5K Day

There is a 5K near our neighborhood that isn't a super-exciting race but does have a few perks. The main one being that the race ends in the Sky Sox (our AAA baseball team) Stadium with everyone in the stands cheering you on. It also has a Kids Fun Run where the kids run a full lap around the stadium with Sox the Fox leading the way. It really is a neat little run. I ran the 5K today and the kids did the Fun Run so I thought I would share some pictures.

Here is me and the kids after my race and before theirs.

Pre-Race stretching...

Kaleigh on the home stretch...

Chase on the home stretch...

Fun prizes after the race...

The kids with Sox the Fox (the highlight for them!)

It was a nice start to the day! :)

Double Digits

Kaleigh entered the world of double digits on March 11th. That was just the start of several days worth of festivities. We started it off by taking cupcakes to Kaleigh's school that day. Her teacher made her wear "The Birthday Hat" during the festivities. Kaleigh wasn't too crazy about it, but she complied.

We then came home and opened presents from family. She got a new digital camera, an American Girl doll, all kinds of Hannah Montana stuff and a High School musical Wii game as well as money. She was thrilled with everything! I meant to take a picture of Kaleigh and all her goods but I forgot. Here are just a few snapshots...

After that we went to Golden Corral for dinner (Kaleigh's choice, NOT ours! Randy and I call it the Golden Trough because we feel like cattle being herded in for fattening. Sorry to leave you with that image! )We then went to TeamKid at church where Kaleigh celebrated with yet another batch of cupcakes!

On Saturday, Kaleigh had her birthday party at a local place called ITZ. It's very similar to Incredible Pizza if you know what that is. They have a pizza buffet and a huge game room with all kinds of rides and activities. The girls all had a blast. Their favorite ride was the Kite Flyer. They pretty much did that the whole time. I've included some pictures of the girls around the Kite Flyer since that's really what the party was all about.

After having fun with all the games, the girls ate pizza and dessert and Kaleigh opened all her presents. They all had a really great time!

Kaleigh really wanted to have an ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins for her party, but that obviously wouldn't work at ITZ. I had visions of melting ice cream flowing down the halls with people and pizza flying all over the place as they slide in the goo. Nope. We don't have enough insurance for that!
So, later we surprised Kaleigh with an individual birthday cone from Baskin Robbins. She thought it was pretty cool and we were off the hook!

All in all, Kaleigh had a great birthday and is equally as spoiled as Chase. I think we are going to have to pull the reins in on all this spoiling! Randy and I are just glad to have survived the 2 weeks of birthday madness and are NOT counting down the days until next March!

Chase's Birthday Weekend

I can't believe Chase turned 5 on Sunday! Where have these past 5 years gone?? I remember so vividly seeing him for the very first time. I was instantly in love. He has certainly changed a lot since then, but I still love him like crazy!

Chase chose to have his birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese this year. We really tried to talk him out of it (I felt overstimulated just thinking about it), but it was no use. So, we spent Saturday morning at Chuck E. Cheese with Chase and six of his friends. Here are some pictures...

On Sunday morning (his real birthday) we took cupcakes to his class at church. They all sang Happy Birthday to him and he loved it!

Chase loves scavenger hunts so Randy put together a scavenger hunt for him to find his family birthday presents. He loved it! Randy had him going all over the place. Kaleigh helped Chase read the clues at each spot. It was alot of fun! Here are some pictures of the hunt and the final outcomes...

It was a fun weekend, and I must say that we have one spoiled little boy! We have one weekend off, then it's back to the birthday madness with Kaleigh's birthday. Phew! I will be glad when March is over! More on Kaleigh's birthday after next week...

Back in the Swing of Things

It sure didn't take long for me to blow it on being consistent with my blogging. Maybe I was a little too ambitious thinking I could start a blog right before Christmas! In any case, I am starting anew and will try my best to write a little more frequently than once a month! I have a lot of things I would like to write about, but it feels a little overwhelming at the moment. So, I think I will just start off today with a couple of cute things the kids said and did recently...
*The other day we were driving in the car and heading to a restaurant. I gave the kids some hand sanitizer to clean off a little bit before we got there. Ever the mother hen, Kaleigh was giving Chase lots of "advice" on how best to clean his hands. Chase got frustrated with her and finally said, "Kaleigh, stop it! I don't need your help. I am an expert in hand sanitizers! Actually, I am an expert in lots of things!" Good to know.
*Yesterday, I took Chase to do all the preliminary registration for Kindergarten in the Fall. When we were driving home he said, " Mommy, I'm ready for school now. I have a backpack and some shirts. I think I would like to have some new shirts, though."
*Last month we finally set the kids' computer up with the internet (mainly so that Kaleigh could play Webkinz online and stay off my computer!). Kaleigh then noticed that you could search for things on the internet through Google. She thought that was so cool and couldn't wait for us to help her do it (no unsupervised time on the internet!). Once Randy was able to help her with it the question then became "What will she search for first?" Kids are so observant and inquisitive that the options were limitless. Randy waited in anticipation on the edge of his seat to see what "the first search" would be. Then, with no hesitation, Kaleigh typed in...
"why is the b in lamb silent"
Interesting question, indeed.

They Really Do Love Each Other!

My kids can fight like nothing you've ever seen. I know that's normal. But, I'm sure most of us moms secretly wonder sometimes if they will ever get along or just despise each other forever. Well, I had a moment this weekend that eased a few of my fears in this area.

I should probably start with a little background information. Ever since Chase was potty trained he has been very particular about who can help him in the bathroom. Basically, Randy and I are the only ones who get that honor. Regardless of where he is (church, preschool, playdates at friends houses, whatever), he will not let anyone else help him. This can pose obvious problems at times. Well, Sunday was one such day.

Randy and I were given tickets to go to the Denver Bronco game on Sunday. The kids went home from church with friends who were then going to bring them back up to the church in the evening for the Kids Choir concert. We would meet them there. Well, Randy and I ran into a lot of traffic driving back from Denver and were cutting it close on getting there on time (as usual).

Evidently, right before the concert was to start Chase had an "accident". My dear friend, Kelly (whose house my kids went to and Chase's preschool teacher at church), took him into the bathroom and tried to help him get cleaned up. Chase was so upset. He wouldn't let her help him and kicked her hands away when she tried to help him with his pants. He just cried and cried and said he wanted Kaleigh. Realizing she was getting nowhere, Kelly asked our children's minister to go get Kaleigh out of the last minute rehearsal for the concert. She did so and Kaleigh came to help Chase calm down. He let Kelly and the children's minister help him as long as Kaleigh was there. Once they were done, Kaleigh needed to go back to the rehearsal. Well, Chase was devastated. He cried and cried because he wanted to be with Kaleigh. Then, Kaleigh started crying because she didn't want to leave Chase while he was so upset. I hear it was quite a little scene. Shortly after this Randy and I arrived at the church to a tearful Chase sitting in the pews and a puffy-eyed Kaleigh singing in the concert.

My heart was so warmed by this little incident. First, there is the obvious. I love that Chase wanted his big sister for comfort when his mommy and daddy weren't there, and I love that Kaleigh came willingly to help. The second is not quite so obvious. Anyone who knows Kaleigh knows that she LOVES to sing more than just about anything else. She sings all the time and had been looking forward to and preparing for her concert for several months. She was so excited about it. The thought that Kaleigh was crying because she didn't want to leave her brother even though it would mean potentially missing part of her concert just makes me tingly all over and gives me the urge to do a happy dance (don't worry, I resisted).

It all worked out well, and Kaleigh sang beautifully in the concert. The pictures of her singing may not be the best, but when I look at the puffy eyes my heart will once again be warmed at the reminder that they really do love each other.

A Nativity for Little Hands

We have a beautiful Nativity set that we put out every Christmas. The kids have always loved looking at it, but this year Chase has not been able to keep his hands off of it. The sheep will suddenly disappear along with the water jugs from the camels backs. Mary is nowhere to be found, and Joseph is in the stable with his nose in the corner. Finally, Randy suggested I go buy a kid's nativity set that will survive the various adventures that Mary, Joseph and the poor animals seem destined to take.

I have to tell you it has been a worthwhile investment. I found one at Mardel's Christian Stores and it has been a hit. Those little figurines have been in the belly of Chase's garbage truck, slept in a bed in the dollhouse in the basement and even had the privilege of riding shot gun in the Tonka helicopter. But aside from all those fun things, it has been a great tool to stimulate conversation about the birth of Jesus. We have talked about everyone who came to see Jesus, why he was in a stable and what the angels thought about the whole thing. It is amazing how much kids learn and retain when they have something tangible to associate with the information.

Last night Chase was playing with the nativity set and I asked him what he thought the angels were doing. He said" Well, they use to be able to fly, but I'm pretending the shepherds stole their powers." Then he ran off down the hall with his flying shepherds.

I guess I will try again another time...

Finally, A Family Blog

Well, it's official. As of today we have entered the world of blogging. Hopefully those of you who visit us via this blog will enjoy the realistic look into our daily lives. Our purpose is twofold: 1.) to share photos and the daily happenings of our family (ok, mainly just the kids. That's mostly what grandparents care about anyway, right?) and 2.) for Randy and I to share the realities of our struggles and triumphs as individuals, a couple and as parents. Just like the name of our blog indicates, we definitely have our fair share of ups and downs. But, by the grace of God, we press on enjoying the "ups" immensely and surviving each "down" one day at a time (hopefully emerging with a little more grace and a lot more faith).

So, to start off on a fun note here are some pictures of Randy and the kids playing in the snow today. We unexpectedly woke up to about 4 inches of snow this morning. It was beautiful! After church, the kids put on all their garb and headed out to the yard. They had a blast! Randy said he just went out there "for the kids", but I'm pretty sure he enjoyed himself just as much!