A Little Trip to the Mountains

So, Marcus was in Denver the week before Memorial Day for work and since he was done on Friday of a 3-day weekend which just happened to be his birthday, we decided to make a little vacation out of it! We hadn't been to the Vail area in a few years and never in the Spring. So, we booked a flight, redeemed some hotel points and left most of the schedule open. Rare for me :)

We stayed at the Westin in Beaver Creek/Avon. It was beautiful. 

We were upgraded to a beautiful condo for our stay! It makes it hard to only sleep in your room when your room is so wonderful. It beats the heck out of our first apartment :) 

The high on Wednesday when I was packing was to be mid-60s each day. It ended up being well over 80 degrees with lots of sunshine!

Saturday morning we had a big breakfast and set out just before lunchtime to Glenwood Springs, home of a local amusement park with open gondolas, a must on our list. 

 The gondola was a little scary for Marcus! He takes Zanax to help him fly, so he popped an extra pill and all was good. The gondola is the little orange boxes you see among the trees on the mountain below. 

It provided some beautiful scenery!

Glenwood Springs was fun- lots of kiddies rides and thrill rides for the big kids. We wanted to zip line while there, but it was too windy and after waiting in line for over 30 minutes, it was shut down due to the wind. So, we took a few pictures and rode the gondola back down.

We decided to take the scenic route home and drive to Aspen. I loved this little town and was impressed by the number of high end shops found there. Who knew Prada, LV, and Gucci had stores in little ol' Aspen? 

We took in the sights in the village and then stopped on a patio for a drink and to map out the rest of our day.  

There was a whole row of these pink trees, cherry blossom I presume. Loved the pink trees among the bright blue sky!

Marcus ran through the fountains on the way out- he wasn't fast enough to stay dry :)

So, rather than going back north and heading east in I-70, we took a back road known as Independence Pass. This is a screen shot of the route.... it was insane. I would have been much less nervous if we had filled up with gas prior to the 2 hour journey.

But, now that I know we survived, I can recommend it. On the drive, the temperature dropped almost 30 degrees and we found snow!

Is this not amazing! We were on the side of a mountain with snow/ice scattered her and there and then suddenly it felt like we were in the clouds and surrounded by snow!

We arrived in Vail in time for a yummy dinner at Blue Moose Pizza. It was recommended by multiple Facebook friends and was wonderful. 

Sunday morning, we had a big breakfast and drove back into Denver. Details on that super cool adventure up next!

Career Day

Abby's school did a little career day poster and they shared the picture with us on the last day.... Abby, what do you want to be when you grow up?

The First and Last Day of Pre-K 3

Today was Abby's last day of school until September 9th. She is excited that summer is here and we can see our friends more and go swimming. I love the freedom of summer, but I also love the structure of school and the freedom it gives me. Marcus and I had our last lunch date for a while today and I ran about 10 errands in my final five hours :) 

These pictures just amaze me- you don't see it when you see them everyday. Her hair has darkened, her little chin has changed, her face is much more of a girl than a baby, and her neck even seems longer!

In this full body, it appears she grew about a brick :) 

I have loved Abby's preschool and am excited she has another year there before Kindergarten comes! 

We aren't taking a vacation this summer, but Abby is spending some time with my sister, hosting her cousins, taking a bakery tour, spending 4 different weeks in gymnastics camp, and doing vacation bible school. I pray it is the right combination of fun and freedom for us both!

Splash Day

I am a little behind on blogging- we had way too much happen in a one week span! Last Wednesday (just before I left on vacation) was splash day at Abby's school. Her and all her schoolmates played outside on the inflatables brought in for the day. 

This is Abby's pre-K class made up of "older" 3 year olds and now younger 4 year olds. I am so glad they will all be back next year and Shining Stars together! Abby's friends that we hear about most are Harlyn (next to her) and Preston (in the green Batman shirt).

Their teacher in the Friday class made this poster for the hallway- I love it. Abby wants to be a magic fairy!

Here are a few of my favorite splash day photos of Abby and her friends....

The outside fun ended with popsicles! 

Tomorrow is our last day of school until September. We are sad and also so excited for the fun that comes with summer!

Bring it on...

we have been to the pool three days this week- bring on summer!

Orlando Trip

I was in Orlando for a contract job (helping manage an event) last week and part of this week. Another planner and I managed a registration desk from 7-6 daily and we had about 40 attendees in three different rooms. As you would imagine, there are busy times and then there are quiet stretches when they are learning for 3-4 hours. During one of those quiet stretches, I ran up to my room, changed into a sundress and read a magazine for 30 minutes at the pool. After not being outside the hotel for 2 days, it was nice!

Saturday night, my co-worker and I walked over to nearby Downtown Disney for dinner and to get souvenirs for our kids. We ate dinner at Fulton's Crab House where Marcus and I ate when we visited Downtown Disney on our honeymoon almost 14 years ago. 

The whole area was grown a lot since we were last there. The lego area was especially larger!

Since Disney now has more rights over Star Wars, there was a lot of attention to that movie. It also happened to be a big Star Wars weekend at the theme park. I sent Marcus these two pictures on my phone. He was a tad jealous!

I did come home with 4 fun gifts for Abby and two birthday surprises for Marcus. 

My souvenir came from the hotel gift shop.... bracelets made from recycled flip flops! They were inexpensive and I think clumped together, super cute for summer!

I had a great time in Florida. I hadn't flown in over 7 months and oddly enough, will be flying toward the opposite coast before the month is over! This time it is all for fun! Details and pictures will follow!

Mother's Day Celebrations

First of all, Happy Mother's Day to TJ, Jacque, and Carol. We wish you a day of fun, relaxation, and enjoyment! 

I can not believe this is my 5th Mother's Day. This sweet girl of mine just keeps growing (and I just keep changing my hair!). ha!

This morning Abby wished me a Happy Mother's Day while snuggling in bed... something she needs about 10 minutes of each morning. I know- call me blessed!

I said, "I am so glad you made me a Momma". Abby then says, "who are you talking to?" I said her somewhat puzzled and said that I wasn't a Mom until she was born. 

She then reminded me, "I didn't make you a Momma. God did." 

And I will praise Him for that as long as I live. My heart aches for the many women just waiting and wondering if they can ever celebrate this day.

We have celebrated all week- with a Mother's Day tea party last week at school. Abby made me a cross and a sweet card. At dinner one night, she noticed I didn't have peas on my plate and asked why. I told her I didn't like peas and she said in the most honest and sad voice, "I put peas on your card." The morning of the party, Abby told me out of the blue, "I should have put chicken." 

On my handmade card/questionnaire, Abby said I am 18, I like to eat peas and love to give her hugs. One of three isn't bad :)

Marcus and I celebrated surviving another year as parents with a date night on South Congress. We finally tried Home Slice Pizza. It was delish! Although, the waiter tried to convince us we could each eat 4 slices. Two was plenty! 

Afterward, we walked across the street and I bought a new pair of earrings. I truly don't mind buying my own gift- we both have confidence I will like it. Aren't they pretty! I love Kendra Scott and they are part of her limited time summer line.

Finally, we ended the night at Lick, a local Austin made ice cream shop. They have lots of funky flavors and we sampled a few of them. I ended up having Salted Caramel and a scoop of Chocolate Caramel Roasted Pecan. They were yummy!

Happy Mother's Day to all and a big thank you to Marcus for allowing me to be the Mom I once dreamed of. I spend my days hugging and playing not meeting and greeting and I love it more than I ever knew I could. Thank you dear!

Babies!

Abby and I have seen a lot of babies over the last week- this is Harper and she has a new baby brother Hudson. They are a new family we have gotten to know and just love! Hudson and Harper have the cutest little playroom and his nursery is all manner of chevron and elephants! So cute! I have loved my new MOPS group and their Momma Kathy is my newest friend from that group. We met Hudson and delivered dinner late last week.

The same day, we met sweet little bitty twins Caroline and Parker. They never made a noise while we were there, even when Abby and I held Caroline. I have never held a baby that small before- it was just the best! I believe they are around 5 pounds at this point.

Today, we had lunch and met Baby Sydney. Have you ever seen a more beautiful child? She made sweet faces even when she was upset. I would have a hard time saying no to this child!

All these babies reminded me of my own baby. She is such a little girl now and while I am happy to be over the worst toddler stage, I do miss the sleeping in your arms all day stage. 

Thank you Jesus for healthy babies for my sweet friends!