Playgroup Halloween Party

Jamie's playgroup had a halloween costume party and we were able to get a group photo with 16 (out of 19) kids willing to show off their costumes. (It was an amazing accomplishment to get this many children to slow down long enough to pose for this shot!)

We are fortunate (and maybe a little insane) to have a large group of kids and moms that we get together with once a week for playtime and lunch. The halloween party was at Ryan & Justin's house and we had lasagne, fruit kabobs, breadsticks, waldorf salad and spider cupcakes for lunch. YUMMY!

Jamie had been planning to dress up as Thomas The Tank Engine and has been sleeping in his costume for almost a month now. He changed his mind at the last minute, though, and went as another of his favorite characters, Bob The Builder.

Jack-O-Lantern

Jamie is so proud of the jack-o-lantern he carved at daycare/preschool. His teacher said that he actually carved the left eye ALL BY HIMSELF and then told her where to cut everything else. He is looking forward to Halloween and dressing up in a costume to go trick-or-treating. He's been practicing saying "trick-or-treat" and "thank you" and is looking forward to lots of candy!

Cutting firewood in Rock Creek area

Another beautiful day in the SLV. It was so nice that we decided we could always use another load of firewood so we headed to the mountains. We packed sandwiches and snacks and met our friend, Geo, on the Rock Creek road. Geo is the chainsaw master and if it weren't for him, we'd have no firewood. I don't want to sound mean but Bill is extremely mechanically challenged and has a hard time when it comes to operating any type of machinery. Geo does the cutting while Bill loads the trucks, it's a good arrangement and works well for each of them.

Jamie was so excited to go to the mountains. He helped Bill load the truck for a little while but didn't like being around the chainsaw too much as it was noisy. The mountains are a good place for a little boy to find a lot of dirt to play in. We were smart enough to bring along his big dump truck, which he had a grand time filling with dirt, rocks, twigs, pine needles and whatever else he could find that would fit. He'd fill the dump truck, "drive" it a few feet and dump the load, then go back for more. It is amazing how long he can keep himself occupied with such a simple task!

One reason we LOVE the San Luis Valley...

The sandhill cranes migrate through the SLV each spring and fall. It is an awesome experience and we are so lucky that our house happens to be right along the migration track. Words cannot describe what it sounds like to hear the cranes as they fly overhead. I took this photo today, in the hay field to the south of our house. Today was a perfect autumn day in the SLV with a beautiful blue sky, snow topped peaks in the distance and the cranes in the field. Today was a picture postcard perfect day!

Cubbie!

Jamie has been attending weekly AWANA meetings with his friend, Spencer.
AWANA (Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed) is an international, Bible-centered children's and youth ministry that provides weekly programs for students in preschool through high school. They are learning the creation story and are memorizing short exerpts of Bible verses. Jamie came home with his vest last night and also his first patch for completing his first Lamb path. He is very proud of his accomplishment and SO ARE WE!!

Paul's Peloton

Just wanted to let you all know about our friend and the amazing thing that he is doing. Paul is a road-bike rider and has ridden in several long distance events. He is inspired by Lance Armstrong's riding success as well as Lance's dedication to cancer treatment & research. Each year, Austin, TX, holds "The Ride For The Roses" to benefit The Lance Armstrong Foundation. Paul has ridden in this 104 mile ride the past two years and this year decided to take it a step (actually 800 miles) further. He is riding his bike from his home in Red River, NM to Austin, TX and then will participate in "The Ride For The Roses". Today is Day 5 of his journey and he is in Roscoe, TX. He is promoting The Lance Armstrong Foundation and the town of Red River on his ride.

Paul is documenting his ride in his personal blog (http://paulspeloton.blogspot.com/) which gives a day by day description of his ride, the weather and the great people he's met along the way.

The mission statement for Paul's Peloton is "One person can make a difference". Sometimes it seems like we are overshadowed by corporations and politics and we may feel that our voice will never be heard. Paul is out to prove otherwise and I admire him greatly. He will certainly make a difference and give others hope to create change as well. I am honored to call Paul my friend and am amazed at his compassion, diligence and determination. Paul, you are my hero!
LIVESTRONG and Ride On!

First SNOW of the winter

We woke up Monday morning (October 10) to a light dusting of snow. Bill took these photos early in the morning, because it melted off quickly. It was a very wet snow and left lots of mud and fun puddles for playing in later in the day. As you can tell from the top photo, our aspen trees still have not dropped their leaves. The colors were an awesome contrast to the white snow. This is the BEST time of the year in Alamosa!
It is rare to get snow this early in October and the "old-timers" warn that this is just the beginning of what will be a long and cold winter. This is not so great news with the anticipated 60% increase in heating costs. We have a good supply of firewood and plan to make good use of the woodstove this winter.

Gymnastics

(top photos: Jamie doing back arch stretch, Jamie doing backwards roll & Jamie walking on balance beam)
Jamie has been enjoying his gymnastics class this semester. There are 6 kids in the class and Ms. Brandi is the best teacher he's had (this is his third gymnastics class). She makes everything age appropriate and, unlike previous teachers, is actually organized and prepared for each class. The kids are having fun and Ms. Brandi wants to continue the class past the original 6 weeks. She said that she just needs to have enough interest from participants...Ms. Brandi, you can count us IN!

(bottom photos: Jamie doing forward roll on balance beam, Jamie doing pull up on uneven bars & Jamie balancing on uneven bars)

Balloon Fiesta, cont.

Jamie had lots of fun at the Balloon Fiesta. He did enjoy the balloons but he was in little boy heaven when we found these piles of dirt on the west end of the field. I don't know what the actual purpose of the dirt piles was but, it sure made Jamie's day. He is such a dirt magnet and it was fun to watch as he ran and jumped and rolled in the dirt. He was covered from head to toe and even swallowed a couple of mouth fulls. All in all, a good day for a busy boy!

Dirt + Busy Boy = FUN!!!

Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta

We went to Albuquerque this past weekend for a friends' parents' 50th wedding anniversary. It also happened to be the first weekend of the Balloon Fiesta. We woke up at 4:30 am on Sunday and made our way to the park. We got there in time for the dawn patrol show, had breakfast and then enjoyed the many different colors and shapes filling the skies. The weather was perfect. We go almost every year and we have hundreds of photos but you just can't help yourself, it is so amazing that you have to take more photos each and every year.

Haircut - Before and After

Bill gave Jamie a haircut and it was an amazing transformation. Before the haircut, he was a cute little boy. Afterwards, he was a handsome little man. He couldn't get enough of himself, either, he kept admiring himself and talking to himself in the mirror.