Bring on the new year…

The Christmas season is officially over. You know how you can tell? Because the kids have played with all their toys and are now bored. Commence the bickering! The tree has yet to be packed away. And I don’t care.

I got an extra special gift this year. The flu. Awesome. Parker had it Saturday of last week. Christmas Eve was Alexandra’s turn. But mine was saved for Christmas Day.  At least I didn’t have to cook. We were invited to eat with friends, but I stayed home…holding down the couch.

iPod Touch

She got her iPod Touch but not before I made her suffer a little. I wrapped it in her old cell phone box, then placed that in a box, which I wrapped, and repeated two more times. There was confusion, then tears of joy. Priceless.

Giant sock monkey

Her big sis was responsible for finding this giant sock monkey. The boots are hers. She didn’t need anything else!

She’s out for the count

A trip to the mall to spend gift cards and cash…we shopped til we dropped. Which in 7-year-old time is approximately 2 hours. If we are lucky.

I woke from my flu coma on Friday, walked outside to the garage for bottles of water, and spotted these loving sights in the backyard:

Winter branch

The sunrise shining through sleeping leaves. Today is the day He has made.

Sunrise

Now, bring on the new year!

She makes friends wherever she goes

My 5-year-old is a little social bug. No matter where we go, she makes friends. She is certainly not shy.

New Friend #1

New Friend #2

Practice, practice, practice..

“Mom, seriously?”

Around the backyard

Around the backyard there are roses growing where they shouldn’t.

Around the backyard there is dying grass where our two new dogs are peeing and destroying the grass.

Around the backyard there is dog poop that needs to be picked up, especially in the sand pit.

Around the backyard there is evidence that children live here…squirt guns laid to rest, sand buckets with sand still inside, and small shoes that have been left outside over night once again.

Around the backyard there is a tire swing in its third summer.

Around the backyard there is a pile of fallen cottonwood branches that were toss during the last wind storm.

Around the backyard is a black lab barking, looking for someone to throw the ball.

Around the backyard there is a five-year-old filling a bucket with water to play in the sand pit.

Around the backyard my Missouri Primrose is in bloom.

Around the backyard the daylilies have buds. It will be a few more weeks before they show their glory.

Around the backyard, near Bailey’s grave, the chives are blooming and the bees are buzzing.

Around the backyard Thor has just brought me a stick to throw.

Around the backyard there are wild strawberries that have never bared fruit and clematis that surprises me every year when it blooms.

Joy.

Credit:  “joy” text by Ali Edwards.

It’s looking like spring.

It’s been fun watching my orange tulips sprout from the pot. 

tulips in morning light

finally...buds

tulips in early morning glow

hello bloom

Tonight we had pork tenderloin in the crock pot with fingerling potatoes, fresh sliced button mushrooms and topped with cream of mushroom soup; and slow cooked for 10 hours. Can you say comfort food? You have to try it!

the daffodils in the garden have shown their pretty faces

Sunsets and frozen yogurt.

So, I haven’t used my camera in a while. Just not in the mood I guess. On Thursday it was usually warm here in Denver. 70 degrees warm. I took my camera and the girls to the park just before sunset. Gorgeous!

I love living in Colorado.

I slept for 12 hours this weekend. Don’t judge. Obviously I needed the sleep.

One happy 5-year-old!

I treated the girls to Smart Cow Yogurt Bar today. They have been craving Smart Cow all winter. If you haven’t the pleasure of having one in your town, let me explain. It’s not the old frozen yogurt shop of the 80s… It’s a frozen yogurt bar gone cool. When you enter the door, you grab a cup and fill it with any flavor of frozen yogurt that your taste buds desire. Go simple and classic with Tahitian Vanilla and Dark Chocolate or go crazy with flavors like Pomegranate, Thin Mint Chocolate, Birthday Cake, or Red Velvet Cupcake.  The price is based upon how much the cup weighs; and they give back a portion of sales to local schools (so cool!). Parker loves Watermelon with gummy bears.

Sitting on the modern sofas watching the Disney Channel (ugh!). A little NatGeo wouldn't kill ya, Smart Cow.

They offer any topping you could ever want including fresh fruit. Alex’s favorite is cookies and cream. But today, they were out, so she went with Tahitian vanilla with cookies on top…and gummy bears. I choose the peppermint, chocolate mint and a little vanilla, and chocolate sprinkles. Yummy!

I want to take one of those little white chairs home with me! (Source: Yelp!)

In the summer months they will open the garage door and we sit at the bar and let the cool breeze blow on us.

Tonight: We’ll be veggin’ on the couch watching Frozen Planet on Discovery Channel.