Project Life | Weeks 46-48

WEEK 46 | The weather truly was horrible for an outdoor fieldtrip. However, the kids did learn a lot at the Plains Conservation Center. I am so thankful that I have job with a somewhat flexible schedule to allow me to chaperone the kids and volunteer when needed.

Ryland was fascinated for days of his dinosaur egg that hatched in water. He cracks me up! And all three kiddos loved playing in our first snow of the year.

WEEK 47 | Ryland got his new glasses...he was so proud of them. Taylor and Landon had a big science project to work on and Grandpa Don came out for a quick visit.

We decided to put up the Christmas tree before Thanksgiving. I literally sat and watched while all three kids decorated the tree by themselves. They didn't want help at all...well maybe for Daddy to help lifting Ryland to put on the tree topper.

WEEK 48 | The kids had a short week at school due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Landon had a playdate with two of his classmates which he was extremely happy about.

The day after Thanksgiving, the boys went to a car show and Taylor had a friend from school over to spend the night. Exhausting weekend!

Loved this picture of Grandpa Vern so I included it as a flip-up photo.

Project Life | Weeks 43-45

WEEK 43 | My parents were in town for a few days, and we really enjoyed our time with them. They were able to attend Taylor and Landon's soccer game as well as Ryland's t-ball game. 

Shortly after my parents left, I came down with a horrible chest cold so Hank spent most of the weekend with the kids while I was home in bed. I was able to muster up enough strength to be part of our Friday family night where we watch the Amazing Race together.

WEEK 44 | Thankfully I work from home and was able to work from my bed for a few days. The kids received their school pictures. Just another reminder that they are growing up quickly.

Fall is definitely here! Leaves have fallen everywhere and it's starting to get really cold. On Halloween night, Hank took the kids trick or treating around the neighborhood and then we went over to our neighbors house for a party. Over the weekend we had some new friends come over for dinner and it was fun to be with Zanna and Chad. 

WEEK 45 | Yay...proofs of our fall family photos came back and I was super excited to see them!

This week was super special as Landon competed in his very first speech meet, and Taylor continue to advance her tumbling skills in a class that she takes with the big girls once a week. Her coach is starting up a competitive cheer leading team and has already asked us to consider enrolling Taylor in it. They big girls practice with Taylor on top as a flyer as she loves it. 

Discovering New Talents

This boy amazes me daily. I expect a lot from my children, but I don't expect them to be perfect, to be the best, or to be like their parents. I desire for my kids to be kind, loving, balanced and set apart from the world. And just when I think I have figured one of them out, they totally grow and surprise me with new talents/desires/hobbies.

Rewind to a couple of weeks ago, Landon came home from school and told me that he was chosen to participate in the upcoming district's speech meet. To qualify, Landon had to memorize several verses in the Bible and stand up before a panel of judges who assessed his ability to speak in front of an audience. Well, he must have done well because he was chosen to represent his school along with some of his classmates and would be participating in the upcoming speech meet.

I was so proud of him. See, his big sister Taylor usually gets all of the limelight for her beauty, talents and good grades. Yet here is my middle child who is also equally talented and handsome and smart. He is just starting to shine in his own way.

When Landon was born, there were some complications that landed him in the NICU for 11 gut wrenching days. For the first year of his life, he had to be evaluated by the state to make sure he was progressing normally. And at age 4, he did have a short stint of speech therapy. So when he came home (and was the only one chosen among his siblings) and told me that he made it to the district speech meet, I was elated. I was so excited for him!

At the speech meet, you can receive a blue (superior), red (excellent), or white (good) ribbon. Landon knew his verses backwards and forwards and he received a red ribbon. Super exciting especially since this was his very first year competing. I am so excited for Landon to continue to explore his passions and talents. I can't wait to cheer him on whatever he chooses. He's my boy!

NEW 52 | Capsule Wardrobe

Bear with me here...this is going to be a longer, yet fun blog post. Pull up a seat and grab your coffee....

So I came across the concept of "Capsule Wardrobe" about two months ago. I was instantly excited about it and loved the concept. For those of you totally unaware of this creative fashion concept, click here. My only setbacks were: 1) Could I really limited one season's worth of clothing to 37 pieces (not including workout clothes, accessories, purses, etc.) 2) Where would I have the time to plan for this let alone document it. 3) Would it make me want to buy a whole new set of clothes to make outfits coordinate.

My answer is both yes and no, but I could totally do this. It matches my personality to a T. So while I am in the beginning stages of becoming a "fashion minimalist", it doesn't mean that I have to throw away 3/4 of my closest. It just means that it takes the 10 minutes of guesswork every morning and allows me to slowly add the clothing items that I really need. And slowly sell or donate the ones I don't really care to wear anymore.

Since I work from home, I don't have a lot of dressy clothes in my capsule. But, I still want to look fashionable even if I am home alone tapping away on my computer. I even can venture to say that this is forcing me to nail down my exact sense of style...and that makes me happy!

In the middle of December, I will begin to plan my winter capsule wardrobe (January-March) and allow myself to buy a few things that I might need. I've already noticed that I do not have any nice white shirts....must be because I am a mom and know my kids will get my shirts dirty one way or the other.

It took me about 10 minutes to go threw my closest and pull out the things I like. I also can look to Pinterest to help me pull my outfits together. I am really excited for this challenge. I guess my Fashion Merchandising education has been suppressed for a really long time!

So, I realized after taking most of the photos that the photo quality was not so great, but I didn't have time to make it perfect. I will work on better lighting for my winter wardrobe photo shoot.

All in all, I am right around 40 pieces of clothing, including shoes, and I am totally OK with that. It really not about the exact number of clothing items that I am going with in the end. It's more about minimizing to build upon my own style.


Below are just a few pieces that I will be wearing this Fall. In the end, I selected 17 tops, 8 jackets, 8 jeans, and 6 pairs of shoes.

Project Life | Weeks 40-42

WEEK 40 | private gymnastic lessons for my little dancer, love notes at school...

Flowers from Daddy, a card from my Granny, dance practice with new costumes, and baseball/soccer games.

WEEK 41 | Hank turns 38 and a few sick days in our home

Travels to Phoenix and LA to visit the Naimos and attend Mason's memorial. Considering the weekend was full of emotion and travel, there were so many amazing moments along the way.

WEEK 42 | Travels home to Colorado, happy to see my kiddos again, and Fall leaves everywhere

My parents came for a visit. Adventures included Casa Bonita, Elitch Gardens and i9 sports.

NEW 52 | Casa Bonita

Last week on a road trip with my good friend Robin who grew up in Colorado, she told me about at a restaurant in Denver that we just needed to visit. Well, today was that day! My parents are in town for a few days and our original plans fell through. So we ended up at Casa Bonita. It took some encouragement from families exiting the restaurant to sway our decision. The restaurant was in a vacant strip mall that looked a bit sketchy. And the catch to entering the restaurant featuring a 30 foot water fall with daring cliff divers is that every person in your party has to purchase a meal. Even though we weren't super hungry, we decided to go for it.

My kids loved Casa Bonita! We had dinner on a balcony looking over the waterfall. Casa Bonita has shows every 15 minutes so it kept us entertained for a couple of hours. The restaurant was also decorated to the nines with Halloween decor making it a spooky experience. My little ones are already asking to go back again. The food was actually decent as I was forewarned it wouldn't be very good. You pay for the experience more than anything. Maybe in a year or so we will return.

We Keep On Going

He pretty much wanted to give up baseball altogether after the second game of an eight game season. He would rather high five everyone running the bases and strike up a conversation or check out the grass for its comfort. In fact, at some moments, he would rather do anything than be on the field waiting for a ball to come to him.

As Ryland's coach and mom, I won't let him give up. I paid my hard earned money for him to be in this league. And if I have to be there, he has to be there. I just won't let him sit out. What would it say to all of the other kids? That we could just quit when we feel like it? Nope.

As I've come to realize, it's much harder for me to coach my own child. If another dad tells him, "Ryland, cover your base!" He will...at least for a few more minutes. So I've had to have a weekly talk with my little dude about giving it your all, even when you don't feel like it. And boy, do I feel like a hypocrite.

As I've struggled to find joy in the past 10 days, I've re-learned to be joyful about the little things. First, that I have a son. Second, that I get to be his coach and spend one-on-one time with him while his siblings are playing soccer. Three, that he loves me and wants to follow me wherever I am on the field.

Ryland has (God willing) a long life ahead of him. He can take his sweet time finding out his passions in life and them strengthening those skills. I don't really care if he turns out to be an MVP or not. I just want him to never give up. I want him to develop perseverance for the toughest of times ahead. And, I want him to know that no matter what, I will be cheering him on from the sidelines. Because no matter what, he is an MVP in my eyes.

Project Life | Weeks 35-39

This is really week 35.  After I took the photo of this week's spread, I noticed that I accidentally put in a week 36 card. I've already changed it but am too lazy to redo the photo. You get the concept though :)

WEEK 35 | Colorado Springs Balloon Festival with family.

WEEK 36 | On Labor Day, we took the kids to Dave & Busters.

The kids were invited to a birthday party at a gym. And all three kids started the fall league with i9 Sports.

WEEK 37 | Lots of family in town to celebrate Oma Mies turning 80!

Lots of family time...

WEEK 38 | Field trip to Miller Farms

WEEK 38

WEEK 39

WEEK 39

Project Life | Weeks 32-34

WEEK 32 | I took Hank to a Foster the People concert at the amazing Red Rocks Amphitheater. The outdoor venue was amazing...can't wait to go back. This was Hank's Father's Day gift.

Taylor and Landon started a tumbling/gymnastics class on Thursday nights. It good strength training for both kids, and I am hoping that Taylor can learn her front and back handsprings to incorporate into her dances. We also tried to go on the water slides at Elitch Garden's but got rained out again.

WEEK 33 | We celebrated Grandpa Vern's 82nd birthday! 

Wrapped up the week celebrating Ryland's 5th birthday. It's so hard to see the baby of the family grow up. I am one blessed Mommy!

WEEK 34 | Back to School - and we were ready. This year is interesting. Taylor (2nd grade), Landon (1st grade), and Ryland (kindergarten) are all in the same classroom with Mrs. Brewster. We were going to hold Ryland back for another year, but their school is not offering Pre-K this year. So since he just turned five a few days ago, we are going to try and see how he does.

This week was also the start of i9 sports for my babies. Taylor and Landon chose soccer so Hank decided to coach their team. Ryland chose T-ball and I was recruited to coach his team. All games and practices are on Sundays after church and works well with our busy schedules.