Chicago!

There are a gazillion reasons why I love my job working for the restaurants, but this ranks at the top ... a company trip to the National Restaurant Association conference in Chicago! If you've ever been to the big conference center in Chicago, this show took up the ENTIRE McCormick Place with the nearly 50,000 attendees. (Yes, the first day I felt like a small fish in a big pond!) It took a little getting used to taking buses and cabs vs. just hopping in the car and driving everywhere, but it was so fun living the "city life" for a few days! 

For three days, we listened to speakers, attended educational sessions, and toured the trade show to learn the latest and greatest new trends in the restaurant industry. It was amazing to see the products and ideas showcased with all the different food vendors (not to mention all the food samples we lunched on each day at the exhibits!) Our days were packed with the conference activities; our evenings were packed with amazing dinners & tours of the city that our owners had planned for us. Most nights we were eating dinner at 9 or 10 and going to bed well past my usual bedtime! What an absolutely incredible time seeing the city and attending the show!

Our Keynote Speaker ... Bill Clinton!

Since he had heart surgery several years ago, 

he has recently helped to lead some healthy eating/

living initiatives in the nation & other countries.

Great speaker!

Back when we had cable, I used to be a big fan

of the show Top Chef and remember watching

Richard Blais in Season 4. He did a cooking demo

at the show. Talk about cooking inspiration!

A Chicago landmark. It looks like a shiny bean

but is actually formally named "Cloud Gate."

Our crew from Rocky Mountain Restaurant Group,

including the owners & managers. 

So lucky to work with such a fun group!

When visiting the bean, may I suggest you wear

a bright color ... like coral. Much easier to spot

one's reflection in the bean.

Such clever fountains! There's a water spout coming out

of the woman's mouth, and the video images

change and flash up different people. You never 

know when the faces are going to "spit" water 

at you. Someday we'd love to bring the boys here!

Riding in style! Our main mode of transportation 

each evening for our group of 11.

Chicago Skyline at Night

Chicago Skyline on My Morning Run

One of our managers is a huge Cubs fan.

So we made a quick stop here!

Enjoying tapas and sangria at Cafe Babareeba!

Our owners treated us to a special evening with 

a Spanish guitar player entertaining us 

while we dined on the best tapas EVER! 

Dessert, anyone?

On the final day of the trip, I was

fortunate to visit with some family.

Lunch & a water taxi ride with

Aunt J & Uncle D! 

Seeing the sights on the boat!

I also met up with Aunt Marcia & adorable little 

Lincoln, her grandson and the son of my 

cousin Mark & his wife Lindsay. It was so great to 

see them and have a little play-dough time!

Out & About

Warm weather. Blue skies. Bright sunshine. Green grass. We are loving every moment of this spring, and we find every opportunity to venture out & about!

Hey, what's so funny?

 I spy with my little eye

someone who is peeping at me.

 Reason #457 why we love our parks.

Views of Pikes Peak like THIS!

 "Luke, you hold the basketball, 

and I'll work this pump, okay?

We can do it together."

Walk-n-Roll!

For almost half his life, Grant's main mode of transportation has been crawling and climbing. But he's switching gears ... look who is off and walking! 

The Best Toy of All

The boys have their favorite toys. Usually it's Legos. Some days it's a Star Wars toy. But sometimes the best toy of all is an old discarded box!

I Scream, You Scream...

We all scream for RUNNING with Mom! 

(Actually, they were screaming because we stopped to take a picture of the view. The scenery just got a little "audio" mixed in with it! They were fine when we started moving again.) Gotta love my running buddies!

The Last Straw

Who knew a straw could be so funny?!

Flip!

We now have 2 resident trampoline-flippers in the family! Go Reid! Check it out...

Outstanding in His Field

Three-legged race. Tug-of-war. Wheelbarrow race. Sponge pass. Sack race. And the always popular scooter relay. There's nothing quite like the thrill of FIELD DAY! Today Luke enjoyed the fun of Field Day at his school. Here are a few pics of the morning.

 Ready, set, pull!

 Celebrating a tug-of-war win!

Pick a partner ... it's time for the wheelbarrow race!

In Good Company

Oh, Breckenridge ... how we love you! This weekend we escaped to the mountains for Scott's company trip. Each year RT Logic treats the employees and their families to a weekend getaway, and this year's excursion was extra special with it being the company's 15 year anniversary. We stayed at the Beaver Run Resort in Breckenridge in a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom condo. This happens to be "mud season," which can best be defined as the end-of-ski-season-when-all-the-snow-is-melting. The ski resort was in fact open for its final weekend, but we didn't brave the slopes (and slush!) Instead, we enjoyed several company events including a pool party on Friday night and a nice banquet on Saturday night. We also worked in some shopping, swimming, sampling of the local restaurants, mini golf, visit to a local children's museum, and lots of R&R. Now that we've been to Breckenridge several times, we have favorite spots that we like to hit (Mi Casa Mexican Restaurant ... yum!) and we're always discovering new ones, too (their children's museum). Hope to see you again soon, Breckenridge!

Just a little stroll along the stream.

We sat next to our friends the Reisings

at the banquet. Rebecca and I have been friends

since our early days in Colorado Springs!

This might be the all-time funniest arcade game.

It's a cow that you milk and then win tickets!

Luke's First Communion

Today was a blessed, beautiful day in Luke's faith journey as he celebrated his First Communion. We were up bright and early and off to 8 a.m. Mass to join the other families from his Religious Education Class. God’s light that shines through Luke is amazing to see, and he was so reverent and thoughtful about today. Congratulations, Luke! We are so very proud of you!

Luke next to one of the beautiful stained glass 

windows in our Church.

Each child made a banner to hang on the 

end of the pew reserved for their family.

Luke's banner included a photo from his baptism,

a family pic, and a painted cross. He also wrote

a few sections. One said, "I'm thankful for 

God's grace, my family, my friends & learning." 

He included his favorite activities: reading,

ping pong, basketball, legos, baseball.

All dressed up!

 The family before Mass

 We were so thankful that Paul & Sawyer

were here to join us on this special day!

 Luke and his pal Gavin

 Luke's First Communion Class

 Thank you to Papa for joining us 

this morning, too! We are so grateful

to have him live nearby & share in 

special days like these!

 A very proud Mama with her handsome boys

 At the reception following Mass

Sharp-Dressed Men

Tie & Jacket Required

After Mass, we returned home for a 

family brunch of Baked French Toast

Casserole, Crispy Prosciutto & Scallion

Frittata, and Fruit Salad. We were going

to get a cake for the celebration, but

Luke doesn't like cake as much 

as cookies ... so we made a 

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake instead!

KC Visitors

Life's big moments are made even more special when surrounded by loved ones. A tremendous thank you to Paul and Sawyer who flew in from Kansas City to join us for this First Communion weekend! Thanks to some fabulous weather, we maximized the time outdoors, and the boys had a blast! We'll let the pics speak for themselves... many memories, many laughs!

Ready, Set, Jump!

 Another action shot with the Ninja & Batman!

 

 How many cousins can twirl at once?

Hold on ... let's find out!

 Climbing Up. Crawling Around.

 Father & Sons

 The Fellas

 "Push us, Uncle Paul!"

Jump. JUMP!

Driveway Hoops

What's for Dinner?

Grant is a funny little eater. When he's ready to eat, he's ready to EAT! And watch out ... this boy can devour the food! He is a loud lip-smacker and has been known to talk with his mouth full. When he's done, he will throw the remaining food left on his tray overboard onto the floor. In case anyone invites him to dinner, we just thought you should know what you are in for!

 What do you mean I have food on my face?!

I hear Mac-n-Cheese 

makes a great hairstyling gel!

Three Cheers for the Children's Museum

Our family adores the Denver Children's Museum! We have been there several times, but our last visit was over a year ago. For some time, Reid has been requesting to visit the museum again. With Luke off school for a teacher inservice day, we jetted up to the museum and spent 3 hours playing the day away. It is amazing how our experience changes with each visit to the museum. As our boys grow, they prefer certain exhibits over others. Luke has "aged out" of some of the exhibits that Reid now loves, and Grant found so much fun in many of the exhibits the older boys liked when they were younger. It warmed my heart to see all three boys exploring and enjoying moments playing together there.

Boys in a Bubble

The bubble exhibit was a HUGE hit

with all 3 boys. By pulling on this rope,

Luke created a square bubble 

around them, but not for long with 

Grant right there to POP it!

 Shopping Spree in the Marketplace

He was kind of a crazy driver with this cart.

Let's just say that it's a good thing he doesn't

push the cart in the grocery store or

a few displays (and people)

would be knocked down!

 Leahy Pizza Shop

They had the cutest make-believe wood-fired

pizza oven, and the boys whipped up

some great pizza masterpieces!

 An earthworm. An ant.

Lots of chuckles.

Have you ever seen a tap dancing chicken?
Well, here you go!

Clang, clang, clang went the trolley!

As we exited the museum, we spotted

this trolley that was about to make

its last trip of the day. We hopped

on board and took a 20 minute tour.

 A lovely day for a trolley ride 

with these cute fellas!

Those baby blues were watching

it all. G loved his first trolley trip!

The next morning after our children's museum visit, Reid awoke and exclaimed, "Yesterday was the BEST.DAY.EVER!" I couldn't agree more. Sweet boys. Sweet memories.

Grant on the Go

For some time, we've been anticipating that Grant would really take off with walking. It was a while ago that he could take a few steps walking between us. But ... he had some other plans when it came to walking as a main mode of transportation. So instead he's preferred crawling like a bear. Modified crawling with one knee up. Cruising around. Climbing up everything. Stairclimbing. Pushing around the walker. You name it. One thing is for certain, he is always on the move! This video showcases "Grant on the Go." Enjoy!

Wicked!

Maybe it's that all Kansas natives have a special place in their hearts for the Wizard of Oz, but last night we went to see the Broadway hit Wicked and it knocked our socks off ... or at least our red ruby slippers! Jami's 35th birthday present included tickets to see the show touring through Denver this month. (And how great is it to be able to keep celebrating your birthday 3 months later!) We jetted up to Denver and grabbed a bite to eat at a hip bar called Euclid Hall and then walked the 4 blocks over to the Buell Theater to see the show. Our seats could not have been better ... Row 4, front and center! Everything about the production was stellar ... the casting, the costumes, the musical numbers, the emotions ... we loved it all! Hopefully, future birthdays will involve theater tickets because experiences like these are truly the best of memories.

And a special thanks to our babysitter Papa. Not only did he watch the boys for us for the evening, but he also solved a problem with our hot water heater while we were gone. Not many babysitters are also good plumbers!

Say Cheese!

Oh, school picture time! The best thing about school pictures is that years down the road you look back and chuckle about the hairstyles, the clothes, the smiles. But for now, we love this moment in time captured in Reid's Pre-K photo. Here is handsome young Reid all dressed up for his school photo ... sporting a sweater vest!

Reid's class of 9 kiddos. They are a fun bunch!