birthday eve | avalanche game

The girls and I planned quite a weekend for B’s birthday. It was the kick off to their spring break also so we didn’t have to worry about bedtimes or homework. We stayed in town but managed to squeeze in a lot of fun.

Our first day of fun included an Avalanche game, dinner at Mortons and a stay at the Crawford hotel. It was quite a day!

We had great seats for the game just 15 rows off the ice. There were TONS of fights, which Gwyneth loved. I don’t know about that girl. There was lots of scoring too and the Avalanche pulled off the win.

We grabbed a pre-dinner cocktail and snack at Next Door. Gwyneth was getting hangry and we didn’t want any crabby kiddos at dinner. Annabelle snapped this picture of us and cracked up because it looks like the guy behind us is taking a picture of us too. Ha!

Happy girls after a little snack

After hanging out and enjoying Union Station we walked on over to Mortons for dinner. So much food and fun with this family of ours. We had such a great day and were all quite worn out after a full day of adventures.

patsy cline

B’s birthday is on Sunday but we kicked off the celebrations on Thursday. The girls spent the evening with a sitter and we had a little pre-bday celebration just for us.

We grabbed a drink at Blackbelly and then headed to the BDT for Always…Patsy Cline. I love when I do absolutely no research about a show and I can go in with no expectations. Sadly, I didn’t even know much about Patsy Cline’s life or music. The show was entertaining, not one of my favorites, but still very good. The music was outstanding and I had excellent company.

Happy early bday to B!

chicago | baptism

I had to repost this one because this lil’ guy is so stinkin’ cute:

George was baptized this morning in front of lots of friends and family. He’s the sweetest little baby and reminds me so much of Gwyneth at that age. I think it’s those chubby little Paz cheeks.

After the service it was pictures time galore

Smitten cousins

We had a lovely lunch at Francesca’s after the service. Of course, it required a wardrobe change by these little ladies.

We had an early morning flight the next day so we relaxed at Becky’s house for the evening. We enjoyed pizza and watching movies and holding that little baby.

Looks like he doesn’t like the awesome Aunt t-shirt I gave him? Or is it that Colorado Rockies Dinger doll? Either way NOT COOL Dude!

Annabelle sure was sad to say goodbye. She could him all day long!

chicago | day 1

We set off for a weekend in Chicago on a very early morning flight. Boarding started at 5:50 am and that is tough for some of us night owls. We were going on very little sleep, but were so excited to get to Chicago to visit with family.

We arrived bright and early and some of us were in some wacky moods…

My mom and sister, Becky’s family live in Chicago while my dad and Melissa flew in for the big weekend. My nephew was being baptized and we had lots of family time planned for the rest of the visit. Unfortunately Stacy and her family were not able to make it out from California as they were in Chicago the previous week for my mom’s birthday. We missed having all the cousins together.

Lily

My gals could not get enough of their baby cousin. Annabelle could have held him all day long.

Adorably doting cousin

He seems to always have someone in his face.

We met up with the rest of the family for dinner at Ditka’s in Arlington Heights. We watched the Olympics, had dinner, laughs and of course everyone fought over who got to hold the baby.

stomp

We received tickets for Christmas to see Stomp at the Denver Performing Arts Center. The girls had no idea what to expect from this show and were just blown away. The show is just nonstop energy and we loved every minute of it. It was a favorite for the entire family.

Gwyneth stepped over the vent and had her own Marilyn Monroe moment. We were all cracking up.

Great seats for the show

Such a wonderful time!

las vegas | ny ny

My mom graciously stayed with our girls for 3 nights so we could head to Las Vegas with our friends Don and Lisa. We set out to celebrate Lisa’s birthday and what a weekend it was! We spent our weekend eating, drinking, a little gambling, a magic show and a whole lot of fun. It was such a fun getaway with the best of friends.

David Copperfield Magic Show. Don is a huge fan of magic and he was pretty excited.

Our seats were in the second row which was pretty fabulous. Even more fabulous – I got called up on stage to be part of one of the tricks. It was so much fun.

We stayed at New York, New York which is still one of my favorites. It’s not as upscale as some of the others but its quirky and I love it.

The next morning we were up bright and early and were back to exploring the strip.

We had lunch at Gordon Ramsay’s pub and grill at Ceasar’s. We had huge beers and good food.

We finished off our night at the Venetian enjoying Lobster Me which is basically a lobster lollipop which is not sad at all.

Our last day we walked and walked and walked and had the most delicious dinner at CraftSteak in the MGM. It’s a Tom Colicchio restaurant and being big Top Chef fans we couldn’t wait to try it. We had steak and lobster and monkey bread for dessert. It was decadent and over the top which pretty much sums up Vegas!

I wish we could have packed up one of these Eiffel tower cupcakes for the girls. We didn’t try them but they sure were pretty.

We had the most fun and I’m so grateful for an amazing husband, fun friends, and a wonderful mom willing to spend time with our beautiful babies.

homeward bound

We had a late night flight so we were able to spend the day with my mom, Becky and her family. It was still bitterly cold which made for many cancelled flights and delays. We were delayed about 30 minutes but we were thankful we made it out.

Love those Chicago cousins.

We finally made it home and the baggage belts broke at DIA. It took over an hour to get our bags, but we finally walked in the door at midnight. Phew! What a trip! It was marvelous to see my family, but it sure is nice to be home.

chicago | mortons

Becky welcomed a new baby in October and it was insanely cold in Chicago. I do believe the high was FOUR! Yes, four. Single digits and painful. I do not miss that one bit about living there. We hung out around Becky’s house most of our visit.

Eating is pretty much the name of the game with my family so we enjoyed Lou Malnati’s deep dish pizza and Portillo hot dogs for take out. Our final evening we got all dolled up and went to Mortons. If you’re counting that’s twice in a matter of a week for us but it wouldn’t be a Paz gathering without it.

san fran to chicago

The San Francisco leg of our trip came to a conclusion after we exchanged gifts. Aunt Stacy’s gifts were the real crowd pleaser with matching hats and footie sweatpants. There is really just no way to compete.

I love those little California cousins and will miss them terribly. I wish we had more time with them which is always the case. Looking forward to visits again next summer; hopefully sooner if we can sneak it in.

We were treated to quite a flight from San Francisco to Chicago. We hopped on the plane with Poppy and Melissa. It is a long flight and we were incredibly spoiled. Don’t worry we flew Frontier home so we are keeping our heads grounded.

We arrived in the Chicago burbs in time for dinner with my mom, Becky and her family. We didn’t do much but travel, but that can sure take it out of you…even in the lap of luxury.

san fran | nutcracker

We got a later start today which was much appreciated after our early morning yesterday. We had a leisurely lunch at Colibri Mexican Bistro. I shared some spicy chicken taquitos with Annabelle and Maeva. I got quite the kick out of watching them eat the hot sauce. Annabelle continues to astonish me in her love of spicy foods. I love her sense of adventure and willingness to try new things….as long as there is a big glass of water available for afterwards to cool her burning mouth!

Our group split up after lunch — those walking to the Nutcracker and those walking with Maeva who is hobbling along these days in a boot. (The story I hear is that she slipped and fell on a pencil!). I joined the walkers which included B, my dad, Melissa, Gwyneth and Eliana.

We walked through a not so great part of time, which is being very kind. Stacy had warned us, but we wanted to walk. I was still shocked by how uncomfortable it was walking with 2 little girls through that area. Gwyneth was a bit nervous and securely attached to my side. We made it through just fine, but it wasn’t enjoyable and I wouldn’t do it again.

We arrived at City Hall with a few minutes to spare before the Nutcracker. It is called the Palace for the People and lives up to its name. It is stunning inside and we were thrilled to see several weddings and wedding photos occurring.

From a far the tree looks like it’s covered in lights, but when you get close you find it is covered with origami cranes. Fabulous!

After exploring City Hall, we headed across the street for the San Francisco Ballet’s performance of the Nutcracker. We just saw the attended the Nutcracker in Denver last week and it was so interesting to see the differences in the performances. The consensus from the Colorado crew was the dancing may been a better at the San Fran ballet, but we enjoyed the familiarity and silliness of the Denver ballet.

We had a long walk and it was warm in the theater. This lead to a few heavy eyelids in our party. Everyone loved the show, but its easy to get a little comfy and cozy during the ballet.

We took the cable car back to the hotel and boy, oh boy was Annabelle ecstatic that she was able to hang on to the side with her dad. I do believe that made her entire trip and she couldn’t stop gushing.