Good times in the Mile High City

Today we decided to spend the day in downtown Denver.  Our first stop was the Capitol Building.  The girls and I toured the building earlier in the week and they loved it so much, they were anxious to show their dad.  On the 18th step, of the west entrance, we found the official spot that marks Denver exactly  "one mile above sea level".  

We spent the afternoon strolling down Denver's 16th Street Mall.   It is located right in the heart of downtown.  It is 16 blocks of popular shops, street vendors, restaurants, and entertainment.  It is a lot of fun and the best part is the free "MallRide" (bus).  Because it is a mile of shopping, you can travel on a bus from one end to the other, with many stops in between.  This was the highlight of the day.  Our girls could have skipped the whole shopping experience just to stay on the bus.  Kids are so easy to please. :)

To My Valentine

This is our 10th Valentine's Day together and once again I woke up to an overabundance of flowers and valentine surprises.  Thank you for making this day perfect year after year! 

I LOVE YOU, LOVE YOU, LOVE YOU!!!!! You are the most thoughtful, kind man I know. Not just today, but everyday. You never cease to amaze me.  Happy Valentine's Day! 

Happy Birthday Olivia!

Our little Olivia turned 4 this weekend!  We had a ladybug birthday party with some of her cute little friends. Olivia is such a bright light in our family, she has the cutest personality and is SO sweet. We love her so much! I wish she would slow down, she is growing up too fast!  

Riverfront Park

Friday was a beautiful day.  The weather was awesome!  My friend Megan and her kids joined us in Riverfront Park for a walk along the Platte River in Denver's lower downtown area.  The kids enjoyed hanging out on the bank of the river gathering shells.  We had a fun afternoon playing and exploring the area.  After a cold couple of weeks, it was nice to be outside enjoying the sunshine again.

Boulder, Colorado

Childhood Treasures

I love the weekend.  Since our move to Colorado, we have spent the weekends exploring Denver Metro...museums, parks, trails and attractions.  We love it.  There is so much to do and so much to see.  Today we decided to venture to Boulder, Colorado.  A new favorite, just 18 short miles from our home.  Boulder downtown is awesome.  So many fun shops and restaurants.  We stopped in Settlers' Park, it contains a network of trails that take you through beautiful red rock.  It was really fun.  At the trail head, we read information about the area.  We learned that this was an area rich in gold for early settlers.  After hearing that, our girls were determined to find gold!  Along the trail, they stopped every five feet to dig for their treasure.  They found several rocks that contained "sparkles of gold and diamonds" (little girls are so cute).  We look forward to visiting Boulder again soon.  Next time I won't be wearing 3 inch heels- not so fun to hike in. :) 

Birthday Boy

We had so much fun celebrating Brad's birthday this weekend.  For his birthday gift, the girls decided that he needed more "prince clothes" for work.  They are so cute and they LOVE their dad so much!   The highlight of his birthday was a trip to a Vietnamese Restaurant that Brad has been wanting to visit for a while.  Brad loves Vietnamese food, he served the Vietnamese on his mission in Australia.  Our little girls thought that it was neat to try some new dishes and hear their dad speak Vietnamese.  Addison said, "Mom, this food is way more exciting-er than our food at home!" :)  I think she is probably right.

This blog has been seriously neglected! The holidays were so busy and so much fun, no time to blog. I can not believe that it is already 2009. I love the start of a new year. Brad's back to a normal work week, Addison starts school tomorrow, and the 2 little girls and I are beginning our busy weekly routine. It was so great to relax and hang out as a family during the holidays. We really loved it. Wish it could have lasted a bit longer. :)

Chasing Ella

This sweet little girl loves to run away and she thinks that it is hilarious!  I love to take the girls out and about each day to visit new places and Ella really makes it an adventure.  We chase her the whole time.  She loves to tease and saying, "No, Ella" makes her laugh.  She's a little cutie and brings a lot of fun to our family.

Mr. Brad Daybell Esquire

Today was the day we have been dreaming of for 3 years! Brad was sworn into the Colorado Bar. It was a great experience. Our parents and my sister traveled to Denver to spend this fun day with us. It was neat to sit in on a session of the Colorado Supreme Court and to observe the Chief Justice swear the new attorneys into the Colorado Bar. I thought that the ceremony was very impressive. What a fantastic day! He's official...a licensed attorney in the state of Colorado! :)

Happy Cakes Bakeshop

My girls and I loved the cupcake shop in Topeka.  So, we decided to find a fun shop in Denver.  Megan and her kids joined us.  We visited Denver's original cupcake shop.  Martha Stewart's favorite cupcake (cosmo cake) is made in this shop.  We tried an oreo, lemon drop and banana split cupcake.  Yummy.  The kids loved it.  

Sweet Ella

Celebration

The Colorado Bar is over, results are in and HE PASSED.   Our celebration really began at 9:20 a.m., but we had to wait for Brad to get home from work to officially start the party.   The kids started planning...pink balloons, party hats and a wedding cake (little girls are so cute). They were busy decorating hats, the cake and arranging balloons throughout the day.  It was cute to see them hard at work.  Brad loved it when he arrived.   Later in the evening, Dan, Megan, Brad and I sat down to a yummy steak dinner, sparkling cider and dessert.  It was the perfect ending to long awaited bar results. 

Quick Update

We are in the middle of transition.  We are in the process of moving from Kansas to Colorado.  Brad is working at a law firm in Denver and we are currently staying with the Westhoffs (the most amazing and generous family ever) as we look for housing in the area.  We are loving Denver!  It is so much fun to explore a new city.  It is quite the jump from Topeka, Kansas. There is so much to do and it is great to be near the mountains again. :)  

Delightful and Delicious

We decided to take a trip to a cute little cupcake shop. I have wanted to check out a cupcake specialty shop for a while (thanks to Food Network) and did not realize that we had one locally...Daddy Cakes. In fact, it is on Rachael Ray's "Cupcake Shop Top 5" list. Wow, had to check it out. It was an adorable shop! It was like walking into cupcake heaven. I wanted a bite of each cupcake, but had to settle for a taste of just a few. We each ordered one. They were absolutely fab! I was especially in love with Brad's selection, a yummy mixture of peanut butter and chocolate. My red velvet came in at a close second. We will be back Daddy Cakes! Next time we will bring a few friends. Anyone?

Kindergarten

I can not believe this girl is in school! She started two days ago and she is loving it. Her kindergarten class started almost a month ago, so she has been enjoying the attention of being the "new girl". She is gone from 8:15-4:00. Long day for a little girl. I love when she gets home, she has so much to talk about. Everything is so new and exciting...the cafeteria, bus, recess, etc. When she ran off of the bus on her first day, she said with panic, "Mom! NO CAR SEATS!' The older kids looked at her and chuckled a little. What a cutie. I am so happy for her and her new experiences.

Happy Birthday Addison!

We celebrated Addie's birthday in Idaho.  She wanted to have a water party, but broke her arm the day before the party.  Poor girl!  So, we decided to have a slumber party and make a Barbie cake with her girl cousins.  They had so much fun doing makeup, nails, making jewelry and playing "Princess Wii" for hours.  They were so cute!  

Idaho

We love our visits to Idaho. My parents live in a beautiful area, 1/2 mile from the Snake River. In the evenings, Brad and I put the girls to bed and then ride to the river on my dad's Rhino. It is an amazing ride at sunset! A couple of days ago, my dad led the way on his 4 wheeler. He took us through brush over six feet tall. There was a HUGE bull moose in the brush. My dad spooked him and he ran right between us. I was a little bit nervous and very glad we were not on foot. :)Last night, my dad took his employees and their spouses to Bar J Chuckwagon in Jackson Hole. He brought Brad and I along. I love Jackson Hole! My family is from Teton Valley, so I used to spend a lot of time in Jackson. I have so many fun memories.
We spent the afternoon walking around Jackson. This is my favorite candy store. I always pick the same thing and it tastes better every time.
Bar J is a working cattle ranch that hosts a dinner and show every night during the summer months. It is the home of the Bar J Wranglers. They perform all over the country.  The show was fabulous! We loved every minute of it!!

Slip 'n sliding with the Daybells

We have had a good time in Utah.  Brad's family is a lot of fun.  It was great to see everyone.   We spent one afternoon on the slip 'n slide.  Brad took sliding to a whole new level with the Superman approach.  He flew down the slide!  Addie had the ride of her life.