Fiesta Bowl...

Matt and I started out 2013 by traveling to sunny Arizona to watch our Wildcats in the Fiesta Bowl.  The night before we left, it was -4 degrees in Iowa.  Needless to say, we were anxious to get to sunnier skies and a warmer climate!

The highs were only in the 60's which was apparently "cold" to the natives! Our car rental helper even had gloves on as he handed us the keys to our bright cherry-red convertible (only one of those things is true...!)

We stayed at a resort in Scottsdale and I must say that Matt did an EXCELLENT job booking this one! Since it was still close to Christmas, the palm trees and orange trees were still lit up with beautiful lights along the driveway as we pulled in.

We had a chance to explore Old Town Scottsdale for a few hours before the game and I made my poor husband take a picture next to a cactus. . . we did not notice the STOP sign until afterwards - oh well! Then we were off to the game.

K-State fans were EVERYWHERE and I haven't had that much fun tailgating in a long time!

And even though the game ended up as a total bust for our Wildcats, we had a great time getting away together. . . with 50,000 of our closest friends!

Where does the time go ?

We've had something going most days since Christmas so blogging was the thing that had to go by the wayside for awhile...hoping to catch up now!

My baby boy turned 2 over two weeks ago already!!!  And while the terrible twos are actually in full swing this time around (Ben was easier when he turned two), Cooper is so fun to be around most days! 

We started the big day with a traditional birthday boy breakfast...cinnamon rolls!  It was a busy day overall as we had an extra 2 year old boy I watch on Thursdays, Ben had preschool and I had MOPS.  But being the crazy mom I am, when a friend invited us out to Culvers for lunch...I said yes!  It was four moms and six kids. . . and half of them came with me! 

"I'm TWO"

We then continued another tradition of a having an outdoor "birthday shoot". Last year it was gorgeous outside, this year,there was snow on the ground and it was a bit cooler.  But we only stayed out a few minutes and got a few cute shots!

1st Birthday Shoot - 2012

Luckily everyone took naps that afternoon!  I had also decided that since Matt was gone on a road trip that week that it was up to me to do something special that night since we weren't having the party until the weekend, so. . . I took my boys swimming at our All Seasons Center. (no pictures of this. . . was busy enough making sure two little boys stayed afloat!)

From swimming suits we put on PJs and then came home and enjoyed some yummy cookies for our birthday dessert!

That Saturday we had a small Curious George birthday party with our best friends and just had an enjoyable evening celebrating our two year old! Yes. . . that cake is supposed to be a monkey face, it just didn't turn out quite like the picture I found online.  The cake actually looked more like Cooper than Curious George - oh well!

All in all it was a memorable day.

Preparing for Christmas

Wow!  Apparently we've been a bit busy since Thanksgiving!  One could argue that preparing for such a special holiday takes a lot of time, thoughtfulness and self-reflection. I wish I could say that is why we have been too busy to write.  I feel as though this year we have done a better job at remembering the real reason for this season and I hope to continue to be more intentional about this. 

Ben has definitely realized what Christmas is supposed to be about this year.  Much of this is due to being in Sunday school and a very Christian-based preschool a few days a week. They do an awesome job of bringing Jesus to the center of all things and because of this, Ben and I have had some great conversations . . . some that not many 4-year olds would be prepared for! What a blessing to have my little man know all about God and Jesus and how much we are loved by our Heavenly Father!

Sunday School program

And while Christmas is not all about the tree, presents and Santa, it sure is fun to see the excitement in Cooper's eyes anytime our tree lights turn on and the room is aglow with those tiny white lights!  This year will be so much fun with him and I'm so blessed to get to see the magic of Christmastime unfold through his eyes!



Helping Mom make sugar cookies!

And while last year we did not have our "White Christmas" it is looking like the snow that is here is here to stay for awhile. . . especially with our single-digit temperatures for the next few days! We were able to get out in it last week before the wind chill dropped too much!

Getting ready to gang up on Mom and throw some snowballs

We also realize that the "controversy" of Santa is one that many parents deal with.  To us, Santa is the physical reminder of all the magic of Christmas.  Waiting in line to see Santa helps build the fun anticipation that many of us remember as children and I don't think I am any worse for the wear!  Leaving Christmas cookies and then racing down the next morning to see if they've been consumed is just a fun tradition (and a good way for Mom and Dad to have some guilt-free goodies!)

Most of all, Santa is there to help us remember that it is okay to be young and believe in things that we don't always see.  Sounds a little familiar eh?!  Jesus IS the real reason for the season and even though we can't see him, that doesn't mean we don't believe!!! And while the magic of Santa Claus will one day be gone, our Saviour is always with us; and that is one thing we hope our children do not leave behind!



MERRY CHRISTMAS from the Bartletts





Santa's little helpers

After being gone for 5 days for Thanksgiving, I was so excited to get home and get my Christmas decorations out!  Matt does not "allow" me to put them out until after Thanksgiving so the  first opportunity I get, I am dragging Rubbermaid containers out of storage and ready to blast Celine Dion's Christmas album while making our home into a Christmas Wonderland!  This year, I had two VERY eager helpers when it came time to decorate the tree.  Now, the OCD part of me is still having issues with all of our ornaments hanging from the bottom half of our tree but the mother in me knows that this is the way it goes and I wouldn't dare dash their pride in how their tree looks this year!

After the decorating was done, the Santa hat went on . . . so did the "cheese"

Luckily my boys aren't afraid to ham it up a bit for the camera! 

This Christmas is going to be the best yet!!!

To Photograph or Not?

Lately I've been thinking about trying some amature photography.  I have a friend who sent me some information about an online class that she recently took and it has me intrigued.  But...do I have the eye for it or not?  I absolutely LOVE taking pictures of my boys and fiddling with them until I get exactly what I want. The down side is that it usually takes me a good hour and 150 clicks of the camera until I find 3 or 4 that I can actually use. Now, part of this could just be my boys.  They are so tired of their mom always taking pictures that they don't even try and look nice for the camera anymore!

Exhibit A:

 Ben has a mean stink-eye.  And he tends to pull it out towards the end of picture taking - this time was no exception!  I took the boys down to Sandy Hollow campground which is within walking distance of our house.  It was an usually nice November afternoon last week so I took full advantage of the warmer temperature and sunny skies. 

 Our "photography session" lasted about an hour and it was mostly just walking around, looking for good photo opportunities!  And just when I thought I had one, Ben would have his tongue hanging out (above) or a misplaced arm would be across a brother's face (below).

But then . . . the stars would align, and I would click at the exact right time and catch something like this one; and it would make the whole afternoon worth it!

And all I've done so far with these amature pictures is change the lighting and color on a few of them. Just think if I really knew what I was doing?!  Something to think about, I know I sure have!