Trip to the Brewery

Recently, we decided to take a last minute trip to the Coors Brewery with Uncle David.  It was a very refreshing beverage and great company too.

 We even found a cool new piece of art outside. Kids thought it was pretty fun too!

Thanksgiving

Amy had an organized plan to get ready for Thanksgiving.  She was going to get off work a bit early on Wed afternoon and head home to bake pies, clean the house and do as much prep as she could the night before the big feast.  We had Gma and Gpa Cannode and Uncle David coming for dinner and she wanted to be able to spend time with them instead of worrying about prepping food.  Great Idea, right!?!

Yep - that did Not happen.  Instead, Amy got off work early and enjoyed a nice happy hour with her Hubby, Jim, Rosemary and Angie.  Happy Hour was followed by Amy heading to PF Changs for some girl chat and dinner.  By the time she got home (which was only 7pm)... she was so tired and not at all willing to make a pie.  Instead, she went to bed early and planned on sneaking around the next morning.  She woke up at 4am, snuck downstairs and started cleaning.  After an hour of cleaning, she heard some pitter patter of footy pajamas and found little Karsten sneaking down the stairs.  Karsten has been getting up at 5am regularly lately (which we are less than thrilled about).  Today, Amy was thrilled for some one on one time with her little one.  They cuddled for a bit and then she asked if he wanted to help cook.  He was excited.  His big brother always takes over during cooking so this was perfect to have Just Karsten to help.  They started out putting a chair next to the island and making a green been casserole.  Karsten thought he was doing such a great job that he decided he wanted some for breakfast! Sure, it was before 6am, but who is Amy to turn down a child requesting veggies.

After the casserole was done, they started making the pumpkin pie.  Karsten was great at stirring up our dessert.  As he was helping pour the evaporated milk into the batter, he looked up at Amy with sleepy yet excited eyes and said "Mommy, This is So Fun!"  Her heart melted and she decided this might just become a New tradition... Get up at 4am and see which child decides to get up to help! Lets see how long that lasts before they decide sleeping in sounds so much better!

Look! It's Mickey Mouse!!

Soon, the whole family was up and it was time for the Macy's Day Parade.  The kids were excited for two reasons.  First, they are now old enough to enjoy watching the parade and Second, they kept comparing it to the Ballon Fiesta we had recently attended.  They loved all the shapes.  Karsten was excited about Mickey and Kasey of course had us rewind the TV a couple times to show him Buzz Lightyear 'one more time.'

Goofin' around with Gpa!

Finally, it was time.  Our guests were arriving and dinner was almost done.  We had a great time chatting while the food cooked and were all excited when it was ready.  We even had some helpers in the kitchen and don't forget about the wish bone!

On your mark, get set, PULL!

After dinner, we did our Traditional Holiday Walk before having pie.  It was a bit colder than we had hoped so it was a shorter walk, but at least we were out together as a family exercising... all while dreaming about pumkin, strawberry or apple pie.

At the end of the day, we thought about all the things we have to be thankful for.  Amazing Family (near and far), Kiddos that melt our hearts, Careers that we Truly Enjoy (crazy, we know) and Friends that will do anything for us.  We are truly blessed and can't imagine life any different.

RWVA Appleseed Event

Carey Ryerson currently works at Magpul (makes gun accessories).  Through his company, he found out about a pretty cool two day event.  It is a Marksmenship training course that includes plenty of history.  Thankfully, George and Pat were wanting some cuddle time with the kiddos so we had a sitter lined up each day and headed out to refine our skills.

We loved that each day started out with the Pledge of Allegience (I can't believe our kids will never say that in school, but don't get me started on that point).  After a safety lesson from the team, we put up a target and shot ten rounds at it to see where our starting point was.  None of us were amazing, but we all felt ok about our shots.  Then, we learned different techniques throughout the next two days to improve our current skillsets. 

Amy trying out the kneeling position

Carey and Sarah using sitting position and Jim in prone position

Kris using his 30-06 at 300 yards

A couple that Shoots together... Stays together

One cool part about this group is that it is put on by the Revolutionary War Veterans Association (RWVA) and they are Huge on American History.  In between shooting events, they would tell us historic stories about how our country fought the British and gained the rights each of us are priveledged with today.  I have always heard about the men who fought and recognized several of the stories from history lessons as a kid, but was impressed to hear about the women who made such an impact on our country too!  There was a woman who dressed up as a man so she could fight for her country, a woman who had her house invaded by the British and captured/killed them to defend her family.  So many people stood up for what they believed in and it made me very proud to be an American.

For two days we shot at 25 yard targets with our 22 rifles in different positions, but also got to take a shot at long range shooting (200 and 300 yard shots) with our 30-06 rifle.  At the end of the training, there was a Marksmanship test we all took.  We had several different rounds of shooting during our test.  The first was ten rounds at the largest target in a standing position (the least stable position learned).  Then we had two timed events.  The first was going into a kneeling/sitting position where we shot two rounds, changed the clip and shot 8 more rounds (in 55 seconds).  Then, we went from a standing into a prone position and shot two rounds, changed the clip and shot an additional 8 rounds (in 65 seconds).  Finally, we had ten shots at the tiniest targets in prone position, but could take up to 5 minutes for that one.  Amy was incredibly happy with her score as she had no idea with how she would match up and Kris felt pretty good with what he had learned and how he improved his score throughout the day. We were all excited about what we had learned and even talked about doing another event when it was offered again!

Halloween!

As you can see - we are a bit behind in blogging (as per normal).  But we couldn't let the Holiday pass without showing you the cute pictures of our family.  Halloween was on a Wed this year, so we got to dress the kids in their costumes at 6am before heading to school.  This year, Kris got to dress up for work too!  Each year, the Molson Coors HR team all dress up for work.  Kris decided to support his new company and dressed up as Keith Stone (a representative played by Jack Black for Keystone Light).  Amy got everyone put into costume and took a quick pic before heading off for the day.  Having done this by 6am was quite a challenge, but good thing the boys were all excited to show off their costumes!


Keith Stone with the boys



The Molson Coors costume crew

That night, Amy felt the halloween vibe and decided to dress up in support of Molson Coors too!  She pulled together a Miller Lite Ref costume and definitely had fun with it!  Even Grandma got in the spirit by wearing a witches hat and cape that Kasey asked her to wear.  Grandpa stated that since Karsten was a football player, that he decided to dress up as a football fan (for Ohio state of course ~ "O - H!" .... "I - O!"). 

I'm a Kangaroo, Grandma!

To Infinity And BEYOND!!!

After watching the kids play a bit in our yard, we decided it was time to head out for some trick or treating.  Our first house was our lovely neighbor, where Tanner and Angie answered the door.  The kids thanked them for the candy and were running off to the next house.  The next hour was a blur of kids running, doorbells ringing and candy flying, but we can promise you one thing - We All had a Blast!  Our last stop was our other next door neighbor Les' house and we decided to call it a night.  We handed out candy a bit more, before all taking off our costumes and heading to bed.  I am pretty sure we all dreamt about suckers, snickers and skittles!

Hurry up, Grandpa! We have Candy to get!

Our neighbor, Les, Handing out our last treats of the night

Elk Camp 2012

Every year, the boys go up to camp to enjoy some quality time in the woods in hopes of filling all of our freezers.  This year, a couple of the regulars were missing, but the guys made the most of it anyway.  Bill, Kris, Mark, Carey and Jim all went up and ended up camping next to a LXA friend, Rob Edson and his dad.  The boys arrived later than normal so thank goodness Rob saved their spot for them!

Despite hiking several miles each day, none of the hunters were in the right spot to fill their tags during the first weekend.  Due to lack of vacation, Kris and Jim had to leave early from camp.  After they left; the camp was inudated with 12 inches of snow in 2 days.  The good news is that the remaining hunters were able to fill two of their cow tags.  Unfortunately for Jim and Kris; they were not able to fill their tags, but they had great time camping and spending time with the guys in camp and are in hopes that they might be invited over for dinner soon.  As for their tags, there is always next year.

Mark, Bill, Kris, Carey, Jim, Bob (Rob's dad) & Rob

Our little Hilton in the hills

Complete with our own used car lot

The Hilton with a few inches of snow outside

The Abominable Snow "Bill"

 

Grandma Sandy is in Town!

Grandma Sandy does not normally get some time with her grandsons without Grandpa Bill.  This week was different as Grandpa Bill and Daddy went hunting for Elk (more on that in a later blog).  While visiting the Cannodes, Grandma was a bit ill, but after resting during the day... she was ready to play with her loved ones.  Our first day out on the town was at the Denver Zoo.  We saw plenty of animals and leafs the size of your head!

Grandma, Is that Bear sleeping in the tree?

This shot is for Gma Sandy - She is quite the Bird Gal

Woodards! See... I told you we had Healthy Elephants!

Kasey's Leaf
"It is as Big as My Head" (George - who else has used this quote?)

WE LOVE FALL!!!

Don't Look at me - HE Did It!

 

Um - Grandma... Did you know there are BATS in here???

While we were "playing ball' in our backyard... we had a Cheer squad that surprised us! Guess Gpa Bill and Daddy wished they were in town instead of hunting so far away.

We also thought we would check out a Halloween spot for some good old fashioned holiday cheer ~ In Costume Of Course!

Don't you Love the Botanical Gardens?
... We wouldn't know... don't ask...

Flat Acres Farm in Parker ROCKS!

Hay bale maze for the kiddos (I think Amy was cheating)

I have an idea - Lets bury you in the corn, Kasey

Cool Pumpkin!

No way - are we on a tractor ride?

Do you like my PJs and Fireman Hat??

 Grandpa came home (results pending till the next blog) and we made the most of it.  We started out our weekend at Buds Bar  ~ No Fries Damnit, but great Burgers and Beer!  The kids Devoured their first hamburger and looked at Mommy's like they would eat that one too!

GO RAMS!

 After we got back home, we needed to have some cuddle time; followed by a Family Hockey Game!

Love the Cuddle Time

Sandy Loves it too!

Kris went up north to watch the CSU Rams play in person, but it was expected to be a bit too cold for some of the Ram fans.  Instead, we decided to stay home with the kids, have an awesome steak dinner and watch the game on TV.  Was a great night for all!  Of course - Kris didn't take pics of the tailgate/game so nothing to show you here, but trust me when I say they all had fun.

We are glad you are back in town, Gpa!
We LOVE Cuddling in your lap watching football ~ GO RAMS!

Is that a Quarter behind your ears?

Lets save this for something fun later!

We also got to tailgate for the Broncos!  Bill and Amy got to enjoy the seats, but at least we all got to enjoy some good chili and beverages prior to the game!  Kasey was here too, but chose to nap in the car most of the tailgate.  We tailgated at our friend, Rob's place (Colorado Custom Stone) and were excited when he and another buddy of ours, Mark decided to stop by for a beer with us!  Rob and Mark go Elk hunting with the boys so you will see more pics of them in the next blog.

GAME TIME!

Nothing like a Cold Coors Light during a game!