peacock

happy birthday, B

Our second day of adventures started with a quiet breakfast in the room. I grabbed bagels from downstairs and the girls watched the runners take off for the Runnin’ of the Green. The starting line was right outside our hotel. It made for a little madness in the morning but the girls had front row seats. 
Our hotel was hoppin’ in the morning. It’s such a beautiful, grand hotel right in my favorite part of the city. 
Enjoying the views
We walked on over to the Hungry Lion for lunch but we were all still feeling breakfast. Luckily they had a sensational brunch menu.

What could be better on your birthday than Kegs and Eggs?
After lunch we had a few hours to hang out before the Nuggets game. We explored Union Station, checked out books at Tattered Cover and the girls got a free ice cream at the Milkbox. When you stay at the Crawford each guest gets one free ice cream each day which may have been the absolute high point for Gwyneth.
The hotel offers a free car service. We rode to the Nuggets game in style. The girls are certain we should trade in B’s Jeep for Tesla now. 
We were so lucky to have a weekend full of great games. The Nuggets pulled off a win and we had so much fun cheering for our home team. 
Annabelle decided she could eat all of these plain…
She changed her mind after ONE! 
B’s sister, Jen, and her family were at the game also. We were able to meet up for a half time beer. 
We had a little time to kill before dinner so we checked out the Crawford bar. It sits above the terminal with great views of the mountains and the city. You have to stay at the hotel to access this bar so it was far less crowded than downstairs. Although quite beautiful it was a bit stuffy for our liking. 
We grabbed B’s birthday dinner at Mercantile. We had been so eager to try this hot spot but we were a little underwhelmed. The food was ok and the service was pretty rotten. We are glad we tried it, but we can’t see a return visit anytime soon. 
We had two fun-filled days celebrating B’s birthday. He’s a great dad and husband and we love him dearly!
I can’t get these pictures to flip but wanted to keep the memories. 

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. 

Painting | Sponges

Gwyneth has been asking for art classes and I have been unsuccessful in finding anything promising for her. I searched and searched and then came up with a plan to give her some creative options at my studio. 
I think she would enjoy venturing out and learning about other mediums of art. I don’t want to limit her to just painting pottery. This is a good start for us right now though. 
While B is working Wednesday evenings, we head to the studio and I will do my best to teach her something new and hopefully have a little fun along the way.
Here we go:
Annabelle had her choice for the evening. She could paint with us or hang with B at the Kitchen. She chose painting but wasn’t quite on board for learning new techniques yet. She painted a mug and did a great job. She quickly decided she wanted to get in on learning the new techniques though too. I think I’m winning them over. 
Tonight we worked on painting with sponges. It’s by far the easiest technique and was a good jumping off point for us. Gwyneth did a great job of experimenting with color layering and was thrilled to make Shamrocks for St. Patty’s day. She made a sample for the studio and then a few shamrocks for gifts for her friends. 
Our first class was a hit and now this girl has my mind spinning with all the possibilities for our sessions together. 

girl scouts | mall scavenger hunt

Gwyneth has been really excited for this Girl Scout meeting. We did a scavenger hunt around the mall and the girls had to “buy” gifts on a budget. They did an amazing job and were so sweet together. I really enjoy meeting with these little ladies. They are a truly lovely group. 
The prom dresses are out and Gwyneth had to check them out as we were leaving. This girl is so very, very fancy. 

presidents day

We had another early morning flight on our way home from Chicago. (Why do I keep doing this to us???) We arrived home by 9:30 am and were welcomed by snow and cold, cold weather. B and I spent the remainder of the morning working while the girls lounged on the couch and enjoyed their day off school. 
We decided to get out for a bit and grabbed some tacos at Chuy’s and played some games at Dave and Busters. It was a pretty fun ending to a nice, long weekend. 

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 2

It was quite cold in Chicago. Not as cold as Christmas, but pretty darn cold for taking a baby out and about. We spent the day swimming at the hotel and doing a little shopping. It was a very relaxing day and everyone seemed quite content taking turns holding the baby. 

Madison flew in last night from St. Louis with my dad and Melissa. She is quite the baby hog. 

We ended the day with dinner at Morton’s. 
Matchers!

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!