Ethan and Ellie's Birthday Party!

Our friends Ethan and Ellie had a joint birthday party on Saturday. Ethan will be 5 and Ellie will be 3 in December. Their Mom Nicole had a great idea to have a pajama party for them! It was so cute and the kids had fun! Ellie wanted a princess cake and since I made one for Lexi last year, I went over and helped Nicole out. Ellie loved it! Ethan wasn't so picky, so Nicole made him cupcakes. We enjoyed breakfast food, cake, games and fun! To top it off, it was COLD outside, so it was a good day to be in your jammies!

The kids playing pin the tail on the donkey.

Chris trying his turn and everyone trying to help him!

Present time!

Ellie so cute with her cake!

Ethan doesn't look happy to be getting his picture taken!

Now Lexi is asking for a pajama party next year.  I was planning on taking the year off - party wise!

Halloween 09

We had a very busy Halloween! The weekend before, we went to "Boo at the Zoo". The kids had a lot of fun, but not so fun for Joe and I. It took us about 30 minutes to drive to the zoo, then 30 minutes of waiting to get a parking spot. When it was finally our turn to park, they ran out of spaces! Joe had joked on the way there what if that happened. It was so frustrating! Well, Joe dropped us off and he made a parking spot for us. Luckily, it wasn't a very cold night. We walked around the zoo in the dark, getting candy. The only animals we saw were the giraffes and moneys and it smelled too bad to stay inside with them! Even with the membership to the zoo, we ended up paying more than we liked. At least we know for next year!

We started off Halloween day with a hayride at the Air Force Academy. It was fun and the weather was awesome! It was about 15 minutes long and it was the perfect length for the kids. They got to pet a bunch of horses and one kept eating Lexi's hair. I guess she smelled good!

Then we went home and relaxed for awhile. This is the first Halloween Joe didn't have to work, so we went trick-or-treating in our neighborhood. We started a little early, but the kids loved it!  It was a great night for it!  When they were getting cold, they wanted to go the Fall Festival at our church.  We got there when it was winding down, so we didn't have to wait in any lines!  They got a lot of candy there - and good candy according to Joe.  It was great to be able to do Halloween with Joe this year. 

Here are the pics:

The kids before going to the zoo: Shrek and Ariel.

Chris didn't know Lexi was making silly faces.

One of the horses at the hayride.  They were all pretty friendly.

Lexi eating a donut with friends Ethan and Ellie on the hayride.

Chris cheesing!  He thought it was so fun!

Leaving our house for trick-or-treating.

 Action!  They would both pound on the door and/or ring the door bell.  They wanted candy!

Julie and Corey's Wedding

Our friends Julie and Corey were married on Sept. 26. They had a beautiful outdoor wedding in Pueblo West, CO. I think I had more stress over this wedding than my own! Why, you ask? Because Lexi was the flower girl, Chris was the ring bearer and I made the cake! We were all over the place! Even though Joe didn't have a specific job, we couldn't have done it without him!

We had to drive an hour to the wedding in 2 cars. One car had the wedding cake and the other one had the kids! Thankfully, we made it there safe. Once we got there, we had to get the kids dressed and TRY to keep them clean. Chris wanted out of his tux as soon as we got it on him. Lexi, of course, loved her dress. She looked like a mini bride. While Joe was entertaining the kids, I was working on the cake. It was covered in fresh fruit. I finished right before the ceremony started.

The ceremony was on the deck right on the Arkansas River. Beautiful! After the ceremony we ate and danced...a lot! The cake was perfect and got a lot of compliments! Remind me how much work it was if I ever get asked to do a wedding cake again!

CONGRATULATIONS JULIE AND COREY HUFFINE!!!

Aren't they adorable?

They could be sisters!



Too cute!

The flower girl with her petals.


We fancied up her flip flops for the wedding.

The cake!

Lexi turns 5!!!

My baby turned 5 on Sept. 14. I can't believe how fast time flies! We had a birthday party for her on Sept. 12. It was such a big deal, we had the theme picked out for a year! Lexi wanted a castle cake, so princess theme it was. I did a lot of research online for the cake and decorations. Even though the weather didn't cooperate, the party was awesome! I have a feeling Lexi will remember it when she is all grown up and that makes me feel good!

The table all dressed up.
The princesses castle!

Lexi getting her nails done before the party.

The princess herself! We gave her this dress right before the party and she was surprised!
The cake I made. It was great!

She got too many presents, but that is they way it happens!

I am sure she is already planning next years party!

Snow!

We had quite a bit of snow today.  At least enough that the kids could play in it!  They had fun throwing snow balls at each other!  I stayed warm inside and took pictures and video.  I am posting a 2 minute video.  It is cute, but a little long.  Enjoy!

The Colorado Balloon Classic

We went to the Balloon Classic this year during Labor Day weekend. It was our first time and it was awesome! The kids loved it! Chris has been asking every day since if we can go see the hot air balloons! The kids got in bed late afterwards, but it was worth it.

My friend Nicole took this picture of us.

Nicole and her family: Richard, Ethan, Nicole and Ellie.

I can't wait to go again next year!

Lexi's First Day of Kindergarten!

Lexi's frist day of school was on August 18th. I can't believe my little girl is old enough to go to school! The hard part was leaving her at school, all by herself, not knowing anyone. The teacher said it is usually harder on the parents than it is the kids. It think he was right! Although, Lexi did look a little teary eyed when we left and it made me cry even more! She made it through the first day and loves school!
She looks so grown up!

Daddy was making her laugh so she would do her fake smile.
Almost there!
We made it a family affair!

Lexi sitting at her table.

A couple more years and we will have to do it again!