Evan's first Elk!

Well, news from Chaffee County is that Evan got his first kill. I just got the copy of the picture on my email without details. I will post more as I have the information. I did crop the photo to rid of some of the gore. xo

. . . He shot her at 175 yards and hit her on the first shot in the liver. He shot three more times to make sure she did not run off. They will return to Salida next weekend to butcher her and bring her home. Big thanks to Uncle Kenny for his guide services and to Aunt Sammy for the hospitality! xo

Christmas day in Salida!

So we wake up to see what's in our stockings, shower, and load up the car to drive to Salida to see my family. Even though it sounds like an inconvenience, I truly love the drive with the kids close and cell phone service lacking. We arrived at my sister Sam's to a house full. As I was introducing Blake's friend, Sam, to all of my family, the reality of it sank in and I had to giggle. My mom was there with her husband, Fred. My dad was there with his wife, Peggy. My sister, Niki's dad, Rod, was there, too. Grandma and Papa Turner were there visiting with us all. I would really like to see a Christmas card next year with Mom, her husband, and her two ex-husbands ~ this is our life. Fortunately, the big D doesn't tear this family apart, it brings us all together for the holidays. xo

The boys woke early the next morning to hunt for Evan's cow elk. No luck on day one, but they stayed behind in Chaffee County and the girls and I returned back to the city. I am hoping the next post is about Evan's big kill. Cross your fingers.

Christmas Eve at our house!

It's become a tradition to have a BUNCO tournament at our house on Christmas Eve. Clay's family comes over and they play to win ~ especially Camie's family! ;o) We play four rounds and at the end pick a winner, a loser, one with the most BUNCOs and a traveling BUNCO. This is a great time. Everyone plays and you get to chat with someone new every round. We also started a "white elephant" Gift Card exchange which is really a lot of fun. It's always a hoot when Granddad ends up with the Victoria's Secret GC or Shanna with Cabela's! We played 'til late in the evening, Santa came, and Evan anxiously woke us all to see what Santa brought for Christmas morning. Who needs sleep? It's Christmas!

Our family was also blessed to have Blake's friend, Samantha join us for the holidays. We all love Sam and enjoy having her as a part of our family.

OUCH!!!

Snow and below freezing temperatures have caused icy road conditions in town. Miss Blake has gotten a good taste of winter driving. Unfortunately, a curb jumped out and smacked right into her wheel on the way home from school. Bummer!

My civic duty.

I just completed my seven day obligation of jury duty today. I served as a jury member for a triple murder/attempted murder trial here in Fort Collins. The case was centered around meth. What a sad, sad, sad world just right around the corner in my home town. We, the jury, agreed upon the verdict of guilty of all counts. I believe 100% in our decision, but my heart is heavy from the weight of the decision.

Pay attention to your kids and their friends, and love them. Then, love them some more, and love them even more after that.

http://www.coloradoan.com/article/20091208/NEWS01/912080322

Parties, parties, parties. . .

We went to Dr. Kent's Christmas party this weekend and will have Atlas's in two weeks. Kent also puts together a party for all of the employee's children as well as a cocktail hour, after-hours, the night before Christmas Eve.

Count down to Christmas!

Here's a good shot of Evan's annual gingerbread masterpiece. The lights are on the outside of the house, we will pick out our tree this weekend, and the presents are starting to stack up. I love this time of year!

I love my kiddos!

Yes, I do!

Happy Thanksgiving from our house to yours!

We spent the holiday with Clay's family in Fort Collins this year and had a wonderful time. Johnny and Pat were home from California. Camie, Shaun, Grant and Shanna drove up from the Springs. Cindy and Dan drove up from BV, and Dannye and Brady drove all the way across town. Perry was the only one from the immediate family who was not with us this year. Girlfriends will do that. We will "get" him for Christmas though! The meal was fantastic as always. Johnny and Pat did leave for California without taking the left-overs. SCORE!!!

The Blind Side ~ a must see!

We went to see The Blind Side as a family over this holiday weekend. What a great movie!! So much so that I am blogging about it!!! What a great time of year to be reminded of the rewards of generosity, compassion, and most of all, love. Run, don't walk, and go see this movie!

Clay wins a well deserved award!

Clay recently traveled to Ohio for Atlas Industrial's annual corporate meeting. He survived three days of meetings, future projections, and networking. He also came home with the "Manager of the Year" award. Clay is the operations manager of the Western Division and has really turned things around for the better. I am so proud of him. This really is a big honor and he deserved it. I am also proud to say that despite the huge responsibility he has at work, he really has learned to balance work and family. His role as husband and daddy never takes a back seat. He is the BEST at both and we love him so much for that!

Indoor Football League

Evan started playing for the indoor football league immediately after the fall outdoor season. This is 6 man ball and all players are eligible to run and catch the ball. Thus, Evan DID score his first touchdown this season. ROCK ON! The picture is from my phone and is certainly not a good one, but check out #5. That's my guy ~ a good head taller than everyone on both teams. Oh, I am proud of my gentle giant!!!!

Hunting Season Part One

Clay and Evan went hunting for a bull elk with Kenny, JD, Fred, JT, and Jessica over Halloween weekend. Clay had the tag but had no luck, hitting anything anyway. Evan enjoyed the "man-time" and is sworn to secrecy because I do not WANT to know what happens at hunting camp. They will head off again to try to fill Evan's cow tag in late November through January. The pictures are of the r&r at hunting camp plus my favorite one of the moon in God's country. I am proud to report, after the last father-son outing, that there were no injuries on this trip. Whew!

Avalanche Game

It doesn't get much better than watching the Avalanche play while sitting in a luxury box being catered to with an abundance of beer, wine, food, and fun. All fantastic, but then the Avs lost. Oh well, we had a great time. Miss Blake opted out to go home to do homework. What a silly, responsible little girl! We can sure get used to this treatment. . . . then back to reality.

SNOW DAY!!!!

No school today due to the weather! The kids are thrilled!!! Clay and I still had to go into work, but my office closed at lunch. So here I sit at home updating my blog. I know, there is laundry and cleaning and laundry and laundry to do, but it can wait. It always does!

Carving Pumpkins

Halloween is just a few days away and, as always, we are getting prepared by carving pumpkins. Clay was complaining last night that HE always has to gut the pumpkins. Haven't you ALWAYS gutted the pumpkins? What is so different now? Well, now, Evan is old enough to gut them without making too much of a mess. So, Evan got to help to gut the pumpkins and Clay felt much better. Oh! What an opportunity! Whatever, just as long as it's not me! Messy, messy, messy! Bah!!

End of Fall Football Season

Evan had his last game of the 8-man fall football season today. They won, of course! He'll start 6-man indoor tackle football the first week of November. We are excited, it was sad to see this fall football season end. The Pumas ended up winning all but one game, and that was a close one! It was great to end the season with a big WIN! Immediately following his own game, Clay and Evan jumped into the car and headed to the CSU/San Diego State game. Evan didn't get a chance to get out of his football pants. CSU lost, but the boys had a blast! Hunting season, next week.

Happy Birthday Sweet Evan!

Twelve years old! WOW! My sweet baby boy just had a birthday and had a great week celebrating. Mackenzie decorated his locker the night before his birthday so he walked into school to see a gift wrapped locker filled with balloons. He was surprised and thrilled that she went to such efforts. We had a family dinner at the Melting Pot where Evan claimed to say "Evan is in Heaven" when dessert was delivered. Friday night we drove 6 of his good buddies to Denver, went to the IMAX theater to view a showing of Sea Monsters, then to Casa Bonita for dinner. Funny thing, I celebrated my seventh birthday at Casa Bonita and it hasnt changed a bit (and the food is still bad ;o) ). He saved his birthday money to purchase an XBox 360. The boy was on a mission. He is very proud that he was able to get it without mom and dad's help. One more year before he's a teen. I am savoring every second.

College Scholarship?!?!

It's is no secret that we have invested a lot of time and money into Miss Blake's love of cheer. We went to a cheerleading college fair a week ago and it seems to have paid off. A few colleges attended the fair to view this group of athletes and inform them of the scholarships available and the price of tuition at their individual schools, etc. YIKES! $9000 a semester with a $650 scholarship, why bother! Anyhoo, there are some schools that offer full ride scholarships for those who are talented and a right fit for the school. As we were leaving the fair, a coach from KU, who was offering the $650 scholarship, Ha!, came up to Miss Blake and asked her where she was interested in going to school. At the end of the conversation, the coach tells her, "You need to go for the full-ride scholarships. YOU have the talent and are exactly what these schools are looking for!" WHEW! Like music to my ears! But I could have told you that! ;o).

Homecoming at Monarch High School

Well, she didn't get to go to Fossil Ridge's Homecoming because she was out of town for several hours of cheer practice. She did, however, get to go to Monarch High School's Homecoming in Superior, CO. I feel so blessed that Miss Blake has opportunities like this. She knows several students at Monarch due to her relationships with her teammates from her Broomfield-based cheer team. Everyone always makes her feel so welcome. This truly is a great group of girls. Watching them grow up fills my heart so full. xo

25 lbs down in 6 wks!

So, I have lost some weight. 25 lbs down, yet 25 lbs this frame should have never had, so I am still working on it. I have been doing a pretty extreme diet, but it works. For the next five weeks I will be stabilizing eating whatever I want minus the starches and sugars, but I have been doing that for a week now and have not gained anything back. I'll post a picture when I feel like it. xo

Backyard Cookouts

We love the great group of kids who come over on weekend evenings a cook smores in our back yard. Boys, girls, tunes, fire, and snacks are a fun way to pass the time and enjoy each others company. Come on over anytime. I like knowing where you are and what you are up to. xo

Football Season ROCKS!

Evan is playing his last year of City Football this year and is absolutely loving it. He is playing both offense and defense and is a valuable player on both sides. His size is definitely a bonus, but his drive and his thirst to learn techniques and new skills excites his parents to no end. I can't wait to see what will become of my 'lil' athelete in middle and high school football. Go Evan!

Back to School!

Mackenzie is a junior this year at Fossil Ridge High School and Evan is a sixth grader at Preston Middle School, yes, that would be PMS. Anyhoo, they are both doing fantastic and are adjusting to their new schedules of school, practice, and social time. I am very proud.

Mackenzie has to miss Homecoming this year for Cheer Choreography. The gym flys in some top dog choreographer from out of state and they create a routine over four days and 30+ hours of practice. Insane ~ I know! But this is our life.

Evan will get to do an Eco week trip again this year with his sixth grade class to Pingree Park in October for three days. I know he'll have a blast. I know I wouldn't because it could be snowing and too damn cold. He's a trooper though, unlike his mama and his sister.

Recreation Baseball was a hit!!!!

Evan's team did not finish undefeated, but they did finish winners! What a great season. Fortunately, the coach was very conscious of the spirit of recreational ball and played every player at every position. The boys learned so much and matured quickly. Evan had a great season! Again, he is a steady player and very reliable! Go Evan! xo

Camp Timberline ROCKS!

Evan has left for camp for 7 days. I know he loves it there, but GOSH it is hard on me to not have my gentle giant here. He's enjoying the high ropes course, the zip line, the outstanding counselors, the worship sessions, and living with a dozen other 11 year olds without parent supervision. Woo Hoo! I cant wait to see him on Wednesday. The ride home may be difficult. I doubt he will have showered the entire time. P U!!! xo