Colorado's Beach

We have been swimming at our little community pool almost everyday - so Hubby and I decided to take Allikaye to "the beach" to mix things up!! She loved the sand and REAL beach in Mexico - so we thought it would be a fun event...Chatfield Reservoir here we come...

Here is Miss Thing and daddy building sand castle volcano things...
notice that they are out of the water...

The water was freezing! No it was FREEZING!
Now I have already been told..."what do you expect... it is runoff from the beautiful snowy mountain peaks"... blah blah blah... I was still hoping for that bath temperature water that is in my dreams...
But the sand was oh so fun!

After roughing it along the shore - we headed to the swim beach - which the only difference was that the sand didn't have broken glass and cigarette butts...only lots of goose poop!

And then we were invaded by busloads of some kid's day care group!
You can see the buses in the background! Ah! We were out of there!
It was a fun little Colorado family adventure!

An Obsession

Here is Miss Allikaye's latest obsession...

"Dawawing"...or drawing...She gets real low to the paper and draws intricate little detailed...scribbles.
She says "mama" and then waits for me to ask her to draw something. Her favorites are horses, puppies, Jesus, and frogs. She asked to 'dawaw' at breakfast...when she woke up from her nap...after swimming (she is in her cover-up still in the pictures)...and it lasted up until she went to bed!It is so beautiful and our fridge is already covered in her art work!

I woud like to thank...

This is how excited I am...Kendra... at A Superhero, Princess, and Monkey... bestowed upon me two...TWO...awards!
I love them...they made my day...week...life! Woohoo! I am excited, can ya tell??
I just adore Kendra's blog -
she's funny, witty, inspirational, same political views as me :0),
and she's an amazing mama to three gorgeous kids!
This smooch from Allikaye is just for you, Miss Kendra...

Here is the first award...
This one means so much! I try to exhibit the fruits that this award says...and more than anything I hope this one serves as a reminder to me to 'keep it real!'

I am tossing this "Wings of Compassion" award over to
1. Julie at Joy's Hope...she gives daily craftiness and inspiration...LOVE her...and she lives in Cali...which I think is cool in itself! She also makes perfect signs!
2. Stinky Toes Design...she is such a wonderful example! You should read her latest posts about a missions trip in NYC...she is a true vessel for God to work through! And her etsy site is awesome too!
3. Brown Eyed Fox...her posts always have a poetic and creative tune to them! She also has a rockin' etsy site!

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And here is the second award...I love this!!
I could just bounce this award all over to my many blog friends!
You all make my life so much richer - just by reading your daily words and seeing your pictures! Thanks to everyone that reads this (friends and family) and to everyone that provides me with amazing blogs to obsess over daily!

So this award goes to...(Kendra, even though you already have it...hehehe)...
1. Amanda at Life Long Playdate...I think if she came to Colorado -we would be instant BFF's! :0) She is a great mama and I truly love her posts...and she got this from Kendra too...but I had to do it!
2. Lindsey at What Would Kate Gosselin Do?...if I ever need a laugh...this is where I go...you rock girl! Also - an awesome and fun mama!
3. A Boy, A Girl, And A Pug...not only do we connect with our Bachelorette views...I love her blog - it is always fun and true!

I do LOVE YOU THIS MUCH, girls!!
I want to throw a big P-A-R-T-Y for all of you someday - wow - wouldn't that be fun!

New Kids on the BLOCK...

Here is my new favorite craftiness...
Blocks!

They were surprisingly easy - and I am just in love! Change up the paper...do a last name...or favorite word...put it on the mantle! Oh yes, there are many new block ideas swimming in my head! Allikaye loves them too (yes, they are pretty durable...so far)!

A Sparkly Messy Life inspired me and taught me how to make these fun blocks!
You need:
plain wooden blocks
cute awesome can't live without paper (I bought mine from Janesays)
mod podge (why is it called that? Does it mean something?)
And sticky letters (I bought tagboard ones...with glitter)

And here is a 'screen kiss' to leave you with...

Get blockin'!

A Beanie and A Wagon

Oh my!

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We also have been wanting a wagon for our walks to the park...mostly to save mama's arms because I end up carrying Allie most of the way.
Here is my darling love kissing her new wagon!

Have a happy week!
It is my last week as a full-time second grade teacher!!
Woohoo! I am beyond excited!

Happy Father's Day!

10 Reasons I love my baby's daddy:

1. He got a tattoo that commemorates Allikaye's and my initials...A!
2. He takes Allikaye to Chuck E. Cheese - just the two of them - and brings the camera to take pictures!
3. He is the strongest-football-player-lookin'-tough-guy I know...yet he can cry at dad/daughter songs... don't tell him I told you that.
4. He sits in the bathroom every night while I give Allikaye a bath - just to keep us company.
   
5. He reads Bible stories to Miss Allikaye.
6. He can do a great beat-box sound to distract Allikaye while I am trying to change her diaper (I need all the distractions I can get).
7. He doesn't let the hugeness of his tall and buff body slow him down when getting in Allikaye's Dora ball pit with her!
   
8. He takes Allikaye to Pottery Barn Kids and lets her play with their displays for hours on end.
   
9. He will walk her to sleep when mama just feels like she can't do anything but lay with her head under the pillow.
   
10. He is his daughter and wife's hero! He is working hard, getting his master's degree, switching careers, and still finds countless nights and days to spend hanging out with us! We love you, you great man!!

Guess who...

Here's a little game of...

Guess-Who-This-Celebrity-Look-Alike-Looks-Like...

Need a hint?
He was ELF...
He liked to drive fast as Ricky Bobby...
Funny Anchorman...
Darren on Bewitched...
Need I say more??

Umm...I don't know this man...but the camera was slyly zooming in at my friends wedding to get "the shot" of WILL FERRELL!! Yep, I was the paparazzi... poor guy, I bet he gets it all the time!

B-A-N-A-N-A-S!!!

Chillin' in front of the tube...watchin' her Signing Time...oh yeah, and in her swim suit...

We keep that big pillow in front the TV to keep Miss Thing from crawling up on daddy's beloved flat screen. Then she started pulling it out and resting on it! I love it!

Have you seen these mini bananas?!  I saw them...shining like a beacon of freedom next to the big mama bananas...for only $1...

Allikaye is pretty much obsessed with "nanas" right now. As you know, she is a signing freak! She can sign so many words - and now signs and says the word together. Her favorites that we are hearing...and seeing...a lot... are "more," "eat," and "bananas"...and all in the same sentence. I was curious as to where these mini nanas were going so fast! There is no way Allikaye can eat those as fast as she is signing "more nanas" already! So I watched this chick eat one of these nanas...she shoved it in...literally. The thing wasn't even swallowed before she was signing "more" - thankfully she can sign and didn't even need to think about talking with her mouth full! I'm not sure if the cuteness of the mini is worth it yet...she is eating the equivalent of a couple big mama bananas..but it IS more fun to peel four minis than one biggie...

I don't get it...

I know that many of you bloggers have comment moderation enabled on your blogs - as do I. After you leave your comment you have to type in some funky letter combinations...which sometime mash together...which leads me to strain my eyes and try to decipher which letter the little geniuses hiding inside my computer want me to type. Now I turned this lovely letter feature on after I got a couple weird spammy comments from who knows where...and since then I haven't really gotten any more...so it must help? But my question for all...why does typing in these letters stop spam comments?? Are they just too lazy to decipher...or is there some interesting computer-y type answer that someone knows? Do tell...I am very curious! A little tidbit about me - I do a lot of thinking and ask A LOT of questions...and they are usually not very "deep" questions...so this may only be the beginning...

Here's something to share...
My sister-in-law, Erin (I have two sis-in-law Erin's) - this one lived by an IKEA in Arizona...
she gave me these cute shaped ice-cube trays...one stars and one hearts...
they have found a new purpose that Miss Allikaye loves (and so do I)...

The cheerios...and many times goldfish...fit right into each little shape, and are just small enough where Miss has to work a little to get them out! She has now started to bring me the trays to have me fill 'er up! Yay for Ikea...once again!

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Ribbet!

Check out these frog cupcakes my friend Amy and I made! I am so proud of them! I haven't ever made anything creative and crafty (in food form) like this! The eyes are gumdrops cut in half, white chocolate chips, and blue icing! We made them for our 2nd grade classes. Yes, I teach 2nd grade. I have been teaching 2nd for 4 years now, but since Allikaye came along...I have desired sososososo much to be at home with her....just like working moms everywhere. God has blessed me with the opportunity to job share 3rd grade next year! It is something that I laid before the Lord many many times...and well... Woohoo! That means I will be working only 2, or sometimes, 3 days a week! Praise the Lord! Okay...back to the cupcakes... have any of you made any crafty food yummies?? I want to know! I had fun making them - and it wasn't hard! Do share...

I also opened my mail to a new magazine today!
I love all my parenting magazines.
I am excited for this one...And last...here is a cute picture of Miss Thing walking in mama's shoes!
Also...what do you think about the Bachelorette?? I can't believe she's has kept some of these dudes! But I think I have my picks for the end already...Graham, Jeremy, and Jason...