cooking, cornhole and camping

We hosted a little cooks and books party at the Kitchen called Seussical Cooking. We read lots of Seuss stories and made whimsical snacks. We had a great turn out and all the kids did a great job. It was a busy catering day also the Kitchen was hopping. 

On Saturday morning we hosted a cookie decorating event which is a lovely time for parents to drop off the kiddos for two hours and have a nice break over the long weekend. They decorated LOTS of cookies, we ate pizza and played games. Smashing success.

The girls were so happy to see their friend Clara. We haven’t been able to meet up over this hectic summer so they were thrilled to have the time with her.

We went to a BBQ and cornhole tournament on Saturday afternoon. There were 19 teams and it was an absolute blast. B was pretty good and I was absolutely terrible. I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t trade me in for a better partner next year (he really should, except I’m so much fun!).

There was tons of food and drinks. It was a great shin ding. There were rows and rows of coolers. I checked them out and told the girls the front row was for kids (non-alcoholic) and they could help themselves. I turned around to find this…

uh, no! no, no, no! like this girl needs a mountain freakin’ dew!
She found this instead. I don’t know what to do with her…
Let the tourney begin.
What’s wrong with our faces?
Having fun with Mona and Missi

The girls have been begging, so we set up our tent in the basement. We wanted to have a backyard camp out but the pesky dogs next door and the haphazard fireworks being shot off around our neighborhood were not a winning combination. We set up the basement campout and we had some very, very happy girls. This tent may or not be the size of my first apartment…

basketball

Annabelle got two fantastic gifts for her birthday from my dad and Melissa. She received a new basketball hoop and a new bike. For a girl who loves to be outside, what more could she possibly ask for? The answer to that question is a pool, which she asks for constantly, but she’s going to have to just keep on dreamin’. 
B set up her hoop and she’s been out there playing ever since. I love it. I love to watch her practice and see her determination. 
Don’t mind the messy garage and trash can in this shot. Such a cute pic without them. 
Gwyneth typically volunteers when I say I want to take pictures and play around with my camera. At that point, Annabelle is usually no where to be found. Put a basketball in her hand and she was game. I had to take advantage of the moment. 
Couldn’t resist snapping of few of this eager model also. 
One of my favorites!
And then back to shooting hoops
And then off to ride bikes…

annabelle is nine

Annabelle is nine! 
We celebrated the beginning of her last year of single digits today. How is that even possible? Time really does seem to fly when you are having fun. 
She received the new American Girl doll, Lea from my mom. Yaya knows just what to get these gals!
Annabelle does not like breakfast so she requested a smoothie from Jamba Juice instead. 
We wanted to check out a new water park for her birthday and found the Brighton Oasis Water Park. It had great water slides, a lazy river, wave pool, rock climbing wall and water basketball. The girls did the water slides a few times but wanted to spend most of their day in the lazy river which is my favorite part too. 
It was an interesting park, cheap admission, a bit crowded (I would recommend getting there early), but the perfect day for our birthday girl. She was all smiles and splashes!
We headed home to clean up and told this girl she could have anything at all that she wanted for dinner. She requested Dave and Busters and a Dr Pepper (is she like her YaYa or what?). We shared a few snacks and meals, because let’s be honest we’re not there for the fine cuisine. We are here to play some games! The girls are always super lucky and hit jackpots and score tons of tickets. 
Enjoying her birthday Dr Pepper: 
B and the Birthday Girl!
Me and the G:
We told the waiter it was her birthday and she got this whipped cream, brownie monstrosity that she happily shared: 
Deciding on the perfect birthday wish:
Playing games and hitting the 1,000 ticket bonus:
Annabelle shared the secret and Gwyneth hit the bonus too!
They combined their tickets and got walkie talkies to share. Annabelle got an emoji pillow and Gwyneth got three little Shopkins stuffies. I love that they share tickets, they get what they want, and don’t worry about “fair” or how many points the other spends. They are good sisters. 
Annabelle had requested lemon blueberry cupcakes so of course, I made them and even though we were all full from the dessert at dinner we had to sing Happy Birthday to this girl and let her make one last birthday wish. 
We had a lovely day and I couldn’t be more grateful for our family time and this sweet girl. 
Happy, happy birthday Annabelle!

sound of music

We came home from camping with just enough time to hose off and head downtown for the Sound of Music. B was suppose to join us but he was still not feeling great from the weekend. Luckily it passed pretty quickly after a shower and a good nap. He was doing much better when we returned home. 
The Sounds of Music is Annabelle’s favorite movie. She knows all the songs and can practically recite all the words. I’ve always liked, but didn’t LOVE it. The show was something else. It was truly one of the best I have ever seen. I’m such a sucker for live theater and special experiences with my girls. 
When we arrived home, Annabelle found her basketball hoop put together. Even though he wasn’t feeling his best, B still used his day off to put it together for her. Such a good dad. 
She changed so quickly and was out shooting hoops in no time! Such a happy girl. 

jellystone

I don’t particularly enjoy my birthday…especially now that I’m getting even closer to 40. It doesn’t really bother me that I’m getting older. Not everyone gets to age, so in fact I appreciate it. I just don’t really need to celebrate it. 
I am very appreciative of this little family of mine and I was glad we got to spend the weekend together. We booked a cabin at Jellystone Park in Estes Park. We headed up for some “glamping” with friends for the weekend. 
Our first stop was for lunch at Oscar Blues in Lyons. We enjoyed their microbrews, root beers, and fried green tomatoes. 
Then we checked in to our cabin for the weekend. We reserved one of the last spots and there were only two cabins left. One for us; one for Gus and Misti. Our cabin was in a great location, right in the heart of the camp grounds and overlooking the pool. It was one room with a bathroom, a full size bed and a bunk bed.  It was charming and cozy and our weekend was off to a great start.
We indulged ourselves and rented a golf cart for the weekend. The one downside was that we didn’t hike as much as we had planned, but we spent the weekend zipping around the camp. It was the girls’ favorite part! We cruised around and talked and it created a lot of special one on one moments with my ladies and special memories. 
Our cabin had a deck with a picnic table and a spectacular view. You just have to love Colorado. There is no better place.
Our camping crew, minus Misti who seemed to have wondered off just when were taking the picture. I tell ya, it’s like herding cats. 
The Tyler’s
Gus and Misti and our little rascals
The chefs for the weekend. 
B prepared a delicious feast for Friday night of ribs, beans, and coleslaw and Sheila made dinner Saturday night with burgers and hot dogs. Yum! We were all feeling quite spoiled. 
This little face…
Annabelle ran off with the boys to explore. Gwyneth stuck around for a bit to give me extra birthday hugs. 
Sheila had the most delicious carrot cake made for my birthday. It was perfection! I do love me some carrot cake. This cake pleased our sweet tooth the entire weekend. 
Now, that’s a cake!
Smores by the campfire with great friends. What a birthday!
The next morning we enjoyed the french toast breakfast provided by the campgrounds. You know Gwyneth liked that! 
Then the girls panned for minerals
Then they went for a dip in the pool
Those would be Annabelle’s legs. She’s the queen of the pool handstand. 
Annabelle showing off her mad skillz. She’s mastered the cannonball and is now working on some fancy twists and turns. With this beautiful backdrop, I could have sat and watched her jump all day! 
Then it was time to paint pottery
Then it was time for cotton candy
Then they went on a tractor ride with Yogi Bear
There were more treats and visits to the arcade and then more treats and more time playing with friends. Our kids fell in love with Jellystone Park! 
Our adorable little cabin. 

Unfortunately B got quite sick the last night of our trip. He missed the final campfire and smores and went straight to bed. He was sick most of the night and took the rest of the weekend to recover. Luckily no one else got the bug, but we are sad that he missed the last night of shenanigans. That only means we have to head back up again sooner than later…

Goodbye Jellystone. It was a blast! 

science museum

We don’t host camps at the Kitchen on Wednesdays because it’s our busy, busy meal service day. This means I get my baking done very early over the summer, we unfortunately don’t get to see much of B because he’s cooking up a storm, and I spend the rest of the day entertaining my ladies. I like to squeeze in something fun. A little adventure. In July they are attending camps and summer school programs, so I really do try and make the most of our time together. 
Today I surprised them with a trip to the Science Museum. We were worried about crowds, but it wasn’t bad at all. We got to visit Outer Space, the sun, and a few planets in the Planetarium: 
And then we were off to explore the museum. Annabelle’s favorite part is the Exploration Health Exhibit. She could stay there all day. Gwyneth likes the Discovery Zone. 
How cute are these sisters?
We had lunch at the museum and then took a trip to The Denver Museum of Miniatures, Dolls, and Toys. This was on our Summer Bucket List and I was eager to introduce the girls to a new Denver attraction. 
It is a little bit creepy. The first floor was full of miniature houses and the museum employees had a great scavenger hunt for the girls to find tiny little items in the displays. Then we went upstairs…
Lots of dolls. Old school dolls with those blank glassy eyes that give me the shivers. I hurried the girls through those rooms. I hurried them right into a room full of clown dolls! You have never seen Gwyneth move so fast….right to the exit. She was having none of that and I don’t blame her one bit. 
After our day of museums we spoiled our dinner with ice creams at Abbots because it’s summer and sometimes you just need waffle cups, and chocolate almond ice cream and gummy bears. Sometimes you just need to enjoy these little faces, and sit at the window, and talk about your day, and hatch a plan for what to do tomorrow, and the next day, and for birthdays, and 3rd and 4th grade (gasp!) and wait for daddy to get home to eat dinner very late, because it’s summer! 

cakes and basketball

Our summer camps are up and running at the Kitchen and we are busier than ever. We had our first summer Cake Boss party today and it was a big hit. It may be my new favorite. Our theme was simply “Summer” and the kids got to get creative in their decorations. More on that below. 
When we arrived home waiting in our driveway was Annabelle’s basketball hoop. She couldn’t have been more excited! It was the perfect gift from my dad and Melissa. Unfortunately it had to be assembled so she had to wait for her dad to get home from work. (no way I was willing to tackle that thing!) Waiting is the hardest part…especially for a 9 year old, especially for a birthday gift that has just arrived, especially for a 9 year old birthday girl who has been begging for basketball hoop. 
I think she likes it:

Back to the Cake Boss Party…

We had a full house and the kids formed formed four teams. The cakes were already baked so they just had to focus on the decorations. The camp was 2 hours long and they used every minute to eat pizza, come up with ideas, and decorate these beauties. It’s so fun to see what the kids come up with…

There were a lot of beach themes, surfboards, and even a patriotic cake. 

My girls joined a team with new friends and I love what they came up with. It’s a beach, with a shark and surfer….well, the surfer didn’t fare too well. This little guy is missing an arm and leg from the shark attack. Gruesome, yes! Did they have us cracking up trying how to figure out to make a shark victim and blood on a cake? Yes! Not the most appetizing, but these kiddos had fun and it didn’t stop them from chowing down on that cake afterwards!

bowling and casa bonita

The girls spent the morning with Yaya while B and I worked. She took them on the Celestial Seasonings tour and they had tea and treats and each came home with their own tea pot. We’re big fans of tea around here so this was a very special treat. It also made me feel so appreciative of my mom and her help with the girls. We will really miss Yaya when she heads home tomorrow.
Tonight we went bowling. My mom loves being able to cross off things on our summer bucket list.
Annabelle is a fierce competitor and tries so hard to win. Gwyneth is a goof ball and seems to do everything really well without even trying. Bowling is a perfect example of this phenomenon. She wobbles up like a baby giraffes throws the ball like a crazy person and ends up with a spare. 
These pictures sum up my daughters so eloquently: 
Annabelle ended up beating her sister at bowling and Gwyneth could have cared less so all was right in the world. 
We made YaYa’s trip complete by heading to Casa Bonita. We put it on our bucket list every year, the girls love it,  and it makes me so very sick. 
Crossed off for the year. We can put the Tums away until next year. 
Missi was a newbie this year. It’s a Colorado must-do, but it’s a painful Colorado experience. 
We arrived home in time for a beautiful sunset. 
Gwyneth hopped out of the shower and  joined me outside with my camera. I don’t know. This girl. I have no words. I just think she’s fabulous. Goofy. And fabulous. 

fathers day

Oh my! Father’s Day was a hot one! 
This is the second year in a row that we were burning up. Last year we went to the baseball game and melted. This year I planned a trip to the Greek Festival because B loves Greek food and I had read that it was both inside and outside, so there would be some reprieve from the heat. Well, it was registering 104 degrees in my car when we arrived so again, this year we were melting! 
We checked out the art and statues and beautiful decor in the sanctuary. The church is truly stunning and since I was in high school I have wanted to see what was inside that mysterious gold dome. B and I drank cold beers while sharing a gyro and the girls shared Greek fries. Everyone had red cheeks and were quite sweaty. The heat wore us out and we were ready to move inside permanently.  We grabbed some tacos in Cherry Creek and then went home to cool off!
My moms visits every year for the dance recital which is the same weekend as Father’s Day. It has become her gift that she watches the girls in the evening so we can have a night out. We don’t do that very often and every time we do I swear we need to make it a priority. B and I grabbed dinner and drinks and just talked and talked. He is my absolute favorite person and I’m so lucky to have married him and created this gorgeous, whacky, precious family with him. I’m also extremely grateful to have a young, vibrant mom who hops on airplanes and flies all over the country to spend time with all her granddaughters. Feeling extremely grateful today…..extremely hot….and extremely grateful. 
Lookin’ a little pink in the cheeks
When you tossed a coin in the fountain the “statues” blew you a kiss. 
Annabelle was intrigued. Gwyneth; not so much. 
Happy Father’s Day to this guy! He sure set the bar awfully high.
tacos at Machetes in Cherry Creek

meeting kyla

Our dear friends welcome their brand new baby girl this week. We waited for them to get settled in at home and then swarmed. My mom offered to watch the girls so I could visit, but luckily Amy invited the girls along too. They couldn’t wait to meet Kyla and hold her. They have been bugging me daily to go back and see her. She’s a teeny, tiny sweet little gal!