Fun on Monday

Today the Longmont crew woke up early (well, maybe not early but we didn't sleep in at least) and drove in to Boulder. Dad and Erica dropped mom and I off at The Buff for breakfast and then they continued on to a few car repair shops for estimates on Erica's jeep.


The Buff was very yummy, good service, lots of food. Luckily dad and Erica showed up to clean our plates. Then more Jeep work and off to Whole Foods for a little adventure:


It was an amazing place! It was about twice as big as our New Seasons, and the ready-to-eat food was most impressive. This picture above shows only half of all the choices. We didn't partake today, since we just ate, but we did choose a macaroon each from the beautiful bakery. We continued to walk around and I bought some goodies for the kids. Here is Auntie Erica at one of her favorite sections:


After Whole Foods we went to Celestial Seasonings (below), a Sears that was going out of business, and then to a local brewery for lunch.


At home I took a nice nap and now it is dinnertime. Brats, homemade Mac/cheese, broccoli, and beer. What a great visit!!

I'll see you tomorrow, kids!

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Baptism day for baby Grey

After the race we went to our home bases to get ready for the baptism (it had been a warm morning so we were a ~little~ grimy from the race). The Longmont crew stopped at Spicy Pickle in Boulder for lunch:


This is the scene from when we got to Mary and Justin's in Boulder:


But he woke up! Here is the hand knit blanket grandma gave to him for his special day:


We continued on to Christ the King church right down the door. They have this pretty little baptism spot off he side of the church:








Erica is the godmother and Joe is the godfather:


This is the whole group:


Afterwards we went to Pasquali's in Cherry Creek (Denver) to celebrate. It was yummy, fun, festive...Grey got to open his gifts. This is the bag-o-animals I brought for him for his belated first birthday gift:


Party boy!


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Mom's race

I arrived in Colorado late Saturday night and went straight to Erica and Carter's in Longmont. Early Monday morning dad took me to Palm Sunday Mass in Boulder and then straight to the Boulder Res for mom's 5 mile race!





My mom has recently lost weight, over 100 pounds. She thinks back to this time last year and how she didn't want to walk from Grey's house to the nearby park. Now she did a 5-mile race!!!!
Dad and I made it with about 20 minutes to spare so we got a good spot to watch for mom.





Erica, Carter, Mary, Joe and Justin all walked with mom. Here they are in the homestretch!





The race had a half-marathon, 10 mile, and 5 mile.





She won a medal....





...and a third-place trophy in her age group!





It was such a wonderful morning.






Good job mom!! We are so proud of you!





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Best friends

In Colorado right now, no energy after a long day to upload pics tonight. Here's an oldie but a goodie, from a few weeks ago:


BEST FRIENDS
Actually, Burby and ~Mariposa~ are best friends, but he likes Gemma too. Gemma saw him sitting in this basket and she decided to join him:



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A nice dinner

From a few weeks ago...braised short rib stew from a Williams-Sonoma soup book (written by Marcus' coworker's wife):


Apple pie cake...so much easier than an apple pie or an apple cake!


APPLE-PIE CAKE
Martha Stewart food magazine

Combine 2 c. flour, 1 c. brown sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon (I also added some nutmeg). Cut in 2 sticks cold unsalted butter. Press 2/3 in a 9" springform pan. Mix 5 pounds peeled/sliced tart apples and 2 Tbsp lemon juice and put in the pan (I used about 3 pounds apples). Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture on top. Put pan on a foil-lined pan and cook at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until golden brown on top. Run a knife along the edge of the pan, and let the cake cook in the pan until set. Serve at room temperature.


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Builder's Expo

Pictures from last month's homeschool group Builder's Expo (March 10th):

Mariposa has been building with legos alongside James for a little while now:


Bunny made this birdhouse with her grandpa when he was here in January:


James and his good friend Dominic displayed some Lego creations together:


I helped put on the Expo with my friend and neighbor Rosina. We all had a great time, the kids making and displaying their creations and then seeing everyone else's, and me taking care of the business end to make it enjoyable for all the families. Marcus got stuck on Gemma duty but I think they both had fun too; there were lots of exhibits to see, and some fun games and crafts to keep the littles busy. All in all a fun morning in March!


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Cartoons

Bunny is on spring break...lots of time to create....





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