Camp Colorado

Camp Colorado 2013 at Chateau de la Mazotti was a success! What a difference a year makes. For real. I only wanted to lay down in traffic 1-2 days this time as opposed to every other day last year! My Christmas miracle must have arrived early!

Tony hung with us for the first 4 days before he headed up to Golden which is about 4 hours north of our cabin. We worked on our custom made raft trailer, re-organized the garage, fixed the bicycle tires and participated in our first ever moonlight float! We have been hearing about these adult only excursions for years from our Colorado friends...but have always been strapped down with kids and could not participate. This year we all threw in on a babysitter / angel from heaven who watched 6 kids under the age of 8 at our cabin while we did our best to not go overboard into the river. Because it was so early in the season the float went fast (which was probably in our best interests considering...) and we ended up at The Shaft until closing time enjoying life the way it used to be before we all became parents. A great way to start the trip!

After Tony left it was my turn to entertain the kids so they didn't kill each other. I pulled out all the stops. Trips to the circus, swimming at the Rio Grande Country Club, Summerfest and the indoor water park in Alamosa, hiking, biking, exploring, library visits, trips to the Malt Shoppe, smores around the campfire, father's day shopping in Creede, and the hot springs in Pagosa. It was non-stop action!

Monte Vista Circus

Hiking at Big Meadows

Learning to Juggle at Summerfest

Swimming at the Rio Grande Club

Indoor Water Park

Get Outdoors Day - Learning to Hunt

Get Outdoors Day - Cienna was Killing It!

Yummy Smores

Although the trip was a lot of fun and we can't wait to do it next year...we did have some sadness. Tonka started showing signs that there was a problem and after taking her to the local veternarian they discovered a large tumor on her anal gland that had to be removed. After sending it off for analysis, they determined that it was cancerous and very agressive. The vet predicts only a few weeks to a few months for her to live. It made the trip bittersweet. We certainly gave her more love and attention (and maybe some table scraps!) than usual but our hearts are breaking knowing that her time is limited. Over the last few years she has really become my dog. I walk her, feed her, groom her, bathe her and love on her on a daily basis. So I am preparing myself for goodbye.

It wouldn't be a typical Tonka trip to the cabin if I didn't have an attack story. The day we were loading her up for surgery she got a piece of the neighbor's little wiener dog. Fortunately for the dog Tonka has a crooked jaw and can't do any damage. But that little dog must not have gotten the memo because when I got to the scene of the crime and pried Tonka's mouth open that dog had peed itself all over the place!

May Madness

May was truly madness. Between school wrapping up, after school activities ending with big extravaganzas and all the forms that must be filled out in preparation of next year....May was non-stop action!

Cienna graduated from kindergarten in an adorable ceremony where they performed several songs for the parents in Spanish. After getting her certificate she was called up again by her teachers for a special award for her accomplishments in reading and writing this year. Tony and I were very proud parents!

AJ's class celebrated with a end of the year party / mother's day picnic at the park across the street from our house. AJ presented me with a hand made wind chime and a flower journal with original artwork that was too cute for words. I never did get that slice of cake that he was supposed to bring to me. Guess he missed that announcement and thought it was for him!

Cienna tested for her yellow belt in karate. Unfortunately she did not earn it yet, but she did break her first boards!

Summer is off and running with a bang with 18 days ahead of us at the cabin while Tony does swift water rescue training in Golden, CO. If last year is any indication on how this year is going to go I am really in for it. But here's hoping it is an amazing start to summer!

Spring Has Sprung!

One of the nicest things about living in New Mexico is truly experiencing the four seasons. The summers are hot, the autumn is colorful, the winter can bring snow and the spring is alive with new growth. We began our spring with lots of little projects to get us in the spirit...starting with growing our own butterflies!

Our special delivery arrived in the mail courtesy of Granny. Five tiny little caterpillars that soon grew into big fat caterpillars. After carefully crawling to the top of the container and forming their chrysalis they were well on their way to becoming beautiful butterflies.



It was during this time that we conducted our own little experiment...courtesy of AJ. He just loved the caterpillars so much that he would walk around the house with their habitat. One day one of the chrysalis fell and we were very worried that it would not survive. But it did! Apparently once the chrysalis is formed they do not need to hang to become beautiful butterflies. We were overjoyed with our 100% success rate!



Our next Spring project was planting the garden. We installed a drip system in the winter which will require less work on my part. We added compost and all kinds of nutrients to the garden and prepped it for the best part!



The kids got to choose some of their favorite things to plant. This year we are trying raspberries, blackberries, tomatoes, basil, chives, mint, jalapenos, swiss chard, and kale. We are hoping for the best!



We then created hand prints to be placed in the yard. After decorating them with different gems they were complete and will forever add sunshine to our home.



Our last project was growing our own flowers. We built "The Croods" flower boxes at Lowe's Hardware Store last Saturday and then picked out seeds to plant and (hopefully) harvest. The kids are really enjoying this time of year!

Tea Time

Today we discovered what is possibly the most posh place in all of New Mexico...the St. James Tearoom. In typical English fashion (or so I've been told) we sat down for tea, scones, curds and other delicious goodies all while wearing our finest borrowed hats. I felt so...proper!



We celebrated Cienna's 6th birthday (again!) with our pinkies up. The food was phenomenal, the tea was divine and the conversation was spoke in English of course!



I felt just like Pippa, Camilla, Fergie and all of my other favorite members of English high society who are just a little on the fringes. It was a bloody good time!

Easter

Easter was the holiday that just kept giving. Three days before the big event we did our traditional Easter egg dying party. Sounds like it would be a big extravaganza right? Not really. In fact, tips are welcome. Our eggs are always so pathetic!



Saturday began with clues left by the Easter Bunny to find some books and other miscellaneous items around the house. When that treasure hunt was over, we moved on to clues to locate their Easter baskets. Since Tony worked on Sunday, we put in a "special request" with the Easter Bunny to come a day early. We explained to the kids that special requests are reserved for families of firefighters, doctors, police officers and unfortunate retail workers. After their baskets were found they moved on to the backyard where they each had 33 eggs to find. Note to self - Don't buy so much candy. You are the one who ends up eating it when they go to bed, trusting you with their precious finds. Then it is nothing but guilt that you not only ate all of that candy but that you are lying to your children about where it all went!

After getting out of our jammies we headed over to the old folks home where they hosted a community Easter egg hunt in their development. The kids were each allowed 19 eggs and there were 3 golden eggs hidden for special prizes. Cienna was overjoyed when she discovered one of the golden eggs!



With so many people standing around, we even managed to sneak in a family picture which included Tony's middle brother Dominick and his son Niko who were visiting from California.



We then went back to Mimi and Papa's house for more clues to find gifts around the house and more eggs in their backyard! Like I said...it was the never ending holiday!



Speaking of never ending, my mom sent what she refered to as "just a few little things for the kids" for Easter. I decided to wait until Sunday to put them out so that they still had a little something to celebrate on the actual day. When I opened the box the night before I almost peed myself. This is what my mom considers "a few things!"



I hope that the kids are not expecting the same treatment next year. This was over the top!

Georgia

Last week we flew across the country for a very special Spring Break. In a strange way we feel like we got to know long lost family. And even after hanging with the Mazotti family for a week they still decided to adopt us!

Here is the back story. Joe Martinez was our employee and friend for many years until last October when he suddenly passed away. Over the years we had never met his mother, Irene, or her husband, Alex. Although we sometimes had contact via phone and e-mail we never met in person...until Joe was in the ICU. An instant bond was formed that week. And after we all said goodbye to Joe at his memorial service we vowed that we would keep in touch, starting with spending our Spring Break 2013 in Fort Benning, GA.

Joe touched our lives in a way that I cannot fully describe either verbally or on paper. He continues to do this through the wonderful family that he left behind. We spent the week telling stories, sharing memories and having the time of our lives. Irene, Alex and Joe's brother Gabriel were the most amazing hosts. They went out of their way to plan fun activities, awesome accommodations and catered to our every desire. It was a trip that our family will never forget...and without this guy, we would have never experienced it!



The trip started at Fort Benning, GA, where Alex is stationed as a Major in the Army. I have never been on a military base before and it was WAY different than I imagined it would be. First off, it was HUGE. Secondly, the family housing was like being transported to Beaver Cleaver land. All of the houses were neatly placed on serene streets where the kids played together, without adult supervision, until the street lights came on. It was such a different life from the one we live in Albuquerque. We visited the Infantry museum, where we learned about all of the American wars, got to do the Black Hawk and Humvee simulators, and dressed the kids up as little soldiers.



We spent the majority of the week at Uchee Creek, which is located on the grounds of Fort Benning but on the Alabama side. I was under the impression that a week on the Chattahoochee River was going to be hot and we would be spending lots of time in the water. Which is probably why I packed more bathing suits than sweat pants. Boy was I wrong.



Other than the alligators (and yes we saw one) it was a super fun glamping spot. You know, camping luxuriously.



We still managed to keep it rugged with wine in plastic cups and our favorite family game...Ghettopoly!



Another reason why this trip was so special was because the kids got to experience many things for the first time.


1st Time Roasting and Eating S mores


1st Time at Legoland


1st Time Fishing


1st Time at Disney on Ice - Front Row!

The adults also had some firsts. We visited a Confederate solider cemetery where we saw rows and rows of Confederate flags. Definitely a new experience.



We also visited Centennial Park, located in Midtown Atlanta and the home of the 1996 Olympic Games. Tony actually attended the games that year so it was only a 1st for some of us!



I cannot say enough how much fun we had getting to know our new "family." We left with smiles on our faces as well as some heavy hearts. I was thrilled to have remembered that I had taken video of Joe back when we were auditioning for the trash hauling reality show. To be able to tell a mother that she will be able to hear her son's voice again...when she never thought it would be possible was an amazing feeling. And they gave us a gift too....Joe's NY Yankees hat that we immediately came home and hung by the front door. It's our way of saying that he will always have a place in our home.




Alex, Irene and Gabriel