Dia de Los Muertos

our friends the Merlers are awesome. We discussed wanting to celebrate Dia de Los Muertos together because all of us have experienced deep losses, yet if feels that we don't do much to talk/honor/discuss these loved ones that have died. We all really liked the idea of the holiday.  Due to a very busy weekend, I felt that our family didn't do much to really go all out-but we did put up pictures, hangout together, told stories of our loved ones, and lit up some paper lanterns. This was the highlight! It was pitch black and beautiful to watch these lanterns fly!  Next year will be even better!

❤️Momma

Halloween did happen.

Oh man. It's getting harder and harder to blog these days! So much fun stuff is going on! Anyways-we had a great time for Halloween. Highlights included: fun carving party, rykee sprinting to houses, Grandma came with, and Dempsey rocking her outfit! I also had a great time dressing up with my work buddy for school.

❤️Momma

Why?

What. No.  It has started.  Dempsey come upstairs. "Why?'  Because I said,  "Why?  Because it's bedtime.  "Why?"

Dempsey it's time to put the books away.  "Why?"  Because these are AJ's books for school.  "oh."

YIKES.  Why stage....my favorite.

:)
Momma

Where's Ryker?

When I have to say, "Where's Ryker?," it usually involves permanent marker, the iPad, candy, chasing something outside that has 4 legs or more, color-anything with color, and other shenanigans.  We happened to be up at = the Grandparent's house in Estes and I found myself saying, "Where's Ryker" after I hadn't heard his voice in awhile.  I didn't hear him, and of course he didn't call out to me when I called his name.  I peaked into the Moose Room at the house and found Ryker there gazing into the corner.  I asked him what he was doing, and replied in his sweet Ryker voice, "I'm sitting and watching the fire."  Grandmom had installed this moose nightlight that has a campfire scene that looks like a real campfire.  Ryker was just enjoying "the fire".  He then asked, "Mom you want to come sit and watch the fire with me?"  Was there even a question?  I don't think so.  So I sat and we watched the fire together.  Later on that day I heard him ask Grandma the same thing, and sure enough off they both went to watch the fire.

Later in the weekend Ryker was FaceTiming with Grandpa and told him the story of the moose.  "Grandpa-the moose was walking a far ways and got cold.  So the moose found a fire and then he warmed-ded up."

SWEET dude.  That little man of ours.
-Momma

Teamwork.

That's right...this dishwasher is empty because AJ and Ryk just unloaded it while Russell and I stayed upstairs in bed, waking up slow.

AJ said, "Mom! I learned where things went this morning. I just kept looking in different drawers."

Problem solving skills! ✔️

Have a great day!

❤️ Momma

Busy Busy Busy...

Yep, that pretty much says it all lately.

Social events every weekend (4 to be exact, this past weekend), dropping and retrieving AJ (and Maya) and the Littles, Meg's many after school meetings, before school meetings, and evening nonprofit board meetings, my (very) occasional flag football with the guys after work, and my (even more occasional) beers with the guys after work.

Somehow in that mix we are keeping our sanity.  I do so by drinking and distracting myself with technology and other nerdly things, building/fixing things around the house, and the occasional workout.  Meg keeps her sanity by working out constantly in the mornings.  This past week, she worked out 6 out of 7 days, and that 7th day (Sunday) she wanted to but I had to talk her out of it!  She's a fiend!  Yes, I'm slightly jealous (only slightly).

Not much time for doing much of anything that either of us actually want to do.  In fact, personal time happens so rarely that when it does we are usually overwhelmed with all the possibilities of what we could do, and we end up usually doing not much of anything at all, just because.  Also 'doing things' usually ideally involves coordinating with friends to hang out and do something (usually very difficult), and 'doing something' almost always involves needlessly spending more money on ridiculous things.  Money is pretty tight right now too.  Seems like a major 1st world problem.  I mean, I've got a very good job and this is one of the best IT job markets in the country, and Megan has a decent job too, and we've got the rental.  Combined, we're doing better than any friends close to our age that we know.  Still, daycare+kindergarten is $1100 right now.  College savings are $450 right now, and that's not nearly enough.  Where does all the rest go?  No clue.  I think there must be a 'money monster' who's a cousin to the 'sock monster'.  So we don't usually do much of anything anymore.  This has all been the same plight shared by parents of young children for eons, I suppose.  Suffice it to say that we are surviving, individually and together.  And we constantly take stock of our lives and our family, and feel nothing but happiness and gratitude.  Really, we talk about that stuff and those feelings.  I mean, Meg is a Social Worker.  It's all about feelings in this house, believe you me.  "Ryker, how do you think it made AJ feel when you were jumping on his stomach really hard, multiple times?", case in point.  Literally just said that 8 minutes ago.

Ok, pity party is over.

Time for some pics and to talk of the kids!  The kids are so great.  They are all coming of age in their own ways, and its SO FUN to see and be a part of!

AJ is da man right now.  He's been taking to school so well.  Reading, writing, sounding out words, counting, learning all kinds of stuff, he's such a natural!  In other news, he was recommended for the 'Shyness Club' at school, you know, for shy kids.  It's kinda sweet really.  And true, he's painfully silent at times, to adults and other kids alike.  Chip off the old block I suppose, I can accurately describe my childhood as 'painfully shy'.  Didn't start out that way, but turned that way more and more all the way until early college, then I finally hatched out of the shell (and look at me now!).  We'll take him (AJ).

Ryker.  Well, he's slept through the night for 3 NIGHTS STRAIGHT now!  I've had dreams again the past few nights.  It's weird.  It's nice.  Oh and perhaps equally important, he actually gives a shit about earning stickers!  Reasoning?  Cause/effect?  Early neanderthal logic?  We'll take it.  Oh and this all coincides with him using much larger words and saying the darndest things more.  Very, very fun to watch him grow past this milestone right now.

Demps.  Oh that cute sweet little girl.  Cute as ever.  Vocab has EXPLODED over the past 2 weeks.  Still hard for most to understand except Meg and I, but that's part of the fun.  She's also been jumping right in the fray and wrestling with the boys and me a lot more.  She has more interest in playing with nearly all other kids in general now, and that's really fun to see too!  Demps still loves to cuddle and be held some days, and we'll take that, lots of that.  Last cuddle bug, after all!

Oh yeah, been hiking some 14ers too!  Always grueling, but always worth it.  For those who don't know, you seriously get a 'high' from doing it, like a runners' high.  Although, new research says that a runners' high is basically the same thing as a marijuana high.  I digress.  2 14ers with Meg (Holy Cross and Long's), and 2 14ers with Will (Bierstadt over the Sawtooth to Evans).

Hanging in there, and managing to enjoy the ride,
Russell