Tending Roses: A Billion Years Later

Ok..maybe it hasn't be a billion years...but at least a good number of months since I posted. I tried...really...but I couldn't get a picture to upload and got distracted...very distracted...for at least 2 months. Oops.

So..here is a summary as best I can manage it.

Much home improvement has been accomplished since Christmastime. Here's a picture of LT installing the pre-finished hardwood floors that have been our amazingly large undertaking this year. This picture is from early April. LT is installing the floors in the eat-in kitchen area. I must say...they look beautiful! The den, front living room, foyer, and kitchen are all done. The only room left is the dining room...it has been the only room left for a couple months now, but we are working on getting our energy mustered up to finish it. Additionally, half walls have been demolished, dry wall repaired, new carpet installed, and good progress has been made.

We have also had a slew of birthdays. LT turned 34 in March, Slugger turned 7 in April, and Sparkle turned 5 in June. Here is a bit of the birthday craziness...

Slugger had a "Lego" party at a local "bounce on jumpy things until you drop" kinda place. The perfect place for a bunch of seven-year-old boys to wrestle and run and generally act like themselves without getting into trouble. The day of his party became a bit more intense than expected when Sparkle woke up early in the morning with a fever and sore throat. It is handy to have a husband in the medical device industry...a quick strep test confirmed the need for a trip to the doctor and some good antibiotics. But...we were left with one very sick kid and a birthday party both LT and I needed to be at...so I desperately sought someone willing to sit and watch movies with my sweet, sick girl. After many a phone call, my wonderful neighbor (who is an RN) volunteered to help. What a major relief and blessing. So, besides missing his sister, Slugger had a fabulous time jumping, "knocking off his friend's heads" (see below), and enjoying his yellow lego cake.

Here is the birthday boy with one of his friends... (the shag hair look (which I love!)).

As for Sparkle's birthday....turning five was a big hit. She had been planning this shindig since her fourth birthday...and after many theme changes...she set her heart on a princess party. Although I tried to steer her to something more off the beaten path, her mind was made up and her sight was set on anything resembling a princess. I negotiated including

knights in the party for her brother's and one other brave boy's sake, but otherwise it was princess, princess, princess. Here she is blowing out the candle on her castle cake. The cake ended up looking like a page out of a Dr. Suess storybook, but it just added it to its uniqueness. Really. We decorated princess hats and shields, went on a treasure hunt, got chased by the "mean queen" and battled a fire-breathing dragon pinata. (Actually, the dragon looked a lot like a purple triceratops with wings stuck on his back...but thankfully 5-year olds are endowed with great imaginations!) In fact, one of the guests, who spoke english as a second language started to cry when I warned them of the impending duel with the dragon. She thought it was real!

I had to make reassurances that it was a very pretend sort of dragon. Plus...it delivered lots of yummy candy after it was defeated.

Here are my favorite two princesses....Princess Sparkle and Princess Sugar. My apologies to Disney.

Along with birthdays, LT and I celebrated our 12th anniversary with an absolutely fabulous night out at an absolutely wonderful restaurant (Opus for all you Denverites). A grown up night out with unbelievably good food, excellent wine and my favorite company. Couldn't have asked for a better way to celebrate 12 years of love and friendship.

Here is a few more moment from our lives over the past few months. Hopefully it won't be another billion years before I blog again.