Douglas County Parade

Britta and I were so excited to take Austin's family to the parade! And I think Austin was excited to be here too. We have lots of fun memories of going to the parade every summer. This is first parade for Claire and Camille--they are going to love every minute! Not to mention all the candy a kid can get at this parade!

I love America! The parade always starts with the American Legion carrying the flags. I wonder if they are heavy. Most of these men are getting older and I respect them for walking the parade route and carrying the flags.

The Sheriff's Department on horseback and bikes. They have a fun ride!



I love Camille's patriotic spirit! She loved to wave her flag.

This fun float was from the Emporium. They have a lot of cute decor items in their store.

This would be a fun ride if you were in the parade!

I love Cub Scouts, so of course I had to take a picture of this pack. I love their outdoor theme.

The 4-H Clubs are what this parade is all about--Douglas County Fair time!

Our favorite entry in the whole parade!

Our favorite drummer! The band sounded great!

The football team follows the band in their Husky truck! We love our Huskies!

Right off the top of my head, I don't know who this is. I think it is a mascot for something. Anyway, he is unique looking, so I took a picture.

This mini frisbee came right to Britta! She was a little excited, can you tell?

The karate people have been in the parade with this fun inflatable for the last couple of year.

There is a lot of music at parades, and Camille was dancing and dancing!

This girl has some serious rhythm! 

She was absolutely the cutest to watch! She was more fun than the parade!

Our friendly rival and competition. 

Britta and Ryan love Chick-fil-A. 

Doesn't this just melt your heart? Camille is so cute, even the cows want to hug her! She was quite excited.

The cows love Britta too! 

We had a great time and the weather was perfect! Not too hot and sunny, as is sometimes the case. We love Castle Rock and the Douglas County Parade!

Five Guys Hat

Quite often when we go to the cemetery, we see that other people have left things, flowers, little signs, pennies. It is so touching to us that other people remember him and come here. There is always a Five Guys hat. When things get old or weathered or out of season, the cemetery workers remove them. The hat is always new and bright red, so someone replaces it often. I'm not sure if it's the same person or not. Today there was a hat with some writing on it. It touched our hearts to read it, it's comforting to know that other people miss him too. I don't know Ethan T, but Britta does. He was a co-worker of Blake's. Thank you, Ethan, for remembering Blake.

Ryan's Summer Swim Team

I was pleasantly surprised when Ryan wanted to swim with the Castle Rock Cruisers again this summer. I thought since he was lifeguarding now, maybe he wouldn't want to. He is in the 15-18 boys group now and there are still quite a few boys that swim. 

One nice thing about the Cruisers is that you can choose your level of commitment. You can attend as many practices and meets as you want. Swimming with the high school is quite intense. They practice 5 days a week after school for an hour and half, so it's nice this is so low key.

Ryan decided to just wear his suit and cap from the school team this summer.

Ready to go! Swim fast!

These first pictures were taken at Butterfield Pool in Castle Rock. They re-modeled and there is now a pergola over the diving blocks and line up area. It is really nice to have some shade for the swimmers and timers.

I remember when Ryan first started swimming and I loved to watch the 15-18 boys. They were so big and fast and powerful in the water. And just like that my boy is one of those that are so fun to watch!

I didn't get any end of the season banquet pictures. It was a fun summer of swimming!

4th of July

Our ward always has a breakfast on the 4th of July. It was fun to have Austin's family with us! They were so festive dressed in red, white, and blue. They have served breakfast burritos for the past several years, so it was a refreshing change to have pancakes with a variety of toppings, fruit, and bacon. Yum!

Britta and Ryan showed their American spirit today! 

Austin is a good Dad and plays with his girls a lot. Claire loved balancing in the middle of the teeter totter.

After the breakfast and playing at the park for awhile, we came home and set up the pool. The girls loved it!

Splashing, dumping, pouring, and smiling!

Taking a break to rest and soak up some sun. The chair is a little big, but she didn't care.

Later in the afternoon we went down to the cemetery. The star gazer lilies are now blooming and they are beautiful! The grass is green and it is nice and peaceful. Blake loved setting off fireworks and we are missing him a lot today.

The last two years the Town has lit the fireworks at the quarry. It is nice because you can see them from almost anywhere in town. We went to a spot on Liggett Road. It's only two minutes away, so it's nice and close and we can be home really fast when they are done. They were fabulous as usual and it was fun to watch with Claire and Camille.

Happy Birthday America! We love you!

Camille's Birthday

Camille was so excited to be having a birthday! Austin and Melissa were feeling a little frazzled with all the moving business and house hunting and didn't have much time for shopping. But Millie didn't notice, she just wanted to be 3 years old! She loves Paw Patrol and this big Paw Patrol gift bag made her so happy! She could hardly wait to see what was inside.

Yay for all the Paw Patrol toys! A stuffed animal Chase and lots of little action dogs!

Opening more presents! This one was from Grandma and Grandpa--a horse with a trailer and a pink jeep.

Millie and her birthday haul!

A pink cupcake for the birthday girl!

A big breath and blow that candle out! Her wish will be coming true!

Happy Birthday sweet Millie! The first of many birthdays that I will get to share in now that you live in Colorado! I love you!