Gettin' By

Bring on summer!

Another school year is in the books! Yesterday, Riely wrapped up first grade year and Hayden said goodbye to his grade school years with the completion of fifth grade. It marks the final year that I'll have both kiddos in the same school ever again (a fact both Riely and I shed tears over - sob!) I was able to snap a quick photo of each of them with their teachers before the school bell rang for the final time:

We couldn't let summer begin without a big THANK YOU to these fabulous teachers for making this such a successful and productive year. So we gathered up a bunch of colorful summer necessities to help them kick off their vacation and enjoy some well-deserved time off from school:

Each teacher's gift basket included a beach towel, sunscreen, flip flops, sunglasses, gardening tools and gloves, flower seeds, and the most important warm weather essential - margarita mix & glasses! (I totally would have included the tequila, too, had the school policy allowed it! Lord knows they deserve it!) The kids also wrote notes that we added in, along with a Target gift card and some other summery items.

Most of the goodies were found in the Dollar Spot at Target and the baskets were from the home storage section. They were so fun to put together and only cost about $22 each (not including the gift card.) Not to mention, they definitely helped us all get in the mood for summer vacation!

And with that, we can officially kick off summer! Bring it on, baby!

Road Trip.

This past weekend we loaded the whole family in the car and took a little drive to the mountains to visit some VIP mamas in our life.

(Despite her insistance that she should ride in back to read to Shinerbock, Riely was later relocated to her booster seat.)

We stopped up in Grand Lake to see Grandma D:

Nothing like a little post-dinner hula dance!

Then we made a stop at Nana's and tortured the kids by making them take photos in bright, bright sunlight.

"AAAAAHHHHHHH.....My retinas are burning!"

And then Mike caught my reaction on camera to the news that there would be no wine involved our Mother's Day celebration:

Just kidding!

Hope your weekend (and Mother's Day!) was equally delightful!

Weekend Summary: No Pants. No Margaritas.

And if that blog title doesn't increase hits, I just don't know what will.

Our weekend wasn't lacking in the celebration department. With three birthday parties, two family gatherings, two BBQs, National Scrapbook Day, and of course, Cinco de Mayo, how could it be? Sadly, none of these events involved margaritas.  

(Those of you that know me well are saying WHA?!?!?  I know, I know. As your Queen of Gratuitous Imbibement, I've let you down)

But it did involve wishing a very cute pantless nephew happy birthday:

Apparently when you're three, it's totally your perogative to celebrate the big day by refusing to don pants. And scowl at your Aunt Pete for taking photographic proof.

But a birthday cake and crazy relatives singing off-key can always improve your mood:

And just so you know, tonight (after our last volleyball game of the season) I'll be heading out for margaritas with the girls. I've got a reputation to uphold, after all.

They call this one The Flirt.

Last Saturday, Riely went to a friend's birthday party where one of the party favors included a variety of self-adhesive mustaches. Who knew that a sticky little piece of faux fur would lead to hours of posing fun? The particular style she's modeling here is named The Flirt. On a grown man, I think this flesh toned, pencil-thin version just might be a tad bit creepy, but I have to admit it is pretty darn cute on this sweet little face:

This may be the only time in her life that a fuzzy upper lip doesn't send her running to the depilatory aisle at Walgreens. Enjoy the moment, little girl!

Hope your Tuesday is is filled with funny flirtations! (And hey - HAPPY MAY!)

Ask and ye shall receive.

I am realizing that my lament last week about a lack of things to write about was all the prompting the universe needed to suddenly unleash a stream of events perfect for blog fodder. So there you go: the key to writer's block is to simply complain loudly into the internet ether, and you'll be rewarded with topics galore. At least for this week.

Unfortunately, one of those topics came in the form of a nasty stomach bug that knocked Riely and I out for most of Thursday. I had heard via the elementary school that a virus was going around, and when more than 1/3 of the students and staff came down sick, they ended up closing the school on Friday for a thorough cleaning and Lysol-ing.  Luckily, it was just a 24-hour sickness and we were on the mend by Friday afternoon.  Not so luckily, Mike started showing symptoms on Sunday and he's still down for the count.  Hayden's remained the only non-puking member of the family this weekend, happily playing Minecraft while the rest of us took turns napping on the sofa.

During a window of non-sickness on Saturday night, Mike and I got to attend a benefit for Denver Health and get all gussied up for a night out. My parents, who were traveling home from Kansas, stopped in for the night to wrangle the littles (that's their green truck serving as our glamourous backdrop below!) Coincidentally, that night also happened to be prom at our area high school, so we joined all the high schoolers and their parents on the front lawn for the prequisite photos:

(I was just slightly peeved that Mike failed to get me a ginormous wrist corsage.)

Hayden snapped these photos, after which he turned to my mom and sighed, "They grow up so fast!"  Proving that not only does he have a robust immune system, he's also got quite a way with the one-liners.

I snapped a few more photos on my phone that night, including the classic Pumping Gas in a Tux, when Mike actually got whistled at by a policeman:

 
And the venue itself (a clevery disguised horse arena, that despite fancy lighting and shimmery tableclothes, still smelled faintly of manure):

The lovely flower centerpieces (one of which was swiped by a lady who may or may not have had a few too many cocktails. And NO it was not me - I was just getting over a stomach virus, remember?! Of course, alcohol does kill germs...but now you've got me all off topic.)

There was a rousing concert later in the evening by Earth, Wind & Fire:

The band's appearance was apparently a big-ass deal to everyone in the room who happened to be over the age of 50. And while I can totally appreciate the groove-inducing beat of Shining Star, Mike and I opted to call it an early evening and left before the boogieing got too out of control.

And that was the excitement for the past few days...what's been up in your world?!

 

Quotables.

It's inevitable that when you have the smartest, wittiest kids on the planet (not that I'm biased or anything), you are going to hear some classic quips from their mouths. Which is why I keep a notebook handy for recording those always-hilarious snippets from our daily conversations. The contents never fail to make me smile, like these two recent entries:

"These teachers are totally infringing upon my First Amendment rights!"
-Hayden, relating how he was admonished for talking during class (and not coincidentally, during a lesson on the Constitution.)

Riely: I can type my last name really fast!
Me: Have you been practicing a lot in computer lab?
Riely: No, I was just born talented.

See what I mean? And speaking of those two, I've got a page to share featuring the entertaining duo.  It's part of a Sketch Challenge that's going on over at the Lily Bee blog (which you should totally check out!)

S U P P L I E S :

Wishing you a Wednesday is filled with quotable moments!

Us. Right Now.

she:

...can often be found sneaking goodies from her easter basket. for breakfast.

...is beyond excited it's almost flip-flop season.

...is looking forward to starting art classes with her friend Sassa.

...always has a colorful variety of marker marks on her hands.

...is researching horses for a school project.

...never met a fashion accessory she doesn't want to wear. all at once.

he:

...likes to freak mom out with the fake insects from his easter basket.

...is counting the days until summer vacation.

...has the upcoming "puberty talk" at school this week, which he says will consist of "learning that teenagers get hairy and smelly."

...just earned the money to purchase MineCraft, and has been spending all his free time playing.

...has a bedroom that, most days, looks like a Lego Store exploded within it.

...is now wearing the same size shoe as his dad. (eeps!)

he:

...has landscaping projects and golf on the brain. must be spring!

...has been nervous (read: grouchy) preparing for a work presentation in Houston this week.

...snaps more photos on his iPhone than I do on my DSLR most weeks.

...is finding a new addiction in shoe shopping (he recently made me proud with the purchase of the coolest pair of blue suede wingtips!)

...is convinced his truck needs new tires & wheels. and is trying to convince me.

...is attempting to replace his beloved Diet Mtn. Dew with Starbucks coffee, a task I more than happily enable.

 

she:

...can't seem to shake the "vacation hangover."

...is desperately trying to catch up on Project Life.

...just spent most of the weekend cleaning her house so it would be presentable enough for the cleaning service to come this week.

...is reluctantly admitting she can't do it all. but will probably still try.

...might be stockpiling the seasonal KoKo Brown Ale in her basement for winter.

...needs to finish up this post and go for a run.

 

And that's what's up with us right now...what about you?

Five on Friday.

I know I've been a bit delayed (read:lazy) in posting any vacation photos, so today's list-o-five features some of my favorites from our time in the Bahamas:

And while I know that viewing other people's vacation photos is a task embarked upon only with a large supply of both patience and booze, should you wish to attempt the feat, you can see our Atlantis album in its entirety right here.

Happy Friday, friends!

Weekend Accomplishment.

Amongst the Easter celebrations, egg hunts, yardwork, spring cleaning, and general weekend revelry, we also watched Riely (finally!) meet this milestone:

 

And all without a single scraped knee! Add to this achievement a huge haul of Cadbury Creme Eggs from the Easter Bunny and I'd say this was a successful weekend, indeed.

Party On.

Last Wednesday, we kicked off Mike's birthday with obligatory presents, cake and candles (and I feel obliged to share that is was the MOST amazing red velvet cake. Should you have a Target nearby, grab one of these sinfully delicious creations. It's totally worth the 2.5 hours of cardio required to burn off the calories in one slice. Seriously.)

This weekend we extended the birthday celebration, joining up with Mike's twin brother, Ryan, and wife Ali for an overnight stay at the Omni Hotel. The guys played golf, we enjoyed the sunny views of the Flatirons from our hotel rooms, consumed lots of adult beverages, enjoyed an incredible meal at Village Tavern, and crashed a 14-year-old's pool party that took place at the same hotel (which wasn't as much fun as it sounds.) The obligatory photos follow, but, sadly, none involve red velvet cake:

And apparently while we were out reveling in the birthday celebration, a little leprechaun visited our house, turning all the water green:

He also scattered glitter everywhere and apparently broke the compressor in my refrigerator, which is now groaning like an angry old man in the kitchen, reminding me that Call Refrigerator Repairman is at the top of my to-do list today. So I guess that means the party's officially over.

But I'm totally having Red Velvet Cake for lunch.