Baby Ava is 4 months old and she’s starting to break out on her own. She started to hold her own bottle. She can’t do it every time but she is on her way.

Way to go girl! Love you!

Ava Rene has arrived! What a kid. Looks nothing like her sisters. She came at 9:30 this a.m.

She is the sweetest, softest little girl you could imagine.

She was 7Lbs 6 oz’s and 21 inches long.

Mom and Ava are doing great!

Welcome to the family Ava. Hold on to your bonnet, it’s gonna be a ride!

Love Mom and Dad.

P.S. – Mom is the one who feeds you. I’m the one with the scratchy face.

Big day for Elle. She officially has her first ski pass.

way to go Sugar!

Elle and I went skiing today for the first time. We had a blast. We rented her, a pair of her very own skis and then headed to the gondola at Beaver Creek.

I learned a lot about Elle today. She is a very focused young lady. I dont think she spoke but 10 words the entire time, and half of them were in response to me. She was completely focused on the task at hand. No emotion on either side of the emotional spectrum.

Once on the slope she did awesome. Elle has unbelievable balance. Gliding down the bunny hill all by herself was a cake-walk. She looked like a pro!

One of the few things Elle did say was, can I go over there, pointing to a steeper hill.

We gave it a try. She was doing great until her head of steam became a bit much and she did a face plant. Ouch!

Like a pro she just jumped up. I was blown away to watch a two year old face plant and just shake it off.

I had a blast with her. She was unbelievably low maintenance. No crying, no complaining (it was snowing and windy) just skiing.

Ellen asked how did you know when she was done. It was simple, at the end of a run. I walked up to her and she said; “Can we go home now?” That was is it, nothing more, nothing less.

So we went home.

The girls and I went to Afternoon Tea the other day and had a blast. We went to the Hotel St. Julien in Boulder. It was a Saturday. We had reservations for 3. It was awesome. It was a gorgeous day. The Hotel Julien does Tea every Saturday. The table was beautifully set with glass tea pots and cups for each of us. Set in the lobby, the pianist played and a fire burned in the giant glass fire place.

The girls loved it. The each had their own tea setting. We ordered a black current tea. It was delicious. The waitress brought a 3 tiered tray containing finger sandwiches, fruit, and scones. Kenna and Elle didn’t care much for the food. Kenna spit out her blueberry scone. Elle spit out the chicken sandwich. Despite the disdain for the food, they LOVED the tea. They went through 3 pots each.

For me it was an amazing experience. It was magical, from getting ready to go and doing their hair, to Valet Parking and getting out of the car. It was special to spend time with the girls, just me and them doing something unique and “girly”. We are going to make this a tradition. We’ll go a couple of times a year. It’s going to be fun to watch how the experience changes as they grow. And as they grow, and come into themselves, hopefully we will always have afternoon tea to keep track of it all.

Thanks Kenna. Thanks Elle. I had a wonderful time. -DADDY

The History of Afternoon Tea:

Afternoon tea dates back to late 1700s to the early 1800s by the seventh Duchess of Bedford, Anna whom was waiting for Queen Victoria. In her time, large breakfasts were followed by small lunches and late dinners. Due to the unusual meal schedule, she often felt an emptiness at which point she instructed her servants to serve tea and little cakes in her room. The experience was so extraordinary, she repeated it every afternoon. Over time, the custom of tea became established only beginning with the upper class. As tea continued to gain popularity, different styles and venues began to open for the general public.

Kenna had her first day of soccer today.  She appears to be a good athlete.  She has good dexterity for being so big for her age.

To kick off the event we went to the sporting goods store and got her all the “fixins”, new cleats, a new soccer ball, new shin pads and everything.  She was all decked out.  And, yes we got Elle new stuff too.   With all her new stuff, we arrive at home and Kenna burst out of the car to play with her new goods.  She runs to the front yard, puts on her cleats and starts kicking the ball around.  She is excited and proud.  She is yelling to the neighbors and her friends; “Look I’ve got soccer.”

I’m thinking, this is good she is excited and having fun.

Fast-forward to Sat morning.

We get up, get Kenna dressed and head to the soccer field, Kenna, me and Elle.   We arrive and Kenna sees the older kids playing. As we are walking towards the 3 & 4 year old section Kenna says, “I want to play with the big kids, I don’t want to play with the ‘babies’!”   The babies?   Oh, this is going to be interesting.   I let her know these kids are her age and this is who she has to play with.   I get a bit of push back, but I keep moving towards the “babies” and she follows.

We check in and then it happens.  The meltdown.  “I’m cold.”  “I don’t want to play!”  The excitement and energy quickly turn to crying, fussing, and complaining.   It’s brutal.  I have to take her and Elle back to the car and let them know that they have choice; have fun or go home.   I lost it a little, I have to admit.

A few minutes in the car, some of daddies, get with the program or else tirades and we head back to the field.   On the way down, Ellen whispers in her ear.   Once on the field we meet another young family, whose child was also having a little trouble.  We put Kenna and their daughter Sophie together, they kick the ball to each other and away they go.  They start kicking the ball all over the place.

Kenna is a good little soccer player.  She is fast and aggressive.  She was catching on to the drills, and having a blast.  It was a total transformation.   It was a blast to watch.

I asked Ellen what she said to her?  She said she promised her some gum.  Sound familiar?  If not read this post here.  Gum seems to be the main motivator in Kenna’s world.

I think we have a good little athlete on our hands, at least if we have a pack of gum on hand.

Kenna spent the entire year in dance class. She went every Wednesday. What can I say? This is the result. I cried through the whole thing.

A star is born.

I’m not sure if Kenna will remember this, but I know we will.   Kenna rode her first chair lift on the day before Christmas.

With no fear or trepidation, Kenna enthusiastically scuttled her little legs into the lift line.   After working her way through the line, she stopped at the load marker waiting for the next chair.  It was if she had been riding chair lifts for years.  Watching the chairs circle around, she properly pointed out our chair and when it was coming to ensure I knew which it was and that we were prepared load.

About to load

Once it was our turn, we moved out onto the blue loading line and waited.   Still showing no concern for her situation,  Kenna patiently waited for the chair to swing around and take her to the next level of skiing.

Swoosh, the chair swings around, slowly moving underneath Kennas butt.  I pick her up, rest her on the seat as her little legs stick straight out with her little ski tips pointing straight up in the air.   Off we go, up the hill.

WOW!   Kenna is on her fist chair lift.  She scoots forward, leans against the safety bar and peers below, watching all the skiers glide underneath her feet.   Conspicuously absent; fear, concern, anxiety, discomfort, or any sign that it was a new experience.

Look at me Mom!

Kenna is an amazing young lady.  It is hard to believe she turned 3 only 3 months ago.   She has a passion for life.  Riding the chair with her was a magical moment.   We are thrilled to have 100’s and 1000’s of more lift rides together.

(To Kenna, you will read this some day and you need to know.  You were a little stud getting on that lift for the first time, boy we were impressed . . . pizza, french fries, pizza, french fries.)  We love you!