An Early Birthday for Kailei and Sydney

Continuing the sappy moments of yesterday, I find myself grateful once again. Grateful that I have such wonderful parents and siblings. Grateful that many are close by and we can share special moments and not so special moments with them. And although we all have our quirky ways, love is the foundation for it all.

So yesterday, after our mother/daughter weekend, we came home and the family came over to celebrate Kailei and Sydney's birthday. Yes, it is a month early but Dad and Mom are heading out of town and Mom had no intention of missing the girls birthday. So, with food, cake and decorations in hand she headed over here (where we have air conditioning) and we had ourselves an early birthday party. The girls were too cute dressed in their princess outfits, playing with their new stuffed animals and dancing around the house to their new princess dance dvd. It is always great to be with everyone. I love them all (and miss having Kevin's family around).

Thanks for making Kailei's birthday special Mom and Dad. Have a safe trip.

Our Last Day

Sunday we woke and went to the park….again. We managed to get our photos in and the mom’s plotted a weekend getaway for the dads and their daughters. The girls played great together this morning so we wrapped it up by going to out to lunch and then headed down the mountain (with sleepy children in tow).

As I drove down the mountain today, I started to get teary eyed. Yes, I’m a sap but I never thought I would ever have such a great groups of moms to hang out with. I never thought being a part of the mwcc group would mean so much to my children and me. I never thought I would have the opportunity to experience the highs and lows of parenthood with other moms and learn so much from all of them. I never thought I would love these women and their children so much. It is hard to describe but I’m grateful.

Girls and their Moms

Saturday we woke and made our way to the park. It was a nice park by a lake with lots of equipment for the girls to play on. We were there for a short time and soon snack time became the priority so we all sat down and ate (we do that a lot). Shortly after that we headed to the pool for a little fun. The girls just love swimming. It really isn’t my favorite thing to do (ok, maybe it is the whole bathing suit thing) but you just can’t deny those smiling faces.

After a good nap, we went swimming again (apparently you can never get enough) and then the highlight of the mother/daughter weekend began….the slumber party. I’m sure you have never seen or experienced such craziness. We first used some fabric paint and the kids designed a tote bag to use for many of their mwcc outings. Once that room was in shambles we went to another room and set up stations for the girls to go through. We had hairdo station, nail painting station, tattoo station and red dye hair spray station. There were girls everywhere and all tasks were completed in record time. We then sat down for a Chinese dinner and before we got the phone call to “please quiet down” we took the girls outside and let them ride bikes. Once again, you would not want to be one the road with any of these kiddos but they had a great time (give or take a meltdown or two). We wrapped up the evening with a few of the girls who stay up a little later watching a movie and eating popcorn.

Kicking Off MWCC Mother/Daughter Weekend

Friday kicked off our annual mwcc mother/daughter weekend. This year Sheryl set us up on Avon, Colorado which is just outside of Vail. Keara, Kailei and I got a head start on everyone and found our way to Lake Dillon around lunch time. The weather was beautiful and we had a great time walking around the lake, throwing rocks in the water, playing in the park and simply enjoying the beautiful scenery. We often take the mountains for granted living here in Colorado but I am reminding and awed at their beauty each time I get up here. And just being here with the girls made this day so very special.

We met the whole gang around dinner time in Avon. We are in a great hotel but quickly found our way to the park so the girls can burn some more energy. We shared a picnic pizza dinner and it could not have been better.

It really is wonderful to have these mom’s in my life and for the girls to have such special friends. Not a bad way to start a weekend I say.

Swimming Party

Spent Sunday afternoon with the Merwin-Olks and the Suter-Troutman's who invited us to their pool. The pool is always so relaxing and when someone else cooks dinner, life is even better. Can't think of a nicer way to end the weekend. Thanks Lynn and Paul for inviting us.

An Irish Kind Of Day

Today was the Irish Festival and we try hard to make sure we go as it is a day that Keara feels special. Trying to balance the Chinese and Irish traditions is sometimes crazy but we do the best we can.

Mark plays hurling and gaelic football and his team always plays at this festival so we packed a picnic and headed out. The rest of the Archer and Wenzel clan attended as well so that made it a family affair.

We watched three of Mark's games, walked around the festival and then all went out to dinner (which only happens a few times a year).

Everyone had a nice time because the weather was just perfect (not too hot or cold) and all the Irish eyes were smilin' as the day ended.

Family Day Adventures

So every year when Family Day pops up (which is often some random day in early July) we venture out to do something fun together. Mind you that we often do things together but having a day with a title just makes it more special.

This year we rode the Georgetown loop train. It is about an hour train ride that goes up to Silver Plume and back. When the weather is nice, the train cars are open and the scenery beautiful. It was very relaxing (so much so that Kailei took a nap). We all really enjoyed the ride.

After the train ride, we grabbed some ice cream in Historic Georgetown and walked around the shops. Kailei and Keara were on a mission to spend their money but were unable to find exactly what they wanted. Keara ended up wanting to go back to the visitor center and purchased a necklace which has a columbine flower on it. She has now decided she wants to collect necklaces from places she goes. Kailei didn't find anything here so we took off before traffic got too bad.

To top off the day, we went to the White Fence Farm for dinner which is a great place for kids. Lots to do and lovely grounds to walk on. Another great family day.