2010 Baloon Fiesta

Grandpa and Grandma Jackson (and Bear) were our guests this year for the Balloon Fiesta. Thanks again for coming!

Early morning dawn patrol. If you don't leave the house by 5:15am while it is still dark, you will end up sitting in traffic and miss the whole thing (which happened one year when we left at 5:20am).

The rooster right about to eat that poor kid. Run for your life!!!



Grandma bought the kids a bubble gun. That was a hit!






Grandpa got to take advantage of the free beard trimming going on at the Wahl Razors booth. Doesn't he look handsome!


And look! Momma Red Bee and Papa Blue Bee had a baby Purple Bee- new this year!



The Balloon Fiesta is the world's most photographed event. Really!

May the Force be with you!

Fall Chillin'

I like October because I like Halloween.
So it turns out being hosed off after playing in the mud is not quite the punishment my Dad thought it was- oh well it was a good time anyway.
I dig my Dad's 70's cool rain jacket and his 90's ball cap and neighbor's 00's frog boots. And Allie? well...

Hmmm... I'm glad my wife still loves me with these awesome handlebars.

I like fooling around with Mom's makeup on a Sunday morning.
I like Uli's jacket.
So my sister in law Kristyn was wondering what a wide-angle lens is good for. My answer? Private blogs.
OK, OK, seriously my wife is so pretty.

State Fair Time!

We really like the State Fair! Does that seem weird? It is way overpriced, the food is all deep fried, the toys are expensive and cheap, and don't get me started on the "carnies". People watching can be... interesting/funny/shocking/repulsive/entertaining/ inspiring. And sometimes it is all of it at once (is that too unchristian to say?). But we love to go see the animals and the animal shows and we love going to the craft building and seeing all the things people do and make (the castle made out of marbles all glued together. Maria Payne had a lot of cool jarred food entries that were pretty amazing). We spend most of the time saying "Oooh oooh- come look at this!!!"
The kids spotted a baby bear cave (never mind that it is an empty shrine meant for a Saint. Is this just a New Mexico thing to have it as permanent part of landscaping?). They did their best growls for us.

Wesley doing what he calls his "yogo pose". I don't know how this started but it cracks me up every time.

We don't do the rides but the kids really have liked the rubber band bouncing trampoline thing and this time Luke wanted to do it too!
We had to laugh at the broken bones part. "Ooh ya, I did just break my femur. Maybe I better not try this one."

The last couple of years we have decided to save our money and our calories for the Frontier. Can you see Wesley slumped over on my belly? (A side note; Allie is wearing her tie-die shirt that she made that week in Gardening Club. She loves all her clubs. They were going to pull weeds this past week but it was raining and so they ended up inside. She said she got to hold and pet a bunny and that it was AWESOME!)

2010
2009

I have been wanting to share this since last year. In her kindergarten class they kept journals. They were to draw a picture and then write about it. Most of the time if was just a jumble of letters that they would interpret for the teacher. As the year went on most of the kids got better and better. This is Allie's picture and sentence (notice how the word "fer" [fair] got broken up onto two lines) but it is almost legible and the drawing... well, that is pretty much what the rubberband trampoline thing looks like don't you think? This was in September, a month after kindergarten had begun, and this what got her teaching thinking that perhaps she was "different".
Allie jumping last year!

And last but not least, this is dedicated to Aunt Erin! We got a shot of her favorite rap star- Magic J and the Nastyboyz! He was there, in person, once again, same booth, same location playing the same 2 songs with the same music video showing the same "hired female help", again. Too bad we were out of cash. Darn.
As for Wesley, he avoided Magic J and the trampoline...

Preschool Hooray!

Another big week as Luke started preschool. He is going to the same high school preschool program that Allie went to two years ago. It is great because they have almost a one to one ratio of student teachers (high schoolers) to kids. Luke was so excited for school and because he got a special booster seat so he can ride in dad's truck. Jason takes him on his way to work. Allie also joined some the of school clubs this week- the Running Club, the Jump Rope Club and the Gardening Club so it works out that Jason takes Luke first and then drops off Allie.

And what about Wesley? I think the photos speak for themselves.

Poor Wesley, alone with Mom 3 times a week now. Can't you just hear him crying about how he wants to go too as they drove away? Allie loved her clubs too by the way.

Labor Day Weekend

We have been really excited since Taylor and Krista moved to Monticello this summer. Monticello was always just a place to get gas, and turn right. But there is so much to do around there! So we went up that Friday night to camp and hike and visit Mesa Verde National Park (thanks again Grandpa Jackson for the pass).

The ruins were amazing but not too kid friendly (we got a lot of the "don't touch that" from the park rangers). I think what was actually one of the best parts for everyone, especially the kids, was the really cool museum that Allie insisted we go see. It really was amazing!

We stayed with Taylor and Krista of course and on Sunday went on a drive to go see Newspaper Rock and a little of the Canyon Lands. It was absolutely beauuuuutiful!!!
Our little native- who needs a shirt?! (or is that- Our little native who needs a shirt.)
By the way, we are official 5 weeks away from our due date and I totally have the baby belly to prove it. Our baby has been all kinds of wiggly and moving and I feel like someone is always kneeing or poking or pushy on me from the inside. But when I saw the above picture- I totally freaked out! I knew I was wide and someone is always jabbing, but whoa! And then I realized that is Luke's knee by my elbow, not the baby's. Ha!
(The silly pose above that the kids really wanted to do).
Our sweet reward at the end of the evening. Thanks again Taylor and Krista for such a fun 3 day weekend!!!

Tiny Tim

Luke is really excited about preschool on Monday. We had the parent meeting last Thursday and Luke got to come and see his classroom and playground. And then on Friday he got to have his 4 yr old booster shots done to be ready for preschool. He did... ok. He cried a little on the first 3 but the 4th was really painful. After a special trip to McDonald's playland and some french fries, he was well again. Until the late afternoon. He "suddenly" couldn't walk and was apparently in a lot of "pain". We cuddled on the couch for about an hour and even got to watch a little TV because he was not feeling well. I had about had it by the evening. This picture is from this morning after I helped him out of bed, put him on the bar stool for breakfast and then carried him down to play with his trains. My pobrecito crippled boy.

In case you were wondering, Wesley isn't the best company when you aren't well. He doesn't mind giving you a kick or pulling your hair to try to get you to respond and play back. Rascal.