On Father’s Day we went for a hike along Cherry Creek – a jungle in the heart of the city

It has been a busy last two weeks. We are getting some major renovations done on our house, so in the last two weeks we have moved most of our furniture out of the house and into a storage unit. We spent two nights in a hotel in Denver before heading up to our place in Keystone where we will be spending most of our time this summer.

One of the kids’ favorite things to do in Keystone is the bungee trampoline. We have bought them a season pass for all the activities and we have probably already got our money’s worth. Jude is now doing triple back flips on the bungee and Anna has mastered the single back flip.

Anna and Jude on the bungee trampoline in Keystone

Every Friday afternoon Keystone provides free gondola rides to the top of the mountain where they have a live band, games and dinner. It was a glorious afternoon this past Friday so we took advantage of it. Jude and Anna were not into the band or the games – they loved playing on the snow despite the fact that Jude was wearing his crocs and Anna her flip flops.

Anna and Jude on the top of a snow bank at the top of Keystone mountain

One of the things that both Marcy and I like to do is go for hikes. We both intend to take advantage of this a lot while we are in Keystone this summer. We have a great short hike directly behind the condo which we will be taking turns to do on many days. Then we also want to get the kids out hiking as well. Marcy took them on a 5-mile hike this past week and both kids were strong the whole way, with snacks along the way, of course.

Jude stopping for a a berry snack wile on a hike this past week

This weekend we had the Fergusons visiting us in Keystone. The kids had a blast together, it was a good break from hanging out with just the two of them. All four kids were very sad to say goodbye this evening.

The Ferguson and Renton kids playing by the lake in Keystone Village

Anna outside her school on the last day before summer vacation

Summer vacation has officially started. Anna had her last day of school on Thursday and Jude on Friday. The whole family went to the school Rose Ceremony on Friday that marks the last day of the school year.

First grade has been a big year for Jude. For the most part he has loved his school and his teacher and he has made some fantastic progress this year. To mark the end of this big year the first grade play a major role in a Rose Ceremony that is attended by the entire school.

At the beginning of the school year every first grader is paired up with an eighth grader to help them navigate this new world. The eighth grader presents their first grade buddy with a rose. They have a sit down lunch together every week and form quite a bond over the course of the year. Then on the last day the first grader presents their eighth grader with a rose as a thank you for all they have done this past year, and to send the eighth grader off to high school. It was a cute but also a moving ceremony with lots of tears flowing.

Jude playing in the new kids area at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science

We have been going to the Museum of Nature & Science for over five years now. Both kids still love the place and they have just opened a new wing with a great new kids area. They had a member preview earlier this week so Marcy took both Jude and Anna along to check it out.

Anna getting some pink highlights in her hair

Anna had a haircut this week, going to Marcy’s regular hairdresser Shannon. She felt so grown up going there particularly with some pink highlights Shannon put in her hair. And then the next day Marcy reapplied the pink highlights for a birthday party Anna attended.

Speaking of being grown up Anna really wanted to get some regular shoes with laces. These are her new favorite shoes now, wearing them everywhere. She loves to tie her shoe laces now, she even showed Jude how to do it. Although he still shows little interest in such things.

This is the last week in our house before the builders come to do some major renovations. We are moving out on Saturday as the movers come to put all our furniture into storage. We will stay in a hotel in Denver for a couple of nights before heading up to Keystone.

Anna feeding the rainbow lorikeets at the Denver zoo

When we were living in Sydney in 2012 we had rainbow lorikeets visit our balcony all the time. Jude often enjoyed feeding them. Being native to Australia we don’t see these birds in Denver….except at the zoo. So, in our trip to the zoo yesterday both Anna and Jude spent a lot of time feeding these beautiful birds.

Jude, partially hidden under his new hat, giving the lorikeets some lunch

After all the rain of the past couple of weeks it was great to have a fine and sunny weekend. And we had quite the busy weekend. After tooling around the house on Saturday morning Jude said he would really like to go to the zoo. It was such a beautiful day we decided to ride our bikes spending several hours there. Then in the afternoon there was an end of school party at a friend of Anna’s house so we all went to that. They had an inflatable water slide and a trampoline so both kids went non-stop the whole time we were there.

Today Jude had football at noon (one hour practice then a game) so we decided to head out for Sunday brunch. Again, we rode our bikes to Solera, just six blocks away, and had a delicious meal. Then it was off to football, still on bikes. Jude is still loving it so much. And today, he scored on a pass play for a two-point conversion – he caught the ball from the quarterback and had to evade two defenders to score. He was thrilled.

Then, as has become customary after football, we went to the museum. The field is directly across the street so it makes it a very easy trip. Then it was back home to fire up the grill and, of course, more football. Not to be left out I played some softball with Anna and then after dinner we went riding around the block.

A big weekend – they should sleep soundly tonight.

Last Monday, being Memorial Day, we went to Elitch’s for the first time this year. It was crowded but the kids enjoyed the rides and were so well behaved they earned themselves some ice cream.

Enjoying their ice cream at Elitch’s

Anna just loves our new MINI convertible

We have loved our Audi TT Convertible but having only two seats meant it was incredibly impractical. So, we decided it was time to trade the car in on a new fun car but one with four seats. So, yesterday we became the proud owner of a MINI convertible – a 2007 Mini Cooper.

Anna laying in her tent in the backyard

We have been cleaning out our garage in preparation for our house renovations over the summer. During this process Anna has discovered a few things including her old tent. She was so thrilled to find it that she had Marcy put it up and find her sleeping bag so she could take “naps” in there. While she hasn’t slept the night in it she has been spending time there at every opportunity.

Anna with her new “clothes” she made – a paper vest and paper shoes

This morning Anna decided spontaneously that she would make some shoes out of paper and tape. She diligently cut out shapes and put them together. After making shoes she also made a vest, a hat as well as some glasses. Although the latter two did not last very long.

Jude working the weed whacker in the backyard

Today was spent around the house all day. In fact, we didn’t venture out in either car all day. We did some work around the house, went for a bike ride to the playground and watched the second Harry Potter movie. It was a lovely family day.

The first meal outside in our yard this year

What a difference a week makes. On Mother’s Day last weekend it was cold and snowy. Today, just seven days later it was in the 80’s. So, we took advantage of the summer like weather and had our first cookout of the year.  Marcy bought some delicious steaks and I cooked them on our charcoal grill.

Roasting marshmallows on the grill

But what the kids were most excited about was roasting marshmallows for dessert. It was the first time we had done this since moving in to our house late last summer. Marshmallows are pretty much Jude’s favorite food and Anna is a big fan as well.

Jude enjoying his S’mores tonight

The kids spent a lot of time outside this weekend. They both had their team sports – Anna with soccer on Saturday and Jude with flag football on Sunday. And they were in our backyard a ton. Marcy did a lot of yard work this weekend which always involves playing with the kids some as well.

Anna pretended she owned one of the places in Harry Potter. She was the owner of The Three Broomsticks, and she served butterbeer and gillywater to all comers. She also had some delicious chocolate cockroach clusters and bertie bott’s every flavor beans – these are all items from Harry Potter. She was very proud of her store as you can see below. The best part was that, after listening to hours of Harry Potter recordings, she serves these items with a distinct British accent.

Anna staffing her store, The Three Broomsticks, in our backyard

The big news this weekend was an email from our contractor. We are planning some pretty major renovations to our house over the summer – so major that we are packing everything in storage and moving out for a couple of months. Well, we received an email from our contractor last night that said they are running behind and will not be able to start on time.

This was a major setback and Marcy was particularly upset because she has been doing a ton of work getting our house ready to be packed up. We are going to look at other options but right now our plans are up in the air. We will see what this week brings.

Marcy and her mud-covered friends after the Spartan Race in Colorado Springs

This past week Marcy and I went our separate ways. I left for San Francisco for a week to put on the annual LendIt Conference. It was a big success with 950 people in attendance and it was an exhausting but rewarding experience. Meanwhile Marcy completed her first ever Spartan Race, which is basically a 4 mile run over an obstacle course covered in mud, and I mean completely covered in many places. I love the juxtaposition of these two photos here.

My friends and fellow organizers of the LendIt Conference after it wrapped up in San Francisco

Marcy’s parents drove out from Iowa to be here so that Marcy could compete in the race while I was away. Jude and Anna loved having their grandparents in town – they took them to a school walkathon and watched Jude play football. They also went and saw Marcy’s great aunt and cousin who live south of Denver.

Marcy’s family with her Aunt Jeanne and cousin Shari

On Friday Anna went to her friend Reed’s birthday party at Cheeseman Park and they flew kites. Anna loved it so much that on Saturday Marcy went out and bought kites for both kids. Jude’s kite was challenging getting going but Anna’s flew easily and she loved it – particularly the fact it was a Hello Kitty kite (this was not Marcy’s first choice but Costco did not have much of a selection).

Anna flying her new kite at the park in Stapleton

Today was Mother’s Day and it was a cold and snowy day here in Denver. I made pancakes for breakfast and then Marcy wanted to go to a family yoga class which was great. Then it was back home to watch the first Harry Potter movie while Marcy baked cookies. We had a lazy afternoon with some chess. Then it was Indian takeout for dinner. Marcy had a nice day, I think, despite the weather.

Playing some chess by the fire on a cold and snowy Mother’s Day

Finally, I just want to mention my mother. She passed away three weeks ago so this was obviously my first Mother’s Day without her. She was never far from my thoughts today and I often felt her sweet and loving presence. I told the kids that this Mother’s Day would be a difficult one for me and they have been great about it. At dinner tonight Jude proposed a toast to my mum and I just loved that he was that thoughtful. Happy Mother’s Day to you mum, I really miss you.

Anna and Jude getting ready for an Easter Egg hunt at the Brustkern’s house.

While I was back in Sydney last week for my mum, Marcy, Jude and Anna celebrated Easter in Denver. Before I left we all went on an Easter egg hunt at a friend’s house where Jude and Anna got all dressed up with their Easter baskets.

Then on Easter morning Marcy organized our own Easter egg hunt in the backyard and both Jude and Anna scored well with a large supply of eggs.

The early morning Easter Egg hunt in our backyard.

Anna received some goodies from the Easter bunny but her favorite was definitely her new Hello Kitty two-piece swimsuit. Marcy wears a two-piece and she obviously sees all the teenagers and young women at the beach wearing them so we think it made her feel somewhat grown up. She wore it all day, and most of the week she loved it so much.

Anna with her first two piece swimsuit

And of course, one shouldn’t just wear their swimsuit for swimming.

Anna showing that you can also be strong while wearing a pretty swimsuit.

The day after Easter it was off to Iowa for Marcy, Jude and  Anna. From all accounts they had a wonderful time. Anna bonded with the twins really well on this trip and Jude got to throw the football with Grandpa which I know he loved.

The young ladies strutting their stuff

Yesterday we were all back together again. I returned from Sydney just an hour after Marcy and the kids returned from Iowa. So, we were all able to drive home from the airport together.

Today was Jude’s first flag football match of the season. He loved it despite the fact they lost the match. Given how competitive Jude has been I loved that he took the loss in stride and still had a good time. They rotate players in every position both on offense and defense. While Jude played center quite a bit, his favorite position is still running back.

Jude getting ready for his first flag football match.

Last Friday night I got the call that everyone with aging parents dreads. It was my brother to say that mum had taken a turn for the worse and that she only had days to live. So, I dropped everything and caught the next plane to Sydney. I arrived there on Monday morning and went straight to the nursing home.

Mum was not conscious but was breathing easily and in very little pain. I stayed at her bedside all day and into the night. My sister, Robyn, came late morning and joined me. I had brought Mum’s diary that she gave me years ago that recorded events from January 1, 1965 to December 31, 1969. We started reading the entries to her and we went on for hours. We laughed and cried together and it was a special time that I will always cherish.

At one point, we were holding mum’s hand and explaining that we were here for her and an amazing thing happened. Even though she was completely unconscious, a tear rolled out of her eye. That was when we knew that she knew we were here for her in her last hours.

When her breathing started to get really labored in the afternoon we called Ian and Dad and they both came to the nursing home to say goodbye. That was also a special moment when the whole family were together for the very last time.

As night fell everyone else went home and it was just me and mum. I held her hand, read to her some more and just sat with her. The nurses thought the end was near when her breathing became really labored around 8pm. But by 9pm she was completely fine and her breathing was back to normal. By 10pm I commented to the nurse that it looked like she will make it through the night because her breathing had been normal for some time. As I was completely exhausted from a draining day and the fact that I had just flown in to Sydney from Denver, I decided to call it a night and head back to Dad’s place, which is just five minutes away.

I said goodbye to mum, kissed her on the forehead, knowing full well I might not see her alive again. Little did I know that I would be right and sooner than I expected. I was just drifting off to sleep at 10:45pm when the head nurse called me to come back to the nursing home right away. I was there within 10 minutes and they gave me the news. Mum had passed away about 10 minutes before – just a minute before they called me. Her breathing had remained normal and she was peaceful and in no pain until the end.

The Funeral

This morning we laid mum to rest. It was a whirlwind 48 hours getting everything ready but because Friday is a public holiday here and I wanted to head back to Denver on Saturday, we needed to have the funeral today. It all came together beautifully.

We met with the chaplain, Sylvia Nowlan, yesterday who worked at the nursing home and got to know Mum over the last couple of years. We created a program that we felt reflected Mum’s wishes. Robyn then did a fantastic job designing and printing the programs.

The service went really well – even better than I expected. We had a great turnout with most of mum’s good friends making it as well as many friends of Ian, Robyn and myself. We had my family in the US on Skype watching and I was able to say a quick hi to everyone before the service. Dad, Ian and I all gave speeches as well as Mum’s best friend Pat Bernard.

What I appreciated about today was that this would have been exactly the kind of celebration mum would have wanted. She loved being around her friends and family and she wouldn’t have wanted a big fuss made of everything. But she would have liked a simple service with an emphasis on family and friends under the presence of God. And we gave that to her – our final gift.

It has been a difficult few days but now the funeral is over I feel that the healing can begin. I still miss her terribly whenever I think about her but I appreciate her now more than ever. She was a great mum whose fierce love and strength will continue to support me for the rest of my life.

I created a slideshow from the thousands of photos lying around Dad’s house. It took a while but it was a labor of love and I wanted there to be a special reflection on mum’s life for the service today. You can watch the video below. I love you mum.

Anna in action on the field in her first soccer game

Anna played her first organized soccer match this weekend. Watching a bunch of five year olds chasing a ball around the field was a lot of fun. They play on a small field, with small goals and no goalie in 8-minute quarters. There are a lot of goals and a lot of near misses but interestingly no one keeps score – it is all about having fun. And Anna did seem to enjoy it.

It was supposed to be Jude’s turn on Sunday for his first flag football match but the weather did not cooperate. It rained all morning and turned to snow this afternoon so all matches were canceled. So, we went to the Denver Auto Show instead. It has been a couple of years since we were there and it was interesting to see the changes in the kids.

Enjoying each other’s company in the back of a pickup truck at the Denver Auto Show

They had a blast. They loved getting in and out of all the cars especially the pickup trucks that they thought were very cool. They wanted to climb up in the back of every pickup truck they saw (which was a lot). They liked sitting in the drivers seats and playing with the dials and Anna liked to climb in the trunk and have me close it.

What I liked most of all was seeing the Tesla Model S. That is one sweet car and one day I hope to own one. I was also looking at three row SUVs – we decided we needed a larger car to help haul other kids around. There were plenty of good options here with my favorite probably being the Toyota Highlander.

Anna went to a birthday party with Marcy on Saturday so Jude and I had a little “Jude and Daddy date” which was nice – it has been a while. I asked Jude what he wanted to do, thinking he would want to play football, but he surprised me by saying he wanted to go to the park to play frisbee. We played for over an hour as we both ran all over the park.

Marcy took Jude out of school early one day this week because Jude really wanted to have some Jude and Mommy time. They went to the museum, just like old times, and Marcy snapped this photo.

Jude at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science

Anna getting ready for her first soccer practice

This was the first weekend ever in the Renton family that either Jude or Anna had an organized team sport. The spring season opened for both of them this weekend.

Anna was first on Saturday. She has chosen to play soccer so we signed her up for a league through the local rec center. One of her favorite things that Anna liked about playing is that you get to buy new clothes and, of course, shoes. She loved her new outfit along with her shin guards and cleats.

Anna doing drills at her first soccer practice

It was not all about the outfit, though. She did seem to enjoy herself. She paid attention during the drills and at the end when they played a match she thought that was fun. And afterwards she said she loved it and can’t wait until next time.

I started playing soccer when I was five years old and like she has practice one evening a week and then a game on Saturday – the first one starts this coming weekend.

Jude throwing the ball during a drill on his first day of flag football

Next up was Jude. After really getting into the NFL this past season he decided that football was going to be his game. Today, his season began in the Broncos Flag Football league. I have volunteered to be an assistant coach on Jude’s team and that proved to be a lot of fun.

Jude playing quarterback during his first flag football practice

They are a good group of kids with varying abilities. But the emphasis in this league is on fun and inclusion. Everyone gets to play every position and it is not super competitive. Jude was obviously enjoying it, he liked running the ball more than throwing it, and he is looking forward to practicing in the back yard this week.

Tomorrow is Anna’s half birthday – she turns five and a half. But we celebrated it today because she really wanted to have donuts and that is not as easy to do on a school day. But this morning right after breakfast we all headed to a local donut shop. There we all sang Anna happy birthday and she blew out the five and a half candles on her donut. She was very happy.

Anna celebrating her five and a half birthday.