peacock

winter program

We had some very anxious little ladies this evening. Their school winter program was tonight and they were so excited. They have been practicing for weeks. B had to race over straight from work, but he made it just in time. The girls were thrilled to see him. 
The girls did great — all the kiddos did. They had a great time and loved being with friends. 
Silly girls!

white fence farm

We have White Fence Farm on our summer bucket list each year and sadly this year we didn’t make it. The first year I was just trying to find unique things to do with the kids around Colorado and the Tyler’s joined us. (Photos from our first visit back in 2014 here.) Each year I add it to our summer bucket list and the parents ask “why the heck are we still doing this?”. 
When we missed it this year the parents didn’t seem to mind, but the kids were pretty disappointed. They have made several comments about it so we surprised them with a holiday visit. It really is a silly thing, but we all have such a good time when we end up there together. 
 We’ve never been when it is decorated for Christmas and it was really pretty. Christmas trees everywhere! The kid were all laughs and silly and it was a great excuse to meet up with the Tyler’s. We’re lucky to have these friends in our lives (we met in California 18 years ago!) and so fun to watch our kids growing up together. 
Rhys always keeps our girls laughing…
They real did have fun. They are just annoyed by my incessant picture taking.
Tell me how you really feel?

The weather was warm enough for us to feed the goats after dinner. Annabelle was not having it but Gwyneth gave it a try.

winter purge

The girls have been working on their lists for Santa, B has just been working, working, working and I had a few minutes of peace on Saturday. I couldn’t just sit around so we decided to make room for Christmas gifts and did some winter cleaning. 
We tackled Gwyneth’s room and it started like this…
…and she was so flippin’ happy. She’s not a pack rat so she was thrilled. 
That girl can sure make some silly faces. 

Annabelle was tackling her room and I found this: 

She has been sick for a few days so I didn’t give her a hard time. When she woke up she asked if I would help and we did this:

She is my little hoarder so I was pretty surprised when she asked me to help her. She knows I like to clean and by clean I mean toss.

Her room looks great and she can actually find things now!

She even cleaned out her closet and dresser. I love her tween meets emoji style. 
She can finally sit and work at her desk. It’s a Christmas miracle!

The Tendler’s joined us for a mini-holiday celebration this evening. We used our beloved new instant pot and made some delicious steak tacos. That thing is pretty darn fabulous and you just can’t beat the speed of meal prep with it. We ended the night with the yummy cookie they brought. Gwyneth stayed up with Sarah until about 12:15 which has to be a new personal record! Luckily she slept in the next day because our girl needs her sleep.

field trip

I had a pretty special field trip for work today. I was asked to paint at the girls’ school. I painted with prek thru 4th grade and they made Christmas gifts for their families. 
The field trips are stressful for me. The stress mostly lies in the planning and getting the painted pottery back to the studio.  I enjoy spending time with the kids once I get there. This trip was even better because I got to see my girl. My first class was 4th grade and I got to paint with Gwyneth. She was awesome and I loved seeing her with her friends. Not a bad day at work, I must say. 

disney on ice

I was so excited to surprise the girls with tickets to Disney on Ice. We have been going for years and although they are getting older they still seem to really love the show. (Annabelle likes the ice skating but doesn’t get as impressed by the princesses. Gwyneth loves it all will be a princess junkie for life, I believe. )
My grand plan did not go quite as…well, planned. Miss Annabelle is fighting a horrible cold. She has a nasty cough and sore throat. The cough is keeping her away at night so she has spent the past two days on the couch resting. Poor girl! 
She really wanted to go to the show tonight but it was not going to happen. She was just not healthy enough for it. B stayed home with her and she graciously offered her ticket to Ella, Gwyneth’s dear friend. 
We missed Annabelle and B terribly and wished they could have been with us. The little girls loved the show though and stayed up way past their bedtimes! 

nuggets vs lakers

We took advantage of a brief break from B’s busy holiday schedule this evening and whisked him off for a little fun downtown. We snagged a great family fun pack deal for Nuggets tickets.We decided to get a room downtown since the parade of lights was the same night, Lyft prices were elevated, and we didn’t want to mess with parking. We had an entertaining and festive evening downtown and I’m glad we got to steal B away from his kitchen for a bit. 
We grabbed a late lunch at Maggianos and it was decorated beautifully for the holidays. 

We spent some time at the arcade at the pavilions:

And then off to the game! 
Annabelle purchased some fancy new Nugget earrings. 
And the girls went crazy with selfies

watching Rocky, the Mascot
Using up the $15 credits that came on each of our tickets

We had such a great time at the game! The Nuggets pulled off the win and we had a blast cheering for them.

The next day we scooted over to Mellow Mushroom for pizza and the Bronco game. Our server brought Gwyneth two Dr Peppers. Oh my!

After lunch we went to Lucky Strikes for some bowling. It was pretty crowded but I great place to watch the rest of the game.

Two bad B couldn’t find a bigger tv to watch the Bronco game huh? HA!

It was a really fun weekend and we’re so glad we could steal B away for a little fun. Now back to reality!

parade of lights

Both girls’ troops participate in the Parade of Lights in Louisville. 
Wow! Just wow, what a night. I’m admitting to be a full-on drama queen over here, but my goodness the crowds! There were so many people. It’s a tiny little town and the route was only 3/4 of a mile. I get super anxious in these situations and a few profanities (ok, maybe a few is being conservative) flew from my mouth as we tried to find parking. The girls just giggled and were so excited to see their friends. They didn’t mind the madness one bit. 
The weather was perfect. Just a bit chilly but bearable and we didn’t have to really bundle up too much. Gwyneth’s troop chose elf ears while Ananbelle’s troop chose reindeer antlers. They all had their lights on and they lit up the night. 
Not all the girls were able to make it and the troops are getting smaller and smaller, but I sure do enjoy spending time with these little ladies. It has become more than manageable – it has become quite lovely and we are able to do such fun, memorable things with these smaller little troops.
Happy Parade of Lights Ladies!

elfing around

Annabelle had a volleyball game in Greeley today. Gwyneth is feeling a bit left out because not only does her sister play, but most of her buddies at school are playing also. She’s committed to playing next year. Not sure if she is really interested in the sport or just wanting some more time with friends. Anyway, today B and I surprised her by picking her up from school and taking her for a milk shake. 
She is one goofy girl and we adore her!

zoo and annie

B and I were both working overtime today and the girls’ friend graciously offered to take them to the zoo. The weather was gorgeous and they were there ALL day. Sweet pictures of their fun kept popping up on my phone all day. 
I met these ladies at home with just enough time to get cleaned up and then off to the theater. B was catering that evening and let’s be honest, he didn’t want to see Annie so we made it a special girls night. 
We had front row seats and the girls were thrilled to be so close to the stage. We loved the entire production especially the songs. I really do love these adventures with my girls. 

swimming and pizza party

These little ladies love to swim and didn’t miss an opportunity to hit the pool today. We had a babysitter come to the house to help us out since B and I both had to work. They asked her to take them to the pool and she graciously did so! I met her there after work and she definitely wore them out for me. 
That evening the girls had some friends join them for a pizza party. They made their own mini pizzas and played hard all night. The giggling echoed through the house!