nuggets vs knicks

We took advantage of the amazing Buzzer Beater deal and purchased tickets for the Nuggets vs Knicks game. Our original tickets were way up in the rafters, but we were able to pounce on upgrades and ended up in the 18th row on the floor. Yesssss! Our seats were amazing and we had a great time. 
One of Annabelle’s favorite players, Mudiay, was traded to the Knicks and she was thrilled for the opportunity to see him back in town. She was rooting for her Nuggets, but couldn’t resist rooting for Mudiay too. 
Nuggets pulled off a win and it was a great game!! 

pizza with the tendlers

We kicked off our year with lunch with our friends, The Tendlers. They are busy folks, so it was quite a treat to find our schedules aligned to ring in the new year. 
I am on the quest for perfect pizza. I am a big fan of pizza, but never quite seem satisfied with the dish we get delivered. We met up at Garlic Knot which was good, but not perfect. My hunt continues. Luckily Mitch and Connie love to explore and are fun foodie friends so I’m pretty sure I can talk them into joining me on this perfect pizza hunting adventure. Perhaps I should make that my 2019 resolution?! Finding the perfect Colorado pizza pie. Challenge accepted! 
We started talking vacations because our families mesh so well and we had such a great time on our Palm Springs trip. These crazy kids came up with the idea of renting an RV….and they just run with it! Mitch is a planner extraordinaire and I have absolutely no doubt that this trip (or even more fantastic) will come to fruition. 
Annabelle is in love with the RV idea. Where in the world did we find that girl?
While the RV planning was underway these two ladies ate pizza and then styled each other’s hair. Such sweet friendship. So much laughing and fun for all. What a wonderful way to kick off the new year!

goodbye 2018

My sisters and their families both left on the 30th so it was back to work for me on the 31st. I had to swing by each studio and Gwyneth asked to join me. I was happy to have the company and we finished our audiobook “The Girl Who Drank The Moon” on our long drives around town. 
We didn’t get back to our neck of the woods until late afternoon. We met up with Annabelle and B for a very late lunch and developed a plan for the night. It involved dressing up and dinner plans….and then it started to snow. We got back to our house and we all snuggled up on the couches under big blankets. It got later and later and the snow was coming down and sticking to the roads. We finally decided to scrap our plans and stay home and watch movies and order pizza. I don’t think anyone was the least bit disappointed about a night in pjs. 

a girl and her cousin

Annabelle loves her baby cousin so much! All the girls do, of course, but Annabelle manages to steal him away most often. You can always find her holding him, playing with him, fussing over him. She has a special bond with that little guy. 
We sure do love our sassy-pants Lily too!

happy birthday, maeva

We spent the morning at Mid Air Adventures celebrating Maeva’s 11th birthday. The cousins had a blast swinging from the rafters! 
We had lunch and played games at Dave and Busters followed by dinner and movies at our house. The cousins had a sleepover at our house and were all smiles and loved being together. Happy 11th birthday to our niece Maeva!!

denver paz christmas

It was a beautiful day in Colorado and we loved having my family here to celebrate Christmas. We had a fun filled day at the Ritz, lunch at the Brown Palace, exploring the Colorado History Museum, and of course, dinner at Morton’s. 
Exchanging gifts
The Brown Palace is gorgeous at Christmas time. 
The Colorado History Museum is always a hit!

merry morton’s christmas

The Paz Christmas was in Colorado this year so we spent two lovely days in downtown Denver.  We checked into the Ritz, which is nothing less than fabulous.
We had dinner at OceanPrime and then all walked back to the hotel.  I had a tough time planning these days together because there were no sporting events or shows happenings, but thankfully the weather cooperated with us. There was that silver lining.
My girl with Gwyneth and her younger cousins.My heart! 
Annabelle and Gwyneth are growing up so fast. I love these little ladies!
When the Paz cousins arrive, the girls have to switch up rooms. They all adore each other and are negotiating sleepovers from the time the get together until sleep arrangements are conceded. 
The first night we got Miss Gwyneth and Eliana in our room while Annabelle slept in Aunt Stacy’s room. We took the girls to the club level for dessert and Aunt Becky joined us while Uncle Darnell put baby George to bed.   We were feeling spoiled from our treats and a night with these gals. They enjoyed their treats and then giggled until falling asleep. 

merry christmas

It’s always a very Merry Christmas with this gang!
Annabelle and I were both battling nasty colds but we powered through and had a wonderful day. Annabelle woke up around 5 am when B got up to move to the couch. Yeah, I was really sick and snoring like crazy. Poor B….and poor me, too. I slept through all of that and B got Annabelle to go back to sleep. 
The girls both got up around 6:30 which is actually late around here. The girls opened up their stockings and their gifts and we had a beautifully, lazy day. I’m fairly certain I was asleep within two minutes of that last gift being opened. We played, and napped, and ate, and then napped some more. Being sick on Christmas is no fun at all, but my studios were closed and my phone was quiet and I loved snuggling up in pj’s with these people and just resting the day away.  Poor B ended up pretty sick as the day progressed and slept most of the day too. Merry Christmas, folks!
A little sparkling apple cider and pj’s all day = best Christmas for these gals! 

christmas eve

We honored our Christmas Eve tradition with a trip to Build A Bear. The girls each had a $50 gift card and used every last penny on bears and accessories. It’s fun to see how their choices have evolved and those perch right on the bed each day and are snuggled each night. 
As we were checking out I slyly added my name to the nice list. The girls noticed as we were walking out. They thought it was funny that I only added my name and  not theirs. I told them I guess they better be nicer then. Ha!
After our mall trip B headed home to prep for dinner. The Broncos played and we invited a few friends over to watch the game. B made a delicious prime rib and plenty of appetizers and sides. It was a perfect Christmas Eve treat. 
The girls and I had tea at the Boulder Tea House. This has been a favorite in the past, but it didn’t quite land today. The tea house is beautiful as always but the service just wasn’t great. Our server was a bit unfriendly and smug. The food was not presented well…just a bit messy, as Annabelle stated. They were also going to charge me an additional fee to give the girls cucumber sandwiches instead of pb&j. I thought that was just silly. 
We did have a lovely time together though and it helped waste some time since these girls were so anxious for Christmas morning. We decided we should try for Brown Palace next year…I better get scootin’ on that reservation soon. I think they book up about a year in advance. 

the grinch

Annabelle is very particular about her holiday traditions. She is our fabulous tween with all the moodiness and and angst that come with being 11. Just when I think she is ambivalent, she reels me in and lays out her very favorite activities, hopes, and expectations for the holidays. She is so very serious and concise that we all just hop on board.
One of the traditions is her Christmas Eve movie. We had a busy 24th planned so she conceded to a movie on the 23rd instead. We found a movie that everyone would enjoy and off we headed to see The Grinch. 
I maaaaay have fallen asleep during this movie, but it doesn’t say anything about the movie but more about drink the tree the night before….ha! 
Anyone else notice these girls wearing the same shirt? I had nothing to do with this but it sure does make me smile! I love that they are so stinkin’ cute like this.