Spent the day canning...

we had lots-o-veggies waiting for us when we returned home.
paul was anxious to get them canned, so guess what we did today...

we really hadn't planned on it.
we had NO IDEA what we were doing.
paul started boiling the beets while i ran to the store to get all kinds of crazy things for canning.

i had gotten all our jars from a friend whose mom was done using hers.
i got our canning pot from another friend.
and i had bought Tattler Reusable Canning Lids a while back.
so we were ready to go.
we started at 10:00am.

we canned beets and onions, black bean and corn salsa and banana peppers.
it doens't sound like much.
but it took us 7 hours.
i'm not even kidding.

and that doesn't include the clean-up.
but it was totally fun.
we drank mike's hard lemonade and worked in the kitchen all day.
the kids helped off and on.
and we ended up with this...

(minus our two big quarts of banana peppers).
we are so proud of ourselves! :)
hoping to can LOTS of tomatoes next week.
they are started to turn red.

oh...and with leftover tomatoes we made brushetta.
and with leftover jalepenos we made jalepeno poppers.
plus cucumbers and bell peppers in dip for supper.
good, productive day. :)

now i go back to work tomorrow.
all day training and then i'm back full-time thursday.
yikes.
here's to a good week...

today

Spent 7 hours in my classroom with just my mom.
It was awesome! Got SO MUCH accomplished! Moved furniture, worked on bulletin boards, sorted books, and mom sewed a valance for my very bare window. Before we finished Paul stopped by with the girls and he hung my valance for me.
It has definitely been a family affair.
So so thankful for all the help and support. Couldn't have gotten through today without my mom. Hope I can be this for MY kids some day.
Taking a deep breath tonight and feeling like there was progress made today.
Maybe I'll be ready by the 18th?!?!
Hopefully!

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HOME

we are home.
so much for leisurely days in the mountains.
no more crisp mountain air and greasy hair.
i am in 100% PANIC MODE.
for real.
i felt little waves of it on our trip.
but i am very very good at pushing it to the back of my mind.
a master.
i thoroughly, 100% enjoyed every single second of our trip.
i'd get this wave of "holy crap...i have so much to do when i get home!"" now and then, but it never lasted more than 30 seconds.
and i'm glad i have that ability.
but now we are home.
i can honestly say that i have never ever ever ever EVER unpacked all my suitcases the minute i walked in the door.
i did tonight.
they are all empty.
clean clothes put away and dirty clothes in the laundry room.
and yikes...lots of dirty clothes!

we were driving home and my mind was spinning.
right before we left i had the kids trying on fall clothes to take along with us and NONE of it fit.
everything was too small.
i was thinking, "gosh, i'm going to have to take them school shopping before they go back!"
yeah...i have 2 free days before i'm back to work full-time.
literally.
2 days.
so i was scrolling through facebook on my phone and realized it was tax-free shopping weekend.
i knew we would be passing our outlet mall in 3 hours so i made an executive decision.
we were ALL going to stop and power shop for shoes and jeans on our way home.
which was hysterical.
because everyone was seriously still in their pajamas at this point.
this is how i work, people.
MULTI-TASK.
we did it.
kids all got shoes and pants.
tax-free.
AND...did you know you could use your AAA card to shop at tanger outlet mall?
i didn't until today.
got an extra 10% off.
NICE!

we pulled in the driveway and unloaded the car.
i unloaded all the suitcases and put them away.
we pick the dog up between 7 and 9 am tomorrow morning.
i am meeting a co-worker at the school at 9 to let me in the building.
i am working ALL. DAY. LONG.
i need to feel settled.
i have an all day training on monday.
i have tuesday and wednesday "off" (but do have dr. appts)
and then i start new teacher orientation on thursday and friday.
all teachers are back full-time on monday.
yeah.
can you say PANIC?!?!?!?!

it was an awesome week.
hoping i have time to document before i'm drowing in the sea of teaching.
and pretty sure i'm not smarter than a 5th grader, so i have a lot to do to prepare.
i just keep hearing in my brain...
"back to life...back to re-al-i-ty."
yep.
we are home.
goodnight...

oh ayla.

Note the sign behind her.
No idea what we're going to do with her.

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The Adventure Project

While we were up on the mountain, The Adventure Project launched it's latest campaign.
It has to do with HEALTH in Uganda.
As always, I am blown away by the co-founders of this organization.
They are amazing.
They have been working hard to get this campaign launched and it is incredible.
Watch this to learn a little more about it...

Uganda's poor recount how Living Goods has changed their lives and improved their health. from Living Goods on Vimeo.

There are a couple ways you can help support this effort.
1. BUY a bag - $42. Each tote sponsors one medical bag for a healthcare promoter in Uganda.
2. INVEST in a female health promoter - Each woman cares for 700 people in her community. Any amount would benefit Living Goods.
3. JOIN Jody - This is huge. You can read Jody's story HERE. Of all The Adventure Project's campaigns, this one has been the most personal for Jody. She has decided she wants to raise $1 for every mother in Africa last year who died during childbirth. That is $170,000. HUGE goal. But I believe she can do it. Will you consider helping out? Many are donating directly to her page in honor of each child they birthed, or each hour they were in labor. Go check it out and follow along at the bottom. You can even create your own fundraising page if you choose.

I just have to reiterate how much I believe in The Adventure Project. In the women running it. In their way of viewing "GIVING". It's not charity. It is empowerment. It is CHANGE. I love it. I believe it. And I hope you seriously consider joining us!

Rockies v Phillies

we made it down the mountain.
dropped off some things at my aunt and uncle's house, EVERYONE showered in 20 minutes flat.
quickly out the door to make it to the 1:10 Rockies game.
this was a big deal.
it was our first MLB game with the entire family.
lani and ayla's first ever.
we were nervous.
and if you had spent any time with ayla over the past couple weeks, you would have been too.
she has been in RARE form.
but it was a success!!
SO SO SO fun!
we made it through the entire game.
not one complaint.
photos...

and we drove directly from coors field to ft collins.
quick supper and swimming.
kids are SOUND asleep.
we are in REAL BEDS.
we are CLEAN.
it feels good.
it has been an excellent combo of nature and camping and city and comfort.
tomorrow we tour New Belgium Brewery at 4:30.
that's our only plan.
other than convincing our children that CSU is the perfect college for all of them to attend. :)
and now i'm going to sleep.
in a bed.
with air conditioning.
and clean pj's.
aaahhhhhh.....

happy birthday to paul

Today was Paul's birthday.
When I was planning this trip I intentionally planned it over his birthday.
He loves this place. We BOTH love this place. I couldn't imagine a better gift for him.
About 13 years ago we were introduced to this hike up to a quartz mine from my aunt and uncles property. It was 11 years ago that we hiked it last. Just months before we found out we were pregnant with Brigg. We have so many photos from our hikes up there. Just the 2 of us. SUCH DIFFERENT PEOPLE back then. I hardly recognize us.
So it was fitting that we hike up the mountain again today, with our 3 children, 11 years later.
Justvas amazing as we remembered. Completely different feel with the kids.
So much better.
WE are so much better. But man, we still have a long ways to go.
So thankful we get to do it together.
Happy birthday stinks.
Love you so much.
(Oh...and fyi. ..the kids are in bed and we r recovering from our hike with the children by sitting by the fire with a bottle of tequila.)
Fun.
:)

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and we see mountains....

What is it about the mountains?
It makes me emotional.
We miss it here. Feels so good to be back.
And the look of amazement in the kids' eyes as the mountains came into view was priceless.
Happy doesn't even begin to describe it.
Let vacation begin....

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oh my.

the following photo and words are completely unrelated.
i don't have time to think, let alone put together a good blog post.
this will have to do. :)

he's somethin'.

(and i STILL can't believe he's 10!)

speaking of swimming pools...
lani has swimmer's ear in BOTH ears
AND
a double ear infection.
we have drops and antibiotics and ib prophen and tylenol.
her ear drops were $45 AFTER insurance.
seriously?!?!
highway ROBBERY if you ask me.

i purchased a couch for $5 at salvation army.
it's SWEET.
ha!
and 2 chairs and a rug.
all for my classroom.
it's going to be like a mini living room.
each week 5 students will be selected to sit there during our silent reading times or free times.
think it will work?
i hope so.
i don't want it to end up being a fight over whose turn it is.
i want to get a big bookshelve and a floor lamp as well.
it's going to be TOTALLY cute.

plus, i got SUPER adorable fabric to cover my bulletin boards and to make valences for my window.
i just want to get everything IN there. the weekend we come back from Colorado is when it will happen.
paul has agreed to help me.

today at the doctor's office the nurse came out to call lani's name.
ayla led the way.
the nurse looked her in the eye and said, "oh my! she's ORNARY!"
really??
ya think??
it took her all of 2 seconds to know this about her.
it wasn't a question.
it was a flat out statement.
ugh...what are we going to DO with this child??

i have lots to do.
that was totally random.
but i wanted to get a few of these things down before i forgot.

love this...thanks jody

May God bless you with a restless discomfort about easy answers, half-truths and superficial relationships, so that you may seek truth boldly and love deep within your heart.

May God bless you with holy anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may tirelessly work for justice, freedom, and peace among all people.

May God bless you with the gift of tears to shed with those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, or the loss of all that they cherish, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and transform their pain into joy.

May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you really can make a difference in this world, so that you are able, with God’s grace, to do what others claim cannot be done.

(The Fourfold Franciscan Blessing)

monday

stayed up well past 1 am stripping wallpaper. actually STEAMING wallpaper.
which made my room well over 200 degrees, i swear.
but it's off.
i just need to scrub the walls before i prime it.
can't wait for this room to look like OURS.
hoping to finish it before we leave on friday.

ayla got her hair CHOPPED off.
photos to come.
but i was just so tired of her screaming when i brushed it.
she finally agreed her life would be better with short hair.
she was right.
she is happy.
:)

i've already checked 4 things off my list this morning! YAY!!
heading out to run errands this AM while brigg is at a play date all day.
dinner with friends tonight.
it IS margarita night at los lomas. sweet!!

got an email from my aunt moya. we are staying at their property next week in the rockies.
i almost teared up reading it. for real.
we LOVE them. we spent lots and lots of time with them when we lived in denver.
she remembers things that we love and mentioned them in her email to me.
and now i am officially bubbling over with excited of our arrival on saturday.
they will be at the property when we arrive on saturday with fixed tecates in hand...waiting for us. (don't ask what they are. you don't want to know. not for the weak!)
they are staying with us saturday and then we have the rest of the week on our own to explore.
I CANNOT WAIT.
so anxious to share our love of this place with our kids.
good thing i'm excited about starting a new job or we may have never come back. :)

busy week ahead.
all good.
can't wait.

no pics

crazy summer.
it has been an awesome crazy summer.
it's coming to an end and i haven't done everything i wanted to!!
so i'm still trying to squeeze it all in!
we leave on a family trip for our little family of 5 on friday in the rockies.
SO excited about it!!
just coming off 3 weeks of madness but totally joyful fun with family and friends.
i start back to school august 11. as a new teacher i have 2 full days of new teacher orientation before school starts.
it's bittersweet. i'm excited to get started, but not ready for summer to be ending so soon!
oh, and i'm totally scared about ayla being in daycare full-time. lots of anxiety surrounding that subject. ick.
i'm off to make lists or something. try to organize the thoughts in my brain.
lots to do.
trying to soak up every second of TODAY while preparing for what's ahead.
not always an easy task.
Do not anticipate trouble or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight. ~Benjamin Franklin

i truly believe this...

found on departika

and this is pretty much all i've been doing this summer.
living life.
but i do believe that it will breed some amazing work in the months ahead.
soaking it all up.
right now.

this one cracks me up...

there's a chance he's got a little Stewart in him...

i adore her...

and to see her joy on these days with the horses is just priceless.

The vineyard....

donna and 3 of the nieces and nephews left before noon.
tate was still with us though as we left for Ardon Creek.
They had live music and wine tasting.
we brought the kids and the dog.
we laid out a quilt and split a bottle of wine and then paul fell asleep.
Camp Cassie may have been a little too much for him. :)
the best part of our day?
donna and steve were there!!
so even though paul was sound asleep in the 100 degree weather, i got to chat chat chat with donna and steve! yay!!
and they also love playing with our kiddos!!

it was a great afternoon!
then sean met us there to pick up tate.
but he quickly realized that it was much to hot to pass up a dip in the pool.
so we all headed back to our house to take a swim.
sean, tate, donna and steve!
fun fun!!
a great end to a great weekend!
already planning for camp cassie next year!

paul

Uummm....camp Cassie did Paul in.
Seriously.

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And then they were gone...

Our tie dye creations modeled by the cutest kids ever!! :)

It was a perfect weekend!
We honestly had NO problems at all.
The kids played well, ate well, slept well and handled the madness well!
There were a couple "only child" kids here, and I was a bit concerned, but they did AWESOME.
We kept them running the whole time.
And I can't wait until next year!!
Hopefully we'll have a couple more here next year.
(hint hint, chris and brenda!!)

And now I'm going to the vineyard.
Wine sampling is in my near future....
:)

the rest of DAY 2...

what is camp without tie dye?
:)
the kids loved it and my hands are going to be tie dyed for months.
guess they put those rubber gloves in there for a reason!

and then we had a group swim followed by a campfire at our park across the street.
paul cracks me up sitting in the background.

he is a professional wienie roaster, too! :
ha!

i'm serious.
he was awesome.
could NOT have done this without NANA B and PAUL.
this was not their idea, but they were amazing.
thank you!!

after the campfire we got the little ones to sleep and the big ones had a night swim.
they were so fun!

and really, the whole weekend went perfectly!
busy busy.
the "keep them busy every second of the day" strategy was a huge success!

DAY 2...Wild Cat Den

it was up and at 'em fairly early this morning.
we wanted to get a hike in before the heat took over.
plus, paul (one of our very best couselors!), had an inspection at 1:00.
and we needed him.
you'll see why in a minute.

remember the toilet paper rolls i've been collecting?
this is what i used them for...

really only tate and ayla enjoyed them, but they were cute.

paul should be a nature guide.
seriously.
he knows the best things.
and he's so patient with the kids.
and gives them all kinds of fun facts about things they find.
i love him.

i think they found some sort of cocoon here in this photo...

which was so perfect because just minutes before i had asked macy what she was going to look for to track in her nature journal and she said "a chrysallis".
i think 3 people said, "what's a chrysallis?"
and i said, "kind of like a cocoon!"
then paul found one.

and we set the timer for ONE group photo.
i'm pretty impressed.
most everyone looking and smiling.
because really, it was totally fun.

and one of the main reasons we needed paul...

we had a little "incident" yesterday.
ayla hurt her knee on the trampoline.
i don't think it's broken or anything, but it's very sore.
there was NO WAY she was going to be able to hike for any period of time on it.
so paul decided to use a stroller as a wheel chair.
it was hilarious at wild cat den.
not prime stroller terrain.
but he made it work.
did i mention i love him?

and drew got to be on paul's back all day.
which he HATED for about 2.4 seconds.
then he was all about it.

gorgeous...

this is the FIFTH frog we have found this weekend...

best friends....

um yeah...we only use the VERY BEST couselors at camp cassie.

we stopped for granola bars and water bottles.

and much to my frustration, we left one of our VERY FAVORITE thermos water bottle by the water.
so annoying.
we love them, but they are not cheap and it makes me very irritated when we lose one.

a great day so far.
babies are sleeping like...well...like babies.
and our rock star counselor, NANA B, is at the pool with the big kids.
i'm setting up our craft for this afternoon.
we are about halfway through the weekend already.
wow!