Thanksgiving and Zoo Lights

This is a combined post... due to lack of good Thanksgiving photos (although we celebrated it TWICE), and not enough time! So, we went to the CSU Alumni Event... Zoo Lights 2009! The kids loved it! So cool.

Warming up after the lights driking hot cocoa.

Ashley posing!

Colton petted a snake and a very tiny little porcupine (I am calling it that because I don't remember the name- but it was a mini porcupine!) He wasn't afraid of either of these live animals, only this stupid poster of a bear. :)

And now the Thanksgiving photos! All I have are of the pinatas at Grandma Sandy's, and the snowman we built at Uncle Glenn's. Oh well- at least you know how we entertained the twins!

Ashley and her Papa Mike. She has this one around her little finger :)

Oh! And this is the last photo- This is me after I ran the Thanksgiving Day Race. It was a 5K, and I decided to race it after not really racing since having the twins. I was so happy I placed 2nd for my age group (I know I am bragging a little, but it's hard to be a mom and any sort of an athlete at the same time- so I was thrilled!). I was hoping that I would win a trip to Mexico or at least a gift certificate to the movies. All I received was a medal- that Colton took. Oh well, inspiration to keep trying to be fit!

Cookies... and snow

So... another big ol' snow for CO this weekend. Only about a foot at our house, though. The snowman pics are actually from the last snow storm, but I hadn't posted them yet and since we seem to spend so many snowy afternoons building them, they're included! I'm sure we'll be out after nap time making another one.

Today we baked Christmas Sugar Cookies... the kids are so much more advanced this year... I can't believe it. They can cut out the cookies, help roll them, and put frosting and sprinkles on. Last time we made them I was lucky to have them successfully cut 1 out! Amazing how fast they change...

"Kota" the snowman. Colton names everything "Kota".


We rolled them... patted them...

And put them in the oven to eat!

Finished product... very tasty :).

Halloween!!!

Phew! What a crazy Halloween this year! It went by so quickly! Ashley was Snow White (a princess, AGAIN). She was originally Cinderella, but that was too "scratchy". I tried fervently to get her to at least be a fairy or something different from the year before- to no avail. Colton was a vampire. We went to a birthday party for the Lytle girls, Emma and Sophie, in the morning, napped, and then were off trick or treating. Ashley really understood that the more houses you hit, the more candy you get, and she sprinted from house to house yelling, "I want to fill it to the top!" Colton would pause and try to eat the candy.

Snow White at the party.

Colton cutting a rug at the party :)

All dressed up and ready to head out!

The kids and I carved pumpkins... they loved pulling out the guts and roasting the seeds.

Scottsdale!

I am putting this 1st... the famous "Midnight Swim". Grandpa convinced the kids to jump into the pool at night time (not all that warm). He called it the midnight swim... but no, it wasn't midnight. More like 730. But, the kids loved it :).

As I am writing this, I am stuck in the house by a blizzard. Hard to believe that we were just in warm weather! We did go to Scottsdale last week with my parents, (Grandma Kathy and Papa Mike), and stayed at their casa. We had a blast... here's a recap:



At Kierland. Colton is off trying to sneak into the squirting waterfalls.


Sunbathing in Grandma's backyard.

Colton and Ashley LOVED the pool. They couldn't believe there was one right in the backyard! We swam at least twice a day!

This is the Scottsdale Train Museum. It is the coolest outdoor place for little kids. We had a blast here. We rode the train, the carousel, but we mostly played at the "Jail".

Colton put me in jail. It was actually a nice, quiet, shaded place. Didn't mind it a bit.

Colton and Daddy in the pool again. Colton would get in and refuse to get out. Thank goodness Daddy didn't mind getting all pruny and staying in FOREVER.

Dinner the 1st night at the fire pit. The kids were amazed at a giant cactus that had wood pecker holes in it. Colton couldn't stop talking about the birds that lived in the cactus.

poolman

Princess Ashley dancing on the back patio... she was more my speed. Swim a little bit, sunbathe a litte bit.

The boys in the pool again.

Grandma Kathy and Noodle.

That's it. Mostly pool pics.... that mostly how we spent our time in the sweet Arizona sunshine. Boy, we are missing it today. I took the kids out to play while I shoveled, and Colton got lost and stuck in a drift. He was cold and wet and that was the end of that. What the heck?!

Pumkpin Festival

We went to the Denver Botanic Gardens Pumpkin Festival this year. I have to say, I am a little disappointed. It was a HUGE wait to get in... a long walk... and not many good pumpkins! But, the kids enjoyed getting outside and looking at the huge patch. We were obsessed with the smashed ones!We finally found one!And another.

Colton trying to lift his... not quite big enough.

Smashed one!The weigh in... And... done! We packed up our pumpkins and hiked back to the car. At least it wore them out!

C O L D

Oh... the weather outside is frightful,
and the twins are so delightful
since we are stuck inside..
we better hide, seek and hide.

It doesn't show signs of stopping
And Ashley kept a hopping,
She finally slept way down low...
let it snow let it snow let it snow.

Actually, no. No more snow. No more cold. ENOUGH! It is very hard to entertain 2 little people inside all day. No riding bikes, no sand castles, no go outside and blow bubbles... yuck. Because of this, Ashley has tried fervently to avoid her nap, so I have been letting her do "Quiet play time". But, many times I find her crashed in the middle of her toys like so. This inside play just doesn't wear us out properly! We finally broke down and went to Michael's ( a mom's savior) and bought some crafts. We made a spooky gingerbread house (below), made beaded necklaces, glued glitter, and went to lunch. AND IT IS ONLY JUST NAPTIME! Hopefully it will be warmer next weekend so we can go to the pumpkin patch. I am running out of ideas! Guess we'll make sugar cookies after nap time... that should waste some time!

Notice the frosting glob without a candy. Colton ate that right off that little stinker! He mostly sampled the candy and Ashley stuck it all on. Not too shabby for a couple of 3 year olds.

That's all. Hope everyone in CO is staying warm... this weather is making me so excited for the holidays!