Thank You Grandma and Grandpa Great!!

The kids got their Christmas cards today from you and as soon as Daddy got home we went straight to the store so they could pick out a toy with the "dollars" that were inside. Here they are with the toys they picked. As we were getting in the car after buying the toys Peyton kept asking "where's my dollar?" She likes her new toy but you probably remember how she is obsessed with money. Thank you so much for remembering us. We love you so much.

Family Portraits

When we were in California we had our family portraits taken for the annual Christmas card. As usual it was a total circus but we somehow managed to come up with a few usable pictures.

HALLOWEEN CUTENESS

I was brave this year and made their costumes. On one hand it was very beneficial that they could bundle up under their costumes (see photo below about recent weather in CO) The downside was that they could not maneuver very well in the bulky costumes. Peyton's was okay but Mason could not bend over or put his hands together. If the person let them pick their own candy he couldn't put it in his bucket or if he dropped one he was out of luck. It reminded me of that movie A Christmas Story.."I can't put my arms down!" or "Randy lay there like a slug, it was his only defense." The helmet also lasted about five minutes but we got a lot of comments and I think they turned out pretty well. Next year I think I will consider something less bulky.

CALIFORNIA!!

About to get on the airplane

Allison and the kids

About to barf on the teacups.
Churros the size of Peyton

We had a great time at Disneyland. Mason went on every ride except Indiana Jones (he wasn't tall enough) His favorites were Matterhorn, Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain. He wasn't a big fan of Space Mountain which was had a spooky Halloween theme, he said "I kept forgetting to close my eyes at the scary parts." Peyton's favorites were the teacups, the Alice in Wonderland caterpillar ride and Winnie the Pooh.




Debbie and Stu's ward Halloween party. Peyton was pretty excited to be dressed up the same as Bridgette



Making a haunted gingerbread house.


At the Fullerton Arboretum with Great Grandma and Grandpa LoweFeeding the Ducks

This is going to be me and Zach in fifty years. My grandparents are so cute! The last day in California we went to the arboretum. It was so beautiful and warm the whole time we were in Cali....

This is what we came home to:

It was fun while it lasted. Mason was so sad to say goodbye to his cousins. He said he wanted to move back to California and I have to admit that right now I am feeling the same way. It was so awesome to see everyone. We can't wait till we can see everyone again.

Circus

Sorry to all those animal rights activists out there but we went to the circus and we had fun. Grandma, Allene and I took the kids and Grandma forked out the big bucks for sweet souvenirs like the light up princess wand and refreshments like the ginormous snow cone shown above.

Picking Pumpkins

Grandma and Grandpa grew pumpkins in their backyard this year. It was fun for the kids to watch them grow and finally be able to pick them. Thanks Grandma & Grandpa!

Day out With Thomas

Every September the "REAL" Thomas the Tank Engine comes to the Colorado Railroad Museum. Grandma and Grandpa took Mason and he loved it. They get to ride on the Thomas train, they have a petting zoo, toy trains and all sorts of other activities. He doesn't even watch Thomas on tv but he came home a huge fan.

Apple Picking

Garden of the Gods

This one above is called "Kissing Camels"
I ran a race here back in May but I wasn't able to really appreciate how beautiful it is. So we went back for a day trip with the kids and were able to walk around and really see everything.

Camping at Turquoise Lake

Over Labor Day weekend we went camping at Turquoise Lake with Jameson and Spring. It was really beautiful but freezing cold. We knew it was going to be cold so we left Peyton with Grandma, which turned out well because she had two ear infections. Mason's favorite part was throwing rocks in the lake. He literally did that for almost an hour straight and was still mad when we wanted to walk back to the campsite.

Georgetown to Idaho Springs Half Marathon

I did it!! I completed my first half marathon without dying. I ran the whole way even though my knee started freaking out at mile two (the first 5 miles of the race were on rocky dirt road, that threw my knee all out of whack) My running buddies Stephanie and Roberta and I got a hotel room up in Georgetown the night before and had a nice dinner and relaxed in the hot tub (a great way to spend the night before a race). The smaller pictures above were taken by the official race photographer, Brightroom Photography.


These are the pictures Zach took of Steph and I sprinting to the finish line. Knowing that Zach and the kids were going to be at the finish line is what kept me going most of the time.