A Perfect Day

Since the girls are gone, Zeb and I took advantage of some time before I start back to work and headed for Estes Park.

It was one of the best days I've had in a long time. It was great to have some uninterrupted time with my husband and get to do some kid-free activities. Don't get me wrong, I miss the girls but absence does make the heart grow fonder.

While Zeb took most of the day off, he still had one conference call to be on so I dropped him off at McDonald's (where there is wireless access) and I headed out to the fairgrounds. They were having a hunter/jumper show there and I knew I could easily pass some time watching the riders while I waited for Zeb.

Oh gosh, did it bring back memories! The smell, the horses, the arena, the rain in the middle of the show...I loved being back here. Showing in the horse show in Estes Park each year was a highlight of my summer. I loved every minute of it. I remember winning some and losing some. I remember Tiger breaking free and running around the place as we chased him. I remember trying so hard to be one of the cool riders. And I remember trying to sell turd birds to raise funds for our horse club (not so cool by the way). Most of all I remember my horse, Tiger, who shared my childhood with me and who I still miss each day.

After Zeb was done with his call, we walked up and down the streets of Estes Park window shopping. We took some time to sit and rest and I pulled out a book and read while the sights and sound of the river provided my backdrop.

We ate a little Italian place out on the patio and listened to some great live music. I can't even tell you the last time I listened to live music but we stayed as long as he played.

We then did a little more walking and found another band playing outside. It was a christian music band and we stopped and listened to them as well. They were a good reminder for me that all the happiness I have was given to me by God and I'm blessed.

Since we left the dogs home alone, we made our way back to Parker in time to hit the hay.

It really was a perfect day.

The Girls are Gone

Well, it is that special time of year when the girls get to go to visit their Grandparents in Walsh, Colorado. It has been a highlight for Keara the past few summers and this year Kailei is joining her. We packed them off and shipped them off Thursday and they will spend a wonderful (yet hot) week with Grandma and Grandpa.

I can remember when I was a little girl and spending time with Grandma and Papa T in Florida. It was the best and I cherish those memories still today. As much as I miss having the girls around, I also know how special this is for them.

Life in Walsh moves at a different pace and I think it is great that they get the opportunity to go.

Thanks Grandpa and Grandma for having them down there. Enjoy your time together.

More Pictures

Just some a link to more pictures from the mother/daughter weekend.

http://picasaweb.google.com/carcherdavison/MwccMotherDaughterWeekend708

Kailei-ism

Kailei woke up in my bed today, looked at me in the eyes and said, "Touche' Pussycat!" (LOL)

I think she is watching too many cartoons. :)

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.