Olive at the Vet hospital after surgery to her fractured leg

A lot happened this week. But the biggest news of the week concerned Olive. It all started with a tree, or more precisely a hole in the ground for the tree. We wanted to plant a tree in the backyard so we dug a hole but discovered a sprinkler line. So, we left the hole while Marcy worked to re-route the line. In the meantime it became a play area for Olive as she jumped in and out of this hole many times. Until one time she jumped in the hole and immediately started yelping and she didn’t stop. She could put no weight on it so Marcy called the vet and took her in. Sure enough x-rays showed two fractures.

Olive arrives home from hospital

She went to the vet hospital on Thursday night and had surgery on Friday. We all went to see her Friday night and she was a bit groggy and looked really sad. We kept her there overnight to give her a little time to recover from the surgery and we picked her up on Saturday morning,.She had no energy on Saturday but by this morning she was hopping around the backyard on three legs.

On our new trampoline before the safety netting was put up

We also got a new trampoline this week. Everyone, including some of the neighbor kids, helped put it together although Marcy did the lions share of the work. It has already been a big hit with Jude and Anna jumping on it every day and having a blast.

Anna with her end of elementary school ice cream cake

Anna finished up fourth grade a couple of weeks ago and we finally got around to getting her celebratory ice cream cake. At Ricks she will be in middle school next year as it starts in fifth grade. So, like we did for Jude last year, we all celebrated with an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen.

Marcy with the now infamous crimson maple tree

Before Olive came back from hospital Marcy had planted the tree and filled in the hole where Olive got hurt. It is a beautiful tree but will always be associated with the injury to Olive.

At the golf course on Fathers Day

Today being Fathers Day, I got to do whatever I wanted. I decided that I wanted to head to the golf course with Jude and Anna. Marcy stayed home with Olive. We headed to CommonGround Golf Course where they have a nice Par-3. It was filled with other dads playing with their kids. We had a nice time with both kids playing decent golf.

This afternoon was a big deal for Anna. She headed to Geneva Glen for her first ever two week sleep-away camp. This camp is quite famous in Denver, it is almost 100 years old, and supposedly one of the top camps there is — some families have had multiple generations attend camp there. Jude and I said goodbye to Anna, and Marcy drove her to camp this afternoon. She has a good friend from the Waldorf School going but otherwise she won’t know anybody. It is going to be strange not having her around for the next couple of weeks.

Finally, my last fun part of Fathers Day was watching the US Open. I was able to sit and watch pretty much the entire final round starting with the leaders. It was a real treat.

Fresh off her first grooming

Olive received her first grooming this week and she came home as soft and cuddly as a teddy bear. There was no soccer or other sporting activities this weekend. Although Jude did have a babysitting class all day Saturday. He wasn’t all that keen on going but he committed to it a few weeks back as he is thinking about ways to make money this summer. He didn’t hate the day and he did come out of it with his babysitting certificate.

Jude saying goodnight to Olive

Saturday was a quiet day for Anna and me. We spent most of the morning at home with Olive but then took her to the Cherry Creek farmers market, where she met dozens of people and a lot of dogs as well. She was a big hit and was in constant demand the entire time we were there. We came home and she was exhausted and happy to be put in her crate. Saturday night we walked down to Reivers for dinner, a bit of a reward for Jude for completing the babysitting class.

Sunday, we did some work in the yard. We dug a hole for a new tree but discovered our sprinkler line straight down the middle of the yard so we had to postpone that project. Then in the afternoon Anna did some more work for her lawn care and gardening service. We also started to assemble our new trampoline which was delivered this week.

We ended the week with Food Group at our good friend Rick’s house. It was a lovely time but a little bittersweet as it was the first one hosted at their house since Jen passed away six months ago.

The five girls in Winter Park

Anna finished school at lunch time on Friday. Then she came home and drove to Winter Park with Marcy. There was a sleepover birthday party for one of her school friends who has a place in Winter Park. A couple of moms went along as well including Marcy. Jude and I stayed home, ordered pizza and watched a movie.

Anna and Marcy in the woods in Winter Park

Jude’s soccer team had their annual end of season tournament at Aurora Sports Park. They had three games and because they were undefeated they also made it to the final. Unfortunately, they lost the final but it was a great tournament for them, they have improved so much over this season.

Jude relaxing with Olive after a soccer game

Anna and Marcy went to see Wicked on Saturday afternoon and they both loved it. It was a pretty crazy day for Anna. She started the morning in Winter Park, had to drive back down to Denver and then quickly get changed to go downtown to see Wicked. Meanwhile Jude and I were at the soccer fields most of the weekend.

They had a weather delay in the soccer which meant Jude’s first game today was at 7am so it was a bright and early start for the two of us this morning. He had two more games, at 11am and 4pm so he was pretty tired at the end of it.

Olive loved the snow

We often get a May snowstorm or two in Denver and this past week we had, what will likely be, the last snow of the season. It was just a couple of inches and only stuck to the grass but it gave Olive a chance to get acquainted with the fluffy white stuff.

Anna with her two school friends presenting their business idea

Anna’s class has been studying entrepreneurship and business and for the culmination of this unit they had to present their business idea along with prototypes of their product. Anna’s group chose a business called CampItOut and they had two products; one was an Alumi-Blanket (a blanket lined with aluminum foil to help campers stay warm) and a “Bag-o-Matic” that was a warming and drying bag for wet clothes. Marcy and I went to school to see her group present their business.

On the Continental Divide atop A-Basin

They have been getting great snow in the mountains even this past week so Anna and I decided to get one last day of skiing in. Keystone closed six weeks ago but our pass is also good at Arapahoe Basin which is just five miles away. We drove up Saturday afternoon and stayed at our condo. We were up bright and early Sunday and were on the slopes by 9am. It was a little crusty in the early morning but by 10:30am it was warm and the snow softened up. We had a great day. Anna skied Pallavicini (twice), a double black and one of the steepest runs in Colorado.

Anna about to tackle one of the steepest runs in Colorado

Meanwhile back in Denver Jude and Marcy were having a fun time with Olive. Jude donated one of his old socks to Olive and they had an amazing tug of war with their teeth.

A teeth tug-of-war between Jude and Olive (and yes Olive is airborne)

We also got out the old kids pool and gave Olive a good soaking after she spent a lot of the afternoon playing in the grass and mud. Jude even got in on the act.

Jude joined Olive for a backyard bath

Arriving ay Union Station in Denver 

This weekend Baba and the Des Moines cousins, Lily, Ella and Chloe caught the train out from Iowa to Denver. Lily and Baba had done this before but the twins had not. It is an overnight train and a big adventure for everyone. The train was supposed to leave before 8pm but it didn’t end up leaving until 11:30pm so they were late getting in to Denver.

We had a surprise for the twins when they got here. They didn’t know we had a puppy so they were so surprised when Jude and I answered the door with Olive in our arms. Anna had baked chocolate cookies to welcome them all so we all had them for dessert that evening, along with ‘hamburgers’ (cupcakes) from Baba’s neighbor Ruth.

All five cousins with their desserts

Speaking of dinner, it was quite a production on Saturday night. We had chili for dinner but the girls prepared printed menus and put a lot of effort into preparing the rest of the meal.

Sitting down to a lovely Saturday night dinner

Today, Anna had a soccer game in the morning so we all went out to cheer her on. It was her last game of the season and once again Anna had a great game but her team narrowly lost. They all went for lunch at Noodles afterward. I picked Anna up from there and she went straight to a school friend’s birthday party.

Anna’s Skyline soccer team

The kids all had a great weekend. Olive was a hit with everyone and she was exhausted at the end of each day. And the girls all wanted Jude’s attention this trip and even a big fight broke out over who would sit next to him in the car. We have all really appreciated their visit but they all leave on the train home tomorrow night.

Jude and Ella arm in arm

Marcy spent part of Mothers Day working in the yard

This weekend was dominated by kids sport. Both Jude and Anna had soccer games on Saturday and Jude also had a track meet. So, we had to divide and conquer. Jude had a 9am game at Dicks Sporting Goods park so he and I were on way before 8am. Jude had probably his best game of the season in a closely fought 0-0 draw. We barely had time for a quick lunch and then it was on to the track meet.

Jude running down the final stretch in his 400m race

Jude ran in the 1600m and 400m races. The 1600m was first and he did well coming in 5th out to 10 kids. His time was 6:29, pretty good for a mile. In the 400m Jude came third and ran a great race. He said as we were leaving, “That was so fun”. So, he will be doing track again I expect.

Anna looking after Olive on her way to soccer

Today was Mother’s Day. Marcy wanted to spend as much of the day in the yard and both Jude and Anna had makeup soccer games. I decided to take Olive along to both games to keep socializing her and also to make sure Marcy was able to get some things done. Anna played her best game of the season today and was very unlucky not to score a goal. She was playing so well that the coach never subbed her off. Jude played in the afternoon and they had another good win. With seven wins, one draw and one loss Jude’s team won their league.

After presenting to Anna’s 4th grade class at Ricks

On Monday, my week started off with a presentation to Anna’s class. They are doing a unit on business and finance, so I came to talk to them about starting a business and we also played a fun little business game that Anna and I devised. It seemed to go over quite well.

Saying goodbye to the play set that has been part of their lives for the past six years

This week we said goodbye to the play set. We got this back in 2013 at our old house and the kids got hundreds of hours of use out of it. But they have pretty much grown out of it now so Marcy put an ad on Nextdoor and someone came to dismantle it and take it away. Now, another family will get to enjoy hundreds of hours of fun.

Getting ready for the cotillion dance

I was in London this week so Marcy had to manage the puppy and the kids all by herself. While Olive is doing great she is a 9 week old puppy and as such is a lot of work. The good news is that she is sleeping well.

Yesterday both Jude and Anna had their soccer games and then last night one of our neighbors did a sleepover with Anna. Then today, Anna and I took Olive to Paw School for some pre-agility training. She did well and Anna had fun leading Olive through the obstacles.

The opening dance at cotillion

Then this afternoon we all got dressed up and went downtown to the ballroom at the Brown Palace hotel for the end of term cotillion dance. Parents and siblings were invited.

Two siblings dancing together…warms their parents hearts

When it came time for Anna to chose a partner from her family she chose Jude. He reluctantly agreed and they danced the first number together. Then it was my turn.

Dancing with my girl

Afterwards, we celebrated with dinner at Elways. Marcy had to leave early to tend to Olive who had been left alone for the longest time since we had got here.

Olive still loves to stick close by most of the time

Jude and Anna play with Olive for the first time

After over a year of thinking about it and weeks of planning we finally picked up our new puppy on Wednesday. Marcy and Anna drove up past Fort Collins to pick up Olive and brought her back to her new home. The kids fell in love with her right away with Jude calling her an angel when he first saw her. Anna met her last week and then did the drive with Marcy.

What a cutie

I was in New York until Thursday night so I missed the first 24+ hours. But Marcy got a decent night’s sleep that first night, it certainly could have been worse. In fact she has been a great puppy so far. Marcy has spent a lot of time reading up on dog training and we have her on a schedule and we get her up once a night to go to the bathroom and she has been pretty good then sleeping through until sunrise.

In full flight…Olive loves to run

Needless to say our weekend revolved around Olive. We took her to Anna’s soccer game but unfortunately dogs were not allowed on the ground. So Jude and Marcy took turns looking after her. Jude’s soccer game was a 45 minute drive on Saturday so Olive stayed home. And then Anna, Jude and I went to see Avengers End Game on Saturday afternoon which we all enjoyed. That was actually the second time in two days Jude saw the movie, he also went to a Friday showing given he was off school all week for Spring Break.

My favorite photo of the week

This morning, while Marcy was at the gym Anna, Jude and I played with Olive for a solid 90 minutes. She loved it but tired herself out and she was pretty listless for the next several hours. She was happy to be in her crate for the rest of the morning.

Olive loves to bite so Anna is trying to get her to chew her stick

We forgot to celebrate Anna’s half birthday on April 7 and I was out of town anyway. So, on Friday we all went to the donut place by Anna’s school where she enjoyed her now traditional half-birthday donut.

Anna with her half-birthday donut

Easter morning, excited to get some treats and presents

This weekend was all about soccer on Saturday as both Jude and Anna had games. We all went to both games and this took up most of the day. Both kids played well and enjoyed their games.

But this weekend was all about Easter. The kids were both really excited about it and even though we told them to not get out of bed until 7am they were both up by 6:30am and keen to get downstairs. Marcy had created beautiful Easter baskets filled with treats and gifts as you can see above.

Jude eating treats and reading his new book with Picky

There was an Easter egg hunt in the backyard with dozens of eggs filled with treats or money. Again Marcy was up until quite late getting all this together. And the kids were just as excited as ever to go racing around the backyard collecting eggs.

Anna doing a performance on the Karaoke machine with our neighbor Elsie

We usually get the kids one big gift at Easter and this year Anna got a Karaoke machine which she loved. She spent half the day singing along to her favorite songs. Jude got a Nintendo Switch, something he has been wanting for a long time. We played FIFA 19, the soccer game, for much of the afternoon.

Anna with our new dog Olive Rose

The excitement has been building in our family for weeks now. This Wednesday we officially become dog owners when we pick up our new addition to the family. Olive Rose Renton will be eight weeks when we bring her home and we are all excited (except Pickles the cat, who has no idea how her world will change). Next weekend we will report how our first few days have done. We are going in with our eyes wide open expecting this will be a challenging first year.

Opening up the LendIt Fintech USA 2019 conference with my partner, Bo Brustkern

My annual conference happened this past week so I have been out of town for the past eight days. Marcy came out and we went down to Half Moon Bay again after the big event. Our annual conference went well but as always I was glad when it was over as it was a huge amount of work.

On the 16th tee at Half Moon Bay Ocean Course

Marcy’s parents arrived in Denver on Tuesday and then she flew out to San Francisco the following day. I met her at the airport and then we drove down to the Ritz-Carlton at Half Moon Bay. We had a wonderful time. We spent a lot of time in the spa, we went for walks around town and up and down the coast.

Enjoying a wine tasting bar on Friday afternoon

We did a lot of walking. It was almost a four mile walk along the coast into the town of Half Moon Bay and we did that walk pretty much every day.

Walking on the trail south of the hotel, the ocean views are spectacular

Meanwhile Jude and Anna were with Baba and Grandpa. Of course, they had school Wednesday to Friday but that didn’t stop them from going out for ice cream every day.

Enjoying ice cream every day with Baba and Grandpa

They also watched a lot of movies as many of the rules were relaxed with Baba and Grandpa in charge.

More ice cream

We arrived home this afternoon just in time to see Anna get off to Cotillion class. Jude had a soccer game so I drove up to Boulder to watch the second half of that game.

It was ’50’s night at Cotillion