a job well done

Jillian is such a diligent, conscientious worker and aims for perfection in all she does. I love seeing her hard work recognized and rewarded. Her middle school has over 400 7th graders, so receiving one of only a few awards given, is really quite an honor.

Jillian & her friend, Alex, at the 7th grade awards breakfast.

So very proud of you both!

the red plate

As I was washing this plate this morning, I was reminded of all the occasions that it has come out of the box and placed on our table. I love my red plate. My mom gave it to me the year Mallory was born, and I love that it is part of our family on our very special days. I love that the girls expect it, and I love that Jillian remembered to get it out for me to use when she cooked Mother's Day brekky yesterday.

hello again & happy mother's day

So it's been a VERY long time since I've posted - not because nothing has happened. In fact, I feel like it's all happening, and some days I feel like I can't keep up. It's all good though, and I wouldn't trade this season of our lives for anything. It's a joy and a pleasure (at least most days) to be Mallory & Jillian's mom, and I know that in 5 years when both girls have left the house for college, I will miss these days.

Peter and I have much to be thankful for when it comes to our girls, and on this day that we celebrate mothers, I would love to celebrate the things these past few months that make M & J amazing daughters.

MALLORY: selected to go to State Federation for piano, choir finished first in state, lettered in academics (didn't know you could do that), made the decision to commit to the final 2 years of the International Baccalaureate Program, completed her first AP exam in US History, becoming a confident & skilled driver of both of the family vehicles, continues to develop encouraging and positive relationships with great girls...and a certain boy

JILLIAN: selected to go to State Federation for piano, selected for National Junior Honor Society with a 4.0 for the last two terms, just completed the Futures program for the US Field Hockey Olympic Development Program & is heading to St. Louis to compete in the Regional Futures tournament, soccer team is undefeated (wins & ties but no losses), had her first babysitting job & is becoming a great cook

...and thank you to my girls and my wonderful husband (& advice from Jordan & Sharla) for my new Canon DSLR. It's an EOS Rebel XS - though I don't know what that means, I know it's awesome. I have been without a camera since June when "we" left it on the plane on our trip to Florida, and I am looking forward to capturing the moments & details that tell our family's story.

not captured but remembered

We have just returned from our 2nd trip to Sol Vista with the other 3 families in our small group, and while I am so glad to be sleeping in my own bed, it was a great weekend with great friends.

Here is my top ten list:

10. listening to Jillian & Anna play Mario Cart on the xbox in the loft
9. eating popcorn (even the "angry housewife" kind)
8. hearing Mallory say "I love Sharolyn" because they stopped at the thrift store in Granby that she also wanted to go to (purchased a $3.50 belt)
7. having a real wood burning fire in the condo
6. shopping at City Market w/ the Wilkins for dinner after leaving a restaurant because it was pricey
5. watching Hope for Haiti w/ everyone on Friday night
4. staying in a ski-in/ski-out condo w/ the Wilkin family
3. living in my pjs all day on Saturday
2. learning to play Wizard & winning the game before we left w/ an amazing score
1. having a dinner (chicken posole & taco soup) w/ everyone after a day of skiing & snowboarding

Notice the empty photo frames where all of my fabulous photos should be...the thing is, I guess we were having so much fun we forgot to take a single picture to capture those moments. Sad, I know, especially when there were two available cameras on the trip.

just me

I have the entire house all to myself ALL.DAY.LONG. While this doesn't quite match yesterday's title of "best day of the year", it's still pretty awesome. I don't get this opportunity very often, so I'm definitely going to enjoy it.

I think I'll turn on some music, stay in my jammies (at least until I have to pick up Jilly from school) & start on that list of things that I need to do. It's gonna be great!

a date - all.day.long

Today was the best day of the year. I know, I know - you're thinking that it's only 6 days into the year so it's really not that big of a deal. I'll say it again though. Today was the best day of the year - not because of anything spectacular or grandiose and certainly not because of the weather (it's cold & miserable!!!), but simply because Peter took the day off to spend it with ME.

The girls went back to school today, and we got to hang out together all. day. long. I cooked breakfast (which in itself is a big deal because Peter & the girls will tell you that it doesn't happen often), and we got to have coffee together and chat before the day really started. First, we went to Home Depot (really hot date spot - ha ha) and bought stuff to fix the heating vents and lights for the kitchen finally. Next, we went to the Eddie Bauer outlet at Colorado Mills and got to do a little shopping just for us - no girls this time. Then, we had lunch at Mimi's Cafe - yes, with all the grandmas & grandpas. We felt so youthful. :) Finally, we went to Sur Le Table to exchange my new cutting board for something bigger and DSW to shop for shoes. They didn't have the one I was looking for, but Peter found a pair of shoes.

So you see, it was not a day of huge gestures or big adventures. It was a day that my husband chose to spend with just me, and that in itself made it wonderful.

¿Dónde está la fiesta?

t-shirts that jenny & I made for everyone on the trip
...the front had a sombrero with the words cancun 2009
celebrating jerry 50 years...

Wow! I can't believe that it's been a month since I last blogged and that the new year is just a couple of days away. Life has just been happening at our house, and I'm amazed at what one can cram into a single month. Today Jillian and I are watching Reese so I have some time to breathe s...l...o...w...l....y... and blog.

This month for us has really been all about family. It's times like this that I am so glad to be back in Colorado near my family, and when it's snowy & cold and I'm longing for the warm, tropical Queensland weather, I remind myself of that. December started off with Christmas decorations, cards & shopping for presents; lots of work for me; Mallory's Christmas concert (spectacular as always); Jillian's honor roll assembly (straight A's for this girl); and the farewell to Peter's Saab (totaled the day before our vacation).

Our final vacation this year was by far my favorite. We embarked on a "Shrader" first and all went on a trip together to Cancun to celebrate my oldest brother, Jerry's, 50th birthday. My entire family (except my youngest brother's family & my 2 older nieces) checked into the Casa Magna Marriott for a week of sand, sun & surf...oh, and daiquiris, margaritas & cervezas by the pool. It was an amazing week, and I loved hanging out with my family. We can't wait to do it again in 2 years when Jeff turns 50 & Jenny turns 40.

the coolest car there (says mallory)

reese's first vacation & it was a big one

all 24 of us in the lobby of the Casa Magna Marriott

my girls & me

peter & his girls

my sisters - heather, jenny & jana

grammie w/ all the grandsons

the younger grandchildren

the water

lunch at a local restaurant in downtown cancun

the view from our balcony - gorgeous!

the last day

We arrived home late Christmas Eve, had to scrape the ice off of the car & re-adjust to the cold temperature, but there's nothing quite like waking up on Christmas morning in the comfort of home. The four of us opened presents, had an Aussie breakfast & relaxed before heading to my mom's house in the afternoon. This year we didn't exchange gifts with the extended family but still did our Shrader family $10 gift exchange. This is one of my favorite parts of Christmas. My other favorite part of Christmas is celebrating the birth of a baby born long ago. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS!

playing apples to apples

the shrader family gift exchange

nacho libre masks from mexico

the perfect gift for adam

snuggie winners.........................and............. the cutest little santa EVER