Crested Butte

Bryan and I escaped to Crested Butte for a weekend of snowshoeing and skiing sans kids. We had a great time! We snowshoed on a trail in Monarch pass on our way to Crested Butte. The views were beautiful at the top and we blazed a new trail on our way back.

After we checked into our hotel, we caught the shuttle for downtown Crested Butte. Bryan researched a few yummy restaurants for us to try out. The first stop was Ginger Cafe. Bryan rated the Pad Thai the best he's tried and I gave the Green Curry 4 stars.

On Saturday we skied/snowboarded Crested Butte resort. We learned the perks of a ski-in/ski-out location. Amazing!! We had a blast exploring and realizing that I'm a bit of a wuss and would be content to mostly cruise now. We made a pretty funny memory when I attempted to take both Bryan and myself out on the rope tow. Best part was this particular rope tow was to "experts only" terrain, ha! People watching us had to be calling ski patrol to give them a heads up of the girl in blue pants! We were keeping our fingers crossed for a powder day, but ended up with a few inches of fresh snow the night before. We'll take it. Earlier this season, they had to close the resort because of too much snow! Talking to some of the "locals" they said that there were parts of the mountain that they skied for the first time this season due to all of the snow (and they had been coming since the 90s).

 

That night, we dined at Stash Pizza. It was oh-so-good! We ordered the Hampton and it did not disappoint. After a full-day of skiing, I cashed out around 7:00, real party animal! We enjoyed a slow morning on Sunday and made our way back home to claim the kiddos. It was a very enjoyable weekend away with just the two of us. Grateful for wonderful friends who swap kids around to make this possible!

Emma's Date Night

I took Emma to Claire's at the outlets to pick out one piece of jewelry. She loved ooh-ing and ahhh-ing over all of the selections. We chatted it up while perusing the walls of glitter and glam. With a little guidance, she was able to pick out a necklace with a locket.  I think she's worn it every day since then. After our high-end jewelry shopping we stopped off at McDonald's for an ice cream treat and chatted about family vacations, preschool, friends, fingernail polish colors, church songs and every other topic that came to her mind. It was hilarious and very enjoyable being able to give her my full, undivided attention. On the way home she whispered to me from the backseat, "Mom, thank you for bringing me on this date. I love you more." I responded, "I love you most." This an exchange that occurs most nights when tucking her into bed. One of my favorites that she came up with was "I love you to Japan and back." How I love this 4-year-old of mine.

Errand Buddy

Myles is my buddy in the mornings when Emma and Luke are at school. Most of the time he loves running errands with me, but we did have a morning where I walked into Sam's club, bought one thing and then walked right back out (my list was much longer than one item). I have a feeling the "terrible twos" are starting to appear. Good thing he's so cute that I almost (ALMOST) forget about his tyrannical raids.

Love the penny horse. 

Oh, and he strongly dislikes the car wash. 

Helpers

Emma is so good to Myles, well, 90% of the time. :) They were a great cleaning team when helping me around the house while Luke was at school the other morning.

Rodeo

Elizabeth found a deal for the National Stock Show's Rodeo and asked if Luke and I would like to join Charlie and her on a double date. That was an easy decision, of course! We had a great night on our double date. The stock show comes every year to Denver, but this was our first time going. It looked massive. Lots of vendors, buildings, parking, shows, etc. I would like to go back during the day one of these years to explore more. Luke was excited to watch the cowboys wrestle steers and the mutton busters. He was convinced he could stay on as long, if not longer, than the participants we watched. Unfortunately, he is too big now and we may never get to test out his confidence with his mutton bustin. As we were walking out of the arena after the rodeo, Luke's eyes were so big as he took everything in. He told me several times, "Thanks for bringing me to the rodeo. This is the best night ever! I like just me and you time, Mom."

Luke was very impressed with how tough Cowboys can be.

It was a tight squeeze on the shuttle back to our parking lot!

Such a fun date night with my little man. Thanks again to Cramers for the invite!

Grandma and Grandpa Kotter

My parents came for a visit last week and we were all thrilled to see them! It has been almost 2 years since my kiddos last saw them. Myles was only 2-months-old and we were living in California when they left for their mission in Japan! I attempted to surprise the kids, but Luke caught on to my sneaky-ness. It was so fun to have them. I'm already scheming for when we can see them next.

Saturday night they made their "surprise" arrival. We hung around the house that night and Sunday. It was helpful having two extra sets of hands with the kids at church on Sunday.  We played lots of games. Sleeping Queens continues to be the popular one. Grandma taught the kids "Garbage" which has also become a favorite. 

Monday, I let Luke skip school and we took my parents on a tour of Hammond's Candy Factory. They were cranking out a lot of candy compared to the last time I visited. We were all entertained and enjoyed this stop. 

Making candy canes.

Luke's reaction to seeing all of the chocolate and candy being made.

We attempted a group shot...

Like I said, we attempted. :)

Next, we headed to Casa Bonita for lunch. After several friends told me how much their kids enjoy this restaurant, we decided this was the perfect excuse to try it out. The food was sub-par and the acting horrible, but the kids LOVED it, which made all of us truly enjoy it. 

The gun fight really startled the kids and they wouldn't take their hands down until this part was over.

Luke and Emma pulling their gorilla faces (why yes, a gorilla was part of the acting crew). 

On Tuesday, my mom and I squeezed in some shopping while my dad started cranking out a project for me in our laundry room. I wanted a board with hooks to hang our swim stuff from when we get home from swimming. 

I loved how it turned out and I think our laundry room is officially the nicest room in our home. Thanks Dad! I do spend a decent amount of time in here, so I greatly appreciate it!

On the last day of their visit, we caught Luke for school lunch and recess. It was a bit of a zoo, but he was still teary-eyed when I left. This Luke, he is my goofy and tender-hearted boy!

Thanks for coming Mom and Dad! We love you and are so happy you are home!

Date Night for Emma

As part of our goals for the New Year, Bryan and I want to take the kids on a one-on-one date each month. Our intention is to spend quality time with each child. We explained the plan to Luke and Emma and they were both excited about the goal. Emma was up first to go with Bryan. She picked out her favorite dress, wore her stick-on earrings, put on her make-up that Santa Claus brought her and requested her hair be done "just-so." When Bryan caught a glimpse of the effort Emma was making, he stepped up his plans for the night. We couldn't have her all dressed up and no where to go! :) It was pretty adorable to watch this unfold. Luke was a good sport about Emma going first. On their way out the door, he said, "I hope you have a good time, Emma!"

A visit to the library and Chili's for dessert was the perfect date night.