Par-tay!!!!!

We've been partying it up here this last week.  We decided to dust of the Wii and break it out for Brooke.  She is a true fan!!

 We let her test her skills in boxing and let me tell ya...

 She let Troy have it.

 Going in for the kill...KO

 "Wait, he's not supposed to get up?!"

 "Get 'em!!!!!"

Troy doing his best not to let a 4 year old beat him.  In the end I think she actually won.  She totally bested me in bowling with a record score of 168.

Saturday rolled around and I decided to host a dumpling/potsticker party. 

I taught the ladies how to mix the dumpling mixture and how to wrap them...complete with crimped edges.  My mom would be proud!

The kids kept themselves entertained while I played cooking teacher and Troy was the photographer/sous chef.  I complimented Brooke on her hair only to find out that Troy had done it.  Good job!!!

There is not a picture of the final product but I can tell you, they did not disappoint!!!  The secret ingredient...shiitake mushrooms.  Makes a world of difference.

Brooke was able to celebrate her friend's birthday at preschool.  She loved the goodie bag especially the silly glasses.

Connor thought Squishy was asking to join her party but I think he totally misinterpreted what she was really thinking...that she just wanted to sleep...ALONE.

Lastly, Brooke, Connor, and I have been battling colds.  Mine and Brooke's are on their tail end but Connor keeps being a drippy faucet.  I tried to help him out with the snot sucker but he would have none of it.  Smart kid!

Sunshine!!!!

Remember how I said last week that the weather would be in the 50s?  Well, it did not disappoint!  We are currently at 57 and we might even hit a record high tomorrow!!  I love CO weather.  

 We celebrated the sunshine with bubbles, bubbles, and more bubbles.

I think they were entertained with bubbles and the remnants of snow for a good hour!  Thank goodness for bubble machines.

 Connor also tested out his t-ball skills.  I think by summer he may even hit a home run in the back yard!

January Happenings

I think Connor's bum says it all.  It's been absolutely frigid these past couple of days.  We're currently sitting at 11 degrees but it feels like 4.  My fingers are freezing!  Luckily we have a warm up coming later this week.  We'll be in the 50s!  Wahoo!

We've managed to keep ourselves busy and entertained through this bitter cold. 

I, sometimes, let Brooke have my Ipod during quiet time.  This last week I have found over 200 pictures taken of our backyard, her dolls, and her bed.  I also found many voice memos with Christmas carols on them.  Silly girl!

 Connor has decided he wants to be Mr. Independent.   I think it just wants to be Santa.

The kids love having dad around.  With this week and this last week being a little crazy busy for Troy, the kids have been soaking him up during the weekend.

Who knew that a little kazoo thing could provide so much entertainment?!

Lastly, just so I have it written down somewhere, here are the final results from our run last weekend.

Troy:
Final Chip Time: 2:13:14
Overall: 1216 out of 4315
Division: 139 out of 329
Gender: 755 out of 1729

Tracie:
Final Chip Time: 2:07:24
Overall: 976 out of 4315
Division: 75 out of 534
Gender: 327 out of 2586

Lightning Fast

 It's been a quick week with lots to write about.  We started the week off by celebrating the New Year's Eve with our friends, the Cowans and the Hutchings.  I think it's become a yearly tradition to have a pinata for the kids. 

 Connor loved taking a swing.  I bet by this time next year he won't even need any help at all.

Later in the week I took Brooke and her friend, Lizzie, to the roller rink.  The rink offers a pixie class for kids 2-6 to learn how to roller skate.

 Let's just say that a lot, and I mean, A LOT of tears were shed by both of them.

 Along with the tears, I think Brooke had her tongue hanging out the whole time.

Afterwards, when I asked the girls if they had fun they answered with a very enthusiastic YES!!!!  They even asked when I could take them back.

 We flew to CA for the New Year's Race half marathon. 

 We headed downtown to the expo to pick up our swag bag then home to rest and prepare for the big race.

The race didn't start until 9:15 pm.  Much of the waiting time was spent with us moving around and our hands in our armpits to keep us warm.

I'm glad to say that both Troy and I did great in this race.  Troy came in at 2:13:14 shaving off close to 20 minutes from his previous half.  I came in at 2:07:24 taking off about 9 minutes from my previous time.  Dan also ran the race with us. It was his first and he could have totally blown us out of the water but decided to stay back and push me.  Thanks!!!

I must say that it helps to train at 6200 ft and in a very hilly neighborhood.  Both Troy and I were a little nervous about the hill going up to Dodger Stadium but it was much easier than anticipated.  The weather was nice and it was refreshing to be running at sea level.  By the time we made it home and in bed it was around 2:00 am and it had begun to rain.  So glad that the rain decided to hold out until after the race!

Now it's back to the regular grind.  Preschool and piano lessons start today.  I've even begun to fill out Brooke's kindergarten registration.  Just barely a week into the new year and I feel like we've already accomplished a lot!