This past weekend, Kreg & Westin & I took a little two hour drive up to Breckenridge to see Kreg's aunt Karla & her husband Randy and daughter Alissa who were up here vacationing.  We had such a great time! It was great to see them and to spend a little time in Breck... 

Karla & Randy had a great condo just off of downtown and backing up to a ski lift.  Pretty ideal! We met them there and then walked into town for lunch at a great grill that had a patio overlooking the river.  The weather was perfect! I think it was just about 68 degrees, which was awesome.  

After lunch, we rode the gondola to take us up to one of the ski villages... I can't remember exactly where we ended up but we rode a ski left up to the very top of the mountain which was TERRIFYING.  Not that I'm afraid of heights... but we had our 14-month-old son on our lap (who loved every moment, of course) and I KNOW his tendency to wiggle and squirm.  Thankfully, we made it up and down with no children falling off the lift.  And it was beautiful :)

We also got to walk the shops and eat some homemade ice cream.  It was a great day!
We are constantly reminded of how blessed we are to live in such a beautiful part of this country! We get so caught up in our day-to-day routine that we forget we're only a short drive from places people travel miles and days to see. We are determined to take better advantage of our location! 

On a side note, my friend Valerie, has asked me to write for her site The Village of Moms. If you haven't checked it out moms, you really must! She has great reviews and giveaways, as well as great articles from various moms on various topics.  I'm so honored to be asked to write... I'm feeling very inadequate because I don't feel I have much to offer in the way of advice!  She's been great, though, and told me to start off writing about something I feel very comfortable with-- photography. SO-- look for my posts on the third Monday of each month if you're interested! I'm praying that I will have positive things to say that will be encouraging and uplifting to the moms who visit Valerie's site. 

All in One Piece

I made it! All the dogs, all the houses, the business, and the children stayed in one piece while my parents were gone.  I'm counting that a success! We even snuck some fun in! We saw the Sorcerer's Apprentice, which I really enjoyed! My brother had been wanting to see it so he and Kreg and Westin & I all saw it Sunday afternoon-- I was so impressed that we didn't have to take Westin out once through the whole show.  I was prepared to miss half of it, but he did great! We also made a trip to Chuck-E-Cheese, had a Pizza Picnic Pepsi Party at the Park (a family tradition!), took Drake out to Panda Express (his favorite) for his birthday and had a little birthday party later that evening. 

One of my new favorite things is marshmallow rolled fondant.  I've discovered this year that it is so easy to make, so easy to use, and makes really fun-looking cakes! I've had a few opportunities to try it out these past few months and I'm just having too much fun.  I have a lot to learn but I think I'm getting the hang of it :) Here's the funky tower I made for Drake this week:

In case you would like to try it out, here's the way-to-easy recipe:

16 ounces white mini-marshmallows

2 to 5 tablespoons water
2 pounds powdered sugar

1/2 cup shortening

Melt marshmallows and 2 tablespoons of water in the microwave: Put the bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds, open microwave and stir, back in microwave for 30 seconds more, open microwave and stir again, and continue doing this until melted. It usually takes about 2 1/2 minutes total. Place 3/4 of the powdered sugar on the top of the melted marshmallow mix. Now grease your hands GENEROUSLY, then heavily grease the counter you will be using and dump the bowl of marshmallow/sugar mixture in the middle. Start kneading like you would bread dough. You will immediately see why you have greased your hands.  Keep kneading, this stuff is sticky! Add the rest of the powdered sugar and knead some more. Re-grease your hands and counter when the fondant starts sticking. If the mix is tearing easily, it is to dry, so add water (about 1/2 tablespoon at a time and then knead it in). 

Speaking of recipes, I HAVE to note that Mamaw's cook book, "Recipes: for body and Soul" has been published and you can now purchase it!  Obviously, it's a must-have :) Here's a link to purchase it off of Amazon Recipes: for body and soul. We are SO proud of you, Mamaw!

Summer Fun

Summer is getting away from me! Which part of me feels is fine, due to the lack of air conditioning in my house... but part of me wants to do so much more summer stuff with Westin before Colorado gets cold again! The past few weeks have been so busy... I won't bore you with THOSE details, but we have managed to squeeze some fun in. 

Westin attended his first birthday party this month! Happy Birthday to Jameson & Channing! I got this adorable shot:

We also made it to Water World-- Westin LOVED the water slides! I figured he would enjoy the kiddie pools the best, but no, no... he wanted to get the big inner-tubes and go 

down all the big, scary rides! We had a great time-- we were able to go with my sisters, my mom, my brother, and my aunt & uncle and their four kids.  

I was sad that Kreg couldn't join us for water world, so the next weekend we made a family trip to Wilson Ranch pool-- there are not many public pools in Colorado Springs, so it was very busy! Westin again, had fun though and got to try out his new floatie! 

My parents and my sisters are headed to Vienna, Austria next week! I'm so excited for them and can't help but be a little jealous!  I will stay extra busy, however, because I will be in charge of three houses, nine dogs, and two little boys (one of which is about to turn 14 and not that "little"...) it will be an adventure! 

Searcy Weekend

What a great weekend :). Westin did fabulous on the 15-hour drive, and yes, we made it in 15 hours... we were gearing up for many stops and more like a 17-hour drive, but Westin was a serious trooper. Here's the recap, for those of you who prefer the picture recap, scroll down:

Early Thursday morning (4am) we hit the road. We're really glad we did because Westin slept for the first four hours which really helped the trip go quicker for him! And us! We were able to stop in Conway to see Chuck at his Lenny's and then made it in in time to hang out with Carol, Kim & John for a little bit. It was SO great to see everyone!

Friday Kreg went golfing with several of his friends and we had lunch at Mazzio's-- it's funny what foods we miss from our Searcy days :). We were also able to see Josh & Jessica Friday, which was a treat. We miss our Harding friends so much! Jessica found a tick on Westin that night which was a little scary for me... I had visions of tick fever running through my mind and was sure we needed a match to back it out, but Kreg just picked Westin up and pulled it out of his back. It didn't even leave a mark so I guess everything was fine :).

Saturday, Westin got to spend some time at "The Farm," and of course he loved it! He was especially taken with the cows. He also got to sip some sweet tea on the front porch swing with Kreg & Mamaw. We had Lenny's for lunch (yay!!) with Neil and his lovely fiance Jackie, then watched the US World Cup game at the Kee's house-- again, so great to get to see our Searcy friends! Later that evening the whole Jones/Curtis/Kell clan got together for a delicious meal at Carol's house! It was fun for me to watch Westin interact with his cousins-- he's not used to having anyone his age around all the time. He LOVED it, and got to practice sharing... which was good! These two families have known each other for FOREVER, but this was getting to know them as family, which I think will be a very easy transition.

Sunday was the big day! We all worshiped together at Downtown, then Kreg, Wes & I had brunch with the Young's and the Ward's. Then it was time to get ready for a wedding :). The ceremony was just perfect. I, of course, only got to see the very beginning before Westin decided he needed to get down and move. However, we did video it and it was just perfect. This being the musically inclined and talented family that it is, all of Craig & Carol's kids sang "The Lord Bless You & Keep You" to them, which sounded fantastic and brought some tears to many eyes. Sunday night after the wedding we had pizza with all the "siblings" and played an exciting game of "Harding" Faces, which Rees & Shanna made up... it was hilarious.

Monday morning bright and early we made the trip back! Since then, Westin has come down with roseola (it looks a whole lot worse than it is, apparently) and Kreg has been utterly exhausted at 8:30 pm every night... needless to say, we're still trying to get back into routine :)

Thankful for Kreg

Kreg is fishing in Arkansas this week so Westin & I are missing Daddy! I'm so thankful he has this opportunity to spend time with his Dad, Uncle, and Grandfather. I know he will make precious memories that will last his lifetime. He's also very much in need of some R&R! He would never say that, of course, but he's been working so hard lately and just like Westin & I, he hasn't had a full night's rest in a long time! :)

All that being said, we miss him! It's just not the same without him here. I have to brag on him though, because he's just so thoughtful. He's always been so good about making sure I know he's thinking about me when he's not with me. This time, he planned out a scavenger hunt for me to do the first morning he was gone. I don't know how he pulled it off, but he hid all my favorite little things around the house, each with a clue to the next... and I didn't run into any of the "objects" before I was supposed to! When I got back from taking him to the airport Tuesday night, there was a letter to me on the bed with explicit instructions not to open until Wednesday morning... so of course I couldn't sleep Tuesday night! (that, and when you're used to sleeping with someone, you sure notice when they're not there...) Wednesday morning first thing I opened it up and found my first clue... when I was finished, I was stocked with peanut m&m's, pure cane sugar coke, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Roman Holiday, a yogurt for breakfast, and a new straight iron (my old one had been refusing to stay hot for the past several months... he's so sweet to notice!) I'm so thankful for him!

Even Westin is a little out of sorts. He keeps making his way to the front door saying, "da-da, da-da!" And I tell him Daddy went bye-bye with Papaw... I think he understands :) Either way, he misses his Daddy. It's been fun to watch their relationship progress over the past few months. Westin adores his Daddy... and the feeling is mutual! By the way, he is officially walking now! Thanks, cousin Tiff, for bribing him past the 2-3 steps he's been stuck at for the past couple months! :)

This all reminds me that I never got a chance to blog about our anniversary! We celebrated our 2nd anniversary on May 31st (our first anniversary we were a little busy with a move and a new baby and a new job, etc...) and we decided to do it up a little! My parents were kind enough to give up a good nights' sleep and watch Westin for the night while we went up to Estes for the night. We drove in and met my grandparents who took us to the Twin Owls Steakhouse, which was amazing! A beautiful location and great food! (Great company, also, of course!) We had a hike to Gem Lake, a couples' massage, and lunch at Poppy's planned for the following day... about 4:30 am that day, Kreg woke up SO sick. (So much for getting a good nights' sleep! Poor guy!) But, being the trooper and man's man that he is, at 7:30 am, he decided he was NOT going to miss the hike or the couples' massage (lunch was out of the question:))... so we made our way to Gem Lake, which was a gorgeous hike! I'm pretty sure I was able to enjoy it more than he was, so we will have to go back. Total, it was about 3.2 miles (not flat miles, mind you) that he conquered with a very upset stomach. We then made our way into town for our couples' massage on the Big Thompson River! It was so wonderful! Kreg even started feeling a little better afterwords... not quite enough better to do lunch, however. He went back to the cabin and slept the rest of the afternoon and my parents drove up with Westin and we had lunch at Poppy's together. I was ready to see my Westin! It was a wonderful time with Kreg, but we both agree that our little family is just not complete without our Baby Wes.

On a side note, I decided that I was asking too much of Westin to learn to fall asleep by himself AND cut out two more feedings... so... we're working on the weaning part (which is going very well, most days), and will attempt the sleep training again when we get back from Arkansas in a couple of weeks. Thank you SO much to all of you who have given me your feedback on what has worked for you. I appreciate your advice very much! ALSO-- I picked up my precious mother-in-law's wedding gift the other day :) :) I can't blog about it yet, but I'm excited about it!! Stay tuned...

Fragile

This year has been full of constant reminders of how fragile and precious life is. This past weekend Kreg, Westin, Kortney and I made a "quick" road trip to Salt Lake City to attend a funeral for my precious friend's 25-year-old husband who passed away last week from complications of testicular cancer and leukemia. The trip was exhausting on many levels, but I'm so glad we went. I was so thankful to see all the love and support that has been poured out for my friend, Karen.

Last night, my 31-year-old cousin, Stephanie, passed away from complications of ovarian cancer. It's been so hard not to give in to the questions swirling through my mind-- "why?" being the main one. I know none of us are exempt from death and it is impossible to predict how many days each of us have left.

Mostly, I am filled with thankfulness for the health and safety of my family, and with a renewed sense of what is really important. It's so easy to get caught up in our day-to-day routine that we forget to stop and think about how blessed we are, and about what our daily focus needs to be. When it comes right down to it, it doesn't matter if my house is clean. It doesn't matter if my laundry is done. It matters that I've taken care of my eternal salvation, and done my best to instill that desire in those around me, especially my children.

PS-- I'm working on weaning Westin AND helping him sleep on his own (he is NOT a napper and he still wakes up 3-4 times a night)... poor baby is distraught and I am drained. If any of you have any advice or words of wisdom, I am OPEN to it.

Party Time

At long last, I am determined to take a moment to sit down and re-cap our first birthday party adventure! I had every intention to do this the day after, but now, two and a half weeks later, not only have we celebrated Westin's first birthday, we've also celebrated my mom's birthday (the 20th) Kortney's birthday (23rd)my parents' anniversary, and our anniversary. We've also hosted the Harding Academy Chorus (please come back, we enjoyed you so much!), spent memorial day weekend in Estes Park... needless to say the past couple of weeks have gone quickly! And June is shaping up to look very similar. We are so thankful for all the activity in our lives and all the wonderful blessings we are constantly being showered with. Our God is so good!

We had a great time with Wes on his first birthday. We celebrated that Friday by having lunch at Chuck-E-Cheese. It's so fun to watch his excitement! Pizza is definitely his favorite food "za-za" so we had a pizza-filled weekend. Then, Saturday morning we had all the family in and we had another party! Westin was so blessed with so many fun things and cute clothes :) We had homemade pizza for lunch and cake for dessert. I had SO much fun making his cake! Ok, I had so much fun with all of it. It was a great way to celebrate this sweet little boy that has enriched our lives so beautifully. I continue to enjoy my journey through motherhood and am sure I will enjoy each phase in his precious life. Thank you, God, for Westin!