This post is going to be a post in pictures.

I am tired.

We have returned from a fun weekend of camping. We camped in a yurt in one of the many Colorado state parks. We love our tent camping but staying in a yurt really feels like a luxury. It has bunk beds, a table and chairs and a heater.
Yurt: a portable, felt-covered, wood lattice-framed dwelling structure traditionally used by nomads in the steppes of Central Asia. A yurt is more home-like in shape and build, with thicker walls than that of a tent. Thank you Wikipedia.

Everyone had a blast and got really dirty. Enjoy the pics. I am off to find my pillow and fall into bed.

Good night, sleep tight.

Sam completed his first duathlon today and he rocked it!!! He did awesome! I was one excited (and nervous) momma!!!! He finished his run with a huge smile on his face! Perfect.

Sam and his friend Clare before the race showing off their numbers. Very cool.

Checking out the competition 🙂

Waiting in line for the swim start.

Swim for your life!

Finally out of the pool and into transition.

Nearing the finish!

A great end to a great race. Watermelon. Doesn’t get any better than that. Good thing he didn’t know about the watermelon before the race…He might have skipped the swim and ran straight to the good stuff.

Congrats Sam! We are so proud of you!

Alternately titled {the longest blog post ever}
Monday, otherwise known as Art Monday around here, was busy with swimming, gymnastics and errands. For our art project, we made a garden stone for the yard. We are still trying to finish up our under the sea mural. More pics coming soon.

Tuesday (Field Trip Tuesday) was busy with swimming, tennis, gymnastics and then back to the pool for a swim team potluck. After lunch we managed to squeeze in a field trip to the Colorado Springs Xeriscape and Demonstration Gardens. Very beautiful and interesting.

Who knew pine cones could be so much fun? We used them to make towers, work on grouping and addition and subtraction.

This cement water pipe kept the kids busy for a long time. It spurred a ton of more good math conversation.

Today (Movie Wednesday) was busy with the older kids first swim meet. Alice was VERY nervous for her first race but did really well and won her races. Way to go! Sam also did really well and took 6 seconds off his 25 free. They were troopers this cold morning. The air temp was only 63 degrees with no sunshine.

Sam getting ready for the 25 backstroke.

Alice and Abby waiting for their heat to line up.

The 8 and under group waiting to swim. Alice and Sam are right in the middle. Not sure what they were talking about?!?!?

Mason and Paige had their annual well-checks today. They both did great until they had to get their shots. 4 for Paige and 2 for Mason. I tried the “as soon as you get these shots, you are officially a kindergartner” routine, but Paige wasn’t buying it. Mason wasn’t completely sure what was going on for the first shot but definitely didn’t want the second. This fun visit to the doctor’s office did not earn me my good mommy badge, that is a sure thing. The chocolate shakes gained me some love back, a little bit anyway. Now they are watching a movie and I am enjoying my snack and the quiet.

Okay, so I guess this wasn’t the LONGEST post ever but it seems like it should be, what with all the stuff we have packed into the last three days. Who said summer vacation was suppose to be relaxing?!?!?!?

Tomorrow is Cinderella Thursday. That means that we clean. And after the week that we have had, this house needs it!

Mason got a well needed hair cut this morning and he is looking oh-so cute!!!! Bless his heart, he is always up for an impromptu photo shoot. He LOVES the camera and always asks to see his picture after I have taken it. His response is usually, Awwww! It also helped that he got to play with the sprayer on the hose.

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We are having a really nice weekend. Friday we spent all afternoon and evening at the pool. Kent and Victoria made an awesome dinner on the grill to celebrate Scott’s birthday. By awesome I mean cedar plank salmon, roasted potatoes, salad and strawberry shortcake. We ate well. The kids played in the pool non-stop and only got out to eat 🙂 We are loving our fun start to the summer. Today, Scott worked a bit and then we walked to the park. It was nice to spend the day with the kids and just be without having to rush anywhere else. Scott and I both got in runs this afternoon as well. Looking forward to another warm day tomorrow. We are contemplating taking the kids fishing. That should make for some interesting moments, for sure.

We had a very nice, relaxing Memorial Day weekend. On Monday, we spent most of the day at Scott’s cousin John’s home just west of Denver. We got to visit with some family that we don’t get to see much and had a great day! We enjoyed a yummy lunch and the kids swam in the pool. Thanks to John, Jen and Jackson for an awesome time!

This week has been pretty quiet so far. Yesterday, the kids and I made the trek up to Greeley for Mason’s checkup on his feet. All is still well. Dr. Hatch says that his feet look great! Next visit- December! Sam and Alice started swimming full time yesterday morning and will continue this practice for the rest of the summer.

Today after swim team practice, we ran some errands and then the kids watched a movie. Movie Day Wednesday! Gotta love it!!!

The pool is open and we have tested the waters.

Saturday morning the kids got up and jumped into their suits as if there were nothing else in their drawers. We packed the cooler, grabbed an arm load of towels and headed off. We spent most of the day just hangin’ out with friends and soaking up the warmth of the sun. After the pool, we enjoyed a backyard bbq with more friends. By the end of the evening, we were officially pooped out.

Sunday, we spent most of the day at home. Scott helped me build a garden box for the deck so that the kids and I can grow some veggies and herbs right out the backdoor. We took off in the afternoon for the track. Scott and I got in a good run and the kids had fun burying treasures in the sandjump.

Today we are heading to Denver for another fun bbq at Scott’s cousin’s house. We are really loving the warmer temps and trying to stay busy outdoors 🙂 Have a great Memorial Day!

Bathing suit pictures coming soon!

Yeah!!! We are headed to the pool!!!!! Finally!

Stay tuned for more pics from our fun day at the pool.

Jennifer

So far, so good on this summer vacation. I know, we are only two days into the break but really so far, so good.

Yesterday, the kids and I started a mural on the basement wall. We threw out some theme options but quickly decided upon an under the sea mural. We started out by taping off the mural area and then rolling on the blue water. After the water was dry, er paint, that is, we drew a huge shark and painted him grey.

Today we took Paige to gymnastics in the morning and then headed to Pueblo for a visit to the Buell Children’s Museum. This is a small, fun, hands on, very crafty place for the younger set. The kids had a blast. Right now Alice is writing in her journal about all the fun she had at the museum.

When we got home, we noticed that the Thunderbirds were practicing formations right over the house (kinda hard not to notice unless you are wearing earplugs and shooting muffs). So….we plopped right down on the driveway with Popsicles (I plopped, kids ate) and enjoyed the view. After we were sure the planes had taken a break we headed inside to do some more work on the mural. Sam, Alice and Paige each drew a couple fish and then filled them in with their choice of paint. I added the clown fish, bubbles and eyes.

Tomorrow is Movie Wednesday and we are also hoping to add seaweed, coral and an anemone to our mural. I took these pics today after we added our fish to the shark infested waters.

I hope you all have a great day. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming.