September 2017- Puppies, Plays and Pants

This is how all of us felt on the last weekend that the pool was open for the summer season. We all love the water and are sad when the shop closes up and cooler weather prevails. Especially in Colorado, we can often have 90+ degree temperatures well into September and sometimes October. So, on that first weekend in September, which happens to be Labor Day, we always try to go to the pool one last time.

Another thing that happens in September when the ease of maxi dresses ends and jeans become a staple is this….

Sadly, this has never been more true for me. I can use the excuse of moving and blah, blah, blah….and it’s all true, but still doesn’t make it any better when I can’t breathe in those skinny jeans and reach for the leggings instead. So, off to the gym I go. And, I’ll cut down on the wine. Maybe.

Life is hard.

Speaking of hard, handwriting is tough. Wait, no it’s not. How hard is it to write in a straight line and form the same letters over and over? Well, for Reese apparently it’s really hard. Look at these two documents…..once again, God Bless Miss Rizzo…she has her work cut out for her. Yikes!!

My little preschooler goes to school this year on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. That means that I have two whole weekdays at home with her, just the two of us. And, while she is my most feisty child, and the one who tries my patience most often, I know that my one-on-one quality time with her is limited. So, even though there is laundry to do and groceries to buy, I try to remind myself of that fleeting time and spend a little with her.

And, speaking of trying my patience, there’s this. Cooper may be the naughtiest puppy in the history of the world. I love Beagles and will always have one, but goodness their noses are trouble. I could fill a whole blog post with pictures of the things he’s destroyed in the 3 short months we’ve had him, but this particular time, it was B-A-D. As a reference, we have a white (used to be anyway) linen couch from Restoration Hardware. In our old house it was in a rarely used room so it stayed mostly nice. In the new house, it’s in the great room and takes a beating. So, on this day I had taken all of the cushion covers off to wash them for the 50th time, and threw the cushion inserts to the side. I was in my office and sensed with my mom radar that something was amiss in the next room.

Well.

Swear words. Yelling. Duct tape.

Remember how I said last month that John claims his birthday means nothing and he couldn’t care less about a celebration? Well, you know who does not feel that way? Reese.

We weren’t in the market to have a big party like in years past, because with a new school and neighborhood, she didn’t know that many people yet. And the last thing a fragile 9-year-old ego needs is no one showing up for her birthday party😢

So, I planned ahead and came up with an alternate plan for the birthday weekend, which involved a hotel, an event and surprises galore.

First up, lunch at Kona Grill where we met our surprise guests….Libby and Mary Elizabeth. I have no photos because ME and I were too busy fueling up with wine for the events of the day. Next up, manicures and pedicures for all.

Once again, my photography skills are fantastic…

After the pampering, we checked into the Ritz Carlton downtown, had another glass of wine (2) for good measure (we weren’t driving!) and told the girls to get dressed in “something nice” for the surprise event. Here they are ready to board the elevator, and I should mention that it was freezing cold and raining outside, hence Malory’s Uggs. I should also note for those that don’t know, Malory’s birthday is the day after Reese’s and if you think that she was going to be left out of this celebration, then you don’t know ol’ habanero. Reese was an awesome sport about it and welcomed her sister with half-open arms:-)

There are no further pictures of the night. Obviously I wasn’t able to take pictures during the performance of “Frozen” at the theater, and it had nothing to do with the continued wine drinking. I’ve taken some pretty good photos while drinking wine, so it was not that. As for the performance, the girls loved it, Mary Elizabeth thought it was good, and I was underwhelmed. They changed the story around and I do not handle change well….don’t fix it if its not broken, right?

The next morning we managed to get ourselves together for brunch at the new downtown hot spot, Syrup. You know what’s good there? Mimosas. Is it me, or is that second picture blurry?

Seriously though, look at these two pics. Two sets of lifelong friends. Even though the girls’ friendship has only been 9 years, I hope it is a future as full as the one I’ve had with this lady. Full of laughter, bad decisions, good decisions, and terrible selfies. I think if you’ll rewind exactly 2 years, you’ll see evidence of those selfies at a Bronco game Here and Here . There may have been wine then too….see: bad decisions.

Meanwhile, back at the homestead, my boys were pulling off our very own version of Trading Spaces. But, with the addition of the in-laws and minus the annoying host of the show. Reese had her very own bedroom in the new house and prior to the weekend it was a sad, sad room. Her trundle bed was shoved against a wall with some mismatched bedding. She had nowhere to store her jammies and undies, and a few random toys were thrown in a basket in the corner. For weeks, I’d been shopping up a storm and planning our attack. With mostly good attitudes (looking at you JP), they got right to work when we left on our birthday excursion, and transformed the room into a 9-year-old girl’s dream bedroom. (Note: Since these pictures were taken, we’ve done a little painting to up the teal factor. It’s the girl’s favorite color and the more the better:)

Some of you might say “Wait a minute? You got to go and have a weekend with your girlfriend and stay at the Ritz Carlton while the hubby slaved away at home assembling furniture and decorating?” My response is this: Picture said hubby with 3 little girls at Frozen and one hotel room. Got it?

She was ecstatic when she saw her new room. We’re talking beyond happy. There was none of the drama or crying that you see on the real Trading Spaces, and thank goodness. Her daddy may have thrown a hammer.

After the whirlwind weekend, Monday morning was the actual big day, and with it some emoji pancakes. Because, of course.

She was also allowed to bring treats to school to share with her class. We took carrot sticks.

Just kidding….donuts!!

Now, not because of importance but simply chronological order, Malory had her 5th birthday the following day. And, because she idolizes her sister, we had a repeat of the emoji pancakes (Mom has mad skills).

And since it was a non-preschool day, we decided to take a little field trip of our own to the Museum of Nature and Science, where she became fast friends with a platypus.

Mal is at such a fun age. Full of wonder and questions and words…..oh so MANY WORDS!

Lastly, to be sure we give screen time to the little(big) guy….after almost exactly a year we went in to get Jackson’s braces off. I cannot believe how much difference those braces made in such a short time. I mean, Snaggletooth had sideways teeth before and now look at that beautiful smile!

Stay tuned for October. It’s a BIG month, full of travel which means there’ll be pictures o’ plenty. Not good ones mind you, because they are taken with my worn out old phone.

But first, I must work on a certain wedding ceremony….T minus 7 days.