christmas at four

 The shops around here sell gingerbread house kits for about $10.  They come with the gingerbread already cut, the frosting made, and enough candy to decorate it just like it is on the box or as you decide.  Tim always wants it to be just like it is on the box.  This is the third year that we've done this.  The first year was with the children of my friend, and Tim didn't contribute much.  This year, I put on the frosting, and he did just about everything else.  It's a good thing Paul took this photo as soon as we finished because Tim started eating it immediately after that.  He even shared it with the rest of us.

Tim was very helpful decorating the tree this year.  

We had some relatively warm weather on the 23rd and enjoyed an early evening in Old Town with GG and Gramps looking at the lights and eating ice cream.  

thanksgiving

Tim only had three days of school this week and his teachers Ms. Darlene and Miss Kelsey spent them in various activities about Thanksgiving.  

He learned about the Indians and how they helped the pilgrims survive.

 And he learned about the pilgrims and the risks that they took in coming to the New World.

Tim celebrated the day off from school by staying in his underwear until well into the afternoon.  I'm sure that most of the men who read this post can relate.

swimming lessons

Tim is taking swimming lessons this month.  He goes for forty minutes every Tuesday and Thursday.  The goal is to have him comfortable with his head under water by the end of the class.  He's been getting his head wet since our summer trips to the pool, but this class has a focus of putting his head under water to actually swim.  He's enjoying them.  One of us takes him and sits in the stadium seats above him and enjoys a little quiet time.

Jumping in the water with his class.

 I think Tim just told a dirty joke...

 Watching an errant classmate.

The pool has a slide and all kinds of water works that are turned off for lessons.

The little girl on the far right likes to chase him around the pool and give him hugs.

This was taken at the condo pool, but it's the only water shot we  have of him close up.

halloween

We put up Halloween decorations (a string of fairy lights in jack o' lanterns and a ghost banner on October 1st.  It was a little early, but Tim and I love this holiday.  We didn't carve our pumpkins until the 28th and are keeping them in the garage until Halloween night so that the squirrels and raccoons don't eat them like they did last year.  

)

 Now that I'm a working mom, I look for short cuts wherever I can.  This was a fantastic deal at $6.00 for a dozen very tasty, already made cookies, icing and candies.  Tim h helped frost the solid colored ones and he put the candies on all of them.  He helped eat them as well.  As he was making the first one, he asked who it was for and I said it was for him.  He replied, 'Oh, good.  But we should make one for Daddy, and Ookie, and Addie and Emily.  And you Mom.' So we did just that.

 As per our tradition, we went to The Farm at Lee Martinez park with Addie, Emily and Matt.  Tim decided to be buzz over a month ago and never changed his mind.  That was perfect since he already had wings and a costume.  Luke was Woody.  Addie went as Merida from the movie Brave.  Matt was a dragon.

This one of the false houses that a local business made.  The kids knock on the door and people on the other side, also dressed in costume, give them candy.

 Tim's checking out what they just gave him.  Matt and Luke followed the big kids.  

 The people on the other side of the door.

 We've reached the years of bad picture poses.

 Luke didn't want the hat on and Tim knew we wanted it on for the photo.  Luke won because he ran away.

 The barn had a kind of maze in it.

Trick or treat!

We decided to in the afternoon this year and it was the best way to do it.  At night, it's so cold the kids have to wear coats over their costumes, we can't see half of what is there, and we're all tired.  This year, we all had a great time.

horsetooth falls

Emily and Addie invited us to join them on a hike to Horsetooth Falls this morning.

 The nights have started to cool  and mornings are perfect.  Despite the hot dry summer, it was green.   

I didn't know that Flash was on the hike with us.  I'm not sure he made it home.

Tim and Luke both enjoyed throwing rocks into the pool a the bottom of the falls, which were just a trickle.

We saw some wildlife when Tim scared a garter snake from its spot near the water and it swam towards the rest of us.