A Whirlwind of a Weekend

 This past weekend was very busy but very exciting as well! Friday started off with the twins field day at school. They do it at the beginning of the year to form unity and bonding within the class. They rotate along through different games and overall really enjoy it! I remember my field days as a kid- we would even get ribbons at  the end and there was the famous obstacle course where you couldnt wait to dive into the mud and get all dirty. We would have the standard three legged races and long jump and running races. I usually won those- I could really run when I was little.  

Elijah and Ella came along to cheer on their sisters but Elijah soon lost interest and played with Littlest Pet Shop toys on the cement. It was pretty funny- he carried these around with him all day long. 

Ella tried to get into the games and was tagging along after her sisters all morning.

Later that afternoon, I met my friend Erika for our annual Pumpkin Spice Latte debut at Starbucks. We have met every year since our girls started Kindergarten. I quite like the tradition. and I REALLY love the drink! (please ignore the double chin in this picture- its probably from drinking too much coffee!)

 And the cherry on top of my Friday was a date with my man, Mark! We went to Elephant Bar Resturant for dinner and then got to go downtown to a HEART meet and great on Larimar Square- HEART is the organization that Mark teamed with to go to Africa- they are doing AMAZING things in Africa and it was all started by this sweet older lady, Vicki. What an encouragement to me to see this woman (who is entering a stage in life when most people sit back and relax) forge ahead and create this organization that is doing SO much in meeting needs for the people of Africa- AMAZING! I was in tears. 

Go here to learn more about HEART. 

Their newest project is where they build greenhouses for the African people to grow crops to sell in their towns- they started this because of all the famine going on in Africa right now.

 Special thanks to our sweet babysitter, Rachael, who watched the munchkins for us! She also went with      Mark to Africa so she was excited that we got to see Vicki and hear about HEART!

Saturday was very busy as Mark met with with an Ordination Counsel to pursue eldership at Sola Church. He was grilled for around 2 hours by Jay Janz, Paul Valentine, Chad Mondragon and Rudy Gomez about his theology and his own personal life. Sunday, it was complete as he was installed as an elder at Sola Church, along with Bobby Endyk.

 What an amazing God we serve who uses ordinary men to serve and guide and love His church. 

If you dont have a church body and live in the Denver area, we would LOVE to have you come and visit us! 

We meet on the corner of Holly and County Line and have our service at 10:30am.

We also have missional community groups that meet once a week for a meal together and Bible Study-

 we would love for you to come! 

And now a new week has begun!

Yesterday the twins started after school choir! They are all excited- they get tshirts and get to sing at Christmas at Southglenn. Ella continues to love school. Elijah and I met with our neighbor today who is a young teenage girl who just had a cute little baby girl. I was able to take pictures of little Kaliyah for my Etsy shop and give her some pretty baby bling! I am hoping to get to know Karly better! 

Tonight I head to the twins schools PTO meeting- I am excited to get involved this year! I had my first big event as Hospitality Coordinator last month and was able to meet a lot of the staff and parents at Hopkins.

 It was fun! 

First Week of Preschool A Success

Isnt she just SO cute! My little 4 yr old Ella Bella started her first school experience on Tuesday at Christ Lutheran Preschool. Its about 10 minutes from our house and she has 14 girls and 4 boys in her class. She has been looking forward to this for MONTHS and regularly would ask when she would be going. I was worried that she built it up too much in her head and would be disappointed when the day actually came but that was silly! She LOVED it!

Ella is in Jr Kindergarten and they meet from 9:30am-12:30pm. She eats lunch at school and that has been quite the exciting experience! Her teachers name is Miss Pam and they also have another classroom teacher named Miss Debbie. Ella is always coming home with papers and crafts and projects and new songs and new poems and new rules that she has learned.. you get the picture! She's learning lots!

 And since Ella is in school this gives me time to spend some quality time with my little Lij! I have never in 7 years of parenting ever had one child to look after- its so different! And I like it. It definitely is quiet! I have started teaching Elijah too seeing as he really does not know much- not sure if its because he is a boy or it is because he is the last of 4 children- poor guy doesnt know red from yellow- but we are working on it and soon he will know lots:) And if he doesnt learn quickly, at least he has his looks:) He sure is a cutie!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend- we sure have a busy one ahead!
 And I am SOOO looking forward to it!

The Help

Last night I was able to go see The Help with Erika. It was SUCH a good movie- about racial segregation specifically with woman (moms)and their maids and one young woman's stand against it. Skeeter (the main character) took a chance to stick out in society by befriending some black maids and exposing their mistreatment at a time when it was actually against the law to do so! I thought it was wonderful. There were several curse words but other than that it was GREAT! oh, and lots of smoking- I cannot believe how much people smoked back in the olden days- thank goodness it has died down much from back then. Of course I cried and laughed a lot. Erika commented after the movie how emotional I am and I really am- it doesnt take much to get a laugh from me or tears for that matter:) 

I just want to say that I am so thankful for Erika's friendship- we have known each other for 4 years now and she is definitely a Life-long friend! We each have different personalities but in my mind, it balances us out pretty perfectly. I love that we can hang out easily together and talk about anything. Love ya, Erika! 

And on a side note, I just LOVED the fashion from that movie! 

All the skirts and little bows in their hair and funky tops! 

It was great! 

I am in love with a nerd

Since I can still not access the pictures from Ellas first day of preschool, I will leave you with this clever little comic. Its actually a Tshirt and I really want to get it for Mark:) Mark dressed up as a math nerd with his Math Department today- here is a picture for you to enjoy!

Math was NOT my favorite subject in school- I am so glad our kids can go to daddy with their math frustrations and he will help them! Being married to a nerd and having his babies really pays off!

I'll never have to pay for a tutor.

And he's REALLY smart and I am not so its all good.

I {DESPISE} POSTS WITH NO PICTURES

And much to my utter dislike, this post has no pictures. You see our MAC has the gray screen of death and is waiting for Marks computer genius touch to revive it or at least get the harddrive out so he can put a new one in. (and yes, my pictures were in Iphoto and were not backed up- lets not talk about it or I may throw up) Thats another story for another day.
In the meantime, I am stuck using a laptop which I am very thankful for, but which I am not very good at using. I am not very good at using Picasa either so the bazillion pics I took of Ella starting prechool today are still on the camera and hopefully will come off tonight when Mark shows me how to do it.
All this to say, you are stuck with a pictureless post and most all of you will probably not even read this since no picture accompanies it!
Ella did start preschool today and it was a smashing success- at least for her- my eyes have been filled with tears all day. When did my baby girl grow up? Childhood is flashing by at the speed of light and I for one am not liking it!

How Are You Spending Your Weekend?

Dont you love this vintage effect on these pictures we took camping the other weekend? 

I used a free photo editing thingy at www.rollip.com

You should try it- its super cool and its free! 

Last night we went to a Valor Math Department Party at Kathy's house- most all the math teachers from Valor came and we shared a yummy dinner. I am so thankful for such a wonderful group of teachers that Mark gets to interact with every day. They are so kind, funny and just great people! 

I am participating in a HUGE kids consignment sale this weekend- I am selling clothes and hope to make a fortune:)ha! It was pretty easy to do. I came up with prices that I wanted to sell items for and then entered them on an online pricing system and then printed out the tags and attached them to my stuff. You drop them off, they get inspected and then you put them out on the sale floor and that is it! You get 60% of the sale for doing that. If you volunteer- you get another 5% back and if 5 friends come with your consignment number , you get another 5% back so thats 70% altogether! I think thats awesome for consigning!  I plan to volunteer tomorrow for 4 hours. It should be fun! I already shopped and got some really good deals yesterday. Ella is ALL set for fall/winter clothes. Elijah  needs casual clothes like knit pants and long-sleeved tshirts and the twins need a few more school outfits. And they all need winter boots and thats about it. Not bad at all. I shop in off seasons for the most part so its nice to pull out a bin of clothes all ready for that new season. And I get them dirt cheap too! The only time buying ahead has come back to bite me is with shoes. You can just never guess right about what size they will be in in a years time. 

The weather is supposed to cool down  this weekend into next week. It has honestly been in the 90's for weeks now and I am SO tired of heat and sweating. I am ready for fall. I am ready for jeans and little jackets and sweaters:) I really LOVE fall! Its my favorite season. Hopefully we get a fall this year and dont skip it and go right to winter. I could see it happening. 

well, I am off to organize and rearrange the basement. Its time:) 

Have a wonderful weekend! 

Embrace the Camera {LOVE}

SO weird, my original post completely disappeared. So I must repost this picture. 
I was saying, that I really am liking the music of Ingrid Michaelson. She has some really pretty folksy love songs that I have recently downloaded to my IPod. 

"The Way I Am"


If you were falling, then I would catch you.
You need a light, I'd find a match.


Cuz I love the way you say good morning.
And you take me the way I am.


If you were chilly, here take my sweater.
Your head is aching, I'll make it better.


Cuz I love the way you call me baby.
And you take me the way I am.


I'd buy you Rogaine when you start losing all your hair.
Sew on your patches to all you tear.


Cuz I love you more than I could ever promise.
And you take me the way I am.
You take me the way I am.
You take me the way I am.


Another GREAT song by her is

"You and I"

Take a listen :)