Who wants to be these guys right now?

Weird news this week. Let's see, a senator who was arrested AND PLEAD GUILTY to disorderly conduct in a bathroom stall now saying he is innocent, and Owen Wilson, a COMEDIAN, attempting to kill himself. And people want to be famous?
Your thoughts please......

Please no teddybears........

I DREAD getting professional pictures taken of my children. It always ends up being a painful experience. Case in point- Friday's appt. at JCPenney. We got there on time only to discover that the elevator leading to the correct floor was not working. The saleslady suggested that I could take the escalator (hmmmmm a double jogging stroller with 2 under 2 and an escalator, I don't think so). I had to go on a 10 minute excursion to reach my destination. I had already told them on the phone that I would not be bringing nor needing "props". As a rule I think props distract from the cuteness of babies. But of course, they didn't listen. After 10 minutes of dancing around the photographer (and being exposed to her back side every time she moved) trying to make Julia smile I was ready for the session to be over. But wait, how about some props? When I said "No thanks" she told me she was going to use a cute little teddy bear because her manager was coming in that day and apparently managers want to see pictures with props. Hence another 10 minutes was spent trying to make poor little JuJu smile for pictures with a mangy teddy bear that I wasn't going to purchase ANYWAY. Then I waited for half an hour for the pictures to upload before being shown all sorts of cheesy teddy bear pictures superimposed with words like "love" on them. Once again, I do not like my pictures to have ANYTHING in them besides my children. Of course the lady also tried to sell me the great package deals ranging from $59-159. I left spending $13 like I always do after choosing 2 poses that IMAGINE THAT did NOT contain teddy bears. But don't worry, when I go back to pick up my pictures they always print out a few more poses to try to sell me ...just in case I decide I really do want that teddy bear one.

Our Trip

Last week we went to Monticello (pop 1,800, alt. 7,000 ft-that made for fun runs) for a family reunion with Mike's family. We did some fun things, some scary things, went to the county fair and rodeo, and spent a lot of quality time with his family. The above picture is one of the most scary things I've ever done. Repelling down a 180 ft rock. I thought I was going to wet my pants when I stepped over the edge of that monster.

I was extremely fascinated by the above quilt at the County Fair. The lady took all of her scraps over the years and made them into these cool flowers. I wish I had "skills" like that.

Oh the animals we saw at the fair. Mike got to reminisce about his days raising sheep for the county fair. Blake got to know his cousins on Mike's side. Good times for them. That picture was taken at Mesa Verde, CO Native American Indian dwellings ruins....does that make sense.
Grandpa and JuJu at Grandpa's new "ranch house" that he and Grandma built. I love that man. I'm so glad he's my grandpa-in-law.

Happy Birthday to our family

Today is our anniversary. 4 years!! I decided to start a new tradition. I made a cake to celebrate our family's birthday and each year we will add one more candle to the cake. I think it will be a fun way for our children to participate in celebrating this day.
Before I got married I often heard people say that they grew to love their spouses more with each passing year. I have to say that that is so true. I married the most wonderful man in the world and I love him more and more everyday. Sometimes I am amazed and overwhelmed by just how much he knows and loves me. He seems to be able to read my every thought. He makes me laugh, cherishes me AND he changes diapers, wipes snotty noses, and loves his children. Does it get any better than this?

Too Much of a Good Thing????

Yesterday we made the 13 hour trek back home after visiting Mike's family in Monticello (more on the trip later)for the past week. Thank goodness for the new portable DVD player we got for the trip. I think Blake watched "Cars" about 5 times. Both kids were actually pretty good. A whole day watching movies and treats galore...Blake was in heaven for the most part. He also managed to swallow about 10 pieces of gum. Should I be worried about this????????

p.s. Orbit Mint Mojito-not so good

Mango Dos Leches

I'm always on the lookout for good new recipes to try out. Sometimes, these recipes yield yummy results, and sometimes they turn out kind of nasty. The above pictures are of a kind of nasty treat that I tried out on Jean's family. It sounded really good- Mango Dos Leches cake was supposed to be a light cake which soaked up a concoction of mango puree, sweetened condensed milk, and milk. I had really good sweet mangoes that I used and I was really excited about it. It turned out to be "mango soup". Sorry everyone. Better luck next time. This is how it was supposed to look.

We still had a fun time. Blake got to see his "Spanish" cousins who are here visiting this month and that was a treat.