Fairy Parade

 Nana, the kids and I went to the Fairy Parade at Pearl Street again this year. 

The weather was finally awesome and we loved soaking in the sun while enjoying the festivities on beautiful Pearl Street.  Ashtyn looked adorable as usual sporting her fairy wings and tutu!

Since the spring this year has been so cold and snowy non of the tulips had even blossomed, so that was a little disappointing, but we still enjoyed getting to meet all the fairies, blow bubbles, play games, get our faces painted and of course get one of those famous balloon animals...

 Ashtyn got a Unicorn and Eli got a trash truck, which fell apart two minutes later...

 The fairy parade is really not Eli's cup of tea, so I had to keep him occupied by walking around the flower gardens, or playing chase on the rocks, while Nana took Ashtyn around to all the activities...

 Ashtyn waited in line for thirty minutes to get her face painted...

 Eli was completely bored out of his mind by this point...

 ...but it was totally worth the wait and money!  It was the prettiest face painting I had ever seen!  Ashtyn LOVED it and it actually stayed on her face for a couple days after!

It's always fun to hang out on Pearl Street for the day and we definitely enjoyed our afternoon down there!  Eli kept asking where the CU band was...he enjoys the Pep Rallies way more then the Fairy Parade!

They're BACK!!!!

Rob, Ariana and the boys are BACK in TOWN!

Not for long though...they are moving from California to Maryland, but since there new home is not available until the end of June they are hanging out in Colorado until then!

You forget how much you miss people until they come back from being gone for so long...

The boys have gotten so big and adorable since they moved away two years ago!  Ryan was a newborn still hooked up to oxygen when they left and now he's the biggest out of three boys!

We of course had a big Mexican dinner the first day they were back...Here's all the cousins together for the first time in over a year...

 Ashtyn (5), Brooklyn (4), Robbie (3), Eli (3), Ryan (2) and Cheyenne (2)

That's right 6 kids between the ages of 5 and 2 - We are like a baby factory around here!

I have fallen completely in love with my nephews and Ariana! 

The boys are so cute together - we had some sharing issues when they first met each other, but now that they are getting to know each other, they play so well together.  Especially Ryan and Eli, who I think will be our trouble makers of the family...for instance Ryan and Eli like to throw rocks at each other or into the street or into the grass, or go head first down the slides and of course find places to go they know they shouldn't, while Robbie just watches them probably thinking "You two are such idiots!"

I am going to soak up as much of them as I possibly can before they head back to the East Coast for who knows how long.  Of course I will be visiting them in there new home - a ton!  They are thirty minutes out of Washington DC and a $39 train ride from New York City, so it will be tons of fun to make trips out to see them! 

Until that dreaded day in late June, I will be loving on my nephews and spending as much time hanging out with Ariana as I possibly can! 

It's going to be rough saying good bye this time...

Cruising...

My 32nd birthday has come and gone, but I still remember it like it was yesterday!

It was a GREAT birthday this year...I made it through the whole day without puking in a swimming pool - great accomplishment!  I feel like I am starting to slowly come out of my mid-life crisis and finally embrace being in my thirties, but I still don't feel like I really should be as old as thirty-two!

All I can say is the thirties are flying by...and that number 4-0 scares me even more then the 3-0!

To celebrate this year, I stayed up until 2 o'clock in the morning back in January to score tickets to the highly anticipated, sold out show for Florida Georgia Line at the Grizzly Rose! 

I LOVE them and all of their songs...Cruise, Get Your Shine On, Tip it Back, Here's to the Good Times, and so many more!

 We of course invited the Ohlheiser's with us to celebrate and had a great time as usual! 

We wanted to make sure we got a table - we are over the mosh pit in front of the stage - so we got there when the doors opened at 6!  That made me feel a little old, but we were very comfy at our table!  We had a lot of time to kill before the show started - 4 hours to be exact, so we drank some beers and relaxed!

 The show was GREAT!

Not sure Matt and Jason enjoyed it too much, but Stacey and I did!  We did make a trip up to the front of the stage to snap a couple pics, but were quickly booted out!  People are not all that welcoming at the front of the stage...

 Me and my sexy cowboy!

The Ohlheiser's surprised me with this little gem of a gift! 

It's a knitted water bottle holder to fit around your neck...you know, so when you go hiking or walking you have water right there to keep from getting dehydrated!  The gift has since been adapted into many other things besides a water bottle holder - things I can't mention on the blog, if you know what I mean - but that night it held my beer bottle quite nicely!  I got tons of weird looks, compliments, and even hit on by a couple guys!  So single ladies should pick one of these up - you might score a date with a country guy! 

I had a great birthday doing what I absolutely LOVE - listening to country music, drinking beers and being with great friends and my husband I love so much!

Happy Birthday to me - I am just cruising through my thirties - Ahhh!

Interview with Ashtyn

Interview with Ashtyn at age five...

What's your favorite color?

Green, turquoise, purple and pink...

What's your favorite toy?

Clarice from Build-A-Bear

What's your favorite fruit?

Peaches

What's your favorite TV show?

Bubble Guppies

What's your favorite thing to eat for lunch?

Macaroni and Cheese (in the box)

What's your favorite outfit?

My silver dress with sparkles

What's your favorite game to play?

Hide and Go Seek

What's your favorite snack?

Raspberries

What's your favorite animal?

Penguins

What's your favorite song?

Merry-Go-Round by Kacey Musgraves

What's your favorite book?

Poesy

Whose your best friend?

Sienna

What's you favorite kind of cereal?

Honey Nut Cheerios

What's favorite activity to do outside?

Ride my bike and scooter

What's your favorite thing to drink?

Starbucks chocolate milk

What's your favorite Holiday?

Easter

What do you take to bed with you every night?

Clarice

What's your favorite thing to have for breakfast?

McDonald's Hot Cakes

What do you want to do for dinner on your birthday?

Red Robin

What do you want to do when you grow up?

Be a horse trainer

Whose the coolest person you know?

Auntie Em

What food do you dislike the most?

Broccoli

What's your favorite thing to do at school?

Play with my friends (Sienna, Lucas and Christian)

 

It's so fun to see how her answers changed from last year...I think the only same answer was her favorite thing to drink - Starbucks Chocolate Milk!

 



Happy 5th Birthday!

 On Sunday, April 7th Ashtyn officially became a little lady! 

I feel like at age 5 you are no longer a toddler/baby you are now a little person - a little lady! 

Ashtyn has grown up, so so much this year and matured beyond recognition!  I think I sometimes take for granted all the things she can do for herself now and just how grown up she really is.  Ashtyn turning five definitely tugs on my heart a little bit, but it's so exciting to know she starts school this coming year and the changes and FUN that will come our way!

 Ashtyn woke up Sunday morning to find a table full of presents waiting for her and of course Matt took the day off to spend this special day with Ashtyn!  She loves presents, like all kids do, and could hardly wait till my coffee was done brewing to start opening them...

 She got the Doc McStuffins doctor bag...

 Eli gave her the Doc McStuffins note pad...

 She got a new Dreamlite - Eli commandeered her other one, so we replaced it with the Unicorn - way better then the puppy!

 ...and she got the La La Loopsy Puppy!

 Eli swooped in on the new Dreamlite (he loves them), which then got Ashtyn all mad!

The unicorn was safely returned to the birthday girl...

 We spent the rest of the day hanging out and Ashtyn actually had to go to another birthday party for her BFF Sienna!  Sienna's birthday is on the 5th and Ashtyn's is on the 7th!

After the party we picked her up and then met Nana, Papa and Uncle Kevers at Red Robin for her birthday dinner!  Its her favorite place to go...

After dinner we headed home and had birthday dessert with the extended family!

 Again, I had to decorate a little bit, but kept it simple!  That's my new moto - simple is better!

Very hard for an overachiever to admit!

 Again we had cupcakes and the famous Yum-Yum dessert and sang Happy Birthday to Ashtyn and all the other cousins in attendance...

 We are so blessed to be surrounded by this much family...

 Of course opening presents was her biggest anticipation...

 She again was blessed with WAY too much stuff!  Tons of crafts, clothes, games, books and a pretty pink box filled with nail polish!

 Eli helped Nana serve up the dessert - little known secret - he dipped his cute, little finger into each piece of Yum-Yum and then would say "YUM" while licking his finger...good thing he wasn't sick!

Nana told me after the fact, otherwise I would have stopped it, but it is pretty funny and maybe a little gross!

 We used the snow cone machine Aunt Pam gave the kids for Christmas and it was definitely enjoyed by the older kids!

Happy Birthday Ashtyn!

You are so lucky and blessed to be surrounded by so many friends and a BIG loving family!  I hope you felt celebrated on your very special day - Happy 5th Birthday!

Love you...

Ashtyn's Kid Party

On Saturday we celebrated Ashtyn's birthday with her friends! 

I am still worn out from last years over-the-top party, so I went WAY simple this year!  We booked a party room at the Broomfield Rec Center and reserved the gymnastics area for her friends to enjoy!

It was absolutely the BEST way to entertain a bunch of five year olds with no stress of decorating, setting up, tissue pom-poms and cleaning a house just so it can then be trashed!

Nope, not this year, I just showed up and the party STARTED!

Of course I had to add my little touch to the party room - it's just what I do...

My favorite were the mason jars and paper straws!

We all know I am in love with anything Mason jarish and these were perfect for the kids to sip pink lemonade from!   But please note...drinking from paper straws is not that fantastic and once they start to disintegrate the taste is not so desirable...but they are still so cute!

 I did make the little paper flag cupcake toppers...

 Ashtyn has seriously the cutest bunch of friends - they all get along so well, all so well behaved and all SO funny!  Matt and I would just laugh and/or shake our heads with the things they would say.  They are just so cute and still so innocent at five!

 Christian and Lucas are in Ashtyn's Preschool class. 

I hear about them all the time...here's how that story goes...

Mom, I love Lucas!  He is just the best man ever...he is just a good man!  He plays puppy with me, chases me, pretty much does anything I want him too...and Christian, well Christian and Sienna (her BFF) are going to get married too and we are all going to live in a big Castle together and play puppy!

I always have the biggest smile on my face after listening to her talk about Lucas, Christian and Sienna and their adventures they have planned together!  Oh, how I remember those days, but my Lucas was a little boy named Ross!

Lucas and Christian are very cute boys (I am not sure I would classify them as men quite yet!) with such sweet spirits and would keep Matt and I on our toes, but make us laugh at the same time!

 Cate is another of Ashtyn's preschool friends and is ALWAYS talking and ALWAYS asking questions!  Again, so cute and funny...

 They all enjoyed popcorn, Cheetos, jelly beans and pink lemonade...

 It's funny how all the boys are one side and the girls are on the other...

 We did simple chocolate cupcakes with purple frosting to sing and wish a Happy Birthday to Ashtyn!

 Adam...

 Kailey...

 Ali munching on some Cheetos...

 Chloe...

 The other birthday hostesses!  ...and Thanks to Auntie Em for helping...

Your purple smiles are so sexy...

 I LOVE this picture - Ashtyn having so much fun with her friends at her party...

 After cupcakes we opened presents...

 ...of course Lucas got her the best present EVER - a La La Loopsy Doll! 

She screamed

"How did you know?"

and he replied...

"My mom read it from her email..."

again, just so funny...and honest!

 After snacks, cupcakes and opening presents we headed to the gym to play in the gymnastics area - which is AWESOME!  Like I have said before - the Broomfield Rec Center is full of amenities and the gymnastics doesn't fall short of begin absolutely amazing!  They have a foam pit, trampolines, a Zip line, climbing ropes and a bounce house!  I was even excited to go play...

 Ashtyn and Sienna - sweet BFF's!

 We had to wait a couple minutes before we could go in, so we made them all sit on this bench and then Matt played that game..."Show me your sad/happy/scary, so on face" - it was very entertaining!

 Sienna, Ashtyn, Adam, Kailey, Cate, Christian and Lucas...

Chloe was in the bathroom!

 The kids had so much fun!  I don't even think I can possibly describe how much fun they all had, but we made sure they got off their sugar high before their parents came to pick them up!

 The boys enjoyed the zip line the most...and spent the whole time swinging into the foam pit!

 Even Eli wanted to try and hang with the big boys...

 He did a really good job of hanging on but would never let go and drop into the foam pit...

Not sure what to think of hanging way up in the air...!

 Emily even jumped in the foam pit...and I am not going to lie, so did I!

Adults weren't supposed too, but it was just so appetising we just had too!

It wasn't as much fun as I thought it was going be - it hurt a little bit when I landed and then trying to get out was a hot mess!  It's amazing how things after the age of thirty may look fun, but really kick your a$% when you attempt to do it!

 Adam lovin' on Matt...

 They had a bounce house/obstacle course set up too...

Ashtyn's fifth birthday with her friends was AWESOME!  It was the perfect way to have a party and I am pretty sure they all had fun and went home exhausted!

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl! 

I hope you enjoyed the afternoon celebrating with your friends!