Eight Boys?!

Eight boys...yep.  I must need to learn something from having so many boys around all the time.  I have 5 brothers, Keno and I have 4 boys...you get the picture.  So when you have boys, they typically have their friends over.  On December 26th we had 3 extra boys fly down to Colorado, to hang out with my boys.  That is a sign of a true friend.

 

You may ask...what do you do with all those boys? 

And did they how did you keep their stomachs full? 

Sunset View from Castle Rock

Well, the answer to the first question...you take them outside! 

And so we did:  Hiked Castle Rock, Camped in -3 degrees F weather, Visited Garden of the Gods and let them hike away, put them on a Cog Train and sent us all to the 'near' top of Pikes Peak, let them take Kam's new RC car to the park and make jumps from the snow. 

 

Epic Picture!

 



Jordan, Tanner, Kam, Kaleb, Bryce

 

 

 

Then we they are just about all burned out of that, you let them in your kitchen to make pretzel's, Thank you Dennison's!, then chocolate chip cookies, and let them enjoy whatever they enjoy on the Xbox.  Throw in a little Sean play time and it is a good recipe for fun, friends and memories!

 

Thank you for a great week!

 

 

 

 

Peppermint Meringue {Kisses}

I have a new found favorite!  I am sure many of you already know of these light sweet little morsels of yumminess, but I have just discovered them...

Not only are they yummy...they are pretty easy to make --that makes them sweeter!

Here is the recipe:

2 egg whites                      1/2 Cup white sugar
1/8 tsp. salt                         2 peppermint candy canes, crushed
1/8 tsp. cream of tartar      * optional and super yummy addition:  handful of white morsels.

1.  preheat oven to 225 degrees F.  Line cookie sheet with foil.

2.  In a large glass or metal mixing bowl, beat egg whites, salt and cream of tartar to soft peaks.  Gradually add sugar, continuing to beat until whites form stiff peaks.  Drop by spoon-fuls 1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheet. Sprinkle crushed candy over the cookies.

3.  Bake for 1-1/2 hours in preheated oven. Meringues should be completely dry on the side.  Do not allow them to brown. Turn off oven.  Keep oven door ajar and let meringues sit in the oven until completely cool. Loosen from foil with metal spatula. Store loosely covered in cool dry place for up to 2 months.

* I have had these with white morsels...some people call them white chocolate chips but I can't taste or see how they are related to chocolate, so I refuse to call them that. 

Toss in a handful and stir a couple of times to mix them in before dropping on the cookie sheet.

{Little boy}

 This is our caboose...

 The runner up...

 (We considered naming him Dunn.) 

 

JUST LOOK AT THAT FACE!  He is such a charmer...his grin is contagious, especially with the sparkle in the eyes! and to top it off, he is just as sweet and easy-going as his smile is cute. 

 

From 1 to 2 years can be trying at times.  They are finding they can do and say things on their own.  They push their will and needs above everyone else.

 

Since he is our tail end of the pack, I watch him differently than I did my older children.  I watch a lot more.  I laugh a lot more and I stress about things a lot less.

I have seen my kids go through stages, have high points and low points and yes, exert their will?...most definitely!  One thing I have noticed that appears around Sean's age is that they love swords and things that make noise...things very gun-like...and they like to pack them around. 

A most handy place is the back of the shirt.  Makes sense. Easy to reach and remove, yet close to you as well.  Kaleb and Joel would pack their {Jaggy's} around in there for hours. 

Sean calls this aluminum foil sword his {shing} --think of what a sword sounds like when coming out of the scabbard.  He really wants his big brothers Master Sword, but it is off limits.  Joel loves to makes swords out aluminum foil.  In fact, a great present for him is his own box.  A sculpture-r in the making! 

What else can I say? I love our {little boy} and I love that my {Big Boys} look forward to playing with him when they get back from school. They play nerf guns and swords and make funny noises to get Sean to giggle.  They watch him in the tub...making great splashes and crashes. They even change diapers!  Can you believe it? I am convinces that my boys think they are getting big. Not little kids anymore. There are days that I agree.   

However, even when they are taller than me, I will think of them all as my {Little Boys}.

Quickest Tree Adventure Yet

Our Christmas Tree Tradition has been to go out into the snowy mountains, hike and play in the snow, drink hot chocolate and then find a tree.  That tree is usually bigger than the height of our ceiling and we have to make some adjustments, but over all it is an all day experience. 

This year we changed that tradition --slightly.  To get a tree tag from a ranger station is quite a drive from here. We didn't want to drive a super long ways because of one particular reason.  The trees -in the forest- are WAY different!
They are more like this:


Ponderosa Pine

With needles like this: 

 

So I went looking for Christmas tree farms....the next best thing...

 

There aren't any!

 

So I went looking for a Christmas tree lot.

 

There was ONE!  With a couple of bushy-Grandma Gibb type trees.

 

Hmmm...so...for our family night --in the cover of darkness--...we went here: 



They had a couple varieties to choose from. And so we went with a more 'traditional' looking tree, the noble fir.  Actually we bought two.  The small second tree is for our outside entry. 

 

It holds two strands of lights --compared to 5 to 6 from previous years.

And it was done in about 40 minutes.  Compared to a lot more in years past. 

It smells great and looks pretty cute---such a tiny little guy!

It is downstairs this year.
There is a great little room off the
family room.

Here are some pictures of our simple ideas of holiday cheer in our home.

Upstairs family room.

Entry:  The felt  tree to the right is our thankful tree.
Joel's idea:  we will 'decorate' it with things we
are thankful for.  Smart boy!

Downstairs...

Bottom of the stairs:  Kid art...nothing can top it!

Grandma Grangers stitching adds great color!
Downstairs



update

Driving --officially now--
Can you believe they got him to do
this? A whole day at school?



talking up a storm...
loves Buzz and Woody



Growing like a weed
Still conquering the world

14...taller than mom
 ...Best 'movie-quote-r' ever!

Losing teeth  and still dancing around

December 1st

I don't really know where we went today.  We left about 11:00, took a lunch and headed into the mountains.  The area isn't too far from our home...kind of... it was a 2 hour drive.  We went out to find a trailhead or two and 'explore' the area for future camping and hiking adventures.  It was great!  We saw a river!!  You may think...yeah, so what...Alas, we don't see rivers here.  Maybe a stream...maybe...a dry river bed --yes. So it was so refreshing to see a largish river with Anglers doing their thing.

We also saw the aftermath of a forest fire. We do not know when it happened, but there are not many 'baby' trees around there yet, so the landscaped look naked. 

We drove and drove and drove and then stopped to have lunch and explore.  You know, it really doesn't take much for kids to enjoy themselves in nature.  I think the hard part is getting them out in it.

 

Sean doing his thing



Keno, Kameron, and Kaleb...cooking?

Sadie drawing...of course

4-6 inch ice...must try to break with rock!

First attempt...take a guess

gluten
Crossed out...   eliminated...     moving on...    'it's not you, it's me'...  looking back isn't a good idea...

It started when I was pregnant with Sean.

Now it is just better to stay away from all those things I loved... 
--homemade bread and butter, fresh out of the oven
--crackers
--warm toast with peanut butter and chocolate chips
--gravy
--most things you love and didn't realize has wheat/gluten in them.

So sad...

I tried making ________________ with the substitute flour from Bob's Red Mill -- don't forget the Xanthum gum.  (I had no idea what Xanthum would even look like...gum?...liquid?)  Turns out it is an extremely fine powder that leaves your pocket book smaller than it started out.  About $13.00 a pop for an 8 oz. bag.

I have not jumped into the gluten free world of breads, cookies, crackers, etc.  I have just kind of avoided it.  Tried some blueberry muffins...4 muffins for $5.00.  I eat only 1/2 a muffin at a time. It is nice to actually feel full. 

We'll see where I go next.   If you guessed that they are cookies...you are right! They did taste pretty good.  I think it helps to have the best, big, milk chocolate chips in them.