Busy Times

Life has been busy around the Brandts...

-Young Life tonight, I am talking (pray for me!)

-Basketball banquet is tonight (congrats on a great season team)

-Macklin's little 2 year old party on Friday

-Track has started this week for me and I am loving it

-Bible study has begun again for me on Tuesday nights

-We are watching our friends pup for the week

-I got a new iPhone but have barely had time to figure out how to use it!

-I am still thinking about things that I need to get ready for Baby Cheese

-I have my 34 week appt tomorrow with my doc

Busy times but God is still on the throne!

More pics after I give this talk :)

Bath Paint

It doesn't take much to make Macklin happy in the bathtub....but what if we added some color???

If any of my readers have not heard of Pinterest yet.....You must check it out! Pinterest is a website that is a mix between a social networking site (like Facebook or Twitter) and a pinboard. You can find pictures of things that you like and put them onto "boards." When you see something you like on another person's board, you can "repin" it to your own board. It is kinda like the pinboards you had in your room as a kid of all the cute boys ripped out of magazines....or the one you had when you were getting ready to be married and ripped out pics of wedding things you liked. I use it as a reminder of fun projects and ideas and a way to find recipes and party ideas!

The only problem with sites like these is that everything seems so creative and easy that you feel like it would be so fun to do it all......and then you never really do any of it! So, when I follow a project on Pinterest to completion, it is kinda like an accomplishment!

All you have to do is mix shave cream with food coloring!

(Note - Shave CREAM works better than shave gel, but I used shave gel below and we are still having fun!)

OK, I guess since he has been in the bath for like an hour....it is time to move on with our day :)

EVHS Basektball = Done

Last night was Eagle Valley's first trip to the playoffs in many years but it ended quickly. We were a #4 seed in our bracket (with 4 brackets leading to the state championship) and had a first round bye. We traveled to Broomfield (in Denver) for our first game last night against Wasson. It was a high energy game that kept Macklin's attention (for the first time ever....seriously the most I have watched a basketball game all year and it was great!). Wasson was a quick team that kept the pressure high. Both teams made a lot of mistakes but we just couldn't seem to keep ourselves close. Congratulations to Coach Mac and all the boys for a great season and for giving EVHS a team to be proud of!

My cute high school friends with their EVHS Conference Champs shirts on!

Baby Nook

I can officially say that Baby Cheese has a place to sleep when she arrives in six weeks! My wonderful husband and I had a "construction date night" on Thursday and got it done (with Daniel's help too). We always have date nights on Thursdays so we went to get some hot cocoa and hang out for a bit, and then came back to complete this project. Little Mack just slept right through the hammering, drilling, and staple gun using as we put it all together. Here is the game plan for Baby Cheese.

Baby Cheese is going to sleep on top of the bathtub in our bathroom....yes she will sleep in the bath tub :) With a three bedroom house, a precious boy and one great friend living here, our rooms are full! We plan for Mack and Cheese to share a room in the near future, but for those cry-filled first six weeks or so, we wanted her to have her own space and give Macklin some time to transition. Here is what our bathtub area looks like on a regular basis....a bin of storage...party projects, Baby Cheese's clothes, track stuff, etc. First job - move all of this stuff!

Just a picture to show that all house projects have set-backs. Justin got 2x6 boards but the faucet was 7 inches tall...bummer. So, we just took off the faucet!

Framing complete with the top board that props up to maintain the little bit of storage that we could use in the bath tub (Sidenote - We do intend to keep the bathroom this way after we move Baby Cheese. Then I can go back to mega storage in there.).

The completed top! I sewed up the fabrics while the boys completed the construction. Then we stapled the fabric to the boards, which worked great! I thought we could just lay it over like a bed skirt, but stapling it is going to work WAY better! No sliding when we lift it up, no straightening it all the time. Just nice clean lines and way easier and cleaner than painting.

More pics to come. I have the curtain ready to hang but still need to work on the bassinet cover (I am recovering the bumper in the bassinet to match!) and get some baskets.

Yesterday while I was in Denver I did get another baby monitor (for $50...why did I pay like $300 for the first????) to sync with our current one. Now we will be able to see two babies on one screen. I am still looking for a Baby Bjorn Active, Double Stroller, and front jogging wheel for our double chariot. Then I think I will feel ready for Baby Cheese to arrive!

Playing Around

We have been out of our regular routine for the past few days because Justin is on Winter Break! This is the first of two breaks for our ski community, one being in the winter, and the second being after the mountain closes in April (so all of those families can go on a vacation). But, being 33 weeks pregnant and having a toddler, our breaks are much different than they used to be, that is for sure!

Basketball has also been the thing keeping us around as well. The boys EVHS team has officially made it to playoffs!!!! Congrats to the Devils! This is the first time we have made playoffs since we have lived here and they are pumped! The got a #4 seed and have a first round bye. The first game will be on Friday in Denver as they play again Broomfield. I am thinking about taking Macklin down, but we still have to work out some details before I am totally committed.

As for our time around here, I have included some pics and videos of our everyday life! Saturday we kinda relaxed around the house. Sunday we had dinner with the Dodds (wish we could do that every week!) and campaigners. Monday we had a great YL leader hang out breakfast. The rest of our time has been filled with basketball practices and play time!

Laying around watching Mizzou play basketball!

Wearing my new Buff and shooting hoops with daddy. What a look of admiration to his daddy!

Playing around with mommy's shoes this morning! He liked that they made funny noises on the floor!

Playing trains with daddy.

Starting to ride his Strider.

Valentine's Day Recap

Macklin and I had a great Valentine's Day together :) I wanted to do something special and fun together so I decided I should let him in on the joys of baking sugar cookie cut-outs! Little did I know how long it takes to make cut out cookies with a toddler. He was not impressed to mix up the dough and then put it back in the fridge to chill it. He did, however, really like the cutting out part. After we let them cool, we did manage to have our cookies for dessert at lunch and he was more than excited to add some sprinkles to his masterpiece.

Big Mess :)

How Mack Eats a Cookie:

1. Add Sprinkles 2. Take One Bite

3. Use Finger to Lick Off Sprinkles 4. Add More Sprinkles, Repeat

Some cute playing pics from today!

Our Valentine's Day went into the evening with a church outing. We attended an event at our church where we had a catered dinner, a "clean" comedian, and childcare for $30 - what a deal! It was fun to be with Justin and sit with the Cross, Steiner, and Lancaster families. We ended the night by exchanging some goodies and crashing (after I put Mack to bed and Justin was able to jet over to the rec league bball game) into bed.

I am so grateful for my husband - the love of my life and the best man I know!

Thank you love for all that you do for me and our family and thank you for loving Jesus!

Love from the Brandts

Hope the love of Christ has been evident to you this Valentine's Day!

(Note: I got this digital card format at Persnickety Prints Blog from last years collection of freebies.)

Finishing Up Valentines

We had a little work to do on some Valentine's cards for daddy and Daniel. We broke out the paint and went to town. I used this idea from Pinterest....toliet paper roll hearts. And then I tried to make a potato stamp. I swear these things worked better when I was young, but it was my first attempt as a mommy. Let's be honest, my star looks more like a distorted spaceship anyway. We can try again later!

I didn't take a picture of Macklin's card for Justin, but we made an owl (off of instructions from my friends blog) and it said... "Daddy, know what? Owl always love you!"

Family Fun Fair in Eagle

Saturday morning I took Macklin to the Eagle County Free Family Fun Fair at the Eagle Fairgrounds. This is something that I never knew existed before I had a child, and now I go looking for them! It was a blast and a great way to spend a Saturday morning (along with the rest of the young families in Eagle County!). They had like 5 blow-up jumpers/castles and even one specifically for kids 3 and under (what a blessing!). Macklin loved that bounce house and everything else! They had both with games from local businesses as well as a petting zoo type area and a train to ride. And, the best part....EVERYTHING WAS FREE! I will for sure be clearing our schedule for this in the future!

Bounce House with a Slide

Petting the Goats

Macklin making the "all done" sign after one lap on the train....sorry baby, you had to go around again :(

Face Painted!

Macklin met his favorite character of the moment - Elmo! He wasn't so sure about him, but he did manage to give him a high-five before backpedaling slowly away.

Horsing Around

Playing around with Daddy on a lazy Sunday!

Teva Recap

We headed out to the Teva Winter Mountain Games on Friday night and Saturday night! What a great reminder of why we LOVE living here! Friday night we got to see the Mixed Climbing finals. We connected with some friends while we were there (who were headed to an 80s party later...oh the advantages of not having kids yet) and played in the snow a bit. The climbing was a blast to watch. It is called Mixed Climbing, which means they use ice climbing tools and sticking them into "foam" pieces on the wall. So, no actual ice, but not really regular climbing either. They had to race a competitor on one side. Then they get a 3 minute break from the time the first makes it up. Then they race up the on opposite side. We watched semis and finals, so the dudes we saw climbed like 4 times in a matter of 45 minutes. More of an endurance race if you ask me!

Saturday we headed up for the Teva Snowshoe Race at 6:30pm. I talked Justin into doing it with me and Daniel wanted to join, so he hung with Macklin so we could both race! It was a smaller race (see results here), but I am still proud to say that I got 2nd of the women (and I think 5th overall) in the 5k. My friend Kari is the only one to have beaten me. Justin got 2nd in his age group so we both scored some Teva hardware! I felt surprisingly good in the race and was excited that I decided to race (I was debating just hanging back). One more left in March...we will wait to see what happens for that one.

Winter Teva is Here!

I am pumped to head down to the Winter Teva Mountain Games this weekend. Tonight we are going to head up to take Macklin to watch the Avalanche Dog Demos and then see the Mixed Climbing Finals. Tomorrow we will hang down valley until the evening when we head back to Vail for the 5k Snowshoe! And...I talked Justin into doing it with me. I am not sure if we will do a Brandt family snowshoe where I hike with Justin carrying Macklin, or if Daniel will come with us and hang with Mack so Justin and I can run. Keep you posted!

Rec League Basketball

Daniel and Justin play in a rec basketball league through Daniel's church (Eagle Bible Church) and last night was the first time that Macklin and I got to go to a game (most are after his bedtime). The team is 3-1 after last nights win! Macklin had a lot of fun watching daddy and Daniel play. He was definitely more drawn in than when daddy is coaching (when he just wants to go talk to daddy on the bench). Good job boys!

This is one of my new favorite pics of the Mack-ster!

Cake Pops - Round 2

I made another round of cake pops last week, this time with the cake pop maker (which worked great by the way) given to me by Macklin's Mema. They turned out in perfect little balls....after about 3 hours! I think I decided that me and cake pops just don't mix. They tasted much better than round one. They looked much better. But, with the amount of time that they took, and how they actually looked in the end (which was ok but not awesome)....not sure they are for me.

The real reason I wanted to make them was for Macklin's party next month. But with 15 kids and 15 sets of parents (preparing for 50ish after you count our house), how many cake pops would I need? 100??? I only got like 60 after 3 hours of baking and then you still have to dip and decorate! I did wrap some up and give them to the senior dance girls on their senior night. They said they were delicious and wanted more (so I did give them the whole bag of unfrosted ones too the next day).

Let's just say that after this second round, I thought I would be well on my way to making these beautiful creations and the other things seen on www.bakerella.com. Needless to say I was way off!