I'm dreaming of a white Christmas...

Our wonderful vacation in Denver continues. We woke up Sunday morning and just hung out. It was so nice to be together. Jeff & his parents went out for breakfast and a tour of Denver while I hung out with the kids. Mattea still wasn't feeling 100% and the boys weren't that interested in sitting in a restaurant. Later, Jeff took us downtown to a really cool bowling alley. There were big screen TV's and comfy couches everywhere. There was even a TV above every lane in the bowling alley. It wasn't your average dingy, smoky bowling alley. The kids had a great time! I'm ashamed to say that both of the boys beat my score!!! They had the benefit of using the bumpers. Next time we go, I think I'll ask for them to put the bumpers up for me, too!!!

Later, we were just hanging out at Jeff's apartment singing "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" when there was a knock at the door. You wouldn't believe who showed up! SANTA CLAUS!!! And he had a BIG bag of presents for us! The kids were spoiled rotten and were very grateful to Santa for everything he brought. Santa even brought me a diamond necklace!!! I guess he was watching this year cuz I was definitely a good girl! : ) It was a magical night!

The next day was Christmas Eve. We had a nice breakfast at the hotel and took the kids swimming. After that, we headed downtown for some shopping. We wandered around for awhile and then stopped at Maggiano's for lunch. Wow... what a lunch! We had family style (a.k.a. - all you can eat!) Italian and it was phenomenal!!! With our bellies full, we shipped Mattea off with Grandma & Grandpa and headed to the movies with the boys. We saw National Treasure - Book of Secrets. We gave it 4 thumbs up!!! Later that night, we played games and hung out at Jeff's apartment. The kids went to sleep dreaming of what Santa would bring the next day. Oh, and did I mention that while we were walking around downtown on December 24th, we weren't wearing jackets because it was 52 degrees?!?!?!? Regardless of how wonderful that felt, we were hoping for a white Christmas.

We woke up on Christmas morning and were happy to see a beautiful snowfall! Ahhhh... a white Christmas! Santa was extremely generous AGAIN and so were Mommy & Daddy. We had fun watching the kids open their gifts and scream with glee! We played for awhile with all of our gifts and then headed over to the hotel for breakfast. Knowing that not much would be open on Christmas Day, we let the kids swim in the pool again and then just hung out in the hotel room.

On December 26th, we had to take care of some domestic chores... laundry!!! Due to all of the yakking on the trip to Denver (and some just toodling around town!) and just everyday use, we opted to catch up on some laundry. I spent a wonderful hour & a half hanging out in the clubhouse at Jeff's apartment complex reading a book while the laundry was being done. I enjoyed the quiet very much!!! By the time that was finished, Pete & Carol had come over to spend the day with us. We headed to a tourist trap called Casa Bonita. It's a Mexican restaurant, but they also provide very unique entertainment - cliff divers, short skit performances, fire jugglers, a cave for the kids to walk through and an arcade. We spent about 3 hours there. Jeff's family had gone there on a Colorado vacation almost 30 years ago, so Pete & Carol had really wanted our kids to experience it as well. Everyone had a great time!!! On our way home, we took a pit stop at City Park and bundled the kids up for a spontaneous romp in the snow! It was all fun until Alex ended up with a face full of snow!

Today, Jeff had to go into work for a half day. We ate breakfast at the hotel and went swimming again. That never seems to get old! We headed to the Cherry Creek Mall for some shopping. The kids found an indoor playground to goof around in while Grandpa & Grandma took a stroll through the mall. We enjoyed pretzels for a snack and then went to Build A Bear. The kids had never been there before. Alex picked out a cheetah and named him Pooku. His accessories include an army helmet and a skateboard. Josh picked out a monkey and named him JoJo. His accessories are a helmet, elbow & knee pads and a skateboard. Mattea picked out a puppy with hearts all over her and named her Indy! She also picked out a beautiful blue princess dress and headband. The kids had a blast!!! Now we are watching Chevy Chase's "Christmas Vacation" - a Christmas classic - we are just getting to it a little late! We are hunkering down at Jeff's apartment while it snows outside. We are expecting 8 inches. It's been very interesting to witness Denver weather while we've been here. It snows one day and it's melting the next day! It's crazy! Anyway, we are having a most wonderful time and we don't want it to end!