Working on the summer bucket list

July was a very busy month for us with reunions and camps and visitors and so the last week or two has been a little bit more low-key, but we have been able to check plenty of things off of our summer to-do list.

Kendra and family came up to visit the week after Ragged Mountain which happened to be hers and Kip's 36th birthday.  Woo hoo!  We went down to hike in Castlewood Canyon (check!) which is pretty close to here and has some awesome rock formations.  Very pretty!

 Rachel and Lizzie showing us the cactus...

 Taking a rest! (Ella, aunt Kendra, Jody, Caleb, Lizzie, Cayden)

 Rachel on the bridge...

 Under the overpass - Lizzie, Cayden, Caleb, Ella, Juliana, Rachel, Jody.  McKinley was "stuck" against her wishes in the kid-backpack with Kip. :)

That night we left the kids with a babysitter and went to a Rockies game, which was fun even though they called a rain delay (we had dry seats) at the bottom of the 9th.  Who calls a rain delay at the bottom of the 9th?  Two hours later (when we were home again) the Rockies played out that half inning and lost anyway.  Too bad, but it was fun for us!  We celebrated the birthday "kids" with pie and ice cream before Kendra et.al. headed back to GJ on Sunday.  The kids cleaned the entire basement and made a rather unbelievable pile of cards, presents, and decorations for their parents (mostly headed by Lizzie and Ella, I believe).  Quite the party planners!

During the week we didn't work too hard, but did have fun playing at a park, visiting a local history museum/living farm, and going swimming.  The kids got the all clear for another 8 weeks at the orthodontist, the dentist complimented my 12-year-old fillings, and I finished painting Caleb's room.  It looks much more grown up now, which pleases him, and the lime green walls are gone, which pleases Kip. Win-win!

This past weekend we planned to visit a cave down towards Colorado Springs, but when we left the house, we noticed a giant carnival looking thing getting set up in the park by our house.  What?!  So we got gas then turned around and came back home for the annual Clarke Farms (neighborhood) "picnic."  I got the e-mail telling me when it was, but I sort of blew it off.  Eh, neighborhood picnic, bleh.  Little did I realize, that is code for a completely free catered carnival event.  It was awesome.  The kids (and I) could not get over the fact that EVERYTHING was FREE - all the food, the drinks, the events, the games, the Swan's truck backed up the the park and tossing ice cream bars out - FREE!  It was so fun.  Did I mention that everything was free?!  Oh, I did. Sorry. :)  Here is Caleb cozy-ing up to goats and cows at the petting zoo:

 McKinley and Ella riding the train with Dad:

 Rachel (then McKinley) riding ponies:

 

 Caleb and Rachel competing in a three legged race - I LOVE this picture.  Caleb and Rachel have very similar personalities and don't get along well most of the time.  I was so thrilled that he was willing to be partners with Rachel, and they raced and smiled and had a great time.  They didn't win, but I loved watching them compete together!

 Ella's favorite - the climbing wall.  That's her on the right and Caleb on the left - I think she made it to the top first!

We came home stuffed with ice cream and soda, loaded with cheap gimmicky prizes from corny carnival games, and exhausted.  Awesome!

To top off the free excitement, yesterday we went to Cherry Creek State Park to swim at the beach (check!) and found out it was FREE state park day!  Apparently, every year, the first Monday in August all of the state parks are free in honor of Colorado Day (Colorado was made a state August 1, 1876).  Woo hoo!  So we did not have to pay the entry fee and had a BLAST swimming at the beach.  Ella and Rachel found piles of clam shells to take home:

 Caleb built walls and castles and more walls and castles:

 McKinley dug and swam and splashed and tried to avoid looking a the camera...but I got her!

 Rachel's mermaid tail:

 Swimming!  Got her again!

 The black sand pit Caleb used to build his walls and castles:

 Ella, warming up on the sand.  Looks cozy!

 We stayed until we were all starving and needed to come home for food:  McKinley didn't make it too far - part way down the road, she couldn't even keep her thumb in her mouth, poor tired thing. :)

Next week is swimming lessons, our last big hurrah before school starts.  I can't believe it's almost time to start school again!  Yikes!  But yay!  I do always enjoy the return to schedules and learning. :)