The Many Faces of Abigail!

As you all may very well know, Abby is a child of many faces! She woke up in a very special, silly mood this afternoon so I captured her silliness with the camera! 

I think that this one is my favorite!

Abby, like every child, is very trying sometimes. However, these special moments of joy far surpass the rough ones.

Fancy for a Night

We kicked off another wonderful weekend by taking Dana and Chris for dinner at Elway's in Cheery Creek. People have asked what the occasion was and honestly, we just wanted to do something nice with two of our best friends. Dana and Chris are wonderful friends of ours and we are so blessed to have them in our lives so we wanted to go out and celebrate our friendship! 

Nate and I had been to Elway's before. Last time, we skimped on our meal but realized it's not work spending $30 on chicken...so we upped our expectations this time and went all out!

Dana and I split the lobster tail and filet! We also had mashed potatoes and asparagus.

Nate of course got the prime rib and lobster tail. Chris did the same!

We so enjoyed an amazing meal with two amazing friends!

THANK YOU FOR YEARS OF PRECIOUS, UNCONDITIONAL FRIENDSHIP.

Remembering Weekends

I have mentioned it in previous posts--I have not had weekends off since before Nate and I met! For years and years I have worked at least one day of every weekend leaving little time or energy for anything other than straightening up the house. 

In the past few weeks, I have been reminded what it's like to have the weekends free and clear!!! I can spend half of one day cleaning the house and doing laundry and the second half is free for whatever and where ever we might find ourselves. 

Unfortunately, my weekends were not as free for Nate. He has been working a lot of side jobs leaving me some one-on-one time with the girls. Last weekend, we hit the Streets of Southglenn for some afternoon fun. 

We grabbed some lunch and ate in the sunshine, which was a delightful break from the sub zero temps we have seen in Colorado this winter.

 Then we met up with Caleb, Owen and Julie for a snack.

Julie and the boys came back to the house and we spent some time relaxing and catching up.

Monday was Presidents Day so the girls were home with me again. We took a walk up the street to the school to get some fresh air and to run off some giggles!

Elizabeth ran into a friend from her class and they played while I ran around with Abigail.

I am so enjoying the free time with the girls! I look forward to the summer-time and this past weekend was a small taste of what it will be like!

I Have THREE Valentine's!

Valentines Day in our family is not really a HUGE deal. Growing up, VDay was shared with my Dad's BDay, so we would usually celebrate Dad rather than our Hallmark love for one another. Even still, we partake in the exchange of Valentine's Day cards and heart-shaped cookies.

The night before, the girls picked out there Valentine's: Elizabeth chose Hello Kitty for the girls and Batman for the boys, Abby chose Dora for the girls and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for the boys. 

Elizabeth spent a great deal of time assigning each of her friends a card.

Abby signed about 10 cards before loosing interest! 

 This year's school parties were held in the morning and were breakfast themed to avoid sugar-overload for the teachers! Elizabeth, so very carefully delivered Valentine's into each of her classmates hand-crafted bags.

 Next was the preschool party. 

I was asigned to the Kiss the Frog stations, which the kids loved! 

 The preschoolers also delivered the invitations into each of their classmates hand-made bags!

There was a heart-person craft. 

One of the sweet boys in Abby's class gave each of the girls flowers!

 Nate and I typically don't make a big deal out of the holiday. (Our anniversary is six weeks later and we basically celebrate the two in one special night!) I had planned an Italian Sweetheart dinner at home but honestly did not feel like cooking! So, we took the girls to dinner at La Fogatas--an early dinner to avoid the sweetheart crowd--and then took a short adventure at Cabela's. 

 Nate wanted to go and look at all-things hunting. We found this cute pink bow for Elizabeth (some day). 

Abby just wanted to hug the bows...

...and the trees! 

 We tested out the blinds to find out which would be most effective when wearing pink to go hunting! This one wasn't so great!

This one was better...plus, it was a "double wide". 

We closed out the night with a movie and Valentine's from Mom and Dad.

Even though we don't celebrate Valentine's in a very traditional way, we still use it as an excuse to have a fun night with the girls.

A Leap of Faith

I knew that 2014 would be a year full of exciting changes. With graduation coming up in May, I had big plans to get out of the restaurant business and to land a job in the great big world of social work. 

However, as the new year approached, I was presented with a job opportunity. 

In the fall semester I began my BSW internship in the Family Safety Net department at Jewish Family Service. JFS offers a number of services, ranging from Senior Solutions, counseling, and refugee support. Our department offers emergency assistance to vulnerable populations. We also operate a pantry three days a week. My internship mostly encompasses case management.

Our department is expanding with a Solutions to Senior Hunger program. I have been hired on as the SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) Outreach Coordinator. I am so excited to be a part of an already stellar agency. I am blessed to have received this opportunity, even before receiving my degree.

I didn't even have to second guess my decision to take the position. Such an opportunity would not present itself again, especially before graduation. And so, I said goodbye to my dear Breakfast on Broadway family. I have developed some wonderful relationships over the years at BOB's and am confident that they will remain strong. 

Saying goodbye is never easy and embarking on such changes requires a great deal of faith. 

As I enter the social work field I pray that I can do my part as a change agent. I set out to better the lives of those in need of advocacy and guidance. I look forward to the professional and personal growth that this new position will offer me. 

The BIGGEST advantage to the new position is that I am given the chance to be home with my family. I no longer have to sacrifice my weekends and I will be able to be there for my girls before and after school. While there is no such thing as "free time" in the wonderful world of parenthood, I look forward to enjoying every minute of this precious life (busy or not)!

And so, it is with great pleasure that I say goodbye to the service industry and hello to a new adventure! It's important to note that I could not have made this change without the support of my amazing husband who has been my rock through the overwhelming decisions and changes that have taken place in the past two months. I am also incredibly grateful to God who has held my hand as I take this leap of faith. 

I am truly blessed.