Celebrating my birthday with the kids two days early and some pie!

This week I celebrated my 48th birthday. Well, we actually celebrated early because Marcy and I would be in Maui on my actual birthday. I had a conference with this new entrepreneurs group I joined and this year it was in Maui starting just two days after my birthday.

When I told Marcy this she thought it would be great if she could come along as well. So, she asked her mom and sure enough Baba was up for the task. She came out a few days early and learned the ropes with the kids and then Sunday morning Marcy and I took off.

The Andaz at Wailea – beautiful pools and beaches

We stayed at the Andaz at Wailea and it was a spectacular resort. Lots of pools, incredible restaurants and a beach better than any we experience in Mexico.

On my actual birthday Marcy and I took a long walk to a beach down south. We were looking for something that was not quite as crowded. We found it.

On the beach with Marcy on my birthday

I couldn’t go to Maui without the kids and not take my clubs. So, one morning I headed out with a friend to the famed Plantation Course at Kapalua – the site of an annual PGA Tour event every January.

Getting ready to tee off on #5 at the Plantation Course, Kapalua

We arrived home on Saturday morning after taking the red eye out of Maui on Friday night. The kids were happy to see us and we were very happy to see them. Big thanks to Baba for making this all possible.

In London on the pedestrian bridge over the Thames with London Bridge in the background

There was no blog post last weekend because I was on my way to London. I spoke at the AltFi conference on peer to peer lending in London on Tuesday and spent the rest of the week scouting out locations for a conference we will be putting on there in November.

I was away for the better part of five days and I missed Marcy and kids terribly, so it was very exciting to be back with everyone on Friday evening. Saturday we had nothing planned for a change which was great so we spent the morning going for a hike not far from our house and then just hung out around the house in the afternoon.

Braving the cold and the wind for a winter hike at Bluff Lake

Today was a gorgeous day. Not a cloud in the sky, the sun was warm and the air was crisp. It was the perfect day for a run and Marcy entered her first run since the kids were born. And she did great, the kids and I were there to cheer her on.

Marcy right after she finished the “Running of the Green” 7K run

Today ended up being quite the full day. After the run, it was home for a quick bite and then off to see the Rumpelstiltskin play at the JCC. The kids enjoyed that but then home and off to the zoo on our bikes. Then on to the playground on the way home and then off to dinner with Marcy’s friend Susan and her daughter Macy who are visiting from Iowa. I think everyone will sleep well tonight.

Anna proudly shoes off her new hat she bought at the zoo

Jude in his Harry Potter Gryffindor Quidditch robes along with his Firebolt broom

The title of this post is not from another book in the Harry Potter series, it was Jude this past week. A couple of months ago we started reading the Harry Potter series (we are now halfway through book 4) and Jude is really into it. He likes to talk about magical powers, Quidditch (a game in the book), going to Hogwarts and many other Harry Potter related topics.

While in Mexico Anna got a special dress and her hair braided and Jude didn’t get anything. To be fair we told Jude we could find something special for him. He chose the outfit and broom you see above.

As for the scorpion, that is from this weekend. We were up in the mountains and after skiing yesterday Jude and Anna decided they wanted to get their faces painted, Jude chose the scorpion you see below and Anna the butterfly.

The Scorpion – from face painting in Keystone

Anna with her colorful butterfly and very pink lips

We had a family ski day on Saturday at Keystone. There was another overnight blizzard and so it was another great day for skiing. On our first run we skied from the top of the mountain to the bottom. Halfway down we accidentally found ourselves on a bump run. Both Jude and Anna were game, they have been asking when they can try a black run,  although I don’t think they realized what they were in for. It was slow going with lots of falling but they were both troopers and didn’t complain. We decided after this one-run long run that it was time for our lunch break.

In the afternoon Anna wanted to go ice skating and Jude decided he wanted more skiing, so he want off with Marcy while Anna and I ice skated. Although, Anna was clearly exhausted after her monster ski run, she only spent a few minutes ice skating before taking a long break. On Sunday there was more ice skating.

Jude being a trooper skiing down his first ever bump run