Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! XOXO

Create your own picture slideshow

Hope you enjoy our "Year in Review". :) Leave a comment if you would like--and have an amazing holiday season!

Happy Birthday, Mike! (The Details)

Just a few pics to showcase the mega-celebration for Mike's birthday last May. We had 48 people over for a birthday party, and then 20 people stayed to play Texas Hold 'em Poker far into the night.

It was a little insane--but we don't miss a chance to throw a party around here :)

Cutting the cake and handing out cupcakes...

The poker game after the party...

I presented Mike with his Birthday Poster showing the "blood oath for the Masters" campaign. It kind of felt like "The Sound of Music" on the stairs with all the people that were paying attention to us! Carson also wanted the spotlight--it was pretty funny when he came upstairs to "help" me out. You can see him behind Mike. He was talking non-stop!

It was a huge success, and one of the coolest things is that a friend DID get tickets to the Masters!! Mike is headed to Augusta, Georgia in April--my lottery plan actually WORKED!!!! :)

Mission Accomplished.

Family Pictures--August 2010

We got some family pictures taken in August when I took Carson to get his 3 year-old pictures done. Here are some of the favorites:
We had to include a family "Aloha" pic--it is good karma! :)

Picture studios love to put together those fancy picture compilations, don't they?

I love how this picture turned out!

This is our favorite family picture :)

I sure love my boys!

Carson Turns 3!

There was a lot to be excited about with Carson's 3rd Birthday. First, he loves Toy Story--so party-planning was a cinch. Second, he got to go to school on his birthday, so we brought cupcakes for his whole class (so fun). Finally, Carson wanted Buzz Lightyear SO BAD, and he FINALLY got Buzz for his birthday!

When we drove up to the Goddard School, they had a jumping castle up just for summer fun. When Carson saw it, he exclaimed "look! Just for my birthday!!". I didn't have the heart to tell him that the jumpy castle would have happened with or without his big day. :)

Carson's teacher, Ms. Melissa, was kind enough to take some pictures of the class when they sang Happy Birthday to Carson. I brought fun cupcakes to school for all the kids and teachers. Melissa even videotaped everyone singing--which is really neat since it is Carson's first school birthday celebration. I put in a good word for Melissa with the Boss that day. :)

Carson and Ms. Melissa

Since August is always hot and it is still Summer, Carson's birthday is going to involve a lot of outside activities. Since we don't have a huge backyard, the front yard works great being that we live in a culd-de-sac. We set up the food and the pinata in the garage, and the slip-in-slide and tent in the grass. It worked great!

Carson LOVES to slip-in-slide! Although on his birthday, he was much more interested in opening presents to finally get BUZZ :)

One thing that I did a little differently was to limit the number of kids that came to his party. At his previous parties, there were 10-12 kids and he was overwhelmed. This year, I invited 6 kids, and only 4 could come. It was a much more manageable number! Here is Carson with his good friends Brody and Elaina:

Here are the kids again, but now Grant has joined the bunch! Cute pic :)

CAKE CAKE CAKE....Please!

It was so fun to see Carson really get into blowing out his candles after making a wish. It is just neat to watch him grow up...and it is happening FAST.

Holding his Buzz Lightyear candle :)

FINALLY! Buzz Lightyear arrived! Carson couldn't wait to have a Buzz where his helmet opens and shuts. This Buzz is a deluxe model.

Even though there were not many kids--we still had all of our friends there :). Carson got almost every Toy Story character for his birthday. We are so blessed to have such generous and loving friends! In this picture, Elaina and Isabella are helping Carson open his gifts:

Who doesn't love a Pinata? So much fun--and they now make them with a latch you can pull when everyone gets bored and the pinata won't open. VERY cool :)

Carson slept with Buzz that night. It was a great party, and we have memories that we will cherish for a lifetime :)

Next Year: We are going to a jumping castle of some type... ;)

Summertime 2010

Here is a quick overview of our fantastic "Summer of 2010":

Swim Lessons for the first time at Lifetime Fitness:
During the month of June, Carson went twice a week to swim class. It was a great program that we really liked...until the true price tag was revealed (very poor pricing information--lessons were twice the price that I thought). Lesson learned. We will try a different location next summer!

Carson loves Merry-Go-Rounds. We ride the Zoo Carousel all the time, but it was extra special to drive up to Nederland with Grandma and Grandpa B to ride the "Carousel of Happiness". We had a wonderful day!

Carson got a short haircut and showed off a great jelly face :)

A Carnival came to town! While I am not a fan of "Carnies"...this was really cool--and only 5 minutes away! Carson rode his first amusement park rides, and we loved just coming to look around while it stayed in town for about 3 weeks. In this picture, Carson and I are riding the fire truck:

Carson riding the elephants :) So much fun!

Prior to his birthday, Carson used his imagination to play "Buzz Lightyear", and his football helmet was Buzz's helmet. There were a few days where he wore the helmet at all times. EXCELLENT!

We made many trips to the zoo, as usual. Only this summer we brought the Radio Flyer wagon instead of the stroller...why is he growing up so fast??

We love Summer!

All Things Scottish 2010

The Scottish Festival was a little different this year because now Mike is a participating member of the Knights of Saint George. It was a lot of fun--but there were more responsibilities that go along with the honor of being knighted. I love this picture of the Lowe boys:

Carson couldn't wait to get back up to Estes for the "Bagpipes". He talked about it for a few months and kept asking when we were going to go back to see the pipes. Grandma and Grandpa Lowe got him his own bagpipes, and he would march around playing them when he heard real bagpipes playing. I actually think that he thought HE was playing! :) It was SO cute--and people kept asking to take his picture :)

As always, we get to see dear friends at the festival. Sarah Clark gave Carson this dragon and he absolutely loves it. He wore his Broncos jersey on Sunday to multi-task his scottish heritage with his NFL team!

This picture was taken right before Carson and I marched in the Parade on Saturday. Check out my Facebook page for a detailed note about this experience...it was a classic tale for the ages!

The second weekend in September is a special time for our family, and I relish the traditions and quality time that we have in Estes Park for the festival. 2010 was a great one!

My fresh new attitude towards this school year :)

Bring it on!!
I plan to update the blog more often...pictures from the summer are almost organized! Stay tuned...

Happy Birthday, Mike!

Mike's 50th Birthday was on May 7th, 2010. He made me promise not to plan any type of elaborate surprise party or big get-together in his honor--and he was dead serious about it. Finally, I convinced him to celebrate the occasion on his own terms with a barbeque and Texas Hold 'em poker game. I tried to keep the guest list small, but Mike Lowe is a popular guy...so there were 48 people there when it was all said and done! :)

*Update* Gary Bomba was chosen in the ticket lottery--MIKE IS GOING TO THE MASTER'S TOURNAMENT in Augusta, Ga. in 2011! Wow--this actually worked!! :)

What Mike wants to do more than anything is go to Augusta, Georgia and attend the Master's Golf tournament. I can't tell you how many times I have heard him talk about "how cool it would be". Well, let me tell you that this is easier said than done. In our budget range, the only way Mike is going to get to Augusta is through the Practice-round Ticket Lottery. I focused my efforts on increasing his odds of getting to see the Master's tourney with the "Take Mike to Augusta Campaign":



Yes, that is a photoshop picture of Mike and his best buddy, Phil Mickelson. (We are big Mickelson fans in this household!). I presented Mike with a poster-sized version of this at his party--and ever since then, Carson walks by the poster and says "Hi Daddy and Phil". Ha ha

It turned out pretty well and the party was a huge success! Hopefully, someone will get lucky with some tickets in 2011, and Mike can actually make it to Augusta!! ;)

I will post more pictures of his party very soon...

May 24, 2010--The end of the Pacifier Era

During the afternoon of May 24th, Carson made a startling announcement. He told me that he was "going to throw his paci away because he is a big boy now"...
I was honest and asked him if he was SURE that he wanted to do this--and he said yes, and threw his last remaining pacifier away in the trash! I captured the moment with my phone (hence the picture quality).

Sidenote: Yes, he is wearing Superman pajamas in the afternoon--because he loves the cape and occasionally wants to wear the outfit during the day :). He wore it to "Superhero" day at preschool, too!

Yay, Carson! We have never looked back--the paci is GONE! Will potty training be this easy?? ;)

Mike gets Knighted--April 25, 2010

The Lowe family does so much to support and help the Estes Park Scottish Festival each year--and Bill has been a Knight of St. George (http://www.orderofstgeorge.org/) for many years now. It was very special when Bryan was knighted, and now the family is complete as of this April. Mike and Kevin were both knighted at a wonderful ceremony on April 25th.

Carson loved it! He confidently announced that he, too, will be knighted eventually. He was proud of his Daddy.

Bill and Sue always look great!
Mike and I are leaving the Church after the ceremony. You can see Carson with Grandma B off to the left :)
Here is the whole Lowe Clan :). It is so special to have the whole family involved in this great organization.
I am definitely proud of Mike--but I'm pretty sure he doesn't expect me to call him "Sir" all the time now... hee hee

It was great to have Dave & Jackie (Mom and Dad) attend as well as Big John and some other friends. What a fun weekend!

Maui 2010 :)

This slideshow generated with Smilebox

This is why being a High School teacher is ALWAYS an adventure!

Every year, I help out the students in the DECA program and I "MC" the Mr. Warrior Competition. This year, there was quite a surprise when a sophomore named Ben Grodsky came out to the stage for the "Talent Portion" of the competition...watch and enjoy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jalwS0OoabA

Ben was thoughtful enough to let me know that he planned to put this clip on You Tube, and he wanted to make sure that myself and Mr. Mason were ok with being in this clip. See?? There are still great kids out there. :)

I LOVE MY JOB!!

Can you believe that it has really been 14 years??

Because it feels like 2-3 years have passed--not fourteen!! Mike and I celebrated our 14th Anniversary in Maui again this year. We were able to sneak away for a delicious meal at "The Hideaway" restaurant and gaze at ocean views while we tried to figure out where 14 years have actually gone. :) I received some beautiful roses from Mike, and a duck-call toy from Carson...(I'm pretty sure Carson was coached on that one...).

It seems like only yesterday that we promised to love each other and take care of each other forever. It has been a wonderful ride thus far, and I am very lucky to have such a wonderful man in my life.

Maybe next year it is time to put on our kilts and commemorate 15 years!! It would sure be a good time ;)

Random pictures that I found and love :)

I have been organizing pictures and saving them all to my external hard drive, and I came across a few cute ones that I want to post.

This picture was taken when Ryan was in town and stayed at my house for a night. I took it with my phone, and had several glitches with my T-mobile photo album before I could save it on my computer. I just love this picture!!
Carson and I spend A LOT of time at playgrounds. We frequently go with my friend Ayrica and her 3 kids. She took these pictures one day almost a year ago.

Carson is following in the family foot-steps and chanting "fwing, fwing". :)

What should we play with next???

Playing with Elaina and Brody...making some food in the playhouse!