peacock

happy birthday, brayden

We joined the Conleys and friends for an afternoon of bowling for Brayden’s birthday. 

Annabelle played a good game, but that girls sure is competitive. She wanted a strike every time. 
It was a fun group of kids and they had a blast bowling with bumpers. 
Happy birthday to Brayden. How is this kid 9 already?!
Enjoying some yummy chocolate cake!

breck | snow sculptures

We decided very last minute to sneak away for a night. We were quite lucky because we were able to go to Breckenridge and stay at my dad’s house. We were only able to get away for about 24 hours, but it was wonderful! 
We had lunch at our favorite restaurant (Eric’s), checked out the snow sculptures and then did absolutely nothing but snuggle up in our pjs and watch movies and play games. I appreciate the fact we could do this exact thing at home… but we wouldn’t. We would be working or cleaning or running errands, and we wouldn’t have this fabulous view and quiet time together. 

Check out those icicles: 

first assembly and first aid

Annabelle’s choir group was asked to sing at the First Friday Assembly. The girls were a little nervous in front of the whole school, but they did great. 

 We are working on the exterior of our new location for Color Me Mine. I wanted to get some before and after pictures. Here’s before: (stay tuned for after)

 Tonight a few girls and moms from Annabelle’s troop helped Gwyneth’s troop learn about First Aid. They learned so much and had a lot of fun.

Learning about 911: 
 Making first aid kits: 
 Wrapping up their wounds: 

 The Juniors…and a photobombing Brownie

butterflies

B typically has to work late on Wednesdays and it is the only day the girls do not have an after-school activity. Us gals decided that after dance on Monday and Tuesday we would work hard to get all the homework and projects done so we can have some fun after school on Wednesdays. I asked if they wanted to plan the activities together and they decided they wanted to be surprised. After our fun, we intend to meet up with B for dinner. We could all use a little mid-week fun! 
Let the fun begin….I gave the girls a choice today between butterflies and books (they have a gift card to Barnes and Noble to spend and truly love exploring at the book store). They choice butterflies so off we went to the Butterfly Pavilion. I really do enjoy this gem that is so close to home. 
I love the butterfly exhibit but I’m pretty sure the girls enjoy holding Rosie, the tarantula, the best. 
We had a great time exploring together and it was wonderful to see the girls engaged and asking questions. A lovely kick off to our Wednesdays-o-fun. 
We met B at the Orchards for dinner and to check out the progress on my new space. The construction work has finally started on my new studio! I have to admit — I’m a bit of a mess over this. It is a lot of work…and this work is not something I’m familiar or comfortable with and I’m really outside of my comfort zone.  B did most of the work building out Blue Mountain Kitchen and has been supportive and helpful, but the decisions for this one fall to me. I am afraid of being wrong, making a bad call, making a mistake. I’m questioning myself and my decisions and I’m losing a lot of sleep. It’s a learning experience and it’s hard and a bit scary.
With that said, I can’t wait to get in to this new space. I love putting my own spin on it and truly making it my own. It’s going to be amazing and it will all be worth it in the end!
The took out some very ugly flooring and a wall for me. Now it’s time to pretty this place up. 
Our girls sure have been through a lot of interesting experiences with mine and B’s careers. 
Let’s do this!

sun | great wolf lodge

Our last day at Great Wolf Lodge was all about swimming. The girls were up again bright and early and ready to hit the pool. It was the busiest day of the weekend at the pool and luckily we got a cabana so we could all have a good meeting point and quiet place for lunch. 

The girls spent the majority of their day on the slides. They went over and over and over again. They absolutely loved it. They were all smiles and laughs!

Annabelle’s friends spent the day at the pool as well so we had very happy girls all around.

More wave pool fun…

I don’t have quite as many pics of Annabelle from the day because she was a water slide junky. She stopped long enough for pizza and then back on the slides she went.

Pizza break

It was a whirlwind weekend – I feel like we need a vacation from our vacation. I’m very proud of Annabelle for joining the choir and working so hard. I’m also grateful for the school they attend, the friends they have, and the other wonderful parents who worked so hard to make this weekend a success.

sat | gwl and choir concert

We had an early morning wake up call for Annabelle. She had to be in the lobby, ready for choir practice at 7:45 a.m. Not terribly early, but early after a late night of swimming. She was so excited for her performance that she popped right out of bed and eager to start her day. 

She was gone by 8 and we didn’t meet up with her again until 4:30 for her performance. 

Gwyneth and Ella were up just as early and ready to conquer their day. With all the other girls off at practice they had the run of the resort.

Before the pools opened we played a round of mini-golf

And then we were off to the pools. The girls were first in the water and stayed until lunch time. 

Beautiful view from our room

We grabbed snacks at the Golden Bee at the Broadmoor before the performance. We had some very hungry girls after a hard day of playing.

Finally time for Annabelle’s choir performance. It was a full house. So many families there to celebrate these little ones. They did a great job and sang their little hearts out. Annabelle loved every minute of it!

After the concert, Annabelle & B went right to the pool to met her friends and the little girls chose a pj and movie night. It was a very full day for everyone!

fri | great wolf lodge

Annabelle auditioned for the Colorado Elementary School Choir. Only seven children were selected from our area and Annabelle was one of them. She practiced for months with her school and then went to Colorado Springs to practice with all the members of the choir and give a special concert. 
The choir concert was at the Broadmoor on Saturday. We drove down Friday afternoon and she had to practice all day Saturday. We booked a room at Great Wolf Lodge along with many of Annabelle’s friends and made a weekend of it. Gwyneth was able to invite a friend to come along also so she had a buddy to swim with while Annabelle practiced. 
We’re very proud of this little lady! She did a great job and we had a lovely weekend celebrating her. 
Gwyneth and Ella. Such sweet friends. 

The girls swam for several hours Friday night, we ate dinner at the pool, and then enjoyed some ice cream back at the room. Lots of fun for these sweet girls.

sleepover

The girls are excited for any opportunity they get to hang out with their cousin, Reagan. Since they don’t have school on Monday Reagan was able to sleepover on Sunday. B made tacos and they had ice cream and they stayed up way too late! They have so much fun together its difficult to get them to go to bed. 
I love the bond these three have together. They never squabble about anyone being left out, which can happen with an odd number. They usually agree on what to play and if they don’t they easily work it out. They are silly and kind and I adore them. 
Cheers! 
Aunt Jen sent a bottle of sparkling apple cider along with Reagan and the girls were toasting the night away. 

fundraiser, movie, and mortons

I have been feeling a bit under the weather this week which is no fun at all. Luckily everyone else is healthy as can be so we’re keeping up with all the happenings around here. 
Tuesday we had dinner at Chipolte to support the girls’ dancing school. Chipolte may be one of B’s favorite places on earth so looks like this was a win all around. 

Wednesday we played hooky from our responsibilities and went to see Sing the movie after school. We still had time for homework when we got home, although a bit rushed, but it was nice to surprise these girls after school with something different.

Thursday evening we met my Dad and Melissa downtown for dinner at Morton’s. These ladies sure do clean up nicely. Unfortunately the lighting in Morton’s is so dark none of my pictures turned out from the dinner. It was a great visit with family and we all ate incredibly well.