The traditional jump into the pool on arrival to Baba and Grandpa’s house

Yesterday we drove to Iowa for our annual summer trip. The kids have been so excited about it for weeks and were so happy to hit the road. Olive came along for the first time and she actually did really well. It was a relatively uneventful trip and we pulled in to West Des Moines at 8:30pm. Baba was waiting on the corner with a welcome sign and the kids were so thrilled to see her. After a quick hug to grandpa it was into the pool, fully clothed as is the tradition.

All wet after falling in to the pool

Olive didn’t know quite what to make of the pool. She was barking at both kids and leaning over to get closer to them. Then she fell in. We found out she could swim but she was a little freaked about it and has not risked going that close to the pool since.

The twins were up early to greet Jude and Anna

We thought the kids would sleep in because neither of them got a good night’s sleep the previous night but they were both up early and were in the pool with the twins before Marcy and I got out of bed. And they have been in and out of the pool all day today. Of course, there was lots of great food and treats as well and they spent the day between the Dahlen’s house and Baba and Grandpa’s house.

The five kids had a wresting match

Before we left Anna wrapped up her school year. She did a great video on the music of slavery for history that we both worked on quite hard. Then there was a “drive by” celebration at the school for Mr. Kevin, one of Anna’s favorite teachers, that Anna had an integral role in organizing and she had a great time seeing him and some of her friends. It was great to end the school year with a little bit of physical connection.

Anna giving Mr Kevin a hug to celebrate his 25 years teaching at Ricks

Anna having a tea party while babysitting

Anna took a babysitting class back in February and was looking forward to earning some money in her new vocation. Then came the pandemic and suddenly that was not an option. But our hairdresser, Shannon, had a four-year-old and was looking for some help. So, today Anna had her first babysitting job and it was at our house.

Marcy helped out a little with lunch and setting up the slip’n’slide in the backyard. They played on the trampoline, played with both Olive and Pickles and Anna set up a tea party picnic. Anna said she had a great time and she was delighted to be paid for her time when it was finished. She celebrated by going to the gas station to get some candy.

Enjoying some Glacier ice cream courtesy of Baba

Speaking of celebrating, Baba said both kids should go out and get some ice cream, her treat, to commemorate the start of summer break. They were delighted to go to their favorite ice cream place, Glacier, where they enjoyed their special treats.

Ice cream at Glacier courtesy of Baba

It was another hot weekend and Marcy worked in the yard for most of it. Jude hurt his foot while playing soccer in the park so he was a little less mobile than usual. This was our last weekend in Denver for a while (we drive to Iowa on Saturday) so we spent the entire weekend at home.

Anna loves her new Pride swimsuit

Historic Tallman Ranch on our Windy Peak hike

Jude and I decided to do another hike in the mountains this weekend. We went a little further into the mountains mainly to escape the crowds and try something new. We decided on Windy Peak outside Golden and it was a beautiful hike. On the way down we passed historic Tallman Ranch with buildings from the 1870s when a Swede named Anders Tallman settled there. The home he built and several of the surrounding buildings are still standing today. Jude and I both thought this was  fascinating learning about their life.

Celebrating the end of school with a root beer float

While Anna doesn’t officially end school for two more weeks, because of online school Ricks extended the school year by two weeks. But Anna is staying on for a couple of classes and we let her wrap up the year as long as she does all the assigned work. So, Friday we had a little celebration to say goodbye to fifth grade. It was a crazy finish to the year and I think everyone is glad to be done with online school.

Digging the hole for his time capsule

This week, being Jude’s first week of summer break, he decided he wanted to capture this moment in time. So, he decided to create a time capsule and bury it in the backyard. This wasn’t just any little hole. He worked hard to dig down two feet. And he is gathering the items for his time capsule and will bury it this week. Anna thought this was a great idea and decided to do one herself. They intend to dig these up in five years time in the summer of 2025.

Relaxing with “Little O”

We didn’t do much else this weekend. Marcy spent almost the entire weekend doing yard work, Jude played soccer in the park and Anna had a sleepover at a neighbors house. Also, Marcy spent some time at the vet as Olive has not been feeling that well this week. She was throwing up a lot and had some GI discomfort, and so we wanted to get it checked out. They thought it might be a chicken allergy. By Sunday afternoon she was doing much better.

Celebrating the last day of school with some cream from the can

While not officially the last day of school for Jude, he treated Friday as if it was. That is because there are no formal classes this coming week and the fact that he is not actually going to school makes it feel like the last day. We humored him and he celebrated with Dusty Millers and some cream straight from the can.

Cheering on the graduates from South High School

Marcy noticed on Nextdoor that they were looking for volunteers to help with the South High School graduation parade this past week. She signed us all up for it and we had to make sure and stand on the corner just three blocks from our house. This ended up being really fun. We cheered on all the graduates as they drove by in a procession of hundreds of cars. It was actually quite emotional for everyone involved.

Anna and our neighbor doing a sleepover in the back yard

On Friday night Anna and our neighbor decided they wanted to sleep in a tent. So, we setup our big tent in the backyard and they made an evening of it. They watched a movie and were in bed by 9:30pm. It was an early morning with both kids waking up before 6am complaining it was really cold outside.

Anna shopping at Target this week

We didn’t do much this weekend. We gave the kids a bit more leeway than usual with screens as the school year was winding down. Marcy did a bunch of yard work and I had a lot of work to catch up on. The big outing for Jude and I was to the shoe store to buy new hiking boots, so we can go for another hike next weekend. I also took Anna to Target for a project she designed for her and Marcy. Anna’s plan is for them to come up with a make-over look for each other. Anna chose an outfit for Marcy and did her make-up. Marcy has yet to choose Anna’s look, so that will happen next week.

At the top of South Boulder Peak

Jude and I decided it was time to hit the trail on Saturday. He had barely left our zip code in over two months so we knew it would be good for him to get out. We chose South Boulder Peak because it is relatively close (a 35 minute drive) and it a challenging hike with around 3,300 feet of elevation. While it was crowded because of a holiday weekend when we made it to the summit we managed to find a secluded spot for lunch. Going down was much harder than going up, at least for me. By the end of it I had very sore knees and toes.

Getting a little air on the bike jump near our house

The kids have been spending a lot of time at this bike jump just 200 yards from our house. It is part of a flood plain with a bike trail through the middle of it and relatively steep sides perfect for making a jump. They even spent some time trying to improve the jump with shovels and water. They often head there after dinner with the neighbors.

Jude near the end of his 10k

Today is normally the Bolder Boulder, a popular 10k that happens every year in Boulder. Because it was canceled they encouraged everyone to do their own 10k race. I was planning on doing it with Jude but I was still feeling sore after our Saturday hike, so I did our regular 6k course instead. Jude did great on the longest run of his life coming home in 48:21, a solid time for a 13-year-old.

The rest of the weekend was spent mostly at home. I baked my weekly loaf of bread, and did the Peloton. The Peloton has become quite a regular thing in our family, with most of us using it at least three times a week, as well as doing their classes for other things. And yesterday I watched my first sports event in months, “The Match” a golf match with Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. It was very entertaining.

Anna getting ready for her school Zoom party

On Wednesday this past week Anna’s school had a “Decade Party” where you come dressed in fashion from a decade of your choice. Anna chose the ’80s and put on the big hair and makeup that was typical of that decade. While she said it was fun, we could tell it was a poor replacement from an in-person party.

Olive decided she would join Marcy as she was reading her book

Jude was really looking forward to getting a haircut

Things are finally starting to open up in here in Denver and Jude has been dying to get a haircut. It is the longest his hair has been in years. So, this week we booked him in to the hairdresser and he was a happy camper.

Sporting his new haircut

We broke up the online school monotony this week for Anna by inviting a friend to study with her for the day. It was good weather so they actually set up their tables on the upstairs balcony and did Zoom calls in the fresh air. Anna really liked studying with a friend.

Doing sign language class on the hammock

It was another quiet weekend. No one ventured very far from home. The kids played with the neighbors, I baked my weekend sourdough loaf and we ate every meal at home as usual. Jude has been taking to going to the park by himself with his soccer ball just to juggle and kick goals. Sometimes Marcy and I join him but he is just as happy to go by himself.

Today, Anna had an actual birthday party to go to with a school friend. There were five kids invited and the parents had to ok it obviously but instead of a drive-by party which she went to a few weeks ago this one was a drop off, regular birthday party. When I picked Anna up I could tell she had a blast. It was so great for her to get this little bit of normalcy back into her life.

Relaxing with a book and Olive on the hammock

Anna doing a painting during Art class

The kids are getting doing a little bit better with “digital school”. Neither of them like it but they are resigned to the fact that this will be how their school year will finish. One of Anna’s favorite classes is Art and this week she decided to do her painting outside. She set up her easel and paints in the backyard and enjoyed the sunshine while she worked.

Most mornings this week Anna and Marcy would get out early before school and go for a bike ride around Wash Park. Jude and I would go for a run and we would see them on their ride. It good for them to get some exercise before school with no physical school happening.

The start of the neighborhood bike race with Anna in her Broncos jersey

Speaking of biking today the neighborhood kids decided to have a bike race. There are some bike trails near the park and they made up a course and ran a relay, family against family. The kids all raced hard and it was great to see the friendly competition.

Jude finishing up the neighborhood bike race

Jude mowed the front lawn yesterday and Marcy looked out at him and saw him on his hand and knees staring at the ground for about five minutes. He had found a grasshopper and was watching it closely. He then caught it and showed it to us.

Jude discovered a grasshopper while mowing the lawn

Marcy decided for Mother’s Day she wanted to stay around the house. She played with the kids, did a yoga class and a walk and then we both watched the big bike race. We managed to keep her out of the kitchen most of the day, Anna made her morning coffee and emptied the dishwasher first thing, and I cooked dinner. We had some nice Omaha Steaks which were delicious.

About to sit down to Mother’s Day dinner

Anna and Elsie taking on the slip ‘n’ slide

We had our first round of hot weather this week as the temperature hit 85 degrees on Thursday. So, Marcy dusted off the Slip ‘n’ Slide and set it up in the front yard. Anna and Elsie jumped in right after school.

Anna has been missing her school friends terribly so this weekend she made care packages for many of her friends. This included a card and homemade body butter, sugar scrub and foot cream that she has been working on for a couple of weeks. She then drove around this weekend delivering them to six of her friends. We kept the appropriate social distance but Anna was SO happy to see them in person again.

Jude has decided to take on the Peloton. He has committed to doing the Gold Challenge this month which is 150 miles on the bike. He is intending to do 5 miles a day every day for the month, he is 3 for 3 so far. Anna has said she will go for the Silver which is 100 miles.

Olive loves to lie on our bed

Olive loves quarantine. All of us are pretty much always home so she gets more attention than usual. She is one happy dog.

Jude protecting his goal at the neighbors house

Another week of digital school and another weekend of absolutely nothing on our calendar. It is starting to get old. I learned this weekend that quarantine comes from the Italian word for 40 days, which is how long we have now been unable to go about our normal life. But at least we have the neighbors for the kids.

There are three families on our block with kids aged between 8 and 13. We made the agreement when this all began that we would let the kids play as they always have. And on weekends they have been spending a lot of time together. They played an epic game of cops and robbers today that lasted hours. And several afternoons this week they were playing on our trampoline or playing football in the park. Our kids lives would be very different if they didn’t have others to play with.

Enjoying berries and cream for dessert

Both kids had to do some homework today and of course there were chores. Anna mowed the front lawn, our first time this year. I baked my now traditional Sunday sourdough loaf and went for a run. One thing I am trying to do these days is get fitter. I am spending a lot of time on the Peloton as is Marcy. Then there is multiple walks to the park with the Olive. And then Anna spent some time making cute filters for a picture of her.

Anna “crowns” Queen Olive

Jude after a long ride on the Peloton

Jude had his Spring Break this week and we, obviously, spent the whole week at home. Luckily that is what he usually likes to do on his weeks off. This week, though, he was quite active. We bought a Peloton which arrived last weekend and Jude decided he would start riding it. And ride it he did. He rode 25 miles three days in a row this past week on top of his usual basketball as well as soccer and football in the park. He still had plenty of Minecraft time as well, and many episodes of his favorite show, The Office. Then today, we both ran a 5K around Wash Park.

Olive playing in the snow this week

While we have had some nice weather we often get snow showers in April. This week we had an inch on Monday and then Thursday about 4-5 inches. Olive absolutely loves the snow. When we let her outside she gets super active, burying her face in the snow, and sprinting around the yard. She also loves to go to the park and fetch the frisbee and if there are other dogs to play in the snow with that is heaven for her.

Volleyball in the front yard (with our new badminton net)

Thankfully, with warmer weather on Friday the snow was all melted by Saturday morning and our new badminton net arrived. Our last net was a cheap one and it broke after one season so Marcy decided to spend a bit more for a higher quality one. Anyway, the kids decided to break the net in not with badminton but with a game of volleyball.

One other game we played a couple nights this week after dinner was kickball in the park. We took a foursquare ball up to the park with cones for bases and then had a family game of kickball. Marcy had to do double duty, throwing Olive the frisbee while she was playing kickball.