The Colorado Cabin

Ever since I can remember, we have gone to Colorado for summer fun.

When I was about 11 or 12, the first cabin started going up.

The logs came from the mountain.

Put together by all of us.

One log at a time.

And the "Aloha Cabin" was born.

But that became too small for everyone.

And it is really was my sister-in-law's father's cabin.

Now it isn't.

He has a new cabin.

Of course my daddy had to get in on the action.

We all pitched in.

As a matter of fact, I am a master chinker.

And you are probably asking what the heck is chinking?

In log cabin terminology, it is the stuff you put between the logs.

We used nails as rebar and cement to seal the deal.

There is still plenty of chinking to do on the outside but the inside is beautiful!

 I did much of the chinking and loved it!

Looking at it now, I'm amazed at the architecture of this cabin.

I'm so happy that this place will be in our family for years to come.

I see many, many summers being spent up in the mountains.

Enjoying the cool air.

The beautiful landscape.

The amazing amount of stars at night.

The cooling rain.

But mostly, I look forward to the memories.

Our First Family Vacation

It is official.

We survived our first family vacation.

So you understand, the thought of taking our triplets on a

16 hour road trip was less than appealing until this summer.

Why 16 hours?

Because that is how far my parents are away.

In Colorado.

Up in the mountains.

Way, way up.

This is the year we decided to tackle the challenge.

And the kids did beautifully.

Except for the occasional temper tantrum

but that could have happened here at home as well.

I'll be sharing some pics over the next few days.

These are some of my favorite moments.

Daddy and son...together.

My boy trying to be patient and learn how to play Old Maid.

This dog, Happy, was my son's best friend.

Miss Sofi discovering the water.

Actually they call it a "crick".

Ah, horseback riding!

One of my loves.

And my kids were finally introduced.

Gabi was by far our best and most natural rider.

Sofi caught a ride bareback.

{as did Gabi in the photo above this one}

My girls loved riding together!

The photo above truly captures my girls' spirits!

We spent 5 glorious days up in the mountains.

The weather was much cooler than here.

The sleeping was amazing.

The activities throughout the day were fun.

Best of all, no electricity.

No electronic games.

No tv.

No cell phone service.

No iPad.

Nuthin' but sweet nature!

I promise to blog about how we made it work.

Trying to get back in to the swing of blogging at least a few times a month.

It is pathetic the job I have done keeping up until now.

{I did copy/paste this from my SIG blog but will also be adding other info.}

Fridge Magnet Cups...LIFESAVER

If you have kids, you know they are always asking for something.

Mine ask for something to drink.

Mainly water.

And they know how to dispense the water from the fridge.

But the incessant asking for a cup was driving me batty.

Actually, driving us both batty.

God must have been listening.

Because not 2 days later, a tutorial on MADE saved my life.

We promptly went to Hobby Lobby the next day for magnets.
Then to Target for cups.

I even let the kids pick their own cups.

{and they were horrible but that is another story}

The next day, while they were at the GPs, I made the cups.

And they love them.

I love them.

Todd loves them.

We are all happy again.
Everything is right in the universe.

And it would be silly for me NOT to share it with you.

Oh, while I'm at it...4th of July was a blast!

Boy, do I love these 3!

Vacation Bible School

The kids go to school at the local neighborhood church.

And, nope...we aren't members there but we love it anyway!

Somehow (eh hem...Monica...) I got wrangled in to

volunteering there for VBS as the photographer.

There is a bonus in here...

the kids would be able to attend the preschool VBS!

It is only for volunteers & such.

Not open to the public.

Win-win situation.

I give up my time & the kids have a week full of activities for free.

Done.

We started Monday morning.

Finished up on Friday afternoon.

I will tell you this much.

They were totally exhausted by the end of the week.

As was I.

Here they are in "music".

They LOVED it!

I absolutely love this one of the girls walking in

on the last day of VBS...melts my heart!

The kids waited patiently for the big finale in crafts.

They got to see a volcano explode!

You know that volcano had them talking for hours!

And so the summer is officially 1/6 of the way done.

Can you tell I am anxious for school to come back?

Oh, did I mention I will be working at their school?
Yep, just 2 hrs a day.

But we couldn't pass up the tuition help.

We'll see if it is more than a 1 year thing or just to help for this year.

After all...I still have SIGnature Creations.

And I wanna see my business grow!

If you wouldn't mine, please share the site.

I would really appreciate it!

Spring Dance Recital

It was an exhausting night for sure!
But when I look at the photos,

it makes it all well worth it.

My 3 babes...I really can't call them babies.

Miss Sofi has a way with her looks.

Don't know where she gets it from!

Sweet Gabi...she has timeless beauty.

She would have been perfect in the WWII era!

This boy stole the show with some

freestyling, gyrating moves!

I can't wait to see the video.

He will be the talk of the dance school for a while.

I love my girls in red.

Pretty, pretty, pretty!

And they actually sat still long enough to let me do their makeup!

Ah, another big milestone.

They are growing up quickly.

Summer is HERE!

Summer is most definitely here.

It may not be official but it sure is hot enough.

Today, the temps soared in to the 90's.

And...

the kids are out of school.

That means we have to come up with activities to keep them busy.

Daddy is still working so that means it is up to me.

Today we decided to go to Uncle Jeff's pool.

The advantage to having a house key

and Uncle Jeff living near by.

A private pool.

The kids are LOVING it.

Arm floaties are a must.

But it really helps to have Abu & Meme there.

Ian warmed up to being on his own after about 30 minutes.

Not that this is the first time in the pool,

just the first time he has gone around the pool alone.

Once he got the hang of it, he didn't want ANYONE near him!

My sweet Gabi.

Terrified of the water.

Well, anything beyond the 2nd step.

But I managed to get her out there after a major screaming fit.

Sofi is by far my water child.

Just like her momma was & still is.

She will be swimming in no time at all.

The girls loved to play "fishing".

Obviously Gabi was the fisher & Sofi the fish!

And my favorite photo of the day.

My beautiful boy grabbing for his Abu's hand.

Doesn't get better than that!

Summer has definitely started and I see many pool visits in the future.

Makes me wanna have one in our own back yard.

Running a Half Marathon

I always thought "they" were crazy.

Who in the world would want to run further than a few miles?

Not I...well, in a way I did.

In my mid twenties, I started jogging.

Nothing big, a couple of miles about 4 times a week.

I stopped for a while.

Trying to get pregnant & jogging didn't fit well together.

It wasn't even a thought until about 1.5 yrs after the kids were born.

Of all months to start, I decided July was the best.

Don't ask me why my brain thought July.

Guess if I could run during one of the hottest months

of the year, I would maybe stick with it.

I did well for a while.

Ran about 2.5 miles per day, 4-6 times a week.

But once again, had to stop.

This time the culprit was the knee.

So I substituted w/ Jillian.

But it just wasn't the same.

So again, I chose July to start running.

2.5-3.5 miles.

I was upping the mileage.

And then Diana came in to my life.

She is my BRB (best running buddy).

She is the reason I go on days I don't feel like it.

But best of all, we motivate ONE ANOTHER to keep going.

We started tackling the miles.

3 miles 3 times a week & then a longer jog on Fridays.

There was talk of signing up for a 10k.

By that point, we were running a 10k on Friday runs.

It wasn't a challenge.

Then she proposed a half marathon.

I didn't even hesitate.

And so our training began.

5-6 times a week with our long runs on Fridays.

February 19th was the day.

We were more than prepared.

Even came up with costumes to run in.

Aren't we cute?

The race started at 7:30.

Needless to say, we weren't competing, just trying to finish.

Our goal time was 2:08, the average time

for a woman in the 35-39 age category.

It was great.

We chatted along the way.

Enjoyed the others around us.

And finally finished.

I ran 2:05:05.

Diana ran just over 2:08.

We did it!

All along I thought it was a joke.

The drinking beer part, after a race.

It ain't so.

It is tradition.

And I enjoyed a couple of glasses.

In case you are wondering about the beer...

"“Beer contains predominantly water and carbohydrate, both of which are essential in post-race recovery,” she says. “A recent study at Granada University in Spain found that the sugars, salts and bubbles in a pint can help athletes absorb fluids more quickly than rehydrating with water."

We had already discussed it.

Agreed to get ink after the run.

To commemorate our accomplishment.

And there it is.

Totally worth it.

Not painful.

Every time I see it, I smile.

Mission accomplished.

This triplet momma ran a half marathon.

In case you are wondering, yes...we will train for another.

And when our kids go to school, we plan on training for a full marathon.

Why not?
It is only another 13.1 miles?!?