Our New Additions

This weekend we expanded our family by 2! Mark and the boys have been asking for a dog for months now, and finally I gave in. We got Sadie and Millie from a Lab rescue after looking at several dogs. They are almost 2, already trained, love kids, and already act like they have lived here for years!

Weekend in Vegas

This weekend we met Grandma and Grandpa in Las Vegas to get a bed and other things we left in Colorado. We visited the M&M store and the boys got some m&m's of their favorite color. I thought the guy in the costume dancing in front of the store was so cute, but my boys were terrified of him! We also saw the water show and found the coolest park I have ever been to! We all had a great time and it was worth the drive to see Grandma and Grandpa and have some fun!

Halloween

This year we had to adjust our Halloween plans since we would be traveling on Friday. On Wednesday night, Mark and the boys carved their pumpkins while I was at mutual. Marky drew his all by himself and then helped dad cut it out. Kevin and Dad carved the other one, and they turned out so good! I was very impressed when I got home and the carving was finished and was all cleaned up! On Thursday I arranged with a few friends to have the kids go trick or treating, and they were so excited! We had dinner over and costumes on by 6:30, and then we had to wait 30 minutes for Dad to get home, which almost killed the boys! We all had fun, so thanks to all my wonderful friends who pretended Thursday was Halloween! Oh, and I can't seem to find any pictures of their costumes, but Marky was Spiderman and Kevin was Bob the Builder. It was cute.

A New Perspective

I was going through my church handouts and I found this. It really puts things into perspective so I thought I would share it! (It's really for me more than anything.)

What God Won't Ask

God won't ask what kind of fancy car you drive. He will ask how many people you took to church who didn't have a car.

God won't ask the square feet of your house. He will ask how many people you helped who didn't have a house.

God won't ask what social class you are in. He will ask what kind of "class" you displayed.

God won't ask how many material possessions you had. He will ask whether those material possessions dictated your life.

God won't ask how much overtime you worked. He will ask if you worked overtime for your family.

God won't ask how many degrees you had. He will ask how may people you thanked for helping you get those degrees.

God won't ask what your parents did to help you. He will ask what you did to help your parents.

God won't ask what you did to help yourself. He will ask what you did to help others.

Pumkin Patch

Marky had a field trip to the pumkin patch on Friday and Daddy took a couple hours off work to go along. They went on a hay ride, picked a pumpkin off the vine (and a nicer one to bring home and carve) and had a picnic at the ranch. Marky talked about how fun it was all weekend! Maybe next year we will have to make it a family trip!

Boys Night Out

Last weekend Mark was given tickets to the Fresno State game, so he took both boys and mom had the night off! It was pretty cold, but the boys really enjoyed it. Daddy came home exhausted after carrying Kevin through the stadium!

Fresno Fair

A couple of weeks ago we attended the Fresno Fair and got our fill of BBQ, Funnel Cakes, Cotton Candy, Pig Races, and Lloyd Mabry. Both boys played a dart game, which they are way to small to ever win, but the guy running the booth let them cheat so they could each get a stuufed animal! They were so excited to get their prize! The weather was perfect and there was lots of exhibits and things for the kids. Good Times!

Colorado Week 2

After Mark was done "working" at CSU, the entire family headed to the mountains for some much needed clean air and relaxation. Mark's parents took us to this beautiful cabin outside Estes Park for a few days, and it was great to be away from everything for awhile.

The first day we hiked around Bear Lake, which is just a small trail that goes in a circle around a beautiful little lake. The next day we were feeling a little more adventurous, and decided to take the longer hike up to some falls. The hike turned out to be over 2 miles, but the kids did great! Marky walked the whole thing by himself, and Kevin did about 3/4 of it on his own. The walk was well worth it when we got to the top and saw the gorgeous waterfall, and all the trees turning colors. The kids fell asleep on the bus ride back to the car, and we had a nice quiet drive back!

Next, we visited the fishing hole in Estes Park. It's a place that has a pond stocked with trout, so you are guaranteed to catch a fish pretty fast. They give you all the supplies you need, and then you just buy the fish you take home, so it's a great place for children. Kevin had a blast, and was very interested in his fish. After he caught it, he wanted to touch it and never let it out of his sight until we took it in to be cleaned and gutted. Marky had a great time fishing, but wasn't to excited about touching it when it was flopping all over the place. He actually watched them clean an cut it, and I was shocked that he didn't throw up! On the way home, we explained to the boys that we were going to eat the fish they caught for dinner, which sparked major inquiries about eating animals. Marky wanted to know all of the animals we eat and why. That was interesting, but he seems to be doing ok with the new information.

Of course there were many other activities that I don't have time (or pictures) to list, but we are very grateful to have had a wonderful experience in Colorado this summer. It was the perfect vacation and Mark and I really needed it! I am eternally grateful to Mark's parents for all they have done for us. They are amazing people, and we are so blessed to have them in our lives. We love you Grandma and Grandpa!

Casa Bonita

The second week of our trip started with Mark arriving Saturday, and all of us making the trip to Denver to pick him up. We missed him a lot that first week, so everyone was very excited to see him! Right after the the airport we decided to go have a late lunch at Casa Bonita. This "restaurant" is 3 stories high, with everything you can think of inside. They have a big waterfall that divers jump from, and they do shows where someone always lands in the water. They also have games, a little haunted house, gift shop, and lots more. The food really isn't that good, but you go for the experience! This place is special to us because Mark and I had our very first date there MANY years ago for my 16th birthday, and it was neat to now take our kids there.

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

At the Miner house we like to make a big deal out of birthdays, and this week happened to be Grandpa's (Mark's dad) birthday! Marky gets very excited for birthday parties, even if it's not his own. Grandma and I decided to take him to pick out some decorations for the big day. He thought Spiderman would be a good theme, and we had a great time decorating and turning the house into a Spiderman birthday. Marky was so excited that he was up at 6am to start the day. He made breakfast, frosted the cake, and of course both boys helped Grandpa open his presents. It was probably the most exciting birthday Grandpa has had in a long time, and it was fun for everyone! Yeah for birthdays!

Week 1 in Colorado

We have been in Colorado visiting Grandma and Grandpa for the last week, and it's been so fun! The kids have been going to bed about 7:30 since they just run all day long. The other day we went to Build A Bear and each of the boys made a bear. Marky dressed his in a Spiderman costume of course. The bears turned out really cute and the boys had a lot of fun. Then we went over to Jumpin, which is the bounce house. I took Kevin down the big slide a few times, and then he wanted to do it on his own, and he did pretty well! Even Grandma played on the equipment. After a long morning of fun, we hit Chick Fil A (my favorite!) for some lunch and then we all came home and took naps. That's my idea of a good day! We also made pita bread pizzas for dinner one night, and Marky got to pull out the chef uniform and make his own dinner. He had a very large pizza that he ate 2 bites of, but it was fun at least! We've also had a lot of fun visiting various parks and jumping on the trampoline in the back yard. Tomorrow Mark will join us and we will have another fun filled week!

I need help!

I have heard that it's possible to print your blog posts. Is this true? If so, does anyone know how to do it so it looks nice? I want to print them out and make a "scrapbook" of sorts, since this is the only way I have been journaling our family. Anyway, if any of you know how to do this, please let me know!

Kevin's New Favorite Thing

Two Wheel Motion

Marky has reached yet another milestone, again reminding me that he's growing up way too fast. While sitting on a bench eating some amazing shaved ice (my favorite thing in the world!) at the beach, my 4 year old noticed the kids riding their bikes along the sidewalk. He said, "Mom, those kids don't have training wheels on their bikes. I think I'll ride my bike without training wheels now." He went back and asked Daddy to take them off when we got home, and I braced myself for the scraped knees and temper tantrums that usually result from learning to ride a bike. The next day, Mark took off his training wheels and decided to take him for a quick lap around the block, while holding onto the back. They came home and we decided to go to the park, which has a sidewalk all the way around, so he wouldn't fall into the street when he crashed. As soon as we got there, Marky decided he was going to do this on his own and refused to let anyone hold onto him. Then he took off! I was waiting for the wipeout, but it just never happened, and still hasn't. Now we will have to ask Santa for new bikes so we can keep up with him!

Labor Day Weekend

I love 3 day weekends! Saturday morning Mark and Marky went and picked grapes at the vineyard our church owns. They were up and out of the house at 6am! I stayed home with Kevin and packed up for our last trip to the beach for the summer. The boys came home about 9, and we headed out of town to escape the heat. We went to our favorite beach (Avila) and what a perfect day it was! I thought for sure it would be packed, but it was less crowded than normal. The weather was beautiful, only in the low 70's as opposed to the 102 it was in Fresno. The boys had a great time playing in the sand while I sat under my umbrella with my feet in the sand. Mark rented a boogie board again, and had some fun for a couple of hours catching some waves. Marky watched and decided he needed to be in on that action! He did really well as long as Daddy held onto the board until the waves came. Now the child wants his own board of course. I will just add it to the list, along with his requests for a computer, blackberry, and MP3 player. After the beach we headed over to Morro Bay for dinner, and got some really good fish tacos. I love the coast!

Sunday we stayed low key, going to church, and taking a family nap! Then Monday morning we headed over to the Zoo, since we have a family membership that Mark rarely gets to use. They have a pretty fun bird show that is only done in the summer, so Mark finally got to see it! It was nice to spend a couple of hours before lunch, and then leave and get some stuff done. We spent the rest of the day doing errands and playing at the park. Overall, we had a wonderful weekend of family fun! I really hated to see it end!