Christmas

Christmas morning the boys woke bright and early to see what Santa had brought them that night. The cookies and carrots were eaten, and Santa had left them a note. The note said that because of the snowstorm, two presents had fallen off of Santa's sleigh and that Santa would bring those presents soon. On a related note, UPS has started up delivery again, but we have not had a visit from them yet.

Kobe and Luke were very excited to open all their presents. They got many of the things they had asked for, including some very life-like stuffed animal puppies from Nanny and Papa. Jude's favorite present of the morning is when we let him eat his first sucker. He had found a sucker on the floor and had put it in his mouth with the wrapper still on. He could taste that sweetness through the wrapper and refused to let it go. So as a special Christmas treat we took the wrapper off and let him go at it all morning. He was so happy and spent all of Christmas morning with that sucker in his mouth crawling on top of and over presents.

It was so great to spend Christmas with my family in our home. We had a lazy and fun day. We opened all of our gifts and the boys just played with their new toys all day. While my family was here we spent our evenings watching 'Lost' Season 3 and 'The Office'. We went out on Tuesday for a little shopping and out to dinner (my Gammie's Christmas present to everyone). Wednesday we went out to a movie and just hung out some more. The best part was just having everyone here in our little house and spending time together. My family left Thursday and it took them twelve hours to drive home because there was more snow to hurdle through. We have just been trying to get our house back in order and find places for all these new toys. We are snowed in again today, but we don't really have any place to go, so we're happy!

Christmas Eve

Our Christmas holiday was wonderful! We spent Saturday, the 23rd, at a choir practice for the Christmas program, frantically cleaning the house for my family to arrive, running last minute shopping errands (it was a crazy, madhouse everywhere because of the storm) and more shoveling out ourselves and neighbors. My family arrived safely Saturday night which was a relief. Sunday morning was the Christmas program and it went well. It is over, and I feel peace. I don't want to relive it, so we will move on.

Then we enjoyed a peaceful Christmas Eve with dinner and a nativity. This year Kobe wanted to be the angel which was so adorable. Smart, too, because the angel definitely has the most speaking parts. Luke wanted to be Joseph, but was so tired by the end of the night that he really didn't want to be anything at all. We bribed him with a sippy full of hot chocolate and he was good to go in Mary's lap. Marcie was Mary, her husband Jamis, was a shepherd, and Willie, Kenny, and Timmy were the wisemen. Jakob and I got to sit out for the first time. I guess turning 30 and having three kids was our ticket out. Or maybe it was just because we provided our replacements in Kobe and Luke.

The boys opened up their new footy jammies and all of us kids opened up our matching pajamas from my parents. We put out cookies and milk for Santa and carrots and water for the reindeer, and the boys were off to bed at 8:00pm! Mom and Dad rolled into bed shortly after - at about 1:30am. The joy of Christmas Eve!

Baby It's Cold Outside

We survived the blizzard of 2006. Not as bad as 2003, but still ranked the 6th biggest of all time in Denver. It was good timing because we didn't have much to do, but Jakob still went into work yesterday morning and then left at 1pm, but he didn't pull in - rather hike in - until 5:30pm. His car made it up to our subdivision, but couldn't push through the final blocks. The community really pulls together during this time. Some neighbor let him use her shovel so that he could shovel his way off the street and park on the side. And a different neighbor brought him a hat and scarf when she saw him hiking home. Jakob will stay home again tomorrow because there's no hope in us getting out of here, but hopefully the sun will come and we'll be free on Saturday.

Our neighbor works as a manager at TJ Maxx and they really wanted her to come in today. The storm is bad timing for retail right before Christmas. So they spent hours shoveling their driveway only to get stuck right as they pulled onto the street. So then Jakob went and helped them shovel for awhile just so she could pull back in her driveway. Crazy.

I really wish my boys were healthy because they could've made some amazing snow forts and snow tunnels in our backyard. But this snow won't go anywhere for awhile so hopefully they'll get to play in it soon. Keep warm everyone!

Santa Visit #3

This was our final visit with Santa this year. It was at our Ward Christmas Party last Saturday. We didn't even try Jude this time, and Luke didn't want to at first. But Kobe ran right to line and waited patiently. This time his request was for a bow and arrow. That was news to us. Then when Luke saw that Santa was giving away slinkies, he hesitantly made his way for one last picture. We were so lucky to have so many opportunities to visit Santa this year!

Our whole family has been so sick this week. After the Christmas Party on Saturday Jude was running a fever and Kobe began his chronic coughing. We stayed home from church on Sunday which was a huge blessing because some little boy in the nursery got chicken pox this week. So Kobe was coughing like crazy all Sunday night, we tried every medicine that we have (and we have a lot) and I even drove him around the neighborhood from 1-2am in hopes that the cool air would help his cough. It didn't and he ended up coughing so hard he threw-up....twice. In the morning Jude woke up coughing so hard he threw-up, too. I took them both to the doctor. On top of it all, I got my first case of laryngitis and lost my voice.

Luke was our only healthy child until he got a stomach virus and threw-up five times Tuesday night. Finally, Jakob caught a little stomach bug today, too, but he was home anyway so that worked out. Sometimes I think my children should be on a St. Jude's commercial. They are constantly sick! And Kobe's is a sick that no one can solve. I hate to say it, but I think there's some mutation in the combination of Jakob's and my genes. But at least it didn't affect their cuteness, just their health!

More Short Hair Drama

Jakob surprised me with an early Christmas present last night when I checked our answering machine. "This is the Blue Dragonfly Salon calling to remind you of your hair cut appointment tomorrow with Angela." Angela is a girl in our ward who is an AMAZING hair stylist and who I've always wished to go to. "This is crazy," I said out loud. Had I actually made an appointment to get my hair cut there and completely forgot? I had absolutely no recollection, but I am, without question, slowly losing my mind. But then I saw a smile creep across Jakob's face and knew that he had made the appointment for me. JAKERS!!!! What a guy! The best early Christmas present ever.

So now the haircut. This one is called, (don't laugh), the Sienna Miller. Now, it is quite frankly the most amazing haircut I have ever gotten. This girl Angela is so gifted. She even flies to San Diego once a month for her clients there. My hair looks EXACTLY like the picture of Sienna Miller that I brought in. However, I was completely shocked - SHOCKED - that my face looks nothing like Sienna Miller. I look like Mindy York with really, REALLY short hair. I'm happy, but still in shock with a constant surprised smile on my face because I can't believe I have chopped all my hair off. I think I'll get used to it and like it, but I'm still not really sure if I'll be able to style it like she does. Short hair - such drama!

Also, Happy 10 month old birthday to Jude! What a guy! Crawling, eating, laughing, playing, getting into cupboards, trying to climb the stairs, looking chubby as ever but the doctor says he's underweight. We LOVE having Jude around!

Santa Visit #2

Last night PWC rented out The Children's Museum in Denver for all the employee families. It was a lot of fun and we had another opportunity to see Santa. We gave Jude another try, but he was onto Santa a lot earlier this time. Kobe made it a goal to ask for different things every time he sees Santa. His list keeps growing and growing!

I also wanted to show everyone who doesn't have the opportunity to stop by Denver in December our festive house. I give all the credit to my hubby, Jakers, who has mastered the light put up. Good job, honey!

He Knows If You've Been Bad Or Good, So Be Good For Goodness Sake

Yesterday we went and saw Santa Claus. It was our first outdoor Santa and it was really neat because there was snow all around and he was sitting in his sleigh. They had a Mrs. Claus there and two elves, too. Kobe and Luke were very excited, but Jude was a little hesitant. We had all the boys sit on his lap together, first. Then just Jude since he wasn't crying...yet. He didn't last very long.

Then Luke who was shy, but sure to ask him for Batman Legos and puzzles. Then Santa told Luke that he was on his good list. But he asked him if he could brush his teeth every morning and night. And be sure and stay in bed after mom and dad put him there at night. Woe! Was this some sort of spiritual experience? Luke does make it a little difficult to brush his teeth since he's so wiggly. But he is ALWAYS getting out of bed every night and staying up super late. How would Santa know? That was weird.

Then it was Kobe's turn and he was so happy and excited. Santa also told Kobe he was on the good list, but asked if he could try and mind mom and dad the first time they ask him, instead of after a few times. I'm not a big fan of Santa's giving advice or guidance. My boys are super sensitive (like their mom) and usually get their feelings hurt when they feel like they're getting in trouble. But this Santa was just really sweet and genuine and wanting to take a lot of time with each child. But that is something that Kobe struggles with - minding on the first ask. This Santa is awesome. Kobe just nodded. He began to ask for some Power Ranger toy and I turned to put Jude back into his stroller. When I turned my attention back to Kobe, Santa was saying something like, "You have to feed them and care for them. Can you do that?" Kobe nodded. 'What's that all about?' I thought. Kobe jumps off Santa's lap, runs to me with a grin and says, "Santa says he's going to bring me a puppy!" This Santa is not so awesome. Do I need to call and report him to some Santa union?

I explained that Santa meant he'll bring you a puppy SOMEDAY, but not this Christmas because it's not a good time. Nevertheless, there are drawings of a puppy scattered all over the house now. 'Tails' is his name. Ah, the hard knocks of life. Kobe's first disappointing Christmas. I'm sure he'll only think about it for a second and then be engrossed with all his other toys. But we sure do put a lot of trust in these Santas every year. Good luck with all your visits!

Here's A Story, Of A Lovely Lady

This weekend was a busy one! On Friday our ward had a Nativity program that was just scripture reading and musical numbers, then refreshments and a display of everyone's nativities. I sang 'Gesu Bambino' which I also sang last year in sacrament meeting during church. I didn't want to do a repeat, but I was so stressed with everything that I didn't have time to learn anything new. This was the fourth time I've performed this song, so it was nice to be completely comfortable with the lyrics and tune. But not too many people noticed the re-run. It must not have a been a memorable performance last year, because almost everyone there said, "I didn't know you could sing, Mindy!" Maybe they just didn't recognize me with my new hair.

As you can see from the picture, I am struggling with another bad hair cut. I went to a new girl, and either I have a knack for picking the wrong stylist, or short hair is just a complete gamble and the odds are against you every time. I call this one, 'Florence Henderson on Chemo'. It's like the bubble top with the ends flipped out, but she thinned my ends so much that it looks like I'm losing my hair. But I will not be defeated! Now that I've tried short hair, I just can't go back to the high maintenance of long hair. At least not for awhile.

This picture is of Jakob's work party that we went to Saturday night. It was only an okay party, but it was good to get out nonetheless. For the entertainment they had 'Dueling Pianos'. I don't know what 'Dueling Pianos' are supposed to be, but I hope they're not supposed to be two drunk piano players singing horrible karaoke and practicing for amateur stand-up gigs. Because that's what it was. It was like they had never talked on a microphone before because they were SO LOUD. Like when the little kids give talks in primary and hold the microphone so close to their mouth they can taste it. So we were basically yelling over them the whole night.

And then there's the 'Open Bar' factor at these work functions. I certainly know very little about drinking, but I cannot for the life of me understand getting drunk. I thought of this analogy: Being drunk is like running around the room naked. If everyone in the room is running around naked, too, then you have nothing to be embarrassed about because everyone is naked. But at a work party, not everyone is naked. Some of us are completely dressed. So when Jakob wants me to meet the guy that he's been talking about, the guy that he works with and admires, and that guy is running around the party naked, well, I pretty much have a hard time believing that this guy is respectable. But that's just me, a graduate of 'Stone Cold Sober University'.

One sad thing about the annual PWC Christmas Party is that I inevitably get a little tiffed at Jakob. I know that is sad, but it always happens, and here's why. Since we've been married, I have gradually become the driver of our social vehicle. It's probably because I stay at home and get to know more women that way. I don't like it, but it is what it is. But the work party is Jakob's turf - his work, his friends, his colleagues, his party. So I kind of take a back seat and let him be the leader during this function. But Jakob has a flaw. I know it seems impossible to believe, but it's true. He cannot break away.

You know that lull in the conversation where there's uncomfortable silence and everyone takes a look around the room and a sip of their drink? That silence that offers the perfect opportunity to break away and move onto greener conversations? Jakob does not recognize it. He doesn't make a move. We stand there, in uncomfortable silence, for quite some time. Until our small talking accomplice remembers another story about something that happened at training, or some funny forward he received the other day. Our encounters with Jakob's peers last a minimum of 30 minutes at these functions. The longest 30 minutes of my life.

So that's Jakob's flaw, and I can live with it. He says he's just afraid of offending people by breaking away. He's just considerate to a fault, and I can definitely be married to that!

B.Y(eah, Baby!). U.

I have a list of 'to-do's' pages long, and on there is to blog. So I forced myself to take some time to post, even though I don't have much to say. I did want to document a historical football game, BYU vs. Utah, that we were able to be a part of. We watched it at our house and had some people over. The people in attendance might argue that I actually watched the game. But I was there. Around. Listening. I am such a multi-tasker that I can't remember the last time I sat down on the couch and watched something without another task in my hands. And I'm not a big football watcher, just supporter. I did see plenty of highlights, though, and am proud of my team.

We're busy putting up all our Christmas decorations now. We just had another snow storm so I'm trying to coordinate not having to leave my house for a couple days. I really don't like driving in the snow! I'm also extremely stressed about our choir Christmas program. I'm having to call all these people to assign narration parts and musical numbers. And I HATE calling people. I love to talk with my friends on the phone, but I hate phone calling tasks. I have never liked it and can't explain why. But it is seriously torturous for me to pick up the phone and call someone with a question or request. I treat it like pulling off a band-aid. When I get the thought that I need to make that call, I hurry and get the phone and dial as quick as I can before I chicken out and delay the call yet again. Answering machine! Yes! Transferring the responsibility of the call back to another person is a treat.

Kobe, Luke, and Jude are doing well. This is Kobe's last week before he's off-track for the whole month of December, so that's exciting. Luke is enjoying life and just hanging out with his friends and brothers. And Jude is getting so big and loves to follow his brothers around the house. All is well! No great stories, but hopefully soon, when things calm down.

A little bit about the choir. Definitely the hardest and most uncomfortable calling I'll ever have. One of the hardest parts is having to pretend to be confident. I met with a superb choir director who gave me some guidance, and he said to act confident and don't apologize for anything. If the director is confident, then the choir will feel confident, like they have a leader, and they will perform better. This is true. I have been trying my hardest to act confident and like I know what I'm doing, and our choir has grown and improved immensely. Do I get satisfaction from this? Yes. Do I wish I could get released tomorrow? Yes. It's great that the choir is big and strong, but I have not gotten any more comfortable directing them since the day I started. I keep hoping that this isn't my calling in life, to become a superb choir director. I so wish I could be IN the choir. Or performing in some other way. But oh, well. I just hope that the Christmas program is a success so that I can bask in the two week break in between semesters. Yes, I broke the year into two choir semesters. I have also planned out all the music we will be performing for a year. And put all the music in folders. Every member has a folder. And there is a craft room with crafts I prepare every Sunday for children. This calling is killing me.

Happy Holidays! :)

Saturday Night Fever

Last Saturday night, November 18, I threw Jakob a 70's themed surprise 30th birthday party. I wanted to title this post 'Earth, Wind, & Tired' because it was the most exhausting thing I've done in a long time. But it was a complete success and we had a blast. Jakob had no idea and everyone who came was super fun. Jakob claims it was his best birthday ever! Yeah!

First of all, keeping everything a secret from Jakob was extremely hard. I now realize how much I 'verbally abuse' him. It's abusive because I basically verbalize every thought in my head or event in my day and he has to sit and listen. So when I had to keep all these details and happenings a secret, it was torture for me! I so wanted to ask him who he wanted to come, tell him who couldn't come and why, show him all the cool stuff I found at the thrift store. But I didn't and I am so proud of myself.

I spent the whole week getting 70's themed stuff: fabric, decorations, costumes, tupperware, and food. A lot of friends helped me out by preparing little fondue dishes to bring so that I wasn't cooking all day Saturday. That would have surely given it away. ("Why is Mindy cooking? That is unusual. Something must be up.") I had everything set when Saturday arrived, and Jakob was prepared to go out to dinner with me that evening. I tried to keep the house clean all day, and I'm surprised that didn't give it away. ("Why is Mindy cleaning? That is unusual. Something must be up.")

I told Jakob I needed to work on a primary lesson so could he please take the kids to the sitters by himself and come back and get me. And could he also stop by the store for an ink cartridge. This gave me the half-hour window to get everything ready. I was running like a mad woman hanging curtains, covering couches, hanging up 70's decor, setting the table, arranging fondue, and getting dressed. Friends trickled in dressed in their 70's garb, and helped to decorate. We were all ready at our posts when Jakob came in and was completely surprised. He was so happy, and anxious to get dressed in his 70's clothes I had set out upstairs.

I loved my dress because it was authentic 70's - authentic 1970's and authentic 70 year old woman. I definitely looked more like the teacher standing in the 1970 school picture and not the cute teenage girl, but I really liked it. Jakob was in the coolest vest and coat we found at DI over the summer, paired with an authentic 70's shirt, pants, wig and glasses. He was definitely a 'cool cat'.

We snacked on fondue and watched Jakob's critically acclaimed performance in 'Oh, What A Pretty Web', his Uncle's BYU film that Jakob starred in when he was 9 or so. Jakob's a humble guy, but would never pass up the opportunity to move people with his stirring performance. :) We then played 70's themed pictionary and ate pizza. Then we played another game called 'Super Bowls' which was a ton of fun. (Thanks, Denae!) We took pictures and sang 'Happy Birthday' and ate Jakob's favorite kind of cake - cheesecake! It was a fun night and it was definitely worth all the stress and work. Jakob loves to party, and even I enjoyed the evening. Happy 30th Birthday, Jakob!

Journal

Since this is the only 'journalesque' record I am keeping about my life and family, I want to jot down a few random things that I want to remember for all time. Unfortunately, many of the random things I have been thinking about recording have already been forgotten. Hopefully they'll slowly come back to my remembrance (probably during my personal prayers, where so many thoughts creep in :)). Here's a few things:

Kobe has glasses! He was randomly getting these really horrible headaches where he would have to lay on the couch and would cry in pain. I was thinking brain tumor, but a friend suggested I get his eyes checked. Sure enough, he is far-sighted, which means that he sees fine far away, but strains during reading. The doctor said that many children will grow out of this in time, and gave him some 'student glasses' for desk work. The hardest part was picking out the frames, because Kobe would only try on the sample pairs that were blue. I explained that many of the glasses can be ordered in blue, but a five year old's imagination can't fathom things unseen very well, so the choice was between blue frame A and blue frame B. Fortunately, blue frame A was as cute as can be! He loves his glasses and wears them all the time. It's a good age to get glasses - good for the self-esteem. All his friends are always saying, "I want glasses like Kobe!" And Kobe grins from ear to ear. I will now use this post to officially announce the retirement of Kobe's famous spiky hair. It made it's first appearance Halloween '04 when he went as Harry Potter, and stuck around ever since. But a couple weeks ago, during our 'styling time', Kobe got tears in his eyes and said he didn't want spiky hair anymore because it makes him sad when people touch his hair and say, "Ouch!" I tried to console him and tell him they were just joking, but he just doesn't want the attention anymore. I know I'm going to try and sneak it in every once in awhile if I can, but for now, "Au Revoir Spiky Hair!"

Luke is really enjoying preschool and friends. He is finally old enough to start building relationships with other kids, and loves to list off all his friends: Spencer, Grant, Logan, Kai, Tanner, Nate, Matthew, and more. He's a social guy! His friend, Grant, is a year older than him. They have gotten together to play twice. But, apparently, there was a lot of deep discussion and interaction during those meetings, because everything Luke knows, he learned from Grant. "Cool moves, Luke!" "Grant taught me." "Thanks you for being reverent during the prayer." "Grant told me how." Almost every sentence out of Luke's mouth begins with "Grant". He used to have this same dialogue, but instead with his Uncle Kenny as his mentor. "Kenny" still sneaks in an appearance here and there, but it's mostly "Grant". Luke is also a super cuddly guy. Whenever he is watching TV, playing a game, or playing video games, he always finds a blanket to lay over him. It's so cute! Usually it's one of Jude's blankets since those are most accessible. I think most kids wouldn't interrupt what they're doing to find a blanket to snuggle with, but Luke is a snuggler and never forgets to grab a blanky. "I'n cunfy."

Jude is nine months today! He has graduated from an army crawl to being up on all fours. Unless he's on our cold, tile, kitchen floor and then he walks on his toes and hands, bended at the waist. He thinks he's pretty big and immediately magnets toward anything he shouldn't be getting into. He eats cheerios and biter biscuits now. He's also a jokester. When he knows he's getting into something he shouldn't be, he looks right at Jakob and I, smiles, and then turns and crawls as fast as he can towards the naughty thing, squealing in delight as he goes. He's started to wave and clap a little. The other day, it was just Kobe, Jude and I at the dinner table. After I got done saying the prayer, Jude said loudly, "Amen." I'M NOT JOKIN! (As Kobe always says) He said Amen as clear as can be and Kobe and I were laughing so hard. We have tried to repeat the magic, but Jude hasn't even come close to 'Amen'. However, as we are getting ready to close a prayer, he recognizes the ending and will always give out a little gibberish, his way of saying amen, I guess.

We're good here. Super busy, thus the lack of blogging. I hope things will calm down next week. I want to blog about the horror, anxiety, stomach issues, and glimpse of satisfaction that the church choir is giving me eventually. Another time!

A Trick and Some Treats

Halloween this year was a lot of fun. Long ago the boys decided they wanted to be Power Rangers for Halloween. Kobe wanted to be 'Solaris Knight', a primarily blue Power Ranger, and Luke wanted to be the green Power Ranger. They dreamed of getting the muscle costumes they saw in a magazine, so we set up a chore chart so they could earn them. As a side note, it was my first chore chart for them, and a huge disaster. I basically listed every single thing I could ever possibly want them to do in a day, and put it into a chore chart that stretched three pages long. Make bed, clear dishes, brush teeth, pick up toys, no fighting, no tantrums, help mom, put clothes in hamper, good manners, to name a few. Each chore earned 5 cents a piece, and it would take them six weeks of 100% completion to earn their costumes. Kobe was determined, and I soon realized that this would end up being more of a chore for me, as they needed mom's help to complete most of the chart. And I am far from 100% dedicated to all of these things. We let the chart slide, but the boys more than earned their muscle costumes.

In the month of October, I like to go to as many costume activities as possible to get my money's worth. This year we had the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. While at the doctor's office, there was a flyer for a huge Halloween extravaganza where there would be trick-or-treating in the medical office building and tons of treats and activities for kids in the parking lot. There was also a side note mentioning that flu shots would be available. This is where the trick comes in. In our first Halloween adventure, we got all dressed in our costumes, did some activities in the parking lot, trick-or-treated in the medical building, and finally came upon the flu shot room. When they saw my boys in their costumes with trick or treat bags in hand, they said, "This room is for flu shots only." "Exactly," I said. And in we went. I had told the boys that this would be a part of our day, but even the warning didn't prepare them for such a painful downer. Kobe was already starting to moan and whimper in anticipation, when they reviewed his form and said they couldn't give him a shot because he was on antibiotics. Phew! Boy, did Kobe have a lot of comfort and advice for Luke after he found out he wasn't getting his shot that day! When Jude went, he barely made a peep. I think he's like Bruce Willis's character on 'Invincible' or something. Strange. Luke got his shot and didn't take it so well. Lots of crying during and for some time after. Trick.

After that twisted day, the boys got to wear their costumes at a church trunk-or-treat, Kobe at his school party, and on Halloween night around our block and at a church trick-or-treat in our building. They literally became candy addicts. I was too frantic and overwhelmed during the week of all the festivities to monitor their candy intake, so they basically had a free for all. They were never hungry for real food, but were constantly in the corners of our kitchen, inhaling candy, running around on their high, and then crashing hard in the evenings. I am so glad that all of our candy is finally gone. And for the first time, it was the boys who ate most of it, instead of mom and dad. I mean, mom. It's only because this year there seemed to be a shortage of chocolate in circulation. Mostly just sugar candies, which I have no interest in. Sad.

So that was our Halloween! Another fun year! Hope yours was great, too!

Carvin Marvin

Well, it's Halloween night, but I'm so behind in my blogging that I'm first going to document our pumpkin happenings. We went to our favorite nursery to pick out our pumpkins. They have a maze and one of those blow-up bouncy things for the boys to jump on. The boys love to pick out their pumpkins, but it takes FOREVER because they are so indecisive. First they want skinny and tall, then they want short and fat, and it goes back and forth. And the final decision can never be made until Luke is positive about his pumpkin. Because once Luke has chosen his pumpkin, then Kobe can proceed to find a pumpkin that is bigger and taller than Luke's. Heaven forbid Luke's should be bigger than Kobe's. My heart goes out to seconds. (To put your mind at ease, Luke doesn't even care if his pumpkin is smaller than Kobe's. He's a very confident boy and always thinks that his choice of pumpkin is the coolest, regardless of size.)

Then we went home for the carving. There's nothing like carving pumpkins as a family. There is no such thing as carving pumpkins as a family. At least not in our house. Kobe and Luke have an extreme adverse reaction to the smell of the inside of a pumpkin. It's so random because they are stinky themselves most of the time. They eat dirty snow, put rocks in their mouths, when their gum falls out of their mouth, they pick it right up and eat it. And I thought that they hadn't developed a keen sense of smell yet because I never hear them complain when there are stinky smells outside....or inside. But Kobe starts dry heaving the minute we open up a pumpkin. So both boys go running upstairs while Jakob and I scoop out the innards. Then they make a brief appearance to draw their faces on. They push the saw in a few times for a good picture, and then they're off again while Jakob and I finish. We secretly don't mind because we really enjoy carving pumpkins. It's nice to tap into our creative energy every once in awhile.

We both wanted to carve Jude's baby pumpkin, but I flexed my muscles and won the contest. I tried to make Jude's pumpkin just like him. Big round eyes, cute button nose, and two little teefers. All in all, another successful carve!

Rocky Mountain High

I wanted to keep that cute picture of Monkey Jude up for as long as possible, but it's time to move on. A big part of our life lately has been snowstorms. We've had three snowstorms already and are expecting two more in the next week. Rocky Mountain High! The boys went out with Jakob and built their first snowmen of the season. Kobe did his all by himself and Luke and Daddy partnered up for theirs. But Luke did build a snow dog all by himself. There's no picture, but just imagine a pile of snow the size of a basketball and you'll get the idea.

The boys love to play in the snow! One positive about Denver is that the day after a snowstorm, the weather is usually sunny and bright and sometimes even warm, so it's great for the boys to go out and play. However, I do want to note that Luke was all bundled up in snow pants, coat, hat, and gloves during the build, but ran out for a quick picture after he had been disassembled. But it was probably 70 degrees so no need to call social services!

The boys destroyed their snowmen later that day in a little musical number called "Surprises, Surprises". On one of the 'Thomas the Tank Engine' videos, there's a montage of clips of the various trains crashing into snow, sliding off the tracks into snow, or, most amusing to the boys, sliding off the tracks right into the base of a gigantic snowman so that the train is now the new base of the snowman. The piece is set to a song called, "Surprises, Surprises". So the boys spent 1/2 hour crashing into their snowmen and into the snow in general singing, "Surprises, Surprises, they come in all shapes and sizes," over and over again. I was sad to see the snowmen destroyed after only a few hours, but I will encourage my boys musical aspirations at any cost!