The Newest "Best Thing Ever"

...snowboarding!

Michael and the big boys have gone a couple times already to Loveland to try their hand... er... feet at snowboarding. They have all been completely intoxicated by its thrill factor. Enough so, that they feel it necessary to brave the stumps and trees in our yard just to have one more run...

I apologize for the photos. Michael took them and he doesn't usually get too close to the subject... Mason's in there somewhere in a red coat.

So I zoomed in a bit so you could actually see what he was photographing! As the story goes, Mason made it all the way down the yard without hitting anything, but then ramped a snowbank at the driveway and came to an abrupt (and painful) stop on his buttocks. Fortunately, the helmet kept his noggin' in tact.

The next pair of photos is of Morgan. He learns from Mason's mistakes (sometimes), so he managed to stop BEFORE said snowbank.


And where, do you ask, is little Maddox during all of this death-defying excitement?

Shoveling the yard, of course!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We enjoyed ours in Texas with old friends, neighbors, and, of course, my family! They truly made the 15-16 hour drives worth it. Miss them already... but we don't intend to make that drive again any time soon.

Michele

The Quilts

Moving to the mountains has encouraged me to start up a new hobby... quilting! I have been enjoying my first projects... quilts for the boys! They are very simple in nature but still beautiful and fun to make - I think they are sometimes called "rag quilts". It consists of two layers of soft, cozy flannel with some batting in between to keep them warm on our chilly nights. The first one I made was for Morgan:

And then I made one for Maddox:

I've already started working on Mason's, but it will be a while yet before it's finished. Here is the fabric he and I picked out for it:

I needed a new hobby like I needed another hole in my head, but somehow I always find the time for the things I enjoy the most... and right now, it's quilting!

Here's to warm, snuggly nights!
Michele

How We Spent Halloween

First of all, Happy Birthday to Michael! I'll show you a picture of his gift later... but first, I need to catch you up on Halloween. I never showed you what Maddox dressed up as:

He had a blast this year - really taking the whole "Trick or Treating" thing to heart! Of course, we had to swap a lot of candy between the boys due to Maddox's allergies... he got all the Smarties and Starbursts, while the older boys got all the chocolate. Oh, and Mom got all the Twix bars... Everyone was happy! We went to downtown Evergreen where the shops hand out candy. It was a wonderful time - they start early, so it's safer and everyone can see each other's costumes! We all preferred it over the typical neighborhood walks. Just another reason to love our new home!

We did manage to get ONE group of Trick-or-Treaters at our door that evening! We were very impressed that they made the trek all the way up our driveway. Turns out, it was a neighbor's daughters and their friends. Good thing I had purchased a bag of candy "just in case"! Needless to say, they were WELL rewarded for their strenuous jaunt to our front door. :)

I hope you all had a wonderful Halloween!
Michele