Pike's Peak or bust

On the day after Christmas, Ryan, James, Carol and I hopped in the Fiat and drove south...

towards... 

Pike's Peak. 

We arrived at the railway station...

and prepared to board our train.

Brrrrr. 

We sat on the two seat side of the train... 

which has the better views...

for the first part of the trip up the mountain.

At first the kids were interested...

but eventually they got bored and started playing with their electronic...

and messing with each other! 

As we neared the summit, the best views were on the other side of the train. 

Our side was mostly rocks. 

Three seat side. 

Two seat side. 

Finally, we reached the top. 

Hurray!  We made it! 

December 2013

Opening the packages

It's a lot more exciting for kids...

than it is for dogs! 

December 2013

Stocking stuffers

We don't have a fireplace, so Santa leaves our stockings on the table.

The stockings are my favorite part of Christmas.

There's no telling what's inside them...

Seth got underwear! 

Ryan got a toothbrush! 

James got a balaclava! 

And what did Santa get?  Santa got mocked for her wrapping skills (or lack thereof)! 

December 2013

Christmas Eve

Ryan's Christmas Eve present this year was a Dr. Who Sonic Screwdriver.

Except it's not actually a screwdriver.  It's a flashlight. 

Emma is not a fan. 

December 2013

Christmas dogs

I'd really like to find a pony under my Christmas tree someday...

but for now...

two dogs will do.

December 2013

Tree shopping

As usual, we waited almost until the last moment to buy our Christmas tree.  

I thought for sure they'd be on sale, but there were no sale signs at gate.  Bummer!

On the plus side, there were still a lot of trees to choose from.

Seth wanted the really tall tree... 

but James and I liked this one better. 

Tree hugger. 

Ryan didn't care which tree we chose as long as we did it quickly so he could go inside and warm up.

"Too cold to smile, Mom." 

December 2013

Christmas 2001

December 2001

Christmas 2002

December 2002

My little boy's...

become a man!

November 2013

It's the Roy in us

Dad is right.  It's definitely the Roy.

August 2011 

November 2013

The worst yard in the neighborhood, again

After the great plumbing fiasco of 2010, I was hoping to never, ever see a backhoe in my front yard again.  Sadly, the recent floods caused a giant sink hole to form in the middle of the yard, and eventually the clean water line failed.

We hired a better contractor this time, and instead of digging one big hole, he trenched the entire yard.

He also fixed the bad faucet that's been giving us trouble for years. 

That's the new clean water line.  I hope I never see it again. 

October 2013