July was full of many jovial celebrations as well as excitement that the house was back to normal. The kids continued with their Monday and Friday tennis and swim lessons and we kept up with our Wednesday night track practices for the whole family plus Simon and I were also starting to get into the heart of our training for the Toronto marathon. Ava and Dylan continued to do a great job with sleeping in, reading in the morning, working on a sheet of math, finishing a short list of chores on most mornings and then heading to the gym with Simon for some basketball training about twice a week.
I felt like we were all relaxing more, sleeping better and really enjoying summer now that the house remodel was wrapping up and of course we were enjoying lots of July celebrations starting with...
...a fabulous wine tasting gathering with friends on July 2nd at the Santos' home.
It was an evening with great friends, relaxation and learning how to pair wine with food.
Such a good looking group of men!
Thank you Lisa and Paulo for a splendid evening.
Just a few short days later it was time to celebrate our Nations' independence.
Happy 4th of July.
The kids enjoyed participating in our annual neighborhood parade while Simon and I were both busy timing 4th of July races that morning.
Later that evening we all headed over to the Pickett's gorgeous home for a wonderful celebration with many great friends and then we all headed out to see a spectacular fireworks show.
July 7th - 10th Simon flew out to Chicago to visit his good buddy Al and his family. They had some great quality time going to K1 Speed for some racing and...
...eating out and catch-up with Al and Katy and...
...seeing the sights of Chicago, like Navy Pier and they...
...also enjoyed a White Sox and Brewers game too. Sounds like it was an amazing trip.
Right before Dad left town Ava was busy at a horse camp at the Stockton Stables for the week (5th - 8th) with her friend Kaila.
They had an amazing time and learned a ton about caring for and riding horses.
That weekend the kids and I decided last minute to head up to the mountains so that I could help my friend Jennifer with some of her wedding plans and getting invitations out the door. While we were at Grampy and Sharona's house, the kids got to meet Elle Mae (my dad's friend's new black Labrador puppy). So very cute.
Ava and Dylan loved a little time in the mountains with Grampy and Sharona, swinging in their PJs, and going for a jeep ride in the mountains while I was out at Jen's ranch helping her address invitations. It was a nice, quick trip to the mountains.
July 16th the neighborhood helped us celebrate Marley's 13th birthday. They all sang happy birthday to Marley while Ava and Dylan brought out the dog cake we baked for Marley this year and..
...she loved it. Marley also...
...enjoyed her annual scavenger hunt for her birthday toys and treats.
Marley was confused, as usual, during her scavenger hunt because of all the various, hidden smells from the treats and the...
...excitement from the kids, but we all love celebrating Marley.
Happy 13th birthday to the best dog ever.
The next celebration on the calendar was Ava's 11th birthday on the 16th, but before we celebrated Ava's birthday, we kicked off the morning with a big hike up the Incline in Manitou near Colorado Springs. The Collins' had planned a fun hiking day with a group of friends and their kids and we were thrilled to join in the fun.
We gained 2000 vertical feet in elevation from bottom to top in just 1 mile.
These kids were all rock stars for climbing such a steep hike. It was so much steeper then I expected.
Round trip from where we parked, to hiking the incline was, and then from running down the trails on the back side, we covered a total of 5 miles.
Such a fun accomplishment and a big thanks to the Collins family for planning.
Later that evening it was time to celebrate Ava turning 11 years old. We surprised her with her much desired iPhone. Ava was thrilled.
Let's take a selfie.
Gorgeous evening for dinner, presents and cake outside on the new back patio!
Dylan got some cool fossil rocks too from Sharona on Ava's birthday. Such a lucky brother. Ava's party with friends came a full week later because we were so excited to head to Elitch Gardens on an evening when one of her favorite bands was playing in concert... "Echosmith!"
Up first, before Ava's big party, however was some typical, neighborhood, summer shenanigans the next morning on the 17th. The girls built an awesome bench out of some scrap wood that was left over from the remodel while...
...the boys worked hard on their first go-kart. So awesome.
With the house remodel we had a ton of scrap wood lying around on the side yard most of the summer so the kids and neighbors continued to build many projects throughout the summer using nails, hammers and saws (with adult supervision).
Gunner and Dylan built a go-kart by themselves except they did have a little help from Nathan using the saw and I also bought some wheels online for them. Other than that, this was all them. So creative and it actually zoomed pretty fast down the street.
Random photo from the 21st of the kids making up some random animal game but, when I walked into Dylan's room I was just shocked at how many stuffed animals they actually had. Wow. Time for a Goodwill drop.
July 23rd, Ava's big day was finally here and she had created these super cute party favors from a pinterest idea.
The girls arrived at the house at noon and then we headed downtown to Elitch Gardens for a day of amusement park fun.
We went on three rides and then unfortunately, we had to wait under shelter because some rain and lightening came through.
The lightening delay was a bummer but, somehow the girls still had fun. We then at dinner at the park and then headed to...
... the concert area at Elitch's for the girls to then see "Echosmith" in concert.
So fun. The girls had an amazing time (and I definitely did too).
After the concert the night was gorgeous and the park rides were still open so...
...it was time to head back out for some roller coaster fun.
It really was such an amazing evening and...
...I was so thankful my dear friend Lori, was able to come along with me to enjoy an evening with the girls.
Thanks Lori!
While we were at Elitch's and screaming at the concert, Dylan, Simon and Cathie went to a Rockies game and had a great night out just the three of them.
After a full day downtown it was time to enjoy some ice-cream birthday cake on the patio before a late night...
...sleepover in the basement.
Then it was back to the patio again for a huge birthday party breakfast the next morning. Happy birthday Ava! I hope your party was a spectacular for you as it seemed! We love you!
Last but, not least, one last celebration before ending July. Simon and I celebrated our 13th anniversary on July 26th. Cheers to many more!
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