Author: pazmeyer

tyler’s cookout

The Tyler’s invited us over for a Saturday night cook out and was it ever delicious!! We stuffed ourselves with yummy food and the kids had a good ol’ time playing together. Sheila pulled out the sand and water table and they went nuts. They had blue sand it was every where (lots in the bottom of our bathtub the next morning too. Gwyneth brought home her fair share!). 
The Tyler’s welcome a new dog to their family on Saturday named Phoebe. They rescued Phoebe from a very bad situation and she is the sweetest little dog. As we were playing with her, I started talking about getting a dog before I could even catch myself. Momentary lapse of judgement. Phoebe is just really cute, that’s what she’ll do to you.
The girls crashed hard on the way home in the car and it was a fun, fun night!
Now it’s a party!
Welcome Ms. Phoebe.
Gorgeous afternoon for playing outside.
This is just the beginning – the sand really starts flying soon.
Miss Annabelle showing off her dirty hands.
Now those are some dirty hands, Rhys!!! 

zoo morning

The sun was finally shining and we were able to head to the zoo. Let’s hope we’ve seen our last snow fall for the season, but this is Colorado so I should bite my tongue. We haven’t see the Carlson crew in a while and we were lucky enough to have them join us. Unfortunately Jack was battling an ear infection and not feeling so hot so they had to cut their trip short. The girls were glad to see their friends Jack and Ben if only for a short time. 
While I was getting ready, Daddy set the girls up with a living room/carpet picnic for breakfast. They got toast and berries which are a big hit and well, eating on the floor – what’s not to love? 
There’s a new baby giraffe at the Denver zoo. He was 6 foot 4 inches at birth. To a shortie like me this is a bit of  a slap in the face. 
Gwyneth was excited to see the baby giraffe. You can also see poor Jack in the background. Poor little guy didn’t want to walk around the zoo, but Ben was very happy to check out the sites. 
Here’s Annabelle’s zoo story –  
The Adventure of the Wagon Puller and the Surprise Peacock….
Annabelle loves to pull the wagon. She may be small, but she’s strong. She’ll pull her little sister around the zoo all day long. She never wants to ride, only pull. Heck, if Gwyneth is walking, she’ll pull the empty wagon. So, Annabelle set off pulling the wagon and was eager to find some animals. 
Little did she know she was being stalked by this guy and was going to see an animal up close and personal!
The peacock walked right up to her to say hello and she freaked. She was on a mission and didn’t really see it coming, but she always is not a big fan of any animals right in her face. Her screams echoed across the zoo!! Miss Annabelle stayed a little closer to me and her daddy the rest of the day.
Ben joined Gwyneth in the wagon for a bit, B pulled, and Annabelle stayed very close – at least until she was sure she was away from that pesky peacock. (I love this shot of Gwyneth’s little eyes peeking back at me).
Annabelle and Jack checking out the lizards. Jennifer pointed out that even on her little tip toes, Jack is still taller than Annabelle!
B and his girls getting and up close view of the monkeys – Gwyneth’s favorites. 
Annabelle, Gwyneth and Ben checking out the fish. I accept that I can only get pictures of the back of their heads at the zoo. There’s no getting them to turn around for pictures. (Gotta love Gwyneth’s dress being tucked in to her jacket showing off her tush – oh, G!)
The Carlsons had to head home but we stuck around to see the elephants, ride the carousel and the train. Gwyneth was very proud of her train token. 
Here comes the train!
B and his girls riding the rails. 

bag ladies

I organized our hall closet and made a shelf for all our bags – diaper bags, lunch bags, travel bags, etc. The closet is very clean and organized, but the bag shelf is low enough for the girls to reach and take what they like…. And they like it all! 
My little bag ladies!
A girl can never have too many bags!

happy birthday, paul

The Meyer family gathered at our house Sunday evening to celebrate all the moms and Uncle Paul’s birthday. The girls and B treated me to New Moon and a gift card for 2 1-hour massages. Fabulous! I can’t wait to get them on the calendar.
B chased the girls around and grilled corn on the cob (one of mine and the girls’ absolute favorites) while I whipped up crab cakes, shrimp and crab ravioli with vodka sauce, scallop potatoes and the essential corn dogs for the kiddos. It was a lovely afternoon and we ended the festivities singing Happy Birthday to Uncle Paul and chowing down on cupcakes.
My Gorgeous Gwyneth Grace
My Adorable Annabelle Olivia
I’m such a lucky mom. The girls and B are wonderful everyday but they truly pamper me on Mother’s day.
This is what I got when I asked them to say “cheese” together. Such silly girls!
Happy Birthday to Uncle Paul!
The girls love cupcakes.
Annabelle only eats the frosting, Gwyneth likes the cake, and Reagan eats the whole thing!
How cute are these cousins? They adore each other! (Gwyneth too, but she was too busy eating her cupcake to take a picture break.)
These cupcakes are only funny to our family, but we have a candle in our bathroom with an “M” that Paul feels the need to flip over every time he comes over. It took a while to notice at first, but inevitably we’d find the “W” once Paul left. He does it EVERY time. As payback his cupcakes all got the upside down “R” treatment (for Rewalt – their last name).
Now, I realize this is not hilarious to anyone else, but we all got a big kick out of the payback.

downstairs at eric’s

After a very rough week, we headed up to Breckenridge for a calm, relaxing Mother’s Day weekend. I had checked in with my doctor earlier in the week and my recovery was not what they had hoped so I was asked to stay off my feet for two full days. That is really not easy with two little girls, but again I have a really great husband who always steps in and saves the day.

A little get away to Breckenridge was just what we all needed after being homebound most of this week. We had dinner at Downstairs at Eric’s and the girls loved the video arcade. I didn’t even need to give them quarters they were just happy to pretend to drive the cars. I wonder how much longer I can getaway with that?

Brandon and Kelly Also joined us for the weekend and they were so helpful with the girls. They helped us chase them around and helped entertain them and we all got a much needed, relaxing vacation.

Playing games at Downstairs at Eric’s, which has to be the most kid friendly restaurant in Breck.

Annabelle is way into the driving games.

Just when you thought this girl couldn’t get any cuter….

otter pops

I truly try to limit the amount of sugar my girls consumer, but realize on occassion all kids need to indulge a bit. And when I say all kids, please note that I mean B in this case. He loves popsicles! When I was at Costco the other day I picked up a HUGE box of otter pops for him and the girls. At the Meyer house we’re not really about moderation, but hopefully that big ol’ box will get us well through the summer.

This a true sign of how much I love and adore my husband and children, because I HATE popsicles. Let me repeat – I HATE popsicles. Using the word HATE here. The sound of teeth biting through ice is like fingernails on a chalkboard for me. It makes me cringe just typing this. I took these pictures and ran.

Hmmm…is it just me or is B the happiest of them all????
Yum, popsicles
Annabelle is a big fan of the blue
Both girls wanted me to take pictures of their tongues and then “Let me see. Let me see!”.

taking it slow

I’m still moving slow, but the weather was so nice and the girls were very persuasive so we headed down to the park after dinner. I haven’t been out of the house much lately so a little fresh air did me some good.
  
Hitching a ride to the park in their wagon. Annabelle wanted her hood up so of course Gwyneth did too. These girls are two peas in a pod.
While YaYa was visiting she taught Annabelle how to swing on the big girl swings.
Gwyneth, our little monkey, takes a slightly different approach with the swings
These girls were cracking up! They had a blast swinging away.
B is a lot more adventurous than me with the girls, but I think even he was getting a little stressed. I heard lots of “Annabelle – Please Hang On! Not too high! Oh Jeez, GG – be careful!”. Nice to know I’m not the only one….
Now tell me, what could be more fun????

big smiles

What can I say about Gwyneth…besides she is perfection! She is such a sweet little girl and she absolutely melts my heart. She is very quick – she loves to read, do puzzles, care for her babies, build with her blocks, and cook in her kitchen. She knows her ABC’s, can count to 10, and loves to sing songs including “Itsy Bitsy Spider”, “Jesus Loves Me”, “Twinkle Twinkle” and “Baa Baa Black Sheep”.  She really enjoys coloring but prefers blank white paper to coloring books. There’s no keeping this girl within the lines.  I often wonder if that is a metaphor for her future….
Gwyneth is a snuggler – she still gives the best hugs. She really gets into it, wraps her around your neck, and squeezes her little arms as tight as she can. You have to feel loved after one of her hugs. I wish we could bottle them because it makes all your worries disappear. She gives good smooches, says “Love you”, and is a total daddy’s girl.
My girl loves to dance. She sticks her booty out and rocks whenever she hears music! She loves “Brown Eyed Girl” which her and Annabelle call “Mommy’s song”. She is full of life and spunk, but very little sass. She is approaching two and she has her moments of defiance but she is typically laid back and easy going. She is quick to share (for the most part), but also plays really well independently. 
Gwyneth is my good eater. She never turns down a meal and don’t even think about taking her food. She has had quite a few run-ins with Grandpa Bob, as he attempts to steal food (mostly sweets) from the grandkids plates. Even Grandpa knows, Gwyneth never loses! She had the cutest little belly which is now slimming down as she’s going from chubby baby to slim toddler. She has the Paz cheeks, very thick hair, green eyes, and a very small brownish birthmark on her side – all of of which wrap up to the beautiful little GG we all adore.
Gwyneth amazes me every day. I guess there is just no keeping her a baby, as much as I’d like to. …

lipstick

I have to admit I have not been on my A-game this weekend. I’ve been a bit slow and boy, oh boy Annabelle doesn’t miss an opportunity to get one past me. As B was making breakfast and Gwyneth was peacefully coloring Miss Annabelle decided to put on some “lipstick”. Yes, that would be purple crayon all over her face…
I’m not sure if it’s the pain pills or the look of madness on her face but I thought this was funny stuff!
I was beginning to feel a bit stir-crazy, so B offered to get us all out for lunch.  Annabelle got herself dressed and was not leaving without her boots. Rock on girl!

lodden love

In order to give me some much needed rest, B took the girls to Ryan’s soccer game. They had a blast playing with their cousins and had lunch with their Grandpa Bob afterwards. Both girls fell asleep in the car and B drove them around for a few hours to make sure they had good naps. I’m quite lucky to have such an accommodating husband.

Jeff is in Vegas this weekend and with me moving a bit slowly, Jen and B decided to pool their resources and get all the kids together at our house. Ryan and Reagan are such sweet kiddos and the cousins all play so well together. They really love each other. I was able to sit on the patio with my feet up and watch the kids play. B grabbed Chicago-style pizza for us for dinner and the kids ate an entire medium pizza! I couldn’t believe how much food they put away. It was amazing! They certainly played hard today. I really enjoyed having Jen and her family over and Aunt Jen was so helpful with the girls.

I was really stressed about how we were going to pull everything together this weekend but with Aunt Jen and Aunt Chriss’ help it’s been almost easy. I’m on the mend and very thankful for all the help, texts, and emails from our friends and family. If I haven’t said it enough, I did pretty darn good in the marriage department too. I haven’t lifted a finger this weekend and thats all because of my husband. I will certainly be hanging on to him – he’s a keeper.

3 Meyer girls born within 13 months! It’s a blast watching them grow up together and becoming such sweet friends. 
Ryan in his soccer gear. He told me all about his game and how he scored a goal! I’m sad to have missed it. 
 
Gwyneth and Reagan using the porch swing as a roller coaster
The girls calling each other
As the night wears on the kids start getting a little crazy!
Let the madness begin
How cute is this crew? 
Gwyneth Grace really knows how to turn on the smile… Love it!