Girls' Night, Boys' Day

Friday night I went out to my friend Shaina's house for an extremely entertaining Girls Only Night. She even kicked her husband and kids out to a friend's house for a slumber party so we'd have the house to ourselves and not have to worry about waking up kiddos. Which is good, cuz we were loud!

We played the "Garbage Bag Game" (if you want to see how it's played because the pictures intrigue you click here), a really funny writing/drawing game, and a guess-who style game. We also made some sweet music videos that brought out the inner rock star in all of us. Since no good girls' night would be without them, there were also plenty of delicious goodies to munch on!

And we stayed late...I'm talkin' late...I mean really late...just talking and laughing. At one point in the night I had to massage my cheeks because they were hurting from laughing so much. Laughter is such great medicine. And I always come away from a night talking with my girls feeling so much more peaceful. The things going on with me are going on with others, the things my kids struggle with, other kids do too. I know it sounds odd, but sometimes it feels good to just know things are "normal" and I am not alone in my challenges! I crawled into my cozy, welcoming bed and was out like a light at 3am. I can't remember the last time I went to bed that late. Now that's a great Girls' Night. Thanks Shaina!

Here I am along with Margaret, racing to open my trash bag prize. Which was a....

Dollar Store pregnancy test! Sweet!

Sadly, not a new set of choppers like Marcia got. Beautiful!

I just loved this picture because between Trinette (in green) and Heidi (in orange), it shows how hard we were all laughing!

Here are all the girls after the garbage bag game showing our various prizes.

This was my group for the music videos, I am the Tutu Head, Jenn is the Feather Head and Becky is the Tutu Neck. We lip synced You Got It (The Right Stuff) by New Kids on the Block. Kendra (our lovely worm) was the object of our admiration in our particular rendition of the music video. She certainly had The Right Stuff as she busted out the worm moves!

More scenes from the footage of our smooth music video. The best part of the videos was watching all the gals step out of their comfort zones and just be crazy. Don't we all need to let loose once in awhile? Yes! I love it!

After such a fabulous girls' night, it was only fair that Saturday include some fun for the boys. It started off with an early morning hike for Adam and Zach. The young men from our ward are planning a two-week hike this summer, so they are doing some shorter preparation hikes. Adam volunteered to go along on the first of these prep hikes yesterday morning, and decided to bring Zach with him after talking to our friend Vern, who was also going to bring his son, Spencer, one of Zach's good buddies. Zach's comment later that day, "I had to get up really early, Mom, like 5:30 in the morning, but I am so glad I did it!" It was a pretty hike, five miles in the foothills of Pike's Peak above Garden of the Gods. Maybe by the end of the summer, when the littler boys are back in hiking shape, and willing to walk that far, we can do that one all together!

It was a very early morning for Zach (look at his tired face!), who loves to sleep in at least until 7:30am, as all his brothers do. And it was pretty cold, too. Adam said it was 18 degrees when they left the house.

So cold, in fact, that even fur-coated Ruby was a little pissed about having to get out of the heated car.

Sunrise behind the rocks at Garden of the Gods.

Heading into the mountains.

Zach and Spencer, by some of the red rock formations off the trail.

It's a cute picture of the buddies, but look at the view of Pike's Peak behind Zach and Spence...a nature-made picture frame!

No hike is complete without some rock climbing!Adam and Zach with Pike's in the background.
More Colorado mountain vistas; lovely as ever!

The rest of Saturday was spent doing chores, building cool things out of scrap wood in the garage with dad (pictures of that to come when those projects are complete) and playing really nicely together. I think I only had to say, "Guys! Treat {insert one of my boys' names here} how you want to be treated!" twice! That's a good day. And Josh got to run errands with Dad. Adam got some one-on-one time with Josh, which he doesn't get as often as he does with the older boys, and Josh got a milkshake from Carl's Jr. They both thought it was a treat!

Later in the afternoon/evening we babysat the three boys, Landon(6), Austin(4) and Isaac(1), of our good friends Kendra and Cameron, so they could have a date night. They watched our boys last weekend when we went out too. It was such a nice swap, we're doing it again the next two weekends! The seven boys play together so well every time they are together. And last night was no different. We didn't have to settle one single argument and the only tears shed were not from fighting, just from being left behind when the herd moved on once. The boys together ate at least 35 chicken nuggets, and would have had more if they hadn't been all gone, and polished off a couple of cans of peaches. Every time I feed a group of boys I am reminded of how large the grocery bill is going to get in the future...their stomachs are like bottomless food pits!It was a really fun weekend, and I am so happy to have Sunday, where nothing needs to be done but church and chill. We even had dinner with some friends which rounded out this great weekend perfectly. I wish it was this weekend every day!

Six Things That Make Me Happy Tag

Here are the rules:
Link to the person who has tagged you (for me it was my friend, Heidi; go ahead and check out her cleverly written blog, it's good reading).
Write down six things that make you happy.
Post the rules, tag six others, and let them know you did it.
Then tell the person when your entry is complete.

1. Hearing St. Elmo's Fire (Man In Motion) performed by John Parr playing on the radio while driving, the first time I had heard the song in at least five years. And better yet, I was alone in the car, so I could crank up the volume and sing along at the top of my lungs and not hear a single, "Can you turn on our music, Mom? Or "Too loud!" Or "Mom, you sing weird." Kim, Katie and Alissa, I know you totally get it.

2. These delicious, chocolatey, little bites of heaven.3. Our sunny, warmish late-winter days this week that have drawn the boys outside for a bounce or a kick of the soccer ball. And the amazing thing is that because the warm days are a novelty still, the fighting and bickering comes to a halt, camaraderie is felt by all, and laughter can be heard drifting merrily toward the house.

4. Knowing that our trip to California, the beach and Disneyland is weeks away. I can't wait! Mostly because I get to see Sis, Mom and Pat...missing missing missing! (This not-so-flattering picture is of the fam last time we were there, in November 2005; it will be strange to go without it decorated for Christmas, as it has been the last 7 times I've gone!).

5. Luke's current love of this little Curious George doll, he calls "Monkey," or in Luke-speak "Mawn-ee." Monkey is hugged, snuggled, kissed, missed. He has to sit close at meal times, be buckled in on car drives, and tucked in tight at sleep times. And Luke says, "Mawn-ee! Ooo ooh, aaah aah," whenever he spots Monkey from afar.

6. Baby boys. I went to a shower last night for a friend expecting a boy next month. Seeing all that baby boy stuff made me so nostalgic for the days of my baby boys. The little lion onesies; the sweet, soft airplane blankets; the teeny knitted blue sweaters; baby boys are heaven!

I tag Shaina, Jenn and Trinette to round out the Colo Spgs gang, as well as Beth (especailly since she hasn't blogged in so long!), Jen (because I know it will include more pictures of Max), and Al (since she is new to the blogging world and needs more posts). And anyone else who feels like doing this...consider yourself tagged!

When Brando Meets The Second Grade

I don't know if he's been sneaking late-night viewings of The Godfather Trilogy.Or if he's channeling Pat Riley.

Or maybe he just really digs Aurthur "The Fonz" Fonzarelli.
But Zach has been begging to wear his hair like this for the past month:
And after some humming and hawing, some forgetting and "not enough time today!"-ing, some "are you sure"-ing and straight up ignoring. I finally said to myself, "Who am I to stifle his unique spirit? It's what he wants. Who really cares?" There are definitely bigger battles to fight than this one. Not that I had been "fighting" per se, travelling the more passive-resistance route is more like it. So today, I piled on the gel, pulled out the comb, and got to work. Zach was finally able to wear his slick D.A. (circa 1950's) hairstyle to school. If his clothing were different, I would have sworn I was sending him out into the world of those greasy Outsiders. But the kid was beaming. And so was I.

"Scenes from the Dentist's Office"

Or "Why I Needed Three Kleenexes While At The Dentist, When I Wasn't Even The One Having The Work Done"

Look at those pearly whites! Although those faces are a little scary.

"Kleenex One: Pride for my Brave Little Boy"

Dentist: OK, Josh, here we have a big sucker. It's like the little one we used when we cleaned your teeth but it is larger. See it can suck more out faster. But it doesn't hurt, it just might suction your cheek or tongue a bit, no big deal.

Josh: I don't want it.

Dentist: It will be OK, don't worry. So here we go! Raise your hand if it hurts at all (*Dentist taps Josh's right hand*), or you need to stop.

*Dentistry tools start moving slowly towards Josh's mouth.*

Josh, raising right hand frantically starts to sit up: I need to stop!

Mom (a little misty from watching her scared baby boy, but trying to hide it): I need you to be really brave right now, sweetie. If you don't get your cavity filled, it will hurt a lot more later, and this stuff isn't going to hurt at all. You need to lay back down and watch your movie, I will be right here. We'll go get milkshakes after. Bravery is doing something that needs to be done even though it is scary.

Josh takes a deep breath and lays back down: OK, Mom.

Fifteen minutes later the cavity was filled without another wiggle or word. Josh was so proud of himself as we all praised him for his courage. I loved seeing him be so brave! And we did get milk shakes.

"Kleenex Two: Slow...down...time...."

Hygienist: Do you have any teeth that hurt?

Ben: No. But I wish some of my teeth were loose though.

Hygienist, starting to wiggle at some of his teeth: Ben, I think this one's a little loose! And this one, too. Well, we can look at your x-ray and see how close to falling out it is. Look there, it's on the edge so it's hard to see, but you can see the teeth below really close to the bottom of your front bottom teeth. They are already starting to push those ones out, slowly but surely. So it shouldn't be too long! Maybe this summer!

Ben: Yes! Mom! My teeth might fall out soon!

No!!!! I love those cute baby teeth!

"Kleenex Three: Happy Surprises"

Zach's been brushing his teeth on his own most of the time this year. We thought he was ready. But we've been questioning that thought as his teeth have been slowly taking on a yellowish sheen...

Dentist: What's that? A little gingivitis? (Nice, isn't that something 80-year-olds get?)

Mom looking concerned.

Dentist: Zach, you just need to make sure to brush a little better, and floss more. OK? Mom, you need to check his teeth after he brushes, and maybe do a sweep yourself. And we will need him to come back in for sealants on those permanent molars.

Mom: Wait. You mean there's no cavities?

Dentist: Nope!

Zach: Yeah, we were all surprised, Mom.

Yes we were.

And only six months to go until we have to go through it all again! I'm definitely packing my Kleenex next time.

"Truly, Life is Beautiful"

***Warning: Very Cheesy Religiousy Post Below! Continue on in full awareness of your own cheese/religion tolerance!***

"Truly, life is beautiful." It was those words that were the final line of the opening segment of today's Sunday School lesson for church. When I read them I thought to my tired but happy self, "Yes, it really is." The lesson was so perfect after a week like last week. It talked about finding strength, and even joy, in adversity, through our knowledge of God's love for us, and our faith in Him and His Son. I hope that is a lesson I live amid my challenges. I try to at least. That is why we spend a lot of time laughing at our frustrations and discouragements, like last weeks posts, and trying to see the good among, during, inside and around the bad.

Recently, one of the missionaries we write to emailed home with a great quote. It is the favorite quote of his mother's, who fought and won a battle with breast cancer last year, only to have them find a brain tumor shortly thereafter which she fights today. "Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain." We will all face our storms, but there is always happiness, joy and learning to be found, even in the storms, isn't there? I know it.

Not that last week was such a huge storm. More like a teeny drizzle. I am sure I have bigger ones to come! I will have four teenaged boys all at one time. yipes. But, even though I feel like a total cheeseball, I needed to share these thoughts. Because I just love when those messages hit home. Because I love when they come at just the right moment. Because our Father in Heaven knows we need it. He knows and loves each of us uniquely and individually. I love those times when it is so obvious.

So, even though I seem to keep thinking that the throwing up has ended, but it has not (although with this one, there is no family member left who has not yet had it to take down so it's GOT to be over now, right?). And three days after Josh's last sick moment (that's a long incubation period). And no two boys seemed to contract this thing at the same time (it's been like watching dominoes). Luke decided he didn't want to be left out of the fun, so he proceeded to follow in his poor brothers' footsteps with the barfing. Even with all this stuff. It is a beautiful life when you look around you. Really, it is.

• Since I left for church early to go to choir practice, when Adam called to tell me Luke had gotten sick, I was at already at church, so he told me to stay...without anyone I had to entertain...or keep quiet. So I actually got to hear some very good talks on prayer.
• I got to listen to the cute little girl sitting in the pew behind me sing sweet little songs during that hour. It was heart-warming!
• Adam brought the other boys up to go to Sunday School classes after our first hour of meetings, so I went home to take care of Luke. I got to rock him all the way to sleep and then just held onto him for awhile, snuggling in our favorite chair reading a good book. No more barf. That's the life.
• Josh just told me the most rediculous string of knock-knock jokes, such as "Knock, knock. Who's there? Duck. Duck who? Duck, I'm your friend, so let's blahblahjibberishididn'tunderstand!" And then he let's out the most heartly laugh, you can't help but think that the joke is the funniest thing ever. There are seven various forms of this joke, inserting various farm animals.

That's what I am talking about. Beautiful.

I am grateful for this beautiful life. I am so glad to have the knowledge that, even when life is hard, there is a path laid out for us by our loving God, who never forgets us. We just need to seek out that path and find joy in the journey! And when the journey is too hard, or too disappointing, and it seems impossible to find the beauty, it is still there. The beauty that we are loved, we are not alone, we are known, that comfort is near is always there.

**Oh! I wanted to assuage any fears of our family falling through thin ice from this post. At no time did we walk across ice that had running or still water that was not completely frozen beneath it. We could hear places where the creek and waterfall were running under the ice, but we did not walk on those places. The ice we were on the whole time was ice that had frozen over the path and was not part of the creek. The creek was covered by a bridge, so when we did go over the ice-covered creek, there was a bridge between us and the ice. No worries gang! Sorry to cause any extra stress or concern, especially for you, Mom and Al.

Rainbows and Mud and Boots

Today life is back to normal. The Nast has left us, and I can confidently say that I don't miss it in the least. Why not, you ask? Well, although it has been our house guest for nearly a week now, in truth, we hate it. It is not welcome here. And you can tell it I said that.

And the house is scoured from top to bottom. Sheets/blankets and bathroom rinse cups are washed in soapy, scorching hot water; floors are vacuumed, swept, and mopped; ledges and surfaces are dusted; toilets are shiny and the scent of Clorox floats strongly in the air in all three bathrooms (which I usually associate with some kind of cancer growing in my body which is why I rarely use it, but today it means that the germs are dying a thousand painful deaths which makes me grin my "I win" grin).

And not only is today back to normal, I get some time away from my home. *hee hee hee* Along with an afternoon away at craft club (making an apron using sewing skills that I do not have, but that is OK because I am with some of my favorite girls and--let me be clear that with as much as I love my girls this is the best part--not at home), and a relaxing baby shower (for which I am in the process of baking the rad and extremely fun to make with kids Rainbow Cake that my Sis found on this blog-- pictures below), Adam and I get to go on a date. We are going to catch a movie that has no kid-friendly characters whatsoever (this seemingly harsh announcement will make sense later in the post) and have some Panera. And I am R-E-A-D-Y. Oh my goodness, yes. If you could see me now, even as I type, I am shedding a tear for the joy of it.

Can you guess which colors of cake batter Luke got to sample?

So there is your rainbow. And now for the mud, the oozy, yucky, dirty mud of our lives. Put on your Wellies! Because we've been slogging through it this week, so you shall too!

I will tell you why I feel similarly about this afternoon/evening as I would about an afternoon on a paradisaical tropical beach, even though it is just a simple date night (WARNING!: All the "list" stuff going around Facebook may have affected my ability to write posts that do not include lists such as the previous post and the one you see below):

Mud Puddle #1: Last weekend, after a long day of chores (you know, those things that are dreaded and draining, but necessary evils?), and chore enforcing (you know, that extremely fun thing you have to do that is met with whines, rolled-eyes, passive-resistance, and a tear or two?), boy bickering (you know, those snitty words that get under everyone's skin, not just that of the person they are intended for, creating tattling, crying, pouting, and general grumpiness from all...primarily mommy?), and a longer than expected visit with the guy at H and R Block (you know, that meeting that is supposed to be a-half-an-hour, but turns out to be two-hours, and you are left alone with all that other stuff already mentioned?), Adam called and sent me to the van for some info necessary to improve our return (which was pleasing in the end), and it was so quiet and peaceful in the car...oh so quiet...quiet...ahhhhhh...that I just stayed for a couple of minutes after we hung up. Just sat there in the car, savoring the aloneness of it all.

Mud Puddle #2: See Thursday's post, primarily the addendum. Seriously, gang, the disgustingness of the past five days is so beyond what human beings should have to endure, I don't know how my mental facilities are intact. Maybe they aren't. ugh.

Mud Puddle #3: The word "furlough" used to bring to mind brilliant professors taking a year or two to travel around the world and study things important to their area of expertise. You know what it means now? It means a week of enforced time-off without pay for Adam earlier this year. That's nice. But apparently in this economy that isn't enough. Because this week's step was pay cuts for all. So we are back to the salary we were at before Adam took this new job. Nice, again. But I guess that is better than more what they in the HR business call "correct-sizing" (as my friend Alissa says, "Like that term is better than 'lay-offs'"), because I don't want to see people losing their jobs either. But with all this readjustment to meet the needs of a cruddy economy, the thought that Adam could lose his job is always at the back of my mind, even though Adam reassures me we don't have to worry. Really, Colleen. Really. But how can I not?

Mud Puddle #4: Yesterday, when he got home from school, Zach said, "No homework this weekend! Not any even from my reader!" When I checked his planner however, there surely was reading from said reader. And his previous statement became suspect, especially because of the added "reader" portion. So I said, "Zach did you just forget, or are you not telling the truth?" Zach, looking quite glum and contrite replied, "Well, I forgot my book." Grrrrr. {Mommy horns and fangs sprout, as eyes turn glowing blood-red} So not only did he lose his screen time for the big ol' fat L-I-E, screen time that he had so diligently been working for to be able to use this weekend, we also had to walk back to the school with a feverish Josh, a hungry Luke and a pouting Ben, and the cold, angry wind whipping my hair around my Mommy horns.

Mud Puddle #5: I have endured days and days of children's movies, and not the ones I love, like Finding Nemo and Nanny McPhee. We're talking Land Before Time Volumes I through CXXVI (yes, there is an "earthshake" in every single movie), Star Wars: The Clone Wars (for the 5,453rd time), Dora the Explorer (yes, my boys still love the sassy, Spanish-speaking senorita, and who am I to deny them her educational annoyingness when it means I don't have to watch the less desirable Little People and their odd nightmare-inducing claymation...Delicioso!), and I have to wonder, why does Swiper feel the need to take things just to throw them into the bushes? Why?

Mud Puddle #6: I stepped on three Legos yesterday (if you don't have a child who is into Legos, just know that those little buggers may not appear threatening, but the feeling of one sinking its sharp little edges into your foot makes me think of hungry piranhas devouring my foot flesh), and cut my thumb with a knife in the exact same spot I did just one week ago that had finally healed to the point where it wasn't annoying and tender anymore.

Mud Puddle #7: I am a veteran of the "Get back in bed, you're sick, so you can't play with your brothers!" war. As well as the "No, you can't sit and watch movies all day when you are well, so go find something fun to do, and be happy about it, dang it!" war. Couldn't they all have gotten sick at the same time, in one vomitous mass (forgive the imagery there)?

Mud Puddle #8: I have only been away from my house for a total of five hours since Monday afternoon, two of which were spent at the dentist's office where they were really nice, but didn't have any toys for Josh to play with or books to read, other than a wood block puzzle, the kind Luke currently enjoys playing with, while I had my teeth cleaned for the first time in a year, in other words it took a really long time for them to get my chompers clean, so he played with my purse, swinging back and forth from the hook it was hanging on, and now it has white scrapes all over the green pleather. It's not a costly loss, but annoying, nonetheless. One of the remaining three hours was spent at the grocery store with three children. 'Nuf said.

Mud Puddle #9: Let me refer you to my last post once again.

Mud Puddle #10: Yesterday, I ate four chocolate chip cookies in 30 seconds. Is that the behavior of a woman who is in complete control of her senses? No. No it is not.

Mud Puddle #11: After Friday afternoon's discussion on honesty with Zach, and by "discussion" I mean passionate lecture, at bedtime I noticed his Gameboy missing from its bag. When I asked him where it was, he sheepishly took it out of hiding below his bed where he had stashed it in order to play it after lights out. {Mommy horns, fangs, and blood-red eyes this time accompanied by green scaly skin and stegosauri-like spines} After vehement lecture, and by "lecture" I mean loud and forceful shouting, I took a deep breath and quietly discussed responsibility, honesty, trust and consequences with Zach. "I love you, honey, no matter what, but I am very disappointed in your choices today. You need to think, 'What is more important, having one hour of secret Gameboy play time, or mommy's trust for the next few months.' Because you've lost that, and you need to work to get it back, not with words, but with actions." Let glazed-eyed staring begin.

Mud Puddle #12: Luke has thrown 28 tantrums over the past four days. Twenty of them having something to do with either a) not being allowed to play with my sharp knitting needles; b) not having a t-shirt on that has a ball of some sort; or c) not being able to snuggle up with one sick brother or another. What were the other 8 ones over, you ask? I have no @*%&@$! idea.

So I am going out for the afternoon and then I am going on a date. This date night is like a good pair of Wellingtons. So was making that cake today with the boys. My very stylish "just laughing together" and my attractive "licking every last bit of cake batter off the bowls" boots. And actually, another surprising pair of boots I put on today was watching Zach clean his designated toilet. He did it with such gusto, and actually got it pretty durn clean! I only had to do a few little re-wipes. Awesome. It's the boots that make the mud not so bad. And, ultimately, even with all the mud, I have a lot of great, mud-proof boots.

Miracles...or Trying to See Three Days of The Nast in a Cup-Half-Full Kinda Way **With Addendum**

You, my dear blog readers, know by now that I am an eternal optimist. Thanks for that, Dad! So, while the last four days sucked, I am determined to see the positive side to our most recent episode of The Nasty, Nasty Nast a.k.a. The Stomach Flu.

Miracle #1: While Zach did throw up two portions of tomato soup with noodles all over his bed, bed miscellany, and the low shag carpet in his bedroom, which was probably the most disgusting thing I have ever seen or had to clean up in my life, with the sole exception of Ruby dog-diarrhea after she ate a used Pull-Up while we were trying to sell the house (thank God for the wet vac!), he did it before Adam and I went to bed, so we had an uninterrupted night of sleep.

Miracle #2: While afore mentioned horribly disgusting throw-up was everywhere, including all over Zach's full-size comforter that is too large to fit into my not-gigundo size washing machine; I have a bathtub, and Woolite, and vinegar, and some (not large, but reasonable) arm and leg muscles, as well as friends who have the brilliance to mention that I may be able to wash said comforter in the tub. And so I did. And it is clean and odor-free.

Miracle #3: While Zach failed to make it to the bathroom the second time he threw up, actually, he failed to wake up at all (which is beyond description in its disgustingness, but also another reason why Adam and I got such a good night of sleep), the Sea of Towels did its duty, and did it proudly. Not a fleck of red or smooshy noodle was found anywhere beyond the perimeter of The Sea. I won't go into what was on the towels, but I was just glad it wasn't on anything else. This picture is not Zach's Sea of Towels, the heroic Sea of Towels, as that one promptly ended up rinsed out and then in the washing machine, but it is an example of the set up.Miracle #4: While Adam and I did not escape The Nast, we did make it through relatively easily and on different days. In addition, his boss let him "work from home" the day he was sick since he had a bunch of performance appraisals to read anyway, thus he didn't have to use a PTO day, and I didn't get sick until later in the afternoon on the second day, so he didn't have to miss that day either, gotta use those scant vacation days wisely! Plus, our yuckiness brought out the good in our kids...see that cute "Get Well" card Ben made Adam? (And look at my patient husband, letting me take pictures of him sick...that's blog love!)Miracle #5: While Ben did not escape The Nast, he did make it to the bathroom for every barf and was thrilled to be able to finally enter the "sick room" where Zach had been quarantined for the previous 24-hours, and hang out with his favorite bro and the portable DVD player.Miracle #6: My friend Margaret, who had called to check on the location of our Wednesday playgroup, (the first question in my vomit-addled mind was, "What's playgroup?") heard our plight and offered to bring us dinner. And didn't take "That's O.K. You don't have to; we're fine," for an answer. Because by that evening I was not fine. And the family was happy to have a warm, tasty dinner...and fresh baked cookies too! Because otherwise I don't know what they would have had...Adam's stand-by is tomato soup with noodles...and that was definitely out. Not only that, but she just elbowed out my friend Kendra, who, not a-half-an-hour later, made the same offer! Dude, seriously girls, you rock my world.Miracle #7 (and perhaps the best one of all): Josh and Luke, the two children in our home who have a snowball's chance in hell of making it to the toilet, somehow avoided The Nast once again. They never got it last time either. Or the strep throat. Seriously, that has to be a miracle. Proof: Luke happily eating this afternoon, 48-hours since Ben's last puke. Hallelujah!Please realize that I am writing this from the "after" point of view. Any post put up over the last three days would have read quite differently. Maybe titled, "Take Me Now, God!" or "Why The Smell of Puke Makes Me Want To Cut Off My Nose," or possibly, "By The Time You Read This, I Will Be The Newest Resident of St. Sabastian's Home For The Mentally Insane."

**Addendum** OK, so maybe this post should have been named one of those. Or at least "Will It Ever End?" or "Jumping the Gun." Possibly, "Optimism Gets You Nowhere." Or maybe we can just scratch part of #7. Not ten minutes after I posted this, Josh came to me looking as white as a sheet, feeling as clammy as a fish, and told me his tummy hurt. And then it came. Oh, yes. Come it did. **shudder** It makes me ill all over again to think of it. But I will spare you. Go on happily to your dinners and think no more upon it. To keep the essence of the post I will say that Luke is still cheerful and happily torturing the dog (who is thankfully quite tolerant, look at her face saying, "*sigh* I am so put upon, quite literally."), so at this point we won't remove #7 altogether.

Celebrating Presidents' Day With The Teddy Roosevelt Mindset

"We of an older generation can get along with what we have, though with growing hardship; but in your full manhood and womanhood you will want what nature once so bountifully supplied and man so thoughtlessly destroyed; and because of that want you will reproach us, not for what we have used, but for what we have wasted...So any nation which in its youth lives only for the day, reaps without sowing, and consumes without husbanding, must expect the penalty of the prodigal whose labor could with difficulty find him the bare means of life."Arbor Day - A Message to the School-Children of the United States" April 15, 1907

Adam had the afternoon off on Monday, Presidents' Day. And it was a pretty nice day. So we thought we would honor the nature-loving, conservation-driven spirit of President Teddy Roosevelt by hitting the hills for another beautiful Colorado hike. This time the hike took us up to Catamount Falls in the tiny town of Green Mountain Falls, Colorado. I know I always put up tons of pictures from our hikes, but that is because there are so many beautiful, breath-taking things to see! This wintry hike held treasures that will be long melted when we go back and hike it again this summer. I can't wait! It is going to be a completely different hike on a warm, sunny July day. Enjoy the pictures, we sure enjoyed the hike!

Luke and I at the starting point, overlooking a frozen-over pond. One lone goose, seen on the ice just below my back, seemed to have missed the bus to Arizona. Fortunately, the cafe next to the pond takes care of his dietary needs, as for the cold? I hope feathers are enough!

For much of the first half of the hike we were a little disappointed. The town won't let you park close to the actual trail head because it is off residential streets, so we had to start following along the roadside. It's a cute little town, with a lot of buildings/homes from the early settlement days (i.e. mid to late 1800's), but we were hoping for a little more "nature." We followed a lot of rustic home-in-the-woods and log-fishing-cabin lined streets too. My favorite thing about this part was seeing all the cute names for the houses like "Blue Haven" "Love in the Pines" and "Sutter's Effort." Unfortunately, the boys were not as excited about well-picked names for vacation cabins. They were whiny, and not thrilled about the lack of boulders to climb and the steepness of the streets.

However, as soon as we got off the road and onto the trail, they perked right up, and not a whine was heard...until the descent, once again on the cabin-lined dirt roads. A sign posted at the entrance to the trail warned of mountain lion sightings. So we made sure to walk not-softly and Adam carried a big stick (get the Teddy Roosevelt reference there? Hardy, har!). We chuckled at ourselves, like a stick would help if a hungry mountain lion wanted us for dinner! But it made us feel better anyway. Don't worry, we didn't see a single one. Here's Adam and the boys heading up the mountain-lion-free trail. This was just a cute picture of Josh, climbing one of those boulders the boys missed so much on the first part of the hike.
And then we arrived at a big surprise, which turned out to be best part of the hike...Catamount Creek, a.k.a. Catamount Ice Flow. The entire creek was one giant ice slick that had risen above the level of the trail. As one layer froze another would rush down and freeze on top and around the first until it reached up, out, over and around the bridge and proceeded to continue this process, making its way down the trail. Layer upon layer of frozen water covered the trail for at least 45 feet. It was like a giant version of the ice slick that used to grow in front of our driveway every winter when I was a kid when the drain got clogged. It was so cool (and I don't just mean cold!) and so incredibly slippery! Here Ben is taking out my legs as he goes down .Zach getting in some dramatics while trying to stand up. Josh just opted for the one-foot crawl. Some of the mega-icicles.
More frozen cascading creek. When the creek became solid, the water that hadn't yet frozen just started going wherever it wanted!A little portion of the creek goes through a rock cave. You could hear the water still flowing underneath the thick ice.
Ben could hardly stand, not that he wanted to. He thought the falling was the best! You can see the "ripples" in the frozen creek he is trying to walk up.
Luke thought the slipping and sliding was so funny. Ruby did not. And I love this picture, because you can see Ben mid-fall in the background. As you can see, we spent some time here on the frozen, expanded creek. Did I say yet that it was slippery? Ice skating arenas have nothing on this ice flow! I could hardly stand, and just when I thought I had my balance, I would nearly go down again.

You can see a good portion of the ice flow here, as well as the icicle covered rocks. It was a creek gone crazy and then flash frozen.To get to the actual falls you have to climb up the mountain above the ice flow. Look at Ruby's cute little face. We got her this hiking pack, which she surprisingly seems to really like. Like it gives her purpose. But she can't seem to remember that she is wider because of it, and gets stuck when the path goes between boulders, or bumps us off the trail when she wants to get by. We called her our "Little Buttinsky" the entire hike, as she butted one or the other of the boys out of her way with her pack.
Me and my fantastic boys. I really liked this picture of Adam, so handsome!
This is Catamount Falls. It was amazing. I don't know if it will be nearly as impressive after the thaw. The entire falls was encased in this glass-like ice tube. I didn't have the camera that has video capabilities, so you can't really tell, but that part that looks clearish, that was really like a little ice window, completely frozen over but clear. The part in it that looks like icicles hanging down is actually the water falling behind the "window." You could hear and see the falls still plunging down the rocks! Awesome!

Here are the boys in front of the falls. You can see it isn't a very big falls, that is why I think it was definitely more amazing to see in the winter. We are planning on heading back this summer so we can see the difference.
This sign is posted on the other end of the trail loop, as in, the end of the trail that we didn't start from. Would have been nice to know ahead of time, not that it would have stopped us!
Luke was tired and cold by the end of the hike, so I ended up carrying him down the mountain, snuggled in my jacket with his little mittened hands in my armpits to warm them up.

This sign posted by one of the log cabins says it all. What a great afternoon with my favorite boys in the world! I do love this family!