Happy Leap Day Everyone!

More images for the 112 in 2012 Challenge...

 # 29 - Leap Day (this image had to be taken on February 29th, and it had to be taken on or pertaining to Leap Day)  Not one of my better shots, but it was cold outside and we wanted to go in :)

#85 - Fun

i know ive posted this photo once already, but it was taken this year, and i thought it fit the theme well...besides, im a bit behind and trying to get caught up :)  You may see an onslaught of photos in the next few weeks, so stay tuned.

Photo Challenge for 2012

#51 - Winter

I discovered this challenge over on Jane's blog, she is participating and it looked like something fun to try!  The challenge, is 112 pictures in 2012, and there are 112 themes to do.  You can do them in any order you like, which is good, since im getting a bit of a late start, but this is #51-Winter.  What better way to represent Winter, than with a snowman :)  I will be posting these as i go...so i hope you enjoy the journey!

A Chilly Weekend ~

 We finally had a weekend at home, with no plans, but to relax and play!  I made these throw pillows to go with Jordyn's new bedroom set.  The quilt is still being cut out, in fact, i spent a good portion of the weekend cutting out fabric for quilts, so hopefully i can get started on her bedroom quilt soon.  I spent another good part of the weekend finishing up the Hunger Games Trilogy...which was a really fun read!  Looking forward to the movie when it comes out next month!

 My Valentine flowers from Justin are still in bloom, and prettier than ever!  Flowers in the middle of February, are always a welcomed treat!  And speaking of treats, we finally had a windless day...so Jordyn went outside to play with her cousin Wolfie, who was visiting for the day.  We finally had good snowman snow, so they decided to each make their own snowman, but Wolfie soon became bored and made snowballs instead.  Jordyn, however, created this whole snowman all by herself!  (a first for her...and isnt he awesome!)

 With all this good "building" snow, Jordyn decided to get out the Christmas gifts from Uncle Damian...a snowball maker, a couple of snowball guns, and of course a snow fort set.  Look at all the snowballs Wolfie is making...i see a snowball fight in our future!

 Yep...Since i had the camera, i was off limits...but Justin was fair game...

 Wolfie uses Jordyn as a human shield...always the gentleman :)

 And when all else fails...tackle daddy! 

 

On Sunday night it was time for the Oscars!  My sister Denise,  throws an Oscar party every year with my sister Teresa, my mom and the kids in attendance.  Last year my sisters tied for first place, beating out my mom...a first in Oscar history...so this year, my mom was back with a vengeance to reclaim the coveted Oscar by getting 19 out of 24 picks!  Way to go mom! As for me...once again, i took last place!  What can i say, when i moved away, i lost the Hollywood connection!

City Fix and Monster Trucks!

 Another fabulous weekend in Denver!  Its been a while since we went for a city fix, so Jordyn and i decided to spend the weekend with my cousin, Christy, and we had such a great time.  Lots of shopping and dining out...Mexican food, Chinese take-out, McDonalds complete with playland...the usual suspects :)

 I signed Jordyn up for soccer, so we had to get her some cleats and shin guards...here she is modeling her very first pair of cleats...a big moment for me, as soccer was always my game!  I wish they were this stylish when i was a kid. 

 Next stop....MONSTER TRUCKS!!!  Jordyn was soooo excited for monster trucks!  Connie had purchased tickets for her and some friends, and when we found out, we had to join her!  :) 

 I thought it would be fun, but i have to admit, it was an absolute blast!  The roaring of the engines...the crushing of cars, while these beasts leaped into the air...there were a lot of families with small kids, so the atmosphere was filled with excitement!

 Jordyn enjoyed pigging out on one of her favorite snacks....a hot salty pretzel.....yum!

 There were even some miniature motocross kids...this was the 4-6 year old riders...and they were amazing to watch.  Soooo cute!

 After the pretzel, it was time for the dentists favorite...cotton candy!  She has been asking to try this junk for ages, and i finally said yes...what the hell, she looked like she was a little bit tired, so i figured she could use the sugar rush.

 Go Iron Horse Go!

 I guess the sugar rush didnt work...she fell asleep during the last part of the races...in fact, a good number of kids were falling asleep at this point...i guess the excitement of the show finally wore them out, but personally, i think the show should have started a little earlier...7:30 was a bit late for the little ones.  No worries though, when the show was over, and it was time for monster truck rides, she was wide awake!

 Besides, it was a great way to sneak over to the monster trucks and get some pictures...here she is posing next to Wildfire...

 and then, of course, Bigfoot!

 and then it was time to ride Twisted Steel!  Just look at the excitement on her face...totally worth it!

 This is a fun shot of the arena...look at all those smashed up cars...we found a little piece of car debris laying in the dirt that Jordyn got to take home as a souvenir, so she was thrilled with that.

 All in all...a wonderful evening!  If you havent been to a monster truck race...i highly recommend it!

 And finally, we got to visit Jen in the hospital while we were in the city...and she is doing amazingly well!  She has made remarkable improvements over the last week...and its truly unbelievable!  I was soooo happy to see her in person and see for myself, the almost complete recovery she has made.  She is still having some swallowing issues, but she is talking and laughing, walking and doing all kinds of therapy, and all the doctors seem to be pleased with her progress.   She might even get to go home by Friday, which is good, because her family wants her home!  :)  Just look how happy they all are to be together....this photo makes my heart happy!  Love ya Jen...keep on fighting!

Happy Valentines Day!

 Happy Valentines Day!!!  Ours was kicked off last night when daddy came home with two colorful bouquets of flowers, one for each of us.  Jordyn loves getting flowers from her daddy!  He also bought her a candy heart box with hello kitty on the front, which she thought was awesome!  Since we were doing Valentines early, we decided to open all our goodies.  Daddy got the blu-ray set of the Next Generation Star Trek movies, and Jorydn got a new "creepy doll" (monster high doll)...Claudine Wolf, some creepy doll outfits for her dolls, a new barbie movie, and a mini harry potter lego set.  We have been so proud of her school work and report cards, that we spoiled her a bit.

The next morning Jordyn donned her new Valentine outfit from grandma kristi, with accessories from grandma barbara, and headed off to school.  She got a beautiful handmade vest from grandma pat too, but that outfit will have to wait for another day.  She was very excited for the "big" party.  The kids decorated their own Valentine box and then they got to deliver their Valentines.

 Next, they enjoyed a delicious yogurt bar with tasty toppings, cupcakes, and then dancing!

 

The kids had a lot of fun, but most importantly, they felt a lot of love from all their fellow classmates, and who doesnt want to feel that as a kid!  She must have danced herself silly, because she fell asleep on the ride home, and napped for almost 3 hours.  Sounds like a great Valentines Day to me :)

Hope yours was filled with sweet somethings!  Happy Valentines Day!

Oasis Art ~

So this morning jordyn drew this picture of her and her new friends at winter oasis.  Shes the one dressed in black (apparently she longs to be a redhead), and the little one on the right, dressed in pink, is Sarah, the little girl i made the I-spy quilt for.  Don't ya just love the decorative ceiling?!?  Well done peanut! :)

Winter Oasis ~

 On Saturday we drove down the mountain for one of our favorite events, Winter Oasis!  Its been almost 2 years since we attended an SCA event (work and other things have prevented us from playing lately), so it was nice to go see everyone.

 Jordyn was anxious to get inside and start dancing (she didnt want to be outside wasting time taking photos), thus the stink face in the photo with mommy :)  But once inside there was so much fun to be had, her cranky face quickly turned to smiles!

 There were a lot of  little kids there, mostly girls, so when one of them dragged out a bag of toy ponies, it was a dream come true, and they became friends for life!  :)

 Of course they all got to paint their nails, color in coloring books, and play with barbies...

 but they were especially excited to get henna on their hands!  Jordyn cant wait to show the kids at school.

 Meanwhile, i was thrilled to have some adult time with my friends...some of us havent seen each other since Rogue Camp last summer, so we had lots of catching up to do!

 There was delicious food, interesting beverages, and lots of music and dancing...here are some folks doing turkish line dancing...

 I steal a quick moment with justin while he changes out instruments...

 and then it was back to more music and dancing!

 Winter Oasis always comes at the perfect time of year...right in the middle of winter, with all its color and magic...the perfect way to spend the day!  Huzzah!

Another I-Spy Quilt ~

 First completed quilt of the year...an I-Spy for Sarah!  Sarah is from Korea and was adopted by some dear friends of mine.  They struggled to adopt for years, so it was quite exciting when they finally got the good news.  I thought a quilt would be nice for her to keep warm and safe while she adjusts to her new surroundings....and who doesnt love an I-Spy quilt?!?  Welcome to the states baby Sarah...cant wait to meet you!

Snow, Sledding and Snowshoeing!

 After receiving all that snow, Justin decided to repair the sled run...i knew that backhoe would come in handy!  :)  After we did some shaping and packing of the snow, it was time to test it out...It looks Jordyn approved to me!

 Today Jordyn's class got to try out the new school snowshoes.  I planned to take photos, but was invited to join them in their nature trail hike.  Being my first time snowshoeing, as well as Jordyn's...we were very excited!

 The kids had fun stomping around in the snow, falling several times, but having a great time!  They pretended to be penguins...

 and then they pretended to be howling coyotes.  If there was any nature to be spotted, im sure they were spooked off! :) 

 But what a great way to spend the afternoon...and what a great school adventure!  Thanks for inviting me Mrs. Jayroe!