This is some funny crap!

This is perhaps one of the funniest things I have ever seen. It's just so freakin' bizarre!

I saw it on Ellen, and had to look it up. Enjoy!!!

It's not an ultrasound, but it's close.

One of Riley's Christmas presents was an art easel.  He has loved creating artwork on a nearly daily basis!  Here is one of his latest creations.  He wanted to draw a picture of mom, so he drew while we reminded him of the different parts.  His placement of the parts was entirely up to him.  Not bad!  After he finished his picture, he realized that he needed to make my belly with the baby in it.  That's in the lower right part of the picture.

A close-up of mom!  I really like my hair.  I might take it in with me next time I go get my hair cut!
Below is my belly, with the baby in it.  It's going to be very tall, if the legs are any indication!
I love my little man.  He's just the best!  He's very excited about his new baby.  He's convinced is a sister, but I'm not so sure.

Business in the front, party in the back

It's sometimes known as the Kentucky Waterfall, the Tennessee top hat, the Canadian Passport, the Missouri Compromise, the Beaver Paddle, a 10/90...how ever you look at it, it is, and always will be, Business in the front, party in the back.  Of course, I'm talking about that ever popular nod to the lost decade that is the 80's, the Mullet.  Denver, Colorado, even though it is technically a city, is still a small town at heart.  And as such, we have a lovely mix of Business AND Party in our town.  The best place to witness this juxtaposition, is a Colorado Mammoth Lacrosse game.  

Last night Steve, Riley and Rick went to the Mammoth game, and Steve witnessed a fantastic specimen of a mullet.  I think this one is called a Skullett, since there is a flat-top element to the business section.  Not exactly sure.  

So there you have it...Diversity in Denver.  Love it!

Nuggets vs. Timberwolves

Last weekend was Glacier Peak Community Night at the Nuggets game.  We sold 170 tickets to students and their families and the kids got the chance to have a great fan experience.  Some kids got to go courtside for the pre-game shootaround.  Unfortunately, there were no Nuggets players out on the court, but the kids still enjoyed seeing the action before the rest of the crowd was allowed in.  Riley and Owen got to go down courtside with us to watch the action.

Cory, Mary, Lindsay, Andy and Cindy were there to help chaperone kids...which basically meant hanging out with them!

The parents were told to stay in the lobby until 6:00, and then they could come to section 104 to pick up their kids.  Mom, Dad, Brad and Nicole conveniently didn't hear the "until 6:00" part, and actually beat us to the section as we brought the kids in!  HA!

The next great experience was the best!  Several kids got to form the Fan Tunnel, high-fiving the players as they came on to the court!  Riley and Owen got to do that as well.  Below,  my student Joey is taking care of Riley out on the court.  The adults weren't allowed out there, so I had to trust a couple of kids to take care of the boys.  My other student, Olivia, took good care of Owen!

Here are the kids, getting ready for the players to come out!

Here come the Nuggets!  Joey said that Allen Iverson high-fived he and Riley, although Riley was so overwhelmed he doesn't remember!

Mom and dad came up for their first Nuggets game.  Mom gets so into the action!
In addition to a great night of basketball fun, Riley was thrilled to spend time with his buddies, Ty, Tanner and Bayley.  Steve, Julie, Troy, Tige, Jen and I spent the last quarter of a really good game watching the four of them chase each other around in the hallway.  Good thing there were TVs nearby!  We managed to get everyone back into the arena in time to see a great last second finish!  Everyone had a fantastic time!

Like Father, Like Son

A little known fact about Steve is that one of his favorite movies of all time is "The Wizard of Oz."  He's loved it ever since he was a child, and is especially fond of the Lollipop Guild kids.  Imagine, after 4 years of marriage, I find out that he can not only sing every song, but can also recite a good portion of the dialogue as well!  

Well, around Thanksgiving time "The Wizard of Oz" was showing on TV, and we caught it somewhere in the middle. Just like Steve, Riley became hooked.  He calls it "The Lizard of Doz."  When we visited Brandon and Laura in December, we came across the soundtrack at the Smithsonian, and it is now permanently in the CD player in my car.

Right before Christmas, TNT started showing the movie again, and this time we managed to catch it from the very beginning...so we snuggled up with our stuffed friends and some popcorn

Snoopy and Army Blanket....$25.00
DirecTV bill...$90.00
A new family tradition passed from Father to Son...Priceless.

We only made it as far as Dorothy's encounter with the Cowardly Lion before we all fell asleep, but hey, there's always next year!

The day after New Year's

Remember when New Year's day was the day that you pretty much cursed the party gods and perhaps wondered where you left your...car? How about some art work instead?

The tongue action helps to push the blue paint out the brush. As the paint came out, so did the tongue. Too much!
The artists at work!
We're all arted out!!

Happy 2008!

My, how times have changed! Of course we still had a New Year's Party. And it sure was a blast. But who knew that the happiest partiers at the house would be the three boys! Riley's buddies, Ty and Tanner came with their parents, Julie and Troy, and the three of them had a rootin' tootin' time!
First, we get the hats, then we test out all 30 of the party horns.
Then we blow our horns until we collapse in a giggly heap on the floor.
And then we crash and let the grown-ups party it up!
Hey, but don't get me wrong. We may be old, but we still know how to throw it down. Here's to Wii bowling for 7 hours and Guitar Hero at 3 a.m. Here's to Lindsay's messages to all her friends and Granny, "I loooooove yooooooou! You're my bestest friend!!" And eating our weight in olives and cocktail shrimp. Remember the time our new neighbor, Chris, disappeared? Good thing he only lives next door! And of course the midnight drunk-dial from Cory. I feel so priveleged to be on the drunk dial list... Monica, did we sufficiently scare your friends? At least Nick didn't make any offensive comments about Cherry Creek this time! Not to mention Charline's sleepover and BUTTER BRAIDS rule! Happy New Year, y'all!

Where would ya, why would ya?

Once upon a time, on a cold December evening, I met my friends, Charline and Justin, and we sat down for dinner at the local Black Eyed Pea. "Twas the season of giving, so presents were exchanged. Eagerly, I withdrew what was sure to be a treasure, for it was ensconced so carefully in tissue paper. As I spied the crafty offering my BFF had so lovingly chosen for me, I became speechless. For who, what genius would think to take an empty wine bottle, drill a hole into the side, and stuff it with Christmas lights tangled in raffia? What muse of the arts would then possess them to paint a giant sunflower on the side and hot glue (yes, the crafty patron saint) a fabric flower and raffia bow around the top? Once plugged in, the illuminated bottle becomes a beacon of kitchiness, an icon of knick-knackery. I was in love.
Then, that typically silent Justin King snorts, and the realization that this well-thought out offering was one of those, WHERE WOULD YA, WHY WOULD YA moments!!! It illuminated our meal that fine winter evening from its perch on the extra chair. My pot roast never tasted so good. My bottle now holds a place of honor in my downstairs bathroom, awaiting its next recipient. You could be the next lucky person upon whom it will be bestowed. Lucky you!

Working on Fine Motor Skills

When Riley informed Charline that plucking stickers off a sheet and adhering them to paper was "practicing fine motor," we just about lost it. What 2 year old says something like that!? Obviously one who not only has a teacher for a mom, but who listens to every conversation within earshot, even when he seems to be playing with play-dough with the other preschoolers.

Now he likes to tell us that when things aren't working out the way they should, it's because his "fine motor skills aren't working." I'm not kidding.

Fortunately, his fine motor skills were working pretty well a Jun Sushi on mom's birthday. Also known as "the place where we take our shoes off." The restaurant is one of our faves, right outside mom and dad's neighborhood. They have the tatami platform where you do actually take your shoes off, but thankfully the tables are set over holes in the floor so that you sit with your legs dangling under the table instead of cross-legged. This is Riley, eating rice with chopsticks, left-handed, of course!
First you scoop...
Then you eat!