MaeLyn's Musings

The day Steven first became a dad This year, Peter's birthday coincided with Father's Day, but both Peter and Steven were good sports about sharing their special day.  The morning began with the kids getting up early to make breakfast (quiche that was nearly saturated with bacon, and cinnamon rolls) for Steven before he had to leave for a meeting. At church, John gave an awesome talk about gratitude (It wasn't written down anywhere so I can't post it here... sorry.) All the men folk were given packages with microwave popcorn and Kit Kats in honor of Father's Day.  Peter's first birthday After a dinner of lasagna (Peter's choice) we opened presents. Steven opened his gift first (a set of knives) and then Peter opened his gifts which included bow ties, a couple card games, a game for his DS, and microwave popcorn. Here is a video Josh took of Peter opening one of his presents.   Once all the gifts were opened, Peter blew out the candles on a pie (one of Steven...

  I love my sweet husband. He always helps me to feel very loved. From writing me love notes  to emptying the dishwasher every morning, and from taking me on dates every week to telling me I'm beautiful frequently, he never lets me feel unloved. He is amazing!!!  This year for Valentine's Day he made a scrumptious strawberry cheesecake (from scratch!).  He also gave me roses - a living plant so I can enjoy them longer than just a week or two.  I couldn't ask for a sweeter husband!!!

Pepperoni hearts and angel cake with berries made by loving hands. He brings me flowers. I admire their rosy hues And know I am loved.

New Years Eve we played Monopoly together. The gummy bears won.  

Halloween evening The boys put on their costumes: Pencil, Doctor, Nerd.  Sweet cinnamon rolls Brought to the ward Trunk-or-Treat Fresh from the oven I load up the car with rolls, chili, and costumes. Steven meets us there. Chili is eaten, John mans the pumpkin toss game, Hannah, the fish pond. Peter takes a swing The ball goes into the cup He is a winner! Round and round he walks Until the weird music stops To win a cupcake. Adults in costume chat while the kids play at the games Are you having fun? Fun decorations, Evergreen trees and holly, A holiday treat.     Trunk-or Treating kids, confused, say, "Merry Christmas" To get candy canes. Pencil lost its point, But gained some sharp vampire teeth: What is Peter now? Sporting a bow tie And a sonic screwdriver Josh is the doctor. John goes as himself With nerd glasses and pencils And protruding teeth? Camera shy...

The golden gourd glowed. His great, goofy grin greeted  greedy gamboling goblins. (Try saying that five times fast!)

We had a fun Independence Day! Steven spent much of the day in the kitchen. He made a delicious potato salad, but his masterpiece was this trifle: Layers of blueberry jello, whipped cream, strawberry jello, banana slices, more whipped cream, and topped with Nilla wafers and strawberries and raspberries and blueberries. Just looking at this scrumptious dessert made my mouth water! It was hard to wait until dinner time to dig in. In the afternoon, we went over to a friends' house, bringing the trifle, the potato salad, and some corn. We joined our friends for a fantastic spread of hamburgers and hot dogs, salads, chips, and watermelon, followed by the trifle and cupcakes. We rolled away from the table feeling very full. Later on we went with our friends to watch fireworks put on by the city of Northglenn. These fireworks were closer to home than the Thornton ones we usually go to see, so it didn't take as long for us to get home and to bed. While our Independence Day ...

I love my husband. He is sweet and romantic, and I am really grateful to be married to him. On Thursday he came home from work with a dozen red roses, and then took me to hear some romantic music. (Actually, it was Hannah's orchestra concert at school, and we took the whole family, but they did play music from the romantic era...) Friday morning (Valentine's Day) I returned to my room after Steven had left to take Hannah to seminary to discover a box of chocolates on my pillow. That evening we left the kids at home and he took me out to dinner at an Italian restaurant, which was very thoughtful since that is my favorite type of food and I don't get it much because my kids don't like pasta. We spend the evening talking and enjoying each other's company. I had a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Clothing packed? check. Sleeping bags? check. Snacks for the trip? check. Someone to watch the cats? check. We are almost ready! Tomorrow morning we plan to leave early, early in the morning, and we will drive to Arizona to spend Thanksgiving with Steven's mom. As a result, there will be no regular blogs for the next few days. (I know you are disappointed.) Since I figured out how to post from my phone, you may get a very short message (the length of a text), or an occasional photo, if I feel like it, but there will be no lengthy discourses. I'm on vacation. Have a great Thanksgiving!

Our Halloween was a bit crazy to begin with. John's scoutmaster came over to help him with some scouting requirements, and he was here from 5-6pm. Steven didn't get home from work until 6:30pm, and it was just as we were sitting at the table for dinner that Hannah's friend, who was coming to go trick-or-treating with Hannah, called to say they were on their way over.  So we rushed through dinner (ghost shaped pancakes with blueberry eyes and hash browns), hurried to finish getting the kids in their costumes - we couldn't find Peter's goggles, and put Hannah's hair up, and were ready for trick or treating by 7pm. Hannah went with her friend and her friend's mom, and I took the boys. Steven stayed home in case anyone came to our house looking for treats. (No one did.) As we started out, I reminded the boys of proper trick-or-treating etiquette: Only go to houses with the porch light on. Only ring the doorbell once. Say "Trick or Treat" when they o...

The origins of Halloween are a bit obscure. It might have begun as a Christian holiday in honor of the faithful departed. It might have been influenced by Celtic harvest festivals, like the Gaelic Samhain, which marks a time when the spirits of the dead could more easily visit the earth. Good spirits might visit their families while evil spirits might be out seeking revenge. One way or another, the celebration of Halloween was originally about the spirits of the deceased, and possibly other types of spirits. Today, the influence of these spirits isn't as obvious. Now, Halloween is seen as a time for kids to dress up and eat candy. It might be a time to have a party, to carve jack-o-lanterns, and just have fun, and little thought is given to spirits, unless one appears in a scary movie. Costumes no longer are limited to monsters, ghosts, skeletons, witches and the like in an effort to blend in and escape notice from actual spirits roaming the earth. Maybe we no longer believe in...

My sister April and her family came to Denver on July 3rd to buy a car. We were excited to have them come and spend the 4th of July holiday with us. On the 3rd, they dropped the kids off with us while they bought the car, and then they returned in time for dinner. The next day, we played Telestrations (a cross between Telephone and Pictionary), Spoons and Cheat. In the afternoon, we all went swimming. In the evening, we had a picnic dinner, and went to watch fireworks. They left this morning to return to their home in Wyoming.  Here are some pictures from our picnic:  Peter made friends with a ladybug.  Dean and the boys had fun playing King of the Hill, and dog piling on each other.  Getting ready for our picnic dinner on our front lawn.  Dean and Andrew. (Aren't they photogenic?)  Peter and Josh hanging out together. Here are some pictures from the fireworks. We parked about 4 blocks away from the park where they were set off,...