Fairwell 2010

The time has come to bid another year adieu.  So much has happened in 2010 I thought it would good to recap:

• January - J and I went to Grand Lake with some friends. 
• February - My sister Katie and her family moved back to CO after living for many years in NE.
• March - We spent all of our spare time house hunting and packing.
• April - We got a new puppy, Lectra Lux, bought a house (goodbye rental), and I turned 29.
• May - Moving, moving, moving, painting, moving, painting some more
• June - Camping Season Started. Woodland Park was a frequent destination
• July - A, E and I took a trip to South Dakota to visit some friends
• August - First airplane rides for A & E, we spend a fabulous week in Florida visiting Sea World, the beach and Disney World.  A started 5th Grade and E started 1st Grade.
• September - J & I celebrated our 10th Wedding Anniversary, J turned 33, E turned 6. 
• October - A turned 11.  We celebrated Halloween with a 1st Annual Party @ my parents. 
• November - J got a BRAND NEW car. We celebrated Thanksgiving with J's family.
• December - Lots of fun celebrating the holidays with both sides of the family.

And looking foward to a new year I have a few resolutions/goals:

• Be more patient
• Get the basement completely cleaned up and organized
• Exercise regularly
• Pay off some more debt

So there you go, a look back and a look ahead.


I wish everyone that reads this a very Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous 2011.

Saturday - 11 year Milestone

This weekend was a busy one.  I wanted to have time to post on Saturday morning but it just didn't happen.  Friday morning started out with a rude awakening with melted ice cream in the kitchen thanks to a broken fridge. So Friday J and I got to go buy a new fridge and get it installed, oh the joy.  Saturday night was the boys' birthday party at my parents so all day was spent buying the groceries and presents and shopping. So this post is a few days late.


11 years ago Saturday J and I became parents. 11 years ago I was holding our bouncing baby boy, AJ, in my arms. Figuring out how to nurse him and swaddle him.  We have spent 11 years loving him and being loved. I cannot believe how the time has flown.  I can't believe, looking at him, that he was once in my womb. He is such an amazing person. In 2 years he will be a teenager, I guess that makes him a preteen now. Wow!  Just like I did for E, I am going to chronicle a few things I want to remember.

• A is now enrolled in band, he is learning the trumpet.
• As of 08.13.10 he was 59" tall
• He wears a men's 7 1/2 shoe
• Even though he is only 11 his pants are a 14 Slim
• A & E have adopted 2 snakes that are now named Scales and Tails
• Our neighbor Tyler is one of As's best friends. They are together all of the time. This is great as Tyler is A's age.
• A took donuts to school for his class treat.
• Although family tradition usually means the birthday person gets to choose dinner, since the party was on his actual birthday, the boys jointly decided on the party food. We had a veggie tray, a fruit tray, pig in the blanket, and buffalo chicken dip. Both boys had their own cake, A a regular chocolate one, E a GF/CF chocolate one.
• A is in 5th grade, and although his timeliness is lacking, he is doing well. Who can blame the kid though, math isn't nearly as exciting as riding his bicycle, catching crawdads and snakes, and just being a boy.
• The boys have both joined cub scouts.
• Our trip to Florida was exciting for A, he was able to ride every ride. He still talks about the Aerosmith roller coaster at Disney Hollywood Studios.

Life is good right now. We are all busy and happy. I am excited to look back in a year and see what else we have accomplished. 

6 years ago today......

we welcomed E.J. into this world. He weighed in at 7 lbs 6 1/2 oz.  Big blue eyes and reddish hair. He was perfect.  He is perfect. He is everything that a little boy should be. He looks up to his older brother, sometimes in irritation, mostly in admiration. He is funny, curious, ornery, moody, smart, inquisitive, brave, kind, loving and he is ours. Jeremy and I could not be more blessed with our family. Our 2 boys are the light of our lives. I am so excited to watch E continue to grow into the wonderful young man I know he will be.

A few highlights of the past year I'd like to remember:

• E started kindergarten when he was only 4 years old. He was the baby of the entire school but he fit right in. He loved Ms. Fritzler and eating lunch at school.
• E learned to ride the Honda 50cc that Grandpa bought. He rode an entire trail ride and with each crash he picked it up and got right back on.
• We took a family vacation to Florida, E loved roller coasters, his favorite was Space Mountain.
• 1st grade started at a new school, we continue to hear from his new teachers what a sweet, kind little boy E is.  He continues to meet and exceed all of the expectations for children his age.
• The boys "adopted" 2 snakes that they found in the canal along the walking path by our house. 
• E requested Fruity Pebble Krispie Treats to take to school for his birthday
• Dinner will be Chicken Jalapeno as it is family tradition the boys get to pick their favorite meal for their Birthday Dinner.
• We are having a dual birthday party next Saturday for both boys at my parents house, complete with bonfire and s'mores.

Time Flies

Oh where, oh where, did the summer go?

We spent a lot of the summer camping, riding dirt bikes, and settling into our new home.

And to send the season out with a bang, J and I took the boys on a SURPRISE! trip to Disney World.  Up until the very last minute we had them believing we were going on a week-long camping trip. Evan had never been on an airplane and A had only once, when he was 2. So the entire trip was a new experience for them. We had a fantastic time. Pics will be posted soon, after I get J to download them from his laptop.

The boys started school on Monday, the 23rd.  A is now a 5th grader, the tallest in his class: big surprise :), (but he is also the oldest).  E is in 1st grade, and is the tallest in his class too, but he is the youngest.  So far both boys really like their teachers. A made a friend right away, a boy named Blake that is in his class. It is a great relief that he is making new friends, that are his age, and he is happy.  E has a zillion new friends but still plays alone at recess, "Because I have fun all by myself Mom!".

On the home front we have lots of unfinished projects awaiting us, that were set aside so we could enjoy the warm weather. We have a fence to finish building, painting to wrap up, and then a whole list of to-do's. I don't really mind though, while the mounds of unpacked boxes and unfinished items can stress me out, I also take comfort in knowing that it is our house, and we can do what we want when we want. 

In two weeks Jeremy and I will celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary. I am so lucky to be married to such a funny, intelligent man who is an incredible father and friend.

J will celebrate his 33rd birthday in September.

E will turn 6 towards the end of September.

And the beginning of October brings A's 11th birthday.

Autumn is my very favorite season.  The cooler weather, the gorgeous colors, the wonderful foods; I can't wait.

I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful family and life.

All Done and Just Beginning

Its rather funny that I thought life would slow down and smooth out once we had everything moved to the new house. Last Wednesday we moved the last boxes out of our rental, had the carpets cleaned and handed over the keys. I breathed a big sigh of relief and thought "finally, we can get back to normal!".  HA! Who was I kidding? This may be the end of moving but it was just the beginning of settling in. 

The rental was empty but all that stuff was/is in mountainous piles of boxes in the house and the garage. No parking in the garage for me right now, there is barely room to walk in there. The lower level living area looked like a storage shed. Who knew we had this much stuff!

We spent the weekend trying to make a dent in the overwhelming task of sorting, putting away, getting rid of, and finding STUFF. 

• 8 totes of clothes the boys have outgrown? Really, this is ridiculous. By the time our boys are ready for kids, and if they happen to have a baby boy, these clothes will be outdated. Saving them for sentimental purposes is silly. So I've decided to go through them all, pare them down to my very favorites and use them to make a memory quilt. The rest are going to away.
• 10 boxes of books? While this number blows me away we won't be getting rid of any of them. We read, our kids read, Jeremy and I agree that books are worth keeping. 
• Good china and silverware that we got for our wedding and have used maybe once? Well, we are keeping it but we need to use it. My boss has a saying at his house that I think we need to adopt "Every day is a holiday and every day is your birthday".  There may not be a tomorrow so how very silly to not celebrate each day?

We purchased a beautiful new entertainment center this weekend. We needed a place to put all of our movies and stuff since we are getting rid of the old hand-me down book cases we were using before. And since this is OUR house, where we can stay forever if we like and don't ever have to move heavy furniture again if we don't feel like it, we decided we deserved some grown up stuff. We love it. It is nice to start making our house a home.  I will take more pictures soon and start posting before and afters.

I am aware that no one really reads this. But that is okay, because this is a great place to track and note and reflect. Someday, we will want to look back at these memories and in the mean time I enjoy the outlet for my thoughts and ideas.

Next up.... more boxes, a new fence, lots of weed pulling and come hell or high water, a camping trip.

A Quick Laugh

I know I haven't posted in forever, life has gotten the best of me. I have lots to say just no time to say it. But I thought I'd take a moment to add another E quip. Hopefully I can figure out how to add a spot in my blog to just run a log of the funny things he says.

We were eating dinner last night and had his elbow on the table and was talking with his mouth full. I said to him, "E, don't eat like that, please use your manners". He quickly replied, "Sorry mom, I can't, I left them at school".

A NEW PUPPY!

We celebrated Easter and the beginning of Spring by bringing a new four-legged member into our family.


We already have a great dog, Sidney. She is a 12 year old Australian Shepherd/Blue Heeler that J and I adopted from the Denver Dumb Friends League in December of 1998. She is a wonderful dog, well behaved and quiet.  However, being 12, she is getting older and slower. She doesn't like to play fetch as much and she is tired a lot.

We decided that with our new house we should have a new puppy. We have been looking online at different shelters and mulling over what kind of dog to adopt. We found a few that we fell in love with their pictures but the timing was never right. Then, last week, I stumbled across the website for LifeLine Puppy Rescue. There were 47 puppies up for adoption. J and I found 2 we were in love with. They looked smart and were adorable. The rescue center was only open on Saturdays and Sundays for adoptions.

We decided we would get up first thing Saturday morning and go pick a puppy. We didn't tell the boys, we wanted it to be a surprise.  We started out the morning by getting coffee/cocoa from Caribou Coffee. It was a great treat. Then we went to PetSmart to get a collar and leash for the surprise. The boys didn't catch on, they thought we were just getting new items for Sidney. Then we headed east. The boys thought we were immediately going to Grammy and Grandpa's because Uncle Jason and cousins Jerrick and Joshua were flying in from CA for a week. When we took an unfamiliar turn they were sitting in the backseat begging to know where we were going. When we arrived, there was a line of cars 15-20 cars long. I thought we were never going to get the puppy we wanted. Pretty soon the gates opened and the cars filed in. People parked and then got in line at a rope. When that rope dropped people were running to the kennels and as soon as they saw the one they wanted hands were waving in the air.

I got to the kennel of the puppy that was 1st on our list and raised my hand, I pointed her out to the boys and the man standing next to me very politely informed me he was there first and she was the one he wanted. I sadly conceded. And then in the next kennel I saw her, our #2 choice. A volunteer at the shelter came over and asked which one we wanted. She took the puppy out of the kennel and handed her to me and my heart melted. This was definitely our new family member. She didn't whine or cry or growl or try to jump. She just put her paws on my shoulders and looked at me. And then J held her and his heart melted to.

And the rest is history. She keeps us up at night because she doesn't care for her crate very much, but that is okay. She is a great dog. She loves the boys and she gets along with Sid just fine. She hasn't had any accidents in the house yet. She comes when we whistle. She loves to cuddle and she is so adorable.

Meet Lectra. A 10 week old Red Heeler Mix.  

I can't wait until Friday. When all 6 of us get to go to our new house and start our new life. A new puppy, a new house, a new beginning.

The Next Chapter in our Life

Apparently the moving bug has been the water in my family.  3 of the 4 sisters are in the process of purchasing a home within 90 days of each other.

J and I have been through this process before and we got in over our heads. So here we are, 9 years later, and we are starting over. After 5 years of renting and getting our finances under control we are ready to take the plunge again.

We only looked at 10 houses and #10 was THE House.


While we went into the house with a set criteria of wants and needs we found we had to compromise on a couple of points.

1. I said that I HAD to have a big beautiful bathtub in the master bathroom. Sadly, there isn't a bathtub in the master at all. In fact, it's just a plain jane shower stall with a shower curtain. But BONUS, it does have radiant heat under the slate floor. And there is room to remodel a bit and add a tub later.
2. We wanted a Great Room, with the kitchen, dining and family rooms all open to each other.  We got this, but it isn't huge. Its a modestly sized space, but we will make it work. We have a wood burning fireplace to keep it warm and cozy in the winter. And we have vaulted ceilings tall enough for my super duper huge Christmas Tree we have been moving around for 5 years without a place big enough to put it up (Thanks honey, I appreciate your cooperation and understanding). I am thinking of it as less space to clean and fewer places to accumulate junk.
3. 3 bedrooms was a MUST. The boys are far enough apart in age that need their own rooms. We got 3 bedrooms, but they are not luxurious or huge, Evan's room doesn't even has doors on the closet. But I have plans to make them cozy and fun and functional. Again, I'm going with the mentality that its less to keep clean and less room for junk
4. We really wanted a basement. We wanted storage and room to expand. Our new house has a garden level basement but it is going to be the Master Retreat as the boys' rooms are are the main floor. This is definitely not what I had in mind for our room but the idea is growing on me. And another BONUS, the house comes with a sauna :)

 I find myself a little surprised at the home we chose. It is on a busier street than I had originally wanted, it is older than I thought I wanted, its smaller than I what I had planned on, yet I LOVE it. I can't wait to paint the walls and put new flooring in and make curtains and plant flowers and bushes and meet our new neighbors. I find myself dreaming about arranging the furniture and bbq's in the summer on our 3-tier deck. We are talking about adding a new puppy to our family and I can't wait.  No more worrying about when a lease expires. No more living with someone else's design choices. We have a place our children can call home until they graduate from high school. We can paint the walls whatever colors they want and they can choose their own curtains.I am so happy to turn the page and begin this new chapter of our lives.

Life is Good.

My Funny Valentines

My children evoke many emotions from me. Sometimes they make me sad, sometimes I get angry, most of the time they make me feel like I'm overflowing with love and pride and sometimes they just make me laugh. 

A, being 10, is past the really innocent, funny stage. He likes to repeat jokes he hears, bodily functions are hilarious to him and he detests being teased right now. Al's humor mirrors his father's in many ways as he is very dry. He spends most of his time spouting facts that he has read or heard. He likes to amaze me with his vast knowledge of useless facts. He has rightfully earned the nickname "Crap-Chef" (CC for short) because he is constantly making up things that he believe to be true but are obviously pulled out of thin air. We call him this in a loving manner and it makes him laugh to hear us say, "Yeah right CC".

E, on the other hand, is a complete cut-up.  His naive and adorable view of the world makes the most basic of conversations turn to giggles. In fact, he says such funny things I would like to find a way to make a list on my Blog that I can add to chronicle his humor. E's imaginary friend is his brain. He has daily adventures with this friend. He does lots of interesting things with his brain, including watching movies, traveling and playing.  He loves to tell stories about what he and his brain did today. This weekend he had me doubled over in laughter. Anyone that knows me and family is well aware that we have more than our fair share of accidents. We run into things, fall down, get random rashes and cuts and bruises. This being said, when out of the blue E calls me from his room..."Momma.... I have polka dots on my hand, 2 brown ones and 1 red one!"  My mind begins to think about what could cause something like this..did we eat something new? No.  Did we switch any soaps? No. Did he play somewhere new? No. So, I said, "Well come here so I can see".  His "polka dots" turned out to be freckles; freckles he has had his entire life that for some reason he just discovered this weekend.  When he came into the family room I showed him that I have freckles all over my arms and face and J showed him that he is also covered in them. He then got the giggles and was just amazed that we all had polka dots.

We spent the weekend as a family. It was fantastic. We went swimming at the Broomfield Rec on Saturday. A brought his good friend and they went down the water slides more times than I could count. E enjoyed the "Kid Hot Tub" and going down the slides with J and me. He also spent a lot of time in the Lazy River and also in the lap pool with an over-sized kick-board channeling his inner fish.

This weekend, spending quality time with my family, was a much needed reality check.  No matter how stressful work gets, how wrapped up I can become in cleaning or organizing or obsessing over ridiculous things, I have to remember that I already have the important things in life. I have a job; in this economy I am truly blessed to be gainfully employed. I have my health. And most importantly, I have a family that loves me. There is nothing better than the giggles of my own children as they splash and play and remind me just how lucky I really am.

Choosing a Title

When I made up my mind that I wanted to blog I never realized how much pressure I would feel for choosing a title for it.  Then I began to pay attention to what other blogs were called and how clever the names seemed to be and I froze. Would I be able to come up with something catchy and fun? Did I want my name in the title? I had many ideas come to mind. A few of them I loved but found that they were already taken. So after some contemplating and self reflection I came up with "I Pick Me".  This stems from a number of things, but mostly something I have learned over the last few months of my life: That before I can be happy with anything else in my life, whether it be my children, spouse, parents, siblings, extended family, friends, job, hobbies, and anything else, I have to be happy with me. I have to learn to accept me for who I am. Flaws, talents, bad habits, scars and all, I have to accept ME. Therefore, I decided that the best way to declare to myself and the world that I am to that point is to say it. I PICK ME. I pick myself to decide how I feel, how I react, how I dress, style my hair, wear my makeup, what I eat, who I befriend, who I avoid and who I love. I no longer need to worry how others see me, because if I love myself and have confidence and pride I will be a much happier person for myself and in turn for the rest of the world.

So there you have it. If you were curious as to what spurred the title of my blog, now you know.

Sarah

And in the beginning...

There was me.

I decided to see what this crazy thing called Blogging is all about. And since I love to talk, I thought that I might enjoy blogging as well.

I hope to use this as a place to organize my thoughts and ideas, to post pictures to share with family and friends, and to assist me in my never ending journey to find me.