Halloween Party Prep

Both Kadee and Cole decided to postpone their birthday parties so they could have one big Halloween Birthday Bash!  We were sooooo excited!  We love Halloween and this just gave us one more reason to celebrate such a fun holiday!
Charlie was really excited for this birthday party and had been bouncing ideas off of each other for the last couple months.  Of course my mom and sister stepped up to help me out.  I have a tendency to "over do" things so they always offer their time and most of all their energy!

I decided to take it easy on the food and actually order pizza and cupcakes, but I could not pass up making some treats for the party.  What's a Halloween Party without carmel apples?  The kids had so much fun dipping and decorating these yummy treats!

Grandma made rice krispie ghosts (we dipped in white chocolate) and pumpkins.  We also made spiders out of chocolate covered marshmallows and chocolate vampire teeth suckers. 

While we made the treats, Charlie and Uncle Pete started constructing the haunted house.

Greek Fest 2011 - OPA!

Unfortunately, last year we missed the Greek Festival due to other things going on at the same time, but we were bound and determined to make it there this year. Myself, the kids, aunt Julie and Grandma and Grandpa Syrros all headed out for some good food and good times.

On our way there we thought the weather was going to get the best of us. Although the sky was mostly sunny, one small cloud opened up and it poured on our way to the festival. Once we got to the church though the rain stopped and upon entering the church grounds we knew our evening was going to be filled with lots of fun and lots of food.

The kids played in the children's area and of course had a blast. Then it was time to enjoy the food.
GyrosGreek Fries

Dolmathes (which were ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!!!)

Pastitsio SpanakopitaAfter dinner, we had to take in all of the YUMMY desserts!

Loukoumathes Baklava Kourambiethes and my ABSOLUTE Favorite,
Kataifi

The church (St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church) was absolutely beautiful that night lit up in all its splendor. We left with our bellies full looking forward already to next year! OPA!

Eggs, Eggs and More Eggs!

In regular tradition, the night before Easter we dyed eggs for the Easter Bunny to hide on Easter. The kids had a blast dying the eggs. Kadee drew a bunch of designs on her eggs with the wax crayon and Cole really got a kick out of the fact that he could change the color of the egg just by dropping it in the glass of colored water. Chance hung out in his highchair and watched everyone. I think he would have loved playing with the eggs himself but we would have had some major problems since his new game is to drop everything he gets a hold of and see if he can get someone to pick it up!

Cole-man dying his eggs.Julie came over and helped. Thank goodness because the thought of handling three kids by myself and throwing dye into the situation just scares me!Mom came down to join the fun also! She made yummy Easter eggs out of rice crispies and we dipped them in chocolate and white chocolate. They were DELICIOUS! Kadee decorated her rice crispy egg with white chocolate chips to give it a spiky look.The rice crispy eggs turned out so good!
Kadee and Cole were pretty pleased with the eggs they dyed. We put them in the fridge for the Easter Bunny so he could hide them for the kids the next day.

I love the holidays, especially the prep that goes into making these holidays so much fun!

Ride Em Cowboy!

My mom treated us all to some bull riding. Tuff Hedeman Championship Bull Riding was over at the SouthPoint so we Cowboy'd Up and were in for a great show. The kids of course wanted to wear their Cowboy hats so they could look like all the other cowboys and cowgirls that would be there.We got settled in to our seats, got some snacks and anxiously awaited for the show to start.The show definitely started off with a bang!And there were some great 8 second rides!

The kids made it on the TV cameras quite a bit so I am anxiously waiting for the online episode to be released on GAC to see if they got there 15 seconds of fame or not.

The best part about the whole night however was after the show was over. All of the bull riders came back out to sign autographs and the kids got there cowboy hats signed by all of the riders. It was pretty cool for them to take the time to show their fans some love!

A Beautiful Day To Go Fishing

We have had a lot of rain this winter. Combine that with Chance being sick with pneumonia not once but twice and you can imagine how excited we were for a nice day. Chance was feeling better. It was going to be over 70 degrees so we decided to go fishing for the day.

We went to Nelson's landing which is on the Colorado river just east of the Hoover Dam. Every time we travel over the dam I try to catch pictures of the new Hoover Dam bridge by-pass so I can track its progress. It is definitely getting there. Again, these pictures just do not do it justice. This thing is a monster and is soooooo high, I think the first time we drive over it I will definitely have to close my eyes!The kids loved getting out into the fresh air. Chance was all decked out in his fishing gear.Cole and Kadence spent most of the time feeding the ducks. They each threw a line in the water but it was up to Daddy to keep an eye on it the rest of the time.

Charlie, Pete and Cody found their fishing spot and didn't move from it until it was time to go. They insisted there were fish in this lake however, I didn't see any of them even get a nibble!

My little fisherman was all dudded it out in his official fishing hat. It is official because it is from Bass Pro Shop and has a big fish on it!

We had a wonderful, quiet day with fantastic weather to boot. Mom, Dad, Julie, and Chance and I hung out at the picnic table shooting the breeze while the boys fished. I love these kind of days and am so looking forward for the Spring!

Happy Birthday Julie - 2010

My sister's birthday was January 14. I think all that know her would agree she has the biggest heart on the planet and is probably the most caring person out there! Whether it is taking in the neighborhood stray cat or picking me up a couple groceries so I don't have to drag all three kids out of the house. She is amazing! She still takes such good care of her baby sister and my family! My kids love their auntie and love the fact that she is only a couple doors down from us. She is ALWAYS there when we need her and I honestly do not know what I would do without her!

Happy Birthday Sis! I hope you have a wonderful day and an even better year! I so hope you win the lottery or something cuz you so DESERVE it!

Christmas Morning 2009

Finally it was here. Christmas Morning. Santa visited and visited well.

Up until Christmas I had been drilled every morning by Cole.

Cole: Is it Christmas yet mommy? Did Santa bring me presents?

Me: No son, not until Friday.
Cole: But it is Friday.

Me: No son, it is Monday (or Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday)

Cole: No it's not! It is Friday!

Me: No son, not yet.

Cole: I am so so mad!

Me: Sorry buddy.

No more morning drill. The day was here. The kids woke up relatively early, about 6:30 am and came in and got us. I headed down stairs first so I could capture the moment.

Chance wasn't sure what all of the hoopla was about, but thought the new toys were great.

He gave it his all to try to open his presents but just couldn't figure it out.Lucky for him, his big brother eagerly came to his aide and helped him out.His favorite part about it all, these pretty bows.Cole opened present after present and was genuinely happy with each one, even all of the clothes. He took time to pull each outfit out of the box and hold it up to show mommy and daddy. Grandma and Grandpa lucked out and got the kids Zhu Zhu pets, one of the seasons hot toy items.Kadeebug opened each present ever so carefully anxiously awaiting the surprise inside.She even modeled for me.Charlie was surrounded by the Christmas Morning mess.While we were opening our gifts I noticed the puppies were almost pouting, they must have thought Santa forgot about them. Luckily, Charlie found the raw hides Santa brought them and there eyes lit up just like the kids...After we opened presents we settled in for breakfast. Charlie made us all Waffles, a Christmas Morning tradition he carried over from his family. Chance couldn't hold out though and fell asleep in his highchair. It was definitely time for a Christmas Morning nap.Cole tried on his sister's new Heely's.

The kids were in awe. Cole couldn't decide what to do first, play with Santa gifts, open the gifts under the tree, play with Santa gifts...he just kept going back and forth. The cutest thing about the day however was the fact that he was so centered on himself getting presents all week leading up to Christmas. But once it was here all he cared about was giving everyone else their presents. He kept begging for me to open my gifts even though I wanted him to finish opening his first. Every time someone came over he raced to meet them with their gift begging that they open it. Somehow or another he got the meaning children seem to forget every once in awhile. Christmas was about giving, not receiving.

Later on during the day my parents came over and then Julie, Pete, Cody and Dani joined us for Prime Rib dinner. After the day was here and gone I was making one of many trips out to the trash can when I caught a glance of my front yard. It was so quiet. It was so beautiful, all lit up. And there from our tree hung the kids swing just begging for someone to ride it. Besides the kids eyes lighting up as they took in Christmas morning, this was my favorite moment of the day.