We brought one of the twins to visit my mom’s grave the day before her actual anniversary. Having a little one with us provided just the right level of humor to the proceedings.
Happy Monday, friends. I hope you’re all doing well.
I got back late last night from a five-day trip out to New York. While NY always fills my cup, this particular visit brought with it a certain level of sadness.
Yesterday was the 10-year anniversary of my mom’s passing.
Ten years flies by in the blink of an eye. As with most things, ten years feels both like yesterday and an eternity ago. So incredibly much has changed in those ten years. My mom now has six grandbabies, none of whom she got to meet, all of whom she would be obsessed with.
I wasn’t sure how I would feel about this trip, or what I would end up wanting to do on her actual anniversary, but I’m so glad I went. Seeing my New York friends and family is always the best time. It makes me so incredibly grateful that I get to both live in a place I love, while still traveling back relatively frequently to see them.
My sister just bought a new house, and my niece didn’t start her new school until the Friday of the week that I was visiting. That meant that I got to spend a lot of one-on-one time with her, which was honestly so lovely and wonderful <3I had a couple of things happen on this trip that reminded me just how much my mom is still in my life. One of them was randomly finding this box filled with magazines that I had stories in. They were magazines I had either sent my mom because of my stories, or that she bought herself because I had stories in them. She had kept them all.I don’t always get to see old friends when I’m back, since I’m usually toting around three children and booked solid with family stuff. This visit gave me a little breathing room, so I was able to meet up for lunch with a bestie of mine from 3rd grade. Balmville for life. Balmville — my old elementary school — also welcomed me with open arms as their guest reader at their literacy night the Thursday I was back! It was so friggin’ cute I could barely stand it.My sister and I snuck away for a few hours on Friday for lunch and a massage. What a luxury!Look at this Hudson River view!The view from my sister’s new back yard isn’t too shabby, either!My aunt & uncle came over for dinner that Friday and we all cheers’d to my mom.On the Saturday before my mom’s actual anniversary we took Arabella to the flower shop, and she picked out some beautiful options that we added to Mooms grave. We miss you, Mom. Every day and all the time <3I spent Saturday night in the city — my happy place — and Robert was kind enough to drive me in. We played tourist for a bit before he dropped me at my hotel.Just a couple’a NYC tourists 😉We had a couple minutes before our Top of the Rock tour, so Robert and I grabbed a drink at an outdoor cart. When we sat down there was no music playing. About five minutes into our drinks, the cart owner started playing music, and his first song was “Unsteady,” by X Ambassadors. This song came out ten years ago, right around the time my mom died, and the words always reminded me of her. I remember being eight months pregnant, hearing the song come on the radio, and pulling over into a parking lot to bawl my eyes out listening to it. How this song came on — when no music was playing — when no one plays it anymore, right at that moment, sitting there with my stepdad … you can’t ever tell me our loved ones don’t stay with us when they leave this earth <3Top of the Rock has THE BEST views of the city. Period.I mean … swoon.Another relationship I cherish … my freshman year college roommate. Oy, what an emotional trip.I had Sunday morning — my mom’s actual anniversary — to myself in the city before I flew home in the afternoon. I grabbed coffee and a bagel from Grand Central and took a glorious walk through the insanely beautiful Central Park. Spring is here, things are blooming, and it was just what I needed.Just a quick note about the rooftop of the hotel where I stayed — Little Charlie Hotel in midtown. I mean … how stinkin’ cute is this! I would highly recommend this as a hotel for a solo traveler. My room was the definition of tiny, but it was so comfy and clean, and in a great location and they had a yummy breakfast included. 10/10.
Thank you, Mom, for all you did for us. I recognize it more and more as I get older and develop more of a relationship with my own kids. We’ll miss you forever, but you sure do a good job of reminding us that you’re still with us <3
Who needs snow to ski when you have this cutie crew to hang with?
Happy almost April, friends! We’re back to school after our week-plus-one-day spring break, and it was a blast! Sure it was a snowless desert in Steamboat and our ski-in/ski-out was no longer a viable option, but we managed to make the most of it!
Before we headed to Steamboat, we had the best time at the STEM day that took place before the Nuggets game last Sunday. It was sponsored by the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, and it was so much fun!
We had actually never been to a Nuggets game before, so we were really excited for our first experience (despite Grace’s face).Getting to geek out with science stuff before the game was just the cherry on top of an already fun day!There were so many booths, we didn’t even get through them all! But the ones we did make it through were so much fun.And then the Nuggets won!
Now back to Steamboat. We booked this trip back in September when we had no idea how crappy and sad this season would be. I’m really glad we got to spend the weekends in Winter Park that we did in January, because that was way better skiing/snowboarding than this trip provided. Still, it was enough snow for Emilia to practice on, and the weather was in the 60s which, if you don’t consider the fact that you’re trying to keep snow around, was delightful.
We met our neighbors/friends/the illustrator of my second book there, and it was so much fun to hang out with them. I’m so happy that our kiddos are getting to grow up together.
Pretty bleak for early spring skiing, but still quite beautiful.Love this cutie group!At least we got to wear our Halloween costumes again! We were appropriately complemented for our efforts by several fellow skiers.I mean … am I right??Little monkey. I mean … dragon 😉These two cuties.We made ample use of the pool too, of course.The Millers were tired on Friday so we skied/snowboarded with just our little crew, but we still had the best time.Snowboard showoff Dad 😉We took a short little hike on Saturday morning to Fish Creek Falls, which is where we took Lotte on her first-ever vacation to Steamboat at three months old <3Cutie crew!These kids were such troopers. A ski vacation isn’t exactly relaxing, but they were such good sports. (For the most part.)After a couple hours at the pool on Sunday, we headed out on the town, and no Steamboat town visit is complete without a stop into F.M. Light & Sons.Goes to Steamboat, becomes a cowgirl <3We found potatoes at our steakhouse dinner! They weren’t purple (just wait until Halloween this year to discover why purple potatoes are the best), but they sure did make us happy.You cook your own food at 8th Street Steakhouse. Some were better at this than others 😉Our last ski day was a great one.Just a Bandit & a Chili with their Bluey <3These little lovies absolutely rocked it.Thanks for an amazingly fun time, Steamboat. We made memories for a lifetime.
And that was it, friends, our trip in a nutshell! It was a really fantastic spring break. It felt long and full and refreshing(ish), and now April is crazy and we’re ready! Bring it on spring. We’re here for ya.
If you happen to be local, feel free to stop by and say hi to me and Taylor at any of the below events! We’d love to see ya <3
Welcome to 2026, friends, and welcome to February! I hope you have incredible adventures planned, lots of time for relaxation, plenty of opportunities to hang with loved ones, and a realization that you’re incredible just the way you are.
Sorry. Feeling my feelings, guys. Let a girl live 😉
Anyway, my little family spent our entire January livin’ that mountain life. Chris and I decided to enroll all three girls in full-day ski lessons in Winter Park every Saturday in January and it was incredible. Not only did the girls’ skills improve drastically, but Chris and I had SIX HOURS every Saturday in January to be by ourselves.
Life changing.
Not only that, but Winter Park is also the sweetest little spot. It’s only a little over an hour from where we live, the base is full is fun shops and restaurants, and the girls pretty much got to know (and love) the mountain like the back of their hands.
Time (and money … sheesh, the money) well spent.
Bis bald, friends!
Dry January, anyone?The mountains are also the perfect place for a little self care.Self-care includes hot tub time, of course!These girls have gotten so good! Grace even unlocked her hidden talent — skiing backwards 😉On our second weekend we stayed at a ski-in-ski-out condo that was super close to the mountain. This was the most fun, even if ski-in-ski-out is a bit of a misnomer because you often have to be a pretty good skier to get down the runs that get you to your home. Emilia couldn’t have done it, but it was fun for the rest of us when we got the chance.This girl served up some real looks in the month of Jan 😉Snowman — Emilia’s beloved stuffie that used to be my mom’s — has seen some real adventures.Emilia truly fell in love with skiing on that second round of lessons and she was so good!My whole crew <3<3<3<3 … minus me. Hah.The girls actually didn’t have ski lessons on Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, buttttttt … we didn’t know that. Wah wahhh. So, back we were! Emilia actually took a bit of a scary fall at the bottom of this run (and ended with a nice shiner to show for it). It was the wake-up call we needed to realize that although she’s getting better and is totally fearless, she is brand new. My brave girl was back at it the following day, but on easier runs where she could practice speed control and pizza stops!I didn’t mind the easier runs to hang with these ladies (who are WAY faster than me on anything thing else we do).It was a delightful weekend, despite the head injury. I think the whole no-snow and fear of crowds thing kept the crowds away. The mountain was EMPTY and it was a delight!On our fourth and final weekend stay, our VRBO had a VCR player. WHAT?! Despite the fact that we can – and do — watch all the movies that they had on demand, the allure of popping in a CD, watching the trailers, and hitting “Play” or “Scene Selection” was such a treat.Just a couple of parents with kids in ski school! (Despite how freezing we look in this picture, the temps actually weren’t that bad, and the fresh snow was very welcome. It’s been a DRY season out here, friends …)Ending a full ski day with a mocktail and a hot tub soak is always a good idea.We’ve become big fans of stopping at a little hole-in-the-wall donut and coffee shop in Georgetown on the way home. Their donuts are truly the definition of delicious. I had a book event on the final Saturday of ski lessons, but the girls finished out strong, and Chris used his solo time to take a tour of the mountain with a guide. (It’s free!)
It was a long, long January, friends, but spending every weekend in the mountains certainly helped keep it entertaining and gave us something to look forward to.
Now … we’ll be taking February off! So until our next trip … bis bald, friends!
A very, merry happy New Year to all you lovelies 😉
It’s that time again. An introduction. A blank slate. A chance to start over, continue being amazing, set new goals, or aim to keep the old ones. AND …. it’s reflect-on-the-past-year time, too. 2025 was a good travel year, for us, with lots of love, laughs, cuddles, and adventure. Here’s what we got up to.
January
In January, Chris and I booked it to Florida for a quick 48-hours so he could run his 10th marathon. We hadn’t been away from the girls overnight in about two years, so it was really quite fun to take that time <3
HOT TUB TIME!Chris ran his marathon in three hours and eight seconds. LEGEND.I was quite proud, to say the least<3
February
In mid-February, Steph, Rosalie and Robert flew out for President’s Weekend to celebrate Valentine’s Day and Rosalie’s 6th birthday. We had such a blast!
We saw Lyle the Crocodile!We checked out the Bubble Planet Immersive Experience in Denver!We went swimming at the Apex Center!Lotte, Steph & Ro got their ears pierced!We went to the Science Museum!Lotte sang the National Anthem at a CU basketball game with her school choir!
March
In March we headed off to Taos, New Mexico, for spring break! It was a new state for the girls, and we had such a blast.
New Mexico!We stayed in the most beautiful spot!Spring skiing is the best!Pottery at the Imagine Children’s Museum was an unexpected delight.Such a gorgeous trip <3
April
I posted an ode to winter at the end of April, with highlights including lots of Lotte choir singing at fun events, art exhibits, author events (both mine and other authors!), plays, fancy tea services, tons of skiing .. and lots more!
The Maurice Sendak exhibit at the Denver Art Museum!Lotte singing at a Rockies game!The Wiz at the Buell Theater in Denver!Easter tea at The Brown Palace in Denver was delicious!Lotte performed with her choir for a festival and we got to hang at Elitch Gardens!
Madeira Island, PortugalBarcelona, SpainVenice, ItalyDolomites, ItalyNuremberg, GermanyReims, FranceParis, FranceDisneyland ParisBruggeAmsterdamIreland
As if that weren’t enough, when Lotte and Grace had their horse camp canceled last-minute, I booked a quick trip back East for the week before Lotte’s birthday! Grace was meant to come, too, but after a month in Europe, girl needed some R&R at home, which was totally fine. She’ll catch NY next time round!
Solo NY trip with my girl <3We had a lot of good food and drinks AND a lot of time to chat, which was so much fun and so different from how it usually is. My brother-in-law was a doll and watched the twins a bunch, and Lotte & Ro entertain themselves, which left my sis and myself to our own devices on several occasions. I do not take those times for granted.Lake swims!Fun at the fairground!
August
I wrote a farewell to the Summer of 2025 covering the final few weeks of our break before we were back-to-school. It included a birthday, camp, a visit from our NY loves and one final out-of-town trip.
Phew. What a summer it was!
Just a couple’a cuties at the Denver Zoo.The Frisco Bay Marina always hits. Rainbows in the mountains? Can’t beat that.You also can’t beat a National Park. This one — Rocky Mountain National Park — is near and dear to our hearts.
September
September started with a bang when we celebrated Labor Day in our own Colorado backyard. Sunshine. Hikes. Moose. Bear. Glaciers. Lakes.
Oh, Colorado. You beautiful beast, you.
Gem Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park
November
In November we hopped on the earliest flight possible to high-tail it to New York for the Thanksgiving holiday! We saw Wicked, had tea at the American Girl Doll store, drank hot cocoa in an igloo in Bryant Park, hung out with Bluey, deep fried a turkey … and so much more <3
Core memories, ya’ll.Hot cocoa and cocktails in a cozy igloo by the Bryant Park ice skating rink? YES PLEASE.Nothing beats it.
December
Less than one week after getting home from our New York Thanksgiving, we were back on a plane! This time, it was to Knoxville, for the AAU Youth Track & Field Championships, which Lotte ran with her team, the Colorado Coyotes. We were so stinkin’ proud of her, I could cry. Oh and also … how cute is Knoxville?!
Santa at the Sunsphere!SO PROUD OF LOTTE!Ice skating for the win!
And that was our near in a nutshell, friends! We had pretty amazing travel experiences and I never stop being grateful for all of it for even just one second.
I hope you all had a wonderful year … and cheers to an even better new one!
Oh Hawaii, you beautiful beast, you. We had the most amazing Christmas holiday with the grandparents here.
Happy Wednesday, friends, and happy “I-don’t-care-what-day-it-is-or-what-comes-next” time of year!
Actually, for those keeping score, it’s New Years Eve. So three cheers to another 365 days well lived (well, most of ’em, at least) and trips traveled and friends and family made/cuddled/loved and books read and things seen.
All the things.
We arrived back from our Christmas in Hawaii early yesterday morning and spent the day fighting off the jet lag/overnight-flight-no-sleep thing. But now that I’ve had a nap, I thought I’d get this blog post in. Although we specifically said when planning for Hawaii that we wanted to literally do nothing, literally doing nothing looks a little different with three kids. We stayed at the Hilton Waikiki Beach Resort & Spa, which was entertaining enough with its multiple pools, lagoon, outdoor movie nights, early morning yoga classes, hulu lessons, and more.
Throw in a few fancy dinner reservations, a Christmas luau and a whale watching tour and we had ourselves quite a busy vacay! No matter, though, because it was all incredible and exactly what we needed. The fact that Chris’ parents met us there was the cherry on top.
Here’s a bit of what we got up to!
Let’s start with the weather. Upper 70s/lower 80s and barely any rain? Yeah. I could get used to that.Hey, you know what’s festive? Hawaii during the holidays!Yup.
We arrived on Christmas Eve and had our first meal at Fresco Italian Restaurant. Their gluten-free Spaghetti Alla Pescatora was the perfect introduction to fish on the island (I think we had seafood for every single meal, often with breakfast being sushi from the ABC Store for Grace, who became obsessed) and the Mai Tai’s we ordered began our weeklong crusade to have as many as possible.
(Please see our trip to Europe this past summer for another example of ways we incorporate drinks into our travel experience. Ahem…. Aperol Spritz.)
My first Kona Coffee of the trip was from Chee Hoo Patisserie. I made it a cold brew with Macademia nut flavoring and never went back.Look at this pastry! (Also from Chee Hoo.) We certainly did not starve on this trip.Emmy had a malasada every day. She was livin’ the dream.We spent almost the entire day on Christmas at the beach/lagoon/pools! We rented … whatever these things are … and napped and snacked and sunbathed and splashed. It was pure heaven.Love my travel/beach-lovin’ girl!I mean, are we cute or what?On Christmas Night we attended the resort’s luau, which was even more than I could have asked for.The food and drinks were so good, and the entertainment and stories told were so fascinating. FIRE DANCING. ‘Nuff said.The girls were in awe!Except for Grace, who fell asleep.Then Nan & Poppa paid $60 for the images they took at the beginning of the event. So here is each. and. every. one 😉 Enjoy!Yup.Ooohhhhhh.Uh huh.And another!
The girls even ended their Christmas Day with a night swim at the resort pool. Not too shabby, if you ask me.
The next few days were beach, pool, lagoon, repeat. We bought snorkel gear and the girls saw tons of fish, too.Just the literal best in-laws anyone could ever ask for in the world ever.We did take a boat out one day to go whale watching!Sadly, this boat ride made me feel sick, which has never happened before! We did, however, see SEVERAL INCREDIBLE WHALES. So a little upset tummy was totally worth it!We saw rainbows, too <3We had a fantastic meal at the Bali Oceanfront restaurant on Friday night and had front-row seats to their Friday fireworks show!Lotte also discovered her love of Boba Tea.I discovered that there is no end to my love of poke bowl consumption.Chris & I left the kids with the grandparents one night and grabbed an early anniversary dinner out. We went to YA!! Sushi, which is this tiny, unassuming restaurant in the front of a hotel with the MOST INCREDIBLE SUSHI. We had the chef’s tasting and it was absolutely incredible. Even better than some of what we had in Japan.We also discovered our love of the ABC Stores on this trip 😉 They had sushi, shirts, sandals… everything you could possibly need for an incredible vacation!Ice cream on vacation just tastes different, doesn’t it?So friggin’ good.Dinner our last night was take-out on the beach. This also hits different than it would sitting at your kitchen counter at home.I even managed to drag myself out of bed for the 6:30 a.m. yoga session on the last morning we were there. It was hard! And I was so proud of myself.Red fruit pastries for the absolute win.Last-day paddle boarding.Of course I had a turn, as well. Well, I guess I should say I let Gracie give me a turn around the lagoon.
And that was our trip in a nutshell, friends. The perfect mixture of adventure and relaxation, and we will absolutely be back to Hawaii, that has definitively been decided. For now, though, we’re back in the mountains and we head to Winter Park this weekend for the girls to start their ski lessons, which they have every Saturday in January.
Life keeps movin’ friends, and we’re just along for the ride.
Any weekend that begins with a double rainbow is bound to be a good one.
Happy Tuesday, friends! I hope you had a safe and fun-filled Labor Day weekend. We considered camping, then decided not to. We thought about Great Wolfe Lodge. Then x’d out the email.
Instead, we hung around home. And it was wonderful.
Besides getting caught up on lots of life (turns out, back-to-school is hectic), Chris took the girls on a couple of dad/daughter adventures, and then we hiked as a family to Gem Lake on Monday.
Chris took the girls on Saturday to Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, which was a cool, new-to-us urban refuge that has an awesome visitor center, hiking trails, and an 11-mile scenic driving route that is rife with bison!They spent hours in the visitor’s center.Hitting the trails! They saw bison on their drive, plus white-tailed deer, and tons of different birds.Sunday was St. Mary’s Glacier day! They were supposed to drive up Mt. Blue Sky (formerly Mt. Evans), but the road was closed. This was a back-up, which was a bummer, because I definitely would have joined. Not only am I so incredibly proud of my babies for hiking two very rocky miles, but THEY SAW A MOOSE. I mean, I’m happy for them. But … I’m jealous. More happy than jealous. But still. So jealous. Waterfalls! Glaciers! Lakes! Oh my!Colorado. You are so incredibly beautiful.
Then on Monday, we all headed to Gem Lake, a gorgeous but fairly difficult 3.2 mile hike in Rocky Mountain National Park. The girls did amazing! They hiked the entire time (Emilia included) with nary a whine.
I mean, there was a small whine here or there, but really, I was whining too, so who am I to point fingers.
How gorgeous is this place?!The terrain is super rocky, too, so even more reason to be proud of these ladies.We fed chipmunks on the way in! Don’t worry, it was just (unsalted) seeds and nuts. Nothing they wouldn’t eat naturally in the wild.Just a couple of gal pals 😉The last time we did this hike, Lotte was eight months old and Grace was in my belly, but I didn’t know it. Oh man, time flies!On the way back!Done!Hey, bear!
And that’s it in a nutshell, friends! It was the perfect way to celebrate the first two weeks of school and prepare to head into the wildness of the rest of the year. We booked our trip back to New York for Thanksgiving, and are really looking forward to that. But until then … bis bald, friends!
But I’m also pumped! We definitely made the most of our summer, this is going to be a fantastic school year for the girls (a mother just knows these things) AND Emilia is finally is school full-time.
Holy hell.
Here’s what we got up to the final few weeks of summer before we are in the back-to-school-grind tomorrow!
My littlest baby turned nine. Insert sob face here.She’s a nature lover, so she requested a day at the aquarium. We happily obliged. We love you so much, sweet babes.The big girls loved their two weeks at Majestic View Nature Center camp! They went on hikes, learned about bugs, went bird watching, built tunnels, did crafts. Heaven in a nature center.Loves grasshoppers.Loves grasshoppers.Loves grasshoppers. Even though this is a caterpillar.Our NY cousins came to visit!We had the best time showing them some of our favorite spots. Including, of course, the zoo!These cuties got to spend some quality time together while Lotte and Grace finished out camp the Friday they arrived. I like to think it helped bring them a little bit closer <3These two, obviously, are too much cute to handle.Here’s a hack if you have littles who blast through the aquarium and make you feel like it’s not worth the price tag: Book lunch reservations at the aquarium restaurant! They have a super cool tank with all the best fish and it’s just as good as the aquarium if, like us, you run through it in about five minutes flat.We even made it to the Frisco Bay Marina one day!The kids had the best time building sandcastles and splashing around in the water.Just a couple of flower girls.We had lunch and drinks at Outer Range Brewing, right down the street from the Marina. We even managed a very amateur photo shoot at Standley Lake <3All the ladies <3<3<3<3<3We had the best, most chaotic time. Love this crew so much.
We spent the last weekend before school started on a press trip at the YMCA of the Rockies — Snow Mountain Ranch. Since it was a press trip I can’t share a ton here. What I will say is that it was a delightful way to spend the final few days before the chaos of the 2025-26 school year descends.
Look at this cutie little cabin! Rose was my Grandma’s name, so we saw it as a sign that it was going to be a great weekend.As if a cabin named after my Grams wasn’t enough, the rainbow on the way to dinner was ANOTHER sign.We spent Saturday morning hanging out with some of the same sled dogs that drove our sled when we came to visit Snow Mountain two years ago in the winter!We went fishing! So calming …We hiked to a waterfall! So beautiful …We went tubing! So wild and fun and NOT AT ALL CALMING!We crafted. We visited Rocky Mountain National Park on Sunday morning, since it was only 30 minutes away. We didn’t spot any moose, but we sure had a lot of fun trying!It was a delightful final summer weekend spent in nature.
We definitely don’t take for granted that we live in a gorgeous place in the world. We’re so grateful for trips like the YMCA of the Rockies and visitors like my sis and her crew, all of which help remind us that to be out in this beautiful world is to be reminded what it’s all about.
We’re small, my friends. And we’re here for a short time. Leave some big (but environmentally friendly!) footsteps 😉
Until next time … bis bald, friends! Welcome to the school year!
Hello, friends! Welcome to my final Europe installment … Ireland!
It is so hard to believe that this trip has come to an end. All that planning and booking and prepping is over. And holy cow was it fun 😉 We stayed in this Airbnb about 30 minutes outside of Dublin, and the view was spectacular!
We stopped in at Rolling Donut before our Little Museum tour, and it was so good! They even had vegan options for Emilia!This tour was so good! They really catered to the kids — although it was amazingly fun for adults, as well — and was less than an hour, which was a really good amount of time for us.The U2 room was a hit 😉St Stephen’s Green Park was so pretty. Tons of greenery. Lots of fountains and lakes and ducks. It was quite lovely.Pretty.A Guinness in an Irish pub, obviously!We have thoroughly worn these girls OUT.The self-guided tour at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral was really interesting, and the church was beautiful.So pretty.We walked past the Dublin Castle on our way to dinner, which has a beautiful garden, too.Boeuf and Frites was a delightful steak house in the Temple Bar neighborhood, although there were ZERO options for pescatarians. Hah! I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it for non-steak lovers.The Temple Bar neighborhood was bumpin!And so, so very pretty!The Ha’penny Bridge was fun to walk across.And back home to a nightcap. It was a great day.
Pretty and calming waterfall.The girls had a lot of fun exploring in this area for a bit.The Sally Gap Drive was incredible, and you go past this P.S. I Love You Bridge, which is in a very picturesque area and was used in the filming of the movie.How pretty!The water was freezing, but fun to dip our toes in 😉Then it was off to the beach! We had such beautiful weather while we were here, so of course the beach was packed. So much fun, though!Soft-serve with sprinkles on the beach. Summer made.Johnnie Fox’s had the most fun atmosphere. There was live music, tons of people, the funkiest decor and really good food.Yum.Did not regret this pasta with salmon and shrimp at all <3
And that, my friends, is that. Our trip. Done and dusted. Four weeks. Ten countries. ALL THE FOOD AND DRINK. So many memories. It was honestly the best time. And the fact that we had the grandparents with us just pushed it over the edge to amazing.
And now, excuse me while I sleep for the rest of the summer.
After missing our first train out of Paris, we caught one an hour later (they said it was standing room only, but we luckily got seats), had a short pitstop in Brussels, and were on our way to Bruge!
Farewell, Paris! It was so much fun!
We stayed at a very fun Airbnb just outside of the city center, which was great for our family.
Nan & her traveling ladies <3
We were pretty exhausted the first night, so after dinner at The Grilloir Bistro (which was so tasty, and had the prettiest courtyard!), we called it a night.
Grandpa makes a comfy pillow!
We hit the ground running on Friday, as we always do on our first day in a city. We walked six miles, had a brewery tour and lunch at De Halve Maan (amazing tour and fantastic lunch, terrible service), went to the Choco Story museum (it was so much fun learning about the history of chocolate, and a presentation at the end showed us how they make their famous pralines), had a horse and buggy ride with a great guide who told us a bunch of history (Lotte and I noticed the day before that everyone seems to have fabulous doorknobs here, and it turns out that’s because the doorknob is the only part of the house people are allowed to personalize … how fascinating is that?!) and ate waffles for dinner from Chez Albert.
What a beautiful day.
I took so many door photos. I was obsessed.Chris and I went for a morning walk — a favorite part of this whole Europe trip — and found a coffee shop for breakfast.Walking into the city center along the canal was so much fun!So many core memories made on this trip.We saw so many swans and baby swans!There were so many natural drinking fountains around the city, too, just like everywhere else we’ve been. Look at this insane town square. Mind blown.I cannot with the flowers all around the doorframes. Such good beer at De Halve Maan Brewery!Even better food!Yes, our waiter forgot us, and yes, we waited 45 minutes just to put our order in. STILL WORTH IT.Glorious.Is there anything cuter, though?No. No, there is not.The Choco Story Tour was a lot of fun!They had a photo booth at the end that you could take photos at that they emailed to you 😉The pralines that they made at the end were to-die-for.Our horse tour around town was also super fun! 70 euros well spent.Waffles for dinner. Duh.This seems to epitomize the attitude here, and I love it.
On Saturday, we rented bikes! Chris and I have always liked to rent bikes in new cities where we visit, and this was the first time we’ve been able to have Lotte and Grace ride with us. It was so special.
We grabbed ours from Ben’s Bikes in the center of town and rode about 30 minutes to the adorable town of Damme, then rode the Lamme Goedzak canal boat back. Emilia rode on the back of Chris’ bike for the first time in her life (she loved it, I was stressin’), my in-laws rode e-bikes, and the big girls rode their own bikes the whole way! We were so proud of them!
Ready for bikin’!I could not be prouder of this girl and her middle sister — they did such an amazing job riding!Treats before the ride, obviously.This girl had one big fall, and she picked herself up and kept right on going. Rockstar. The views along the way were stunning. So serene and peaceful.We ate at De Knotwilg, the sweetest little restaurant in town with tons of old-school games that kept the girls busy the entire time. Andddddd ice cream on the way out. Obviously.Look at this cute ferry that took us home!They even had drinks you could order while you enjoyed the prettiest ride.My girl <3And that’s a wrap on Bruge Bikin’!So many doors of Bruge today!
And that’s a wrap on Bruge! What an adorable, quirky, fun, romantic, serene, wild town. I want so badly to come back here. But for now, we’re on to country No. 9 … Amsterdam! Until then, friends, bis bald!
Hello friends … welcome to the gorgeous Dolomites, part of the Italian Alps in northeastern Italy.
It is stunning here.
Hello, beautiful.
The drive from Venice takes a little over three hours, and it was a gorgeous drive, but definitely mountain driving. And that’s coming from someone who lives in Colorado. Hairpin turns are frequent, and it was pouring when we drove in, but even so, we could tell that this place was special. By the time we arrived the rain had vanished and the sun welcomed us.
View from our front door. I mentioned on my instagram account that I don’t know how many countries we’re at that I’ve visited with my in-laws, but it’s been plenty! I feel so lucky that we all travel so well together. It’s so special for the girls, too.I mean, look at this cuteness <3I live here now.Look at this cutie crew <3We found the sweetest little spot to sit for lunch while we waited for the gondola to reopen on Tuesday.The view from the top was stunning.Framer.And this one.
On Wednesday we drove into Ortisei — about an hour from where we are staying in Valongia — which is just about the cutest town that ever existed in this world.
Have you ever in your life seen anything cuter?This shirt felt appropriately festive 😉Lunch at Four was so incredibly delicious.This girl is soaking up her grandparents’ time <3We took this adorable family walk into Anna Valley, which is easily accessible from the town center.They had hammocks along the trail, as well as this adorable area where you could walk through fresh stream water piped into a little walkway. It was the most fun!AND it ended up at a little playground!There were water fountains throughout the village that piped in fresh water, too!Look at this gelato, but also LOOK AT THIS BACKGROUND.We passed by this insane lake on our ride back. Incredible.My cute little troopers. We spent approximately 12,000 hours in the cutest little mini golf place that ever existed. Look at these views!They also had the best activities for the girls while the adults mini-golfed!Livin’ that high life 😉Just a couple of cheesers.Toys, toys, more toys!Inside was super cute, too!Em’s dairy and egg allergy has, at times, been hard while traveling. Good thing she loves bread :/It’s a great spot for drinks with a view!10/10 WOULD recommend!We spent the afternoon at Dolaondes Canazei, an indoor/outdoor spa that was about 20 minutes away from where we were staying and was incredible. They made everyone wear these caps. We thought it was hilarious.
And that, my friends, was our Dolomites trip in a nutshell! Chris & I don’t often say that we’d like to revisit places, only because our to-travel Bucket List is so long. But the Dolomites? I could come here over and over and over again.
Tomorrow morning we start our long journey from the Dolomites to Paris! We’re doing it in two days, stopping in Nuremburg (where I was born!) and the Moet valley region of France along the way. Our little (well, huge, really) van is chuggin’ some miles for us.
Look, here’s the thing about amazing Venice. Every single place is fantastic. So I literally took no notes of names. Not for restaurants. Not for shops. Not for drinks. Any and everywhere you eat or go here will be … fantastic.
Chris and I were so happy to have this time in Venice, not only because the grandparents were here to help give us some time alone, but because the last time we were here it was for one night, and our experience was very different. We had the best time this trip around. Here’s a bit of what we saw and did …
Taking a private water taxi from the airport to your Airbnb sets the bar pretty high.Chris and I took pretty much the entire day by ourselves to explore and eat and drink while the grandparents took the girls to see …Glass blowing! They had the most fun!This city is otherwordly.Breakfast both mornings. YUM. We never got there early enough to try the pistachio croissant, but the honey, chocolate, and cream ones were a delight.We had lunch and our first Aperol Spritz of the day at the fanciest restaurant with a live quartet playing. Who even are we??I call this one artsy in Venice 😉Le sigh.Rooftop bar + second Aperol Spritz = Perfection.There was a third Aperol Spritz in there somewhere, but I guess I didn’t deem it worthy of a photo 😉 We DID take an evening gondola ride, though, and that was so dreamy.<3<3<3After an insane dinner, we capped the night off with gelato in the square. The best.Even though it was only two nights, we truly packed it in.
Venice, thank you for putting on a show for us. We loved every second of it. (P.S. Can’t recommend our Airbnb enough. It was totally in the heart of things, but also so solitary and quiet. Perfect for both things.)
After we checked out of our Airbnb we took another water taxi to our rental car and drove three hours to .. the Dolomites! We’re here now, and it is so incredibly gorgeous. As I always say, I can’t wait to explore. Until then, friends … bis bald!
Insanely gorgeous views from Madeira Island in Portugal
Hello, friends! Welcome to installment one of our European Summer Adventure! We started our travels off with four days on Madeira Island in Portugal. This was a press trip, so I can’t share all of the details, but what I can say is that it was the trip of a lifetime. So gorgeous. So special.
But first, we flew from Denver to Montreal and had a six-hour layover, which gave us a bit of time to explore. Here’s what we did …
It was super quick, but I’m glad we got a chance to check out Montreal a bit and stretch our legs before our seven-hour flight to Lisbon. The girls were so great. Emilia slept the entire flight (so jealous), and the two bigger girls know how to keep themselves entertained on long-haul flights by now. (TV and more TV, basically ;))
We had another 2-hour flight from Lisbon to the island of Madeira, and then we were here! In paradise! It was so breathtaking. We really did feel so luck to have been able to experience it.
Here’s a bit of what we saw and did.
The view from our balcony was spectacular.All of the food was sensational.There were so many pools! We made the most of … all of them!My little swimmer <3Ice cream was a big hit, as well 😉Such gorgeous views, everywhere you look.The ocean pool was a BIG HIT, particularly since it had fish and snails in it!More insane food. We ate well …Chris and I even put the kids in the kids’ club and had a private wine & cheese tasting on Father’s Day. Not a bad way to spend the afternoon 😉Cheers to these views!The hibachi restaurant was a massive hit!Kids’ Club face painting perfection.We went for a hike in Laurisilva, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it was perfection.Our guide, Nelson, showed us so many beautiful things.Then he took us to a local cafe, which was so yummy!And to the Cristo Rei statue.This view is incredible. That road … yikes 😉Such a pretty area <3Back in the pool … aka their natural habitat.Crab-hunting in the natural pool was so cool!Then we made Chris’ dreams come true … we went on a dolphin tour and saw. so. many. dolphins!So many! This photo does not do it justice. They seemed so happy, too! The dolphins swam along with our boat for the longest time.They were jumping in the air, swimming right up next to the boat … making new baby dolphins 😉 It was a very surreal experience.Then we stopped here, which was incredible, and went SWIMMING!I’m so proud of this girl, who ALWAYS gets in the water and ALWAYS loves to explore <3We had our final dinner of the trip in a working lighthouse.With these views.It was incredible <3
And that was it, friends. Three full days went by way too quickly, but we were so happy to have experienced it. And now, we’re off to Spain! We can’t wait to see what adventures that city holds for us. Until then … bis bald, friends!
The weather in Denver has been less-than-springlike. (Well, with the exception of just this past weekend!) We’ve had snow two of the past three weekends, and it’s barely gotten above 60 degrees for more than a day or two at a time. Not that I’m complaining.
(Okay. I’m complaining a little.)
I’m just sayin’ … spring, if you ever feel like showing up, we wouldn’t be sorry!
In the meantime, here’s a bit of what we got up to over the winter.
Ski, ski … & more ski! The girls and Chris skied more than 10 times this season, and Lotte & Grace even did their first black diamond runs! I’m so proud of how hard they’ve been workin’ on their skin’ skillls <3I even managed to get out with the fam a few times, which was so much fun!Emilia completed four ski lessons this season, but has yet to decide if she actually likes it. Her instructor recommended snowboarding, so maybe we’ll try that, next.We skied with our neighbors/friends a bunch, too, which was always the most fun <3Back in January we went to a Maurice Sendak exhibit at the Denver Art Museum.It was so cool! We particularly loved the interactive elements.I love these curious little kiddos <3In February, Lotte sang The National Anthem with her school choir at a CU Buffs women’s basketball game.AND she made it to the jumbotron!In April, she sang The National Anthem with her school choir for an opening weekend games for the Rockies!Some cutie friends joined us for the game <3And we stayed at an amazing hotel for a press trip for the weekend … stay tuned for more info 😉Just this past weekend, Lotte sang in the Choir in the Park festival and we got to hang at Elitch Gardens. We had never been, and it was so much fun!This was one of the few springlike days we’ve had lately, and we were HERE. FOR. IT!I had so many amazing events for my kid’s book, “Grace Retraces Her Day”! This is me at the Junkyard Social Club in Boulder …At the St. Patrick’s Day Festival in Olde Town Arvada …Getting ready to read at a story time for My Gym …Reading to the animals (and kids!) at Lil’ Buckeroo’s Petting Zoo in Erie, CO …Reading to all the classrooms at the Kiddie Academy …And us at the 20th Anniversary Kite Festival in Arvada!I took the big girls to an event sponsored by the Boulder Bookstore where we got to hear cartoonists Raina Telgemeier and Scott McCloud talk about their new graphic novel, The Cartoonist Club.We saw The Wiz at the Buell Theater in Denver!We had afternoon tea at The Brown Palace for Easter and it was so yummy!Same girl. Same.We do fancy well 🙂
And that’s about it, friends. It’s been … busy. To say the least 😉 But such a blast.
I have another book event coming up on May 7th at the Boulder Bookstore. If you’re local, I’d love to see you there! Sign ups can be found here.
And now, we focus on the end of the school year (four weeks left!) and our epic summer plans. It’s been real, winter … see on the flip side! Bis bald, friends!
Happy Saturday, friends! The fam and I just spent a couple of days in Taos, New Mexico, for spring break. It was such a delight! This was a new state for everyone except me. (I was there for a press trip several years back and fell in love!)
We stayed at a remote little adobe Airbnb house set in the most gorgeous surroundings. For the girls, the hammock in the living room was a hit. For me, it was the glorious bathroom. For Chris, the plants everywhere were a joy.
We stopped in Pueblo, CO, so that the girls could run around on a playground for a bit and to grab some lunch. We ended up at Brues Alehouse, which was so yummy!The riverfront area was so sweet, with lots of historic markers, a little playground area, restaurants and breweries.Made it to our beautiful place! It was such. a. windy. drive! We saw at least four semi-trucks turned over on the side of the road … yikes!This bathroom … I MEAN…..The girls were obsessed with this hammock. They even took turns sleeping in it overnight <3It’s a beautiful little spot in the world.
On Wednesday we went skiing in Taos, which we really enjoyed. It was so quiet and laid back, especially for spring break, and there were plenty of hills for every level. We had the best time.
The village had the cutest European vibes, which of course we loved.Such a cute little town <3Ready to hit the trails!Emilia did a couple of magic carpets and a bunny hill and called it a day 😉 Still proud of her for trying!Chris & I took turns with Emilia while the other parent skied with the big girls. They are getting so good!Same girl. Same. After a long day, we grabbed dinner in the town at Antonio’s The Taste of Mexico.So. Stinkin’. Good.What a sunset from our backyard!
We went skiing on Thursday, too, and then Chris took the girls to a fun play and discovery place called Twirl, while I had a hot second back at the Airbnb to myself.
Ready for another day on the slopes!This cheetah-dragon wasn’t quite into skiing this trip. Oh well, we tried. Hopefully one more go-round of lessons and she’ll be there.My little buddy <3That teeny tiny face with the big ole’ goggles. Too much for Momma.A trip worth cheers’ing!A little Twirl playground action!Every good day ends with s’mores.
We drove home on Friday, but not before stopping off at Imagine Taos, the amazing (and totally free!), hands-on children’s museum in downtown Taos. They had rooms with sand and water, paints, pottery, sewing, and even a cute little room where kids could make fairy gardens. It was so sweet.
Investigator Emmy <3The girls even made pottery bowls that they got to keep!Grace in particular really enjoyed this room, which was very sweet <3We stopped in one of our favorite pit stops — Buena Vista — on the ride home. It’s such a gorgeous area.Cheers’ing to a beautiful trip. I’m so grateful for every adventure I get to go on with these cuties I get to call mine.
And that was our trip in a nutshell, friends! I highly recommend Taos (and New Mexico, in general), to anyone looking for an adventure. And until our next trip … bis bald, friends!
Happy New Year’s Eve, friends! With the near arrival of a new year comes my favorite part of keeping up with this blog: Reminiscing about our adventures from the previous year.
It was a good one, friends. A real good one. Here’s what we got up to 😉
January
Ringing in the New Year in Iceland!
I love this blurry photo of the five of us, chillin’ in a hot tub in Iceland the morning before flying back to the states. Rounding out our European holiday adventure (and here!) with a last day in Iceland on Jan. 1, 2024 was the perfect way to start the new year. The rest of January was spent heading to the mountains each Sunday for the girls’ ski lessons (we made an entire weekend out of it here and here!) and reliving my reporter days with a travel event in downtown Denver.
These girls ROCKED their ski lessons this year! Lotte was even riding lifts by herself by the end. (Insert Mom’s terrified face here!)Drinking booze back at the lodge was a big hit for Mom & Dad during lessons 😉Snow tubing in Frisco was so much fun!I loved heading to the Convention Center in downtown Denver for the travel expo. It made me feel like I was young again, traipsing around NYC to report on events for my editors at various mags.
February
The absolute joy of a cousin’s get-together <3
In February I snuck away to New York with the two big girls for a surprise 5th birthday treat for my niece, Rosalie. We all had the best time. The girls got to run wild, stay up late and eat an insane amount of treats. I got to see my little baby twin niece and nephew who are growing up way too quickly, and my sister and I even snuck away one night for dinner/drinks on our own. Amazing.
The best <3We love a good surprise in this family!Someone wasn’t very happy to be leaving …
Delicate Arch trail!Mexican HatForrest Gump PointMonument Valley!The Grand Canyon!Horseshoe Bend was a stunning, last-minute addition to the trip!Bryce Canyon, in all her glory.And Capitol Reef National Park, which turned out to also be such a fun surprise addition!
April
My birthday month arrived so quickly! We started the month off with a bang, heading to Steamboat Springs for a press trip that was truly a delight.
Such gorgeous snow!Lotte & Grace had the best time skiing the fun runs on the mountain! Emilia … not so much 😉 We have faith that she will get there!
At the end of April, Chris took Lotte and Grace on his first-ever solo trip with them! They headed back to New York to visit LEGOLAND! Too much fun was had by all.
I’ll never get over this amazing photo 😉I’m so glad they got this special time!Those are some tired but happy kiddos!
June was such a special month for us, as we headed Down Under for the entire month. We started out in Sydney, headed to Canberra, flew to Melbourne, checked out Airlie Beach and Hamilton Island, met friends in Brisbane and then were back in Sydney for a few days before heading home. We even had a couple hours layover in Vancouver on the way home.
What. an. epic. time.
Cutest cousins on the beach!The Vivid light show was on while we were there, and it was so beautiful!Such a special place to be. The gang is all here for Auntie Kate’s wedding party <3Canberra, AustraliaVisiting the Australian War MemorialQuestacon was so much fun!An initial Melbourne fam meet-up at Queen Victoria Market.Melbourne street art!The Great Ocean Road was so wonderful. All the beaches were gorgeous, but the 12 Apostles were particularly delightful.Dinner with my Melbourne family was such a highlight <3We even checked out the fairy penguin parade on Phillip Island!Airlie Beach, AustraliaBeach Baby in the Whitsundays. No biggie 😉Ready to snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef!Gorgeous, gorgeous Whitehaven beach.Hamilton Island was a dream!We swam with sharks and sting rays!Then it was onto Brisbane!Where we had a lot of fun <3We even got to meet up with my bestie from 2nd grade — and her mom! — when we flew back to Sydney before heading home. So. Amazing!Cheers to an amazing, amazing trip <3
July & August
We made the most of the rest of our summer after returning from Australia, that’s for sure 😉
We racked up the activities after getting back from Australia — concerts, camps, visitors and lots of swimming topped the list — and before we knew it, we had a 3rd & 1st grader, and little Emilia starting 1/2-day preschool!
We saw Billy Joel and my life was made!The kids loaded up on fun camps, including this one at a horse farm where they got in lots of riding.My sister and niece came to visit!So did Grandpa and Mojo <3Some of our NYC friends came to visit for a week, too, and the kiddos went to Muddy Buddies camp together, which was adorable!We swam a bunch, too <3
September
Hello, Hamilton!
In September I took a trip back to New York to see Hamilton with my sister for her birthday, and we went to Mexico as a family on a press trip. It was one for the books.
Taking in the sights the first night I was there.Spending time alone with my sister was definitely one of the best parts of the trip.One of my many NYC happy places — Bryant Park.
Just a couple of gals, lovin’ Mexico!Gorgeous beach.Delicious food.Fun features. ‘Nuff said!
October
We very much made the most of fall in Colorado this year. We went to the mountains a couple of weekends, visited Great Sand Dunes National Park and really just Halloween’d out. It was a delight.
Frisco fall.Right in our own back yard <3St. Mary’s GlacierGreat Sand Dunes National Park was gorgeous.Great Sand Dunes National ParkZapata Falls, CO
November
Such a fun start to the holiday season!
In November we headed out on our last trip of the year — back to New York to spend Thanksgiving with our friends and family. We had so much fun! We spent time in the city (including seeing the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in person and checking out the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens Lightscape with friends), and upstate, with stops on the Polar Express (oh hey there, Santa!), seeing Wicked the movie and having a lovely holiday. We hope your holiday season was bright, as well!
Brooklyn Botanic Garden Lightscape with our crew.The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade!Upstate with cousins!More family love!All. The. Family. Love!!!!
And that’s a wrap on the year, friends! It was a jolly lovely one, filled with so much friends and family … and travel!
I cannot believe we are here, staring down the barrel at Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas & the end of the year. It’s coming friends, whether we’re ready or not.
Anyway, I digress. We spent the girls’ fall break in the most glorious place — Great Sand Dunes National Park. The last time we were here, Lotte & Grace were so teeny tiny. I’m talkin’ Grace in a baby carrier teeny tiny. It was so much fun to be back with all three girls, and to have them a bit older to really enjoy it. We also stayed at an Airbnb that was about 10 minutes from the park entrance. That was clutch.
How beautiful, though?Just a little muffin, thoroughly enjoying her mountain morning.
After exploring a bit and having breakfast, we headed into the park. It costs $25 for a 7-day pass, and it’s worth every single friggin’ penny. This place is magic.
Don’t sleep on the visitor center. It has all the info about how the dunes were formed, plus gorgeous views to boot.Let the adventure begin!The excitement was palpable 😉The juxtaposition between the fall colors of the trees and the beige sand was incredible.Big pile of sand <3The girls did great! I mean, walking in sand ain’t easy!A classic photo op, of course.Love my girls so much <3<3<3And this girl sure does love her dad.We played on the dunes for about 45 minutes, then stopped for a snack in the sand before heading home for lunch.Cutie on a hill.Life is always an adventure with this guy.These colors though!
Our little explorers were such troopers! After a morning at the Dunes and then lunch back at our Airbnb, we decided we had more in the tank and headed to Zapata Falls, a .5-mile hike to a waterfall that includes traipsing across slippery rocks in the water. The girls — while slightly terrified — were so amazing.
Such a sweetie and always game for an adventure.Their album cover.This girl LOVED the hike!Initially Lotte held back on the last little (water-soaked) bit to the waterfall. But after we told her how cool it was, she went back with Chris.I mean … totally worth it, right?!Love this crew so stinkin’ much.
We slowly made our way back home on Saturday, with one more stop at the dunes visitor center and lunch at Eddyline Brewing in Buena Vista, which is so amazing in the fall.
Pure gold for a fall lover like me <3The neighborhood around the brewery is so quaint, with a rocking climbing wall, the riverfront walk, a coffee shop and more.After lunch we checked out the river for a bit.Little cuties <3<3
And that was it, friends. Back into the car we went, for the 2-hour ride from Buena Vista back to the Arvada. And now we await our next adventure … New York for Thanksgiving! Until then … bis bald, friends! Keep livin’ that gorgeous fall life.
I mean, today is still supposed to hit 80 degrees. But the weather is slowly changing, and we have made the most out of the past few weekends, with multiple trips to the mountains (peak fall foliage!) and a gorgeous run/bike along the trail behind our old house. It’s been glorious.
This Thursday & Friday is Fall Break for the girls, so we’re off on another adventure. But until then, enjoy these fall photos from our past few days.
Last weekend we spent our Sunday in Frisco, which was truly the first time we felt like we saw fall colors this season.We <3 it here.Emilia & Dad … a love story <3Occasionally she’ll pose with me, too.This place is such a dream.We grabbed lunch at Highside Brewing and sat outside while the kiddos entertained themselves.I am gearing up to run the Apex Center’s Trick or Trot 5K the weekend before Halloween. So we grabbed the kiddos and their bikes and hit up the trail behind our old house on Saturday morning. So much fun. So many memories.It’s easy to forget how pretty this place is when you don’t live 15 feet away anymore. We had the best morning!Yesterday we packed up the car and headed back to the mountains. This time for the St. Mary’s Glacier hike.Did Emilia spend 99.9% of the hike on Dad’s shoulders? Sure did.Colorado. Is there any place like you?Emilia had never been to St. Mary’s Glacier, and Lotte & Grace were last here when they were teeny tiny.It was some kind of special to be back this time <3Never not picking the more adventurous route.A stranger took this picture, and it’s probably one of our best ever. Classic.It was a very fun day.
In four days we’re off to Great Sand Dunes National Park, which is yet another place that Emilia has never been to and Lotte & Grace only visited once when they were very little. Call this an unintentional revisiting of our past … whatever it is, I’m here for it.
We sure did manage to live it up for these 7ish weeks, though 😉 Here’s a bit of what we got up to after heading back from Down Under.
Camps!
I feel like we really hit our stride with camps this year. Rather than sticking to the same exact one, we switched it up.
Two weeks at the Arvada Center — for four camps total — was just the right amount of time. Even Emmy got to join in on the fun!Horse/riding camp at the Community Farm was a huge hit! The girls loved farm life, were obsessed with all the animals and, according to their instructor, were amazing at riding. The big girls did a week-long bike camp with Pedalheads. Lotte improved on her skills, went on road and trail rides, rode to the park and the library and just generally had an amazing time.And Grace finally learned how to ride! Turns out, with the proper instruction, she picked it up super quick 😉The big girls finished out their camp excursions with some awesome visitors <3 They attended “Muddy Buddies” camp at the Majestic View Nature Center and TKTKTKTKT. Which brings us to ….These cuties <3<3<3<3
Visitors!
We love our summer visitors. This time we were SO LUCKY because we had Grandpa and Mojo, Aunt Stephie and Ro, and our New York friends Carla, Fiona & Jake (who did camp with the girls). We sure do have the best time showing our loves around our Colorado home.
I love when my sister is here <3Steph & Ro & Gpa were here for Lotte’s birthday, which was so. much. fun!On Lotte’s birthday, one of her friends from school was having a birthday party at a local pool that Lotte wanted to go to. That made it super easy on us!Ro & Em got some quality time alone when the girls were in camp. It was predictably adorable.We went to Big Soda Lake one day, which was SO HOT, but also lots of fun!Sister <3We had lunch at the aquarium restaurant the day before Steph & Ro flew out.And walked through the downtown aquarium itself as well!Having a dog in the house — Grandpa’s Mojo — was a lot of fun, too!Besides going to camp together, we showed Fiona & Jake some of our favorite spots. That included, of course, the Butterfly Pavilion.
Miscellaneous
When we weren’t camping it up or entertaining guests, we managed to have a lot of other fun, too.
Grace’s first concert, and Lotte’s second, was BILLY JOEL at Coors Field!! How cool/fun is that?!We had so much fun with these cuties <3We spent a weekend at Auntie Moe’s where we rode the Buckhorn Northern Railroad train and visited that quintessential summer institution … Dairy Queen 😉Dad had a date with Lotte at Meow Wolf!Dad had a date with Grace … at Meow Wolf 😉Mom & Emmy celebrated her last day of camp with a date at McDonald’s 😉We had neighbors over for the sweetest little birthday celebration for Lotte <3We continued our annual tradition of testing books for the Good Housekeeping Kids’ Books Awards. So many great ones this year!I took Emilia to what was likely her last-ever toddler story time. She was pretty over it. That is absolutely the end of an era for me. I CAN’T EVEN!Tie-dying tees was a huge success!Who doesn’t love an outdoor/backyard summer movie night situation?!
And now, we welcome the next season of this year. So far, it’s been a pretty great one, and I have a pretty good feeling about this school year, as well. We still have quite a few fun adventures planned before we say goodbye to 2024, but until then … bis bald, friends.
I mean, I know it wasn’t. I have the memories, photos, and credit card bills to prove it 😉
We headed back to Sydney on Wednesday, but not before leaving Brisbane with a spectacular send-off.
How good is a rooftop pool, though?Love you guys! See you soon!Off to yet another airport! Flight No. 6 of this trip!Look carefully and you’ll see the Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House off to the right.Thursday was so special. We took a short drive out to Cronulla Beach, which was beautiful. But we also went to meet up with …MY BESTIE SINCE SECOND GRADE! If you’ll recall, the last time Mina and I caught up was last August, when she and I and two other old friends met up in Savannah to celebrate our 40th birthdays.Mina’s Mom — who was basically a second Mom to me growing up — was there, too, which was EVEN MORE SPECIAL.I hit the SIL jackpot ….I mean … look at these cuties!We were able to meet up with another couple of old friends — and their kiddos! — on Friday night, and it was such a fun catch-up.Leaving sure will be hard …
I cannot believe it’s come to an end, but I’m so grateful that it all has happened.
We hit the air again on Sunday to head from Hamilton Island over to Brisbane to meet up with some friends and check out Bluey’s hometown. (Had to do it, obviously!) Our last morning on Hamilton was pretty special, though.
We hit up the Hamilton Island Wildlife Cafe for some coffee and koala watching!Chris and I had come here when we at Hamilton Island for our honeymoon, so it was very special to head back with our girls.Far and away my fave Aussie animal. Come on nowwwwww!We headed back to the beach for a bit, but they weren’t allowing snorkeling because of the waves.So we hit up the pool instead!Happiest in the water <3And then we were off again!Thanks for being amazing, Hamilton Island. We will be back!
We arrived late to our Airbnb on Sunday and were pretty exhausted, but not too exhausted to meet up with our crew for dinner!
Chris and Anton have been friends since college, and now our girls are becoming friends. Nothing makes me happier than when our kids become friends with our friends’ kids <3
On Monday we hit the town!
Le Bon Choix Bakery goodies are no joke. OMG how much was this gluten-full goodie worth it!The Wheel of Brisbane was so much fun! If you’ll recall from our Seattle trip, Grace in particular is a huge fan 😉Delight!Loved out little adventure with this group <3We even saw a water dragon when we came off the ferris wheel!The South Bank swimming area was so great for kids! It was too cold for us to get in when we were there, but I loved how they had life guards and the swimming depths were clearly marked. Plus, it was such a beautiful setting!A beautiful setting with birds that want to kill you, obviously. This IS Australia, after all 😉The kids got ice cream, so naturally we couldn’t help but reenact one of our fave Bluey episodes!The adults skipped ice cream in favor of beers.Endless entertainment provided by the pretty Brisbane sign down by the water.Dinner was a delicious cheese board, seafood and sausages on our Airbnb rooftop.Yummo!While these girls played <3And with this view.Album cover.The Queensland Museum was so cool! And most of it was free, which was a super-nice change of pace at this point in our trip 😉Then we caught the (also free) water ferry over to the other side of the river to head to Felons Brewing, which was a very cool spot on the water. They had the coolest playground area for the kiddos to hang out in while the adults did their adulting.The food and drinks were super tasty, too!There are so very many tired faces in this photo, but it was so lovely catching up with some other friends of ours who moved from Denver to Australia. We met up at Julius for dinner, and it was phenomenal food and a fun atmosphere. Just a really fun time all around.
Tomorrow we’re back to Sydney before flying home on Sunday. As our trip starts to come to a close, I’m so forever grateful that we were able to take the time and have this experience. I am also very much looking forward to getting back to my house, my neighborhood, our regular routine.
And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss my bed.
But for now … Sydney’s up next. Until then, bis bald, friends!
We hopped the ferry from Airlie Beach around noon on Friday and headed over to Hamilton Island. The last time Chris and I had been was for our honeymoon back in 2013, so we were super excited for this leg of our trip!
We stayed at Chris’ aunt’s and uncle’s place for two nights, which was beyond what we could have imagined. The place was gorgeous. The beach was so much fun. The sunsets were unbelievable. There were wallabies everywhere.
In other words, it was pretty much paradise.
Cranky faces here, but the ferry was a super fun experience!Everyone rides buggies around the island, which is quite the adventure. You can only have four people in a buggie at a time, though, so we did something we’ve never done before on this trip … leave Lotte alone for a couple minutes! She did amazing under the instruction of no food or showers while we were gone. She’s basically ready for college now.Look at this insane view! Lotte said it was one of her best days <3<3<3<3These girls had the BEST time on the beach!WE EVEN SWAM NEXT TO STING RAYS AND SHARKS! How that was okay, I’ll never know.Burying each other in sand was also a ton of fun, naturally.Watching the sunset at One Tree Hill is a must when in Hamilton Island.
We only had one full day in Hamilton, sadly, so we made the most of the beach on Saturday. Chris took the girls out on a paddle board, we went back to snorkel around the area again, we made sand castles, had a beach picnic and just generally relaxed the day away.
For kids who never see the beach, these girlies sure knew how to make the most of the experience.Gathering seashells and burying ourselves in sand were high on the list of fave activities.The girls loved paddle boarding, too!Fun and exhausting, was Chris’ assessment.Thanks for an awesome time, Hammo! We sure hope to be back.
Tomorrow we leave for Brisbane, where we’ll be until Wednesday. Then we head back to Sydney for a couple of days before flying home in exactly one week. This has absolutely been the trip of a lifetime. We’re the luckiest to have been able to go on it.
Hi friends! Welcome to installment four of our Aussie Summer Adventures! (Sydney, Canberra & Melbourne were the first three.)
We woke up 4 a.m. on Tuesday to head to the airport for our 7 a.m. flight to Proserpine, which was about a 20-minute drive to our Airbnb in Airlie Beach.
I do love a good window view.
We couldn’t check into our Airbnb for a couple of hours since we arrived early, so we stopped at Whitsunday Gold Coffee (a haven of delicious food and coffee, fun animals and a huge play area for the kiddos, even if you do have to pay $10/kid to play) and then found an amazing (free) playground by the beach that was literally one minute from where we stayed.
Delicious ice cream with a delightful Macaw as a chatting mate.Playground of our dreams.
We took it slow Wednesday morning, then headed out to explore in the afternoon.
The Airlie Beach Lagoon was such a hit! The depths of the water were so clearly marked and sectioned off that I felt totally safe letting the girls run around … PLUS there were lifeguards!Of course nothing beats the actual beach <3We spent a good few hours here, just exploring, collecting seashells and chatting with other beach-lovers.Such a gorgeous day.Chris was dying to see some crocodiles, but the actual tour would have cost us more than $500 for the five of us, plus it would have taken all day. Instead, we headed over to The (Real) Crocodile Lookout (thank goodness for Google) and did get to spot one!
Thursday was some kind of special. We booked the Northern Exposure Tour with the Ocean Rafting company, and it was AMAZING. The tour met up at 8 a.m., rafted out for about an hour and a half, and included two snorkeling adventures, a small “bush walk” to a gorgeous view, lunch on the beach at Whitehaven and then the ride back.
The crew was spectacular. They made me feel comfortable enough leaving Lotte and Emilia back on the boat for a bit when they got cold (Grace, however, rocked it, and absolutely adored snorkeling!), and they catered wonderfully to all of our dietary needs with lunches that were so super tasty.
This was a day that I know I’ll never forget. Hopefully our girls won’t, either.
Ready for fun!This girl has found her calling. Snorkeled for probably over an hour and saw a sea turtle, a bunch of Nemo fish, tons of other fish and amazing coral. It was a spectacular experience to witness.I cannot say it enough … these girls are up for anything, and I am so in love with their sense of adventure and fun.Such spectacular views.Beach love <3We spent about 40 minutes on the beach, which was meant to include lunch. Of course the girls had no interest in eating when the ocean was calling!Thanks for just an amazing experience, Ocean Rafting crew!
And that was it, friends. On Friday we packed up to ferry it over to Hamilton Island, our FIFTH DESTINATION!
Happy June, friends, and welcome to the first installment of our Aussie June!
We arrived in Sydney early on Sunday morning and have spent the past couple days showing my stepdad around. We drove to Canberra yesterday for my sister-in-law’s wedding party, and although a gnarly stomach bug has taken pretty much every single one of our gang down over the past few days, we’re hoping to be on the other side of it finally.
Here’s a bit of what we’ve been up to in Sydney so far!
No one does an Aussie airport arrival quite like the Connors <3We waited months for this moment!The treats started flowing immediately.Fam-bam party [with a super-special “for Chris” hand gesture … it’s an inside joke, don’t ask ;)]It was chilly and windy at Bald Hill Lookout, but so, so beautiful!These cuties are having the best time … minus the vomiting :/We are very intrigued by the Cockatoos.Cutie cousins taking a lil’ beach walk.<3 x 5!The Simbio Wildlife Park was the perfect way for us to say hey to some Aussie animals.Smiles all around!Koalas!Kangaroos!Feeding the kangaroos is always an absolute highlight of any Aussie trip <3On Tuesday, Lotte, Cath, Robert and I headed to the Vivid Sydney light show at the Opera House, Harbour Bridge and downtown area. It was so gorgeous!Dinner and drinks at the Opera Bar!Pretty hard to beat that view <3We’ve got a lot to cheers to.So gorgeous!Thanks for the fantastic time, Sydney
And now we’re in Canberra ready to celebrate Auntie Kate & Uncle Tom. Until the next entry … bis bald, friends!
I’m going to just put this out there … moving to the neighborhood that we currently live in changed our lives.
I was unhappy when we first moved to Denver. I expected it to be exactly like Manhattan. I missed my friends and family back in New York. I didn’t work in an office, have colleagues to chat with or feel particularly like joining any clubs or activities. I was lonely and depressed, and I didn’t know how — at the ripe old age of 32 — I would ever make friends again.
Wah wahhhhh!
Cut to the next year, when Chris & I bought our first house in a Denver suburb. We lived on a small street in a house that we loved, and we quickly made friends with our neighbors across the way. It wasn’t until our move into our second and current home, though, that we found our tribe.
I’m talking about those people you can text to ask, “please pick my kids up at the bus stop, I can’t make it!” or “please come to my house because my daughter got a pea stuck in her nose and I can’t get it out!” or “could you please come stay with my child while I bring my other child to the emergency room?” The women in the above photo — my neighbors — have sent all of those texts/calls to each other and then some. They have become my very good friends, my in-a-pinch-sitters … my backup family.
In other words, I adore them.
So when our one neighbor — whose husband works for the luxury travel company Inspirato — suggested that we book one of their properties for a girlfriends’ getaway, we were all too happy to jump at the chance. We picked a gorgeous place in Breckenridge (with a hot tub, obviously), and spent Friday through Monday of this past weekend having just the best time. I had one of the best meals of my life at the Blue River Bistro (so delicious, and so gluten-free friendly!), we never stopped chatting, went shopping, had margaritas at Rita’s and checked out the Breckenridge Troll.
You don’t usually know how your neighbors will be when you move into a new home, and it’s always a gamble.
Happy Monday, loves! Our little family just got back from a quick press trip to Steamboat Springs. While I can’t share all the details of the trip until the story comes out, what I can say is that we love Steamboat. We hadn’t been in years, and never with our own kids who could ski, so this was a real delight. Here’s a bit of what we got up to …
Drinks by the mountain just taste better.I highly recommend visiting after spring break, when the town is nice and quiet but still oh-so-cute!This snow-covered ice rink was a big hit!Joy <3More joy <3It snowed such beautiful snow while we were there!We will be back, Steamboat .. thanks for being so fun!
