Denver Museum of Nature and Science

Our first outing was to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.  What an awesome museum.  Dinosaurs, Human Body, Ancient Egypt, Gems and Minerals... right up our alley.

There were summer campers there already but for the most part it was not too crowded.  Ava loved the dinosaurs and got to read about the bones and fossils discovered around Denver.  Erin love, love, loved the gem and minerals.  That girl has a thing for sparkles.

What a perfect day with the family.  I knew the girls would like Denver but I'm surprised by truly happy they are.  They seriously skip and giggle all the time.

Welcome To Golden

After a day and a half of driving we made it to Colorado.  Jeff drove our U-Haul with Ava riding shotgun and I had Erin and Wrigley in the backseat to keep me company.  The thought of such a long road trip seemed overwhelming but everyone did great.  It drive was beautiful.

We are so happy to be here and are looking forward to many exciting adventures ahead.  For now we are unpacking boxes and settling in.  Tomorrow we'll head out to show the girls more of what Denver has to offer.

Movin' On Out

There is a reason why I two months have past since I last wrote a post.  Life has changed.  A.  Lot. 

I remember going to bed one night thinking "I'm so happy" the next morning life threw us a curve ball.  I won't go into the details but basically Jeff and I took advantage of an opportunity to make some big changes.  We decided to leave our home town of Tucson and move the fam to Denver.  It was one of those situations where one thing led to another and now everything has fallen into place.  I'm happier now than I ever could have imagined.

To say a lot has happened over the past eight weeks would be an understatement.  Jeff started working up in Golden in March and I stayed here with the girls to finish the school year and pack up the house.  Moving is a ton of work but getting rid of things feels so good.  I have made countless trips to Goodwill plus I've dropped off piles of 'stuff' for friends and family.  I'm sure I have a lot more I could give away but at this point everything left is getting thrown in boxes.  Oh the boxes.  I'm so ready to get this move over with and start fresh in Colorado.

In addition to all the packing we also celebrated two birthdays recently.  Ava 10 and Erin 7. 

Ava invited a small group of friends to go see Mirror Mirror at the movie theater. The girls were thrilled to get popcorn, candy and a slushy ($5 = sweet deal).  Everyone was entertained for 2 hours and I didn't have to lift a finger (awesome!).  The people working at the dollar theater didn't blink when we ate cupcakes and opened presents in the lobby after the show (easiest birthday ever!!).  I brought a bag of dress-ups, crowns, glasses and silly hats, and took pictures of the girls while we waited for their parents to pick them up.  It was a fun day.

Erin's party was a little more work but I'm proud of myself for pulling it off solo.  She invited a small group of  friends to join us at our house for a Balloon Party.  We played balloon games like see how many you can catch in a net and had a balloon hunt.  I also let the girls pump up Rocket Balloons and let them go in the house.  They loved it.  Finally, I made balloon animals for all the girls to take home.  It is amazing what hidden talents you can discover with a library card.  It was a sweet and simple birthday. 

So... the girls and I are picking up Jeff from the airport in a few hours and our family will be together again.  I'm looking forward to our many adventures in Colorado.  I'll be snapping pictures and posting on a regular basis again.

Home Spa Day

I spent the weekend taking care of a kid with the flu (poor thing) and her very bored sibling.  A million trips filling cups of water and bringing cool wash clothes is exhausting.  After zoning out in front of the computer last night I decided I needed to spend some time taking care of me.

I looked up some diy beauty treatments on my Pinterest board and headed to the kitchen.  I grabbed the olive oil, honey, oatmeal, brown sugar, milk, and three bowls.

1.  Hot oil treatment.  This honey/oil mixture worked so well.  My hair feels super soft this morning.  Now I'm not feeling so bad that I had to cancel my haircut on Friday to stay home with Ava.

2.  Brown sugar body scrub.  I simplified this recipe by just adding olive oil to brown sugar.  The results were soft, smooth skin.  Win.

3.  Finally I combined the oatmeal, honey and milk (no yogurt on hand) to make a mask.  My face still feels fresh and clean.

I don't think any products I've bought, even expensive ones, have been better than these simple, natural ingredients.  But even more pleasing than the feeling of my skin and hair is the peace that comes with taking time for myself.  I think I need to plan one of these nights once a month.