70's Day!

I love my little flower child and her friend Graceyn. Today was 70's day at St. Anne's, part of the Catholic Schools Week celebration.

Holden Steals the Show

I may be biased, but my niece Holden stole the show at the school play yesterday!  She has great stage presence, projects her voice so well and is darling to watch light up the stage!



Back to Normal

Joseph and I were only gone for a few days, but like Mike always says, the Colorado Kerschens don't like to be apart!  It is so nice to be back to our normal day to day life, simple as it may be.

Lillian is playing teacher in this picture and helping Joseph learn how to write his letters. 

And Joseph is helping Daddy stack firewood in this picture, preparing us for a cold night!



The BIG Move!

Watch out Indy here we come!

Joseph & I got to take a little Mommy/Son adventure together....we flew to Indiana to help Grammy & Opa relocate to Golden, Colorado!

  We took a  one-way flight into the Indianapolis airport. 

Someone was more enthralled with the new play area in the Indianapolis Airport than he was with greeting his grandparents. 

That is until he saw Grammy in her usual spot.  He ran so fast I had to run to catch up to snap this sweet photo. 

The empty house didn't seem to phase Joseph, he loved playing "kick the ball of packing tape" with Grammy.

And he loved helping Opa with a few last minute projects.  He soaked up the one on one attention he got with all of us, and loved sleeping on a mattress on the floor with mommy. 

We watched TV the next morning while we waited for Grammy & Opa to finish up at the closing.  And just like that, their ties to Indianapolis were over and we hit the road!  We 1100 miles in front of us, and within the first 5 minutes Joseph had already found 5 of his pictures on his Car Bingo game.  We were driving down the alley and he spotted an RV parked on the street.  Then he saw a gas station, speed limit sign, fire hydrant, and traffic light.  He clicked his tongue, winked at me and said, "I'm good at this".  And I thought - we may have to play this game a few times! 

 But this 4 year old blew my mind.  He was such a patient, easy going travel companion.  He played with all the toys Grammy packed for him, toys that belonged to me and my siblings when we were his age.  He begged me to play the opposite game with him more than a few times (a game I made up where I say a word and he tells me the opposite; up/down, king/queen, black/white).  I held up flash cards with the letters of the Alphabet and he looked out the window to search for the letter on bill boards, license plates, etc.  We had such a great time!  We ran into a few little trouble spots along the way:

1.  One of the suit cases piled up behind the driver seat tipped over and fell on him while I was driving.  I had to voice text Opa to pull over. (I know!!!  I shouldn't text and drive but we were the ONLY cars on the highway at the time!)

2.  One time we had to pull over because one of his "Masters of the Universe" characters was "falling" and his foot pulled open the back door slightly....oops!

3.  One time we had to pull over - 30 seconds after a nice long lunch break - because Joseph had to poop. 

4.  And one time we had to pull over because Grammy read the wrong text and thought the suitcases were falling on Joseph again...LOL.

But all in all Joseph was a ROCKSTAR travel companion!  He only slept 45 minutes in two days and 18 hours of driving.  He jumped out of the car at rest stops and gas breaks, and he jumped right back in when it was time to hit the road again.  And he never once asked "Are we there yet?"  

Opa called him a real "Road Warrior".

We got back into Denver, just in time to pick Lillian up from Aftercare at St. Anne's.  The kids were so happy to be reunited! 

And BOOM, just like that we have "local" grandparents!



Stock Showin' (Again!)

One of our favorite January activities, that happens to coincide with Mike's birthday, is our annual trip to the National Western Stock Show. 

 Cowboy Princess School

 

 Can you believe Lillian and Joseph won a hand carved bear from the live wood carving demo AGAIN this year?



Facebook Memory of the Day

This popped up in my Facebook feed today, and the timing is perfect.  Pictured here are Will, Fiona and I taking the residents to the National Western Stock Show last year 2016.  Curled up on my lap is a 3 year old Joseph and on Fiona's lap is 4 year old Lillian.  It has been so fun bringing my kids to work with me over the last few years.  But it is time for this momma to stay home and focus on raising these kids.  I turned in my 4 Month notice last week, May 19th 2017 will be my last day as the Activity Director of the Village at Lowry. 

Special Person

Lillian is the special person of the week again at school.  This time around, her friends know her a little better and had a whole lot more to say about what a good friend she is.  They especially made it a point to say that Lillian is the first to respond when someone gets hurt on the playground.  Always checking to see if they're ok and if they need anything.  I was so proud to hear that!

Craftin'

Fiona and I have been putting the "old people" to work quite a bit this year.  We've been prepping craft projects for Joseph's preschool.  We've helped make Mr. Potato Head Parts, Carrot pieces, Cowboy Puppets and Teddy Bears.  It's fun, good for the residents and I think it makes Joseph feel a little special too!

It's Daddy's Birthday....and he's the only one who has to work!

Lillian had Martin Luther King Day off from school, I work next Saturday (and therefore have the Monday before off), and it snowed about 8 inches so we decided to let Joseph play hooky today.  But rather than stay home and chance "cabin fever", we decided to head out to Moore Middle School to sled.  The new sleds Grammy & Opa gave us for Christmas are fast, I should know, I took a couple runs myself!

Uncle Bert Arrives

 Opa has been so busy planning (and stressing about) Bert's big move to Denver.  But all his hard work paid off.  We were a little worried about how Bert would even feel about leaving Indiana.  But he has embraced this change, as if it is his next "great adventure".  Uncle Tom flew from Indiana to Colorado with Bert to make sure he was comfortable.  Ian, Kim and the kids were waiting at the airport for them to come up the escalator.  Holden made the sweetest welcome sign for Bert.  And we all met at Mary Crest to welcome Bert to his new apartment.  I think Opa will relax a little now, and be able to concentrate on HIS big move!

Baking Cupcakes for Daddy

 Every year, we bake cupcakes for daddy whether he likes them or not!