First Day of School!

Jonathan is officially in kindergarten and Julia a big third grader. The first day of school went great. Jonathan was nervous, but he was kind enough to give the boy in front of him in line a hug when he started crying. Jonathan was very proud of himself that he was the oldest in his class as well - something we can see giving him confidence going forward.

Julia enters the second half of her time at this elementary school. Three more grades to complete before she heads to middle school. Julia was a little nervous too since her long time friends moved away this summer. She didn't know any of the girls well in her class this year, but she quickly made some friends as the week went on.

Happy 4th Birthday Freckles!

The kids wrapped up a few balls, a straw, and a some string...and we all celebrated four years of fun and love with Freckles with a fancy feast. We had to blow out the candle for her, but I think her wishes still came true (a few seconds later, as a matter of fact).

Children's Museum

School is just around the corner, so Stacey decided to take the kids up to Denver for some vocational placement training. The Children's Museum in Denver will always be part of our family history, since this was the place that Jonathan really sick and ended with us being admitted to the hospital and later that stay getting his g-tube.

Five years after that visit was a little different. No one got sick...and the kids were able to practice their veterinarian, fire fighting, and baking skills. Julia is already talking about college...

First Soccer Practice

Jonathan had his first soccer practice today!  He's been very excited about it all summer. So much so that we had to add this to the chalkboard countdown in the kitchen.  This first year I started him in the park and rec league. Long term there are probably better options for his development, but this was a good place to start.  The main reason I started him in this league is because it is arranged by school grade and then age, not just age. We wanted to get him started off on the right foot, and allow him to be the oldest in the group instead of the youngest.

So far he's been loving it and having a lot of fun. He is very competitive, so he celebrates every good kick and every bad kick even if it's just the ball going out of bounds. So far in practice scrimmages he's been one of the better players. Even when placed in goal to give the other kids a chance, he cheers them on and celebrates with them.  I can't wait to see him in his first game. Although this is all about fun and development, he definitely is out there to win the game. Seeing him celebrate a goal or clap his hands together in disappointment is hilarious.

 

Mount Yale

Distance - 9.50 miles
Elevation Gain - 4,300 feet

Today was our second training hike for our trip to Peru. Although we were both not feeling the greatest during the week, this hike went very well.  I felt great compared to last month since last time I had just been given a cocktail of immunizations for our trip.

We drove up on Friday afternoon and slept in the back of 4Runner again.  The kids followed suit and "camped out" on the deck at grandpa and grandma's house. The weather forecast called for thunderstorms so we got an early start and were hiking shortly after 6 a.m. The trail up to the top was very nice and well maintained. For long stretches at the beginning the trail was relatively flat, shaded by the trees, and had 5-6 stream crossings.

I am getting pretty close to finishing all of the 14ers in the Sawatch Range. I only have two more to summit in total and then I will have completed over 50.0% of them in Colorado.

The Lillies of the Fields

Backyard bouquets were poppin' this year.  I think it's because I gave them new mulch and kept the rabbits away.  Here are a couple of pictures of a larger grouping, but we had flowers of every color lining the back fence.

Twenty Year Reunion

This weekend was my 20th high school reunion.  Although there weren't many official gatherings (a night out at a bar, an casual afternoon at the park), and I didn't attend any of them, I was able to organize a breakfast at Over Easy for the guys I was closest to in high school.  Mark and Bryan came in from out of state, but rest of us still live in town.

We had a really good time catching up with everyone "over" and "easy" couple of hours with breakfast. I'm glad I was able to see everyone together - it was just my speed. The day before Mark, Clare and I hiked the Manitou Incline together.  At first we were able to chat, but that quickly gave way to the necessity of breathing.

Sudduth Cabin Reunion

We spent the weekend of the 4th this year up the Poudre Canyon at my grandparent's cabin (now owned by my uncle Tom).  Several other family members from my Dad's side joined the group to form a mini Sudduth Family Reunion. Linnea and Wally came in from Alaska, Andy from New Mexico, and Michelle from California.  Although the rest of us were from in state, many had to battle the holiday traffic.

We went on a couple hikes, played with the family dogs, went fishing, and spent a lot of time catching up with one another.  It was good to see everyone and the kids had a great time.  They even got to witness and taste their first fish catch!