day. The boys were in heaven!

The boys followed a pattern to make a brick

which would later be used to build an

8 ft. tall Yoda out of Legos.

The boys, their bricks, and

the base of Yoda.

On the table is a mini replica of the BIG

Yoda to be built by the Lego Master Builder

(sporting the yellow shirt in the background).

The Boys

Cake Pops 2.0

Our first cake pops were so much fun that we decided to make Version 2.0. Our monthly Supper Club gathered for a belated Cinco de Mayo fiesta complete with quesadillas, beef barbacoa tacos, spicy chorizo rice, black bean & corn salad, and a chicken tortilla tort. We were assigned the dessert for this month so we whipped up some chili pepper shaped cake pops! The cake itself was chocolate (with cinnamon & cayenne pepper for some zip) mixed with cinnamon mascarpone icing. Olé!

Fly Like a Bird

Tummy Time

Oh, the stage of having a 3 month old is just TOO.MUCH.FUN! Although he may be little, Grant's personality is shining through, and he has us laughing often. He rolled over for the first time from back to tummy on May 3, and he's "chattering" up a storm these days. When he gets excited, he flaps his arms and legs so quickly that he looks like he could take flight. Check out this video of our little bird:

From the Mouths of Babes...

An observation by Luke:

"Grant is just kind of like a big doll."

A question by Reid one day after finding himself in trouble:

"How about if I be mostly good and just a little bit bad?"

Weekend for Mom

This Mother's Day extended into one fabulously full Weekend for Mom with family activities and time spent outdoors including...

Trail running with mom friends on a gorgeous Colorado morning. Sipping tea after the run on the patio of our local teahouse. Cheering on Luke at his flag football game. Taking the boys to our Junior League Touch-a-Truck event so they could climb on big vehicles like a garbage truck, SWAT truck, and zamboni. Picking out a new pair of running shoes. Grilling & chilling on the patio. Planting a wildflower garden. Cuddling with the boys. And that was just Saturday...

On Sunday ... Waking up to lovely Mother's Day gifts from the boys. Brunching at Monument Hill Country Club. Working in the yard & soaking up the sun. Napping on the couch with a sweet baby. Playing hoops. Closing out the weekend with a sunset run. This mama is blessed in so many ways and grateful for this amazing life we enjoy together each day.

Boys at Brunch

The other side of the table at brunch!

"I wanna hold your hand..."

Now that he's working on his reach-and-grab

skills, Grant loves his frog toy on his seat.

This Mother's Day gift was quite the surprise!

Scott combined a collection of photos from the past year

to make a mosaic of tiny photos merged together

to create this photo of all 3 boys. It is a perfect

compilation of many wonderful motherhood moments!

A little afternoon pick-up game.

Quiet peaceful moments spent

with a sleeping boy.

Swing into Spring

Hello, Spring. It's nice to see you finally. Thanks for bringing some warm weather, sunny skies, and less wind this week.

Fresh Air + Baby Swing = Happy Camper

Mama & the Little Man

A swing for one. A swing for all.

Silly Fellas

The boys always keep us laughing. Here are a few fun photos...

Reid likes to think he can sit

in some of Grant's toys. Exhibit A.

Great place to lounge and enjoy a snack!

Pint-sized pile-up.

G likes the Johnny Jumper.

He's not really jumping a lot yet,

but he does enjoy just standing up.

Exhibit B ... and yes, once again,

lounging and enjoying another snack.

What a nut!

Cake Pops

Move over, cupcakes. Mama has a new favorite treat to make ... cake pops! Perhaps you've seen them in Starbucks. They look like a lollipop but are actually made of cake. After a friend posted a tutorial on her oh-so-clever blog, Jami decided to try her hand at making apple-shaped cake pops for Teacher Appreciation Week gifts. Not only were these fun to whip up, but the teachers loved them! Hmmmm ... wonder what other occasions in our near future might need cake pops?!

The cake pops early on (mixture of

chocolate cake + chocolate frosting all

rolled up with pretzel sticks for the apple stems).

At this point, these went in the freezer to chill.

Tah-dah! The finished apples.

After 45 minutes in the freezer,

they were then dipped in red candy melt

and green fondant leaves were attached.

We packaged up this bunch of apples

and sent them in for the 1st grade teachers.

Thanks to The Busy Bird blog

for this creative idea!

Lights, Camera, Action

There's nothing like a great performance at the theater ... especially when some talented 7-year-olds are involved! Luke's class has been rehearsing over the past few months for a special 1st grade musical with a story that follows a fable about a coyote. Luke landed a role as a narrator and did a spectacular job! He was calm and confident on the stage and read his part very well. We are so proud of you, Luke!

Easter

Easter brought many early morning smiles, Mass at St. Peter, and brunch with friends.

Early Morning Easter Treats

Ready, set, SEARCH!

The little ones are on the hunt for eggs

before our brunch with friends.

Speed and agility work in Luke's favor!

The neighborhood bunch

with their baskets!

Family Ties

3 boys. Wearing ties. Oh-so-handsome. Happy Easter!

I smile. You smile. We all smile for NECKTIES!

Grant looks mildly concerned

that his big brothers are

up to something...

Silly boys!

Okay. That's it. I'm done.

Funny Lullaby

Babies with chubby cheeks are cute. So are big brothers who like to make up songs. Have a listen...

Ol' Blue Eyes

One. Two. THREE MONTHS!

3 months. Wow. Our little Grant is growing and changing so much. Between months 2 and 3, he's been showing us more and more of his adorable little personality. Here are a few of our favorite highlights:

• He's started sleeping through the night rather consistently. Some mornings, he's even the last to wake up. And goodbye days of swaddling. He likes sleeping with his arms up over his head, snoring away.
• He may not have liked the pacifier, but he certainly likes his thumb. (Maybe this is why he's sleeping so well at night ... the thumb is easier to use in the middle of the night than a misplaced pacifier!)
• Happy, happy and ... HAPPY! He wakes up so happy. He is full of smiles and is overall just such a content little guy.
• Grant loves to "stand" up (while holding someone's hands). He gets the biggest grin and loves checking out the upright scene!

Wearing a tie is serious business.