Miss Gwyneth excitedly went to a sleepover at her friend Ruby’s so Miss Annabelle asked Olivia to come to our house for a sleepover. They spent the afternoon roller skating and riding bikes. Annabelle took quite the digger on her bike and had a pretty nasty cut up foot. First major bike accident for this little lady. 

We surprised the girls with dinner at Old Santa Fe and the Cinderella movie. They were in heaven and B was asleep before the opening credits even began to roll. 

Kicking off St. Patty’s celebrations at the Kitchen with Little Cooks and Books. This was the biggest yet and I’m still loving it. 

We are doing our best to find our groove again, admittedly it’s not coming back very easily. Tonight we returned to our Daisy routine for Miss Gwyneth. The girls created St. Patrick’s day magnets and painted flower pots and watering cans. The smiles and laughs in the house were so very welcomed.

We had a birthday party cancellation due to a sick birthday boy, so it was just the four of us today. That is rare and precious. We set out to try a new restaurant and found Waterloo Taphouse in Louisville. B was craving a burger and they delivered. The burgers and fries were delicious. I wasn’t as impressed with the drink selections, but the girls were pretty darn happy with their etch a sketch menus. (And really, I can’t be that sad about that tall boy brew). 

After lunch we went to see the Sponge Bob Movie. I had low expectations, but wow! That was a stinker. The girls seemed to like it. At least that’s what they told us after. It was a $20 nap for B and I. 😉 We took a great walk after dinner around our neighborhood and soaked in the sunshine while the girls played on the swings. I was sad to see the day come to an end. It was a good one. 

Gwyneth spent a special day celebrating her dear friend, Ella’s birthday. They went to the American Girl store and were truly spoiled. Their dolls visited the hair salon, they received a tshirt for their dolls, and Gwyneth even received an art set. She had a blast and was so thrilled to spend the day with her friend. 

We had a birthday party at the kitchen and after work my friend Senecca brought us dinner. We have been so busy with funeral arrangements, and work, and the family, and the girls….well, we’re just doing our best and my Moms Club friends have been a life-saver. We haven’t had much time to get to the store or to make meals and we’ve had friends dropping off food to us every night. I am blessed and impressed by these amazing women. They have such big hearts and are always willing to lend a helping hand. We are so thankful for the love and support.

Showing how cute little girls eat ribs. This is how it is done!

Um, I think she liked them??? 

My family has been very supportive through this tough time. They came out for Grandma Carole’s funeral and have been so loving to us. 

Our girls stayed home from school today to say goodbye to my family. My mom, sisters, and nieces flew home today. I probably should have sent them to school and worked in the afternoon, but it has been a very taxing week for all of us and I admit the time together was needed. 

After dropping my family at the airport we went straight to the aquarium. We saw the mermaids and rode the Sponge Bob 4D ride. 

I met B when I was 16 years old and we started dating just after my 17th birthday. We went on that first date, became an instant couple, and have been pretty inseparable ever since. That was twenty years ago.

I met Carole, B’s mom, just days after B and I started dating.  His house was the house that everyone went to after school. It was the fun house. The door was always open and his family was always welcoming. There was always extra food for dinner (an interesting chicken dish of some sort…which became legendary) and there always seemed to be an extra friend or two at the dinner table. 

To say that B was adored by his mother would be an understatement. She was pretty upset with me when I whisked him off to New Mexico for college and then our many moves across the country after graduation. She was so happy when we finally settled in Colorado. When we opened our business this past year she said she finally slept easy that we would stick around for a while. 

Carole was diagnosed in September with uterine cancer and sadly, it progressed very quickly. It was five months of wishing and praying, but in the end she went quickly and peacefully surrounded by the love of her family. We honored her life today with a memorial service filled with friends and family. B gave a beautiful eulogy which had me both laughing and crying, which is absolutely his way, and Carole would have been very, very proud. 

She left us too soon. She had more life in her. She would have liked Blue Mountain Kitchen. She would have liked to see it grow. She would have liked more Easters and Christmases and Birthday Parties. She would have liked more celebrations. 

She would have loved watching our girls grow up. She would have loved more dance recitals, princesses, and prom dresses. She would have loved graduations and weddings and great-grandkids. She would have loved more time. 

Grandma Carole will be deeply missed, but we are celebrating her and her beautiful life. We will remember the good, and the fun, and cucuracha chicken, and we will be happy we had the chance to love her. 

I donated almost a foot of hair today to Locks of Love in honor of my  mother-in-law.  

I had quite a lot of hair and I’m glad it can be put to good use. 

Poppy and Melissa treated the girls to tickets to Disney on Ice. 

Melissa couldn’t join us because she fell off the curb texting and broke her ankle….yeah, that happened. Both Poppy and B  managed to stay awake for the entire show though, which was a refreshing surprise. 

No visit would be complete without a visit to Morton’s. The girls were thrilled when they found their picture hanging on the wall in the main dining area! It was a wonderful visit.

Our latest Little Cooks and Books class. My girls adored this book and the craft was chocolaty goodness.