A beautiful discovery.

It was worth the trek down south to find this spot. And, we did have to search. Although the park is situated on the south side of 285 - and you can see it from 285, you enter the park from the north. It is tricky to locate, but after driving through neighborhoods and underneath 285, we were there. Thank goodness we finally spotted signs or I don't think we would have found it. But once we finally made it, we spent hours at Bear Creek Park. It is truly a perfect park. Fountain. Swings. Slides. Creek. Grass. Trees. It is a new favorite spot. Next time, we're bringing a picnic lunch.

Lovin' the library.

Our new library, Wright Farms Library, is such an amazing addition to our growing community. Liv and Drew love our visits to the children's section. There are toys and cool chairs and puzzles and legos, and lots and lots of books and movies. We're so thankful that we now have a library so close to our home!

Happy Birthday, Tudi!

50th Anniversary

This year marks the 50th Anniversary of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Our very literary friend, Ethnie, chose this book for August book club. I'm looking forward to rereading a favorite from my high school English days, although the cover was not quite as appealing back then. Want to get your hands on an updated 50th Anniversary copy? It's available at Costco for $9.99!

A different kind of picture...

I'm an obsessive picture taker. But, sometimes I feel like my pictures are boring; cute, but boring. Set the scene: Mom trying to get everyone to look at the camera, making noises, bribing, saying, "SMILE!" and "Cheeeeeeeeeese!" Yet, I never seem to get the picture I want. So, I'm trying to think a little more like a photographer. Capturing the candid shot. Tilting the camera. Not centering my subjects or demanding a "Smile!"

So, here's an attempt. Just a random evening in the front yard with my simple Canon PowerShot camera and my most adorable subjects!

Costco.

Dinner. Laughing. Peek-a-Boo. Shopping. And, fun.

Gotta LOVE Costco!

sometimes when you least expect it...

life is hilarious and beautiful and delightful...

...even when you're just packing up the kids to run an errand.

my friend

When I met my dear friend, Sara, I was immediately taken by her laugh, her eloquence and her animated story telling. She possesses an expressiveness that is so uniquely her and entirely charming and captivating. We first met over four years ago in Foundations of Librarianship, our first class at CU-Denver in the library program. And, now four years later, we are both librarians, mothers and the best of friends.

While I continue to love those qualities that immediately drew me to her, I am now even more appreciative to have someone who I can share my tales of motherhood and marriage and life with candor and honesty. And she also openly shares her adventures with me. Most importantly, I admire the diligent, thoughtful and loving mother she is. Not only is she an amazing mother to Cameron, but she loves and cares for my Liv and Drew with such warmth and adoration. Not surprisingly, Liv is absolutely crazy about her Auntie Sara. And, watching our children play and laugh and become friends is such a beautiful extension of our friendship.

Speaking of our darling children, Liv & Cam engaging in their routine "Jump!" at the pool and Bubby getting a little more confident and secure on his feet everyday.

Thank you, my buddy, SW... I love you!
xoxox

We love... Sun. Swimming. Spotts'.

Waiting and waiting and waiting for "Adult Swim" to end. 15 minutes is a loooooong time!

Liv had a blast splashing and playing and laughing in the big pool with Spencer and Colin.

Finally on our way home. We pushed my sweet baby to the edge,
he was so tired that the little guy fell asleep in his stroller on the walk home.

♥ We love our Spotts' ♥

Olivia, the Dancer.

Ballet. Tap. Jumps. My Happy Dancing Girl.

It's everywhere...

... and, yes, clearly I buy it!

My Olivia can spot a Disney Princess a mile away. I mistakenly thought that if I stayed in the grocery section of Wal-mart and steered clear of the snack aisle, then we would not see any Princesses. But, alas, they are even in the soup aisle and my little Princess Olivia spied them! So, here you have it - Disney Princess Chicken Noodle Soup! {Sigh.}

Chick-a-fil-A

A litte chicken and a little play at Chick-a-fil-A.

(Notice the extra "a" that Liv adds with her pronunciation!)

more fun with cam.

these two buddies were at it again. this time at the orchard fountain. fun. fun. fun.

book club in laramie, wy

gorgeous summer day. beautiful friends. delicious food. heartfelt, honest conversation with a few tears. quite simply, it was good for my soul. love you, friends. (missed you, kristin & abby.)

a special thank you to: katie, our gracious hostess; ethnie, our driver; and kyle, who let his wife drive his truck so we were all able to make the trek to laramie in one vehicle!

and, after a long day i arrived home to this: a daddy-daughter rock band session!
daddy on the guitar, liv on the drums!

Loving summer at our pool

We spent a gorgeous, not too hot, day at our pool and since it was Saturday, Daddy got to come along. Yay! Our cousins Josh and Kelly, who recently moved to Colorado from Florida, and Rara also joined us. We ate a delicious picnic lunch, splashed around in the big pool, found a ladybug and enjoyed fabulous company. It was a perfect summer day!

Black Bean Brownies

I know it sounds crazy, but these are some delicious, fudgey brownies! I admit I was a little skeptical and Jason was A LOT skeptical, but they were a hit! And, it's as easy as can be. All you need is: 1 cup of water, 1 can of black beans, 1 package of Betty Crocker low-fat fudge brownie mix. Really, that's it! No egg, no oil, nothing else. Just three little ingredients.

1. Blend 1 can of black beans (drained and rinsed) with 1 cup of water.

2. Mix with brownie package.

3. Bake according to instructions on the box.

Voilà! Delicious, low-fat, high-protein brownies! Try it - you won't be disappointed!

(Discovered at... Life with Karma)

my little eater

Mr. Andrew is becoming quite the eater, especially now that he is feeding himself. He gobbles down much of what we eat for meals. Tonight it was pizza and strawberries. And, he ate it all!

liv + cam = fun

Although Olivia is a four-year-old girl and Cameron is a two-year-old boy, these two munchkins have the best time together! They are two peas in a pod... adventurous, independent and feisty, yet also, incredibly sweet and kind. They both love to eat and they adore each other! ♥

swimmin' with shel.

hangin' in the baby pool. playin' in the big pool.
and, this little guy is 14 months old today.

thank you, michele, for such a fun afternoon!

books. books. books.

Today is Wednesday... Daycare day! For the first time this summer, I headed over to Stellar to check on my library. And, let me tell you, it was like Christmas! I had at least 12(!) boxes of new books. I spent hours browsing and reading and inventorying these new gems. I'm so excited to share them with our teachers and students next month!

And, tonight I read some other fabulous books, picked up during a recent library trip, to my little Liv. These are some of my favorites - A Bad Case of Stripes by David Shannon and Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes. Both teach such important lessons of being true to yourself and the value of being independently and uniquely you. More than the books, I loved the sweet conversations I had with my little one as we read. Her curiosity and perceptive comments never cease to amaze me. I heart my Olivia!

summer afternoon.

we browsed and checked out new books at the library. put aladdin and the king of thieves on hold. stopped for an ice cream cone at mcdonald's - andrew's first one. do you think he liked it? a perfect summer afternoon with my sweet munchkins.

and, yay for phones with a camera because i forgot my camera.

Dance Lessons

Miss O is just loving her dance class - ballet, jazz and tap.

She is especially fond of Miss Kendra!

I just have to note that my little one has a style all her own - fancy tutu and no tights!

Thank you, Fitzie!

We had such fun going to the pool with some friends from Stellar - Alissa, Laura and Leanne. The highlight for Olivia was playing in the big pool with Laura, aka Fitzie!

Thanks, friend, for making my girl smile!

An Afternoon at Papa & Gigi's

Papa and Gigi got the playhouse all set up!

There is even an old play refrigerator and stove. It is just adorable!

And, Liv loved preparing pretend cookies and brownies and serving them to us.

I just can't get enough of this face...

I know I'm biased,

but he must be the cutest baby boy on the planet!

I heart my little Andrew!

Echo Lake

We spent a beautiful day at Echo Lake complete with picnic, hiking, exploring and escaping the heat of the city. Liv, especially, had so much fun investigating. She was quite the daredevil climbing rocks and trees, but she survived with only a couple of falls and scrapes. Thank you to Papa, Gigi, Honey, Paul, Angie, Garrett and Preston for such a fun day!

(I, of course, was snap happy and just couldn't decide which pictures to post, so I posted a lot!)