The Hubby's Birthday

Following on the heels of Father's Day and being the best dad ever, Alan turned 45 last weekend. I'm not sure if that means he has halfway to a mid-life crisis or what, but the kids were excited to celebrate his birthday. Thanks to Kit for finishing a multiple decade project gift. Did you all know he is a fabulous sewer/needlepointer?

Of course, the highlight is always cake (in this case cookie cake) and ice cream. The girls picked out the cookie, so it had red, white and blue writing on it, but with a touch of pink and purple sprinkles.

First swim meet

It should not be unexpected that my little fish have decided to take up competitive swim, at least for the summer. The JCC, where they go to summer camp, has a kids' swim team after camp so both girls decided to give it a try this year. They had their first meet last week and did very well. Most of all they had a great time and a sense of accomplishment. Go Tigersharks!!!!

Colorado Trip

 As Alan mentioned in the last post, we had an amazing time at Colorado at a family wedding. The wedding was beautiful and Boulder is truly a magnificent city. There was a large creek that ran behind our hotel with miles of bike/walking paths. We were able to rent bikes for a morning and do some exploring. In the afternoon, we took the girls on an adventure, tubing down the creek. Unbeknownst to us, the water was unseasonable low, so we bumped along a little on our bottoms. It ended up being a little more harrowing than we thought. Katelyn fell off a time or two and Ellie took the mini-rapids like a pro. We all came away with a few bruises, but lots of smiles and memories.

Our second leg of the trip was to Colorado Springs, home of the Garden of the Gods as shown below. It was beautiful to just see the land masses protruding from the ground.

 Owen now likes to tilt his head for pictures like his big sisters.

 Taking a mini break

One of our stops in Colorado Springs was an old, fake Western town. The kids got to climb on old carriages, shoot an air rifle, pan for gold and see the old Western history.

Our last stop was Pikes Peak. At 14K plus feet above sea level, it was a bit chilly (30 degrees cooler than on the ground). Though it was a cloudy day, the views were gorgeous. Unfortunately the girls were a bit chilly and were anxious to get back to the bottom. We actually had to stop for brake checks on the way down to make sure they had not overheated.

My chilly kids

Overall, it was a great vacation. We hadn't planned to take our kids to Colorado, but the wedding presented a perfect opportunity to see family (thanks Marilyn and Kit) and visit a breathtaking part of the country.

Girls' Birthdays

Our girls had several days worth of celebration.  First and foremost was a trampoline, something they have used almost daily since.  Our neighbors have one and have graciously allowed the girls to use it when they are home.  We decided, in order to share the wealth or spread the liability, to get one of our own.  So far so good.

Shortly afterward, we took a trip for a family wedding of my cousin, Matt Milnor.  Grandmom Marilyn and Kit met us there and took them to the American Girl Store.  They were so excited and surprisingly they actually paid attention to the dolls for more than a few moments.