Sprinkles Of Charm

Real LIfe Happened Again

I'm not sure how it happens, but real life happens and blogging takes a serious back seat. It will never mean that I'll stop trying to make it happen more consistently! We had a wonderful summer....Arizona trip, camping, cabin with friends, lots of fun and adventure.

The girls successfully made it back to school. I have to say I'm really missing those kindergarten days with Hadley. She is full time now and so darling and big. However, Sawyer and I are serious buddies and enjoy our days together.

Nolan and I recently got to see Les Miserable in Denver. Always bring me to tears  - loved it!

Catching Up

FEBRUARY: Had's 6th Birthday, Nol's 39th Birthday

 
 
 
 
MARCH: St. Patrick's Day, Madison Growing Up, Nol and Ali Trip to Mexico

 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 
 

APRIL: Easter
 
 
 
 MAY: Madison's Orchestra, Bella's Musical, My Best Friend Lee's Visit for my B-day

 
 
 
 
 

Our life has been full of treasured moments, as always. We feel blessed and loved and so happy to have each other. Sometimes you just have to recap memories (see above) because the most important thing is to spend time making them! Looking foward to a great summer with the kids!

Seattle Girls Weekend!!

What a weekend I just had!! I am the lone reed when it comes to the four of us (Mom, Tangie, Ali, Molly). I live in Colorado away from everyone in Arizona. I usually try not to think about how much I miss being with my sisters and mom. Thinking about sad things is never usually very productive. I try to focus on how much it means to be together when we get the chance. Well, we just had the most amazing girls weekends EVER! We attended an Art Journaling class from an artist that Tangie knows through her work. To be honest, it is not something I would have ever done on my own but the rest of my family is so into this stuff - I figured WHY NOT??  We all flew to Seattle Friday night and stayed through Monday evening.

On Saturday we attended the art class all day taught by Teesha Moore. I really learned a lot and had so much fun just sitting and creating. The idea is to make a creative journal that inspires you with color and picture. Once the cutting, pasting, painting and art is done - you write in your journal about life, dreams, memories, concerns, thoughts, or quotes.  Here we are in the studio in action:
 
 
 
 

We spent the rest of the time exploring great restaurants, shopping at Pikes Market, the Asian Marketplace and Blicks Art Supply. I loved Pikes Market on the Pier...so beautiful with all the fresh produce and bustling with people. We ate at an amazing hole in the wall Italian joint with the best Bruchetta you'd ever taste! I also had the best Salmon of my life at a great seafood place on the pier..of course the Salmon was caught that morning! It was fun to ride the underground transit system and experience the whole city in the backseat of our rental car;)

 
 
 
 
 

Our last day was spent art journaling in our hotel room for a few hours before checkout. Everyone kept telling me I was so quiet during that process... I imagine I was deep in thought about the whole experience (I often get teased about how much I "think" about things that most people don't). After checkout we drove around looking for a few shops we'd heard about (turned out to be a bust). We got out of the car for a little while only to realize it was FREEZING!! We quickly ate at a great little Juice Bar and breakfast joint by the water. The fresh juice and French toast was to DIE for!  We had a few hours to kill before we had to be at the airport. What would be a good "indoor" activity. Believe it or not the Space Needle was an afterthought. I was so THRILLED we decided to go....I mean when will I ever get back to Seattle? I really loved it!  Mom decided not to make herself sick before the flight so she stayed down in the gift shop, but the three sisters went up, up, up!  It was great to read the history of the place, get some cute pictures and buy the family some souvenirs.

 
 

I'm so grateful for this opportunity to go (thanks to my sweet guy)! I love my sisters and mom...what a treasure to have siblings and a mom that you truly enjoy spending time with.  I only have one thing left to say,

"Ummm....do I need to get that coughdrop out of the toilet?"

Catching Up...Summer Fun

Kiddos are back in school...I'm finding a minute here and there to (hopefully) blog a little. Our summer was FULL of fun adventures....Colorado Springs, Lake Powell, Cabin with family friends, Girls Weekend for me, swimming, tennis and lots of playing with my 4 sweet ones:) I loved our summer. It may have been a little more packed than I'd like - but it was all fun things so I certainly can't complain. We started our summer with a great trip to a great resort in Colorado Springs. We hiked, saw caves and arches and mountains, played tennis, swam at their "beach", and LOVED being together as a family. We also got to visit Santa's North Pole in the mountains...full of rides and Christmas cheer right in the middle of summer. The kids were pretty amazed!

 
 
 

Chipmunk Movie Night and Easter

Last night was Alvin & the Chipmunks - the Squeakel. Kids LOVE these movies - it cracks me up. It was actually pretty cute and we loved that the girl Chipmunks had a blonde, brunette and red-head - just like our 3 little ladies.  They thought that was pretty funny. The treat was last minute with red frosting on Sugar Cookies with Alvin's "A" made out of Yellow Fruit Roll Ups. I used the spy glasses from Bella's Nancy Drew party and cut off the fuzzy eyebrows and took off the noses. They made perfect Simon glasses.  We had to have some nuts for snacking in true Chipmunk fashion:)

Our Easter was wonderfully spent in Utah at Temple Square with Grandma and Grandpa Polson. We walked around, shopped and ate out a lot. It was nice to spend time with Mary and Doug and just our little family. We had adjoining hotel rooms and the kids just loved that!  The Easter Bunny even found us and delivered baskets and hid eggs all over our 2 hotel rooms! It was a short trip - but well worth it and very memorable for the kids.

 
 

Seriously Sweet!

Polson Ranch

There's almost nothing the kids like more than visiting Grandpa and Grandma Polson at their ranch in Sedelia, Colorado.  They instantly become country girls riding on tractors, four wheeling, finding snakes, playing catch with the dog, picking wildflowers and getting really dirty.  Grandma always cooks delicious food and Grandpa spoils us in everyway.  We usuallly come in contact with various sorts of creatures - snakes, mice, coyotes, cows, deer, and elk but it all adds to the true country experience.

 
Today will be a quiet one around here.  Hadley and Bella are home sick with the flu - which is spreading like wild fire through our school and neighborhood.  I'm just praying little buddy doesn't get it.  I know the babies get hit really hard.

I'm also anxiously awaiting the birth of my little sister's sweet baby girl.  She's due any second!!   
 

A post, a post, it's really a post!!

Ugh!  Time flies when the kiddos are finishing school, summer hits and they're home all day with you.  The end of the school year was wonderful and I've officially got a 5th grader, a second grader, a preschooler and a almost 6 month old baby.  We started summer with a great hike in the mountains on Memorial day.  At least we thought it was great until 5 days later we found that a tick had attached itself to Hadley's head!  I have NEVER felt more grossed out than to think my sweet little daughter had been someone's dinner for several days.  He must have started out really tiny because we didn't see him until the 3rd or 4th bath.  Long story short, we're pretty sure she got Lyme's Disease from it and she'll be on antiobiotics for a few weeks.  We're just sure these meds will take care of it she'll be just fine.  Here are the pictures from the hike.  By the way, we got completely rained on.  I look at these pictures and couldn't help but wonder when the little culprit made it's way onto her head!

 

My dad's sister, Marilyn McMeen Brown, and her husband, Bill, came through town and stopped by our home for a little while.  It was wonderful to reconnect with family we haven't seen since my dad passed away.  My aunt is an author and has published several books.  This is Madison's dream so they hit it off sharing stories and practicing the piano together.

 

Our first trip this summer was up to Fairplay, Colorado with our great family friends, the Woelhaffs.  We rented a cabin there for about four days and had a wonderful time.  We mostly rested, ate, played games, hiked a bit, and best of all drove to a foothill, found snow and sledded down a mountain (in June)!!  We love that our girls get along so well with their two boys.  They built an awesome stick fort, threw tomahaks at targets and roasted smores.  The weekend wouldn't have been complete without a fun movie night, Seven Brides for Seven for Seven Brothers, one of my favorites.  This is our second year "camping" with these guys and we plan to make it a tradition.  Ashley and I prefer this method of "camping" over the previous year.

 

Also, our hubbies got up early Saturday and climbed Democrat Mountain (a fourteener).  You'll have to check Wayne's blog for pictures (see blog list to the right).

Finally, some cute pictures of bathtime!

 

San Diego

I've been meaning to post about our trip for a while now.  I've got about 5 weeks left of pregnancy and have kept busy getting ready for this little guy.  Nolan has been out of town a lot so the single mom thing has taken a toll on some things (like blogging).  Better late than never though.

So, last month we had our big vacation to San Diego and Disneyland.  First, I'll post the San Diego pictures, Disneyland another day.  San Diego is one of my favorite places because I grew up going to Del Mar (near San Diego) every summer for our family vacation.  Our family had a time share right on the beach and I have endless memories of boogie boarding with my dad, laying on the beach with my sisters, getting frozen yogurt at the local yougurt shop, and buying Rusty Surfboard stickers to take home to Arizona.  I really couldn't wait to take the girls there and make our own family memories.

We got there on a Friday afternoon and checked into our great hotel (about a 5 minute drive to the beach).  The hotel was wonderful - we had a backdoor that led to a semi-private hot tub.  The girls were out there every morning in their pj's and every night before bedtime.  We spent lots of time and the pool swimming and visited the beach both Friday and Saturday.  Friday was a little chilly, but Saturday we spent half a day there playing in the sand and the waves.

           

Saturday we also visited the Del Mar Artwalk, the Rusty Surfboard shop, and had a great Mexican lunch at a local restaurant outside in the sunshine.  That night we visited Sea Port Village - a great little shopping area right by the water.  The girls had fun getting ice cream, riding the carousel and trying on silly hats at a fun hat store.

       

 

The next it was time to head to Disneyland to see all my family and start a week of fun on the rides!  We got up and did the hot tub one last time, we drove by the beach and then stopped at our FAVORITE little donut shop/bakery in Cardiff By The Sea.  Nolan and I found this bakery about 10 years ago when we took a vacation before Madison was born.  They really do have the best donuts and hot chocolate you've ever tasted.  You can tell the girls REALLY enjoyed every bite.

   

It was a quick 2 day stop, but the girls still talk about every little memory they made there.  We can't wait to go back!

End of Summer and Back to School

I have lots to catch up on!  The last of our summer was wonderful, the kids were ready to get back to school and see their friends.  Our last small trip was camping up to Rocky Mountain National Park with our great friends - the Woelhaffs.  Our girls get along so well with their two boys - Mitchell and Blake.  We went for two days (which is my absolute limit when it comes to camping).  We had an awesome set-up thanks to our Scout leader husbands.  They got really good and putting up and taking down because we had to switch campsites each night - but it gave them something to do while Ashley and I chatted away!  We did some hiking, lots of eating and making smores.  The kids loved playing in the hammocks (note to self - bring one for each child next time).  I honestly could NOT believe how dirty they got - but I let it go and they didn't seem to notice or mind.  The kids folded oragami, played some games and did plenty of exploring.  The adults stayed up way late and talked each night.  We were sandwiched between two campsites - one with a barge of man snoring his life away and on the other side a crying baby.  I don't get much sleep camping anyway - so I suppose this was fitting!  We really did have the best time - perhaps a double family tradition each summer!

   

   

  

   

BACK TO SCHOOL

We did some school shopping, bought some new backpacks and packed some lunches!  Madison started 4th grade, Bella 1st and Hadley her first year of Preschool.  Madison had some hard news shen she found out her best friend woudln't be in her class this year.  After lots of tears we were able to pep her back up and she's making the best of a hard situation.  We met the girls teachers and they seem wonderful.  When Hadley is gone at preschool (2 1/2 hours, 3 says per week), I find myself ALONE!  I'm enjoying the time running errands and having doctor/dentist appointments wihtout having to find sitters.  The girls have enjoyed getting back into a schedule with school, soccer, violin and church activities.  I've enjoyed feeling better and getting lots of projects done around the house (can't wait to do a project post soon).  Baby is doing great - I'm getting larger with each day - and still trying to absorb the whole little boy idea.  I've had fun finding a few cute boy outfits here and there.  It's definetely harder shopping for a boy, but the cute stuff is out there!

  

  

   

Lake Powell

 

How do I begin?  Our Lake Powell Trip was so memorable and wonderful.  To be perfectly honest the weeks leading up this vacation were not ideal.  There is SO much preparation to be on a house boat for a week (all your food, bedding, clothes, bathroom stuff, etc...).  Plus I wasn't feeling well and wondered how the bod would do in the heat on a house boat in a bathing suit no less.  But, every minute of work was worth the fun the kids had and the memories we all made.  There were about 25 of us on the boat - all family.  The girls LOVED being around their cousins and getting to know them better.  We had fun riding on the speed boats, tubing, skiing, cliff jumping, swimming, kayaking, watching movies, doing crafts, and eating!

 

Each family was assigned a different day to have a fun theme and make a nice dinner.  We had a great 80's day complete with blue eyeshadow, hot pink lipstick and an 80's dance on the top of the house boat at night.  We did a Pirate Day complete with a treasure hunt for the kids and matching pirate gear for all!  The 4th of July was great with our freshly tie-dyed t-shirts and plenty of fireworks at our camp site.

 

The cousins watched lots of movies together, including our movie theater at night atop the boat with a large projector.  The kids all stayed up super late every night and loved it!  I don't think they ever realized how tired they were until the car ride home.  The kids also enjoyed plenty of crafts and games like weaving bracelets, making sand art bottles, playing bingo, and participating in an auction for fun toys and prizes.

 

The adults got to catch up and talk, but mainly spent our time making sure kids were safe and organizing all the fun activities and meals.

 

Madison spent a lot of time with her cousin Madelaine, who lives in Idaho.  She went on the tubes behind the boats lots of times, kayaked and did some cliff jumping.  Bella played chocolate factory in the mud with her cousin Zack, went on the tubes and did some kayaking with her dad.  Hadley enjoyed every minute she could find swimming and playing in the water with her cousin Kendall.  She even got on the tubes behind the boat with her dad (when I bribed her with a treat).  Nolan was so wonderful taking the girls to do all the things they wanted to do.  He got to ski a little bit but mentioned his body took a beating with all the crashes on the tubes.  I mostly stayed relaxed on the boat and got to read a little bit.  I enjoyed going on the speed boats and watching the kids have a great time in all their activities.  I actually think I felt better at Lake Powell than I had at home - I'm sure because I was so relaxed and didn't have a messy house and errands staring me down everyday.

 

All in all, a wonderful time and adventure!  All that work is worth it - can't wait until next time...(probably in 2 or so years:)