We had a great Thanksgiving week on our Florida vacation. The weather was good for the most part although it was a little cold and windy towards the end of our time in the Keys.

Anna checking out the tortoise by the side of the road

I had never been to the Keys before so I was keen to do a bit of exploring. We did a road trip one day down to Key West, stopping along the way at Big Pine Key and the National Key Deer Wildlife Refuge where we did see a Key Deer crossing the road. We also saw an alligator in one of the freshwater lakes.

At Key West we spent some time on the main drag, Duval St and we tried to find a nice beach but didn’t have much luck. While the kids are happy pretty much anywhere there is sand and water the beaches on Key West had lots of seaweed and more mud than sand.

Back at our resort there also wasn’t much of a beach either although at least we had nice sand and the pool was excellent. They also had plenty of water sports with jet skis, kayaks and catamarans for hire. Anna was really keen to try the jet ski and Jude wanted to as well so we took one out and Marcy took the photos. The kids wanted to go fast so I had it up to 44 miles an hour at one point although it got a bit bumpy out in the Gulf of Mexico.

Getting ready to head out for the kids first ever jet ski ride

Our resort was right next door to the Turtle Hospital which is the #1 attraction in the town of Marathon. They give guided tours every day so we signed up for one on Thanksgiving Day. They had probably 70 turtles is various stages of rehabilitation and the kids got to get up close with them. There was no touching but they could feed the turtles.

Anna feeding the sea turtles at the Turtle Hospital in Marathon

Speaking of Thanksgiving we booked dinner at the main resort restaurant where they had a buffet with all the typical Thanksgiving goodies. It was a delicious meal and our first ever in Florida or in any warm climate for that matter. Although at around 60 degrees with a wind it was a little on the chilly side.

After our Thanksgiving Dinner at the resort

All too soon our trip came to an end. While we had a good time Marcy and I agreed that we wouldn’t come back here any time soon for a family vacation. Mexico offers better beaches and nicer resorts with similar weather. And it is just as easy to get to.

On our last day we decided to check out the Everglades National Park where we had lunch and went for a short hike. Then it was on to Fort Lauderdale to a hotel close to the airport. We ended up with a nice room overlooking the cruise terminal.

Jude on the balcony of our Fort Lauderdale hotel room on the last night of our trip

While the kids loved the trip, they are also very glad to be back home. Today, we spent most of the day just hanging out at home with the kids playing with their toys they missed while away.

Jude’s 8th birthday celebration in the Florida Keys

This week has been very much focused on Jude and his 8^th birthday. We started the celebration at home on Thursday morning, which was the day we left for our trip to the Florida Keys.

Jude opened some of his presents there – including gifts from Sydney and Des Moines. Then at lunchtime it was off to Florida. We arrived at Miami very late on Thursday night so it was straight to the airport hotel before beginning our drive to the Florida Keys on Friday morning.

Friday was a rainy day and we arrived at Tranquility Bay in pretty crappy weather. At least it was warm and rainy so we all braved the pool and the beach despite the weather. Yesterday was a better day and we stayed around the resort most of the day enjoying the pool and the beach.

They have lots of large iguanas on the property here and they are not shy at all. Jude and Anna have been excited to see them and even spent some time trying to stalk one by the pool yesterday.

Stalking the iguanas at our resort pool

Today was hot and sunny and it was also Jude’s 8^th birthday. Jude wanted to go out for breakfast so we started they day at one of the local cafes. Then it was off to the Dolphin Research Center, about 15 minutes east of here.

Here they offered all kinds of dolphin-related activities. Jude decided he wanted to swim with the dolphins and Anna wanted to do the “dolphin painting”. This is where a dolphin takes a paintbrush and paints a unique design on a white t-shirt. Anna had the dolphin named Rainbow who liked to twirl around in circles as she painted.

Rainbow the dolphin painting Anna’s t-shirt

Jude chose the “dolphin encounter” which included getting up close and personal with the dolphins as well as taking a ride on their backs. He also got to help out the trainer by giving the dolphin some commands and also got to shake hands.

Jude gets a kiss from Luna the dolphin

Jude has been really into this show, Walking with Beasts lately. It is by the same producer who did Walking with Dinosaurs and Jude is a very big fan. He has watched several episodes on Netflix and needless to say the book, which was the one present we brought with us to Florida, was a big hit.

Jude with his birthday present, a new book

I was away in London for a good chunk of the last two weeks getting back on Wednesday night of last week. I helped produce our first ever LendIt Europe conference which was a big success.

Jude doing some serious pumpkin carving

It has been a very busy last couple of weeks as I have been traveling a lot and Marcy has been completely focused on the home renovations. The kids have really enjoyed being back home and this past week we got all our furniture back that has been stored in a pod since the before the summer began.

Anna also putting in a serious effort into her pumpkin

But first to Halloween. Where Anna dressed up as a unicorn and Jude as a skeleton. I was really sick on Halloween night so I couldn’t be out with them unfortunately, but the kids enjoyed the trick or treating.

Enjoying the candy haul on the front steps

Anna was a cute little unicorn for Halloween

As I said, this past week we got the contents of our pod back – which meant we got to sleep in our own beds for the first time in nearly 5 months. Both kids have been sleeping well and enjoying “alone time” in their own rooms. After a summer and fall of upheaval it is nice to get some normalcy back into our lives again.

Back in their playroom with their toys – happy to be playing with each other at home again

Both soccer and football seasons are now over. Jude says he wants to do both next year and Anna would like to continue with soccer. And today was their tap dance recital. Jude and Anna have been in the same tap class for several weeks and today they got to do a performance in front of all the parents. They both did well.

At their tap dance recital at Between the Bones

Celebrating our first meal back at our home with pizza on the front steps

After four and a half months away (including 54 nights staying in a hotel) we finally returned to our home on Friday this past week. The renovations are still quite a ways from being done but the house is now somewhat livable.

We are sleeping on inflatable beds in the basement and we don’t have any of our furniture back yet but we are sleeping here and having meals. It is good to be back.

Our first night back was somewhat eventful. Jude got really sick and ended up vomiting many times during the night. Luckily, Anna was fine and she slept through the whole thing. We don’t know what it was exactly but he had been feeling a bit off color the previous couple of days.

The real bummer for Jude about getting sick was that he missed his last soccer game of the season. He loves soccer so much, it is the highlight of his week, but there was no way he could have played on Saturday.

Anna actually played two soccer games on Saturday to finish off her season. She improved so much over the past couple of months – she is loving it and is now one of the best players on the team. And she celebrated with two goals in her last game.

Anna playing in her last soccer game of the season

Today was a perfect fall day so we spent a lot of the day outside. Marcy got a ton done in the yard and Anna helped out with the leaves.

Anna enjoying the fruits of her labor after raking a pile of leaves

By Sunday, Jude was feeling quite a bit better. Although he wasn’t up for playing football so he missed everything this weekend. But he was quite content to play at home. He played with Anna a lot as well as the neighbor’s kids and the only time he left the house was to retrieve an arrow that he shot over the fence from his archery set.

Jude felt a lot better by Sunday

Anna at her first hockey game, the DU Pioneers

After taking Jude to a Broncos game as well as a Rapids soccer game in the past month, this past weekend it was Anna’s turn. I asked her what she wanted to see and she chose hockey. Rather than go to an Avalanche game, which is very expensive, I decided on a DU Pioneers game. Anna thought it was pretty cool although by the end of the second period she was starting to lose interest.

Also this past week was Jude’s school play. They did St Jerome and the Lion and Jude played one of the merchants. He loved it. He is so into stories that he naturally memorizes them quickly. So, by the time the production came around he knew not just his own lines but the lines for everyone else as well. Marcy and I both went and saw him perform and it was great to see him having such a good time with it.

Enjoying fall at the zoo

We have had a gorgeous fall here in Colorado so far. With the kids on Fall break this weekend Marcy took advantage of the weekday and took the kids to the museum and the zoo.

Reed and Anna – quite the couple

Anna’s best friend at school (most of the time) is Reed. So, we had him over for a playdate at the hotel pool last week. Then we all walked to dinner with the youngsters going hand in hand.

Speaking of the hotel, we are FINALLY getting out of here this week. After checking in on September 1st and expecting to stay 2-3 weeks we are excited to be returning home after almost two months. The renovation project has been incredibly frustrating after being let down time and again by our contractor. Our house will not be finished, they are still at least a few weeks away from that, but at least we can stop paying for a hotel room come Friday.

Anna loves her first camera that she received for her birthday

Anna turned 6 on Tuesday, October 7. She has been excited about it for weeks and so we were quite surprised that she actually slept in until 6:45am. But once up she was raring to go.

She opened presents from us as well as her Iowa and Sydney families. She loved the clothes she received from Sydney, the purse and latch hook rug from Iowa and her camera that we gave her. In fact, she took dozens of photos with it on her birthday.

Anna’s first photo she ever took with her new camera

Anna loves for new outfit courtesy of her Sydney family, with a tiara from Marcy

The Renton family birthday tradition is a meal out for breakfast. So Anna chose an old favorite, “Berries & Cream” also known as the Original Pancake House. Luckily for Anna it was her day off school so she was able to hang out with Marcy all day on her birthday.

I took half a day off work so I joined Marcy and Anna at the park in the afternoon. We went bike riding, flew a kite, played hide and seek and listened to Narnia on my phone. We had a little problem with losing the keys to the bike rack and had to call AAA to rescue us. But we were able to meet Marcy and Jude for a picnic dinner in a local park. Anna got to choose any small cake she wanted at Whole Foods. I let her choose two.

Dinner and birthday cake in the park

The birthday celebration didn’t end when Anna’s birthday was over. Anna had her first ever birthday party inviting friends over. Anna decided she wanted a cake decorating party with girls only. So, we had 13 girls and Jude at a bakery not far from the hotel where we are still living.

About to sing Anna Happy Birthday at her party

This week wasn’t all about Anna’s birthday. Yesterday, Marcy took the kids to a Harry Potter movie and fun afternoon at one of the museums. It was a dress-up affair so Anna dressed up in her unicorn Halloween outfit and, yes, that is Jude below in his werewolf costume.

Anna in her unicorn outfit and Jude as a werewolf about to see the second Harry Potter movie

Jude giving Anna a lift as we arrive at Anna’s school birthday celebration

October is Anna’s birthday month and the celebrations have begun. We had her school celebration on October 1 which was great because Baba was still in town for it. Baba had come out for Grandparents Day at the school which was Monday. As always Anna’s teacher, Mrs Clark, did a wonderful birthday celebration and Anna loved it. Marcy and I commented we have now had four years of birthdays with Mrs Clark and we will miss how special she makes them.

This weekend was an active one. Yesterday, was the typical Saturday soccer day with both Jude and Anna enjoying their games. It is great to see them improving and gaining in confidence as the season progresses.

About to head out for our Sunday activities (Anna wanted blankie in the picture, too)

Jude and I have both been excited about this day for some time. Today was Jude’s first time ever attending a Bronco game. The funny thing is he is not a passionate Broncos fan, he prefers to root for the teams that have not won any Superbowls like the Chargers and Bills. But today, with the Broncos playing the Cardinals he was happy to be a Bronco fan.

Jude and me at his first ever NFL game

Jude had a blast at the game. He got caught up in the passion and excitement of the game. And it was a memorable one at that. Peyton Manning threw for the most yards he had ever done in a game and with a final score of 41-20 in the Broncos favor there was plenty to cheer about.

Marcy and Anna goofing around after the Odysseo show

While Jude and I were at the game Marcy took Anna to see this show: Odysseo. It was a cross between a horse show and Cirque de Soleil with some amazing acrobats. Anna enjoyed it and decided to buy herself a stuffed pony to commemorate the occasion.

Jude attending his first Colorado Rapids soccer match

Jude loves soccer these days. So, I decided to take him to a professional soccer game this weekend. I bought tickets to the Colorado Rapids game on Saturday night where Jude and I both attended our first Rapids game.

Jude loved it. It was a close match, it ended up tied 1-1, and Jude was thrilled to be a part of it. And one of the great things about the game is that behind us was a lovely elderly couple who just loved Jude. So, they gave Jude a Rapids scarf to wear and help cheer on the team.

We had the a typical fall weekend here with lots of sport – soccer and football for Jude and soccer for Anna. A special treat for the kids is that Baba came to visit from Iowa for a few days. There is a grandparents day at school this week that Baba will be attending.

This afternoon, after Jude’s football, we went to check on our house and then on to the Park Hill Fair. There were plenty of neighborhood stores attending and a bounce house for the kids. We enjoyed our favorite gelato from Eis and both Jude and Anna had a snow cone.

Anna loves her snow cone at Park Hill fair

On Friday night we went back to Benny’s for the first time in many months. It is always so good.

Anna, the little rock star, enjoying drinks at Benny’s

Jude puts some effort into his kickoff

School is back in full swing and now soccer season has begun. Jude has been very excited for the season to start ever since the World Cup and his newfound devotion to the sport. He has had three games now and this past weekend was the first time that his team was evenly matched with another team. It was a great match, Jude scored a goal with his left foot, and the team notched their first victory of the season 5-4.

Anna takes the ball up the field

This is Anna’s second season of soccer and she still seems to like it. This weekend was by far her best game ever. She has always been content to hang back a little and let the other girls score the goals. But not yesterday. She was aggressive and strong and was rewarded with three goals, her first goals ever.

Our two adorable children after their Saturday soccer matches

Enjoying pizza in our hotel room and temporary home

After the Labor Day weekend we moved into our new “home”, the Hyatt House extended stay hotel in the Denver Tech Center. It is actually pretty good as far as hotels go, we have two bedrooms and two bathrooms and it is not cramped but we are staying here far longer than we expected. We thought we would be here two weeks but it now looks like being closer to six weeks as the construction on our home is taking longer than anticipated.

Speaking of our home, we had a picnic dinner there in the back yard on Friday night. They are clearly making progress as you can see from the photo below. But there is still much to be done and it looks we will be back in there in mid to late October.

Construction on our house is progressing

This weekend Marcy did her second “mud race”. This is where she gets together with some girlfriends and they do an obstacle course/run that involves going through a lot of mud. This one was called the Dirty Girl and that was how Marcy turned out at the end. She said the race was only ok, not nearly as good as the Spartan race she did in the Spring.

After completing the Dirty Girl race

Finally, we have been singing the state song quite a lot lately. On our road trip to Mt. Rushmore it was sung dozens of times and the kids will often spontaneously start singing it whenever they hear a state name mentioned in conversation. So, recently Marcy recorded Anna singing the song from start to finish. So adorable.

Jude on his first day back at school taken in the dark in Keystone

It has been quite a big week in the Renton household. It started in Keystone as we were winding down our summer vacation. We all thoroughly enjoyed having an extended stay in the mountains and we plan on doing it again next year. We probably would never have done it but for the fact that we were renovating our house. So, as difficult as that process has been and continues to be, it did have the silver lining of forcing us up into the mountains this summer.

It was back to school this week for Jude and Anna. The school moved over the summer, so it was a whole different campus for the kids to get used to. We had to leave bright and early on Jude’s first day. We didn’t want Jude to be late so we left Keystone at 6:30am and made it to school by 8am. While Jude was looking forward to heading back to school, the first day was met with tepid enthusiasm.

Anna on her first day outside the Hyatt Place hotel in Denver

We decided to stay at a hotel in Denver last week, so on Anna’s first day it was a only a short drive to school. She was very excited to be a Golden Knight this year – this is what they call the kids who are in their second year of kindergarten. She loved her first day.

This weekend we decided to leave Denver and head to Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota. Marcy picked the kids up from school early on Friday and we hit the road. It was just over six hours of driving and we had a few stops on the way so it was dark by the time we got there. We stayed in a cute cabin at a campground just a few miles from Mt. Rushmore. We drove out to see it on Saturday morning. Being Labor Day weekend it was packed. Anna decided she did not want to be there and was very grumpy all morning. We saw the Crazy Horse monument in the afternoon. It still has at least a couple of decades until it is completed and when it is done it will be spectacular.

At least Jude was excited to see Mt. Rushmore

On Sunday, we drove south to the town of Hot Springs. Here they have a natural heated pool, heated by the warm springs that gives the town its name. The town also has the largest mammoth archaeological site in the world and we did a tour of that. Jude was mesmerized by a lot of the information and Anna also enjoyed it.

Outside the Mammoth site in Hot Springs, SD

One of the great things about South Dakota is the wildlife. We saw many bison and deer during our time there and we got up close and personal with a large herd that was crossing the road as we were driving back from Hot Springs.

Up close and personal with some bison in South Dakota

We enjoyed our little cabin in the woods. We were tucked away in the corner of the campground and it was very peaceful and quiet – especially considering it was Labor Day weekend. The campground had a pool and a putt putt golf course, both of which the kids loved. On our last night we made a campfire and cooked burgers – it was delicious.

Relaxing by our campfire about to start on dinner