A Brief Summary of Time

Okay so this is just going to be lazy. I am going to cover everything from Easter until July in this update. The thing is, I got two things working against me. First, there is not enough time in the day to document what takes all the time in my day. Second, uhm, there is not enough time to explain. I will still try for monthly updates, but for now, see the below summaries (in chronological order) of fun events along with pictures (or links to pictures).

New Chicks:

Against my wishes (outvoted 3 to 1), we got three new chicks to replace the one chicken we lost last year to a dog. Makes sense...god forbid the new baby chicken gets lonely. So we introduced Amelia, Bronco and Black-White Beauty (you guess who named them) to the heard (den? flock? murder?).

NFFL (National Flag Football League):

Caden signed up for flag football this spring. He was SOOO excited. For those of you who haven’t been around Caden recently, he is a huge sports fan; especially if the Broncos are involved. And much to his delight, he was on the Broncos team this season. He had a total blast playing every Sunday this spring in Boulder. One hour of practice followed by one hour of game time. The weather this spring did not behave so there were a few canceled games, but one game worth mentioning was early in the year. It was cold, raining, totally miserable. They canceled all the games except Caden’s somehow. The parents were huddled under tents with coffee while the kids cried and stopped playing....except Caden. My take, he loved it. He was uncomfortable and couldn’t feel his hands for sure, but he loved having to suffer to play and was the only one who refused to take a break. Love this boy’s drive and hope he keeps it forever.

End of School:

This doesn’t deserve the short update it is going to get, but so be it. The kids finished up their respective school years. Molly finished off her second year of pre-school leaving mommy and daddy in a bit of pickle with what to do with her next. This girl for all her difficulties and, shall we say, personality challenges is brilliant. Well ahead of her age in writing, reading and comprehension. But physically and socially, still young. So to Kindergarten or not to Kindergarten...that is the pickle. Answer, one more year of pre-school (pre-K). She could pull it off and she is getting bigger fast with her hormone therapy, but she has nothing to lose by staying back one year.

Caden wrapped up first grade right on-track. He struggled with reading and writing throughout the year, but, just as school wrapped-up (I swear it was to the day), he’s got it. He reads with ease, comprehends well and his writing and spelling are great (if he takes his time). The big challenge this year was the long hours of first grade (I had previously bitched about the unrealistic expectations of our children). But he did it. He was tired, but never slowed down. And he even misses it a bit now. Looking forward to year 2 (at least he is).

Mother’s Day (okay so mostly chronological order):

The weather got in the way again (did I mention the month of May Colorado turned into Seattle?). So Katy’s mother day race was canceled, Caden’s football game was canceled, and plans were shuffled to deal with it. And it was lovely. We had a chill morning, an afternoon of shopping, and general spoiling of all the moms in the area. Yeah mom!

Nick’s Graduation:

So we messed-up. We usually put on a great slide show for the kids as they graduate high school. But this year we simply did not have the time. But all is not lost. We promised Nick a show and he will get one...just closer to the end of summer instead of the beginning. But, for now, congratulations Nick on your graduation from Fairview and good luck at CU!

BolderBoulder!

SOOOO awesome. If you know anything about running, you know about the BolderBoulder. Been going on for 37 years in Boulder now. A 10K road race through the town ending in CU’s stadium. We have done it off and on for the past many years, but missed it the past several. This year, our boy Caden decided he should do it. He had been doing running club in school two mornings a week and was up to 3 miles pretty easily...so why not jump to 6+? Caden was up for it. Mommy, Daddy and Caden (and Kendra!) hit our first BB as a family. Headed in wave NJ and enjoyed every step between the starting pistol and the finish line. Caden did phenomenal. He probably only walked a combined half mile and ended with a time of 1:27. At this rate he is going to be pushing the lower waves before 10! So proud of you Caden and hope you will always push us to be as active as you!

Molly’s Dance Recital

Molly has continued her dancing with TCDC in both Ballet and Tap. She is on and off about home she loves it, but one thing is certain; she does love a dance recital. This time she did a ballet to the soundtrack from “Up”. Needless to say, it was super cute.

House Projects:

More summary than content for now, but big changes coming to the Chapman household. First, we finally rebuilt our garden following the introduction of the chickens. New raised beds, new fences, new shape new fire pit and patio. That is the easy part. The big news is inside. After 10 years, we are finally getting the new kitchen we have been threatening. New kitchen, bathroom, floors, walls, ceilings, lights, doors, closets, etc.. Major to do. For now, here is a link to the project page (The Remodel). But below are some fun pictures of our backyard progress!

Caden Swim Team:

Our boy is on the Louisville Dolphins Swim Team this summer. Quite the commitment; 1 hour every evening from Monday through Thursday. He is getting in shape and learning what exhaustion really feels like. Very proud of him for how hard he is working and never wanting to miss a night.

First Summer Trip:

Camping! We made some advanced plans for a change and did some Rocky Mountain National Park camping. After epic rains (not quite biblical), people though we were crazy to head up to the great outdoors. Flood warnings, big long storms, lost roads...all bad news. But it was nothing short of spectacular. 3 nights in the Glacier campground with grandpa David joining us. Why did he join? Did I mention that grandpa David now lives in Colorado? That’s right, after too many years of denying the inevitable, the entire Chapman family has joined me in Colorado. Anywho, good times in the mountains. Link is here (RMNP).

Summer and stuff