New Year is here

Welcome 2011! We are excited for everything this year is going to bring but most excited about baby Austin getting here in just a few short months. We had wonderful New Years celebrations here at the ranch the kids almost made it to midnight!!! Lets see.... since the last posting we have had a few gondola rides, the older kids have mastered ice-skating, they have come a long way on their skis had a kid party in the camper and more.

Boy oh Boy where do we start? I will let the pics do most the talking but it has been so much fun sharing all these experiences with family. The Doane crew heads out in three more days and home will feel so quite :) but nice.

You all should really see B on skates!!! wow, I will be looking into Hockey when we get back. He has been on the ice just 4times and can do it all on his own. He is not skidding to stops or spraying ice yet but he certainly is comfortable on them and does not need assistance. I am so impressed, it is his patience that really allows him to find success at these things. GiGi says he has the patience of Jobe.

New Years was so much fun. Everyone was in charge of decorating their own party hat for the evening celebrations, then there was a wine tasting competition (don't know if anyone won but all the wine is gone :) ), a Gin-Rummy tournament as well as Batgamen tournament (spelling) then of course the ball dropping. The little ones made it to 10:20 or so and the big kids stayed up till 11 and then we moms decided they had had enough! Over all great fun, though I think the kids found the cocoa and popcorn party in the Camper (hosted by Funcle) to be more exciting than New Years. They each got handfuls of glow sticks, unlimited popcorn and cocoa and Capn' told 4 of their favorite "Buck and Bell" stories......really for a kid can it get much better?

On a more individual note both of these boys have grown at least an inch! They are tall!!!! B as I mentioned earlier is so patient that he is picking up on all his new activities remarkably well. Caleb has overcome his dislike for putting on winter gear and is spending more and more time in the snow. Caleb got a case of Strep that he is just now recovering from and I am thrilled to announce that B's Molluscum is gone as well. We are headed back to AZ at 100%.........ok, not 100% the boys are just jumping in the Bounce House and B just jumped on Caleb's face and we are now dealing with a bloody nose......gotta run......

Love to all

Colorado Christmas (89 photos), by maureen jenkins

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Colorado Christams

Hey Family and Friends! Merry Christmas.

We missed you all but from all of the conversations it sounds like everyone had great holiday celebrations and we look forward to seeing pics and hearing more. The Flying J Ranch is bustling. Santa was great to all the kiddos and they have been playing since 6am this morning.

Flying J is stocked with people, the Burke Family (4 ppl), GiGi (great grandma), Mamie and Cap'n (my folks), Funcle (my bro) and the Doanes (4.5 ppl) so the food is flying out of the fridge, washer and dryer and dishwasher are running non stop and there is not a lack of attention being given to any of the kids!! Between snow activities, playing with Cousins and getting covered in kisses all day they look forward to nap time.

Rob came in town two days ago and the boys are in Heaven. They are showing off all their new tricks and trying to be sure that dad gets fully caught up on everything they have been learning. We went back out on the tubes the other day and wow!!! is all I can say. The slope they shoot down was a huge ice patch after all the weather we have been having here. I would like to say it was nothing but a great time followed by Cocoa at the end of the day but instead we had a few mishaps. B shot off the tube, landed in a snow bank in tears (had some cocoa and requested another run) and immediately following, Rob bulleted down the slope at a very impressive speed went over the embankment glasses and gloves went flying and Rob did a face plant into a crusted snow bank that left a nice red reminder.

We loose Rob to the warm weather tomorrow evening so we will have a busy day fitting in the last of the activities that we can. A gondola ride is planed for the morning, some lunch at the top of the mountain and lots of snuggles for those little guys.

Christmas came and went! I cant believe it. We all went out to cut down a tree in the national forest, made homemade decorations (popcorn, cranberries etc.) Santa came and filled the stockings, ate the cookies and here we are; surrounded by paper and smiles. The baton was officially passed from Steve to Rob this year. It was the first of what will probably be many Christmases where Rob spent the late hours of Christmas Eve putting together toys (this year a scooter for B and a bike for Caleb) wondering where that "one part" is. All parts were found, toys constructed and boys were thrilled with the gifts. We cant wait for you all to see them in action.

I am also glad to report that Caleb is now saying more than "apple" and "out" and enjoying conversation much more. B has found a best friend in his cousin Grace. Their imaginations are amazing! and they play off of each others stories all the time. It will be a hard departure to say the least.

We are sad to see Rob go but it will only be for a short while and there will be a lot of distractions between now and his next arrival. We have a big group coming round for the New Year as well as family stopping by the Ranch on and off before and after. Then home to AZ in no time.

Love you all!!!

album 12\14\2010 (113 photos), by maureen jenkins

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Second Road Trip down

Hey everyone.

We are two road trips in this year and we are good! Once again the boys, dogs and 12+ hours in the car. Everyone did great!! Dad came in to Scottsdale to make the drive with me and the boys, he was able to stay and enjoy the warm weather for a few days and then we were off. The kids were great!! Now we are in the mountains adjusting to the cold and loving it!

Scottsdale was about 70 degrees and nice warm break for dad. A few trips to the park, some good wrestling in the living room and we were on the road. We were two hours outside of Steamboat when we got caught in a blizzard and had to head back to the last town for the night. I am THRILLED to report that everyone handled the hotel experience much better than last time. The dogs stayed in their respective beds, the kids each with an adult and no fussing or fevers in the night. We were out early the next morning and have been enjoying the ranch since.

Today the boys went sledding around the property, the dogs ran for hours, Caleb did a face plant in the snow that was the end of his winter wonderland and the beginning of nap time. B on the other hand would have stayed outside until his nose fell off if it were not for the luring of his favorite lunch. Now they are both down for naps and so cute.

Caleb has reverted to using only two words out of what was a 50 word vocabulary and since his two words consist of "apple" and "out"......there is a lot of guessing going on and a lot of frustration going on! He also loves!!!! looking for cows and horses as we drive through the country. Any find is announced with a boisterous "Neigh" or "Moo"

B is holding on to every bit of information he is being taught and never ceases to surprise me with what he remembers. He loves counting and doing puzzles.

So far the only downfall of the trip has been the absents of Rob. We are only a few days in but I can tell ya now this is gonna be tough on all of us! He is at home sick with Strep which makes it ever tougher to not be there. We are counting down the days till he gets here for X-mas! we love you ROB!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Hey everyone hope you all ate great Turkey and enjoyed the company you were with! We had a great day here in Scottsdale but the theme may not have really been Thanksgiving...

We talked all week about being Thankful for things and the boys did a great job of naming things they were Thankful for at the dinner table. Other than that and a little Turkey the theme of the day was Christmas!!! Rob and I both turn into big kids when it comes to decorating (and we are recently very familiar with unpacking boxes so it felt natural). We have the house and halls decked! It looks great and feels like the holidays. With only a week left with the boys and I here in AZ we wanted to be sure that they saw all their decorations and that the house was a festive place for Rob to come home to when we are gone (to help fill the void and keep it festive he took it upon himself to stocked the fridge with Eggnog :) ). The coolest part for all of us is the Christmas Village and the train under the tree! The boys pulled a chair up to the Village and stared FOREVER yesterday! I can just imagine how all the people come to life in their little minds. Braydon has mastered the train remote and has asked multiple times about Santa. We are working on learning the words to some Christmas Carols then we are ready!!!!

That was our Christmas themed Thanksgiving but there was also a lot of family time and fun in the day as well. We got up early, watched the Parade, met a playdate at the park where we fed the ducks TWO loafs of bread. Rob feels I will be putting the family in financial distress if we go through that many loafs on each Park trip......I admit it was a lot and I will tone it down to just the stale old bread next time :). Then it was home for a bite to eat, nap time and then Turkey. Rob was outside on the fryer and I made the sides. It was great! We both had three plates of food and the boys only ate the cooked marshmallows from the top of the yams. The dogs were thrilled with the leftovers and have been stalking the fridge in hopes of another taste of turkey since.

We love you all.

Hello From Scottsdale

Hey guys!

How is everyone? We are doing great, who would have thought that in just two weeks we would feel so settled and welcome here in Scottsdale. The boys did amazing on the move, it was great to have a "time out" from life and get to hang with the Doane crew in Dallas. The drive was long but seemed longest for Rob and I. Dogs and boys were great! I LOVE THE HOUSE! Good pick Rob. We are moved in and life has started!

So to go back a few weeks, we took off from SA and headed to Dallas, we had a wonderful few days seeing family and visiting with old friends. Though it seemed like we were there a long time it also felt like we didn't get enough time with anyone :(

We drove out from Dallas and made it to the new house in two days. The boys were great road trip buddies and horrible roommates! I think the evenings in the hotels were what pushed Rob and I over the edge. The boys go to bed at 8 so that meant that Rob, the dogs and I were in bed by 8 and no one seemed to know what to do in a hotel room. The dogs acted like they had never been inside before and the kids seemed to have no idea what a bed was used for. Dogs were a JOKE. Moving all night, jumping up and off the beds, eating soap from the bathtub and more. The boys could not calm down. 8pm came and so did their energy levels. B was in bed with Rob and I was in bed with Cal, by 10pm Caleb was asleep (upside down and on my side). By 12am B was asleep also with me an also on my side. All I know next is that Devo, Caleb, Braydon and I are all sharing half of the queen bed and it is 3am. Devo is so in my face that I don't even have my own air to breath and the poor belly baby is being squashed by his oldest brother. Kids dogs and space all get re-distributed and things are great until about 5am when Rob wakes me telling me that Cal has a fever and is not doing good........

However it happened, we made it to the new house in time for the movers on Monday all sleep deprived and desperate to eat something other than takeout.

We are two weeks in, the house looks like a home, we feel settled and have really been able to get around the community and start planting seeds to make this place grow into a wonderful life over the next few years. B is enrolled at a WONDERFUL school down the street and I felt very lucky to find it (after much searching). He is also going to be staring his first little sports team in January and we are excited for him to meet some friends! Caleb is about a year to young to get enrolled in anything but we met a neighbor just yesterday who is his age and that will hopefully provide many a fun playdate. We have already mastered the Storytime hours at the Library (which is very impressive for a public library) as well as gotten to know all the great parks in the area. Next week, the zoo....

Thanksgiving is around the corner and we will be thinking of all of you! Rob is going to Fry the Turkey so it is going to be great!!! I will be posting more pics on Snapfish soon, till then miss you all and love you tons.