Preschool Field Trip

We went to the Denver Zoo on a preschool Field Trip. Grandma Connie was able to come along with us. It was fun to see all the animals & be with friends.

Little Man & his preschool class

In the rainforest with the fish

Riding a gorilla on the carousel

A little too close to the gorilla!

First favorite animal was the penguin

Second favorite animals were the flamingos

He was a happy & very tired boy!!

Visitors

Andrea works for several different marketing/survey companies & she did a job recently where they offered her $60 or tickets to Mary Poppins. She took the tickets & Connie came to go with her. It was a lot of fun & the tickets were on the 4th row! We got the better end of the deal!

The end of February brought our best friends, the Frederickson's for a visit. Brian & Ryan went skiing for 2 days so Tiffiny and I took the kids to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.

3 cute princesses

3 cute boys, playing astronauts

All 6 kiddos after a day of fun

(Exhausted moms aren't pictured!)

It was a sad day when they left, but all good things must come to an end! The day they left, we had just enough time to clean up the house to prepare for Ryan's sister & her family. They are moving to Colorado & stayed with us for a week while hunting for a house. Derek started his job & has been living with us for a month or so until they find a place. We have enjoyed having him around. The kids especially like it when he plays board games with them!

February Fun

Back in the day, we used to call them rims. Apparently, you call them "wheels" now! Well, Ryan got new "wheels" & I think they make us look like we live in the ghetto-you decide!!

Valentine's Day Parties at school ...Enjoying the yummy food

and fun games

Murph had a choir performance that was awesome! She did such a great job! Grandma Connie & Aunt Patti were able to fly out to see it too, & make it extra special. The 2 other kids & mom took some photos while waiting for the performance to start.

Ms. Stoller, the awesome music teacher/choir director!

Funny Pics

These are a few pictures taken over the last few months that are kind of funny.

This was after the ground-breaking celebration for the kids' new charter school they will start at in September.

Thank you so much to Andrea's cousin, Julia who helped put this nun costume together, short notice for a school project! She got an A!

Feeling the love from Uncle Mike

A mind game at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science during Mike's visit

Murri Family Reunion

DAY 1

Christmas day, we set out for Houston, TX. We hit bad weather & ended up staying the night in Witchita, Kansas.

DAY 2-5

18 hours & a long drive later, we finally made it to Houston where Ryan's family was meeting for a family reunion. We spent a few days at Ryan's parents house, watching movies, playing games, visiting, & packing for the beach.

Cousins watching a movie & playing computer games

DAY 6

We packed up the cars & headed to the beach house in Surfside, TX.

Yummy ribs on the BBQ first night there

DAY 7-9

We spent time visiting, playing games, watching TV/Movies, doing crafts, going on the beach, dipping in the water, collecting seashells, walking on the pier, & trying to stay warm! We did finally see the sun & have a nice "beach day" the last day we were there. Ryan & Andrea were among the few adults to brave the water!!

Beach house & beach front
Kids braving the freezing cold water

Horseshoes on the beach

On the pier

The few, the proud, & the WHITE!!

Little Man even made it onto the beach & helped with a sandcastle!

Cousins on New Year's Eve

Day 10

Time to leave. We ended up having to stay in a hotel in Amarillo, Texas.

Beautiful sunrise on New Year's Day

Day 11

1 time pulled over (Ryan got a warning!), 2 illnesses, & 18 hours later, we finally arrived home!

Merry Christmas!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! Our Diva turned 7 but she seems to think it was 17! She enjoyed all the cards, phone calls, gifts, and attention pretty much the entire month.

We celebrated Christmas a week early this year, as we were planning to drive to Houston on Christmas Eve & Christmas Day. The kids had so much fun riding their scooters, watching new movies, & playing new games all weekend long.

Christmas Eve traditional pajama photo without the tree!

Christmas Eve came & brought a big snow storm with it, so we decided to leave for Houston on Christmas Day. We didn't even think that everything would be closed! It was hard to find food & sometimes an open gas station, but we made it to Wichita, Kansas before we decided to get a hotel. The weather was very strange-overcast with the wind blowing snow all over the road & then we went through quite a few dust storms. In some areas it was white-out conditions! The only thing open in Wichita was an Ihop for dinner & then we stayed at the Hyatt. The night was a rough one, as someone was up every half hour.

We stopped at McDonald's & Winchell's for breakfast before heading out & drove for what seemed like FOREVER!!! The weather in Oklahoma was beautiful, but the roads had 3-4 inches of snow packed ice on them, & cars all over the side of the roads, so we were grateful for staying in Wichita & not trying to push through. We drove with our 4-wheel drive turned on from Colorado all the way to Dallas, where it had snowed the night before. Crazy weather! It was only supposed to be 16 hours from Denver to Houston, but it took us 18. It was also supposed to be in the 60's but it was only in the 50's.

December Happenings

We had such a fun but busy month of December! 'Tis the season I guess. It started out with a wonderful piano recital where Murph showed off her talent; then Ryan's work party where the theme was Mulan Rouge. I even got one dance out of him!! We took the kids to breakfast & to see Santa & his reindeer, & even got a fun hayride out of it. When replying to Santa's "what do you want for Christmas?" they all looked at mom for help! I guess we do the Santa thing simply for the photo op. And maybe for something to do out of the ordinary?

Andrea took the girls to see the Nutcracker but forgot her camera. Great performance, but chilly night. We also saw our little Diva perform in a school Christmas play, which will be posted later. Still trying to figure out the whole download thing!! Until then ...

Family Hayride

Rare moment of love while waiting for the hayride

Traditional photo with Santa. Apparently, they need new jeans!

Santa's Reindeer

We took the kids to a place called Toast for breakfast. Who can resist oreo pancakes?

Little Man was in Heaven!

We couldn't believe he ate the whole thing! Well, he had a little help!

Ryan's Work Christmas Party

"Casanova"

Piano Recital