DU Homecoming

An afternoon at the family event at DU Homecoming with a girlfriend. Time to catch with a friend and time for the boys to have some fun.

October Birthdays

Yes, I am the parent that takes advantage of any day my kids don't have school - even if this means missing parent-teacher conferences (to be fair, we did meet with D-man's math teacher). But, off we went for a 3-day weekend in Nebraska to celebrate my parents' October birthdays. Not only did the boys have a great time with their cousins, the adults had a kidless evening - limo ride, a wonderful dinner, and time with family. The kids (and I) experienced a ride on a combine for the first time and sliding down a hill of corn. Quite the treat. It was a great weekend of memories for both kids and adults.

Halloween!

Back from California just in time for Halloween trick or treating. D-man is off with his friend and while I'm happy for him, I'm a bit sad that T-man is "stuck" with Mom and Dad. We did manage to go to a few houses with both boys, but it is times like these that you realize how quickly they grow up. And you are also reminded that we have no "neighborhood"......... But the boys look great and are excited and happy to be home. THAT warms my heart and is really what matters. Sent from my BlackBerry. Please forgive any typos.

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Mickey!

Ten and a half hours at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure and no tears. A great day of memories.

Hello Disneyland!

Goodbye snowy Colorado!

Universal Studio

Traveling for work isn't so bad......

Happy Birthday Mom

Today is my mother's birthday. I'm one lucky woman. I have a great Mom and have so much to thank her for. She's taught me so many things.....

1. Always carry a cork screw in your purse. You never know when you will need it.
2. An up-to-date calendar is crucial for a busy family.
3. When it comes to sorting, it always gets worse before it gets better.
4. Eating dinner as a family is important. Meals are a time to connect and share with the most important people in your life.
5. Traveling is crucial to understanding the world around you. There is so much out there to see.
6. It is ok to drink adult beverages out of a coffee mug for happy hour if necessary.
7. Music makes a happy home, even if it is only a tambourine, recorder, or electronic drum set.
   
8. Friday night it take out night. You've worked hard all week, treat yourself to dinner once a week. 
9. You can be a wonderful mother and work a full time job.
10. Take time to enjoy a beautiful sunset in the west or the full moon rising in the east. They are even more spectacular when viewed over water.

Happy birthday Mom. I work every day to give my children the wonderful, loving environment I had as a child. Thank you for building such a strong foundation for me to build upon. I love you. 

Centerpieces

For a few months, we have been doing "Pits and Cherries" during dinner. It has really helped our dinner conversations and dinnertime is definitely a highlight of my day (a standing cherry).  I'm currently reading a book, The family dinner: great ways to connect with your kids, one meal at a time to help us connect even more with the kids during dinner. The books provides several reasons why the family meal is so important. From battling childhood obesity to better conversationalists and children less likely to use drugs, sitting down to share a meal is valuable on so many levels.
A couple of weeks ago, we started implementing "centerpieces." Each night, a family member gets to choose a centerpiece for the table. It can be anything, but must fit in the center of the table and have room for our plates on the table. The boys feel special when it is their turn and we are starting to work meal preparation and setting the table into the routine. With our busy lives, mealtime is definitely a staple in our daily routine and something I look forward to every night. I hope the boys feel the same way as well.

Marshall Family Visit

A couple of weekends ago, our adorable nephew came to visit us. His parents, my sister Jacki and her husband Sean, also made the trip to attend a wedding in Winter Park. This meant the Peavy family got to have an extra member for 24 hours. It was great fun to have a little guy around and the boys LOVED to play with him. When it was time for bed, our youngest piped in, "He doesn't want to go to bed, he wants to play with me."   The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed time on the patio, happy hour and take out Friday (a PV family tradition inherited from the Karlen family), a trip to Cherry Creek State Park, and getting to spend some time with the Marshall family. Of course, the time was too short, but it was great fun while it lasted. Thanks for fitting us into your weekend Marshall family!

I'm Five?

Today we woke up to snow here in Denver. While going from 80's on Monday to snow on Saturday is not unusual here in Colorado, we were expecting to wake up to rain, not snow.  When D-man woke up, he was hovering outside our bedroom door. He wanted to tell us that it had snowed. When T-man woke up this morning, we called him into our room to have him look at the window. The first thing out of his mouth, "I'm five?"

Because time is such a difficult concept for kids, we have been telling T-man that his birthday is when it snows. So, this morning, there was such awe in his voice when he saw the snow and said, "I'm five?" Fortunately for us, he was not upset when we told him it was 60 more days until his birthday.  He just said, "I thought I was five." Marshall and I just smiled at each other and will bottle up this memory so we can recall the innocence of our sweet, little guy.