A wonderful visit from my Dear Mother and Sweet Sister

On Monday the 15th I excitedly drove to the Ft. Collins, Colorado airport to pick up my Mom and Sister, and her darling baby Kate, who would be spending a week here in Cheyenne. The first thing we did was hit the shopping, then we had lunch at Panera. I told my Mom she should try the Fandango salad, she trusted me and ordered it. She was trying so hard to be a good sport and enjoy it, saying how lovely it was. A few minutes later she mentioned that the cheese may not be fresh, and that it tasted like piss ants! Angie and I both got a great laugh out of that comment, and I'll probably remember it for a while, how often do you hear your Mom saying piss ant??

While Mom and Angie were here, Isaac wanted to pick a recipe out of his new cupcake cookbook, he chose penguins. He sent us to the store with a list of cupcake supplies while he was at school. Making the penguin cupcakes seemed like a fun, easy task, but believe me, these were a complete pain! We salvaged a few that hadn't fallen down from gravity and took a picture. I hope he picks an easier recipe next time.



Angie and Mom were so gracious to lend their talents and time to make a Masterpiece for my bedroom. It turned out so well(we all had our doubts during the project), I just love it, and I will be reminded of them each time I see the beautiful piece of art.

A "Man" Blog

Nick(and C.J) informed me that our blog is no longer the Man blog he started 3 years ago, he said that since I've taken over I've turned it into a chick blog. I'm not sure if it was the scrapbook background paper, the flowers, or the Gwen Stefani music that finally convinced him to start his own blog. His new blog will be showcasing his favorite hobbies, so if you're a male(or enjoy looking at my cute husband), visit his blog @
http://flyfishingbackpackinghunting.blogspot.com

An evening of Culture

My calling at church is 1st counselor in the Young Women's program, I get to meet with the 14 and 15 year olds every Sunday and Wednesday. Last Night the girls planned a food around the world activity, each of us picked a country and brought a food dish from that country. We gave a brief report about the church in that particular country. We had a fun, educational evening and the food was really good. I called my brother Darin who had served a 2 year mission in Dominican Republic and asked him for any suggestions. He had several good ideas, but I went with the easiest one(that didn't involve goat meat), fried plantains. Fried plantains are the Dominicans version of our french fries, dipped in ketchup and everything. They were surprisingly delicious and easy. Gemma gave us a detailed report on Norway, and made Norwegian Lefse, they were good too, it was kind of like a tortilla or crepe. Kelsey made a pasta salad from Italy, which I had to get the recipe for, it was divine! For dessert, Amber treated us to German chocolate cake, of course her Country was Germany. I really enjoyed researching Dominican Republic and hearing all about the other countries, it went so well, that I thought when we come home for Christmas we could do this as a family, are you in?

Isaac's 8th Birthday Party

Isaac's Birthday Party

Isaac celebrated his 8th birthday a few days early since his birthday falls on Sunday this year. Isaac informed me about 8 months ago that his birthday party would be at Taco Johns Event Center this year. He went to a friends party there and since then has been set on it. It turns out to be a pretty nice way to host a party, no planning, no cleaning up, they took care of everything, it was a no stress party. Isaac invited 10 friends and they had a nice time eating pizza, playing miniature golf, hitting a pinata, and of course ending the party with cake and ice cream. Isaac has really great friends that are so kind to him at school, we were so glad they all came. I thought Isaac did really well playing with the other kids and he was smiling all night. It was nice to see him having fun and being social. The girls really had a fun time too as Daddy coached them through the 18 holes in miniature golf. After the party Isaac told me he had a fun time, but the 18 hole golf event was hard, I thought that was funny! We sure do love our big guy! Happy Birthday Isaac!

Sophia and Savannah on their first day of preschool

I can't believe the day has finally come, my babies are in preschool! They looked so darn cute with their little backpacks. They have been looking forward to going to Teacher Ann's school for months now, and today they were ready and excited to get started. There was one mother crying about leaving her son, but as for me, I shed not a tear! I love my girls more than anything, but having 3 hours to get things done is going to be a treat for me. The girls were so happy there that it wasn't hard for me to leave them. This morning 3 of my friends and I went out to breakfast to celebrate, it was kind of nice not having to entertain or chase kids, it was a relaxing, fun time. The girls are ready to learn and play with other kids, it will be so good for them. I've got to run to go pick them up, I can't wait to hear what a great time they had.

Isaac's first day of 2nd Grade!

Isaac woke up, got dressed and was ready to go to school today by 6:30 a.m. He is so excited to start the new school year. He was eager to take his dog to show his friends. It was fun for him to see his friends from last year, there are some really great kids in his class. There are 2 teachers in the classroom, Mrs. Nelson and Mrs. Morrison, who I've heard wonderful things about. He also has a para professional who is a one on one helper just for Isaac. Last year it proved so successful and allowed him to be in the regular education classroom. Her name is Mrs. Gibb, she seems like a really good match for Isaac, I think Isaac will really appreciate her help in the classroom, and enjoy spending time with her. We'll keep you posted during the school year, he's up for the challenge, and I know he's ready for the routine to begin.

Good Job Nick!

Nick has officially been made Partner of his Anesthesia group, congratulations to him! We had a "We love you Daddy" appreciation party last night in his honor. Isaac helped me bake a delicious chocolate cake (complete with carrot puree, applesauce and flaxseed). We also broke in our new bbq, Nick grilled a great dinner for us. Isaac is the most excited one in the family to finally have a bbq grill. He's planned our next weeks worth of meals on it. We are very proud of Nick for passing his boards and for working so hard to become partner. We love you Daddy!!

Rainbow

Genesis 9:13
"I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth."

I've always loved rainbows, they make me so grateful to my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ for all of the beauty on this earth. The day after Grandpa Segler died, I saw a brilliant rainbow that just lit the sky with bright colors. It just gave me a very peaceful feeling to know that he was happy. I guess it's the simple things that give me hope and make me happy. I couldn't capture the true beauty of the rainbow in the photos, but I wanted to share it.

Cute Kids

Last week Isaac told us he wanted to take pictures after church, of course we took him up on it! Nick huddled the kids together on the front porch and snapped a few shots.

Campfire in the driveway

The kids and I were playing outside while Nick was mowing the lawn, we were playing with the hose and blowing bubbles. Isaac started making a circle with rocks in the driveway, when I asked him what he was making, he said "I'm building a campfire." He had been camping with Nick a few times this summer and really enjoys it. He proceeded to fill the pit with sticks(dried out tumbleweeds) and asked if I would start a fire. I didn't actually light the fire, but I was a good enough sport to give the kids some roasting sticks to pretend with. Isaac went inside and returned with a hot dog on the end of his stick. The girls thought that was a great idea and each wanted their own. After the hot dogs, we got out the S'mores ingredients and ate cold marshmallows and cold chocolate sandwiched between you guessed it, cold graham crackers. It was a great evening of fun for the kids.

Isaac's new blog

Isaac has really been excited about blogging, he told me today that he wanted to post his chocolate cake pictures on his own blog. We made him a blog so he could express his thoughts and photos. I'll have to figure out how to put a link on our family blog, but for now, check him out at www.isaaclarsen.blogspot.com

Snowy Range

Last Sunday was such a beautiful day, we couldn't waste it inside, so after church we took a drive to the Snowy Range Mountains. It was gorgeous, there was still snow on the ground, but the weather was so comfortable. Sophia and I enjoyed the wild flowers, Nick loved the views, and Isaac and Savannah spent their time picking out walking sticks and rocks.