Snow Day

It started snowing Thursday night.  It snowed and snowed and snowed until we had about 2 feet on the ground.  So, we had a snow day on Friday.   I love snow days. Bryan stayed home from work and I stayed in my bright pink, leopard print PJ's all day.   The boys spent the majority of the day outside building forts and sledding down hills.


Here they are playing on the snow hill in the cul de sac.

What did we do, when we weren't outside playing in all the snow?    Well.....

 We frosted a cake.  Yummy

 We ate some oatmeal.

We played a little Bop It.

We laid in he kitchen and begged for scraps from lunch. 

 Then, we bundled back up and went out to finish our snow forts.

Happy Snow Day!

Great Gramps

Spending Christmas with Great Gramps was the best part of Christmas!

We feel very privileged and special that we were able to spend so much time with our Great Gramps over the holiday.  He was able to come to our house in Denver before Christmas for a few days.  We loved having him here with us. 

We also spent Christmas with him in Buffalo and then he was able to travel to Arizona and spend the rest of the holiday with Uncle Brett and Aunt Cindy.  He is an amazing man!

Christmas Day

Christmas day is at Grammy and Gramp's.  We load the kids in the car and head over to Buffalo.  The ride seems to take forever because we just want to get there!

The boys get to pass out all the gifts and they are ready to see what is inside of each box, each present.  It is very exiting.

Eli doesn't get quite as excited as the other boys.  Grammy has all her Christmas things out and Eli would much rather play with them then open gifts.  So, the boys help him out while he stays busy playing us music and rearranging candles.

After all the gifts are unwrapped, Daddy has to get to work....putting everything together.  Good thing he has some engineering skills under his belt.

Finally, let the light sabor battle begin.....

Grammy's house has some pretty special Christmas decorations.  Here are some of my favorites.

After all our playing, we have Christmas dinner.  Grammy is an excellent cook!  Grandma and Pop also joined us for dinner.

I love this picture of these Dahl boys.  Three generations spending Christmas together.  It's pretty special!

Here is Eli, eating his Christmas dinner.  Macaroni and cheese.  This little vegetarian wouldn't have it any other way.  I'm just glad I didn't have to have macaroni and cheese....the turkey was delicious!

What a special Christmas!

Christmas Tradition

Christmas Tradition.  It always starts on Christmas Eve afternoon.  We load up in the car and take the drive out to Heath and Jennifer's.  Heath and Jennifer always have a Christmas open house where we are able to eat lots of good food, have a few drinks, and enjoy each other.  Of course, we never want to leave as early as we need to and we usually have to drag Bryan to the car but, those kids have presents to unwrap...they can't wait one minute longer!

 By the time we get to Grandma and Pop's those kids are so excited!  So, we start handing out presents....

And, then the excitement starts and the kids start opening presents.  This year was no different.  Each kid got more then they needed but, it is a testament of our love for each other.  It's just the time of year to be spoiled and to spoil each other.

Trying to get the kids to bed after all the excitement is always a challenge.  Santa came to Grandma and Pop's this year.  He brought lots of goodies.  A guitar for Owen, a ice fishing camera for Gabe, and a bike for Eli.  Just what everyone wanted.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Cousins

Cousins who are the same age.  Cousins who share everything when they are together because they love to do the same things.  Cousins who love each other very much and when they are apart they ask for each other.  Nothing can explain the special bond that happens when you love someone else this much!

Words can't express the bond or the love but, pictures can express a thousand words.  This one bubble bath says it all!

Nobody else in the world enjoys a bath together like these two.

And, I will cherish this memory and all the memories we shared over the Christmas holiday.  It will be enough until we get to see each other again!

Cowboys in the Big City

Bryan called me on Thursday morning to tell me that he had bought rodeo tickets for Saturday afternoon at the Western Stock Show.  I was so excited!

I love going to the rodeo.  It's one of the sports that I really like to watch and will even watch it on TV, when it is on.  I was also excited for the boys.  It's been a couple of months since they had put on their boots and I was so excited to take them to a rodeo.

The rodeo was so good.  It was fast paced and very entertaining.  The boys loved it!

If you ask Owen what his favorite part of the Rodeo is, he might tell you the cotton candy.  My favorite part, on the other hand, was sitting next to Bryan watching the cowboys ride those bulls.  Looking at their magnificence and strength and trying to imagine riding one of them.  And, thankful that they had the courage to do such a thing so I could sit with my family and be entertained by it all.

I just loved sharing the excitement of the rodeo with the boys in the middle of the winter.   Just waiting until this spring when I can watch my boys ride Pop's horses on their own.  Being outside, learning how to ride and being together as a family.

 

Some of my most special moments as a child are on the back of my horse, Poncho.  Riding next to my dad, sharing time together as we trailed cows.  Spending every afternoon feeding, brushing, and riding our horses made me who I am today.  And, I am feeling very privileged because my boys have the opportunity to experience these things as well.

Yes, my three little cowboys live in the big city but, it doesn't stop us from taking every advantage of the cowboy way of life.

5th Birthday

 A Star Wars Birthday to Remember.....

My Owen turned 5 on November 1st.  Owen will always be captured in my mind as 2 years old.  For me to remember that he is 5 is hard somedays.  He is growing up into quite a young man and I am so proud to be his mother.

Before the sun came up.  Just as Gabe was getting out of bed, I woke up my birthday boy and brought him downstairs.  I had laid all his gifts out so that we could spend some special time together before school started.  He was so excited to see his new bike.  We also opened gifts from Grammy and Gramps, Grandma and Pop, and Auntie Megan.

After school was over, it was time to get ready for Owen's big party.   But, before everyone started arriving there was some singing and dancing to do.  The boys put on some music, dressed up, and had a blast standing on "their stage" and singing some tunes.

We made tacos for dinner and had everyone come over at 6:00. 

Jake, Owen's best friend, and Owen playing with his new toys

Lauren and Lily spending a little girl time in the kitchen

Opening gifts

Happy 5th birthday, Sweet Owen.  I love you and still can't believe that you are 5 years old.