Anna helps with the frosting on her birthday cake for the party

We are into the first week of October now and that means only one thing in our house: Anna’s birthday is almost here. This year Anna decided she wanted to do an ice skating party. She invited all the girls from her first grade class as well as a few other select school friends and we headed to the DU ice rink late on Saturday afternoon.

Skating at Anna’s birthday party

We had about 16 kids join Anna on the ice, some were complete beginners while others had skated many times like Anna. But everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, especially Anna who was so excited all day about having her party.

Anna and her friends at the skating rink

After an hour on the ice it was upstairs for some dinner and cake. Anna chose Chipotle, so the food was good a hit with pretty much everyone. We all sang Happy Birthday, Anna blew out her candles and we all enjoyed some of Marcy’s delicious home made vanilla cake with vanilla frosting, per Anna’s request.

Just after Anna had blown out her candles

By 7pm it was all over and we had to leave. The DU staff were fantastic, they were all current students and they were friendly and very efficient and proactive. Most importantly, Anna had a great time.

Anna about to taste her birthday cake

Jude has been very patient with all this attention on Anna, much more so than in previous years. He really gets it this year, that the attention will move to him after Anna’s party but right now Anna is the center of attention a lot of the time.

Enjoying the ice at the DU hockey rink

This weekend wasn’t all about Anna. Jude had his regular soccer game on Saturday and flag football on Sunday. Their soccer team had their best game of the season and recorded their first win. Jude played quite well, but more importantly he had a good time.

Then today Jude had his best game of flag football ever. He was on fire. On the second play of the game Jude took a handoff all the way to the end zone for a touchdown. On their next possession Jude caught a pass and scored a key first down. Then shortly after that he scored another touchdown, this time on a pass, and he had to evade several defenders after the catch to reach the end zone. He also had several key defensive plays, two of which saved likely touchdowns. Jude’s team won and his coach named him MVP of the game. A good way to wrap up the weekend.

Anna had nebulizer treatments multiple times every day this week

It has been nearly a year and a half since Anna has had a bad enough respiratory illness that she needed the nebulizer. But on Tuesday morning this week Anna had a bad night coughing badly and her breath was really ragged. So, rather than wait and see how she did we decided to get aggressive and start her treatments right away. This meant keeping Anna home from school for three days and giving her treatments several times a day. And by the weekend she was pretty much back to normal.

Reading on a Saturday morning

Over the past few years I have spent many hundreds of hours reading with both kids sitting on my lap. It is one of my favorite things to do, but they are both getting so big now I am not sure how much longer we will be doing that. So, I asked Marcy to take this photo above.

Jude after his first flag football game of the season (that’s the mouthguard, not blue teeth)

Today was the first day of the the flag football season for Jude. He enjoyed the game, particularly given the fact that he scored his team’s only touchdown of the game.

Anna sporting her new visor

Playing one of their endless games in the basement

Most of the time Jude and Anna get along great. They will sometimes play together in the basement for hours creating imaginary games and adventures with their toys. These adventures will both have them sharing ideas with a sentence that begins with “How ’bout…”. It has become a bit of a standing joke with Marcy and I as we listen to them going back and forth with their games. This morning was one of those times. We had a quiet morning and Jude and Anna went down to the basement for several hours playing with their toys and once again creating these rich imaginary worlds.

Marcy and Anna share a kiss during a break in Jude’s soccer game

Today marked the start of Jude’s touch football season, although it was just a practice today, there was no game. For the next several weeks he is going to have soccer on Saturday and football on Sunday. While we were at Jude’s soccer game on Saturday Marcy snapped this really cute selfie of her and Anna above.

In front of Big Ben and Parliament House in London

I spent most of this week in London as we are gearing up for the next LendIt conference there is a few weeks. We stayed right across the river from Big Ben.

Jude in action in the first game of the fall season

After several weeks of practice, this weekend marked the opening of the soccer season. Jude is playing in a more competitive league this season with six players a side including a goalie. He enjoyed the game although he would liked to have had more playing time. With 10 players on the team he spends almost as much time on the sideline as he did on the field.

Jude showing off his new library books

Jude is settling in to school well. Every day when he comes home now he says that school was great. They are learning the Jewish traditions and holidays, so now Jude wants to do Shabbat on Friday nights where we bless some bread and have grape juice. He is also playing the viola now and this week the school library was opened to him for first time. He loves books and was excited to be able to go there and check out books. He has been practicing his reading every day and this weekend started reading through his new library books.

On the annual school field trip to Berry Patch Farms

Anna is also enjoying school. I chatted with her teacher this week, who Anna loves, and said that Anna is very engaged and is one of the most friendly students in the class. She is very inclusive and goes out of her way to make the others feel at home. She also says she enjoys school.

Last week they did the annual field trip to Berry Patch Farms. I think Anna has been there every year since she was two years old, because she used to tag alone with Jude’s preschool class back in the day. All the first graders picked berries and played on the farm equipment there.

Today, was the start of the football season and Jude was excited to see the Packers play and I was excited for the Broncos. But before there was any football we had to get out and do some exercise. I took Jude to the soccer field and we played a 30-minute one-on-one game (it is quite the workout for both of us). Then I came back and took Anna to the ice skating rink. Then we watched some football.

Jude and me on top of Grays Peak at 14,270′

In Colorado we have these mountains that we call fourteeners. These are mountains that are all 14,000 feet above sea level, there are 54 of them. Marcy and I have done several of these hikes individually and together, and we started talking about doing a family fourteener this summer. We decided that Anna was still a bit young for it so Jude and I took up the challenge.

We had a practice hike up a 13,000 foot mountain a few weeks back and Jude did great. So, I thought he was ready for the ultimate Colorado hiking challenge. Last night Jude and I drove up to Keystone and stayed at the condo. Then at first light this morning we were off to the trailhead.

On the way up Grays Peak at around 13,300′

It was cold when we started at 7:15am. Very cold. The car said 35 degrees as we were parking but there was a stiff breeze so with wind chill it was a lot colder than that. But Jude did great. He did not complain once and was a trooper even when the wind really picked up near the summit. We arrive at the summit at 11:30am, Jude was thrilled to have made it to the top on his first try. He was given a lot of encouragement from all the other hikers as he was one of the youngest on the mountain.

We made it back to the car at around 3:10pm and Jude skipped/ran the last 100 yards when he saw the car. I think I was in worse shape than he was at that point.

While we were doing our hike Marcy spent the day with Anna. They did lots of bike riding, partly because one of our cars is still having repairs for hail damage. One of the many places they rode today was to get their nails done. This is becoming a favorite activity for Marcy and Anna when I am out with Jude.

At the nail salon

Back to school for our new third and first graders

After two and a half months of summer vacation it was back to school for Jude and Anna on Wednesday this week. Both were eager to start although Anna was excited and nervous about starting first grade.

At Waldorf they make a very deal about the transition from kindergarten to first grade. There is a whole ceremony that happens where the school welcomes the first grader into the school, and they get to meet their eighth grade buddy. It is a really moving ceremony and we just loved it when Jude started first grade.

Anna did really well. She met her eighth grade buddy who she will be having lunch with once a week for whole school year. Anna walked in front of the whole school and received her rose from one of the 12th graders.

Anna receiving her rose at the special Rose Ceremony for first graders on the first day of school

One other big event this week, at least for Anna, was the arrival of her new bed. Up until now Anna had been using our old guest bed, which was a queen size bed, on the floor. She has wanted Marcy’s old bed, which was also Baba’s old bed, and we brought it back with us from Iowa last week. This week we ordered new mattresses and installed the bed in Anna’s room. She absolutely loves it.

Anna going to sleep in her new bed for the first time

Marcy has been talking about doing a camping trip for several years now. Well, this weekend was it. After a couple of trial runs in the backyard the kids were eager to try out camping for real. So, we drove to Keystone on Friday night and spent just one night at the condo. Then, early the next morning we staked out a camping spot along Peru Creek, which was about 8 miles from the condo.

Enjoying our first family camping trip sitting by the fire

We went for a hike that day and then spent several hours just playing around the campsite. Jude must have thrown at least 200 rocks into the river that was right by our site. But his highlight of the day was the golf ball he found. It was an old range ball and Jude decided that he wanted to crack it open. He proved to be very determined to do this. For the next hour or so he slammed down rocks on to that golf ball. I even helped him for a little but that ball would not crack. Then Jude had the idea of heating it up in the fire. We did that until it sizzled and then in one go the ball cracked open. It was a great evening’s entertainment.

Jude proudly shows off his broken golf ball

The night went fairly well. I slept with Jude in the two-person tent and then Marcy squeezed in with Anna into the one-person tent. It got pretty cold during the night and neither Anna nor I slept well at all. While it didn’t freeze it must have been very close to it as we all had our ski gear on in the morning. We all endured a 60 degree gain in temperature as we went from mid 30’s in the morning to mid 90’s when we were back in Denver that afternoon.

Warming up by the fire on a cold morning

Finally, we need to mention Carrot, Jude’s new Leopard Gecko. He loves it. He takes it out every day and plays with it – he even kisses it now when he does this. He has such a soft heart for animals and it is brings him immense pleasure.

Jude taking out Carrot from her cage

The five cousins playing in the pool

The kids look forward to this trip every year – the annual summer visit to Des Moines. We drove out for 10 days to spend some time with our Iowa family. Like every year within five minutes of arriving the kids are in the pool. Then they spend most of the next 10 days in or around the pool.

With the twins getting older now, they are nearly five, I noticed this trip all five kids would play together more than ever before. They get along really well, for the most part, and really enjoy each other’s company.

Water balloon fights in the front yard

This trip Marcy and I decided to head away for a few nights to New York for a real vacation. We had a blast just wandering around the city, walking through Central Park, visiting museums, seeing a Broadway show, nice dinners and relaxing in the hotel pool. We crammed a lot into just three days and we left with a new appreciation for New York. Marcy even commented that she would like to spend a year there some time when the kids have left home.

A sunset dinner at the Rainbow Room on top of the Rockefeller Center in New York City

We flew back to Des Moines Wednesday night and had an exciting reunion with the kids at the airport. Just one more day in Des Moines and then we had to say our goodbyes. We drove back on Friday so we could be at the back to school picnics for Anna and Jude that were both held at the school yesterday.

Saying our goodbyes as we leave to drive back to Denver

Today was quite a big day. This morning we had the Stapleton Kids Triathlon. We missed out on this one last year and Jude in particular was really looking forward to it. It was their second triathlon, so they both knew what to expect. Jude was determined to do well and put in a huge effort to come 13th in his age group out of about 30 kids. Anna also tried really hard, she did great on the bike but was really tired on the run leg. Afterwards, Jude said that he wants to do more triathlons next year, Anna was less keen.

With their medals and gifts after the Stapleton Kids Triathlon

Jude has had a countdown on our wall for the past six weeks. This was not for back to school, or even for the Iowa trip, it was for his new leopard gecko. Jude wants a dog but we decided that wasn’t practical for now, so instead he chose a leopard gecko for his new pet. He named it Carrot because it is a Hypo Carrot Tail Leopard Gecko and he loves it so much already. He spent 20 minutes before he went to bed tonight just lying down next to its cage staring at it.

Jude with Carrot, his new Leopard Gecko

Enjoying some mango on the hammock on a hot summer’s day

It has been a good last couple of weeks with not a whole lot scheduled. While the kids did have half-day camps the first week, last week, when I was in California for a retreat, was completely open.

At Elitch’s after a fun filled afternoon

Last week I took an afternoon off work and we all went to Elitch’s, the big amusement park in Denver. They also have a water park there and being a hot day we spent a lot of time in that area. The highlight of the day for me was doing this really scary swing ride from 150 feet in the air with Anna, who was just tall enough to do it. I think I was more scared than Anna to do it.

Hanging out by the Snake River in Keystone

Marcy took the kids up to Keystone for a night while I was gone, mainly because Jude really loves the tennis lessons there. But they also took some time to go exploring by the river near out condo.

Camping in the backyard

We are planning to go camping in a few weeks so Marcy thought it would be a good idea to get the tents out and give the kids some practice. As expected it was late to bed and early to rise so the kids were pretty tired the next day but they did enjoy it. They also enjoyed making s’mores and roasting marshmallows over our gas firepit.

Roasting marshmallows for S’mores over the gas firepit

The big event to happen while I was away was that Anna got her ears pierced. She has been wanting to get this done for ages and we said that if she could brush her hair morning and night without any fuss for 30 days straight she could get it done. Well, truth be told she has been doing this for months now but only called Marcy on it this past week. She said it “hurt a little” but she was very a happy camper.

Anna with her newly pierced ears

I got home on Saturday night and today we had nothing organized. So I asked the kids what they wanted to do today they said to go to the zoo. So, we rode our bikes and spent the morning there. They had a very cool lego exhibit with all kinds of creatures made entirely from Legos. It was very impressive. On the way home we spent some time at the museum, it was the first time I had been there in months.

By the wolf and bunny made of Legos

Playing kickball at the Keystone Science School camp

We were up in Keystone all week as the kids had another week of camp at Keystone Science School. This time the theme was sports and they played all kinds of different games, learned about new sports and learned some the science of sports. Jude went to a Rockies game in Denver one day and Anna went ice skating one day. On Thursday they have Family Night so Marcy and went and we all played a big game of kickball.

Family night at the Keystone Science School

It had been a while since I had taken the kids on a special date. Saturday was the day. Jude told me that he wanted to climb a mountain on our date so we got up bright and early on Saturday for that. I found a hike that looked reasonable, a 2 mile climb up Revenue Mountain (elev. 12,889 ft), outside of Keystone. The first half was relatively easy, following a four wheel drive trail. But the second half was tough. We couldn’t find the trail so we just scrambled up the steep slope and the rocks were unstable at times. We took it slowly and made it to the top in 2 3/4 hours. It was a tough hike but Jude barely complained and had plenty of energy left.

Jude on top of Revenue Mountain (12,889 ft), his longest and hardest hike ever

One of the great things about this hike is that we went past many abandoned mines. They used to mine silver in the area in the late 19th century. Jude was very curious about the old mines so we stopped and looked several times at some of these ruins. In one of them Jude found an old tin can that had been opened. Since mining has been been gone from here for over 100 years we estimated this was quite the old relic.

Jude holding a 100+ year old tin can

Jude declared after the hike that it was the best Jude and Daddy date ever. He did great on the hike and he had more energy than I did on the way day down. He even broke into a run at one point near the bottom. We completed the entire hike in 4 hours and 20 minutes. I said to Jude that I think he is ready for a fourteener which we will try and do later in the summer.

Ice Skating on an Anna and Daddy date

We drove back to Denver on Saturday afternoon and then it was time for an Anna and Daddy date. Anna wanted to go ice skating so we went to the DU hockey rink. Anna really loves skating so we had a nice time, she is more steady on her skates than I am. After skating I took Anna out to a nice restaurant on Old South Gaylord.

Today the kids had a swim meet and then hung out at home for the rest of the day.

All the cousins on their trek to Lily Pad Lake (in the rain)

A lot has happened these past couple of weeks. Two weeks ago at this time we were in Keystone with the Dahlen family. Nathan and I played some golf while Marcy, Mandy and the kids went to Lily Pad Lake one day. It was not a great day weather-wise and the kids all got soaked, but not until after they had made it to the lake.

On Thursday, I had to wish everyone goodbye as I had to travel to Shanghai for a work trip. The Dahlens all left on Thursday as well so Marcy decided to come back home to Denver as well. It was another great family trip in Keystone.

The Shanghai skyline taken from our Sunday evening restaurant.

The kids had half-day tennis camp last week while I was away. One afternoon Anna had an appointment with her doctor where she received a gift for completing her chart. This marks six weeks with no thumb sucking. Anna has been a champ here with not one slip up since her first appointment. As a reward Anna received ballet shoes from Marcy and beautiful fake nails from her doctor. She was very proud, as well she should be.

Anna showing off her new ballet shoes

I returned a day late from Shanghai after my original flight was canceled but was home by Friday afternoon. On Saturday morning we went to the “Insectival” at the Butterfly Pavilion. They have tons of stuff for the kids to do there and Jude really enjoyed the fishing for crawdads. He spent a good hour doing this, catching and then releasing the crustaceans.

Jude showing off his crawdad catch at the Insectival

Yesterday afternoon we hung out at home and the kids played. We had some rain and they took advantage of his by creating mud-balls in the garden beds, they even created a “mud-man” kind of like a mini snowman.

Playing in the mud in the garden bed

Today we had a swim meet so it was up super early. In fact this was our home swim meet so Marcy and I got to volunteer so we were at the pool by 6:30am. Once again the kids had a great time and they got a kick out of the fact that Marcy was a timer and I was the starter so we were very much involved in the day.

At the JCC Swim Meet

This afternoon we packed up everything and came back up to Keystone. The kids have another week of Keystone Science School and I will be working from here this week.