Our friend Greg Pronti and his fiancee Abby were to be married on May 18 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Of course May 18th is also Hayden's Birthday so we couldn't exactly desert our daughter on her special day so we brought the kids. We also convinced Vinny and Sheila as well as Jamie and Marcie to bring their kids too so we were to have an Aces Reunion.
One story from when we arrived late Wednesday night in Charlotte. After we got our bags we needed to catch the rental car shuttle to the rental car facility. Looking to help us out with directions, the bus driver said, "Where are you folks headed?" Hayden immediately said, "North Carolina." Awesome.
At the children's museum
It was a great trip as there was tons of quality time spent together and it was great to see the kids bond together even more. The kids (Hayden and Ellie Wolach, Vincent and Stella Lecce, and Chadwick and John Carmody) were in the pool at the hotel a few times, had Carolina BBQ, had some great burgers and milkshakes at Cookout, went to the children's museum, and played with each other a ton.
They also convinced Uncle Cyrus to attempt a somersault:
On the patio at Corkscrew
The adults had their fun too. The guys played golf in the wedding tournament at Greg's Club, and the entire adult crew had a couple nights away from the kids. On Friday night we got a sitter and went to get drinks at a great wine bar called Corkscrew in a cool shopping center/town center known as Birkdale Village. It was really peaceful to sit on the patio and enjoy the company. Then we went to a nice dinner at Dressler's where all had a great time. After dinner we met up with Greg and Abby and their wedding party after their rehearsal dinner at an Irish Pub called the Galway Hooker.
A bunch of dinosaurs infiltrated the party
Saturday was Hayden's 5th birthday. When she woke up, as per family tradition, she walked through some streamers hanging from her bedroom door in the hotel. She was very excited and we gave her a couple gifts including a big girl necklace and locket. Then with the other families we went to Bounce U for her birthday. This place was cool: we had two rooms of giant inflatable bouncy thingys all to ourselves. It was terrific and Hayden, as well as the other kiddos, all had a blast. Then we went into the birthday room and had pizza and cupcakes. It was perfect and she felt like a princess.
That evening was the wedding so the kids once again had a sitter, and we went to the Club for the wedding.
It looked like it would rain but it held off and the ceremony was short and sweet. The food was good, the photo booth was photo boothy, the dancing was fun, and we had a blast.
It was a wonderful time and we will always look back at our trip to North Carolina with fond memories.
The month of February kept us busy with a lot of fun little celebrations - specifically between February 13 and February 17. We were so busy but had a blast running around!
On February 13th we were invited to the P!nk concert at US Airways arena. My boss is a HUGE P!nk fan and he got a suite so that all of my coworkers and our spouses to attend the concert. It was a really great show and she was such a amazing performer. It was a high-energy show from beginning to end and such fun to go out with everyone for the night.
On February 14th Matt surprised me with a huge bouquet of flowers and a sweet note. That night we had a quiet night at home with the girls. We baked heart-shaped pizza, ate heart shaped apple appetizers, had pink smoothies, and finished with chocolate covered strawberries. The girls each got candy and trinkets in their mailbox from us and while our night at home is much different now that we have kiddos it was such a sweet and special night too, and one that we'll remember for years to come.
On February 15th we got to celebrate my birthday at my office. My awesome co-workers wallpapered my office, hung up streamers and lanterns, ordered Mexican food from one of my favorite restaurants, and brought in German chocolate cake (my fav)!
On February 16th I woke up to streamers on my bedroom door. Matt and I do that for the girls on their birthdays and so Matt asked Hayden if she wanted to help him do it for me on my birthday. She was SO excited to help him and managed to be quiet enough that they didn't wake me up so I could sleep in. We lazed around the house and then drove to Biltmore for lunch at Zinburger. Then we walked around, did some shopping, and grabbed fro-yo at Mojo before driving home. That night we had a sitter hang with the girls so we could meet up with Dave and Sarah for drinks, dinner, and more drinks. We met them at the Princess Resort and had dinner at Bourbon Steak. The food was fabulous and it was so nice to eat outside and be with Dave and Sarah. It's not often that we get to spend one-on-one time with them since the girls are usually with us so we got to have some really great and engaging conversation.
On February 17th we had a sitter come again so that we could have a quick afternoon date to celebrate Valentine's Day. I surprised Matt with a trip to Cracker Jack's so we could hit a few golf balls at the driving range. I hadn't hit a golf ball since I was pregnant with Hayden and it was fun getting out there with Matt. I don't expect to be hitting balls again soon but it was really nice to be outside doing something "outdoorsy" with Matt. After that we drove to Culinary Dropout in Old Town Scottsdale. We sat on their patio and had lunch. We started with pretzel rolls and fondue (de-lish!!) and to be honest, I can't remember what we actually ate. The pretzel rolls kind of make you forget the rest of your meal.
Such a fun, crazy, and packed 5 days in February!! Whew!!
We had a fun February with plenty of activities to keep us busy: little celebrations for Valentine's Day and my birthday, going to the P!nk concert, checking out Matt's new office location, potty training, hanging out with family, and dinner and drinks with friends.
Hayden loves her school and continues to do well. She's learning so much is currently up to about 50 sight words. They had a snow day at school where she got to throw snow balls and go sledding. It was pretty fun trying to find boots and mittens to send with her to school! We also attended her second parent/teacher conference at school and chatted with her teacher about her progress and her end of year presentation.
Anabelle seems to be growing every day. She is starting to talk so much, including saying, "Daddy, I'm ready!" when she's ready to get out of bed in the morning. She is turning into quite the character and makes us laugh every day with her funny facial expressions and sass. She really, really loves making funny faces and she equally loves to dance along to music.
Our Sixth wedding anniversary was on January 6th and Matt managed to completely surprise me with an amazing night away.
Matt made me think all week that we would be driving to Chandler, having dinner and then staying the night at his parents house with the girls. So we took off for Chandler with the girls and as soon as we got there Matt told me that we wouldn't be staying. The girls would be but we were heading back out. Yay!!
We drove to "The Living Room" which is a cute little wine bar in Chandler. We sat outside and ate lunch with wine. It was wonderful and so relaxing. After lunch we got back in the car and started heading south. We drove, and drove, and drove some more. Two hours later we arrived at the Ranch House Inn at El Rancho Merlita. We were greeted by the inn-keeper who showed us to our suite where there was a huge cheese, cracker, and fruit platter, courtesy of my Mom and Mark. The suite had a fireplace, private patio, sauna, and jet bathtub.
We snacked, laid around and relaxed for a couple of hours before our dinner reservations. We had dinner out a place that was similar to Cork and Cleaver (here in Phoenix) and then headed back to the hotel for the evening. We lit a fire and snuggled for a bit and then called it a night.
The next morning we had breakfast and then walked around the grounds. It looked like a great place to take the girls (when they're quite a bit older) or with another few couples for a few days. There was a great campfire area, a grill, a game house, a bocce ball court, and a pool and hot tub. We wished we could stay even longer!
It was a quick overnight trip but it was so nice to have a night away with Matt and was so special to have such a big surprise. Here are some pictures from our weekend away.
I realized that we're a little bit behind on our updates so we're going to try and start doing a monthly recap with pictures and then big events and stuff will be individual posts. And...we'll see how long that lasts.
We started out the year by going out for dinner and a movie while Nana Dottie hung out with the girls. We had dinner at Arrivederci Ristorante and then went to see the new James Bond movie. It was a fun night out with just the two of us. We were home by 11:15 and watched the countdown to midnight. We rung in the new year and were in bed by 12:30. Such rock stars!!
As a New Year's resolution I finally checked out the CrossFit box that's a few miles away from the house and started going every week. The first week I went in on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. It was a busy schedule for my first week but I really loved it. That same Saturday was our six-year anniversary and Matt surprised me with a night at a bed and breakfast in Tucson. We dropped the girls off with Grandma and Grandpa, ate lunch at a little wine bar and then drove to the bed and breakfast. It was such a beautiful place and was so relaxing. We were greeted by the inn-keeper and Oma and Opa sent us a huge cheese, cracker, and fruit platter. We went out to dinner that night in town and the next morning had breakfast and walked around the grounds. It was a quick overnight trip but it was so nice to have a night away with Matt and was so special to have such a big surprise.
In mid-January I took a Girls trip to Palm Springs with Kathleen Tucker and Kristen McGinley. We went to a street fair, did yoga, took a wind turbine tour, watched Meet Joe Black (it's like, an 8-hour movie...) saw the Fabulous Follies (men and women from 50-82 years old performing), and shopped at the outlets. It was so much fun to spend time with my girlfriends and catch up. Matt hung around the house with the girls, watched football, and got a new refrigerator that weekend.
Also during the month we made a trip to the Children's Museum in downtown Phoenix with Grandpa Dave, made pizza, played dress up, did make-up with Mommy, Matt and Hayden went on a hike (Hayden's first ever), and wound down from the crazy holiday season!
A couple of months ago we took Hayden to the dentist for the first time (yes, we know we were behind on it) and she did really great. The pediatric dentist office we went to was so well-run and organized. It was a great experience for both Hayden and me.
The lobby had books and games (including iPads on the wall) and a huge spaceship and little slides. We kept ourselves well entertained until it was time to meet with the hygienist. When we went back the exam room we found another iPad mounted to the wall that was pre-loaded with kid apps. The hygienist was great with communicating to Hayden exactly what she was doing. There was a TV mounted to the ceiling with kid shows, she got to pick out what flavor of teeth cleaner she wanted, and she got to pick out the toothbrush she got to take home. We took a bunch of x-rays and then we got to see the dentist. The dentist was equally wonderful and after looking at Hayden's teeth explained how happy she was with how spaced out Hayden's teeth are. She said that the more space in between their teeth the better because it allows the bigger adult teeth to come in more easily.
At the end of the appointment they took a picture of the dentist and Hayden together (that they mailed to us later that week), she got a bag of treats, and four little "coins" for being such a big girl that she got to use to get a prize in the lobby. At the very end she also got a balloon! Whew!!
Her dentist experience was much different than mine was as a kid. She really loved it and has already asked when she'll get to go back! Success!! (Big shout-out to Matt for researching online and finding a great dentist for our girls).
Hayden's school, Rancho Solano, had their Spring Show where all the classes and the after school programs performed. Hayden had 2 performances: Yellow Submarine with her PK-4 class, and the Pink Panther with her dance class.
She had played soccer earlier in the day so she performed in 3 costumes/uniforms in a matter of hours. We were worried that her bashfulness would cause her to get a little nervous and not get on stage. But then her class came out and there she was. No tears and she looked confident! And she looked super cute in her Pink Panther costume. Here is the performance:
Then she got to quickly throw down some lunch with us and immediately report to her classroom for her next performance.
She did really well in both performances and we were so proud of her. Plus she scored a goal in her soccer game that morning so it was a terrific day!
We were also really excited that both Pop as well as Grandma and Grandpa were able to be there to see her do all this. Here are some photos of the day:
It has been beautiful lately so we decided to go on a hike. Actually Hayden and I wanted to go, and Savannah and Ellie were to stay home. Savannah has always said that she hates hiking and does not have any interest in going. Yet the beauty of the day was too tough to pass up so with a bit of pushing and prodding, she begrudgingly agreed to do it, along with Ellie who was excited.
We went to Pinnacle Peak in north Scottsdale. There were a lot of people there even though we got there fairly early. We sunscreened the girls and headed up. Ellie walked about 43 feet. Then she wanted up so Savannah carried her. And carried her. And carried her.
Up a mountain.
It was super impressive. The girls loved it and we stopped every so often to take in the gorgeous views of the area. There are also a ton of boulders on Pinnacle Peak which made for some interesting spots on the trail.
Then Ellie decided she wanted to walk again, and she made it 53 feet this time before falling and skinning her knee. Poor little tyke. So we headed down.
All in all it was a fun day and a great way to get out of the house and get some fresh air.
We were so excited to have Aunt B, Zoe, and Zachy come down from Utah to visit us for the second year in a row. Zoe flew down by herself on Monday (her first plane ride by herself, what a big girl). Then Bethie and Zachy joined her on Thursday and they stayed with Grandma and Grandpa for the night.
On Friday, we went to El Encanto Mexican Restaurant in Cave Creek, per Bethie's request. Last year we went there and she had the pollo fundido which is legendary. She only ate half of it and got a to-go box to take it home. But, unfortunately she left it by the duck pond when we left. She was so sad and had been thinking about that pollo fundido for a year (see, told you it was legendary).
Bethie got her pollo fundido, loved it again, and only ate half of it again. And guess what? SHE FORGOT IT ON THE TABLE AGAIN!!! But luckily she has an amazing sister who grabbed it and Savannah saved the day. Bethie was grateful and said she would eat it that night or tomorrow.
The next day we went to the Rockies opening Spring Training game. It was an awesome day and it was the Roberts' first time at the new Rockies amazing facility, Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Grandpa and I were playing golf so we showed up a couple innings late but we had a really fun time. Plus the kiddos got to run the bases which they love.
Then we were all going to go out to eat but we decided to stay in and pick up Pork on a Fork BBQ which is near our house and super yummy. It worked out well as we all pigged out (haha get it?) and the kids got to let off some steam and not embarrass us since we weren't around others.
The next day we met Grandma and Grandpa at Daily Dose for breakfast. It is a good spot with non-standard fare but the kids still loved it.
After that, Bethie and the kids had to go to the airport and the trip was over. All in all, it was a great time and we will miss them until next time.
And guess what? SHE FORGOT TO EAT HER POLLO FUNDIDO AGAIN!!! Hahaha. It was hilarious. I equated it to Final Destination where the pollo fundido's final destination is the garbage, not her stomach, no matter what she tries to do about it.
Or maybe it isn't the garbage...
Mmmmmwaaahahahahaha!!!!
Here are some more, mostly less evil, photos from the weekend:
Hayden announced to us that she has a boyfriend: Alex Michael Defritas. She said they like to hang out after school together (in the school's after-school program). When I asked her how much she likes him she said:
"A lot. We almost want to kiss."
And she gave a very cute blushy smile while saying it. Priceless!
Unfortunately there is not a fairly tale ending as the next week she told us he was not her boyfriend anymore. We asked why and she said one of the teachers told her that she has to wait until she is 16 to have a boyfriend. What a great school!
That evening was the wedding so the kids once again had a sitter, and we went to the Club for the wedding.
