Holiday Fun

I love this picture because she was being so cute the other day. Grandma gave her this baby and she wanted it to watch Teletubbies with her. She had to get her pacifier so she could be like her baby (although I have to say I don't usually let her have it unless she is in bed :)). She is so much fun!
She was pointing out the baby sun to her baby. I just love her!

I love my boys too of course. Landen turned 7 in November and had a great party with his friends.


We took 6 boys (plus my 2 boys) to this awesome place called JumpStreet for Landen's party. These are all trampolines hooked together. When we got there, Jeb said, "Don't we need someone in there with the kids to make sure they are all right?" Of course he wanted me to buy him a ticket too. The kids thought he had some pretty awesome tricks. They had a blast!

More of JumpStreet


We went to Utah for Thanksgiving to spend it with my family. We went and saw the lights at Temple Square. This is my sister Lauren and brother Lane with the boys.


This is my brother Brandon (and his son Ben on the left) with the kids after a big Turkeybowl game. Landen and Blake got to go too but I quickly got them cleaned up to take pictures. The guys (and Lauren) had a blast playing football. My dad said it was the best game so far.

My kids are so great (and growing too fast!)

Well, my trend seems to be that I get my blog updated only monthly (at least I do it right?) I am hoping once the holiday rush slows down I will have more time. I love keeping up with family and friends and want to do it more. I told Jeb he is welcome to post on here whenever he wants. We have a site with his family that he keeps up on regularly, but he is excited to help keep this one going.

Jeb has taken the boys skiing the last 3 weekends. They have season passes so he wants to get them up as much as possible. On the first Saturday he took Landen up for the morning and then I met him for lunch in Boulder and we switched kids. He took Blake up for the afternoon while Landen came home with me. The next Saturday Blake was really sick so Landen went and this last Saturday Landen had a birthday party so just Blake went. It has worked out great because Jeb has had some good one on one time with each of them and now they are all ready to go together. Of course, I will join them occasionally....I would love to get better! Jeb mostly snowboards but he thought he would start the boys out on skis.

Landen has caught on very well. His second day he was keeping up with Jeb on some harder "blue" runs (intermediate) and he landed his first jump. Blake has also done well but isn't quite caught up to Landen yet. Landen is 2 years older though so Jeb thinks Blake will be there in no time. They both love spending that time with their dad (and skiing with his kids is one of Jeb's lifetime dreams :)).

Savannah is doing well also. She is starting to talk and it is so fun to see her learn new things everyday. She is loving Christmas trees, Christmas lights and snow. She points them all out everytime she sees them and loves having a tree in our house. For a long time she was bringing me all of the ornaments from the tree to show me how "petty" (pretty) they were. Luckily, she realized Mommy wants them to stay on the tree.

I have been enjoying getting ready for the holidays. I have made some good friends here in Colorado and they have included me in some of their fun Christmas things (like a Cookie Exchange). I have felt busy but not so much that I can't love the season. The other day I had a number of things I wanted to get done in the afternoon after Landen's school and the kids were begging to go sledding. I realized I hadn't taken full advantage of the fun snow yet so we packed up (it is a lot to get 3 kids out the door with all of the gear) and drove over to Landen's school. We had so much fun sledding together, the kids all had huge smiles on their faces. I felt like a kid again! What a great feeling to sled down a hill. I feel like we don't have a lot of time for simple pleasures like that anymore now that we are fully in school. I look forward to summer where I have more time to spend with the kids.

Well, I have rambled far longer than I wanted to. I hope all who read this are having a great holiday. We are off to Utah to spend Christmas with Jeb's family (they are from Ohio but most are going to school in Utah). Have a Merry Christmas!

Lots of October Pictures to share!

Our life this fall has been extremely full (and fun!) Jeb has been coaching both of the boys in soccer so we feel like we live at the soccer fields.

Landen liked to help Jeb "instruct" Blake's team. He felt pretty cool being an older player they could look up to.

Jeb practicing drills with Landen and Blake

Savannah staying warm and doing her favorite thing, "the stroller push" while we are enjoying the soccer fun.

Blake turned 5 on October 17th. He won't start kindergarten until next year but he got to take donuts to his preschool class.

I let Blake help me with the entire cake process this year (usually I like to make it all pretty by myself). The kids had a great time . I can't believe how big they are all getting. Where does the time go?

This present was "air hogs". The kids (and Jeb) played outside with them forever. They still keep them entertained....great present!

Blake had his birthday party at the fire station. That was a lot of fun and it didn't cost anything. The fire fighters were great with the kids.

We had our first snowfall (besides the mountains of course) a couple of weeks ago. It was on a Sunday and we don't have church until one...we had a great time! Of course it was gone the next day but we fully enjoyed it!

I haven't bought a coat for Savannah yet...Jeb reminded me we have plenty of snow gear from the boys. I still want a pretty pink coat for her, but this will do for now :)

My kids' pediatrician was recently telling me to throw away our trampoline because they are so dangerous. I can't imagine what she would say if she saw them jumping on it with the slippery snow. I don't know what to do because my kids spend hours out there playing nicely together and not watching TV. I guess it is something I should think about since my brother did break his neck and Blake broke his leg. Such a shame! Any thoughts?

The boys would not take the time to put on their snow pants. They were soaking wet and I thought it was freezing....of course they didn't care at all.

My parents (and my sister) came to visit us the weekend before Halloween. It was so nice to have them. Aren't they cute together? We watched the World Series with them and had to suffer through the Rockies loss. At least they made it that far!

Savannah wanted to show Grandma and Grandpa that she can do it all too.

So intense! I'm so glad Jeb takes the initiative with pumpkin carving. I don't have the patience to do the inticate work of the designs the kids choose. I like to do the good old fashioned triangle eyes and nose. I should have taken pictures of the final creation but I never did get them taken. They were really cool.

Blake concentrating so hard.

Savannah, the witch! I loved seeing her costume from behind as she would run. So cute!

Landen showing us his Ninja moves

Blake was so sick that night. After school I told him maybe he should go lay down before Trick-or-Treating so he would have more energy (thinking in my head "yeah right"). He said "okay" trudged up the stairs, laid down and fell sound asleep. Poor guy...you could hear him coughing his lungs out running down the street to keep up with his brother and his friends. He lost his voice really bad so we called him "Squeaky" all night.

My 3 adorable kids. They are so great!

The pictures explain what we have been up to lately. We feel close to being settled into our house. The kids have made great friends here. Landen loves his school and likes 1st grade a lot. He is super bright and loves to read any chance he can get. The last few nights I have caught him sneak-reading Superfudge by the night-light. I can't get too mad at him because I used to do the same thing as a kid. He really enjoyed soccer this last season and Jeb was excited with the improvement he has shown. He is always working on his moves and has gotten really skilled with his footwork.

Blake also really enjoyed soccer. He was playing a year up but we are hoping to get him on Landen's team next season. Then Jeb won't have to coach 2 different teams. It is definitely a huge time commitment on both of our parts. I'm always hauling everyone to and fro in the mini-van and chasing Savannah around the fields. It has been really fun for our family though. Blake has been going to preschool and loves feeling like he has his own thing. He has found this new little best friend that he always plays with...they both love to be Superheroes and play Star Wars.

Savannah continues to grow and I love spending time with her. She is into dolls and strollers and looking pretty, yet she can hold her own while playing with cars and power rangers. It is very cute. Her favorite thing to do right now is dance to the High School Musical 2 CD. She really doesn't like any other music at the moment, it is hilarious.

Jeb just bought season passes to the ski resort closest to us for him and the boys (I will be joining them on occasion). They are all very excited to hit the slopes on November 16th. I will try to update my blog more often so it isn't such a huge event every time I do it. More updates to come!

Blake's first day of preschool. I will get one of Landen up soon, but I missed his first day of first grade because I was in Utah. Jeb took him which was hard for me, but Landen thought it was really cool.
Uncle Jacob came home from his mission in Korea. Jacob is the youngest of the 6 brothers so he is the last to come home! He seems so grown up.

Waiting for Uncle Jacob in the airport at midnight.

Jeb's second to the youngest brother, Josh married Andrea during our trip to Utah. The wedding was in Idaho falls.

The kids thought the picture taking got a little bit too long.

Savannah was exhausted after that whole day! She didn't get a nap at all.

Savannah and my "little" sister Lauren in Adam and Sandy's apartment.

We had my 10-year high school reunion this weekend! It was so fun to see so many faces from the past. Here are a couple of my friends at the family picnic. (Baby Noah, Maren, Becca, Kiely, and Rachelle) I left my kids with my Mom so Jeb and I had a blast visiting with everyone. I miss my friends all ready and wish we lived closer to each other. It felt like no time had past. Thanks for providing the picture Rachelle...I never pulled out my camera! I was too busy talking. :)

My kids had a blast at Grandma Jen's and Savannah even warmed up to everyone. She is really attached to me and is often afraid of "strangers". Now we are here for the next 2 weeks for all of the family events. Jeb flew home to work and Landen will fly home this weekend to go to his first couple days of school (he is starting a new school again so I want him to be comfortable). Then they will fly back to Utah to meet us for Josh's wedding. It will be great to see all of our family. I will add pictures as I take them.

We went camping with our good friends last weekend. The guys are getting the fire started...the fire pits were weak but they made great fires out of them. Of course the kids all kept them going by adding lots of paper plates, sticks, leaves and grass throughout the night.

The whole group. Wow, there are a lot of kids!

Savannah fell asleep shortly into our hike. It was her only nap and she was wiped!

All of the kids (except Baby J) are here with their walking sticks

Baby J and Savannah are often asked if they are twins because of their size and blond hair...they love each other. Savannah sat in this chair for a really long time and did not move.

Savannah and I on Jeb's birthday

Daddy and his boys...31 candles this year!

All of the Buffington cousins on the 4th of July

Savannah's 1st birthday...Blake thinks it is just as cute as I do

She loves these little books....they will entertain her forever

Not too sure she wants to get messy

Blake and Savannah at the zoo

The kids with friends at the zoo

We are finally moved in...not totally unpacked, but comfortable enough. We love our new house with all of the space we have again. The kids spend all of their time in our unfinished basement riding bikes, playing soccer and baseball, etc.

We went camping last weekend near the Rocky Mountain National Park. Unbelieveably beautiful there! We went with our good friends who have 5 kids under the age of 7 and we wonder how all 8 Buffingtons lived to see all of their birthdays. Jeb and I really understand the Buddy System now...you have to have the kids watch out for each other because they far outnumber the parents. Nothing too traumatic happened...it makes us want to camp all the time to get a way from it all. You just can't see the stars like that unless you get out in nature.

While we were gone, we had our backyard put in. We are so excited for the kids to have a normal yard to run and play soccer in. In Viriginia we were on too big of a hill and we didn't have a yard of our own in our apartment. We have the trampoline set up already and they have been loving that, but they need grass in to really enjoy it. Landen has mastered flips this summer and lands on his feet (I wish he would just jump and stop listening to Jeb about trying new crazy things!) and Blake does knee flips. They play together for hours out there or down in the basement...I hardly see them. :)

Savannah can walk, but won't. Only if we stand her up and tell her to "walk to Daddy" or "walk to the bed" will she do it. She prefers to crawl. I'm sick of her knees getting scraped and dirty but she doesn't seem to mind...so we will patiently wait. We are just happy to know she can do it. She is obsessed with these horses that we drive by almost everyday, it is very cute. She loves to try to put our shoes on and says a few words and animal sounds. She is a lot of fun.Jeb is loving what he does at work but has never been so busy in his life! He does a great job of leaving it at work when he comes home and doesn't have to put in so many hours now...but it is non-stop stress when he gets there. He is looking forward to having a year under his belt in January at Corporate Express. He is coaching both boys in soccer this fall and just got called to be the 11-year old scout leader (he loves scouts...ha ha). He will be busy!

I lost my running partner when we left our apartment, but I found I still need to get out and run to keep my sanity. I have been packing the kids up to go the new middle school track just down the road. It is definitely not the same..."How much longer?, I'm hot!, Is it time to go yet? How many more laps?"....not much of a break for me. Last week I figured out we could bring their bikes on the track and they are much happier. Savannah gets pushed in the jogging stroller. It is still an ordeal so we don't get over there enough, but thats okay.

Well, nothing much new with us except we are headed to Boise and Utah for the next 2 weeks for my high school reunion, Jeb's brother's wedding, his brother coming home from his mission, and other brother visiting before he heads to Iraq. Oh, and to see and play with my family too!

Becca