Taylor's Baby shower

Taylor and Michael came to visit for the Christmas holiday. We decided to throw Taylor a small baby shower while they were here to show her how excited we are for their new little one.  We decided to do a Breakfast Baby shower and had it in the morning with tarts, a yogurt bar and a delicious bread that Andi made (it was a orangey goo- delicious). It was fun to have people come over and to talk. She got to open some presents and got some cute new things for the baby.  We are so excited for them and the arrival of their new baby girl.

We made a wunsie bouquet

Stuffed animals made by Nedra

She is seriously adorable.

Homemade dress made by Becky Newson.

Fun with Michael and Taylor

It was so much fun to have Michael and Taylor here in Colorado for the holidays. We were able to sit and talk and learn more about their lives. And there were a lot of games and fun. One night Michael's friends Amanda and Neal came over and we all played games together (psychiatrist- very fun). 

We also got to go up to Mat and Andi's house and play games with them. They taught us a new game called Scotland Yard. It was really fun and had us all on our toes. It was so much fun to see them and to get to spend time with them. 

Christmas!!

The entire week before Christmas I woke up about a billion times every night; I was so excited for Christmas. Growing up we woke up very early and went down to see the stockings and see what Santa had brought us. I remember waking up at 1 o'clock in the morning, going down to see and then going upstairs and back to bed, only to wake up an hour later and do it all again.  Now as an adult I cannot help but wake up to see what Santa brought; however in Ben's family we wait until everyone is awake to go in.  It has been torturous in the past couple years to wake up and find everyone else sleeping in. I would wake, shower, get ready and be reading before Ben stirred. This year, due to a terrible cold,  I slept in (until 7:00) and then showered, got ready and waited for everyone else to stir; yet this year I was not alone (Ben and Rachel woke up early also). We ended up waiting till 9:30 for everyone to be up, yes yet again torture, but it was worth the wait. 

Christmas morning was magical; with the sunshine pouring through the open window, silent anticipation and of course, the crowd of presents. We had a great morning opening presents from Santa and our families. I felt spoiled and overwhelmed but was so grateful for all I received.

We spent the morning with the Newson's and then hustled to church early to rehearse for the Christmas Program. It was wonderful to see everyone on Christmas and be able to take a step away from the bows and whistles and really celebrate Christ's birth. 

In the afternoon we went to the Stones home to see family and play. Dad got a Wii and we all spent countless hours dancing together and laughing. Again I was reminded how wonderful it is to be with family and what a blessing they all are in our lives. 

We had a wonderful Christmas and loved every second of it!

Best 2011 Christmas Eve Ever!

I woke up Christmas Eve with a bad cold. We got up early and went to the church for the final choir practice (before the performance, Christmas day). Afterwards I came home and slept. It was so great to get some sleep but I felt like I kind of waisted away the day. Ben helped me and we quickly made food and headed to the Stones home for dinner and fun. It was great to see everyone and to have a wonderful Christmas Eve dinner (ham, creamy potatoes, gloam, ect).

It is always wonderful to spend the holiday's with family; Mom, Dad and Grandma Baker were there, as well as Mat and Andi with there with their kids and Deanna and some of the kids came (Ricky and Brayden stayed home due to strep- yuck), AND Michael and Taylor came from CA for the week. We had a fun time playing games, talking and watching the crazy kids. Andrew, Tre and I monitored the progression of Santa across the world online- it was cool to see where he was and how fast he moved from one place to another. 

 

We also got to open our Christmas Eve presents. Growing up we had Christmas Eve presents from the Stones Family; each cousin was matched up with another cousin (same for the adults) and we got them a present to open Christmas Eve. It was a fun way for us all to stay in contact and remember our cousins. This year we decided to try it in our family. I had Andi and Ben had Ben Dawson, we had a lot of fun thinking about them and trying to decide what to get them. Andrea had me and she got me a vinyle saying to stick on the wall (I have found 100 places to stick it but still haven't decided. I need her decorative advise!) and a beautiful flower pin. Taylor has Ben and she got him a movie night (popcorn, candy, mini root beer and a movie)- he loved it.  

 That night we went home to get our stuff and head to the Newson's for Christmas night/morning. While we were there we opened our Christmas presents from Mom and Dad (yes, it was one day early but we justified it by saying we wouldn't really be home the next day). We got some pillows (for me to use as pillow forms as I make new pillows for our house), a red tea kettle (Ben loves that it whistles) and a red microwave, we didn't have one and having one has been so convenient (Ben loved it because it was full of microwave popcorn).

That night I told Ben that it felt like we had already had Christmas because we got to spend so much time and make so many happy memories with family. It was such a fun Christmas Eve and a great way to start the Christmas weekend and bring in the Christmas spirit.

CU vs Texas Southern University

Ben got season tickets for free from Crocs to the CU Buffs basketball team. We got to go to our first game last night; CU vs Texas Southern University. CU won but it was close there at the end.

We will keep you updated on the games through the season.

A Colorado Snow...

Some things that should be know about a Colorado Snow…


- If the weather men predict 1-6 inches you should probably bet on getting 6-10 inches (or more). We were predicted to get no more than 6 inches but ended up getting closer to 16 inches.

The snow was so high that it was up against the door.

- The likelihood of snow at Christmas is very low and the likeliness of snow on Easter is very high. I remember spending the night outside one Christmas (maybe it was Christmas Eve) but always, without fail, having a snow covered spring break. On Wednesday night we had an unusual and wonderful Colorado snow, preparatory for Christmas.

- Nothing stops; rain, shine or snow. Thursday morning I had to go to work and knowing it snowed I decided to leave about an hour early. Ben went out and started shoveling and wiping off the cars and by the time I got ready there was a nice path to the car and it was warm and ready to go…or so we thought. I started to reverse and got stuck, so I pulled forward and tried to reverse hard and fast and got stuck. Ben started digging me out with no avail; soon our neighbor came and helped him. After about 20 minutes and lots of shoveling and pushing they finally got me free and on my way to work.

I was working a stocking shift at work and got there to find that there was no truck. No truck to unload and stock. Eventually the truck got there so we were able to start working.

-The rate of chiropractic visits increases exponentially after a snow storm; the snow is usually very heavy and wet. This snow was not unusual. Ben went over and to help his parents dig there way out and found Rachel shoveling the tractor out. They tried the tractor and found that the snow was too heavy and too deep, so they continued shoveling. After a while the neighbor came over with their snow blower to help with the driveway. After four hours of the three of them working they finally got the job done.

This pile is the snow depth plus what Ben shovelled.

- The lanes and typical road conditions are bad but the drivers always seem to be pleasant and courteous.





-The snow can be waist deep but where shoveled the sun will melt the snow on the roads. This morning although the side roads are still covered in snow the highways were clean.

Look at that beautiful blue sky!

I love Colorado snow storms!!! 

What a perfect way to start the Christmas Season.