This has been a pretty chill summer.  Of course, we started off with our big European trip and now we are just hanging out and playing.  A lot.  The kids have watched way too many movies and in between I have booted them out the door to ride their bikes or just enjoy being outside.  Today was GORGEOUS.  The weather was perfect so after getting some inside chores finished, the kids and I walked to the school funground.  They went back and forth on the monkey bars and I took pictures and read.  It was PERFECT.  After a nice walk home, Mason and Paige insisted they run in the sprinkler.  Of course, it didn’t last too long but by the sounds of all those squeals and shrieks, I think they had fun!

Happy Saturday.

A perfectly lazy afternoon….

 

 

We are so lucky to have a fantastic bike park super close to our house.  The  kids beg me, pretty much every day, to ride over to the bike park.  I have tried telling them that we do have to do some laundry this summer but they don’t get it;)  We usually pack a lunch and spend a couple of hours riding around.  I make them do a little trail riding and then reward them with tons of park time.  They are all getting a bit braver on the jumps.  Sam is doing really well and the girls aren’t too far behind.  Mason took his first try on the jumps, got some serious air and then had an epic  fall.  I didn’t get any pics of him riding because he was pretty sure staying on the pump track was good enough for him.  Maybe next time….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of course, there were no pictures of me jumping….because I really like to walk and breathe….

Happy Monday!

Jennifer

 

 

I read an article today that listed the top ten cities in the world that were most worthy of a visit.  Venice was number 4.  I have to admit that while I thought Venice was super cool and I am thrilled that we made a quick stop there, I would have enjoyed it a whole lot more if about 75% of the people hadn’t.  It was definitely a bit of a tourist trap.  Aside from the amazing amount of people, it was hard not to fall in love with the narrow, winding walkways between ancient buildings and the ornate bridges that led the way over channels and waterways.  When the kids asked for a gondola ride, I couldn’t find a reason why we wouldn’t do it.  It was definitely worth every euro.  Expensive, yep.  Touristy, yep. Crazy cool.  Totally.  We only had a day and a half to see Venice and in my opinion, it was plenty of time.  Touring Venice was a great end to our fantastic European vacation.

The funny part about coming home was that when we left Italy it was warm and sunny and when we flew into Denver it was cold and rainy.  Even funnier was the fact that it was snowing at home.  In June.

So, here is a glimpse of Venice, Italy.  Enjoy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The kids and I just arrived home from  a super fun couple days of camping in Leadville, CO.  After all the craziness last week, we were all ready for some serious down time (and a couple smores).  The kids really just wanted to play on the beach and I really just wanted to finish my book so it was a win-win for all of us!  We just got home and instead of unpacking and washing clothes, I am editing and posting pictures.

Happy Wednesday!  Long live summer!  May it never end….at least for a few more weeks…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I truly believe that Turquoise Lake is a hidden gem. It is one of the most gorgeous spots in Colorado.  The camping sites are pretty much right on the sandy shore and the views are to die for.  This shot above was the sunset last night.  A storm was rolling by and the colors were unbelievable.   We are so blessed to be able to drive 35 minutes and get to a spot where we can unwind and relax.  The kids want to know…where are we going next week, Mom????

I hope you all are having a great week and finding some time to relax….

Love, Jennifer

Alternately titled….Longest post title ever.

We have had a very fun, very busy week.  Here are some pictures.  Parades, hikes, hangin’ by the res, biking, concerts….whew!  We always love this week but I think we might need a vacation from our crazy week!

Frisco 4th of July Parade….basically mayhem with candy and squirt guns.

Look out!  The sheriff is in town.

 

Our staff really got excited about the parade this year and their Wild West costumes were basically mustaches and fat bikes.  BTW, they stole the show….the fat bikes, that is.

 

Picnicking on Lake Dillon….all I can say is in the end we were stuck with one wet, muddy puppy and 4 even wetter and muddier kiddos.

Building sand castles….

 

I love Rosie’s eyes in the above pic.  She really wasn’t happy to come out of the water.  Trying to encourage a 50+ pound puppy to get out of the lake takes about 10 sumo wrestlers.  We had Sam.

 

Taking 6th of July pictures.

Yep.  The 4th is such a crazy day that I usually put it off for a couple of days.  The skids were less than helpful today during picture-taking so I didn’t get a ton of great ones.  So…here is what I did get.

 

There you have it.

A glimpse into our week.

Happy Sunday night….zzzzzz.

Jennifer

Sorry I didn’t get right back to ya with my vacation pics.  Work, kids and a nasty cold kicked my butt and I am just now coming up for air. 

Soooo, moving on…..

We flew from Lithuania to meet the kids and the rest of my family in Budapest, Hungary.   The architecture in downtown Budapest is amazing, probably some of the prettiest I have ever seen.  The food was amazing and reminded me of the Hungarian dishes my grandmother made when we were little.  It was the only place that I ate meat….cabbage rolls, chicken paprikash, goulash…..and it was so worth it!  Friends of my parents were our fantastic hosts and gave us a wonderful tour of the city, including some places outside of Budapest.  I took a lot of pictures here.  It was hard not to.  The kids enjoyed the River Ride Bus.  Yep, a tour bus that plunges into the Danube halfway through the tour.  I could go on and on but I know that you are just here for the pictures:)

This is definitely a place where we will come back and spend some time.  Gorgeous country.  Beautiful people.

My brother and sister-in-love, Jeff and Stacie, enjoying a super yummy lunch in the market.

The River Bus as in drives into the Danube River.  Crazy.  The kids thought it was rad; I had a moment of pause.

My parents at their 50th anniversary dinner (with Violet and Paige).

The Jewish Holocaust memorial along the banks of the Danube.

Scott and I in front of the Parliament Building.

Grandma and her cuties:)

 

Part of our family and our wonderful Hungarian hosts.

Thank you George and Violet for showing us part of your beautiful country.  We loved it!

There is one more post about our vacation.  After saying goodbye to my parents in Budapest, the rest of us flew on to Venice. We were there for only a day and a half but it was definitely worth it!

Jennifer