Jonathan's 16th Birthday

Happy Birthday Buddy! We celebrated this milestone birthday in typical fashion with a family party at our house. But the big event of the day was Jonathan passing his driving test and getting his license (despite the challenges with the previous driving school). At the time of writing Jonathan is a few months into driving. He's been loving the freedom to drive to the gym or pickleball and even drove to South Denver alone last weekend.

Last Day of 9th Grade

Student Council Induction

The end of a school year means a banquet to recognize student council and pass the torch to next year's members. Since Jonathan was elected class president for next year, we'll be doing this a third time in 2027.

Jonathan wore my suit to the event. He said a few words in front of everyone, passed the torch, and introduced the incoming members for next year's sophomore class. He was also awarded the most valued person award for the current year. Good job Buddy!

Jonathan for President

The votes are in and Jonathan was reelected as Class President for next school year!

Smarty Pants

Walk in The Garden

The fam damily, or all of us that were feeling up to it, had a nice stroll around Garden of the Gods together today. The weather was pretty nice and has been unseasonably warm to this point this year. Sometimes the cold holds off until the start of the next year around these parts.

The park was pretty busy, but not too bad if you were on foot rather than in a car. Huey did a great job and was the center of attention for most people.

Christmas 2025

We had a really good Christmas this year. It was busy, and involved multiple celebrations and families, but it ended up being one of the better years in recent memory.

It started on Christmas Eve. I went for a quick ride in my ugly sweater while Julia went over to Miles house and opened some presents from their family. Then all of us, our family, Miles' family, and Grandpa and Grandma went to church and sat together. Technically speaking we sat in three different rows because we also met up and sat with Caleb's family.

Then we came over to our house and had fondue together, watched a movie and then got to bed at a decent hour. Christmas morning we opened up our presents as usual, but then Miles' stopped by in his matching pajamas to open and give out some presents. Stacey made some really delicious cinnamon rolls for everyone. They were so good I had two.

Then we headed over to my parent's house for adult Christmas, which is the usual time each year that the adults get to open their presents. It was a fun and memorable year.

Halloween Costumes

Jonathan and Julia (and Miles) came up with some pretty good costumes this year. Jonathan had a few options to choose from for Student Council...

Homecoming 2025

First Day of School

First day of senior year for Julia...and first day of high school for Jonathan!

4th of July in Granby

This year the entire family planned a short vacation over the holiday weekend. There were lots of festivities for the 4th, a gravel race for me, and Rocky Mountain National Park all within a short drive of the Air BnB we rented for the long weekend. Michelle and Huey even joined from California.

The first event on the calendar was s traditional small town 4th of July Parade. There were lots of horses, big vehicles, and even a few Denver Nuggets Cheerleaders were involved. Near the end we were treated to an unexpected flyover by two F-16s. In the end, the dogs were even involved.

Stacey also took a nice picture of the kids in front of Grand Lake, which was closer to where we were staying. This area on the backside of Rocky Mountain National Park is one of my favorite places in Colorado. It's harder to get to, so quieter, but it has some of the best water and scenery around. I'd like to go back again and do some exploring on my bike.