Adventures at the Darden House

We wish you a Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T20:46:00.000-08:00

We will have to post more pictures over the next few days...
but I wanted to take a moment to wish everyone a MERRY CHRISTMAS...

it has been crazy and fun... and i need sleep!!! but we will post more soon!

Pizza night!

2008-12-20T22:43:00.000-08:00

Since Uncle Bug (aka Jon) has been here, we've had a well documented December. Bug is enjoying using my wonderful DSLR... and as long as he leaves it here when he flies away, I am glad to share... here's a great example... pizza night with the Clardy brothers!!!

Shredding cheese in our fabulous kitchenaide!!!

Uncle Thad.. cutting the sausage for the manly meat pizzas

Mr. Corbin... Uncle Thad's brother who moved here a few months ago!
We sure are glad he doesn't mind the chaos that is the Darden house!

Riley... making his pizza (the boys and I can't have real cheese... so we make our own pizzas!)

Daddy & Riley workin' on the pizzas!

General post-pizza-making-silliness!

Makin'.... COOKIES!

2008-12-15T19:33:00.000-08:00

When it rains, it pours... and when i finally take time to blog, i might as well do as much as humanly possible!

This weekend we made and decorated sugar cookies...

Carter, Momma, & Riley cutting out cookies

Riley shows off one of his masterpieces

Brian and the "casualty"
He dropped this cookie on the plate and BROKE it!!!

The fam!

Uncle Bug joins in the fun!!!

Don't be fooled by the primary colors... those are CHRISTMAS cookies!

Daddy's 1st 5k!

2008-12-15T18:22:00.000-08:00

Last weekend Brian ran his first 5k down in Fountain with a group of students from his school. The boys and I went to cheer him on!The boys bounced while we waited... if you know Carter, you know that he once broke both arms within 3 weeks... needless to say, my prayer for the day was "Please Lord, no broken bones"

Waiting for Daddy!

our RUNNER!!!!

it must be LOVE...

2008-12-09T16:52:00.000-08:00

I recently took a course in deciphering kindergarten "love notes" and already it is paying off! (ok, not really... there is no such course ... it was supposed to be funny). For the last 2 days, Riley has come home with notes from Summer. Yes, the same Summer that wrote the super cute note I am supposed to keep until Riley gets married! But there are some significant differences between note #1 and the latest additions to Riley's "special things" box.

First, observe Note #2...

the outside... check out the extensive sticker decoration! Kindergarten girls do not part with their sticker collections easily (if I remember correctly - no jokes required - we all know it's been a long time since I was in kindergarten).

the inside... LARGE heart with both names... c'mon ladies we ALL know what that means.
And don't be fooled... I know I didn't crop these well... it's all for a purpose! If you look at this note, you will see that it is not folded to the perfection of the first note... which causes me to wonder... do Summer's parents even know about these letters??? or is she hiding out in her room writing letters to my son without the knowledge of her parents.... makes ya think, doesn't it???

So... the next note is the 3rd received but he received it just one day after the 2nd note... Summer is steppin' it up a notch and cornering the "Rily" market :)

Not so many stickers this time... what could this mean, you ask??
It is one of 2 things:
A) She is not so sure about how she is feeling about him at this point...
B) She used up every last sticker in her collection on the previous card and must ration her younger sister's few remaining stickers until she can restock at Christmas!

Don't be confused by this (as Brian was - until I helped him decipher the inside of this card)... it does NOT say "I love mom" as an untrained eye would believe. No, my friends, it says... "Rily, I love You"... and yes... those little stickers are lips... LIPS... what???? a five year old uses LIPS on a love note... that shouldn't be allowed until they are at least 25!!!
and now to the perplexing part... Summer, MOM, Rily... i'm out of ideas, i have nothin' left!

We hope you enjoy these cute notes as much as we have...
i can't make any promises but i think you will see more of these in the near future :)

ahhh... the Pilgrim girl

2008-12-09T16:45:00.000-08:00

So... I found this among the papers that Riley brought home this week. If you are not a grandparent of Riley, you probably won't care... but this is for the grandparents... It's pretty darn cute!
The sentence is supposed to say "This is the face of a pilgrim girl"...
Grandad - please note that he writes "Riley Paul Darden" on most of his papers :)

A chip off the old block!

2008-12-01T18:57:00.000-08:00

So, Gram & Grandad came to visit! They arrived the day after Thanksgiving and left this morning (Monday). I will post more pictures in a little bit but I thought these should be first! Grandad, being a retired engineer, has always wanted to share his knowledge of helicopters with the boys. In the past, they would enjoy it, but this time Riley really got into it!

I believe they were talking about the main rotor and the stabilizer (see, even I picked up some of the terminology).

and the test begins... Riley had to tell Grandad all the parts

There was also conversations about the importance of each of the parts... I don't remember details!

Thanks Grandad! We've known for a long time that we had a little engineer... once again it has been confirmed!

What in the....

2008-11-25T18:34:00.000-08:00

So... this post is gonna take some explaining! It seems that our oldest son Riley has two "best friends" or in his writing "best freds" -- Grace and Summer... did you catch that... our son has 2 girls as best friends. Not that I have a problem with him being friends with girls... it's just that I think each of these sweet girls thinks that they are "the" best friend.

So, last weekend Riley wrote them each a "letter." Each of the letters was the same, except the name.
"You are my best friend (insert either name)." Summer received hers on Monday but Grace was absent that day - so she got hers on Tuesday.

Another piece of important information - Summer has told her Daddy that she "likes" Riley because he has a cute smile.... yeah, this has already started in KINDERGARTEN!!!!

Then.... today.... Riley came home with this:this is the front of the card.

And here is the inside:
now, my guess is that Summer got help writing the first part... but the part that almost caused me to fall over "You love me".... WOW!!!! what can we say to that????

Makin' mama proud!

2008-11-18T18:00:00.000-08:00

Riley is LOVING school! He recently received an award for 1st quarter. He is crazy about reading! He has completed the Kindergarten list of words they must be able to read on sight and is now working to master the 1st grade list (his goal is to start the 2nd grade list in February and I have no doubt he will!

So... his school is doing this breakfast thing for all the kids and their families... they did a power point presentation...
and this is the picture they had of him...

I'm not sure what kind of look this is but surely they didn't say "smile"... it must have gone something like "show me every one of your teeth or no recess for you for a MONTH!"

It's pretty amazing to watch what he is learning!

While at the school for breakfast, there was a paper he had written on the wall outside the classroom. The assignment was "I am proud of me because..." and I cried when I read his.
Riley wrote that he was proud of himself because he crosses the street by himself (disclaimer: I have started letting him cross at the crosswalk by himself while i stare down any car that comes within a mile of my sweet baby!)

He then wrote about asking a friend to not push him down... i think we have a writer... everyone else wrote a sentence and Riley had 3 or 4 sentences explaining how he handled the situation.

I feel like everyday I have to remind myself that it is our job to prepare him for the world and not to protect him from the world.
Right now, I'm pretty darn proud of how he is handling himself in his world!

New things at the Darden House

2008-11-18T17:33:00.000-08:00

It's been an interesting month or so... to say the least... we have a couple new additions to the house. Most recently:

TA-DA!!!! Just what everyone wants to purchase right before the holidays! The fridge DIED and we had to replace it... so fun!!
On a positive note, Brian hooked up the water supply (with a little help from our favorite local uncle... Thanks Uncle Jim)!!

and... approximately a month earlier we got these:

OOOOOOOOOh, Awwwwwwwww... i know.. amazing...
and yet another expense we were SO excited about!
if you notice - the manuals are still on the washer and dryer... you need a degree in engineering or something to work these suckers!

Ok, enough complaining...
we have much to be thankful for... eventhough we didn't want to spend the moolah!

Halloween - part 2!

2008-11-18T17:19:00.000-08:00

We were invited to Trick or Treat with Grace's family and their neighbors and other friends... we've never been a part of such hard core trick or treating... the kids got more candy than anyone needs... and boy did we have fun!

all of the kiddos... i think :)

the princesses...

the sheer volume of kids was a little overwhelming to people answering the doors...

I kept saying "If this was my house, I'd be turning out the front light... these kids have to be wiping out their candy supplies"

my FAVORITE pic of the night... the angel and dino comparing who has more candy!

Halloween... party numero uno!

2008-11-18T17:06:00.000-08:00

a not-so-patient spider!

The Darden & Harmon boys! Noah the Gorilla, Riley the spider, Nick the Whoopie Cushion, Carter the fireman!

Still waiting for the party to start...

Grace (Riley's best friend from school) & Riley!

The party... i didn't count how many kids were here... for a reason! It was SO much fun!!!

First Day(s)

2008-08-23T14:47:00.000-07:00

We are now a week into the school year! Riley is off to kindergarten and Carter is in Preschool! Riley had a rough time going into school the first 4 days but Friday he went in with NO TEARS!!!
Carter loves school so much that he sometimes forgets to give his momma kiss goodbye!

Making lunch with Daddy!

very proud of the lunch he packed!

Brothers - on Riley's first day!

The "ginormous" new backpack - he got it for his birthday and could not be persuaded to use anything else!

we are pretty sure these two are related!

Carter's 1st day!

We tried to take the same pictures of each of the boys!

We can't figure out what they were looking at but something was more exciting than me saying "look over here boys"

Ready to GO!

Carter was somehow convinced that he didn't need to take the same backpack as Riley.

2 moms + 8 boys = CRAZY!!!!

2008-08-06T15:25:00.000-07:00

Just last week we "discovered" a spray park in the south-eastern part of Colorado Springs (thanks to a friend a work!). Well, I forgot the camera on our maiden voyage but did not forget it for our first trip with Nick and Noah. Noah LOVED it! I had to MAKE him stop to eat lunch! My friend Kisha, her two boys and the twins she takes care of joined us... yes, that is 7 boys ages 8 and under - 4 of them 3 or almost 3 years old! It was chaotic but a BLAST!!!!!!

Nick by the rainbow

Noah + Riley + Carter = TROUBLE (and lots of fun!)

I LOVE this photo of Noah ( yes, I know they are not supposed to run and
he did have a time out for running but the picture is so great!)

I don't think Nick planned on having a "shadow" named Carter

but he was so sweet to hang out with him!

Ian

Gage - not quite sure of the water

Carter goes under the rainbow

Noah - a little alone time with the "gun"... usually there were 3 or 4 kids holding on to each one!

Don't mess with these cowboys!

2008-07-24T13:58:00.000-07:00

Since I'm online, I couldn't help but put a few more photos up! I think this happened yesterday... but it happens fairly often here! The only "dress up" that the boys like is COWBOYS! And they LOVE having their picture taken!

I submit the evidence that they LOVE having their picture taken! Can you feel the excitement???

Riley, Carter & Noah

Noah time!

2008-07-24T13:42:00.000-07:00

It's a rare day when Noah is the only one awake (as I write this, he and Carter are sleeping soundly and Riley is the one awake -- which is normal at the Darden House)! But earlier this week I had some one on one time with Mr. Noah so I pulled out my die cut machine and let him pick some things to cut. He, being all boy, chose dinosaurs and zoo animals. He even chose the color of the paper - Red & Blue. It was fun to truly enjoy a few minutes of just Noah!

Using his muscles to turn the handle!

punching out the animals!

So proud of his Dinosaur!

Getting started (ok, ok... totally out of order... but I'm not gonna take the time to figure out how to fix it!)

And... the elephant!

Punching out the zoo animals!

future tattoo artists

2008-07-23T15:05:00.000-07:00

Well, a few days ago the Darden Boys discovered stamps and that you can make "tattoos." The following pictures are evidence of the occassion! (This experience courtesy of Noah and the Bank stamp that he used to "tattoo" his hand... he,he,he!)

The "tattoo-ing" process

showing off part one of the creative placement!

Quote of the Day: "Look Momma, I did one by my underpants!"

and the WORST mother of the year award goes to...

2008-07-17T14:21:00.001-07:00

Before you say... "no, no, no" let me tell you the story!

It all happened on our last trip to Glenwood Springs. The development my brother and his family live in has a pool - complete with water slide. It's not a HUGE water slide, but a good size for a "family pool." Well, as soon as we get in the gate, Riley (the more cautious of the Darden boys) makes a Bee-line for the slide. I, in my wisdom, tell him to wait and we'll go down together. Let me just make this disclaimer: I have not been on a waterslide since before the boys were born and because of that forgot a key part of the waterslide experience - the overwhelming push of the water at the end!

So... back to the story. By the time I make it up the 10 steps (maybe a few more or less, I wasn't really counting), Riley is READY! He's sitting and all set. I sit behind him and we head down the slide. Unknown to me, my brother yelled, "you've gotta put him on your lap" as we were coming down... tooo late! We get to the bottom and Riley is pushed underwater. Riley does not like going underwater or surprises and needless to say... he comes up SCREAMING!!!! My oldest, usually fairly calm, even-keel like his dad, son is SCREAMING BLOODY MURDER! The one phrase I remember most is "I did not like that at ALL, please get me out of here" (hey, at least the boy remembered his manners. My brother came over to try and help... it was a great effort but not well received by my SCREAMING 5 year old!

All this while I am thinking "NO!!!!!!! Anyone but Riley! Now he will never, EVER go on waterslides again - i mean EVER! In fact, he may never go down a slide again."

So, in an effort to calm him, I set him on the side of the pool and waited for him to breathe. When he calmed down, I said "Sweetheart, I am so sorry (meanwhile, in my head, I am hating myself). I know that you were scared but I want you to know that you can go down the waterslide with out going underwater. So, Uncle Jared will hold you on his lap and he will not let you go under! Are you ready?

If you know Riley, you know his answer was "No! I don't want to do that!"

To which I replied "Sweetheart, you can not go play - you can not leave this part of the pool until you try it again." and I'm thinking "I am quite possibly the meanest mother on the face of the planet - but, if he doesn't conquer this fear now, he never will!

His response was not surprising " I REALLY don't want to do that!"

Finally he realized that he was not going to win this one and went down with my brother...
someday we will laugh about this... until then, you can laugh at these pictures!

Trying something new!

2008-07-12T12:41:00.001-07:00

We bought a "tag-along" for Riley this spring... today we pulled it out and tried it out.

Riley is VERY cautious and did not want to try it - but we made him try it and after a minute or two he was so excited! Brian rode my bike (with Riley attached) on the first half and I had him the 2nd half. It was fun to have him right behind us - he talked the whole way (not surprising - he is our son!).

It's not easy to make Riley try new things - sometimes I feel so mean - pushing him out of his comfort zone but today is a reminder that it is worth it!

Riley's first time on the tag along!

Pedalling away!

Relaxing in the car after the ride!

So much to say...

2008-06-15T22:53:00.000-07:00

So... we are in Washington and having a BLAST!!!
I have started to edit our photos but it is going to take me FOREVER to do all the ones I love!

I'll spare you the details of our trip - but here are the highlights (to this point):
-- Hanging out at the park with my friend Kelli and her 2 girls - 2 days in a row!

Carter, Addy & Riley
(it's incredibly hard to get these 3 in one place - not to mention looking a similar direction!)

Addy giving me a flower -- she is so darn cute!

Carter & Addy holding hands on our walk... I'm VERY open to the idea of an arranged marriage!

-- part of a day and dinner with the Berry Family... i'll have to get the pictures and add them later but the evening included a performance by the Berry Darden Band with the Darden boys on guitar!

-- Dinner with The Todd's -- twice... once with my family and once just the adults!

-- the boys got to spend some time with my Uncle Al -- and his "toys"

Carter with Uncle Al (his new best friend)

Carter driving the loader with Uncle Al!

Riley driving the loader with Uncle Al

Driving the excavator down a BIG pile of dirt!

Dumping dirt - for fun!

-- Hanging out at the McCoy's house until all hours of the night (the boys were home with Grandma & Grandpa) and catching up with OLD friends!!!

-- a day in Seattle... the zoo... we froze to death but we survived and then went to the market!

Wakin' Up Uncle Bug!

2008-06-07T15:44:00.000-07:00

Not sure what Carter was saying (not a doubt in my mind he was saying SOMETHING)

but it looks like he's got his air guitar!

Uncle Bug was awfully sweet to put up with the boys waking him up EARLY on Saturday Morning! (Uncle Bug sleeps in a hammock -- even more fun than jumping on a bed)

Carter - attempting to climb the hammock -- anyone else think this is a BAD idea???

On the road... and at Grandma & Grandpa's House

2008-06-07T15:28:00.000-07:00

On Thursday morning we loaded up Grandma's car and headed out to Seattle - after 23 hours we are in the great state of Washington and enjoying being at my parent's house!

Random tree in Wyoming... I think. How can you really be expected to remember which state it was in when you go through 5 states in less than 24 hours!

Grandma's (still new after a year) car has a DVD system with wireless headphones... the boys did NOT complain once!

So tired, Carter couldn't even make it to the bed before he fell asleep!

The first thing Riley asks for at Grandma's house -- the guns -- NERF guns!

He had to try them ALL! and he was ready for Uncle Bug when he got home from work!

this is the "stash"... thanks to many years of family nerf WARS on Christmas!

Fun at the Fountain

2008-06-07T15:10:00.000-07:00

So... we are in Seattle right now but I was sorting pictures to blog and found these from earlier this week! We spent an hour or so at Uncle Wilbur's Fountain... the clouds look awful in some of these pictures, but that storm was mostly north of us so it only looks like we are HARD CORE fountain-goers! Oh, what fun!

Carter

Noah, Carter, Sky & Riley (from the back)

Nick, Riley & Sky

Warming up after the fun!

Every 1/2 hour, music plays and the fountain raises up to show "Uncle Wilbur"

and squirt everyone with water!
(Notice the 2 boys to the left of the fountain - Riley & Noah... covering his ears)

Daddy & Carter get a little closer!

The fountain!

Hangin' in there!

2008-05-22T13:19:00.000-07:00

Right now I wish that I didn't share my camera with Grandma & Grandpa. Carter is sleeping, curled up around his "fox in sox" stuffed animal! He is so darn cute -- especially when he is sleeping :)

It's been an eventful week here - Grandpa & Grandma came back from Glenwood on Sunday with Jerdan (my oldest nephew). We spent monday at the zoo - and the pictures are also on the camera mentioned before! Tuesday, the Grandparents took the oldest grandsons (Riley & Jerdan) on their first roadtrip -- without parents. Grandma loaded up on snacks (if you know my mom, you know she tends to have WAY too much food for any occasion) and they loaded the boys into the best roadtrip vehicle in the world - Grandma's acadia - complete with DVD player and wireless headphones! At this point, they have been to Mesa Verde and Four Corners -- and I think they are on the way to Moab.

As for the rest of our family, Brian has less than one week left of school. The kids are GONE, he made it through middle school graduation and now he just has to survive High school grad (on memorial day weekend) and a couple of work days. Carter and I are headed to Glenwood tomorrow (a 4+ hour drive depending on how many other people are headed the same direction) to meet up with the roadtrip warriors and to celebrate Jerdan's birthday. We will come home monday and have less than 2 weeks before we are on the road to seattle! Phew, I'm worn out just thinking about the plan -- shoot... i have to pack!

Watch out SEATTLE, here come the Darden's!

2008-05-05T16:23:00.000-07:00

Friends in the Pacific Northwest....
we are comin' home! (ok, home to me... just a visit for Brian & the boys)

We will leave Colorado on June 5th (driving thru the night with my parents) to arrive in the beautiful Pacific Northwest sometime on the 6th. We will be there until June 17th...

now, let's make some plans!!!!!!

Did you know????

2008-05-05T14:23:00.000-07:00

I'm looking at all the photos from the last couple weeks... so bear with me today!

This is Carter & Noah. Noah (and his big brother Nick) have Downs Syndrome. He is a blessing... my boys think he is their other brother. They LOVE Noah for who he is and don't really "get" that there is anything different about him. But I was talking to his mom, Julie, last week and she told me a statistic that makes me sick.

97% of women who receive a diagnosis of being pregnant with a baby that has Downs Syndrome in the US abort the baby.
100% of women with the same diagnosis in Europe abort their baby.

A diagnosis of Down Syndrome (or any disability) can not an easy thing. I do not have a child with a disability so I know that there are challenges that I can not comprehend. But... I have seen glimpses. I know that it's not easy to carry a newborn and an oxygen tank, while trying to keep up with the toddler that is connected to said oxygen tank. I know how scary it is when you hear a child wheezing or struggling for breath. I know what it is like to go into the pediatric cardiologist thinking that everything is fine, only to come out with your baby on a monitor that is as big as their little tiny chest. And.. I know that there are resources for families - organizations like the one I am proud to work for, as well as families that have gone before them and understand the struggles. There are resources for the child -- not perfect resources -- but resources that allow them to succeed and reach their potential.

I know that Noah brings GREAT joy! My heart breaks to think that people don't have a Noah and a Nick! They have taught us SO much and our world would not be nearly as wonderful without them!

Carter!

2008-05-05T09:40:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be fun to take a minute to tell y'all about Carter! If you know Carter, well, I hope you get a kick out of this! First of all, the boy LOVES trains! We aren't quite sure how the obsession started (especially since his big brother LOVED construction machines and airplanes at this age!) but he can't get enough!

Carter just turned 3 (on occasion, he has been known to say "I'm turning 5, 6... etc"). He is our family comedian... we often joke that he will be our stand up comedian!

He talks NON-STOP!!! In the car I will often say "Hey, you guys want some crazy kid music?" just so I don't have to answer anymore questions. And... he LOVES to ask the same question about 8 million times. My new favorite response (after I've answered the first time) is to ask him the question he just asked or say "You tell me"

Carter likes to tell jokes and is genuinely funny. Our good friend "Miss Kris" once told Carter that he was funny. A few days later he asked his grandma "Grandma, am I funny?"
She's a good grandma, so she said "Yes, you are."
Carter's response "Miss Kris thinks I'm funny."

He like to repeat what he hears (like every kid) but he especially likes the BIG words!

On a totally different note, Riley (who is now 5) used the word non-functional in a sentence the other day... and used it correctly. His guns (on his transformer) were non-functional. Pretty sure his uncle Bug taught him that one!

Chalk art & weeding!

2008-05-03T14:09:00.000-07:00

I should be getting ready for the 2nd birthday party in as many weeks but i was moving the pictures to my computer so i could take some more when i couldn't pass up these great ones!

Riley & I did chalk art while Grandma & Gram weeded the front yard -- thank you Gram and Grandma!

Riley & his amazing T-Rex

Riley and Gram & Grandma...
pausing for a picture!

Riley working on his next masterpiece....

A Tiger!

Blogger seems to think that y'all don't need to see my FABULOUS STEGASAURUS... maybe it will get it's own post after the party!

Oh Noah... you kill me :)

2008-04-27T16:58:00.000-07:00

This one is really for Noah's family! I was looking through the pictures from the birthday party and about died laughing when I saw...

He LOVES this little gorilla... and I mean LOVES it!!!! Over the years, he's tried to hide it in his pocket, backpack, and various other places (in hopes that I won't notice and he can take it home). Here we are at the birthday party with a new play area and tons of new toys and what does Noah have... the gorilla!

and... it's outside. I'm probably the only mom on the planet that has this crazy outside toy/inside toy rule (the inside toys stay inside and the outside toys stay outside -- it seems even more ridiculous when I type it out)... Noah knew I was too busy to notice... he's too darn smart! and so stinkin' in love with this gorilla...

Noah, Noah, Noah... I love you to pieces!

If you build it...

2008-04-27T16:47:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more pictures of the (never-ending) building process... if we had known before hand how much time and effort this would take, we would have settled for a smaller and cheaper option!

Grandpa and Grandad hard at work (and loving every minute of it - we think)!

Grandad... still working!

making progress... slowly but surely!

Construction and Building

2008-04-23T21:07:00.000-07:00

Ok.... here's a few more... the boys got a new swingset (more like PLAYGROUND equipment) from us... Grandpa and Daddy started the work today and we can't wait for Grandad to get here and help!

And... our neighbors had their driveway replaced today... Carter thought he should help (Hey, Uncle Al, I've got 2 boys who want to come work for you ASAP!!!)

Carter - ready to do his part in the process!

Watching the BIG truck... he could have watched all day!

Catching up... part one

2008-04-23T20:52:00.000-07:00

So.... we haven't been around the blog world much lately. I was sick with allergies, Grandma came into town, and Uncle Bug (my youngest brother) came into town for the birthday weekend - He and Riley have the same birthday thanks to the science of induced labor! Then... Carter had an ear infection and Grandpa got into town... and that is all in the past week.
I'll write more later but here are a couple pictures!

Uncle Bug... aka Jon... and Carter! We love Uncle Bug!

Checking the dino's teeth for bones... wouldn't want T-Rex to get a cavity!

Birthday Buddies!

Uncle Bug's gifts were a HIT! A Transformer for Riley and a new GeoTrax train for Carter...

oh.. and Keith... no need for the bail money... but I'll keep you in mind next time :)

"Awww, Man!"

2008-04-10T14:36:00.000-07:00

The following story happened in our car this morning.

Me - "Hey boys, I talked to Gram last night and she and Grandad are going to be here for BOTH of your birthday parties."

Carter - "Awwww, man"

Me - "Carter, are you excited that Gram and Grandad can come?"

Carter - "YES!!!"

Riley - "Carter, you don't say 'awww, man' when you are excited, you say 'YEAH!'"

A Buffalo named....

2008-04-06T18:49:00.000-07:00

Our sweet friend Skyler gave Carter this buffalo. The boys are very creative with the names of their animals (ie - a duck named quack, a frog named ribbit, you get the idea..) but this about killed me I laughed so hard. Here is how the conversation went:

"Hey Carter, does your bison have a name?"

"Yep."

"What is it?"

"His name is Donkey."

"Your bison's name is Donkey?"

"Yep, but he's a buffalo."

Anyone for Rollerderby???

2008-04-05T15:53:00.000-07:00

So, I ran to the airport to save Ashley (since her flight was cancelled) and came home to find this:

WOW... I leave for maybe an hour and come home to find my sweet 4 year old ready for the roller derby. As soon as I walked in the door I was greeted by the disclaimer from daddy "he dressed himself..."
my reply: "well, I hope so!"

Carter tries Capoeira

2008-04-05T10:45:00.000-07:00

Riley & Noah attempt to show Carter the kick they are waiting to do!

The teacher was AMAZING!!!! He is GREAT with these kiddos...

Carter was pretty excited about kicking the blue thing (Mr. Zach would make it hit the ground when they kicked it which was very entertaining)

Capoeira uniforms... they were SO excited! we later found the drawstring so Riley can keep his pants on!

HA!

2008-04-01T12:04:00.000-07:00

This one is for Grandpa!

Background info - I often tease the boys... telling them they can't grow up. And, my dad retired last year to go back to school... and get his doctorate. So... it's not really retirement as much as a career change... Don't ask what it's in... he will have to post that in the comments since I can't remember (sorry Padre).

Me: "So I made a decision. There will not be any growing up in this house."

Riley: "But I want to go to college. I want to go to Texas Tech college" (sorry babe, that's what he called it)

Me: "You don't want to do that... it's a long way from Gram & Grandad's house. And, when you were little Grandpa agreed to pay for college if you went to the U-Dub (University of Washington)."

Riley: "When I grow up I want to live in Seattle so I can see Grandma all the time and go to college and graduate with Grandpa.... and you can come visit"

Me: "Well, you won't be able to graduate with Grandpa because he will be done by the time you get to college."

note... this is the same child who just a few weeks ago told me he wanted to live with me forever... I should have known that you throw Grandma in the mix and I quickly become CHOPPED LIVER!

A boy on the phone... must see photos...

2008-03-31T14:18:00.000-07:00

Boy, this blog is getting a lot of updates today... but I had to post these pictures for Grandad to see! Carter LOVES the phone! I snapped these photos yesterday when he was talking to Grandma!

Carter came up to me while I was posting this and asked if he could send Grandpa an email... where did he learn this??? We can't call Grandpa right now because he is in China.

fACEBOOK fUN!!!

2008-03-31T07:29:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday was (very unofficially) girls night at the Dardens... except that Riley and Carter were here... Brian went out to watch basketball with a couple friends after an impromptu "Tuesday night dinner" and Ashley, Kris & Skyler all stayed to hang out. It was this night that Ashley and Kris took the plunge into the world of FACEBOOK!!! We at the Darden house are so proud that they have joined the 21st century!

Kris & Ashley quit resisting and join facebook - together!

not sure what to put for their "status"

Such a proud moment!

The girls -- notice the very nervous smile on my face...
Riley was taking the picture with my new camera!
Not many people can say they have such a well documented Facebook introduction!!

Sleepover!

2008-03-30T07:51:00.000-07:00

Noah spent the night last week. This was our second sleepover, I think. And Noah could hardly wait to "sleep" on the top bunk. He was so excited that he tried to put his PJ's on at nap time - I had told him that he would sleep in Riley's room at night, when he had his PJ's on. When I told him that he had to go in my room for naps, he gave me the classic "Oh, man!" When it was finally bed time, we sent them to bed early... we know how this works... we wanted to give them a little while to enjoy. Sure enough, even after it was time to quiet down... every 2 seconds, he would lean over and say "night, night, Riley." The next morning Riley was SO GRUMPY! He said "I'm grumpy because Noah kept me up all night." All night, to our four year old is 8:30pm to the rest of the world...

Noah & Riley

Noah on the top bunk

Good morning... Carter & Noah!

Breakfast silliness... this is what you get when you ask these boys to say "cheese"

Tuesday Dinner!!!

2008-03-28T14:47:00.000-07:00

Uncle Thad - Bread Duty!

Fun in the kitchen starring Kris (from the back),
Ashley, Renee, Brian & Brian(the back of his shirt)

The kids table...

The Adult Table!

Tuesday dinners are a HIGHLIGHT of the week! We are all transplants to Colorado and don't have much family in the state, so we have created our own!
"Uncle" Thad went to Texas Tech with Brian (Get your guns up... right boys), he has seen our family thru the good and bad times... even trying to watch movies with us when Carter was a SCREAMING infant!!!

Ashley and I worked together at Frontier Ranch when I first came to Colorado... now over 10 years ago! She saw me at a women's retreat and scared the crap out of me when she ran up to me and "interrogated"me about Frontier... it's been WONDERFUL ever since! She is AMAZING! She has been a wilderness guide (a YL backpacking camp), she teaches junior high (she HAS to be a saint),
We met Kris & Skyler thru another friend. Kris is a widow, her husband was a Navy pilot. Skyler is 5 and a kick in the pants :) She can definitely hold her own with the Darden boys! One of my FAVORITE Skyler stories: We were at the park with Kris & Sky and Kris and I were talking about how Skyler being "her own person" would have it's benefits... like when it comes to peer pressure. As we were talking, we heard Riley say to Skyler "Skyler, do you wanna play pirates with me and Noah???" Her response was priceless "NO." Skyler does not feel like she needs to do anything she doesn't want to do!
You may have noticed that not everyone in the pictures are accounted for.... well... this was a special night! Ashley's friend Renee is a pilot so she can just come on down whenever she has time off... she lives in southern Washington and her husband loves fishing... we got a little of that "LOVE" because she brought us fresh (fresh, caught-the-darn-thing-yesterday, fresh) Salmon!!!! YUMMMMMMMM!
And... Thad's dad was in town. Thad's parents have recently retired and relocated to Colorado... they live in Buena Vista (which is where Frontier Ranch is... where Ashley and I met... the world is getting smaller). Thad's dad had come into town to help with the on-going kitchen remodel at Thad's pad!
Oh, and we can't forget Brian... not my Brian... Brian is dating Kris and this was his first official "Tuesday Night." Some of us had met him last week, but he hadn't had the privilege of coming for dinner! So, if he is nice... and doesn't tease me about using tartar sauce on fresh salmon... we might just keep him around! (I'm kidding Brian... we really enjoyed having you... i'm just getting even!)
So... the rest of the world is missing out... at least one night a week! Because this is the most amazing group of people you could ever meet!

Capoiera Pictures

2008-03-27T21:52:00.000-07:00

Noah & Bronwen

Noah's Kick

Riley's Kick

Noah's Handstand

Riley's Bridge

Capoiera!!!

2008-03-27T12:07:00.000-07:00

Blogger keeps getting rid of my pictures... so I'm gonna try putting them in a separate post!

Here you are! The long (or possibly not-so-long) awaited glimpse of Capoiera - Noah and Riley style!
Some of you don't know Noah - he is the other Darden brother :) I have taken care of Noah since before we had kids and the boys have grown up together. We love Noah to pieces!!!! He is such a sweet guy... he LOVES babies... I used to have to fight with him to get Riley back (he didn't care too much for Carter as a baby because he was crying all the time...), he is so darn cute... he loves to be outside (especially if there is a sandbox nearby)... his giggle is contagious... and Noah is smart... sometimes too smart for his own good! He knows what he wants and will do what it takes to make it happen... I joke with his mom that his ornery streak is just slightly smaller than my stubborn streak. I could go on and on... but I will spare you the novel, for now! Riley and Noah LOVE to be together!!!! And Bronwen thought that Capoiera would be GREAT for Noah. Truth be told, I think Bronwen thinks Capoiera is good for EVERYONE!!! she took a total of 5 people on Tuesday. If she weren't moving, I would HIGHLY suggest the studio hire her to do marketing :) So, we decided it would be fun to let the boys do it together! As you can see, they had fun!!! So much fun, that we signed them up (hey uncle Bug, if you come visit, you could go for a free class!!!)
One of the things we (Noah's mom and I) liked about it is the fact that they never try to kick or hit anyone... it's all about "making it look dangerous" and the fact that it is much harder to narrowly miss someone than to actually hit them.
While the boys were in this class, I also got a lesson. It was supposed to be a class, but I was the only student. It was fun... but I think it will take awhile to really get the hang of it!

Hoooo-Ray for Tuesday!

2008-03-25T10:59:00.000-07:00

It's a good day in "the springs"...
-- the sun is shining and it should be in the 60's again (maybe all the snow will melt in the backyard).

-- it's FREE BREAKFAST TUESDAY at Chick-fil-A... free chicken minis ( I realize that those of you in the great Pacific Northwest don't know the joys of Chick-fil-a and I am here to tell you that you are missing out!)

-- Riley and I are going to try Capoeira... just wikipedia it 'cause I don't really understand it! My friend Bronwen has explained it as "Brazilian martial arts meets breakdancing"... I still can't picture it! But, she has convinced our buddy Noah (ok, the real convincing was his mom) to try the family class with Riley... more on our adventure later!

-- Tuesday night dinner... ok, so everyone has them. But, do you call them by the oh-so-creative name and have the COOLEST people over???? We've started this "tradition" that we get together with some GREAT friends every week for a potluck. It's become this amazing "family away from family" since we are all transplants (the rest of the regulars are all from texas... but we are adding a few to lessen my "minority" status). It's fun to get the kiddos together to play and the adults together to just share life! Hopefully we will remember to snap some pics tonight... but this is one of the highlights of the week!

ps... it's also SPRING BREAK!!! yippeee for daddy being home to play ALL WEEK!

The day of the EGGS!

2008-03-23T16:48:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter from Colorado... in true Colorado form, we had snow last night (just about every year, we have snow on Halloween and Easter... grrrr!) But now the sun is out and we are resting after a FULL day of fun! Holidays are a little hard for me, being so darn far from family. Growing up holidays were CHAOS!!! Cousins everywhere, a long day of FOOD and if it's my mom's side of the family - GAMES!!!! Now, our closest family is my brother, Jared & his family... and they are a good 4 hours away. So, we celebrate with friends! This year we weren't thinking ahead (I'm blaming it on the fact that Easter was so darn early) so we didn't get the invite out until last week and that was thanks to my dear friend Ashley... but we still had a few friends over. Here are the pictures to prove it!

Carter, Riley & our buddy Gage (his big brother Ian wasn't up for the group photo)

"BRING ON THE EGGS" (we put the boys in old t-shirts to save
their clothes -- BRILLIANT IDEA!!! we saved 4 pairs of clothes today)

Miss Kisha passes out the "bug parts - legs, exoskeletons, wings" for the eggs...

so different from when I was little - we were just excited about the colors.

Ian, Riley's best friend, birthday buddy, and the artist!

Kissy Face... not sure why, but so darn cute!

No FUN!

2008-03-21T09:22:00.001-07:00

Warning - I drank coffee this morning (it was 1/2 caf... but that doesn't seem to make a difference)... this will be RANDOM!

I LOVE THIS PIC! Brian is such a great daddy!

We often tease the boys, saying "We don't have any fun in this house." This, of course, causes lots of giggles and laughter.

I've started telling them I don't want to see smiles... I'll have to post their "attempts" at a grumpy face... it's pretty darn funny! Carter couldn't fake a grumpy face, even if his life depended on it!

Spring break starts tonight!!!! YIPPPEEEEE! a week of Daddy at home. We have big plans... hang out, hang out some more, oh.... and the ZOO! This morning Carter poked Brian and told him, "I poked you so you can't go to work." If only it were that easy! (Brian would have liked to stay home today - he has to pack up CSAP - state testing - stuff).... but it's a great reminder that we are lucky to have Brian home so often! YEAH for my school counselor HUSBAND!

quote of the morning!

2008-03-19T07:22:00.001-07:00

So, Carter is hanging out at home today... relaxing,reading books, and watching "shows."
When I gave him options, he said "I want Wonder Pets - Wonder Pets are wonderful.... there's no scary guys"

he makes me smile!

Poor little guy!

2008-03-18T09:41:00.000-07:00

So.... Carter is sick. Poor kid! This morning at breakfast he was telling us "my belly is hurting me" (I love how he phrases things!). Tuesday is a busy day at the Darden house - I will spare you the details but it includes getting Carter to a friend's house (not close to our house), Riley to school (back by our house), me to a networking meeting (on the other side of the city)- all by 8:15 am!
So, I decided that since he wasn't feeling well, I would take him to my meeting. I am so thankful for this AMAZING group of business people who don't mind seeing my (and other) kids from time to time. They always introduce my boys as some super hero (which usually makes the Darden Boys smile for DAYS). I should have known it was more than an upset stomach when he didn't want to introduce himself. Darn it!
Well, part way through the meeting, he starts crying... and won't stop. Now, Carter has PERFECTED his "fake cry" (we've caught him practicing on numerous occasions) but this was the "I AM MISERABLE and need to be at home" cry. I got him into the car just in time for... yup, the PUKE! All over the beloved fuzz (his blanket), his clothes, his seat, the back of my seat... oh, the fun!
Poor guy.... thank goodness he is sleeping peacefully at the moment...
and my amazing friend Kris said she could pick Riley up from school so I can keep Carter at home... I can't begin to express how thankful I am for my friends!

Need a laugh?

2008-03-16T14:09:00.001-07:00

So... this might just be the beginning of a Darden tradition... we have NO SHORTAGE of quotes from our VERY VERBAL kids... and my mom is always telling me to "write that down"... maybe now I will.

Let's start with this one:
I was talking to a friend on the phone and trying to remember what infection Riley is being treated for and I could not remember the word to save my life. Well, Riley must have overheard me talking about it, because he came into the kitchen and said, "Mom, it's called impetigo".... correct pronunciation and all...geez, nothing like a 4 year old with an adult vocabulary to put you in your place.

In case you are wondering, Impetigo is a weird infection... we have NO idea where Riley picked it up but we caught it early (thanks to his preschool teacher) but it causes these gross blister like things around the mouth... notice the HUGE scab in the last picture... yuck!

Waddlez the Penguin

2008-03-16T13:36:00.001-07:00

Riley & Carter received penguins from Gram & Grandad this week. Gram & Grandad got them for the boys on a recent trip and sent them with the Easter treats for the boys. (they are also wearing the hats that Gram & Grandad got for Brian and I). Little known fact : according to the Darden Boys (clearly the experts on all things "DUDE") in order to be a "dude," one must wear their hat backwards. But back to the penguins. Each of the boys came up with a name for their penguin - Riley's is Waddles (makes sense... Penguins do waddle... and it goes along with his "naming theme" the duck named Quack, the Dog named Ruff, the Horse named Pony...need I go on?). And Carter... well, he named his Penguin Ramsey. Now, we have a friend named Ramsey but Carter hasn't seen him since LAST SUMMER... so we have NO IDEA where he came up with it. We even tried to convince him to change the name... but he wouldn't have it. Riley wanted to make a nametag for Waddles... here is our "practice sheet"... when he put it on the name tag, Waddles became Waddlez. It amazes me that our "little peanut" is going to be in kindergarten next year... and our friend Jenny (who is a kindergarten teacher) said he is way ahead of the game if he can recognize letters... not to mention write them all! Watch out world, we are about to enter the realm of school age kiddos... I don't think I'm old enough for this :)

Animal Planet and Superheroes

2008-03-09T17:13:00.000-07:00

You may wonder what Animal Planet and Superheroes have in common... well.... it all happened this week in the Darden House.

Riley discovered Animal Planet this last week. Now, if he has to choose between say Backyardigans (a longstanding favorite) and ANY show on Animal Planet - he will always choose the latter. So, while playing this week, we have been a family of crocodiles, turtles, and hippos (just what every mom wants - to be referred to as "mama hippo").

And in the few short moments that we have not been an animal family, the boys are superheroes. I got home this afternoon to "GOGGLEMAN" who saved me from some unseen danger as I walked into the house.

I love being the mom of BOYS! and my boys have imaginations that daily amaze me!

What have we started?!?!?!?!

2008-03-09T16:19:00.000-07:00

So, the Darden's are entering the world of "blogging"... well, Lisa is! It promises to be eventful - if I can keep it up! I mean with 2 little guys who insist on growing up and a houseful of friends and family, it should be fun!