Over the River and Through The Woods......

and then maybe some more rivers, a few more woods, several highways....to Grandmother's (and Grandfather's) house we go!!!!

Tomorrow we're heading to St. George for the Holidays! We can't wait! We'll be there for 3 weeks. This time will be a little different in that we're renting a house and Grandma Mickey will be joining us. We get to spend the Holidays with BOTH Grandmas at the same time. Of course we'll be loving on Grandpa Pat as well.

Brace yourselves Grandmas (and Grandpa)! I hope you're ready for us............





Here the boys are a year ago (almost to the day) on the eve of your journey to Utah. So much has changed but one thing has not. I STILL tend to put off packing until the very last minute.

As much as I dread the car ride, I am soooooooooo glad I'm not flying alone with these two this year!

Cocoa Talk

A little coffee cocoa talk with Cooper.........

Cocoa Talk from A Mendonca on Vimeo.

Coop'nCruz'isms

Here are some of my favorite 'isms as of late........

Coop

Hardwork Store: sometimes known as DIY store, sells household hardware. When you live in a small town, you call it a Hardware Store because Lowes and Home Depot aren't available choices. And yes, after returning from such a store, usually Hardwork is involved. It totally makes sense.

Hospibble: is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. An added bonus.....when you drive by a hospibble you can usually guarantee an AMBULANCE sighting! Even better, if you go inside a hospibble often an ELEVATOR ride is in your future. If you later find out that the doctor's office is on the main floor and you've been promised an elevator ride as a trade off for visiting the doctor, an elevator ride must still happen. Try not to look too obvious after you've finished your appointment and head straight to the elevator for said ride rather than heading out the front door.


Cruz

Although Cruz isn't saying much yet, I am amazed at how much he truly understands. Best of all, I can put him to work and have him retrieve something for me when I'm feeling lazy and just want to sit on the couch eating bon bons. The statement "Cruz, go find Mommy a......." has turned into a great distraction for him.

Words he does say: DaDa (no MaMa yet), HI!, DU (duck) and NO! He uses the word NO! when speaking to the dogs. To him, NO! means dog. Poor doggies. I guess he's used to us telling them NO! all the time.

He's also learning his animal sounds. It goes a little something like this.................

US: Cruz, what does the dinosaur say?

Cruz: RAaaaaaa! (spoken in the cutest little raspy roar sound)

US: What does the lion say?

Cruz: RAaaaaaaa!

US: What does the doggie say?

Cruz: RAaaaaaa!

US: What does the duck say?

Cruz: RAaaaaaa!

US: What does the kitty say?

Cruz: RAaaaaaa!

You get the idea...........

Doggiedeer

Now, Dasher! Now, Dancer! Now, Prancer, and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, Donner and Blitzen!...............

On, Kokanee! On, Targhee too!

"Seriously, lady? Didn't you get the memo that we don't fly? You're confusing the children!"

Poor doggies........

Stood Up

It finally happened! My dear husband stood me up. Here's how it all went down;

Mark came home yesterday afternoon for lunch and suggested we have a Family TGIF celebration at the local watering hole/hangout down the street called, The Rock. It's where the locals (especially Parkies) hang out after work. I said sure, let's see how the rest of the day goes. The rest of the day turned a little cuckoo. I'll spare you with the boring details. Let's just say I was frazzled and ready for an adult beverage when Mark got home from work. I must have looked like I needed a break because he immediately suggested I head down The Rock early and he and the boys would meet me a little later. It felt weird. I immediately kicked into Mommy mode worrying whether or not Mark would be bringing snacks and sippy cups or if should I bring them with me? Because that is what a Mom worries about before heading out on a Friday night. It's all about snacks and choosing an arsenal of entertainment to ensure a peaceful dining experience. It's never about what shoes to wear or what outfit looks hot. Those are all concerns of the past. Mark pretty much shoved me out the door and told me he was all over it.

So down to The Rock I went. Feeling awkward and a bit off my game. It had been awhile since I walked into a bar (really not knowing a soul) and tried to be chummy with people. But I did it. Unbeknownst to me, Mark called the bar and asked the bartender to flag down one of his fire buddies. He asked him to watch for me and hook me up with "my dates". Apparently, Mark talked to some girls earlier in the day that mentioned they were heading to The Rock after work. He told them he wanted me to meet them. I guess that's where the scheming began. It was a total set up!

I walked in, Mark's buddy met me at the door and whisked me off to a table where my girl "dates" were waiting. I did my best to NOT talk about my kids and before long (after the initial introductions) we were yapping it up and having ADULT conversations. It didn't take long to figure out that my family would not be joining me for dinner. Within minutes I received a text from Mark that read:

"Go ahead and eat without us."

The jig was up. My sneaky husband was trying to play match maker and introduce me to some friends. I know for a fact that there is no way I would have headed down to The Rock by myself on a Friday night without my family. After ordering my food, I received another text that read:

"Have fun. Be yourself and don't just talk about the kids.

Stay out as late as you want."

He gave me some pretty solid dating advice and I took it. I might have mentioned my kids in conversation a little bit but how could I not? All in all, it was a pretty awesome first date. I even got some digits! I think this means that my dear husband has officially released me back into the dating world. He's my own personal Chuck Woolery. If you had to google who Chuck Woolery is then I am much older (and nerdier) than you are.

Coach Coop

An arctic blast is heading our way tomorrow. Ooooohhhh! It sounds so chilly doesn't it? Today was definitely the calm before the storm. I decided we better head out and enjoy some outdoor time while we can. So we took a jog around the neighborhood with a little pit stop (read: excuse to stop and catch my breath) at Mark's office.

In order to make it enticing for Cooper to "run" with me, I ask if he'll please be my coach. Then he's all over it and happy to climb aboard.

His idea of coaching .......

'RUN MOMMY! RUUUNNNN! FASTER! Now roar like a siren and pretend you're a fire truck!' All while I'm trying to run, push, not break a hip or cough up a lung. But hey, it's nice to have some encouragement. I'm enjoying our stroller rides right now as I'm thinking our stroller days may be numbered for awhile (thanks to Jack Frost).

Check out that sky!

Scones

I have moved on (in defeat) from my pumpkin pushing efforts. It became clear that I had to as my pumpkin treats sat (untouched) taunting me with their little voices saying 'eat me.... you know you want to'. Yes pumpkin goodies, I do want to.....but BACK OFF! I just can't go at this alone even with the help of Little C.

Now I'm pushing cranberries. Pumpkin is soooooooooo four days ago ;)

Cranberry Orange Scones

I won't be turning this into a cooking blog because I can hardly classify myself as a "cook". I am a self proclaimed FollowDirectionsAndReadRecipes'er. I follow several cooking blogs and have downloaded quite a few recipe apps. I'm working my way towards becoming a cook.......one recipe at a time. Call it boredom but I'm actually enjoying it! I think C&C are as well.

ThankFULL

We have been enjoying our 4 day Thanksgiving Weekend doing the typical Thanksgiving'y type things one would expect. It has been mellow and full of nothing overly exciting or spectacular. Mainly we've been enjoying family time and spending time together. After so many months apart this past year, I am definitely most thankful for our time TOGETHER.


We spent Thanksgiving Day with Mark's boss and his family. It was so nice of them to include us and it was great to spend time with them and their kids. Coop and Cruz had a blast.

The rest of the weekend (so far) has been spent cooking, baking and watching football. We decided to cook a Thanksgiving feast on Friday. Mainly so we could enjoy the leftovers and continue to gorge ourselves throughout the rest of the weekend. We've been doing an excellent job in the gorging department.

We hope all of our friends and family had a wonderful Thansgiving!

Gobble

Coop learned a new trick during storytime at the library this week. He can make a turkey with his hands and he thinks it's pretty cool.

Try it....it is pretty cool!

Chef

I've been on a quest this weekend to bake pumpkin treats and convince the rest of my family that they should love everything pumpkin as much as I do. So far, Cruz seems to be the only other member besides myself on Team Pumpkin. Thanks, Cruz! I'm so glad you can feel the pumpkin love. Just for that, you get another treat........

Truth be told....Cruz would eat an old shoe smothered in pumpkin as he eats just about anything you put in front of him. It is still possible that for the rest of my life, I will be baking pumpkin-y treats for me, myself and I only. Can I get a little pity here?

Cruz loves to help out in the kitchen. While I was prepping the turkey, he decided he would whip up a little something himself. From the looks of the picture below, I think he was hoping for a Thanksgiving Duck.

Hmmmm...it needs a little more salt.

Decorate

We've had some little helpers with the Christmas decorating this year.

Parade

Last night we decided to check out The Estes Park Christmas Light Parade. Luckily for us, it started at 5:30pm and since we had an early day after Thanksgiving feast, we decided there was no excuse not to give it a try. We bundled the boys in their snow gear, filled some thermoses full of warm drinks and ventured out into the snowy darkness. It started snowing pretty hard as we left the house so we thought for sure we'd be coming back home very soon.


The town was packed! Duh! I guess we didn't think that everyone else in town would think it was a great idea too. We meandered through the traffic, parked the car what seemed like miles away and started our roll (with the wagon) to Main Street.

The boys were ready and rarin' to go and we could hear the firetrucks announcing the start of the parade. And then the famous ESTES PARK WIND that everyone keeps warning us about kicked in. It was blowing snow sideways and pelting us in our faces. By that point we were pretty far from where we parked so we decided we needed to make our move. Stay vs. Go. We decided to abort the mission and head back to the car -----insert Debbie Downer whonk-whonk-waaaaaaaahh noise here----. Cooper was not happy about this decision at all. We made the mistake of talking up the parade before hand and might have mentioned something about a man in a red suit being the grand finale.

As we were heading back to the car (and Cooper was crying) we decided to hunker down under an awning and take cover to see if perhaps the wind would let up. We had our blankets and cover and the boys didn't seem to mind a bit. We figured we'd give it a few minutes and then Mark would run and get the car (if need be) while The Woman and Children stayed warm and dry.

Well, the man in the red suit must have played his cards right because low and behold the wind disappeared and the blowing ice/snow went away just like that. It was an early Christmas Miracle. Cooper got to see the big fat guy (Whooooo Hoooo!!! Or in this case, HoHoHoooooo!) and Cruz was all about the horsies.

In the end, it all worked out beautifully and fun was had by all. The (phone) pictures we took are horrible. It was dark, there were lots of floats followed by lots of oooohhhs and ahhhhs. I'm sure you get the idea........

He is having fun. I promise.

Sadly, we don't have any pictures of the man in the red suit. But I'm sure you have a visual. There was far too much excitement for a photo op at that point.

Shiner

Poor Cruz got his first shiner on Sunday. He fell and hit the side of the coffee table. Luckily, it just missed his eye and after a struggle to keep him still in order to ice it, he bounced back pretty quickly.

I'm afraid this is the first shiner of many in this kid's future. Just as I thought, we have Cautious Coop and Crazy Cruz. Unlike his big bro, this kid has no fear and is quite the little bruiser. I reeaaaalllly, REALLY hope these two balance each other out. Cruz can be the one to push one another and take chances and Coop can be the one to sit back and make sure they're making the best decision. A mother can only dream as I guess it's a tad early to make such predictions..............

Change of Pace

She's baaaaaack!

I went from this............

to this........

But it was worth the trade off to come back to this.......

and this..........

(Mark too but he didn't take any cute pictures of himself while I was gone).

I had a great time. I enjoyed the change of pace and aside from spending time working at the hospitality desk, I managed to enjoy the company of great friends, ate fabulous food, sampled some tasty cerveza and tequila, got my shop on and relaxed by the pool. Just what the doctor ordered!

Mark and the boys survived just fine without me. There was never a doubt about that. Truly, I think the little Mommy hiatus was good for all. In the six nights I was gone, Cruz turned into a full time walkin' (FINALLY!)/sleep through the night (KNOCK ON WOOD)/fully weened (SNIFF, SNIFF) baby. Just. like. that. I pumped while I was gone as much as I could with the anticipation that I would have to catch up when I got home. But Cruz seems to be fine without Mama's Milk now. As much as I thought I was prepared to say good-bye to my nursing days, I was a little sad (okay, A LOT sad) that those days ended so abruptly. Oh well, that's what I get for sneaking away. Cruz now says "Hasta la vista boobies!!!!" And now I must accept it and be thankful that we didn't have a hard time transitioning.

Mama's home with proof that life goes on without her........I'm okay with that............Really, I am. Now I must do some smothering and hovering :)

Hasta La Vista Babies

Mama is off to Mexico (pronounced Me---Heeeeeeee--Koh, with an extra squee of excitement while doing a la cucaracha dance)!!!! I'm heading to Playa Del Carmen tomorrow to help with a group and wear my travel agent hat once again. Can you tell I'm a little bit excited? I look forward to a little break as I take care of people in a different way (kissing butts instead of wiping butts). Plus I can't wait to work with two of my favorite people!!!

I'll be gone for 6 nights (5 nights in MeHeeeeKoh and 1 night at a Denver airport hotel since I have to be at the airport to meet the group at 4am!!)

The boys are going to have a blast having Dad all to themselves without any Mommy interference. I just hope they don't get too comfortable without me. Because I will be coming back anxious to smooch their sweet faces (Mark included in that comment obviously)! In the meantime, you can find me here. Most of my time will be spent at a hospitality desk but it will be fantabulous nonetheless.

Trick or Treat

We celebrated Halloween evening downtown. Estes Park closes off main street and all the local shops invite one and all for trick or treating fun. I guess they figure it's hard to go door-to-door for trick or treating in the mountains. It was fun and a great way to experience trick or treating for the first time. Not to mention, we had a great view of awesome costumes as people strutted their stuff for all to see.

Cruz, The Chicken

(poor little guy gets the repeat costume)

Cooper, The Dragon

(His request)

Chicken & Dragon Burrito

(It was getting kind of chilly)

Pumpkin Time

I might have gone a little crazy with the pictures yesterday. What can I say, it was just one of those days where the stars and planets were all aligned and our kid karma was totally working for us. Without sounding all Pollyanna'ish, yesterday was pretty close to perfect. No major meltdowns (by Mom, 3 yr olds or babies) and it was full of fun. Just what we needed because believe you me, not all our days are full of fun. Most of those days, I chose not to blog about, but they are most definitely present. Yesterday just happened to not be one of those days.

Oooooh, Gooooooo! Not so much a fan.

Cruz was all about the gooooooo.

Bat boy.

The finished products (with a scary monster behind them).

Sled

What's the next logical thing to do after hitting the pumpkin patch?..........Sledding of course. Snow is melting.....must get our sled on!!!