Merry Christmas!

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Merry Christmas Eve!

Snow, sledding, skiing and snowboarding, pajamas and slippers, no work all play, snuggling on the couch, smelling a pine tree in my living room, eating wonderful food, a fantastic husband, wonderful sons and a new beautiful daughter....... It must be Christmas!!!!

She makes it REALLY hard for mom to want to leave for work!!

"Must you really, Mom???" ..... I just love classic "naked baby"photo!!

Now THAT'S what I call a wonderful Christmas gift!!

"Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!!!"

"I've fallen, and I can't get up!"

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Luke 2:8-12

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

TWO TEENS, A BEAR AND A BABY

Well, it is official, Cole is a teenager! Dec. 8th was his Big 13th! We had a great celebration with his wonderful friends and our family...We noshed on appetizers and washed them down with "fake" champagne..(or at least the kids did!!). I am so proud of him, he is turning into a wonderful young man...but then all my boys are! In addition to Cole's birthday, Jay and I enjoyed a holiday party at the Hotel Colorado. The Hotel is rumored to be haunted and we, the brave ghost hunters, decided to spend the night! The hotel is quaint, very old, but beautiful. But I would have to admit, there was a strange feel to it! We shared an adjoining room with friends..their room was very cold, ours like a furnace! The fan would go on and off and we heard the sound of a baby cry (who knows....pr0bably from another room..) at any rate, we left bright and early the next morning! No lolly gagging around ...we were outta there! But it was a fun night!

We ended the week by "slaying" our Christmas tree! (Cole's term!) What a nice one, too! For a mere $10.00 you can get a pass to hunt down the perfect pine for your living room! I just love the smell of fresh trees!

And I am typing this waiting for my suburban full of boys to return from the mountain after their first day skiing/snowboarding! We have had limited snow, but enough for the mountain to open! Next week I go. But today I decided to stay home with BellaGrace to finish last minute decorations, do some laundry....and snuggle!

Ahhh, to be 13 again!

A Heavy metal cake for a heavy metal dude!

A boy and his dad!

It's all about the shoes!! Hotel Colorado Christmas party!

15 years and going strong! The princess and her Knight!!

You KNOW I'm cute!!!

"It's about time those two old farts got out of MY bed!!" Bella in the morning...do NOT disrupt her beauty sleep!

The Bear, excited to put the saw to use!

The MacDaddy of all Christmas trees!

Thankful

Wow! What a whirlwind of holiday activity! I just love Thanksgiving! I love watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade in the morning while puttering in the kitchen making last minute goodies....I love the sound of a football game afterward while the smells of the kitchen begin to permeate the house...I love the snowflakes outside and the warmth of a cozy house inside........It is the start of the holiday season and I am the true traditional holiday person. I am Clark Griswold! We enjoyed a fantastic spread on Thanksgiving, prime rib and ham and all the fixins' including Grandma Nita's oyster stuffing. Top that with fabulous family and friends and it does not get any better! The day after Thanksgiving provides our new family tradition...going to the tree lighting ceremony at the Hotel Colorado. If you do not get into the Christmas Spirit after this, you are a true Grinch! New Creation Church always provides fantastic carolers for TRUE Christmas music! Everyone is offered a candle to light and hold up as they sing, to shine a light into the world. It is truly beautiful. Following is local talents...saxophonists and singers with songs that always tug at your heart. Inside the Hotel it is decorated to the nines..so much so that many kids think that it is actually Santa's house! Little windows in the hotel hallways are decorated with teddy bears in Christmas scenes...mama and papa bear with the family decorating the tree...little bears opening their Christmas treasures. (Teddy Roosevelt frequented the hotel often, hence the bear motif!!). They even have the Polar Express chugging along for kids young and old to marvel at! Nearing the end of the courtyard performance the much anticipated arrival of the One and Only Mr. Clause on the upper outside balcony makes me cheer as loud as the kids! But NOTHING can top the fireworks display! WOW! Set to the tune of Alan Jackson's "Let It Be Christmas", it proves to be the BEST firework show EVER! But it's not over yet! As tradition at the Hotel Colorado has it, the ENTIRE audience that is packed to the gills on the street belts out together "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" by Bruce Springsteen, as the courtyard lights begin to light up! We are talking trees and reindeer and angels and all sorts of magical, shiny wonders! And all people, young and old, know what it feels like to be a kid! My wish to you as we begin this holiday season is just that, let's all be kids! Happy Holidays!!!!!

You bet we are thankful! Mom, Dad, BellaGrace and Grandma Tootie!

When the dishes are done, the moms have some fun! My wonderful girlfriends, Eileen and Shelli!

Our Lil' turkey!

Acting goofy on the way to Hotel Colorado with good buddy Wyatt.

Shining a light for the world.

Our little Bella Bear, enjoying the festivites!

Doing their part to help light up the world!

"Let it be Christmas, everywhere, let heavenly music fill the air, let every heart sing, let every bell ring, the story of hope and joy and peace..."(Alan Jackson's "Let It Be Christmas")

"Santa, we've be REEEEEEALLY good!!!"

The daily grind, just a bit better!!

Well, life is back to normal, so to speak... Isabella enjoyed her first week of "daycare" with Nanny Nana, Papa and Grandma Tootie. The weather is being very cooperative, allowing the boys to enjoy fishing in the sunshine! I does not feel like winter is upon us! Our day to day life has not changed much...work and school as usual and family life as wonderful as it always was, except enhanced a bit by a little one Dad likes to call "Bella Bug." It is amazing, I have to fight for MY time to hold Isabella as the 4 men in the house want first dibs! I find myself sitting back and watching them all...just melting at the sight of her! Ahhhh, the power of a woman!! You go girlfriend!

She'll melt your heart!

Enjoying dinner with Grandma Tootie

Delicious Colorado Trout!

My cheeks are NOT chubby!

Back to work

Well, my maternity leave went by fast. 7 weeks off, enjoying Isabella and taking care of my boys. But I have to admit, I am ready to get back into the swing of things. Isabella is getting the best "SuperNanny" in the world, her very own Nana! What a blessing to have a grandmother who will take the time to help raise up our beautiful girl! I am sure semi-retired Papa will be a great help also! I have truly enjoyed spending so much time with Bella Grace. She is a joy. Very sweet, only fussing a the "dinner time hour" (why do they all do that?). She is beginning to smile and coo and is trying to laugh! My time off was twice blessed as my mom spent 6 weeks visiting. My boys were VERY SAD to see her leave as she is an amazing cook and a real sport! She enjoyed playing Wii with us, eating elk right off the mountain and doing endless piles of laundry!!! Isabella's room will always be Isabella and Grandma Mena's room, as that is where she stayed. I ended my maternity leave by going on a date with my hubby! Jay and I spent a wonderful day in Grand Junction, eating and shopping! We ended the week with Jesse's football team's end of year party which was a big hit! Tonite dad rests upstairs with his little "BellaBug"....Jesse is resting from his big party and James and Cole are playing video games. We are up at 6 AM bright and early tommorrow... Hi ho Hi Ho...............You know the rest! Oh well, gotta work to have fun!

Duplesys' Catch of the Day! Yummmmmmmy!!

Our apologies to our PETA friends...but this guy really was tasty!And it's like Larry the Cable Guy says..."C'mon, you gotta admit, you know this is funny!"

A beautiful BellaGrace picture to undo the hunting images!

Grandma Mena resting during our "Extreme Wii Championship Evening!!"

Snuggling in Grandma Mena's arms

Content as can be in wonderful big brother JesseBear's arms. Snoozing on a cozy afternoon.

"Daddy...If I wanted the moon, would you go and get it for me??"

"WHO INVITED HER???"

A Quick Blog

Well, trying to keep up with a house and 3 boys and trading snippets of sleep with my husband, blog posts come few and far in between. And with a son waiting to do his language arts project on this computer, I am rushing to post a few pics! It is amazing....with a daughter so small when she lays in our arms, this blog I am posting shows the vast difference between my first baby, James, and our little Bella Grace. It is amazing,,, One in high school, one in my arms and two in between! And Jay being VERY old with a very YOUNG wife completes the circle of life! ( hee hee hee!!) Love to you all!

Mom can't figure out how to turn this around!! "Hey Mom, get into the 21st century!!!"

He will always be our baby boy, no matter how tall he gets! This is James first concert band performance in High School!

Isabella in her favorite joint...Summit Coffee House on Grand Ave in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. Coffee, Shopping, it's all good!

Happy November!

Well, the end of October in Colorado was just wonderful! I was able to take my mom to the Colorado National Monument. It is just a beautiful spot, somewhat of a mini Grand Canyon. The weather was wonderful.... in the 70's probably. It is a 23 mile loop from the check in station... winding curves and steep drop offs... but the scenery is well worth it. Mom really enjoyed seeing such a phenomenal part of Colorado. I would post more pictures, but they just don't do it justice. You all just have to come visit to see it for yourself!

Of course we enjoyed Halloween with the boys and Isabella and our friends. Growing up, October 31st always was a fun day for me. In our neighborhood, all the adults would get together and put on a ghost walk in the woods for the kids. We always enjoyed cider and donuts as well as the scariest ghost walk ever! From creepy dudes jumping out of coffins (we had a neighbor who worked in the medical field who got real coffins and skeletons) and lasers for light shows (thank you to those who worked at Ebtec, the laser company) to REAL black stallions for the headless horseman...(our neighborhood put Disney to shame)! Halloween always was a night of fun and family foolishness! This year the boys looked great...Cole as Gene Simmons from Kiss, James as the Joker from the "Black Night" and Jesse as Indiana Jones, it was a fun night walking with the kids for treats, seeing the great decorations and visiting with friends at the house. The leaves are just about off the trees and the cool weather is upon us. Fall is great! The boys (all 4) went hunting this weekend... rest assured all of you who are agains that...Bambi was safe... no trophy yet. Maybe we will go vegetarian this year! Happy November to all our friend and family!

Safe in our back yard.... the deer enjoy any shred of lawn we might have!

The boys and their buds... Tyler, Cole, James, Wyatt, Caleb, Jonathan and Jesse Bear! Ready to take on the subdivision for oodles of goodies!

Lookin' sharp as the joker!

Grandma Mena and Isabella, ready to party!

"I, Wanna Rock n' Roll All Night..... And Party Every day!"

Indiana Bear

"Hey Mom, why are my brothers dressed up so weird???!!!!"

Silt Panthers

Well, our favorite football team, the Silt Panthers made it as far as the playoffs. We had hoped to go on to the Superbowl, but lost to Glenwood. It was a great year, we were 5 and 2 and had many exciting moments out on the field. The boys were a wonderful group...many friendships were made, lessons learned and memories created. I enjoy the friendships with the parents and we truly enjoy cheering on our guys! As you can see from the photos Jesse ("The Bear") is made for playing football! He is easy to spot on the field since he towers above his clasmmates. All in all it was a great season. Coach Jay (we call him "Dad") did a wonderful job as usual. The Three Rivers Youth Football program really teaches these young men the sport of football. Many a powerful high school player has come up through this program. James and Cole also played on the TRY team, and although they do not play now that they are older (they focus on their music), they did learn so much and had alot of fun. Maybe "The Bear" will be gracing our TV screen someday in the future as we watch the real Superbowl!