Picture Perfect! (ish)

My loving husband (who I wouldn't miss an opportunity to brag about, you know) surprised me this past weekend with an early birthday present.

His reasoning? Since we were headed to Rocky Mountain National Park for some fun, it would be a shame if I didn't get to bring along my new DSLR camera to capture the striking views. (Swoon). After running in circles like a two-year-old and getting over my indignation that he spent way too much on me (which he justified by saying I would earn it all back and then some with the photography business I will apparently be starting) I decided it was high time to go through the manual and figure out my new contraption. Whereupon I found out that camera speak is complete gibberish. But with the help of a few online tutorials, I now know enough to turn my camera on! Oh, and also say the words aperture and shutter speed and snap a few sorta-decent photos while I'm at it. Who knows, once I take some classes and actually know what I'm doing, I might be able to call myself a real photographer! In the mean time, here are a few of my unedited oh-so-novice favorites:

P.S. All you successful entrepreneurial friends of mine, please feel free to enlighten me with your pro photographer tips! 

ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK

Amazing endless peaks

Enjoying a picnic lunch

Hiking past some gorgeous waterfalls!

LABOR DAY BBQ & HANGING AROUND THE HOUSE

My super nice neighbor decided to give
us like half of his garden. I have never eaten
(let alone seen!) a carrot freshly plucked
from the ground!
Dinner was amazing...simply amazing.

Tired puppy, the closest I could get to making Erik smile,
pretty girl snuggled on the couch, and the boys at breakfast.

Our adorable new niece!

Big man walking

And you know I couldn't leave you without a sunset...

First Days, First Words, & First Dashes, Oh My!

Did no one think to warn me that I'd be much (much, much, MUCH) busier "staying at home" than working full-time?  Far too often I find myself looking at the calendar realizing how much time has passed since I last captivated you with some Hjelmstad tales of yore. At any rate, sorry it's been so long...again. As such, I'm copping out and resorting to the all-in-one update. Apologies.

On the docket:
1) The Warrior Dash
2) Ethan is 10 Months Old!!!
3) Marie Starts School!!!!
(Note: Understand that #2 and #3 bear far more significance than mere exclamation points can convey).


DASH ONE, DASH ALL!
For those who haven't the privilege of being accosted by our exciting Facebook news feeds, I must share that last weekend we became official Warriors! We drove into the mountains with some friends for the long-anticipated Warrior Dash, a 5k obstacle course in which one jumps over fire and scales plywood walls insurmountable cliffs and clambers through the muddy depths to emerge victorious! (All while benefiting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital)! In our case, we did so with gusto...while sporting some fabulous costumes. I volunteered my old Army uniform items so we could run together as Army gals, and Peter (who refused to be seen in uniform so soon after being set free) chose to honor his other great love (second only to me and the kiddos): a Chipotle burrito! What with a few rolls of green bubble wrap and a few yards of aluminum foil, he couldn't have looked more delicious. Seriously, I was almost appalled by the looks he was getting...I mean, it's not every day you see both men and women, old and young checking your husband out. A few people even asked to have their picture taken with him; it was almost like escorting a celebrity around! The race itself was a ton of fun, and not too difficult considering the fact that it was our first adventure race and we did zero--and I mean zero--training. Peter burrito shuffled his way ahead of all of us, and the amazing marathon runner of our group was nice enough to stick with me so we could cross the finish line together. And also to make sure I didn't end up collapsed and wheezing in the mud at 10,000 ft. Thanks, Kristin! And many thanks to the rest of you lovely ladies who convinced us it would be worth it! (If you're really intrigued and have time to kill, you can see the professional action shots of Burrito Man and me here ...bib numbers 77166 and 77165 respectively. There are some real gems).

Ladies before the race, a tasty burrito, the muddy aftermath,
and one fabulous Warrior helmet/medal! 

10 MONTHS--WOAH, BUDDY!
Moving along...guess who's 10 months old today? And has already said his first word?? And took a (sort of) first step and is about to walk?!?  I'm sticking to pictures and videos on this one since I'm sure I'll need to save every ounce of my sappiness for two months from now. In the mean time, my battery is constantly dying while I keep my phone on video trying to capture those first real steps. Slow down, little man! Sigh.

The Fabled First Word (melts my heart):

E-man on the move: Climbing the stairs, mad that I locked him behind the gate so he couldn't escape to climb the stairs again, and rifling through the cabinets testing every single empty sippy cup to see if there's a delicious beverage awaiting him. Also discovering that he open can the oven drawer and deposit the aforementioned sippy cups. How is it that I've never had to childproof an oven drawer until now? And how does one exactly go about childproofing such a thing? Suggestions welcome...I'm also thinking it'd be worth it to never move again simply to avoid having to install child locks on another entire set of kitchen cabinets!

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
Speaking of slow down...
Let's all take a moment to honor the millions of tissues sacrificed this year for first-time school moms everywhere. I only went through one box myself. (Only one!) For the longest time my sweet pea has been super excited to start pre-school; she's been marking off each day on the calendar with an X, constantly walking around scribbling in her notepad delightedly doing "homework" (we'll see how long that one lasts!), and on the First Day of School Eve we surprised her with her first backpack and a little old-school supply kit complete with ruler, pencils, and a pencil sharpener. In her excitement, both pencils have already been sharpened into studs. She loved every second of her time at school, and I foresee lots more Kodak moments as our avid little learner continues to amaze me in the year ahead. My, how fast they grow!

A Splish Splash Birthday Bash!

Two weeks ago we celebrated Little Miss Four-Year-Old in summer style with a Splish Splash Birthday Bash! And I'm realizing as I write this that I already have to say "two weeks ago." But better late than never, right?

We set up the kiddie pools in the backyard, told the other kiddos to bring their swimsuits, and sat back and watched everyone dump buckets of water on each others' heads splish, splash, and have a blast. The best part (aside from the beautiful weather which was kind enough to cooperate) was that we had both sets of grandparents and all aunts and uncles present for the birthday girl's big day since my family flew in to town for a visit. I also got the treat of seeing a friend from school for the first time in five years (why didn't we get a picture together, Brittney?! Next time). I'm just loving that our new home seems like the perfect crossroads for all sorts of reunions! But I digress...

I took equal advantage of Pinterest and my loving family's desire to help, and the end result wasn't half bad. Especially since it made the birthday girl light up with glee--which we all know is the only thing that really matters! But for you folks out there who are Pinterested (ha! get it? okay not funny...) here's the behind-the-scenes breakdown: 

FLIP-FLOP CAKE

I promised my kids (well technically, myself) that I would always make their cake of choice for their birthday. My mom did the same for us growing up, and I always appreciated all the love and hard work she put in to our own special cake, regardless of how outlandish the request might be. That said, I'm not half the baker my mom is, and when the lovely lady suddenly informed me that she didn't want the oh-so-simple beach ball cake she'd originally requested (I had such lovely visions of easily frosting and decorating just one perfect round cake) and instead wanted a flip-flop cake, I panicked a little. Okay, a lot. Thankfully, with this nice little tutorial from Betty Crocker Kitchens and some help from my wonderful mother, I survived. Of course, the first cake I baked fell apart in pieces as I tried to unmold it, and after baking a second very crumbly cake, it was clear we wouldn't succeed in achieving the lovely version that the Betty Crocker ladies produced with ease. Moral of the story: never underestimate the power of high altitude, and keep the expectations low until I have my own cooking show. All in all, though, not bad! (Thanks, Mom)!
   

FLIP-FLOP BANNER

The rest fared much better, thankfully! My favorite was the flip-flop birthday banner (much of the credit goes to my brother and sister for endless hours of cutting and assembly!). Though time-consuming, it was pretty easy to figure out. Supplies included some day-glo cardstock from Office Max, one pack of colored letter stickers from Michael's, scissors, and some ribbon. We made a template and cut out the background for each letter. Then we cut little slits in each, through which we fed scraps of card stock to make the sandal straps. Last was to stick on the letters, feed each flip-flop in order onto the ribbon, secure it with some tape wherever needed, and hang. Pretty easy!

FINGER FOOD 

Of course I didn't get a good close-up of any of the food before it was gone, but it wasn't hard to run with the theme when it came to the rest of the spread! Pizza was the main course, rounded out by the following: iced Nutter Butters as "flip-flops," Goldfish in a bucket with a shovel scoop as "fresh catch," sour gummy straw "pool noodles," blue Kool-Aide "ocean water," and homemade "dunkeroos" - graham sticks with blue-colored marshmallow cream cheese dip. For the labels I just used the same card stock and some scrapbooking stickers from Michael's. All in all, very simple and fun!

FAVORS

No good pictures of the favors, either, unfortunately, but they were simple as well. We used mini buckets from Target filled with Swedish Fish, bubbles, and a mini beach ball. We printed a tag for each one with a picture of a beach ball and flip-flops that said, "Thanks, we had a ball!" 

And indeed, we did! Now crossing my fingers that my son sticks with his request for a "Blue Balloon Party" when he turns three next month...because a balloon cake I know I can handle!

Le Tour de West

I could be going to bed early right now. Instead I'm flopped on the couch with a cup of tea and a computer on my lap, trying to process the strange silence enveloping me after nearly two weeks of blissful chaos. Translation: my whole family finally made their first epic trip to Colorado! Since they've never been, and we've been apart for a good six months, you can only imagine the frenzy of squealing, hugging, cheek pinching, bread breaking, Olympics watching and tourist attraction frequenting that ensued.  We did some hiking, biking, swimming, golfing, shopping, family photos, water balloon launching, Pike's Peak, Red Rocks, downtown Denver, fireworks, and my tired brain forgets the rest. Throw in a little girl turning four and her birthday party (more to come on that) and the crazy meter was pegged!

Getting back into a routine after trying to squeeze so much in to two weeks is certainly appealing, but since their departure, my mind keeps coming to rest on two largely related schemes--the first: how to re-draw the map of the United States to cut out the yawning chasm of pesky mid-western states that separates us from my wonderful family in Pennsylvania (no offense, mid-westerners)...and the second: that beautiful house across the street that's still for sale and surely the perfect fit for my mother, father, and sister. (Hint, hint)!

Four Years Ago...

Four years ago I had no clue what I was doing when our unexpected blessing arrived and changed our lives forever. These days I don't have much more of a clue, but I sure am glad that Someone far smarter than us decided it was the perfect time to send us the most amazing gift of our little girl.

             July 31st, 2008                                                                          July 31st, 2012

And my, little girl of ours, how you've grown. Even when I don't have a clue, you seem to. You make your own bed, get your own meals, pour your own drinks, and clean up your messes. Sometimes you are utterly delighted with your independence, and other times it's a little much and you decide it's more fun to crawl around on the floor and pretend to be a baby instead. I understand. Some days I don't want to be grown up yet, either.

Niner! And Lots of Other Excitement...

My little buddy turned nine months old today! This means that Ethan has now officially spent more time outside of me than inside of me, and according to Peter, he's now lived half his life in New York and half in Colorado, which means that pretty soon he'll be a "real Coloradoan." It also means that in a mere three months he will be a one year old. As I'm not yet ready to process that crazy thought, so we'll just move on to the accomplishments this little guy has been up to in the past month!

The Contentment Project, Part II - If (Quality) Time is Money...

...My Investments Are Shot!

Well, I learned pretty quickly in Part I of The Contentment Project that when it comes to superficial stuff, it's fairly easy for me to ditch some of the habits that suck the joy out of life. This week, though, I'm diving into something a little more challenging: devoting some real quality time each day to the people in my life.

I know, tell me about it.

In our society today, time is money, and spending it in ways we don't want can be torture. How we spend our time is vital simply because there's so little of it. Though I get the heebie-jeebies when I think back to any of my college courses that involved numbers, I did seem to internalize two important principles from my economics classes: the more rare something is, higher its value, and the more valuable something is, the smarter our investment is in that valuable item. (Oversimplified, yes...but it works for my analogy. Econ geniuses please don't rip me apart).

More Tragedy...Still Hope

I don't normally like to jump on the social commentary bandwagon when it comes to my personal blog, but after hearing an extremely moving and honest reaction to our nation's most recent tragedy, which occurred less than 15 miles from our home, I think there are some things worth repeating.

We went to church as usual this weekend, but the service began quite differently when our pastor, a Deacon, asked us to stand and just join hands in solidarity for a moment of silent prayer. It was one of the most powerful moments of silence I've experienced, seeing arms outstretched, old and young grasping hands in intense sadness and prayer, but all the while forming an unbreakable circle of unity.

The Contentment Project, Part I: Want vs. Have

Let me start by saying that we live a very cushy life. It was already pretty cushy when we cut ties with the Army a few months ago. Since then we've embraced a lovely new life and the cush factor has reached an all-time high. We waved goodbye to our world of deployments and war and friends who've laid down their lives for us and stepped easily into the life we've been planning for years. I traded in my uniform for jeans and time at home with the kids; my husband traded in his for suits and ties and nine to five. We gained a house with nearly twice the square footage of our old one, and moved from an isolated community without a support network to a picture-perfect and kid-friendly suburb with grandparents right around the corner. It's priceless to know that we'll never again being separated due to Army missions; even on busy days we still get to see each other at the end of the day. We'd dreamed of this life for so long, and now, to be finally living it? Sheer perfection!
So why am I writing about contentment right now?

Well, it all started one day shortly after we arrived in our new little Utopia. I was happily driving home from story time with the kids in my well-loved soccer mom SUV. As we slowed for a traffic light, I suddenly noticed that I was literally surrounded by luxury: an Audi in front of me, a Lexus to my right, and a BMW behind me. As if to add insult to injury, a sleek Mercedes breezed by me on the left and turned swiftly into the gated community.

The Good Idea Fairy

Remind me again that I'm
buckled in. I dare you.

The Good Idea Fairy loves my children. So much, in fact, that she visits them almost daily. You'd think that with more than five times their life experience combined, I would be able to stay ahead of the crazy ideas that manifest themselves in their little brains. Apparently not. Thus I present to you The Ways in Which My Children Have Outsmarted Me--all true, with an overwhelming majority carried out in the two seconds I wasn't looking.

There are your standard good ideas, of course, like the pencil/crayon/marker that didn't make it back to into the Bin of Safekeeping and instead became a medium for the mural on the wall. I'm still erasing pencil marks which I continue to find throughout the main floor and stairwell. Thankfully the wall can be reclaimed; the hand-made embroidered white placemat from my mother-in-law which met its match with the orange crayon was not so lucky. The power of dirt is another common attraction. Regardless of how many times I issue the reminder that dirt is off-limits, I can count on Marie turning my flowerbeds into "ant homes" every time.  And shortly after outfitting our breakfast bar with some bar stools, the very same culprit who decorated the walls discovered he could reach my