Zoo

Alright... so its been a while since any thing has been posted. As always with me.

So here is a little something for all of y'all who need some lovin' from the Wests!
I don't know if you have ever had the chance to go to the Colorado Springs Zoo. But If you haven't, and you are thinking about going. Be prepared to HIKE! Everything is up hill. And I mean everything!

We did see a lot while we were up there.

And this waterfall was in with the Tiger. It was So calming I could have fallen asleep .. easy to do when you have small children :)

We got to ride the Carousel.. And it was super old school! Olivia was a little scared at first, but by the end of it she didn't want me to hold her any more. It started going really fast, I thought that we were going to fly right off. Not good when your baby is pushing your hands away and trying to stand "all by self"



The kids were able to go to the petting part of the zoo, and got to ride a real Zebra! It was totally AWESOME!!





...Until it Died..

Just kidding this is a fake dead Zebra

If you are a Fan of Giraffes you Have To come here! They have a large area just for them. You can walk up to giraffes and Feed them Crackers!

Owen had a lot of fun doing this! He still talks about feeding them and wanting to go back so that he can give them their food! :)

Olivia... not so much, she liked them.. but from far off. :)

We had a great but long day at the Zoo.. :) there will be more to come, but It will have to wait for later..

Here is a little pic of a cake that I made for Al, and I didn't want it on this post, but for some reason ... I cant figure out how to remove it. So Ladies and Gentlemen.. A Chocolate cake!

The birthday party was a success!

So Saturday was a very busy day. We had family and friends coming over for Olivia's 2nd birthday party. Very exciting time, but I was not prepared for it in the least :(

Al was working that morning and would not be home till 1:00 and the birthday party was meant to start at 2:00

I had a bad start to the day. I slept through My alarm and was woken up by the kids, which meant... NO SHOWER... eew! and then there was no food on the house to feed the kids. So what dose any loving mother do? we go to McDonald's! and on our way back we have to stop off at the grocery store to grab ingredients for the cake. (which has not been completed at this point)

We get home and its already 11:00 the house is a mess the cake is not ready yet, I need to decorate the cake, and to top it all off .. my kids are cranky!

I get the kids into bed and start cleaning the house. then get it all decorated (with balloons and pink things) and then its time to work on the cake... I look up at the clock and its 1:30 and Al has not shown up yet with the the pizzas the kids are starting to wake up and I am still wearing grubby clothes!!! right now I am about to have a heart attack, because I know that people are going to start showing up soon!!

Luckily Al shortly arrives, pops the pizza in the oven (take-n-bake) and starts helping me clean up my messy kitchen. I finish putting the last flower on her cake when 1:55 rolls around. I run into our bathroom to make my self presentable. And I finish at 2:05!

The cake turned out well ... I think :)

And Olivia had a wonderful birthday! Thank you to all that came over and gave my baby a sweet birthday party to remember! :)

...phew!...

BIG CUTS!!

So if you hadn't noticed, my hair is pretty LONG.. so as tradition goes, I cut it off when it gets too long and I donate it. This is my third time doing the chopper!

And let me tell you... it doesnt get any easier with "experience"

Luckily I was in very good hands this time around. My sister Emily, who is fantastic at hair, did a great job! I think her favorite part was cutting that big tail off my head. :) I almost chickened out and just kept the hair, but then I went to the locks of love website and knew that I had to cut it. I love those babies, and I know that they need this more that I do! :)

And ... TA DA!! ... now all thats left to do is send the hair off.

busy weekend

So its been a LONG time since I posted anything.. So I will start with this past weekend. Let me just say it was so BUSY!

Okay on Thursday I worked and got off at 8. then I rushed over to my sisters house for a barbecue, my other sister Suzanne and her family just came into town for (my other sister) Emily's wedding. lots of fun and catching up! Friday comes, and its Matthews graduation.

So proud of him. He performed the last song with a few of his friends! After his graduation we headed over to Emily's rehearsal dinner. yummy food. and some how all of the children ended up with wet pants. (?) .. and from there we leave to go to my parents house, to see my grandpa. It was Owen and Olivia's first time meeting their great grand pa! :) Owen thought it was really cool how him and his grandpa shared the same name (Thomas, its Owns middle name).

Saturday comes, and we ALL go swimming with Auntie Christine! After taking a nap, we all head up to sedalia for Emily's wedding! :) and let me tell you, She was Stunning!

After the wedding we had dinner ... it was SO windy.. it was blowing the plates and candle holders off the tables! .. then it was time to get down. Everyone was having a great time dancing and then I hear people shouting... "Go Owen" ... "Go Owen" ... "Go Owen"... ! and clapping ... I look to see what's going on, and there is Owen...

dancing and pulling break dance moves that I have no clue where he got them from! So funny! :) All I can say is that my kid is so awesome!

After a long night of dancing our little hearts out, it was time to go home. needless to say we slept well!

correction on my last blog... the movie is gigantic... not giant.

I have decided to make valentines day cards.. I don't know how many will be made, but you should consider yourself lucky if you are one to receive one of these. I will post pictures of these lovely cards later :) I am kind of excited to make them! I have some cute ideas too. Also with valentines day comming up that means our Anniversary is almost here. I am super excited!! We've booked a king suite hotel with a balcony and ALL of the goods! I cant believe that it has already been 3 years! So much has happened in so little time. we have moved 3 times, had 2 kids.. busy busy busy! Im going to let you in on what I got al. seeing as how he never sees this blog. (the blog should really be called JUST candice .. ha)
We (I've) decided that we were going to do themed gifts. 1st year paper, 2nd year cotton, and 3rd year anniversary is leather. (.. I know what you're thinking and eew.. no). This is where the gift giver has to be creative.. and NOT give the obvious. I have made us a wedding album! I took all of the love notes and poetry that he's written as well as our wedding vows and put them in the book. And its bound in LEATHER!! I love the book. its been done for almost a month.. and I can not wait for him to see it.
now its off to laundry and ironing sheets..
And ps ... I really want a mini pig! ever seen one? they are SOO cute! eek! :D

Giant

Okay.. so last night Al brought home 2 movies. One for the kids to watch (Ice Age) and one for us. It was "Giant" I don't know if you have ever heard of it, but I recommend NOT watching it. It made absolutely no sense, and the ending even more confusing than the entire movie. I wish I could get an explanation from the writers.
Well this morning Al is off to see the doctor. Hopefully everything turns out fine. :) Owen was up bright and early, and Olivia well she is still asleep. I will have to go in and get her here soon.
So let me let you all in on a little something that I am doing. Every year I walk the "race for the cure" in October. I started going to this event after my boss was diagnosed with breast cancer 3 years ago. She has since had surgery and went through radiation. she is in remission and doing very well. Last year I told her that in 2010 I wanted to run the race, competitively. I have never run a race in my life, nor am I in very good shape. I have had 2 kids in the last 2 years, and have not worked out since before I was pregnant. So this is going to be quite trying. My boss (bev) is also going to be traning for this as well. You can follow her blog at www.fromcancerto5k.blogspot.com she is very excited and could really use all the support and encouragement that she can get. :)
I started by joining the 24hr fitness. Its HUGE in there, and kind of intimidating. I rode the bike for 20 min and then did the stairmaster for another 20. not sore yet, but I am sure that I will be.
***another side note*** al and my annivesary is comming up in feb. I am really excited, and looking for an idea of what we can do. something out of the ordinary, and still romantic. any ideas?!

I am starting this blog mostly to keep my self sane. To let people who are distant catch up with whats going on in our life. I hope this is not too boring for any readers. I will try to keep it updated as much as I can. :)