Where did Braden go?

Day before last Phil went to check on the boys.

He had to search for Braden and this is what he found in the garage.

I had to share :)

Another cute moment before bedtime.

TGIF!!

Aunt Kimmichanga comes to town

We were lucky to have Phil's sister Kim, grace us with her presence a couple of weeks ago. We were one of her many stops in her efforts to jet-all-u-can w/ Jet Blue's jetting pass!! It was really great to see her, and wonderful to have our first official out of town guest in the new house!! She stayed for about 4 days, and we tried to pack the days with Much FUN!!

These pics were snapped on Saturday

at Chautauqua Park in Boulder, CO

which just under an hour drive from the house.

and that night we went to the Oktoberfest

at the Town Center in Highlands Ranch.

Parker enjoyed learning the chicken dance,

which mostly consisted of him running around in a circle

while the chicken dance song played.

The children's hospital's 'Concert for the Kids'

on Sunday. My brother Mike w/ vocals & guitar,

Jodi's playin' the bass and Babe on the sax.

It was really nice, and so wonderful to see how much the kids enjoyed it!

Phil said the best part was going inside to meet all the kids in their rooms and watch their faces light up when they played them a tune!!

We really enjoyed Aunt Kimmichanga's visit to our new home

and miss her already!!

Love them Boys!

We are so blessed to have these amazing boys in our lives! I would not even want to know what our lives would be like today without Parker and Braden in them. Being a parent is truly the most important thing I have done thus far in life, and I am so grateful to God for making me these special guy's Mommy!

I love looking back at pictures of the boys and watching how quickly they've grown & changed. Parker was my 'Gerber Baby'

So dang big!

Braden is our handsome fella; just a little guy! He has always acted so mature for his age; like he's already got it all figured out! He loves dogs. All dogs; not just ours, though he probably favors ours more since he sees them everyday. He has a stuffed puppy that makes him so happy. He rubs the puppy against his face and makes the funniest noises. I think this puppy will be a good friend of Braden's for a long time. Just like Parker has to have his silkies (silk blankets). Braden has started to take interest in the inch worm toy. He isn't big enough to play with it like you're supposed to, but he's figured out his own way to make it work. It's hilarious to watch! Parker and Braden both love to climb. Once Braden saw his big brother in this tree; he had to join! Anytime Braden wants something, he screams. Anyone who has spent more than an hour with Braden, can attest that it's not just a little scream; it's LOUD, piercing, and constant until you can figure out what he wants.

UGH! I can NOT wait for that kid to learn how to use his words!!

Garage Party '09

My brother Bill, and Sara hosted the first ever annual Garage Party. They spent the last month finishing the garage, so it was only appropriate they throw a garage warming. All of the guests were presented with commemorative posters as parting gifts, and he even had door prizes

(but we didn't win :( maybe next year)!

Bill lightly suggested that garage warming gifts would be accepted, so Parker gave him a bottle of Lucas Oil! He went all out for the party as you can see in the pics below: full open bar, sirloin burgers & hot dogs, beer basted turkey, Mike brought his gas powered blender, and Bill even busted out the industrial soft serve machine! YUMMY!

Mike said the key to making, what is now believed to be, the best Jack Daniels shake,

is to have Parker crank on the blender a few times!

It was too bad the weather didn't cooperate more; it was raining all day, and it was COLD! We dressed for the rain, but I could not keep the boys dry! They loved it! They were even playing football in the street with their uncle Bill while it was pouring down!

We really had a GREAT time!!

Thank you Bill & Sara for our first ever Garage Warming experience!

We don't ever know what to expect when we're gettin' together with the Bergs!

Remembering My Mom, Sandra Jean Backes February 4th, 1949 - September 15th, 1999 You will always be missed

The Pruden Clan Me and my mom

Labor day weekend

After a few days of working around the house on random projects; we went up to my cousin Casey's house in Berthoud for Labor day. We really had a great time! Thank you for having us up Casey and Kelly! Phil & Casey took the boys fishing early Monday morning while us mommies stayed behind with the little ones and got ready to head out to the lake. The guys said the boys weren't too cooperative with the fishing effort, but looking at the pic of them on the lake, they look to be having a good time anyway! It was really great weather for our day, and I was surprised the lake water wasn't colder than it was; it was really nice! The guys snagged us up the best spot at the lake; covered BBQ area with picnic tables, and a large playground right next to it, and only about 15 yards from the swimming beach! Casey taking the next round of eager fishers out on the lake in his boat. Like I said, we spent the majority of the weekend working around the house. Phil & Ashley re-built our fence. Before he fixed it, you had to wrestle with it for a while to even get it to open. It looks so much better Babe! and even I can open it now!! Here's the finished product of the studio. Phil hung sound treatments throughout & it doesn't look bad either! Most importantly, Phil is happy with it!

Swimmin' Saturday and maybe the camera wasn't as lost as I thought

Phil called me at work last week, and was proud to make an annoucemnt; he found my camera. He said it had been located underneath our deck. I turned the camera on when I got home, (thankful it even turned on) and there was over 100 pictures in addition to the ones I was aware of. The culprate was quickly realized since there were several pictures of his body parts, and the inside of his mouth (nice Parker). Other pictures were of the inside of the toilet bowl, under my bed, and more pictures of the underneath of our deck than I could have ever wanted! It's too bad that the zoom thing is bent, so when you try to focus on the picture, the camera shuts down and gives a lens error :( Enough of that - Saturday morning, after waking up in the tent set up in the back yard; we took the kids to the rec center. The boys have really become little swimmers. Parker doesn't swim swim yet, but he will walk alone as far as the water up to his nose. He hasn't figure out how to handle himself when he goes under yet though, but everytime we go, he gets better! Braden goes under the water no problem. He even moves his arms like a pro. They love going to rec centers! We have access to 4 in our town. We went to 2 of the 4 on Saturday. The first one has a fun lazy river, and a water playset w/ slide that Parker loves! The second was our favorite so far! There's a huge indoor slide that Phil & I really enjoyed, but the boys aren't quite big enough for yet.