School’s out for summer! Anna with some classmates on the last day of school

The kids have been literally counting down the days until school got out for over a month. And this past Friday the day finally arrived. Jude and Anna are both very excited about the summer and are happy to be done with school. Anna celebrated with a class party at a neighborhood and Jude’s class had a picnic in the park.

Jude with the team trophy and his medal after winning their soccer tournament

This weekend was mostly about soccer. Jude’s soccer team had a tournament to close their season. They have been improving steadily throughout the year and they really put it together for this tournament. They went through undefeated and dominated their opponent in the final winning 11-0. Jude scored three goals over the weekend including a good penalty kick in the final.

Jude’s team and coaches after their final win

On Saturday afternoon/evening we had a block party. We blocked off the street and everyone contributed food and drink. While we have met a few of the neighbors over the last six months it was good to meet many more. What is good is that pretty much all the kids on our block are between the ages of 5 and 12 so there is a lot of potential for playmates, although there are more boys than girls.

Anna and Jude in a scooter race – they are actually going quite fast

Part of the evening was an impromptu scooter race with some of the neighbor kids. It started off as just a friendly race and became quite competitive as the afternoon wore on. After literally a couple of hours of races, we were about to call it quits and then Anna has a pretty bad fall. She scraped her knee and hand pretty badly and was in considerable pain. It was a bummer of an end to a great day.

Anna wearing the new dress she made in sewing class

Anna has been taking sewing classes for several months now and she loves it. She can operate a sewing machine quite well now and she has made all kinds of great things in her classes. This past week she was very excited because she made her very first dress – she designed and sewed it together. Of course, she showed it off on the second last day of school this week.

Anna taking a liking to the Briere’s chickens

We had nothing much planned for Memorial Day weekend but it ended up being quite a full and enjoyable weekend. We started off with an impromptu dinner gathering with our new neighbors. There are two families who have kids around the same age as ours and we have gotten to know them quite well over the last six months. We invited everyone over here for burgers and beers. It was a lovely way to kick off the weekend.

Saturday morning was all about a big soccer match in the UK. Arsenal was playing Chelsea in the FA Cup final and Jude was super excited to watch it. He invited a couple of his school friends over, donned his Arsenal jersey and sat glued to the TV for a couple of hours. The goods news is that Arsenal won 2-1, Jude was thrilled.

We also went and saw some chickens at Phil & Denise’s house. They have had chickens for years and told us they wanted to offload a couple. We had been talking about getting chickens on and off over the years but this weekend we decided to take the plunge. Marcy ordered a chicken coop and so next weekend we will get our chickens.

Marcy and Anna saw the play The Secret Garden downtown

Sunday morning we decided to walk down to Devil’s Food for breakfast. We had not all gone out to breakfast since we moved in and Devil’s Food used to be one of our favorite places when we lived in Wash Park many years ago. It was still really good.

After that Marcy took Anna downtown on the train to see a play called The Secret Garden. Meanwhile Jude and I went to play Putt Putt at our local course. Jude is getting much better and we had an epic game where I only just beat him. He loves a good competition.

Jude on the bungee at the South Gaylord Street Fair

Today we hung out at home in the morning and then went to the South Gaylord Street Fair in the afternoon. They have all sorts of kids activities and then of course, there is the cotton candy and sno-cones as well. Jude and Anna took turns at the bungee and were very lucky to get their turn in before the rains came. It poured for about half an hour which put a damper on the fair.

Jude and Anna playing a focused game of baseball in the park

The weather cleared up and Jude wanted to go play baseball in the park. We just bought a bat and we have some gloves and a ball now, all from our local used sports gear store, so we went down to the park to play our first game of family baseball. It was a lot of fun and a great way to end the weekend.

Midnight Oil at the Paramount Theatre

Finally, I must mention our night out this week to see Midnight Oil. This was a band I grew up with and saw many times in Sydney. They were a big part of my youth and I hadn’t seen them in over 15 years. Marcy bought great tickets, we booked a baby sitter, and we went out downtown to the Paramount Theatre. It was fantastic. I first saw them live 33 years ago and they still have the same great energy today.

Playing Jude’s new table baseball game

For the first time in at least five years Marcy went away for the weekend. She attended a health and fitness conference in Austin. So, Thursday night she left and spent a long weekend away. So, it was just the three of us this weekend.

To top this all off Anna was sick on Thursday and had to come home from school. There was strep throat going around her class and sure enough she awoke on Friday morning feeling lousy with a really sore throat. She obviously didn’t go to school, so I took her to the doctor and sure enough she had strep. So, we had a pretty low key day Friday which was good considering the weather – it was a cold and snowy day.

Enjoying chocolate sorbet at Glacier

Saturday Anna was feeling much better so after a quiet morning playing Jude’s new table baseball game we all ventured off on a bike ride. First to Chipotle for lunch and then to their favorite ice cream place, Glacier. It was quite the ride, probably 6-8 miles in all and Anna was pooped afterwards.

Marcy had recently bought a foosball table that was on sale and it arrived this weekend. So, Anna and I spent several hours putting it all together and it was ready to go on Sunday morning. We played several games on that today. We walked down to lunch at the Gaylord block and then we bought a baseball glove for Anna. We bought Jude one a couple of weeks ago so Anna really wanted one to. We then went to the park to play catch.

Our final fun part of the weekend was a visit to the local putt-putt golf place – we took one of the neighbor kids who was playing with Anna and Jude today. Overall, we had a nice weekend although the kids missed Marcy a lot.

Jude and one of his school friends at Bent’s Fort

This was an unusual week. Jude had a two night field trip with his class to Bent’s Fort, on the Santa Fe Trail, the oldest fort in Colorado dating back to 1833. Jude’s class has been studying Colorado history and they have read about this fort. So, the class took a field trip down to La Junta in southeast Colorado which is the closest town to this fort. Marcy accompanied Jude along with several other parents. They all slept at the Koshare Indian Museum in La Junta, and with 24 kids and 10 adults in one large space, both Marcy and Jude arrived home a little worn out. Thankfully we had a quiet weekend to recover.

Anna on the class field trip to White Ranch Park in Golden

So, I was at home with Anna, it was just the two of us. Coincidentally, Anna had a field trip on Thursday of this week and I accompanied her class – the first time I had been on a field trip with her class. The class went on a hike to White Ranch Park which is near Golden. We did a solid 4-mile hike and then had lunch back at the trailhead. Anna did great, she even ran some of the hike both up and down.

Playing tennis on Mother’s Day

Today was Mother’s Day and it was a gorgeous weather. We did a ton of yard work – weeding, mowing, pulling dandelions and just spending time outside. I bought Jude a baseball mitt this weekend so we spent a lot of time throwing the baseball as well. Then this afternoon we went on a bike ride around the park and we played another family tennis match at the local courts. It ended with a lovely sushi dinner at one of our favorite restaurants.

Jude walking around the Maypole at the school MayFest celebration

Friday was a big afternoon at school. It started at 2pm with the school assembly where the kids all performed for the parents. There was a variety of performances, from reciting poetry to singing and dancing. Then there was MayFest from 3pm – 6pm with lots of fun activities for the kids including walking around the Maypole.

Anna made herself a floral headband at MayFest

I missed both the afternoon festivities because I was flying back from London but I did get to the main event which was the high school concert. This started at 6pm and involved the 3rd through 5th graders as well as the high school performing with their string instruments. Jude’s class got to participate in Ode to Joy with the high schoolers and they did a great job.

I brought a genuine Arsenal jersey back from England for Jude

This weekend was mostly about soccer. Jude had two matches on Saturday and one on Sunday. They won all three quite easily – the team has really come together well and they are now in first place in their division. This marked the last weekend of their games and they will find out the final standings after next weekend. Anna had one game on Saturday morning and she still has a couple of weeks to go.

I bought Jude an Arsenal jersey on this trip – he wanted Mesud Ozil, No. 11 for Arsenal and I had to go to the stadium in North London to get it. Anna wanted a book on the Queen which I got from a local bookstore.

Anna in her hyena outfit for her school play

On Friday afternoon I left work early to head to school for Anna’s second grade play. It was called, “Who’s in Rabbit’s House?” and the kids were all excited about performing it for the parents. They had already done several performances for other grades in the school and this was their finale. Anna did really well and enjoyed acting as a hyena on the prowl.

Anna showing her snowboarding skills on the sledding hill by our house

They had been talking about this Saturday snow storm all week here in Denver. On Friday night we had a parents night with the fourth grade. It had started snowing by the time we left the party and it continued to come down all night and throughout the day on Saturday. Soccer was obviously canceled so we spent most of the day at home.

As happens most of the time after a snowstorm here we awoke on Sunday to beautiful clear skies. Many of the neighborhood kids had gathered at the sledding hill by our house and had sleds and snowboards out. Anna put her ski pants on over her nice dress and joined them for about an hour. Jude decided to stay home to watch the Arsenal game on TV, and save his energy for the main event of the day: ninjas.

Jude and David enjoying themselves on the obstacle course

Sunday afternoon was spent at DU in their main area. The Wolfpack Ninja Warriors were in town and they had lessons, demonstrations and a competition. Basically, it is an obstacle course with all kinds of challenging exercises. Marcy signed up Jude and Anna for the kids program and some of their classmates joined in as well. We all walked over from our house to the arena. They all had a great time doing the obstacles. Jude was particularly obsessed with this one climbing wall where you had to run and jump to try and get to the top. He spent literally an hour non stop on this exercise.

Jude focused on making it up the wall

Anna had two friends from school there who actually watched the TV show and who knew many of the pro athletes. They recognized many people and all the stars were gracious enough to pose for photos with the girls. Anna also saw the person she met when she went to a demonstration about a year ago.

Anna showing her strength and skill on the climbing log

Anna and Riley go to their first baking class

The kids went back to school on Wednesday with just over five weeks left until summer break. Both kids were happy to be returning to school.

We had a pretty busy weekend. Saturday morning we had a meeting with the 4th grade parents at school. Then Jude had a soccer game about an hour’s drive north in Longmont. Anna was supposed to have a soccer game in Denver but it was canceled after we had a bit of rain Friday night. Then we went to Marcy’s gym to workout and then it was out to dinner at a local burger place.

On the roof of Marcy’s work with beautiful views of the mountains

Sunday morning Anna had a baking class with one of her friends from school. Marcy and Anna rode their bikes to the class while Jude and I stayed home to watch the FA Cup semi final with Arsenal and Manchester City (Arsenal won 2-1). Anna made some cupcakes and a delicious apple strudel. And she tried her hand at chocolate cake when she arrived home.

Sunday afternoon Jude had his final cotillion class for the year. This was a special event downtown at the Brown Palace Hotel. All the family was invited except for younger siblings which was disappointing for Anna although she ended up having a makeup soccer game so it worked out ok.

At the Brown Palace Hotel about to start the final cotillion class

Jude has not loved cotillion but he has been a good sport about it for the most part. The final cotillion class was a dance. The kids all danced together for a while showing off the moves they have learned during the class. Then the parents were invited to join in and Jude danced with Marcy for a while. Jude did not really love the dancing part, even with Marcy, but he did everything just the same, and by the last dance they were laughing and having fun.

Jude and Marcy on the Cotillion dance floor

Hiking at Mt. Falcon during Spring Break

The kids were off school this week on Spring Break. Marcy planned very little for the week, as we were all looking forward to slowing down for a while. There was a hike up Mt. Falcon, and a couple sleepovers, Anna went to a birthday party and of course, there was the usual week time activity of soccer practice (twice a week for both kids) and gymnastics and sewing classes for Anna. I was home on Tuesday so I hung out with them a bit and took them to lunch while Marcy went to work.

The annual ritual of dyeing Easter Eggs…with Jude being goofy

Then, of course, there was Easter. Both kids were as excited as ever for Easter. Anna made some presents for all of us and on Saturday they got out all the dye and spent the morning decorating Easter eggs.

On an Anna and Daddy date at Red Rocks

Saturday afternoon I took Anna on one of our “Anna and Daddy” dates. It had been a long time and Anna decided that she wanted to go hike at Red Rocks and then go to Casa Bonita for dinner. This was the same thing we did a couple of years ago when Anna first went to Casa Bonita – this is the restaurant where they have the cliff divers. We got there early (around 5pm) to avoid the long lines and Anna had a blast as always.

Jude focused on filling his basket in our backyard Easter Eggs hunt

Easter morning arrived and the kids were quite excited. They had a full Easter basket by the fireplace with all kinds of goodies Marcy had picked up. After a wholesome breakfast it was time for the Easter Egg hunt in the backyard. There were dozens of eggs in the backyard, enough for several baskets full. Both kids were focused on filling their baskets as quickly as they could.

All the Easter Eggs lay open on the dining room table – chocolate and cash abounds

The rest of Easter Sunday was spent playing in the park and working in the yard. While Jude and I played Frisbee with the neighbors Marcy and Anna went to the store to get some plants. We didn’t really like what the builder had done and many of our shrubs were dead and dying. So we ripped them up and planted some new ones.

Jude on the attack

Today marked the official beginning of the Spring soccer season with both kids having multiple games this weekend. Jude had a game each on Saturday and Sunday while Anna had two games yesterday. Jude’s drew one game and lost the other while Anna’s team lost one and won the other. But more importantly they both had a blast. Anna particularly is enjoying soccer much more this year. She is on a new team with some of the girls in her class and loves it.

Anna playing her first game of the season

Jude and Anna have been playing soccer in the backyard quite a bit the last couple of weeks. Jude has even been giving Anna some instructions which she really appreciates. It makes a nice change from the bickering that has become a big part of their interactions lately.

On the big blue bear’s paw outside the convention center

This morning we went to the annual Denver Car Show. This has become an annual tradition where I take the kids to see all the cars. Jude loves the sports cars while Anna likes to sit in pretty much any new car. We were only able to stay for a an hour and a half because we had to get Jude to his soccer game.

Sitting in the back of a new Ford F-150 pickup

This afternoon I watched my favorite TV show of the year – the Masters golf tournament. I had to watch the recording because of Jude’s soccer match but it was a fantastic day. I even got Jude all excited about it, he watched many hours of golf with me this weekend. We were all rooting for Sergio and Jude got so nervous at the end that he kept pacing around the room. Even Marcy and Anna watched the final holes and we all cheered when Sergio got it done.

At Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs

We have never been as a family to Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. In fact, in 25 years in Colorado I had never been at all. Jude and Marcy went on a field trip earlier in the school year so today it was a crisp Spring day and so we decided to do an afternoon road trip. It is only an hour’s drive from our place.

Jude and Anna love to climb on the rocks

It really is a spectacular place, many of the rock formations are stunning. The only drawback is there is very limited places for climbing. You need ropes and a permit if you want to climb most of the rocks. We did find one area where the kids could climb a bit which was moderately satisfying for them. But they really wanted to just try to climb up the steep rock faces.

Jude really wanted to climb this rock

We spent a couple of hours just wandering around one of the main areas of the park on a paved path and then it was back home in time for dinner.

Anna liked jumping off the rocks

Not much else happened this weekend. Anna had a birthday party on Saturday and we went to see the senior project presentations at the school on Saturday night. And then Jude received one of his favorite books in an Amazon delivery today. He had been looking forward to it immensely. It is a Big Nate graphic novel and I have never seen Jude laugh so much while reading a book, so Marcy had to snap this photo.

Jude laughs out loud hysterically at this graphic novel