princess

field day

I have volunteered to be the yearbook coordinator for the girls’ school this year. I basically have to attend important events, take pictures, and with the help of the yearbook crew (students grades 5th -8th) compile the yearbook at the end of the year. 
This seems like a perfectly good fit for me, because I like an excuse to be at the school that doesn’t bug my children and I clearly enjoy taking pictures. Seems like a pretty fit for my service hours. 
This morning was field day so I hopped on over to catch some photos of the action. I took tons more of all the students, but here are a few of my favorites of my girlies and their friends. The girls had a great time and Annabelle’s team ended up with the 1st place win!

braces

We officially have two brace faces! 
We waited a while to get these braces. The girls needed a few teeth to fall out and a few more to grow in. Finally poor Gwyneth had a tooth grow in on the roof of her mouth an another one coming in even more wonky and enough was enough. It was time! 
I think they are lucky because they have each other to commiserate over the pain. And there was most certainly pain this weekend. We did a whole lot of nothin’ as they recuperated this weekend. We had lots of soft, mushy foods and they watch lots of movies. Their mouths were so, so sore, but they sure do look cute!

rockies and pancakes

We hopped right back into the swing of things around here. The early morning alarm clock is not welcome, but the return of schedules and structure sure is. I like to have a plan and being back in school and in a routine certainly helps with that. 
We had tickets to the baseball game Tuesday night but only B and Annabelle could attend because Gwyneth had dance classes. They got there early…but not too early. There should have been more people than THIS. They had the place to themselves and it never really filled up that night. It was a pretty dreary night for a baseball game. Besides B dropping his hot dog right on the ground after one bite, they said they had a great time and didn’t mind the lack of other fans. (I had a good laugh when he texted me that little tid-bit about his hot dog…it may have included a few choice expletives, but he was good natured about it and Annabelle shared her nachos with him.)

Gwyneth has PE and three hours of dance on Tuesdays. Mentally she’s up for the challenge, but physically her leg is giving her a hard time. I’ve asked her if she would like to skip class until she has surgery, but she won’t have it. Her BFF is in all 3 of her dance classes and since they don’t go to school together she would never miss the opportunity to see her.

After class I had planned to make dinner at home, but Gwyneth mentioned pancakes so….

That girl loves her breakfast!

She’s a tiny little thing, but she can eat! I watched in amazement as she polished all of this off…

1st day of 5th and 6th grade

And just like that, summer is over. 
Locker combinations have been mastered. Lunches packed. Let the new school year begin. 
Gwyneth had a rough night. She was so very, very excited and just could not fall asleep. She finally dozed off around 1 am. She hopped right out of bed when her alarm went off; all smiles and ready to tackle 5th grade. 
Annabelle didn’t seem the least bit phased for the first day of school. She was relaxed and excited…except about math. She’s a little worried about math, which is weird to me, because she’s really good at it. Once she gets in their and starts learning her stuff I think her heart will be ease…even with algebra. 
After a full school day, we had to divide and conquer. Gwyneth went straight to dance for 2 hours of poms and ballet while Annabelle went to volleyball practice and then to dance for an hour of tap. We all met up at home and everyone collapsed on to the couch. The girls had nothing but wonderful things to say about their school teacher, dance teachers, friends, etc, etc etc. This is going to be a great year!

broncos vs bears

What a night!
Our fab friends, the Tylers, sold us their Bronco season tickets for this season and we have been so excited planning for our first game. The Broncos played the Bears which could not have been more perfect for the girls’ first NFL game. 
Annabelle sported her Bears gear, but she was rooting for the Broncos right along with us. The girls asked lots of questions and were hooked on the action. It was actually just a bit chilly, nothing like our December games will be, but our seats are pretty high up and felt a bit of a windy chill. 
We had such a blast! The Broncos lost but thankfully this was just a pre-season game. Our first regular season game is in just two weeks and we can hardly wait!! Go Broncos!!

great wolf lodge

All the schools around us started back this week, but our gals were lucky enough to have a few more days of summer vacation. I did a little research and found an awesome deal for a few days at Great Wolf Lodge in Colorado Springs. The rooms were more than 50% off so we snapped up the deal and headed down for 2 nights. 
Our first day there we practically had the place to ourselves. It was great! We spent most of our time in the wave pool, but managed to do a few water slides too. There no lines and the girls were thrilled!
B had to be in the Kitchen on Wednesday so the girls and I were on our own during the day. Luckily he was able to make it down to meet us for dinner. 
We were up bright and early the next morning for another day at the water park. 
Our last day was a quiet one too. The girls decided to skip the water park and spent the morning playing mini golf, bowling, and doing the ropes courses. B had to head back to work, but the girls and I stuck around until after lunch time. We realized a storm was heading in so we packed up and hit the road so we could beat the hail.  We made it home just in time and headed right to the girls’ school for their open house. It was a really great few days of swimming and fun with these little ladies. I can’t believe we are counting down for the first day of school already….

fairy tale treats camp

Today was the last day of summer camps at Blue Mountain Kitchen. It has been a busy, busy summer in that kitchen and B hosted some really great camps for the kids. They learned a lot and had plenty of fun too. 
Today’s theme was Fairy Tale Treats and it was fabulous. The kiddos made Sword in the Stone donuts, Princess Cupcakes, Snow White Caramel Apples, and Alice’s Mad Tea Party Cucumber Sandwiches and Tea. B gave them instruction and then they set off to make their creations. It was hands-on and they really made their way around the kitchen. Gwyneth pulled me aside and said “this camp is awesome!”.  
It was a smaller group, with only 6 kids attending. Many of the local schools are already back in session. Having a smaller group is pretty nice though and all the kids, AND B, really enjoyed it. 
Snow White’s Caramel Apples…they opted for sprinkled apples instead of poison apples 
that Chef B is pretty fun!
Making tea sandwiches. 
I was so impressed that they all tried the cucumber sandwiches and liked them. 
Sword in the Stone glazed donuts. Yum!!
Super cute cucumber sandwiches….and they tasted great too!

painting, concerts, and more summer fun

Wow! The summer is just flying by and I haven’t had my camera on me to document all the fun. I’ve snapped a few shots on my cell phone and here’s what I found: 
We painted sea shells at Color Me Mine. 

Gwyneth attended an art camp with friends. 

We took the girls out for dinner before a concert and Gwyneth ordered $30 worth of lobster…and ate it all. 

We went to see the Samples at the Arvada Center. It was the first concert that B and I went to together 24 years ago! It was awesome to be able to share this experience with our girls.

We took the girls and their friends to Elitch’s for the day. 
This was kind of a bust because it rained and most of the rides were closed due to staffing issues. They got koana ices though so the day wasn’t a total loss. 

Our sea shells turned out great!
Gwyneth and I had lunch together (Annabelle has spent a lot of her summer at the Kitchen with B). She ordered a footlong meatball sub and gobbled that thing up!

The girls spent an afternoon swinging from the ceilings at Mid Air Adventure. It was all giggles and they wore themselves out.

We spent a few days down at Southlands. We were able to meet up with great friends and the girls enjoyed a trip to Boondocks. They hit a few jackpots in the arcade and got a ton of junk! They were really excited about that!
The summer is just flying by but we’re doing our best to enjoy every minute of it. 

bowling

Oh my, it has been one of those weeks. Staffing at my studios got flipped upside down, nothing seemed to be working quite right, and I had no time to spend with my family. We were not connecting because there was just no time and that just does NOT work for us. When my family doesn’t work together, life doesn’t work for me and I’m anxious and unhappy.
We had to re-prioritize and that meant a night without work and focusing on being together. That should be simple right? It should be, but it’s not and it required sacrifices from everyone. We have 4 wild schedules and I know everyone just wanted to lay on the couch, but we got it together and went out for the night. 
We grabbed Gwyneth’s sweet friend Ruby and and headed out to Chuy’s for some tacos and then hit the bowling alley. All of us bowled and a few of us cheated and used the bumpers. We had a blast!
Our sweet Annabelle, who is every bit 11 and too cool for school, but we sure do adore her. 
That crazy G wanted a high five before and after each ball she threw down the lanes. We all happily obliged. 
Annabelle is FIERCELY competitive and was not happy about the way the ball was bouncing tonight. She was getting really ticked, especially because she was in last place, but we did some dancing and singing and got her laughing. I am not above embarrassing the children and myself in public for a good time!

painting with crystals

Another techniques class in the books tonight. It was our biggest turnout yet, but still small enough so I could work with my girls. 
We painted with crystals, which is a bit different because you have to really trust the process. You paint your piece and then wait for the “magic” in the kiln. Tiny crystals explode during the cooking process. Everyone did a great job and I can’t wait to see how they turned out!