Family Night

Every Monday night we have family night. For some reason every Monday night it is a fight to get the little boys to sit still for 5 minutes and listen to a lesson. I know I am not the only person with this problem, but was kind of funny to watch Brian try to give a lesson last week, Aidan was trying to get to the top of the cupboard and Logan did not want to sit with Dad, Austin, Preston, and Carter were all over the room. It was a little entertaining, although Brain did not appreciate me taking pictures of the circus we call Family Night!!!

Sick Sunday

So I am home from church today with some little boys who threw up last night. I went out with my mom to look at furniture and see The Secret Life of Bees, which I loved!! When I called Brian to see how the night had gone he informed me that Preston and Aidan had thrown up, lovely, on the couch of course. So Brian, Austin and Carter went to church this morning and I am doing a quiet activity and playing on the computer. While browsing some of my favorite blogs and stumbled upon this little toy and I am in love. The site is in Japanese but is pretty self explanatory. It converts your pictures into vintage photos, so cool!!!

My Little Old Man

My little Carter is such a sweet little boy, I have said many times before that he is a very old soul trapped in a little boys body. It was the very first impression I had when I held little newborn Carter in my arms. At first I thought it was so strange to feel that this tiny baby was really a little old man but over the past five years that first impression really has shown itself more and more to be true. The other day Carter was having a discussion about how you go about finding a wife. Yes, Carter is only five but he really asks some very deep questions sometimes, the fluffy answers will not do, Carter wants specifics. So after we go through the whole "You go on a mission first" song and dance we told Carter that he will meet a lot of girls and he will just have to get to know them and see if they like the same things he does and have the same values, etc., etc......Carter "Yeah, Yeahed" all that and then was quiet for a moment and asked "Can you marry an old lady (sorry Grandmas) like Grandma Condie or Grandma Rosie?"...silence from the parents...then we told him it might be better if he married someone his own age. Carter was seriously a little disappointed, so hopefully when the time comes Carter can find an old soul like himself, trapped in a young body, and they can grow old together.

Go Meat!!!

GO MEAT!!!!
Preston has always been my best eater! By the time he was 18 months old he was already out eating Austin (which may not be saying too much since Austin has always been my worst eater). But Preston really can pack it away and I really do not know where it all goes since he is the smallest of all the boys (relative to age), but I never say that in front of Preston. My boys have always been meat lovers but Preston lately has been obsessed with meat. Every time we eat dinner he has to make sure there is some kind of meat and plenty of it. We went to dinner at some friends house a few weeks ago and they had some delicious, Italian sausage. Preston ate three and these were not little sausages they were full bratwurst size. He loved them so much they sent a Ziploc bag full of sausage home with Preston. Needless to say Preston may have over indulged and threw up that night. So now we remind Preston when he is going to town on the meat, to take it easy so we don't throw up again. Preston would probably eat a whole roast if we let him. He does have strange taste, loves meat, but it has taken him about 7 years to learn to like rice or potatoes.

Another plus for today, I found half a box of See's candy that I bought last week and then completely forgot about. Forget the meat, I go for chocolate!!!

The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Have you ever had one of these days? I try not to have them very often, which some days requires a bit of mind control, but today I am letting it be one of those days!

So excuse my venting, my home has been a bit crazy the last couple of weeks. Brian working from home is taking some getting used to, but mostly I just need to get organized again and get back into my routine. Also, I have been a little bugged by the fact that we do not have an office so we are trying to make do in our very limited space. Brian really has been a trooper and has worked out of the chair in our bedroom or Logan's room for the past couple of weeks. But the lack of a place to put all of the stuff that comes with having Brian's office at home is driving me crazy. For the past two weeks I have been searching for a computer armoire to put Brian's office in and out of sight when he is not working. I searched and searched and thought that I had finally found the perfect piece, a little more than I wanted to pay but it seemed perfect so I convinced Brian that we should get it. Three days and many hours later the computer armoire is packed up and ready to be sent back!!! Mainly because once we got all the pieces out we realized it was all particle board and laminate wood. Not very sturdy and a huge ripe off since we paid many 100's (and not just a couple) for the thing (hence the reason it was so hard for me to convince Brian that this was the right piece in the first place).

Anyway, sorry for the vent, lessons learned: I will never by particle board or laminated wood furniture again!

So now my quest once again begins to find the right piece of SOLID WOOD office furniture that Brian and I will both be happy with. I have learned my lesson and will be patient until the perfect piece is found. So if any of you know a wonderful place to buy SOLID WOOD furniture, let me know:) OK, I feel better now!

Winds of Change

There have been some winds of change in the Condie home the last couple of weeks. What is this change? It is Brian getting a new job, which we are very grateful for. Brian decided to leave CIGNA (Great West) and pursue a new and promising opportunity. He is very excited and so am I. But the biggest change of all, he gets to work from home! Now this has thrown my world into some turmoil. I know some people would be overjoyed to have their husband be working from home, me on the other hand looked at it with some dread. For our whole married life we have sent Brian off to work every morning and then done our own thing for the rest of the day. I like this arrangement and I am sure most of you know when you throw Dad into the normal routine, the normal routine is thrown out the window. So we had to make some rules:

1. I won't bother Brian during the day and he won't bother me. Meaning I don't want Brian asking me where I am going and what I am doing every time I leave the house and I will do the same for Brian.

2. While Brian is working he is not allowed to come out of his "office" when he hears children screaming and ask "What is going on here?!" He just has to pretend we are not here, just like we have to pretend that he is not home.

3. He has to "go out to lunch" at least once a week, with someone not in our family. This is mostly for my benefit because in my mind if I had to work from home (other than as a mother, of course) it would drive me crazy.

4. Brian has to shave and get "dressed" every day, once again this is mostly for me because I liked him shaved and if it were up to Brian he would never shave and wear sweats every day.

5. Brian is usually gone by the time the rest of the house wakes up and this works well for me, so he must go and work out every morning while I get the boys ready for school, I think this will keep both of us sane.

I really do love Brian, don't get me wrong, I just like my space. And of course there is always the exception to the rule if it works in my favor:)

So this is where we are, Brian working from home, Mom getting used to the idea which does have it perks. I can let the little baby sleep in his crib more instead of living in his car seat. I can also run a quick kid pick up or drop off while the older, self sufficient children entertain themselves. Dad is "home", even if he does not leave his "office" to check on the children we are not breaking any laws here:) He can go on field trips with the boys, or I can take Aidan on his field trips without worrying about being home in time to take Carter to afternoon Kindergarten. OK, I am still trying to convince myself that this is a good thing, ask me in a month, we will see!

Also I am breaking on of the cardinal Condie rules by writing about Brian on the blog. Brian requested when I started the blog that I can mention him in passing but he did not want to be the MAIN subject of any posts. I expect you may be hearing more about him, since he will be part of our daily lives just a little bit more.

1st Cheesy Field Trip

Aidan had his first preschool field trip a couple of weeks ago, we got to go to the always fabulous Chuck E. Cheese! This is about the one and only time a year we ever venture to that cheesy wonderland. This was Aidan's first trip to Chuck E. Cheese and he didn't quite grasp the concept of playing the games or riding rides. Aidan ran around putting tokens in every game he could get his hands on and then he would run off to the next game, leaving Mom to play and win tickets:) Aidan loved the slide and play place.
And did not have so much fun riding the rides.
But Mom was mean and made him ride one ride for more than 3 seconds.
Aidan is also screaming because I told him it was time to do that terrible thing he hates to do...eat! It was much more fun to throw tokens in games than have to sit with his friends and eat. It is always fun to spend one on one time with the little boy and see his personality come out more and more every day. I sure can't wait till we go there again....next year of course! ;)

Decluttering!!

My parents moved this past weekend, out of the house I lived in from the time I was 12. They were ready to downsize and move on. I finally took my boxes full of all the things that I thought were so important. It is funny how the older you get those valentines from 1st grade don't seem as important as they used to. I weeded though all the "very important" things I have saved from the past 30 something years and got 7 boxes down to 2. Some things I saved for that little girl, who never came, the little boys were not impressed with my Strawberry Shortcake collection, or the old Cabbage Patch dolls!

It was time for all the notes from middle and high school, although entertaining, to move on. But I did have to save some of the notes from my BFFIC:) Some things were thrown away so my posterity does not find out how silly I was in those growing up years. Although I did save many of my college pictures so I can remember how skinny I used to be, so my posterity can remember that too;) I think those college days were some of the best days of my former life, before motherhood of course.

Ahh to reminisce, but I think it was pretty easy for me too get rid of some of that stuff because I am so happy and content with my life right now, I feel less need to hold on to my past, I am enjoying looking forward to my future with these little boys!

Cheesy Tortilla Soup

OK here is the requested recipe. I got the original recipe from Taste of Home Halloween Food & Fun but I modified it a little so here is the modified version. I usually double the recipe for a crowd, I have made it two times in the past month and both times we have been scrapping the pan it is so good. Hope you enjoy!

CHEESY TORTILLA SOUP

• 1 envelope chicken fajita seasoning mix
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast diced
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 2 cans (14 1/2 oz each) chicken broth
• 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
• 2 4oz cans diced green chilies
• 1 cup cubed Velveeta
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 1/2 cup half and half cream
• Tortilla chips

Prepare fajita mix according to package directions; add chicken and marinate as directed, in a large skillet, cook chicken in oil until juices run clear; set aside.

In a large saucepan, saute onion in butter until tender. Stir in the flour until blended. Gradually stir in broth. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Add the tomatoes , chilies, Velveeta and Monterey Jack cheese; cook and stir until cheese is melted. Stir in cream and chicken; heat through (do not boil). Garnish with cheese, and tortilla chips.

The Party!!!

We had Aidan's birthday party Monday night. Grandma and Grandpa's joined us and so did Uncle Michael and cousins Aris and Athena. We missed Cristina who had to work and Nick and Brynn who were not allowed to leave their house because of a police barricade and a garage fire at their neighbor's house:( We had yummy tortilla cheese soup, which was a hit with everyone adult and child alike. Chips, salad and sparkling lemonade rounded out the birthday menu.Aidan complaining because his soup was too hot, but Dad came to the rescue (see above)!! Then we opened presents, this is when Aidan finally realized all this fuss was for him. He loved the cars and police station Michael and Aris gave him.Mom and Dad gave him a garbage truck. Yes, a garbage truck and it has been a hit. Aidan only wants to play with his truck, not eat or sleep, just play. It is pretty cool, the little trash can attaches to the truck and then is dumped out into the back of the truck by lifting a lever.
Grandpa and Grandma Robles gave Aidan Toy Story 2!! Aidan was thrilled and then mad because he was told he could not watch it right away. He could not even be distracted by the $ that he got from Grandma and Grandpa Condie, which we will have to use on a fun Toy Story toy.
Then we had cup cakes and sang Happy Birthday! While the big brothers tried to play with Aidan's new toys, which Aidan quickly stopped.Then Aidan was told it was time for bed (that went over real well)!
Fun was had by all, one more birthday party checked off the list!!

Hello 3!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AIDAN!!!Aidan is three!!! Good Morning Birthday boy! Aidan has had his little blue blanket since he was a baby and now we cannot go to bed unless we have it.
Birthday lunch with Carter. Every time we pass McDonald's Aidan says "Happy Meal Mommy, peas (please), peas, peas!!!!! So for his birthday I gave in.

I cannot believe this little boy is three. It really does seem like he was just born. He has been such a fun, happy, little boy. Aidan loves life and has really grown up in the last few months. He has been a late talker and really started talking just within the last couple of months, but now his personality is just exploding from his mouth, he makes us laugh every day. He still loves his Mom the most and I love that. Right now we are obsessed with Buzz and Woody and Aidan screams every time he has to unglue himself from Toy Story to do something crazy, like eat a meal!!! Aidan stays up after his three older brothers go to bed, this is because Aidan is still full of energy at 8PM. Aidan gets to hang out with Mom and Dad which is fun, we get to spend a little one on one time with the little boy.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AIDAN!!!! WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!!

Devil's Head

Last Saturday we went here: We hiked up Devil's Head as a family. The boys loved it, this is totally their element, outside, climbing rocks and running up hills. The hike up kicked Mom's butt, carrying a 15 pound baby up the mountain was no easy task. But we did it!!!

Of course this is what the angle baby spent most of his time doing, he did wake up for a moment when we got to the top so he could see....this!!! Yes, after the climb up to the top of the mountain you are greeted by 100 and something stairs up to the fire look out station. Needless to say, Mom and Logan opted not to climb the stairs to see the view. Brian and all the boys climbed the stairs to the top. The stay at the top was cut short, due to the fact that Aidan is a wild man with no fear of height and was making Brian nervous as he would run full force toward the edge of the cliff. We all had a really good time, the boys love climbing the rocks and seeing how high they can get. Colorado is an awesome place for these boys to grow up, there is so much to do and see it is fun as they get older to see them enjoy hiking and the outdoors like I did while I was growing up.
Even little Aidan walked almost the whole way. Dad carried him up a little but he walked down the whole way with Mom, he impressed many a hiker that day when they found out he was still just 2 (a couple of days away from 3)! He did decide that Mom should carry his backpack for him:)My little man Carter had fun too, although what is a family outing without a little pout from Carter. He was mad because his brothers were climbing some pretty big rocks and those little 5 year old legs were not quite long enough to get him up as high as his brothers were. The picture is a little blurry because Carter hiked way up ahead of us on the trail and then stopped to pout so I had to zoom in pretty good to get a picture of that cute little face!