5 Trips Around the Sun

I really enjoy the birthday celebration at our Montessori school. The birthday child puts the months of the year down on the floor with their birth month in front of the parents. The candle in the middle of the room represents the sun and the child walking around the "sun" with the globe, signifying the number of times the earth has gone around the sun. Today, T-man got to walk around the "sun" five times as I talked about his life during those 5 years. It was great to be there to celebrate with him, and reflect on what joy T-man has brought to our lives over the last 5 years. I loved that he picked me first to sit at the table with him as I know those days won't be around forever.
After picking up D-man, the boys enjoyed playing with all the new birthday gifts and Skyping with all the Karlen family members. We then headed out to Red Robin for a family birthday celebration. We all ate too much, shared our pits and cherries, and celebrated T-man and the special boy he is.
We came home and opened the family presents and talked with the Peavy side of the family. It was a a great day. Two things I loved about T-man today: 1) whenever you said "Happy Birthday" he said, "thank you." 2) Comforting his older brother on the car ride home  (who was complaining about needing to go to the bathroom) that we were almost home. He really is growing up.

    

The Best Party Ever

  

The best party ever - at least according to the guest of honor (which is all that matters). While hectic,T-man's 5th bowling party was a success. We had 13 kids bowling on 4 lanes with only one ramp. While that was a problem in the beginning, the kids soon got the hang of bowling without the ramp and had a great time. T-man enjoyed bowling, decorating the cake, signing his bowling pin, and being with his friends. It was so fun to watch the birthday boy enjoy his special party. And, I couldn't help think that when I tucked him in on Sunday night, it would be the last day I tuck in a four year old. What a big, big boy we now have.

Happy Birthday! from Julia Peavy on Vimeo.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

While the holiday decorations have been up since Thanksgiving, we are really starting to get into the holiday spirit here at the Peavy household. We always have Christmas music on and I love that D-man knows many of the songs and sings all the songs completely off key. Today we baked cookies and watched "Santa Claus is Coming to Town."  It really is the most wonderful time of the year and yet so hard for so many.

As we donate money to the food bank, adopt a child to make sure they have a Christmas, donate coats and gloves to the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless in partnership with D-man's school, and donate toys to Wee Cycle through T-man's school, it really makes you realize how fortunate we truly are. We've been using these opportunities to teach the boys about giving and being thankful for all that we have. I know that I am.

Note: the Navity scene has been specifically decorate by D-man. When I spread the set out a bit, he asked me if I had moved it and promptly moved everything back.

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12 Days of Christmas

Ok, well it might not be the 12 days of Christmas, but we kicked off several days of celebrations last night with Zoo Lights. Today (day 2), we headed out to Toy Story on Ice down at the Pepsi Center. We had a coupon (big shock) and the boys really enjoyed the show. T-man was really engaged and D-man was impressed with all the special effects. I, of course, loved the music, and Marshall was happy we all enjoyed the show together. Before we left, the boys got to check out some Nugget and Avalanche gear (bonus!). Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Peavy for the tickets!

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Zoo Lights 2011

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Our annual trip to Zoo Lights at the Denver Zoo was tonight.  I took the afternoon off and then did all the running to get the boys. We were able to take in some lights with friends and because it was so cold, there weren't very many people. Bonus all around. Boys really had a great time checking out all the lights and the animals (the lizards and snakes were a big hit). Yup, I've got a household of testosterone. 

Free Ski Pass

T-man got his ski pass today. The good news: as long as you get the pass BEFORE you turn 5, it is free for the entire season. The bad news: we only had 9 days to get it and it also meant a quick trip to the mountains for T-man and Marshall. Even better news: that traffic was not bad and they even got to ride the gondola to the top of the mountain and back. If you gotta pass, you might as well use it. Can't wait to get both boys on the mountain this winter (and try out my new ski equipment as well).

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It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Making the Most of My Commute

My Black Saturday Deal

My son, mother-in-law, and I braved the shopping crowds on Saturday to get a new pre-lit Christmas tree for the season (ok, we only went to the Michael's at the strip mall down the street, but we did have to stand in line for a few minutes). We had a great time decorating it on Sunday and putting gifts under the tree so we could celebrate Christmas with Marshall's family. And, on days like today when I work from home, I get to enjoy my Black Saturday deal.

Trophy Wife

Do you think Marshall had any idea he married a trophy wife? Just having some fun going through old boxes. At least the kids are impressed by all the trophies.

Happy Thanksgiving

from all the turkeys in the Peavy household. My son is thankful for......
Our house. His friends. His teachers. His family. To be alive. I couldn't have said it better myself. May you find this day reflecting on all the things you are thankful for. We are thankful for much today.

Four Mile Historic Park Field Trip

Five different historic stations. Four cornbreads made. Three hours with 80 second graders. Two bus rides chatting away. One special morning with my guy.

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A Blustery Buff Birthday Bash

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Ok, well I don't know that any birthday celebration with an almost 5 and almost 8 year old can be considered a bash, but we did have a great day. As a present to Marshall, I actually bought the Buff shirts for the boys (it is a bit easier when we aren't in the same conference and the Buffs are so bad) to wear to the game. 

Before heading to the stadium, we ducked out of the wind a bit and grabbed a bloody mary. We also were able to catch the Nebraska 2nd quarter TD while enjoying our wind break. We then headed to the stadium and were able to get down on the field, watch the Buffs practice a bit, and get pictures with Ralphie. The boys really enjoyed being down on the field and taking in all the pre-game (the band, the National Anthem, and Ralphie running around the field).

Besides the wind, we had a great time. The Buffs won, there was a lot of scoring (always good when kids are with you), and a break for halftime outside the stadium with friends.

The celebration continued on Saturday night for Marshall and me. We headed out for a drink and some appetizers and watched some football. On Sunday, we had a nice family breakfast and watched the WSU Cougars (taped) beat ASU. After 3 hours of shopping with the boys for Marshall's birthday in the afternoon, we celebrated with cake, presents, and chili. 

It was great weekend celebrating a great husband and father.

The Lion King

Today was the day. After months of waiting, the day to go to the Lion King was here. Of course, I think I was much more excited than Drake, but I do think it was a special day for him. We started off with brunch downtown at Panzano's with my girlfriend Takane and her daughter, niece, and nephew. It just happened that we had both purchased tickets for the same day - how great! The food was delicious and the kids were very well behaved. D-man loved the huge pancakes (with awesome syrup) and a virgin bellini. 

We took a brisk walk over to the theatre and got there early enough to relax and review the scenes in the program and take it all in. I don't think that D-man knew what to expect, but he was well-behaved and focused the entire show.  We sang sliently along, held hands, and shared special glances when we spotted something unique or special. When I tucked him in tonight, he asked why the performance went so quickly - why did it seem like it was only 3 minutes? I told him that when you are enjoying something, the time just flies. I certainly hope that was the reason.

I don't know that D-man will remember this perfromance, but I certainly will. He was the perfect date and I look forward to many more special outings to the theatre in the future.

Thanksgiving Festival

For the last few years, our Montessori holds a Thanksgiving "festival" (as T-man calls it). The school brings in "Thanksgiving dinner" from Boston Market and the kids get to celebrate with their parents, grandparents, etc. We've enjoyed celebrating this event with both of our boys and feel so thankful for so many things (including the wonderful experience we have had at this school). Sharing a meal together and having T-man "host us" in his world where he spends so much time is truly special. Taking time out of a busy work day to spend some quality time with our son is a great reminder of the truly important things in life.

Blue Football Weekend

After celebrating the three wins of our respective football teams last week, this week was quite the opposite. It was quite "blue" for several reasons. The Buffs and the Huskers failed to show up and the Cougs lost in OT. 

Fortunately, we were able to watch the Husker debacle with friends and drown our sorrows in bloody maries and red beer. Our hosts (a Husker and a Wolverine) will now face a yearly rivalry like Marshall and I have for so many years in the past. To ensure our host wasn't the only Michigan fan, Marshall revealed a Michigan shirt under his Nebraska shirt (yes, I will forgive him). Who knew the Michian shirt from our Ann Arbor visit would come in handy? Apparently, I will have to "hide" that shirt next year. 

Driving In Style

Driving in style on our way to watch the Nebraska/Michigan game with friends. Hoping my sister, hubby and parents have a great time watching the game at the Big House. GO BIG RED! (thanks to my awesome husband for suggesting the flags.)

A "Diner" Experience

Every month, our school has a fundraiser at a restaurant. The school gets money, we get to see people from the school, and there's no cooking for us. It's a win-win-win. Last week, we went to Gunther Toody's and the boys loved it (free sundaes after the meal were a special treat). We talked about how the restaurant was trying to replicate diners from the 1950's and places that their grandparents might have gone when they were younger. It was a fun night out and gave us a chance to talk about something we haven't talked about in the past. Topped off with no dishes for the night - perfect.

So Cal Part II

The second half of our Southern California trip was much more laid back and a nice way to recharge after Disneyland. We woke up Saturday morning and swam/lounged by the pool. We were also able to meet up with a former co-worker from Sun and his family at the pool for a short while. They had just moved to LA the week before so it was great we were able to work something out. After Jim and family took Marshall to the airport to get the rental car (Thanks Yang family!), we headed down to Carlsbad (north San Diego). We stopped for lunch at Rubios and then enjoyed relaxing with another former co-worker and wonderful hostess, Michelle! The boys loved the trampoline and the adults enjoyed some drinks, adult conversation, a firepit and some yummy pizza. It was a relaxing and great day.
On Sunday, we headed to the beach with Michelle and her daughter and had cold pizza and snacks on the beach for lunch. It is so great to have a local to show you around - thank you Michelle! The water was chilly, but we did dip our toes and the kids had fun playing in the sand and taking in the beautiful sunny day. After cleaning sand out of every imaginable place on the boys, we headed to southern San Diego for dinner with my friend Jenn (who I met at DU) and her family. It was so great to catch up with her. Facebook and email are great, but there is something to be said for chatting in person over a glass of wine (or two). Monday was a leisurely morning before we headed back to Orange County for our early afternoon flight. What a wonderful, wonderful trip! I'm already plotting our fall break trip next year!

 

Cub Scout Popcorn Sales

Delivering popcorn to the neighbors. D-man's pack had the most sales in the district. Way to go pack 376!