The rest of May

I have been woefully behind on the blog. I decided that to catch up I would just do a few posts that cover entire months. Here comes May. . .

Filling the pool with a sand foundation.
Spreading the sand
Susan, Mary, and Erin
Working on the liner
Working on the liner
Ian was the first one in the pool
Rose, Ian, and Lucia
Hope and Mari reffing
Going away party for our neighbor Vi
Generic pool shot
Lucia playing socer
Lucia’s Soccer Team
Rose’s Soccer Team
Elliot after band concert
Dew Tour
Rob Axe Throwing with Friends
Susan and Rob on anniversary date

Colorado Trip

My uncle Tom, who lives in Colorado Springs, has not been doing well. His mental and physical health have been declining and I had the opportunity to go visit with him for a few days at the end of last week. Susan stayed home on kid duty and I spent my days visiting with Tom, making time for a hike each day.

Susan playing at the creek with the kids.
Lucia chasing after Elliot.
I camped in Colorado. It felt like our RV trip to pull into the campground after dark and have to find my spot.
The view from my office. I worked on Eastern Time, so I had a couple of hours each day to get some work done before heading in to visit with Tom. I was fortunate that the weather was still warm.
My first good view of the mountains.
Uncle Tom, resting
Tom liked to hold hands and one of my primary responsibilities when I was there was to make sure I was available for that.
Meanwhile, life went on at home and Susan had to get all of the kids to their activities. here, Andrew is running in a XC meet , maybe at Southeast Polk.
My first hike in Colorado Springs was to Garden of the Gods. I tried to stay pretty close to town.
Susan also had to get up early with Oreo, who insists on waking us just a little earlier than we would like.
During this time, Mari also submitted her application to work at Coldstone Creamery. With soccer and XC winding down she will have more free time, and she is saving up for a new phone.
Soccer fans.
Red Rock Open Space in the foreground, with Garden of the Gods in the background.
Susan and the kids enjoying a fire.

Happy Birthday, Rose!

Today we celebrate Rose’s 5th birthday. Her friend Hili came over in the afternoon and they played in the creek, where there is a little beach area. The Reagens and Mimi and Papa came over in the evening for a pool party!

Rose at 5 continues to be a real sweetheart. She loves to give big hugs and kisses. She enjoys drawing, coloring, writing, and building things. Her favorite birthday present was probably a Chelsea camper (think Barbie Jr). Rose gets up every day around 7:30 or 8 and likes to make her way downstairs to read with mom and dad or do a coloring page. For breakfast, she likes bagels, sometimes with cinnamon. For lunch she likes macaroni and cheese or chicken nuggets. For dinner, she likes spaghetti and meatballs. She loves to play outside with Lucia and the neighbors. She loves playing in the pool, but is not always a fan of our family walks. She goes to bed around 9 or 10 at night, still sharing a bed with Lucia.

Rose wanted me to be sure to add that she loves playing with Oreo, the cat, including carrying him around. She does get scratched on occasion, but that is a small price to pay.

River Hike

We joined the Reagens again today for our traditional Sunday hike, which included a stop along the river.

Bonus evening pic: We don’t have a ton of pictures of it, but the kids have been spending a lot of time on the trampoline.