Durango

We spent a week in Durango in July with Mark's family.  We stayed at an amazing cabins with even more amazing views.  I think I could have sat and looked out at the trees and mountains for hours. 

We spent time at Vallecito Lake, went to Purgatory to ride the alpine slide, played games & horseshoes and relaxed.  Everyone went zip lining (well, Grandma, Andon & I didn't)  The only negative, for me, was the altitude.  We just did not get along and enduring daily headaches was awful.  It's just one more reason I think I'm destined to leave near the beach.  Just need to win that powerball and make it happen.



My Grandpa Sowers used to go here every Sunday



 



Look at her go!



That spec on the right slide is Sierra

3

How on earth did my youngest child turn 3 already?  I swear we just came home from the hospital. 

At 3, our sweet little man is just such a joy.  He is obsessed with all things dinosaur.  I've read more books, watched Dinosaur 40 times in 3 weeks, and pronounced more strange names than I ever thought possible.  I even found dinosaur underwear to entice him to be potty trained.  (More on that in a different post)

He is so much like Mark, it's scary.  Not just in looks.  He can't ever sit still, if he does we know we are in for sick germs.  He loves to play, play, play.  When he is sick, he is a carbon copy of his dad, Grandpa B, and Uncle Kevin.  This is not a compliment.  I mean I want to jump from a moving vehicle when he's sick.  But, he is such a sweet boy always wanting to be with his sister.  Saying I love you out loud all the time and signing it as well.  He simply melts my heart and saves me every year at this time. 

 

I love you little man!  I hope you always have such a happy heart and love for your family.

7

Our sweet girl turned 7 on June 7th. We just so happened to be at the Happiest Place on Earth that day. She, Emily, and Andon had such a great day. They are still talking about it. So in honor of her 7th birthday here are just 7 things that I love about her.

*Her sweet disposition with her brother. I can only pray that this relationship stays the same.

*Her adorable, toothless smile

*The way her face lights up when a favorite song comes on (currently Justin Bieber & Lemonade Mouth).

*Her laugh.

*I love that she loves to read and write stories for us all the time.

*Her love for her family.

*Everything else. She is just the sweetest girl a parent could ask for.

I was and am a lucky mama to have been blessed with such a bright, happy girl. I love you Sierra Cadence!

Easter

A picture update is better than nothing, right? Here are some pictures from our first Easter in our new home.

10 years

I'm so behind, but I can't let our 10 year anniversary go without a post. The past 10 years have been filled with love, laughter and tears. I am so blessed to have found my life partner in Mark. He supports me in everything I do. Even when I painted our nightstands turquoise this spring, he just smiled because he knew it made me happy. On paper we don't have a thing in common, but we simply work. It really is the perfect balance for raising children and taking care of the house. He still has the ability to make me laugh and we'd be in big trouble if we couldn't laugh at ourselves and life. We may not get to spend the amount of time alone together that I would like, but I know at the end of the day our love will see us through.

Happy 10th Anniversary Mark! I love you always and forever.

R

Love them

Just a little picture from our time in the snow outside of Payson last month. These 3 people are my whole world.

Long time no post

Wow the holiday's threw me for a loop this year! Wasn't it just Christmas? Valentines Day is in a week and I have neglected this poor blog terribly.

We had a lovely Christmas celebration at our new house with my side of the family on December 19th. Emily was with her dad this year, so we partied early. The kiddos didn't mind at all! We had lots of munchies and the weather was great. The boys got to play some basketball and we soaked up the sunshine. Christmas Eve was the annual Bingham celebration. More yummy food & lots of relaxation time. I kind of liked not having to host or go anywhere Christmas Day. Sierra and Andon got to play, play, play and I was able to stay in my jammies.

Sierra learned how to ride her new bike without training wheels on Christmas Day. It took her all of 20 minutes to figure it out. What a rockstar. Andon got a train table from Santa and he and Mark are in a battle of wills over it. Andon takes it apart and says "Daddy fix?" daily it seems. I think we need to bust out the super glue.

January has brought an onslaught of sickness, really just the last 2 1/2 weeks. Stomach flu and colds all around. Poor Sierra got sent home from school again this past Thursday. I took her in on Saturday and she has some meds now for her ear and sinus infections. Totally different girl this morning. I just hope we can stay healthy. This time of year alway has be considering home schooling. Then I think about all the people in jail that Mark has to deal with and realize that I don't want to end up there for throttling my kids and send Sierra off to school. She needs the socialization and I need the break!!

February started off with Marks 38th birthday. Time to start planning that 40th soon. Ha! This past weekend the celebration continued along with a Super Bowl gathering. Looking ahead to the month we have soccer starting for Sierra and that will keep us BUSY. I am working lots of hours right now as our high schools are in the midst of state Soccer tournaments. Almost done and I can get back to part time.

I really hope I can start to keep up with this blog. I want it to me more of a quick what's going on rather than a novel like today.