New Year's Eve

After we left Wildlife Experience, we headed over to Hacienda to find out they had over an hour wait for a table.  Since it was only 5:15, we were pretty shocked.  We decided to stick with Mexican and went to Los Dos Portillos, which is next to our neighborhood. We still had a 30 minute wait when we got there.  Coloradans start their New Year's early!   The chips and salsa and margaritas were a hit, along with the dinner.  We went home and we made chocolate fondue (our New Year's eve tradition) and enjoyed it for the first time with the kids.  Avery was a bigger fan than Ryan though.  They made it up to 9pm and then it was off to bed for them!  We managed to ring in the New Year's at 12 and were glad when the kids slept in until after 7!

Wildlife Experience

Andy and I picked up the kids from school and changed them out of the PJs before heading over to the Wildlife Experience.   Our membership expires today so we figured we might as well get one more visit in!  We pretty much had the place to ourselves and the kids had fun exploring the different exhibits.   Ryan even decided to do the scavenger hunt!  They always get a kick out of the crocodile that moves once you approach it.

Toast & Passports

Tuesday morning, we figured it was a good day to apply for Avery and Ryan's passports.  The kids had pajama day at school so we basically all got up and went over to the office in Littleton, which opens at 7am.  We thought we had everything we needed, but found out we didn't have the original birth certificates with us, just the copies. Since all four of us have to be there to apply and would be tough after the holidays, Andy ran back home to get the originals and I took the kids to Toast for breakfast.   We met Andy back at the office after breakfast and we got the applications squared away.  We are hoping to go to Mexico in the coming months and should have the passports in the next month!

Perfect Landing

I had a work lunch at the Perfect Landing a few weeks ago and told Andy it would be fun to go back as a family for breakfast.  The restaurant is at the Centennial airport, where Andy sometimes flies out of when takes the corporate jet for travel, but had never been.  We didn't tell the kids where we were going and they were excited to see that we were eating by the airplanes.  I was surprised how many airplanes were coming and going for a Saturday morning!  The food was pretty good.  Afterwards, we dropped by Monkey Bizness to book Avery and Ryan's 5th Birthday Party.  Then, we had to run a few errands for house stuff.

Christmas Day

We had a nice, quiet Christmas morning.  I made Sour Cream coffee cake on Tuesday so we could have for breakfast on Christmas morning (a long standing Luehrs tradition).  The kids got up around 6am and we somehow managed to keep them in our bed until almost 7am.   When we went downstairs, they were excited to see what Santa brought them in their stockings.  And, then we took a small break and then opened presents.  They loved everything.  We spent the morning getting all the packages opened, batteries installed, etc.  We also did FaceTime so say Merry Christmas to my family in Charlotte.  That afternoon, we went to see Frozen at the SouthGlenn movie theatre.  The best part is you can reserve your seats.  Frozen was a great movie with great music!  Avery especially loved it!

Christmas Eve with the Carlsons

The Carlson's were so nice to extend an invitation to us again to  join them for dinner on Christmas Eve.  We had some great appetizers while the kids were busy decorating sugar cookies.  Ryan did one and decided that was enough as he didn't want to miss anytime playing with the legos.  He did eventually make it back to do a few others. Avery loved every minute of it and quickly filled up the tray!  We had a yummy dinner of stuffed peppers (well I just had the stuffing as Jennifer was nice enough to just have a bowl of stuffing since she knew I wasn't a fan).   The kids had a great time playing with Jack and Ben's new train track.  Jennifer gave us a Reindeer food before we left and Avery and Ryan scattered in our front yards.  Ryan was especially excited for Santa's visit and had lots of questions for us!

Christmas Eve Lunch

We headed over to the Angelier's new house for Christmas Eve lunch.  Natalie is about a year older than Avery and Ryan.  She was super shy when we first got there, but it wasn't long before they were all playing well together.  We had a yummy lunch of baked potato soup and paninis and good to catch up and get a tour of their new house.  Avery and Ryan both took naps on the way home and I spent the afternoon at the spa getting a facial and massage!

Christmas Tree

When we moved over the Summer, I decided to donate our Christmas tree as we have had it for awhile and was not big enough for the new house.  I thought I would get a tree in the fall, but somehow that never happened and it wasn't feeling like Christmas without a tree.  I looked a few places on Sunday evening with no luck. Then, went out early before work on Monday morning and still couldn't find anything that would work.  I had found a tree I liked at Target, but they were out of stock, so I called one near my office and they had one left and put it on hold for me.  I picked up after work (I got 50% off and another 10% for an open box).  It was much easier to put together than my old one as you just unfold and the pieces fall into place and it comes with the lights.  We have some work to do on our ornament collection as we don't have enough to fill the tree, but do like having the 10.5 foot tree in front of our fireplace!

Scooters Program - Day 3

They had they last day of their ski program today.  We got up the mountain quickly and had breakfast at Sky Chutes, a new breakfast place.   The were happy to see that their instructor from the 1st week was back.  They spent the day at the West Village so we didn't see them during the day.  We had fun on the mountain and enjoyed hot chocolate during a morning break and a yummy lunch at Jack's, plus got to see that the Broncos won.  It was quieter on the mountain than we expected, but probably due to the Broncos playing.  The snow was good and lines weren't bad.  We were sad to see the program end, but glad to hear that Avery and Ryan are progressing and like skiing!  We have to figure out when we will be back up!  I have already skied more times this season than I have the past five!

Denver Museum

We decided to take the kids to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science as our membership is expiring at the end of the month, plus I had to pick up Andy's Christmas gift, which was near the Museum.  We had a fun afternoon at the museum.  Afterwards, we decided to stop by IKEA as we had some things to pick up for the house.  This was the first time we were able to take advantage of the kid center.  We had only an hour, which is tough, and made it through the check out just at an hour.  Since it was dinner time, we decided to just eat at IKEA.  Some other kids from childcare center which Avery and Ryan became friendly with quickly were also eating there, so they were able to hang out a bit longer in the kid's area of the cafeteria.  I had the swedish meatballs - not bad!!

Gingerbread Cookies

Andy picked up a gingerbread house kit at Target so while he was at the gym, Avery, Ryan and I got to work on it.  Not sure if I just wasn't patient enough or what, but the house didn't want to stay together and we had several attempts!  We finally decided to do gingerbread cookies and decorate the cookies with the icing and candy.  And, they were actually edible!

Primrose Holiday Party

Primrose had a holiday party at school today.  They made cute reindeer hats and sang Jingle Bells for the parents.  They got to decorate cookies at the party and to see Mr and Mrs Claus on our way out (aka, the owners)! They love their school!

Baby Sutton

Our niece, Sutton Mae, arrived today just after 10am EST.  She weighed in at 7lbs 13oz.  Shyloe and Greg decided not to find out what they were having so we were all anxiously waiting to hear!  Based on how Shyloe felt through the beginning of the pregnancy, I was guessing girl!  Taiten and Greyson are so proud to be Sutton's big brother and sister!  She is precious and we can't wait until we get to meet her in person!

Piano Recital

Avery and Ryan continued taking piano lessons when they transferred to their new school.  They really enjoy having their weekly lesson.  They had a piano recital and the kids did great. So fun to see and hear what they are learning!

Scooters Program - Day 2

We headed out for Day 2 of the kid's ski program at 6am again and the drive was good and we got up in time to have breakfast. And, it was much warmer with a high of 30 degrees!  The kids had a sub and assistant since their instructor was sick.  They did great with the kids and did stretching before hand. We did see them at lunch and they were adding googly eyes to their helmets while the instructor was getting their foods.  I also got to see them in action on the bunny slope in the afternoon!   They had a great day and we got in lots of runs!

Five Guys

We celebrated Avery's Nutcracker performance by going to Menchie's yogurt in the afternoon.  For dinner, we ended up at Five Guys in Highlands Ranch.  We had never been.  The hamburgers were pretty good. Some firemen having dinner there and Avery and Ryan were excited to see them.   When the firemen finished their dinner, they went out and got hats and brought them back in. How nice!!

Nutcracker

Avery was a party girl in the Nutcracker this year. She has really enjoyed ballet this year and was happy to be in the Nutcracker.  They had dress rehearsal the week before, which is good to have them practice on the actual stage. It is quite the production and it comes together nicely. They use the Kent School performing arts and it is the real deal as far as high school theaters go!  Avery did great and was all smiles.

Ryan did a great job sitting through the whole performance and couldn't wait to give Avery her roses.
So proud of our little ballerina!  I decided to order the video this year as Avery was backstage the whole performance and sad she wasn't able to see it plus think she will like seeing herself!

2nd Annual Santa Party

The Carlson's hosted their 2nd annual Santa Claus party.  We arrived around 5pm and luckily Santa wasn't scheduled to arrive until after 5:30 (and a surprise for all the kids).  Shortly after we got there, we got the kids all in the basement, but keeping them there was no easy task.  Santa finally arrived and all the kids were so excited.  He did a great job of reading out their names, reading the Night Before Christmas and then having each one sit on his lap and receive a gift.  They all had to wait until the very end until they could open their gifts.  I wasn't so sure Ryan was going to go up all by himself, but he did great and couldn't wait to tell him he wanted Legos for Christmas.   Keith took great photos to capture all the precious moments!

Scooters Program - Day 1

We signed up Avery and Ryan for a 3 week ski program at Copper in December.  It started on Dec. 8th.  We saw the weather forecast and knew it was going to be cold ( 0 degrees before the windchill), but the reminders from the ski program were clear - there were no make-ups.  Prior to the first lesson, we stocked up on hand and toe warmers, long underwear, ski socks, etc. so they would be able to stay as warm as possible.  We left our house a little before 6am and it was a little slower due to the weather. We know now why people pay for parking and lockers!  We got the kids off to their lesson which started at 8:30am.  The first thing they learned was how to carry their own skis :)!  We then had breakfast and headed back to the car to grab our stuff (we did consider for a few minutes of not skiing as it was so cold, but that just didn't seem right!).  We did a few runs and took a break for lunch and checked in on the kids, who were doing great.  Then, made it out for a few more runs before it was just too cold to keep going. Which, was too bad as there were no lines and great snow! We picked up the kids at 2pm and made our way back to the car.  They told they loved it and were excited to come back next week - excellent!!  And, they were both out pretty quickly!

Santa Party

Andy took Avery and Ryan to Chase's house (one of their best friends from the old Primrose) for a santa party.  The kids played and did arts and crafts before Santa arrived.  Avery did sit on Santa's office but Ryan opted out. They had fun seeing their old buddies - Chase, Grady, and Tyler.

Karate Party

Avery and Ryan's classmate, Ian, had a karate party for his 5th birthday.  I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was pretty cool.  The kids spent time introducing themselves, learning about the 4 areas of focus for karate (mind, body, eyes, and ears), and doing exercises.  I loved seeing Avery and Ryan doing planks, push ups and sit ups!  They also did some relay races. Then, they enjoyed pizza and cake and took turns at the pinata!

Jimmy Fallon

A month or so ago, we decided to get tickets to Jimmy Fallon, who was coming to town on Friday, Dec. 6.  I took the light rail downtown and we had dinner at Row 14 Bistro at the bar since we didn't have a lot of time before the show.  Jimmy opened the show and also performed in between the four other comedians that also performed. All of the comedians were funny and the crowd was really energized. It was great to see Jimmy live and especially before he takes over the Tonight Show.

Book Club

We had our annual book club ornament exchange at Amber's house.  Their tree was amazing, which they actually went and got Christmas Vacation style! It was great to see everyone and we enjoyed our ornament exchange. I happily ended up with the family truckster ornament from Christmas Vacation and it even plays the Holiday song.  It was a hit at our house!

Party

We decided to have a party on Sunday after we were back from Kiawah to celebrate my birthday, watch the Broncos vs Chiefs, and have a housewarming party.  We had nice weather, which meant the kids could play outside! I made a buffalo chili and a white bean chicken chili, that both turned out pretty well.  And, pizza for the kids. It was great to see everyone and see all the kids playing well together. We recycled the great party supplies from the birthday celebration in Kiawah.  Andy made a great poster of me over the years!

16th Street Mall

The Silvermans headed to the Justin Beiber concert and we decided to take Avery and Ryan on their first 16th Stree Mall ride.  They loved it!

Wazee Supper Club

Sunday night, we met at Wazee Supper Club.  The cousins all had fun and got quite silly.  We got some cute pics and love the pic of Andy, Uncle Josh and Ryan!

Silverman Cousins

Brandy, Josh, Bailey and Emma (and Aunt Val) got in late Saturday night to Denver and stayed at our house.  We fixed breakfast and the kids happily played downstairs!  I then introduced Brandy and Val to their first OrangeTheory  workout and Andy took Josh and the kids to Lifetime. After our workouts, we met at Lifetime to spend some time at the pool.

New Bikes

We traded in Avery and Ryan's bike for the size up.  It is a little adjusting, but overall happy with their new bikes!

Westlands Park

 

It was a beautiful day and we took the kids to Westlands Park.  It is a fun park with some shade, which is always nice!

Dentist Visit

Avery and Ryan had another great dentist vist. Avery was a little tougher this visit, but for the most part they got through the full exam! 

 

Melting Pot

One of the field trip's at school was the Melting Pot in Littleton - Yum!   Avery had to miss as she was home with a fever, but Ryan had a great time with his friends. They even got a tour and learned about the history of the building.

Fevers

Avery and Ryan don't get sick often, but Avery stayed home on Thursday and then Ryan was home on Friday.  Luckily it passed quickly!

Lair O' The Bear

After breakfast, we changed clothes and decided to check out the Lair o' the Bear hike.  It was a great family hike and Avery and Ryan did really good.  Unfortunately, half way through the hike we started hearing thunder and the hike turned into a jog to get back to the car before the lightening.  It was pouring when we pulled out of the parking lot. We will have to check this out again soon!

Toast

For Father's Day breakfast, Andy chose Toast .  Probably the kids favorite! We are early risers so comes in handy on holidays when we beat the breakfast rush!  Happy Father's Day to a great husband and daddy to Avery and Ryan.

Buck Snort Saloon

Carmen, who is one of my direct reports and is in the UK office, came out to Denver for a week for work.  On Sunday, we picked her up and headed to the Buck Snort Saloon.  I was trying to think of unique places to take her and this popped in my head.  I hadn't been since I first moved to Denver in 1999. It was a great day to head to the mountains.  We had a fun lunch (Avery and Ryan liked her accent) and then decided to drive by Red Rocks, but they had just closed off the ampitheatre to get ready for a show so we couldn't see much.  We eneded the afternoon with some frozen yogurt at Peachwave.

Deer Creek Canyon

Avery and Ryan both got their first Camelbaks for hiking. So, they couldn't wait to go hiking today.  We decided on Deer Creek Canyon.  We haven't done this hike in a long time and even packed a lunch. The kids were ready to eat the moment we stepped on the trail.  It wasn't very shaded, so we didn't end up finding a spot to eat until we were to the top.  We found a grassy shady area and enjoyed our lunch. Then, decided to keep going on the loop. They were troopers as this was probably their longest hike at just under 3 miles. The Camelbaks came in handy so they had access to their own water when they needed it.  So proud of our little hikers!  We told them we would go get frozen yogurt afterwards, but they were asleep.  So, we got it and took it home with us for when they woke up!

Dinner with the Angeliers

We had the Angeliers over for dinner.  The kids had fun playing inside and outside.  And, they all did a great job of cleaning off their plates.  And, the adults were able to catch up!

Seinfeld

In April, we saw Seinfeld was coming to town. We haven't seen him in years, so got tickets. The show was at 7pm. So, I met Andy downtown and we did happy hour at Pizza Republica, which just opened 2 weeks ago.  The food took awhile, so they didn't charge us, so that was nice.  The pizza and meatball sliders were really good!   The opening act was good and Seinfeld was on before 7:30.  He did stand-up for over an hour and then Q&A afterwards.  He does not disappoint and we had lots of laughs!

Pearl Street and Festival

We had lunch at the West Flanders Brewing company which just opened in the fall. It was quite good.    It is always fun to walk down Pearl Street and check out the street performers and flowers!  We brought the stroller as we knew they would be tired from the hike.  It was a good call as we used it on Pearl Street and also walked around the Boulder Creek Festival.  We got a lot of good samples and Ryan got to sit it an emergency rescue vehicle.  On Sunday night, we went to Indulge with the Baughmans for an adult night out!

Boulder Hike

On Sunday, we headed up to Boulder for the day. It it is our 2nd annual outing to Boulder over Memorial Day weekend!  We found a little trail just past  Chautauqua Park called Halfway House trail. The kids did a great job, though Ryan managed to fall off a rock and scrape his leg!  We had a snack on the trail and they told us next time they want to do lunch on the hike.   It was a gorgeous day!!

Final Day in San Antonio

We were sad to have our vacation come to an end. But, the good news is we had a full day before our flight left!  We went back to the Hyatt Hill Country for breakfast.  Avery and Ryan loved the teddy bear pancakes!  After breakfast, the Houston Silverman's headed home. And, we went back to the pool and lazy river.  Avery and Ryan just love the water, especially Ryan.  Since Grandma and Grandpa weren't leaving until Monday, we were able to all get cleaned up in their room before we had to go to the airport.  Avery and Ryan fell asleep as soon as left the Hyatt, so decided to stop by Rudy's BBQ for some TX bbq.  It was pretty good, but the beans weren't our favorite!  Out flight was delayed getting out of San Antonio, so took off late and didn't make it home until 11pm.

Sat Night at the Hyatt Hill Country

After we all got cleaned up, we drove over to the Hyatt Hill Country for dinner.  They have a great kid's menu!  After dinner, it was time for S'mores.  They loved it and asked for seconds.  We headed back to the other Hyatt and they had a film playing - Rise of the Guardians.  It was geared more towards older kids, but Avery and Ryan did pretty good.  It was fun day to have all of us together!