PASSED!!!!!

JUSTIN PASSED HIS BOARDS!!!!!

This is a major event in the Seale household!! Justin has been fearful of the mail for the past two weeks. He wouldn't even walk near the door when the mail arrived. We are VERY excited for him. He has worked so very hard.

We must acknowledge this has been a community effort. His accomplishments are credited to our family and friends who were supportive and of invaluable help during these processes. We are truly blessed to be surrounded by such loving and wonderful people.

For those of you that are wanting to add me to the ballot for "mother of the year..."

The good news arrived in the mail before Justin was home from work. Claire was having a playdate with the sweetest little girl. I made all of the kids walk with me to the liquor store to buy champagne for Justin's celebration. Yes, I proudly walked four children (one that is not my own, whose mom I barely knew) to the liquor store. I told the friend's mom that we took a "field trip." I have to admit I was feeling badly when we were walking down the alley with a paper bag full of alcohol. The liquor store did have free suckers for the kids...like the bank. Doesn't that make it a little better? Once again...mom of the year.

Here we go...

Today the temperature is 41 degrees, but according to the weather report it "feels like" 37 degrees. ugh! Please note that we are still in the month of September. I am supposed to be dreaming of colder temperatures and a fall wardrobe, not truly experiencing them. I also want to mention that it was hailing on Monday. I saw the hail on our deck, but Braden told me his experience of being hit by ice at recess.

Everyone tells me that the winters are not that bad. I have been told over one hundred times that the sun shines 300+ days a year and the air is not that cold. Let me just say...it is cold. Thirty-seven degrees is cold with or without the sun.

Oh well...winter in Colorado...here we go. I have to go in the basement and find warm clothes for the kids to wear to school this morning. Just another "adventure."

Zoo

The kids were out of school on Friday, and Justin was "on call" all weekend...aka I am on my own. This forced me to schedule activities and keep the kids moving. When they are "on the go" they seem to do better and are very tired at night which makes things easier. We decided to go to the Denver Zoo on Friday. It was a lot of fun. The kids were able to watch the polar bears during their "feeding" time. It really was something to see.

The trip was successful, because after we returned home (four hours later) everyone was very tired...myself included. Pushing the stroller with 100+ pounds should count for something. lol

Winter Park

Last Sunday we drove to Winter Park and took the kids to RED ROCK. My parents came to help me to celebrate my birthday. Justin and I wanted to take Dad to the mountains. Justin and I debated between Breckenridge and Winter Park. We chose Winter Park. I rode in the back seat and became car sick. Seriously, I have never had much trouble with car sickness...again Colorado and I are working on things. Then after we got to Winter Park the Alpine slide and the areas for the kids were closed. We eventually found a Pizza Hut and ate dinner. Yes, my birthday was spent with car sickness and a trip to Pizza Hut. What happened to symphonies, five-star restaurants, etc? I think it is called being a mom. lol We did have a nice day, minus the car sickness. Just another "adventure."

Butterfly Museum

We visited the Butterfly museum. It was a cool place for the kids. There were spiders and sting rays the kids could pet. There was also a butterfly area where the butterflies were flying freely. The kids were standing as still as possible trying to get butterflies to land on them. Only Braden (isn't that true to form...still, calm, patient Braden) was able to have one land on him. He was VERY excited. Claire was busy studying the colors and watching how they fly. (again I am amazed at her little brain and how it works). Drew...well Drew was running around like a MAD MAN. The workers at the museum had to get onto him twice. He truly is the "spunky" one. He found his element in the play area. He is pictured above climbing on the spider web. He loved this area. It was a GREAT day!!!

It was just another "adventure" in Colorado.

Red Rocks Concert

Please forgive the lack of clarity in these pictures. We had to use our camera phone. I never think of taking my real camera when the kids are not involved. We were able to go to a concert at RED ROCKS. The concert was BB King, Etta James, and Al Green. It was a great concert, but the scenery was amazing!! It is hard to capture the beauty of the area with a camera. The combination of the red rocks and the Denver skyline are priceless. The weather was perfect! My only complaint was the gentleman smoking an illegal substance two rows behind us. Seriously, those of you that know me know how quickly my allergies react to smoke. Apparently, the reaction does not discriminate against tobacco smoke and that of other substances, because my eye began swelling. It was quickly becoming so large that my vision was slightly impaired. I know this may be TMI but it again proves that Colorado and I have some things to "work-out." As I have mentioned...if it could go wrong...it has. This shows that even on the times that I am out having a good time issues arise. LOL! I guess this was another "adventure" in Colorado.

(Seriously, we did have a great time).

MOVING...ugh!

This picture is posted for comic relief; however, I am still not completely humored by the experiences of our move. Honestly, if it could go wrong...it did. This is a picture of us at the hotel where we had to unload everything in the parking lot. Yes, that is me sitting on one of our couches in the parking lot of a hotel. Memorable, huh? We ended up staying in the hotel so long that my friend Carey (the etiquette guru) told me that I should include the hotel workers on my Christmas card list. Honestly, she might be onto something. LOL.

Colorado Gorge

I am still catching up on posting our "adventures" in Colorado. This was a trip we took in July to the Colorado Gorge. It was BEAUTIFUL! The kids were able to see elk, horses, etc. It was an especially memorable trip because both sets of grandparents were here. How lucky are these kids to get to spend time with BOTH sets of grandparents.

Fun in Breckenridge

We went to Breckenridge on Labor Day weekend. It was such a BLAST! We rode the alpine slides, and walked around the village. It was beautiful! We have been to Breckenridge before, but it was much more enjoyable without the freezing temperatures. It was chilly that day, but not like it is during ski season. This truly was an "adventure." LOL

Learning about the blogging world

I have been completely intrigued by the blogging world in the last few months. I have found myself anxiously awaiting the daily posts of others to see what type of crafting, parenting, cooking, etc ideas I can gain. This intrigue and the fact that we are living in a new state for a year has prompted me to join the blogging world. I also discovered that you can print the blogs and have them bound into a notebook. This sounded like a great way to document our "adventures" (a term I use loosely, and sarcastically) in Colorado.