Jude relaxes with Picky on “the cloud”

Jude had the week off from school and as he is wont to do he spent a lot of time relaxing at home. There was soccer on TV almost every day and of course he spent time with Pickles, our cat. He and Marcy did a few outings, they came into my work for lunch one day but Jude generally had a low key week. He even said by the end of it he was looking forward to going back to school Monday.

Enjoying chocolate crepes on the last day of the farmers market

Saturday, the kids and I had a haircut and on the way back we stopped at the farmers market in Cherry Creek. It was the last weekend and we wanted to stock up on the tamales that Jude loves. It was such a beautiful day and the kids decided to get some yummy chocolate crepes. Saturday afternoon Anna had her soccer game. She had another strong game even though her team lost again. Saturday night Marcy and I had our first date in many months when we went to our friend Maggie’s 50th birthday party.

After raking leaves in the front yard Jude decides to jump in the pile

Today was an even nicer day so we used the opportunity to get some yard work done. Jude and I raked leaves in the front yard and Marcy did the backyard. Anna meanwhile got out the archery set and played with the neighbors most of the day. And of course, Jude and I watched some of the Broncos and Packers games as well as the Arsenal game this morning.

Anna and some neighbors lighting leaves on fire with a magnifying glass

Pickles brings us a present, her first mouse

We have been letting Pickles out a couple of times a day now for several months. But one day this week she decided to return with a present for us for the first time: a little mouse she had found on her travels.

Making s’mores on the gas fireplace at Halloween at the Zoo

It was a gorgeous weekend. Both days were warm with barely a cloud in the sky. Saturday, Anna had her soccer game where she played really well again. Then she had a play date with one of her school friends. On Saturday we went out to TAG Burger and then to the zoo for their Halloween celebration. The kids made s’mores and we checked out all the pumpkin carvings they had made. And of course, we saw the animals, those that were still awake in the dark.

Jude showing his style at Harvard Gulch

This morning after chores were done Jude and I went to play 9 holes at our local Par 3, Harvard Gulch. Jude has really improved this year, particularly off the tee and giving him two shots a hole it was a very close match. He would have beaten me but for some bad putts on the last hole.

Practicing for her cello recital

Anna had a tennis lesson while we played golf and then when she got home she needed to practice for her cello recital. We have kept up cello lessons for Anna and she has been practicing daily. Her cello teacher came over to our house for the recital and Anna went through all the songs in Book 1 of her cello lessons. She played beautifully.

Riding back from the store with a backpack full of groceries

Anna wanted to make us dinner from her Raddish cookbook so she and I rode to the store and bought the ingredients and then together we made dinner. Anna insisted on riding home from the store with the backpack full of groceries. Marcy spent the afternoon working on the yard.

Anna’s birthday dinner celebration at Benihana

Baba and Grandpa were here for the first part of the week while I was off on a business trip to DC. I arrived back just in time for Anna’s birthday celebration dinner at Benihana. We were going to do this Sunday night but Anna had a big day last Sunday and we decided to postpone it until Wednesday night. We had a nice family dinner and Anna had a great time.

Anna with one of the gymnasts on the DU team

We said goodbye to Baba and Grandpa on Thursday morning as they drove back to Iowa. On Friday night Jude and I went to a soccer afternoon at his school. They had a parents vs staff vs kids soccer game. I played on the parents team, it was my first real soccer game in about 30 years but it was fun. Jude also had a a great time playing on the kids team, they ended up beating the staff team which they all thought was really cool. While we were doing that Marcy and Anna were at DU watching the girls gymnastics team practice for their homecoming weekend meet.

He may be almost 12 but he still likes to sit on my lap sometimes, watching Anna’s game

It was a gorgeous fall day on Saturday and we rode down to the farmers market for lunch. Then Anna had a soccer match in the afternoon. She had another good match but their team lost again in a close game.

Anna clearing snow off the back porch in our first storm of the season

On Sunday morning we woke up to snow. We knew it was coming but it was still a bit of a shock after such a beautiful day on Saturday. We had a nice quiet morning and then I took the kids to Spider Monkey so they could get some exercise. We got home and Jude and I watched the Broncos game while Anna decided to bake some chocolate cookies with a recipe she got as part of this cooking club we got for her birthday.

Anna hard at work in the kitchen baking chocolate cookies

Anna at her birthday breakfast at “berries and cream” aka Original Pancake House

The excitement built up all week in our house as we all got ready for Anna’s 10th birthday. We had a whole weekend of activities planned. Anna had a day at Elitch’s planned with a school firend, this was her third visit this year which means she used all six kids tickets that she won earlier in the summer. This was also the first time she was tall enough to go on any ride and she was particularly excited to go on this crazy roller coaster called the Mind Eraser.

Anna with a school friend at Elitch’s

When Anna got home from Elitch’s she received a surprise. Baba and Grandpa had driven from Iowa to surprise Anna for her birthday and stay for a few days. Last night we ordered pizza and watched a movie.

Baba and Jude celebrating Anna’s birthday dinner at home

This morning we went to our traditional breakfast at a place the kids call “berries and cream”. It is actually called the Original Pancake House but we always get berries and cream when we go there and we have been going there for birthdays for almost 10 years.

Anna celebrating with her old and new school friends

Anna decided she wanted a small birthday party with just a few friends from both her old school and new school. They had a blast playing games, including four square on the street. We also setup a piñata on the play set in the backyard and that was a big hit.  We had burgers and hot dogs for lunch and then, of course, there was cake,

Anna getting ready to take a swing at the piñata.

After her own party Anna was actually invited to another party at this climbing gym. So, by the time she arrived home around 5:30pm she was exhausted. We were going to go out for a fancy dinner but we decided to wait until Wednesday when I am back from my trip.

Jude after his cross country run at Colorado Academy

Jude was a trooper this weekend. It is never easy when your sibling is getting all the attention and for the most part he was pretty good. You could see he was happy for Anna which was nice. On Saturday morning we went to a cross country meet for Jude at Colorado Academy. He ran his heart out and finished first in his team and 107th overall. Not bad considering he was competing against eighth graders.