camping with annabelle

Annabelle and I attended our last Girl Scout event together for her troop. It has been quite a journey for her and scouts…definitely not the experience I had in mind for her. She started in kindergarten and the troop has undergone many, many changes. So many troop leaders and scouts that have come and gone. I took a turn leading the troop and it certainly had it’s fair share of challenges. In the end, I would like to think that Annabelle had a good experience and enjoyed her time. I’m not positive that she wanted to be done with Scouts but this troop is most definitely done. 
We spent the weekend at the YMCA of the Rockies. It is a lovely camp ground in Estes Park. We had a great big cabin with plenty of room for all the Scouts and moms. We spent our weekend exploring and didn’t get to do nearly as much as we have liked. Annabelle and I quickly agreed that we would need to return with Gwyneth and B. 
The camp grounds are nestled right up against the National Park. It was beautiful and there was wildlife right outside our cabin. 
We spent our fair share of time in the craft lodge. The jewelry section was a big hit and we made some super cute bookmarks. It was a wonderful weekend with my girl!

awards

This feels like a braggy post, but I just want to record this moment and how proud I am of my amazing daughters. 
I nearly missed the award ceremony this morning, because I had work to do and I wasn’t even sure what it was all about. I thought it was for awards from the fun run. My girls had a blast at the run but didn’t set any records for laps or fundraising and didn’t seem all that excited for me to attend. 
That morning I decided with only a few days left of school I wanted to soak it all in and I was going to attend that awards ceremony anyway. I am sure glad I did!
The very first award given that morning was for values and it was the “Heroism” award. Gwyneth was so surprised (and embarrased) when her name was called. She won for doing brave things! Reading to her peers when it’s not always easy for her, standing up for for anyone she sees being picked one, being kind and honest when that’s not always the easiest choice. 
I could have not been more proud of that girl! She has a heart of gold and she is brave even (especially) when it’s hard. 

Each student in the school earns an award. Some earn mulitiple awards. Each and every one of them  knows on this day that they have a talent and they are special. The sap in me loved it and I had to choke back tears watching these kids so proudly receive their awards and cheer for each other.

The girls’ friend Kierra won an award for best speller and I wanted to snap this photo for her mom who couldn’t be there.

Gwyneth won “Top Performer” in her class! They don’t do honor roll in 4th grade, but she had the best performance of all the kiddos in her grade for the entire year across all subjects. This was an amazing accomplishment for a little lady who has to overcome so many challenges in her studies and never stops working her tail off!

Annabelle won two awards –  the 4Q honor roll award and Top Performer for her class! She was the only student in 5th grade to maintain a 4.0 the entire year. She is very driven and positive enforcement goes a long way with her. Her teacher challenged her this year and got her very best. So proud of her. Annabelle makes it all look easy so we don’t always give her enough credit for her hard work. Today was a wonderful reminder this young ladies intelligence, strength, drive, focus and success. So very, very proud of her.

Receiving the 4Q honor roll awards
I’m so proud of these little ladies. They worked hard this year and have grown so much! 
Annabelle and her teacher. Love them both. We couldn’t have hoped for better! 

tully

We are in countdown mode for summer break! Only 6 full days of school left. 
I am a planner and that doesn’t make me anxious, because I freaked out a month ago. I start worrying early about juggling all our different schedules. I was frantic in April looking at camps and travel. So, our summer is already planned and now we just wait for the fun to begin….
I did something very uncharacteristic today. I took the afternoon off and went to a movie with my friends! What?!?! It felt great to sneak away and meet up with some sweet ladies. I loved it! I really should do that more often. 

tea with annabelle and billera celebration

Annabelle and I had a special afternoon planned with her girl scout troop. We attended a mother daughter tea party at the Huckleberry. They do a simple and casual afternoon tea with tasty tea cakes, scones, and sandwiches. 
Before setting off Annabelle asked me to give her some “beachy waves” in her hair. It was my first attempt with a new curling gadget we purchased. It took a few tries and there’s room for improvement, but I thought she looked fabulous! Very beachy indeed! She was full of confidence with that head full of curls.
Off to brunch we go! 
In addition to meeting the ladies from girl scouts, we ran into a friend from Ananbelle’s class and our former neighbors. Who knew The Huckleberry was the place to be on a Saturday afternoon?!

After tea, we headed over to meet up with Gwyneth. She spent the afternoon with her friend Ruby. We joined up with the Billera’s and many friends to celebrate Peter’s election win. He is now on the North Metro Fire Rescue Board. We are very happy for him and were thrilled to celebrate his accomplishment!
Chloe, Gwyneth, and Annabelle enjoying root beer floats!

the who’s tommy

We received tickets for Christmas to see The Who’s Tommy.  I was beyond excited for this show. I remember my parents going to see it when I was a kid and I’ve been waiting all these years to see it myself. 
The show was an hour earlier than normal so we were a bit pressed for time. We were able to grab a few appetizers and delicious cocktails at Oceannaire before the show. They really do have the best Old Fashion in town…I fancy myself an Old Fashion connoisseur. 
The theater was small and intimate. The cast and set were wonderful. The music hit a nostalgic nerve for me and was great. The production was well done, but it just wasn’t my favorite show. Maybe I built it up too much? The kid had a creepy Shining-esque quality which freaked me out.  I just didn’t love it but B did and we had a great conversation about it afterwards. Another great night out with that husband.

lunch with gwyneth

Gwyneth asked for a packed lunch today and I just really, really didn’t feel like packing it. Nor did I feel like going to the grocery to buy acceptable lunch foods. The end of school year drag is real! Ha! We are at the end of the school year;  just counting down the days until we have summer freedom. I know most moms feel this way at the end of the school year. Those packed lunches and reading logs suck my will and some days I just have to throw in the white flag. Today was one of those days. 
I asked Gwyneth if we could skip the packed lunch and I would just take her out. She was thrilled! I picked her up for a special lunch and she requested Panera. That girl loves bread and soup!
I asked Annabelle if she wanted to join us and she said no! She said she didn’t want to miss even a minute of school. I love both of their reactions to my request!

patio

When I set my mind on something….well, look out! It’s getting done! This can be a bit inconvenient…mostly for my kind husband. I decided last weekend that I wanted a couch for our patio. B liked the idea and said he would like a fire pit. So I did lots of research and then decided about 2 hours before we were set to have friends over that I was going to make it all happen. (Yeah, I’m that FUN to be married to!)
 B got dinner ready AND went to pick up the firepit AND put it together for us. Gwyneth and I got the furniture….well, we got the chairs. I had to go back the next day for the couch because I didn’t want to pay for delivery but they were a tough fit in my car. Gwyneth picked out all the lovely little decorations that make our backyard pretty perfect for this summer. 
I can’t wait to spend our summer evenings roasting marshmallows on our patio! 
We had to celebrate our new seating area and fire pit!

mckay lake

I woke up bright and early Sunday morning and was ready for our family hike. It was going to be a warm day so I wanted to get an early start. Most of my family did not agree with me. 
B and Annabelle passed on the walk, but Gwyneth hopped right up. This was quite a surprise, because Gwyneth is my sleeper and rarely passes a chance to lounge in her bed. It’s undoubtedly her favorite place on earth. 
We set off for a hike, after picking up a few bagels of course. The only thing Gwyneth may like as much as sleep is breakfast. We walked around the lake which is about 1.5 miles. Gwyneth was great and never fussed. It was a pretty easy walk compared to yesterday. 
Once we finished the McKay trail we decided to try some trails near our house. Unfortunately the bugs were so bad we could barely keep our eyes open. It was pretty gross and I don’t expect we will be hitting this trail again anytime soon. Besides that little hiccup we had a really wonderful time together. Although we missed having B and Annabelle with us, the one on one quality time is so special. 

girl scouts | tea party with gwyneth

This afternoon we met with Gwyneth’s troop for our final meeting. We have been going strong for the past five years and I feel so fortunate to have been the troop leader. We’ve gone from kindergarten to fourth grade and oh my how these girls have grown. 
Schedules have become quite full and more demanding. It has become difficult to find times for us all to meet up. We ended the year with bang, for the girls who could attend with a tea party in Boulder. It was a wonderful ending to a great year with these gals! 
Gwyneth LOVES to get dressed up. She is so very, very fancy. She found this dress weeks ago and had to have it for the tea party. She’s been counting down the days until she was able to wear it. 
The girls looked so lovely for tea! 
The Boulder Tea House is gorgeous! The girls were in awe of the beautifully decorated ceilings. 
time for tea
amuse bouche | phyllo dough with cinnamon apples and brie. yum, yum, yum!
our tray of treats
We had one girl cancel and since we had to prepay for the event Annabelle agreed to join us. 
I’d say the treats were a hit…
so much cake, so little time…
being this fancy is hard work!
After tea we explored the gardens. It was a beautiful day and these girls were good sports when I asked to snap a few more pictures. 
I was feeling nostalgic when I got home and had to go back and find the pictures from the day these little ladies became Daisies. My goodness so much has changed!