Mimi's Back in Town

Sean was in Atlanta for work last month, so my mom flew out to take care of the boys while I worked.  It was so nice to not have to use PTO (since I'm still on Weekend Plan at work).  Thanks, Mimi!  You always take such good care of the boys for us.  We treated her to dinner out on the last night before she flew home. We owed her that much, at least! 

But, that's not all...

Mom & I got to have a girls' night out with Sister on Friday...we went downtown to see "Wicked"!  Mimi had never seen it & it had been years since Christy & I had been.  We all had a great time, it's such an amazing show. One of the best parts was stopping for a dinner of small plates at the Four Seasons hotel beforehand. Delish!!!

Heritage Square (...while it's there)

The boys & I drove to Heritage Square with some friends a few weeks ago.  I hadn't been there since I was a kid and rumors have been circling that the place is going to close the end of the year.  (For the record, part of the park will remain open.  But, the Alpine Slide & some of the other attractions will be closing.) Anyway, I figured it was something my boys needed to see!  I will say, this day was not cheap.  The prices are kind of steep up there so be prepared for that. All in all, it was a fun time for the boys & I'm glad we did it for the memories.  But...I don't think it's a repeatable outing.

 All four boys just getting started.  We spent about FIVE hours there--yikes!

  Rollin', rollin', rollin'...

 The big air-filled balls allow you to walk on water.  Pretty cool!

 Davis preferred taking it easy.

 Jumping like crazy!

Woo-hoo!

Estes Park Awesomeness

 I love Estes Park.  This was our second year at "Trail's End" cabin at YMCA of the Rockies.  We took off right after school on the boys' last day & spent three nights getting up-close-and-personal with nature. (With indoor plumbing, my favorite combo!)  There is just so much beauty there and it's very peaceful, even though the camp itself is huge.  We like the cabin because of the amazing views, wildlife sightings and marshmallow roasting ability in the fireplace, among other things.

 Mimi & Grampy shucking corn for dinner.

 Carter scoping out the scenery from our front deck.

 Firing up the marshmallows for S'mores!

 Sister & Davis getting in on the S'mores action. 

 Breakfast at the big table.

 Carter & Davis climbing the BIG rock.

 The tire swing was a huge hit.

 On our daily hike from our cabin to the Craft Center.

 The boys did some classes & got to dig for "fossils".  Anything involving dirt is usually a hit with these two!

 Heading to the Craft Center with Grampy. (You should see the mug he painted this year--wow!)

 This deer trio got really friendly with us after dinner one night.

 Sister has a special touch with the wildlife.

 I think the deer could smell the blood on Grampy's hands from his many years of hunting, because they backed up instantly when he came outside.

 The boys were amazed to be this close.

We're heading back up to the park at the end of July with Grandad & Grandma Nancy.  Can't wait!!!

Last Day of Preschool/Mom Meltdown Day

I know this will come as no surprise to most of you, but my baby isn't a baby anymore.  Davis is headed to Kindergarten in the Fall (actually, next month!!!) and it hit me a little hard on the last day of Preschool.  I think the photos are a little blurry because I was crying so much I didn't notice.  Yep, I'm that mom.  I even had Ms LaDonna crying, too!  She's had a Beilman boy in Preschool for the past four years, so we've gotten pretty close.  We'll miss those days of Play Plans, centers and 2 1/2 hour school days (well, maybe not that last part). Our sweet little boy is growing up & we couldn't be more proud.  Love you, Davis!  

 Davis got his diploma a day early since we left for Estes Park instead of going to the last day of school.

 This was when the waterworks started...

 He was so proud of himself. 

 We took a field trip around the neighborhood afterwards & had a little play time in the park.  Bear Blankie got to come along which was a huge deal!

 Big Man on Campus

Mimi & I had to leave early for an appointment, so Grampy accompanied Davis on the second half of the field trip.  Go Grampy!  He & Davis both did well! ;-)  

Memorial Day Hail Storm BBQ

We had Mimi & Grampy visiting over Memorial Day, so a BBQ was in order!  Unfortunately, the weather did not get the memo that this was supposed to be the unofficial start to Summer.  It poured, then hailed on our plans.  But, we went right on ahead anyway!  Mimi & Davis were snuggled up under the blanket while Carter was interested in the hail storm.  

 Aww, hail!

 Sister brought some yummy meats for us to grill.  (Davis is hiding under the blankets.)

 Pea-sized hail modeled by Carter. 

 Davis came out of the blanket fort to investigate the hail.

Our grill master.

End of First Grade Fun!

Carter's Field Day and end-of-year field trip were both canceled due to the rain this year, but we still were able to celebrate this school year with a cute little presentation last month.  Each student did a research project to report on...Carter chose Rattlesnakes.  He did a great report & we are so very proud of him.  

 Mr Sweetman is such a wonderful teacher.  Carter loved being in his class!

A super-sized WOW note for a super teacher!

This was during the "Barnyard Moosical" performance by all the first grade students.  So cute!

Lordy, Lordy...

Turning 40 wasn't half as bad as I was expecting.  I am blessed to have wonderful friends & family who made me feel like I had something special to celebrate.  Little did I know that Sean & my friends Amy & Cydney, had a big surprise planned for me...Cydney flew in from LA to celebrate with me!  I had NO idea they were planning this so it was a very fun start to the celebration.  

Amy, Cyd & I have been friends for 17 years.  Crazy!

Next stop, Sister's apartment for drinks & snacks before heading to Linger.  Sister sure knows how to entertain--everything was wonderful!  Thanks for being such a great hostess, Sister!

Next stop, Linger for Happy Hour with friends & family.  Kelsie stopped by to celebrate with her super old cousin. 

These ladies sure know how to make a girl feel special.  I was overwhelmed by how lucky I am to have them in my life.  Thanks SO much for all the spoiling, ladies!

My mom surprised me with a singing telegram & I had flashbacks to the singing telegram she sent to the high school cafeteria when I turned 16.  "Pierre" was so cute & did a really nice job embarrassing me.  Thanks, Mom!  Love you even despite this little shenanigan.  

My sweet husband met us at Linger with a delish birthday cake.  Love you, babe!  And in case you are wondering why we are both wearing leis, we're going to Oahu this winter to celebrate my 40th AND our 10-year anniversary coming up in December.  Sean & I had been talking about going but he flew the leis in from Hawaii as a surprise to tell me it's a done deal--we're going!!!  I'm beyond excited!!!

These are my favorite ladies & I can't tell you how wonderful it was to spend my birthday celebrating with them.  Love you girls!!!  Thank you SO much for a great night!