Be Amazed

Dude received his very first and highly anticipated magic kit for Christmas this year.  He wasted no time breaking out his budding magician self.  Thanks to sweet Hunter for participating in our very first Vogelzang magic show.  Go ahead, see for yourself. Be amazed. Very amazed.

When you Send an 8 Year Old Mail...

When our son gets mail addressed to him, he takes it very seriously. So when he asked if he could call Sean at State Farm to ask about the Discount Double Check and request the $845 they mentioned in the letter addressed to him, how could we say no? Our apologies to the unsuspecting and very confused State Farm agent woman who took his call. I would suggest targeting your direct mail database a bit more accurately and remove all 8 year old children from your list.

This might be my very favorite video of our sweet son to date.  

Our Adoption Story Captured on Video

Our amazingly wonderful church recently completed a month long series called "Adopted."  As a part of this stunning series, they interviewed a few families from the church who have chosen adoption in their family stories.  We were blessed to be one of those chosen families.  A videographer and Charlie from the church staff arrived on a weekday night with lights, cameras, and action and produced the video below.  It rolled during a church service, where we viewed it for the first time. What did we think?  Awesomesauce.  So incredibly perfect in the way they depicted our family and our journey.  Thanks Platt Park Church.  

A Little Pre-Thanksgiving Santa

We took the kids to see the new Peanuts movie the day before Thanksgiving and decided to check in on the Santa line next door.  Empty.  Not a crying kid in sight.  So, despite the kids' fuzzy hair and disheveled outfits, we capitalized on the vacancy.  Santa, done.  Our local outdoor mall does Santa right.  His beard is the real deal.  And he's free.  And we can take our own pictures.  And he walks around the mall talking to little people.  And he ice skates.  Take THAT Santas who smell like gin and beef jerky and hire apathetic high schoolers to act as your money collecting elves.

 Santa asked for a farewell hug and they decided to embrace each other rather than Santa.  Good times for all of us.  Santa got quite the kick out of them.

  

A Day in the Life of this Sweet Dog

Our Enzo.  He is pure delight at our house.  Even when he digs through the kitchen trash and hides under the table all night in canine shame, we still can't resist his curly charm.  That's about the worst this sweet animal has ever done.  We lucked out in a big way.  Our two year old pup loves this new house of ours. There are so many cozy, light filled spaces for him to reside.  The kids adore Enzo Spiderman Medium, much to his chagrin a large percentage of the time.  They can't resist him, which means the poor guy is rarely left to his own devices.  Note, the first clip of the video.  The second clip of the video shows his cat-like behavior.  We turned on a dog show to illustrate his reaction to seeing fellow animals on the television screen.  It never gets old.

      

Don't worry.  His eyes are now visible.  It's a daily trim operation to keep that curly hair from covering his entire face.

Our Little Mama

I would kick myself some day if I didn't capture what a typical play session looks/sounds like for our little Squirt.  She is a natural born Mama. I wasn't sure I believed that was a real thing in a 4 year old until she existed.  Since birth this child has been nurturing, scolding, loving on, feeding, changing, teaching, transporting, and disciplining her multitude of baby dolls.  Their names change weekly, ages change daily and they're typically crying for the attention of their Mama.  My (Grandma's) care is never quite enough, so babysitting isn't an option.

 

Overflowing

The kids and I did a Thanksgiving tree Pinterest crafty deal this afternoon.  They had to cut out leaves and write things they're thankful for on them.  I anticipated "toys, family, chicken nuggets, tigers, magic powers, Enzo, XBox, etc. Instead Dude hauled out, "God being alive on the earth, heaven, myself, Awana, my Tourettes presentations....  Squirt mentioned toys, her scooter, learning about Jesus and God, Pre-K, and Enzo and Gulpy the fish.  I underestimate these little people.  Every day.  They remind me to view the world from the lens of their innocence and simplicity.  Bad doesn't feel so bad to them.  Bad fades so quickly.  And good feels magnificent.  Good doesn't fade quickly.  God is radically great and #1 on their thankful list, without question.  Squirt reminds me almost daily that she loves God more than she loves me.  Smart kid.

This Thanksgiving, I'm choosing to overflow.  These kids bring my cup to the overflowing status - when I allow them to.  It's so easy to grant myself permission to get annoyed and impatient with their antics and special needs and whining and pooping and crumbs.  I'm quick to snap and talk with my stern eyes.  The computer and phone dominate my attention so quickly, pulling me away from them. I stick to my agenda and fit them in where I can.  It's all me.  I allow my cup to stay stagnant at half full most days.  I don't look long enough when they're smirking at me and showing off their latest scribbled masterpiece.  I insist the dishwasher needs emptying before I can make my way to eat the plastic food she's cooked up for me.  I use the iPad as a babysitter so I can check off just one more item on my list.  I prevent my cup from overflowing most days.

Slowing down, parking my butt on the floor, looking them in the eye balls, tucking away the to do list in a drawer, whipping up a home cooked meal, saying "yes" when they ask me to play...those are the days I go to bed feeling accomplished.  Those are the days they don't annoy me and their charm is edible.  I want more of those days.

Here's hoping you see the edible charm, wherever it might come from in most of your days.  Happy Thanksgiving.            

Peace of Home Soft Launch

One of my besties, Dara, and I are kick starting an exciting new venture.  After renovating my new abode together and receiving a tempting offer to work with a local realtor, we decided to team up and launch an interior design, home organization, and staging business.  We’re proud to introduce Peace of Home.

Home design is our passion and we’re blessed to incorporate decorating, staging, and organization into others’ life stories.  We don’t aim to simply make spaces pretty.   Peace of Home connects to elements far deeper.  “Home” should be personal; an individualized dwelling place that creates warmth.  It should offer an anticipated retreat from our days.  In the midst of a non-stop world, our homes should calm us and encourage us to be still with those we love most.

The Peace of Home website will be up and running early December, but in the meantime we wanted to do a soft launch and start advertising our services and a special holiday package.  See below for more details.

ReDesign Package:  Two days. Your Decor. Refreshed Sense of Home.   $600

Are you on a limited budget, but would love to refresh your space into something that feels fresh and peaceful?  Are you happy with your decor, but aren’t sure what to do with it?  Let us transform your space and your belongings into something that feels like home.  We will spend five hours evaluating your space and decor and will draft a plan for redesigning your rooms.  We’ll return on the second five hour day to transform your house into a home.  If you wish to add decor or furniture items, we can shop within your budget for $80 per hour.  

Home for the Holidays Special:  Transform you home into a festive, holiday retreat.  $350

Do you have visions of transforming your home into a beautiful holiday retreat but don’t know where to start?  We will spend 6 hours in your home, incorporating your holiday decor into your living spaces.  When we leave, your home will truly feel like a holiday retreat.   If more than 6 hours or shopping services for new holiday decor are requested, we will bill at $80 per extra hour.      

Peace of Home Services: (offered at $80 per hour with a minimum of two hours billed)

Organizing:  Bedroom closets, Linen Closets, Pantry, Kitchen Cabinets, Built-ins, Bookshelves, Laundry Rooms, Offices and more...

Color Consultations:  Whole house, Front Door, Main Living Areas, Exterior, Furniture Reclamation

Design and Shopping:  Accessorizing, Furniture placement, Furniture/Decor, Storage Solutions

Staging Services:  Peace of Home believes a home that creates an inviting, calm first impression will stand out from the rest and will sell faster for a higher value.  Our focus is to create a lifestyle for buyers to experience as they tour the home.  Through intentional furniture placement, de-cluttering, attention to storage areas and possibly renting furniture and decor items, we will offer buyers the opportunity to “experience” the home from the moment they open the front door.

Call 720.503.8125 or email info@peaceofhomellc.com if you’d like to hire us to transform your home into the sanctuary you deserve.

Early November Highlights

Apparently my new blog format is to wrap up a whole lotta life in one post.  From Halloween to the week before Thanksgiving, here's what we've got!

We spent Halloween afternoon in the old hood at a party (Boris the friendly spider was the host).  We trick or treated for an hour in the new hood and then finished the night pulling our margarita wagon with old neighbor friends.  And of course we topped it all off with chili and mummy dogs and the Glassmans.  That's a tradition we love.  

 New neighborhood friends...we love our new surrounds.  

 They weren't home.  Note the sass.

 She had no clue who Raggedy Anne was, but I sure got a kick out of it.  Isn't she sweet?

 Whenever I get the opportunity to babysit this little man, I jump on it.  And I can never resist snapping his darling mugshot.  

 Happiness.  Furry furry happiness.

 Our first snowfall - crazy that it didn't happen until mid-November.  6 heavy inches!  Enzo was the highlight of this play fest.    

I don't know.

Our Brave Little Man

Our little man came home from school a couple weeks ago with a headache.  His newest tick involved a substantial amount of nodding his head and shaking it back and forth and his poor little head had enough.  On top of that, he talked about the teasing he endured that day as a result of the tick.  My heart broke for him and I longed to help him.  Of course, he rose to the occassion, which is just like him, and suggested we show our favorite YouTube video about Tourettes in his class. Brilliant.  He then agreed that it would be cool to write a mini speech about living with Tourettes and share his thoughts with his classmates. The teacher and principal were more than supportive of his idea and put it on the schedule.     

I joined my son in the front of the classroom for added comfort, which was not needed.  Well, I needed it, but he was just fine.  The video played and the kids were quiet as little mice as Dude finished the presentation.  He was smooth as silk.  I was immensely proud of him.  When he was finished, his wonderful teacher asked the students if they had questions.  That they did.  15 minutes of questions, all completely relevant and respectful.  Dude stood there and answered each one, calling on the next raised hand as he went along.

The adults in the room (principal, teacher, our dear friend Julie who teaches there and the school psychologist) were tearing up as different kids in the class talked about how Dude's Tourettes is just like their disability.  We talked about Epilepsy and Autism and kids learned a bit about what it's like to live with those conditions as well.  My heart overflowed for that 30 minutes.  It was all I could do to sit there composed as they all bonded over something that has been nothing but a struggle thus far for our little man.  One child said, "I love that I have a friend who's brain works funny like mine and I'm really glad we're friends."  That's just one sweet morsel that was shared...I could go on and on and on.  I walked away that day feeling confident that his presentation will draw him closer to his peers and allow for more understanding and kindness.  We needed that.

Tourettes is no walk in the park.  It ebbs and flows and changes almost daily.  Some days you hardly notice the ticks and others we want to shield him from the world and keep him home.  Despite how difficult it is for his little self to deal with Tourettes, his joy radiates through the frustration.  He's doing this presentation for his church school class on Sunday and has already asked to present to the entire school.  We told him yes, but one class at a time.  And I'll be present for each and every one.

Oh how we adore our little tickin' buddy.  Tourettes just makes us love him that much more.    

Fall Catch Up

This is my time.  My happiest time of the year.  Glory shines everywhere you go during this marvelous season and I can't hold back the sap when I'm talking about it.  Sorry.  We've had some outdoor adventures worth blogging about, but I'll let the photos do most of the talking.

We'll start with our last day on the bus before we moved (sad for Dude but mostly for me as I'm now a taxi driver to and from school).  There are worse things, I know.

Weekend trip (planned pre-move) to Estes Park YMCA with our dear Mc Cabes.  Tons of fun, despite the raunchy cabin our family got placed in.  Dara and Jeff's little abode was much nicer, so that was our saving grace.  The kids had a blast making themselves puke on the tire swing, mini golfing, learning how to go on secret elk mission, swimming, horse back riding and hardly sleeping.  

 It's Elk season, which means these giants were EVERYWHERE.  They woke us up one night rubbing their racks on the side of our cabin.  And the bugling they were doing was rather amazing.

 Dude has found quite the special friend in this kid.  He loves our little man for all the quirks that make him who he is and cheers at the chance to get together and play.

 Jeff has had quite a go with a severe ankle injury.  We're hoping he's on the mend, but it's been slow going.

Uh huh....

The next weekend, my parents came for a week long visit, which was heavenly.  I needed the excuse the relax and not spend every waking minute decorating and unpacking.  They helped a TON with playing with the monkeys and doing odd jobs around the new pad.  Sure wish we had them here regularly.

 Our new neighbors across the street are fabulous.  They have 4 year old twins for Squirt to spend her days with and this precious little 3 month old lamb that we adore stealing every once in a while.  

 Not a great shot, but I love the cozy couch times we're able to spend in this house.  

And the NEXT weekend we spent in Colorado Springs with Tim's mom and Grandpa Marc.  They stayed at the Broadmoor, a vacation in and of itself.  We hung there all day swimming, bowling, exploring, getting a massage (thank you Mom) and golfing for Tim.  We stayed overnight near by and we all spent Sunday eating decadent food and touring Cave of the Winds.  We loved our weekend.  Thanks again guys!

 Dude journaled as we walked around the Broadmoor...writing things like:  "Gaze at beautiful red pot.  Walk down royal stair case.  Drink Izee.  Check out cool car."  Love this kid.  

After much internal debate over how much they liked being stuck in a cave, the kids ultimately decided it was cool and worth the trip.

Moving on to Halloween (the first part of it).  Dude's classroom party was, as always, chaos and overstimulating.  I always make sure I'm there to monitor his ability to remain in good standing among the craze.  He did great, but I was certainly ready to hit the road.  

 Our amazing principal.  How awesome is she?  

As a reward day for the school's Run for Funds day, Dude got the chance to do THIS.  The principal was there to capture it and send it to me.  Smiles. 

Backtracking to my parents visit and our walk through Hudson Gardens...

Done.  Hope you're loving Fall as much as we are.