Our New Beginning in Colorado: 2016 in Pictures

I have read and seen so many negative comments about this past year. It breaks my heart. I truly believe that you have to see the good in the world and when we marinate ourselves in the negativity, it changes our perception on everything. I am refusing to allow the negativity into my house and into my mind. Life is full of ups and downs, happiness and sadness, it is what makes us human and this time on Earth meaningful. This year was amazing for me and my family and I would love to share how and why!

In January.... I met my cousin Sheldon because we so happen to live in the same state now! This was actually a picture taken on New Years of 2016! My kids still try to call him "Uncle Sheldon" all the time and it makes me giggle but this was an amazing milestone for our family! I honestly could not think of a better way to ring in the New Year and I am looking forward to continuing this again this year!

I also became a Nanny to help with my families finances and my kids registered for school here in Colorado for the first time! This is also about the time I started contemplating on bringing back and revamping my blog... at least the first time I mentioned it to my family out-loud.  

In February... everything was CRAZY! We experienced our first Snow Storm and the boys had their first taste of a snow day! There was actually snow non-stop for 3 days! The picture above was from the first day... maybe I should have shared the last day where our car was buried?! LOL

Spring Football for Little Man and Spring Soccer for Goalie also began, although it did not look or feel like spring at all! This was their first experience with sports in Colorado.

We also enjoyed a fun Super Bowl party (again with my amazing cousin, Sheldon) and he was pied in the face MULTIPLE TIMES because of his Super Bowl bets.

I also made the big decision to bring back my blog and renamed it, Pinot Noir and Prayers!

In March... We enjoyed our first Easter in Colorado! Unfortunately, we missed Mass because I was new to the whole "defrosting your vehicle before you can drive it when it's freezing outside" thing. I learned some valuable lessons in cold weather living.

This is also the month we surprised the boys and redid their entire room with Star Wars bedding and decor! They were the happiest little boys in the world!

Our first Easter in Colorado Springs was absolutely amazing and a wonderful way to end March.

In April...  we were able to enjoy the outdoors more and I spent more one on one time with my baby boys. We did a lot of Kids in the Kitchen and Clean Eating too.

This was my final month as a stay-at-home mom. I did Nanny a few times during the week but it was only for a few hours. I volunteered at the school as much as possible and finally got Goalie back on track for his therapies.

In May... we attended our first ever baseball game! It was an awesome experience! Check out Colorado Rockies: Our First Baseball Game for more pictures and fun. 

This was the end of the school year for the boys and the beginning of our first summer vacation in Colorado. I began my new job this month too!

We also enjoyed a Kentucky Derby Party. 

In June... we always celebrate A LOT! We have Little Man and my husband's birthday plus our 2nd Wedding Anniversary and Father's Day all within two weeks! It was Harry's 31st and Little Man's 9th birthday this year and we celebrated them together with a Finding Dory theme and went to watch the movie as a family.

We bought a membership to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and went on several breath taking hikes, including the Seven Falls. 

 In July... Little Man was able to train as an Altar Server at our new parish. In Florida, he had already been serving for a year so he was excited he was able to start in our new church too!

This month was full of Reading, swimming and working out!

In August... we had a 4th grader and a kindergartner! This was the start of the boys first full year at school in Colorado. 

My husband and I made a promise to plan dates to have special time together too.

This was the month I was invited into The Zelie Group and it has been an amazing experience so far!

In September... our family grew! We adopted two more cats, Shadow and Cloudy because we felt that they would be special additions to the family even though they were 10 and 6 at the time of their adoption. We were right! You would never guess they were older because they are just as active as our spunky 2 year old cat, Lemon!

We had our first experience at the Labor Day Lift Off!

We also became a scouting family and joined the Cub Scouts! We have a Lion Scout, which is a pilot program, so we are one of the first! And a Webelow! I'm still new at this so I would love some suggestions on how to help the boys with their badges etc.

We attended my cousin's wedding in Kansas and Little Man was an Altar Server! I also volunteered to be a catechist at the church.

In October... we finished our second seasons of football and soccer! Both boys had an amazing season! They learned so much and made some amazing friends. 

I received my first Little Catholic Box this month as a gift from my dad! 

The boys received their Cub Scout uniforms and attended their first big event as a Scout, the Boy Scout Centennial Campout! They shot BB guns for the first time and made their very own emergency cable bracelets. 

This was Goalie's birthday month and he turned 6! To celebrate we visited Diana's Pumpkin Patch and the boys even earned a Cub Scout Patch for completing the corn maze!

We were forced to buy a new car this month as well because our older one decided to crack an engine block while my husband was driving home from work one night.

This was our first Halloween dressing up together and we decided on a Star Wars theme: Little Man was a Flame Trooper, Goalie was Captain Rex, my husband was Darth Vader and I was a Storm Trooper. It was so much fun, I can't wait to plan another family costume.

In November... was filled with amazing food! We were blessed to attend a Friendsgiving and still do a traditional Thanksgiving at home and invited new friends to share the experience with us! 

We also participated in our first Turkey Trot (yes, we did dress like turkeys!)

Let's not forget...Goalie lost his first baby tooth!

This month was the end of our OFFICIAL first year in Colorado. We have learned so much and are ready to fill this next year with more neat experiences!

In December...there is so much to share, I barely know where to begin!

I was asked to join the committee at church to help with our Parish Faith Nights and this month was my very first one! It was Advent themed and we made Craft Advent Wreaths and sang songs.

I won a Mass Box during a Giveaway and hosted my first ever Giveaway during December!

We attended the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Electric Zoo Safari as a family! So many beautiful lights and even got a chance to see Mr. and Mrs. Claus while we were there.

Goalie was in a Winter Musical Production called the Big Chill at school and both boys won awards for Outstanding Student and their participation in the 100 Mile Club!

I also have found myself pulled into the Bullet Journal craze and am currently working on my first ever Bujo and adding some Liturgical Pages and trackers along with so much more!

To end this month, I was able to watch my children sing in the Christmas Eve Christmas Choir and it just made my heart so full, I could have burst! There were so not so fun things that we endured this year but as you can see, the good far out weighed the bad! And it will continue to be that way as long as we realize all the amazing blessings around us and never forget what is important! How was 2016 for you and your family? I hope it was filled with many blessings and that the upcoming year is even more amazing. You still have a couple more days before the end of 2016... let's go out in a bang! I am linking this with Revolution of Love.

God Bless!

Colorado Rockies: Our First Baseball Game!

Through my youngest son's preschool program we were offered an amazing opportunity to purchase some Colorado Rockies baseball tickets for $5 a piece! We had to take advantage of the great offer and took the boys to their first professional baseball game. We all had a blast! 

St. Damien Hawaiian Luau

Saint Damien's feast is celebrated on May 10th. I recently began a new job and I am still getting acclimated to my new schedule so I have a few posts that should have been posted over a week ago. 

Sorry!

Saint Damien has a very special place in my families heart. Not only is he an amazing example of what a person who dedicates himself to serving God and others but He is my dad's patron saint. My dad is extraordinary. We were never close while I was growing up as a young child but as an adult we have become very close. He has been a fighting force for me while I have battled several trials through my adult life... An abusive marriage, learning to be self sufficient again and being there for his two grandsons. My dad is a great example of someone who never gives up. Almost 5 years ago, he was in a motorcycle accident. A older man driving a truck hit my dad from the side while he was on his motorcycle. Since that accident, my dad has had to deal with immense physical hardships. He lost one of his legs, has had several surgeries to fix his hip, endured skin grafts and forgave a man who has never attempted to say sorry. This accident changed my dad's life. He can no longer work and still struggles with pain but he is always moving forward.

Saint Damien was a Belgium priest who was sent to Honolulu, Hawaii. He volunteered to help the people diagnosed with leprosy that were sent to the island of Molokai. He especially cared for the children of the community. He contradicted the disease himself and became a suffering servant and after 16 years of caring for those in the leper colony, He also died from the disease.

We are also close to the Hawaiian Saint because my husband is half Hawaiian and still has family living on the island. The customs are rich and the food is flavorful. Here are some pics from our Luau.

I hope you all enjoyed the feast of Saint Damien and I ask that you please say a small prayer for my dad, that he continues on his path of healing and that God may lead him to his next chapter in his life.

 

Damien, brother on the journey, happy and generous missionary, who loved the Gospel more than your own life, who for love of Jesus left your family, your homeland, your security and your dreams.

Teach us to give our lives with joy like yours, to be in solidarity with the outcasts of our world, to celebrate and contemplate the Eucharist as the source of our own commitment.

Help us to love to the very end and, in the strength of the Spirit, to preserve in compassion for the poor and forgotten so that we might be good disciples of Jesus and Mary.

Amen

Saint Damien, pray for us!