The entire Renton family at the Heath-Renton wedding

We thoroughly enjoyed our week at the beach on Manly. The weather was pretty good for the most part and we spent part of every day on the beach. Both kids got really good at catching waves on their boogie boards as they spent many hours honing this skill.

Jude catching a wave on his boogie board at Manly

We also did some ocean swimming and Anna did her first Shelley Beach to Manly swim, over half a mile in the ocean. Jude did several runs along the beach and there was a lot of just playing in the sand and surf. Then, of course, we had the daily trip to Moevenpick for ice cream. We also had an afternoon of standup paddle boarding on the calm harbour beach of Balmoral. Marcy had a bit of an issue one day that led to three hospital visits in a ten hour period. She dove under a wave and came up with something in her eye. And then she couldn’t close it. She was in a lot of pain so we got to the hospital where they said there was some loose skin in her eye and a abrasion on her cornea. She is ok now, thankfully.

Stand up paddle boarding at Balmoral

The reason for our trip back to Sydney was for Robyn, my sister, and Mark’s wedding. On Saturday morning we drove about 2 hours to the small town of Moss Vale for the wedding. Anna was a flower girl in the wedding and was beyond excited about it. We dropped her off a couple of hours before the wedding so she could get ready with the bridesmaids and Robyn.

Getting her hair done with the bridesmaids just a couple of hours before the big event

I had the honor of walking Robyn down the aisle given our Dad passed away six months ago. She was a bit nervous but carried herself well. The ceremony was beautiful and funny at the same time. The celebrant was quite the character and he put everyone at ease.

Walking Robyn “down the aisle” and across the bridge at her wedding

Robyn arrived at the wedding, along with Anna and the bridesmaids, in a horse and carriage. And Marcy actually hitched a ride as well. It was an outdoor wedding on a country estate and they got married by a lake. Anna had a basket of flower petals and she walked in front of Robyn and I throwing out rose petals. Then she stood with the bridesmaids through the entire ceremony.

The flower girls, Anna and Sarah, with the bride and groom in front of the horse and carriage

After the ceremony they had some outdoor games setup which helped Jude stay amused. There were not many kids there but Marcy and I played with him. I thought that Jude and possibly Anna would be bored by the time the dinner came. But they actually both had a great time. Jude loved playing with his cousin Sarah and Anna was happy to be at the center of it all. By

Jude showing Sarah a Pez dispenser

By the time the dancing started it was quite late but Anna was raring to go. I had several dances with her and Jude joined in as well. Little Sarah was also tearing up the dance floor with her dad, Ian.We ended up staying to the very end and we got back to our hotel at about 11:30pm. The kids did really well and slept soundly that night.

Celebrating Sarah’s fourth birthday

The next day we drove back to the coast and celebrated Sarah’s 4th birthday. She was actually turning four on Monday but we celebrated a day early since we were all together anyway. Ian chose this beautiful restaurant overlooking the Wollongong beaches.

Jude taking a last swim in the Pacific Ocean before heading to the airport

We spent the last two nights at Maroubra which was the closest ocean beach to the airport. On our last day we drove to Coogee and Bondi where the waves were perfect for boogie boarding. The trip was over all too quickly and on Tuesday morning we had one last swim in the ocean before heading to the airport.

Anna in the cockpit on the plane from LA to Denver

The trip back was ok, but long of course. Anna has often said she would like to be a pilot when she grows up so when we boarded the flight to Denver from LAX I mentioned this to the flight attendant and they let her in to the cockpit. She was thrilled.

This weekend was a cold and snowy one. Jude’s soccer tournament was canceled but he did have a sleepover birthday party on Saturday night which kept him entertained. Anna also had a sleepover on Friday night. Then this afternoon Anna had her first cotillion class so she got all dressed up for it.

Anna all ready to go to her first cotillion class

Anna and I about to ski some powder in Keystone

It has been three weeks since the last update because I was in Paris for a conference and then we had the Superbowl party. So, we will start with skiing. Anna and I had a fantastic ski day in Keystone a couple of weeks ago. It had snowed all week and we drove up Friday night, just the two of us, to stay at our place. We were on the mountain early Saturday and had a full ski day. We even took the snowcat to the top of the mountain to ski some of the untracked powder.

Last weekend we hosted the annual Superbowl party. We had a lot of kids over as Jude and Anna both invited several friends. It ended up being a bit of a crazy evening with the kids being a little boisterous. And the game was really underwhelming.

Anna dissecting a sheep’s lung

This week at school Anna has some interesting classes. The theme for the year in her class is systems, and this past week she learned about the digestive system and other parts of the body. They learned about lungs by dissecting a sheep’s lung. Marcy came in for that class to help out and Anna thought it was pretty cool.

Anna making Valentine’s Day cookies

Anna has been a busy beaver in the kitchen lately. She loves to bake and today she made Valentine’s Day cookies, lots of them. She made a package for all the neighbors and delivered them this afternoon.

Jude “working” at his desk

Jude had a playdate this afternoon with one of his school friends. They went rock climbing at a gym and then watched a movie. Jude did not have much homework this weekend but he still spent quite a bit of time at his desk on his Chromebook. He likes to watch Youtube videos and play video games. It can become quite the battle as he is always pushing for more screen time.

Anna having a conversation with Pickie this weekend

Anna with our neighbors near their cabin in the woods

We had another pretty quiet weekend. Friday we had a couple of inches of snow but not enough for good sledding. Anna had a friend over on Saturday while Jude and I went to our neighbor Vera’s 90th birthday party. And of course we watched the Arsenal game and played some soccer in the park in the afternoon.

Playing soccer in the snow covered park

Sunday we were invited to our neighbors cabin which is near 10,000 feet on the road to Mt. Evans. Jude had a futsal game so it was just Anna and I who went. We had a blast. We had to park the car a mile from the cabin and hike in because they don’t plow the road in winter.

Enjoying the camp fire

We built a fire, played in the snow and did some sledding. Anna even tried some snowboarding down the road. Anna went nonstop for several hours barely sitting down for lunch. The best part was that instead of hiking out, it was downhill, so we sledded most of the way back to the car.

Doing a little snowboarding down the snow covered road

Jude flying through the air after using his sled as a snowboard

First a short note from Jude: After a dry winter so far in Denver, we received about 5” on Friday night, to be sledded in by yours truly (Jude), and Anna. I tried to use my sled as a snowboard and failed miserably each time, making it about six feet before going OOF! Other than that, all I did was watch football and soccer, both of which ended in bad results. Then on Sunday, I burned about 10 calories all day, and other than that I played video games and watched TV.

Anna sledding on the local hill

Jude is right, we did have a pretty quiet weekend. There was some sledding on Saturday and then both kids built a snowman in the park. Of course, there was also a snowball fight and playing with some of the neighbors in the snow.

Jude with his snowman in the park

Anna had a school friend for a sleep over on Friday night and they had a great time. They watched a movie and in the morning made cookies and Marcy set up a little spa in the living room. It was quite indulgent.

Doing a “mani-pedi” at home

Today, was spent mainly in front of the TV with Premier League soccer in the morning and the NFL playoffs in the afternoon. Anna watched a movie while a lot of this was going on. Jude and I did get out during the day for a game of soccer in the snow and he also had to take a run during the afternoon. Anna had another friend over and they played in the park making an igloo.

The traditional New Year’s Eve balloon drop

The week began in Iowa on New Year’s Eve. As always there are lots of festivities for the kids including a balloon drop and countdown (video here) and this year Baba bought champagne flavored cotton candy that was served in fancy wine glasses for the New Year’s toast.

Cheers to 2019, with a cotton candy “drink”

There was confetti and lots of it as the kids enjoyed enjoyed a shower of the colorful stuff.

It is raining confetti

Jude and Baba stayed up to watch the ball drop in New York, everyone else was asleep by then. Jude then went to his bedroom and secretly stayed awake until midnight so he could bring in the New Year.

Enjoying a quiet moment with Chloe

On New Year’s Day we made the long drive back to Denver. The kids were off school all week so Marcy had lots of fun things organized including bowling, Spider Monkey and some play dates.

Saying goodbye to Lola

This weekend Marcy had Ridhwan so I had the kids to myself. We played soccer in the park, went to putt putt golf, played some games and watched soccer and the NFL playoffs. It was a nice weekend topped off with a sumptuous steak dinner on Sunday night.

Anna in her flower girl dress for Aunt Robyn’s wedding

On Christmas Eve we went to a church service in Boulder where our good friend Scott is the minister. It was a beautiful service and it was great to connect with him again. That night we watched Mary Poppins and we (really, it was 99% Marcy) got everything ready for Christmas morning.

The presents were stacked under the tree when the kids awoke on Christmas morning. The kids appreciated their gifts with Anna spending most of Christmas Day upstairs putting together her 800+ piece Harry Potter lego set. Jude played with his Perplexus but like most days his thoughts soon turned to soccer. It was a pretty nice day so we went out in the afternoon and played a family game of soccer in the park.

Playing soccer in the park on Christmas Day

The day after Christmas, as we do most years, we left on a drive to Iowa. So as to make Christmas Day a bit more relaxing we decided to leave after lunch and just drive part of the way. There was a winter storm on I-80 in Nebraska so we decided to take I-70 to Kansas City. It was raining a good part of the way and the drive was a little nasty with heavy rain but there was no snow thankfully. We made it to Topeka where we spent the night before heading to West Des Moines on the 27th.

Jude wearing Baba’s battery powered Santa hat

Jude and Anna were so happy to see their Iowa family again. The kids have been playing really well together for the most part and as always there has been lots of fun activities. There have been lots of games, breakfast at IHOP, a trip to the indoor trampoline park, a movie theatre outing and more. Jude, Nathan and I even went to play indoor golf in a simulator where we “played” Pebble Beach.

Breakfast at IHOP with Baba

There has been lots of playing around the house as well. The kids have been playing with Lola who at 16 years of age just keeps on going.

Sharing Lola’s favorite chair

The entrance to Cherokee Ranch and Castle

On September 4, 2004 Marcy and I got married at Cherokee Ranch about 30 minutes south of Denver. We had not been back there since…until yesterday. They now do a Christmas tea and so instead of the Brown Palace this year the family drove down to Sedalia to Cherokee Ranch and Castle.

In the Churchill Room amid the beautiful Christmas decorations

We had a delicious afternoon tea and then were treated to a tour of the Castle, something we did not do 14 years ago. It has an amazing history with more historic objects than most museums. The last owner of the ranch was a very well known and wealthy landowner who was invited to the coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1952 as well as the inauguration for Ronald Reagan. It has been hosting weddings and functions since after she died in 1999.

The cutest photo of the two kids that we have taken in a long time

We went up to the turret, where we took a bunch of photos 14 years ago. It was a lot colder but the view was still fantastic.

In the turret at the top of the Castle

On our way out we stopped in the courtyard which we found out used to be a pool several decades ago. It was where our ceremony took place.

Standing on the exact spot where we were married in 2004

On to more somber news. Our dear friend Jen Heth passed away on December 9th after a long fight with breast cancer, a disease she faced with amazing courage and grace. Her husband Rick, has been one of my best friends since I arrived in the US in 1991, Rick was in our wedding, and they were an integral part of “food group” our regular dinner party gathering. Her funeral was on Wednesday and it was an amazingly beautiful service. The church, where Rick and Jen have been regulars for a couple of decades, was packed with 600 people. She touched so many people and Marcy and I were blessed to call her a friend.

Jen Heth, with her husband Rick, taken at our engagement party in 2003

Friday night was the annual Briere Christmas Party and it was great that Rick decided to come along. We all had a lovely time and the kids enjoyed the food and of course the movies that are always on show. The kids had their latest night in a long time as we were the second last family to leave just after 10:30pm.

Marcy’s birthday dinner at Charcoal

Saturday was Marcy’s birthday. The weather was decent so Marcy wanted to spend some time outside. First, she wanted to clean up the trash on the main road near our house. She takes this walk regularly with Anna, walking her to school, and the amount of trash is quite staggering. We picked up about 10 trash bags full as well as five election signs that were on the side of the road.

Cleaning up trash along University Boulevard

In the afternoon we played soccer in the park with the neighbors. It was quite an epic game, it lasted a full 90 minutes and we were all delightfully exhausted in the end.

After the epic soccer match in the park

In the evening we walked down to South Gaylord Street and had dinner at Charcoal, a place where Marcy actually had her birthday lunch last year. We ordered a cheesecake for dessert and we all sang Happy Birthday.

Speaking of birthday’s, our neighbor Hilmar turned 80 this week. So the kids got together at his place to help him celebrate.

Our neighbor Hilmar celebrates his 80th birthday

Today, we went to get a Christmas tree. We usually like to wait until after Marcy’s birthday before we get fully into the Christmas decorating here. Anna and Marcy dressed the tree just like they always do with Marcy marveling at the age of some of these ornaments. This afternoon Anna and Marcy went to Wash Park to meet with one of Anna’s school friends and Jude and I played another game of soccer in the park.

Our Christmas tree for 2018

Anna showing her style on her first ski day of the season

We had a couple of special guests this week at our home. Our brother-in-law, Nathan, was out in Denver on business this week so Marcy’s sister, Mandy, came out to join him. They stayed at our house on Thursday night and then went up to the mountains for a long weekend.

On Saturday night Anna and I drove up to Keystone for our first ski day of the season. Anna had a birthday party Saturday afternoon and we headed up right after that. Sunday was a cold but mostly sunny day in Keystone and we had a great day on the slopes. It really wasn’t that crowded for a Sunday and Anna wanted to go non-stop. We did about 12 runs and were still done by 2:15pm; more accurately, my knees were done so we called it a day.

That evening Mandy and Nathan came over to our place in Keystone for dinner and what was the last night of their trip. We had takeout pizza before heading back down the mountain.

Sunday night pizza dinner in Keystone with Nathan and Mandy

Meanwhile in Denver today Marcy and Jude had a quiet day. They played a little soccer at the park, and Jude played baseball with the neighbors. Jude discovered a new favorite movie, Pants on Fire. And then in the afternoon, Jude went to a birthday party for a new school friend.