GO GRIZ!

The Montana Grizzlies are playing in the national semi final game tomorrow evening! Taylor just bursted out in the fight song the other day. It shocked Travis and I since we don't even know the song! He skipped the first few lines but the rest is nearly perfect. Makenna tries to sing it but gets frustrated when she mixes up the words (typical Makenna). Anyway, here is a glimpse of his Griz spirit!

More Birthday Pictures!

Here are some more pictures of Makenna on her birthday. They are out of order, but no time to change them around. Be sure to scroll down to the last blog and view her short video.

Only a princess can pout on her birthday!

Stuffing cake in her mouth! It tasted better than it looked and we topped it off with
peppermint ice-cream!

This was just before bedtime. She was having fun with her balloons.

Taylor and Makenna blowing out the birthday candles.

Taylor was our little helper! He took all of her presents out of their packaging. A mom and dads dream! He did a great job and Makenna was very patient. It kept both of them entertained for quite some time.

Looking pretty in her pink dress. She was waiting patiently for her friends to arrive!

Makenna loved her princess party and her castle cake! She was all smiles! For those of you that know Makenna, you know that is a rare occurrence! We love our princess!

Makenna's Birthday

I can't believe Makenna is now 3! We celebrated with a princess party last night. We had just a few friends and family here for dinner and cake. Makenna wanted a castle cake, so here was my attempt at making her wish come true...

I will update with more pictures later. For now, enjoy this cute video clip of our little princess on her 3rd birthday!

Kid Quotes

Here are a couple of recent conversations with the kids that just may put a smile on your face... Of course they are always so cute when they come out of their mouths and the written word just can't capture the moment, but here's to trying....

Taylor wrestling Daddy

Taylor spun out of a pin while wrestling with Daddy.

"How come I can't pin you" Daddy asked

Taylor replied by saying "I'm not gonna tell you, that's my trick"!

Makenna just being Makenna

Makenna came running upstairs with Taylor and Taylor was telling us that she wants to be a boy so she can get a boy toy.

Makenna said while literally turning around " I'm gonna turn into a boy and then I can get the toy".

The amazing mind of a four year old!

While tucking Taylor in the other night, he came up with a plan to have an opposite day. He was excited and explained that the next day we would say the opposite of what we mean. I thought it would be fun and agreed to his plan. We continued with our usual night night hugs, kisses, I love you's, and tucking in. A few minutes later I hear him yell form his bed...

"Let the bed bugs bite!" And then his signature giggle to follow!

Of course I replied by saying, "Sleep loose!". Which was followed by more of his contagious giggles!

The next day, we woke and played the opposite game here and there, but nothing compared to his initial sleepy time catch phrase.

Halloween 2008

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Hope everyone enjoyed the fun day! The Denton Family enjoyed every minute of the day! First, Uncle Mark and Nonna were visiting so that was exciting for us! The day started with the men (Uncle Mark & Travis) going hunting. The rest of us stayed home and frosted gingerbread cookies. It was pretty much a sprinkle fest! After getting a sugar high by 10 am we all went out to show off our biking and soccer skills! Makenna has finally mastered the trike and was proud to show off her new skill. Nonna and Uncle Mark brought some new soccer shoes for Taylor, so of course he had to show off his latest skills! After showing off, the kids forced Nonna on the trampoline for some fun! Boy was she a good sport! The men came home empty handed, but seemed to have fun and certainly got lots of exercise!

After naps, we got all geared up in our Halloween outfits. Taylor really wanted to be a Griz football player and I thought it was a great idea! As it got closer I realized that we were trick or treating at Eastern Washington University (Griz rivals), so I told Taylor he would have to choose a different costume for the university trick or treating. I feared him not getting any candy and ending up with a bucket of rocks. He agreed and understood, so he decided Spiderman for EWU and then Griz player for the evening. For some reason the day of Taylor decided against the Griz player but hung on to the idea of two costumes. Who knows what made him change but he was an Army guy by day and Spiderman by night. The mind of a 4 year old! Makenna was Mickey Mouse all the way! She was wearing Mickey for a few days prior to Halloween. We figure her picture is all over Japan! She was a huge hit with the Japanese exchange students on campus. They all came up and asked to get their picture taken with her. Little did they know that she really isn't good in front of the camera. Lots of scowling, sucker sucking, grumpy Mickey Mouse pictures out there around the world!

After the university trick or treating and carnival, we came home to taco soup and hot cider! A few other relatives came over and we enjoyed their company while answering the door to trick or treaters. Taylor and Makenna loved handing out candy. Makenna was a bit confused at first and tried taking candy out of their bags and into hers, but eventually she figured it out. A little Elmo came to the bottom of the steps but wouldn't come to the door. Makenna walked down and gave him a big hug. Luckily, Taylor was just a few steps behind with some candy. The kids ended the night by trick or treating at a few homes in our neighborhood. I'm pretty sure they had a sugar high from about 10 am until nearly 10 pm! Fun day filled with friends, family and food - what more can you ask for?


The last is a video clip of the kids. Makenna was happily yelling Happy Halloween and so I thought I'd capture it in video mode...so much for that idea! As you can see, she clearly has a mind of her own. I just wanted her to repeat once what she was just doing over and over again, but no. Oh well, this one makes me laugh!

Brother and Sister

We went to a local park last weekend on a beautiful fall day. The kids both would not take naps and it was gorgeous weather so we decided to explore nature. The dogs ran and the kids chased them. We all had fun and I was able to capture their mood in the fabulous picture! I just had to post it. I think it is the best picture I've seen of the two of them.

Fall in the beautiful NW!

PUMPKIN PATCH & APPLE ORCHARD

(this is unedited due to no time....read at your own risk)

This past weekend was full of fall fun for the Denton Family! Saturday afternoon we set off to the Green Bluff area. It's just NE of Spokane located near Mt Spokane. It was a dreary day with lots of rain and a few sun breaks. This was not the most ideal day to go picking apples and pumpkins, but our calendar is pretty packed, so we thought we'd bundle up and make the most of it. Taylor talked about picking apples the entire way. Apparently Curious George made him an expert during just one 30 minute cartoon. He said, "you just twist and pull, twist and pull". Well, Green Bluff is full of close to 40 farms that all are open to the public. It is an amazing place! We decided to go to a pumpkin patch first and the kids had a great time selecting the most perfect pumpkins. Taylor went on a little train ride, but Makenna opted out of it (a little too intimidating to her). Taylor also was able to go in a corn maze with Travis. It was a spectacular maze that has lots of pretend animals in it, a graveyard, castle and you end up on a pirate ship! You have to slide off the ship at the end of the maze. They had a good time, but also took a LOOOOOOng time, so we missed the "u-pick" apple orchards and settled on selecting apples from a bin. We tried to tell Taylor that he was picking the apples, just out of a bin instead of off the tree. Well, as expected, he was a bit bummed. He actually handled it quite well, but I had a bad mommy feeling in my tummy. Oh, and by the way, it didn't rain the entire time we were there. Turned out to be a perfect day since the crowds were scared off by the morning rain.

The next morning Travis had to go to work to get started on a grant. He was flagged down by a co-worker on his way there. It turns out the co-worker lives 1/4 mile from us and was having an apple cider party. He invited us and of course we said yes! So, we once again packed up the kids and this time walked to the fun! To our surprise this guy lives in a little hidden paradise with an apple orchard in his backyard! So, long story, long...Taylor got to pick apples!!!! We had so much fun! We picked apples and helped make cider! Makenna picked two apples and then sat in the wagon and ate them, so I'm not too sure if she was of any help. Taylor picked lots of apples and so did Travis and I. We were so pumped about apples that we came home and made apple sauce with the apples from the apples we "picked" from the bins the day before. The kids enjoyed taking turns using the apple peeler, corer, slicer. We patiently watched them cook in the crock pot and blended them up with a tad of cinnamon. That's it! Super easy and delicious! The kids ate it right out of the bowl while it was warm and then finished it off for breakfast. Looks like we'll be making more this evening!

We had a fantastic fall weekend together as a family! Next project....carving pumpkins and Halloween, so stay tuned for more fall fun from the Denton Den!

Here are some pictures of the fun!

Hmmmm. Did we get the best pumpkins?

This is the one! Makenna finally picked the perfect pumpkin and she looks kinda proud of her choice.

Looking cute in front of some corn.

Look we climbed to the top of the hay!

Taylor's top pick! Not bad (round and a stem).

Taylor pushing the cart with his pumpkin in it.

Makenna is double fisted (with apples)

Daddy picking a bunch of apples. He was on a mission to pick a bunch of apples, make the cider and still get home to see the end of the Nascar race (mission accomplished).

Makenna is still eating her apple and Taylor has just picked a perfect apple. He was good at picking good apples.

"twist and pull"

Yes, I picked apples! I wasn't just in charge of photography.

time to toss some apples while the other guy works super hard!

Time for apple sauce! First we peel, slice, core!

YUMMMMMMMMY! Still warm and ready to eat!

Hula Kids!

Having Fun!

I love these pictures! They make me laugh every time I look at them. I blew them up and framed them for Trav's office.

Sad Times

You may have noticed the lack of entries in my family Blog. My May Day blog shared a fun family tradition of May Baskets. May Day has always been a day that I have shared with my Grandma. Just a few weeks after this May Day blog we lost my dear Grandma (May 22nd). She was very close to us and having lost her in our life has created a empty space. She was the best GG Ma! She sang read books, gave walker rides as well as listened to the kids stories and encouraged their thinking and creativity. She will be missed dearly. We say hello and waver to her each evening when we say our prayers.

Two weeks after losing my Grandma, my Dad's girlfriend of 20 plus years had a brain anurism (not sure of the spelling). After two weeks of being in the ICU and showing signs of recovery, she passed away (June 22). Debbie was a wonderful person that loved to can food, farm, garden and knit blankets. We have a few of her blankets and cuddle with them often. She too will be missed by all. The kids wave and say hello to her each eveing too. We actually say hello and wave to my Step-Dad too (he passed away a year ago July). Our family has experienced a lot of loss in the last year and a half.

For some reason, I just couldn't get myself to blog since their passing. I would open the Denton Den and read my last blog and then lose inspiration. I am hoping that things will change after writing this blog. Here are a few pictures of our loved ones that now look down on us from Heaven.

May Day 2008

April Showers...
...Bring May Flowers!

I hope everyone was able to get out and do something fun for May Day this year! I have fond memories of picking flowers, placing them on a neighbors doorstep, knocking and running away before they answered the door. It was great fun to hide and watch them look around and try to figure our who left the flowers.

I decided that this was the year to start the tradition with Taylor and Makenna. Unfortunately, the long winter made it impossible to pick the flowers, but we didn't let that stop us. We bought a large bouquet from the store and broke it into small bundles for a few neighbors.

Here are some pictures that capture the fun we had with this special day! As you can see, it was a learning process and each kid had their own style and approach!

The walk to the doorstep. Both kids did this well!

Makenna refused to run away from the door! She kept wanting to wait and go inside. Lucky for Taylor, most neighbors weren't home.

Taylor running and Makenna lingering and looking in windows to see if anyone was home.

I'm not leaving until someone answers the door!

Okay, I'll run! Wow, this is fun!!!

Here we are getting pumped up for our task at hand! Aren't these flowers pretty?

Mom, enough with the pictures! Let's go!

The flowers that several neighbors came home to.

Here we go again!

Run! Run! Run!

I think Makenna will do much better next year. She finally got the hang of it by the last house. Taylor was good to go. We all had so much fun (including the photographer)! It really put a nice spin on our day. One neighbor caught us but she really tried not to. Makenna just wouldn't leave her doorstep! A few of the other neighbors met in the road and discussed how nice of a surprise it was to be given flowers for May Day. They eventually figured it out and thanked Taylor and Makenna. One still has no idea...we'll see if they ever figure it out.

Video

A day at the farm!

Here are some pictures from our morning at a local farm. Makenna is 100% farm girl! I see many animals in our future! She enjoyed feeding, petting and kissing ducks, bunnies, goats, chicks, ponies and llamas. She loved her first pony ride! Taylor enjoyed feeding the baby goats and riding the pony! It was a cold and windy day and we got lost and ended up in Idaho! It was worth it in the end!