July

Lots of fun summer stuff!  Our neighborhood HOA swimming pool is very close by, and we like to go there most mornings before it gets too hot and crowded.

Elias and his friend Azariah

Tessa and Caylie with their shark friend!

Sam and his phone.

 Justin held a trombone sectional at our house between marching band camps.

Sam learned to mow the yard.

Tessa and Elias were dedicated to the Lord at Calvary Aurora.

Pastor Ed gave them children's Bibles, and then spent time looking at them with the kids after the service.

I had another birthday.

And so did Jim.  We always celebrate his with free 7-11 Slurpees!

Birthday dinner at MOD Pizza.  Yummy!

He wasn't really 501.

EHS Marching Band had their second summer band camp.

Hard work, but lots of fun, for both band kids and band boosters!

Trombone section.  There are 14 of them this year!

We put this sign out every day.  

But sometimes people just don't pay attention!

Performance on the last day of camp.  And then we have a fun and yummy BBQ with all the families!

For the second year in a row, we've had to miss the AAC Adoption annual picnic because it was on the same day as the band BBQ.  Hopefully that does not happen next year, when we are newly home with our Rylee!

And just because this was on my phone, I will post it.  😊
We had gone to the furniture store to look for a new bed for Justin.  He liked this cow painting, though we did not buy it.  But we did find him a new bed, since his current bed was part of a bunk bed set that now will be used for Caylie and Rylee!  (The same bunkbeds have been used for Taylor & Keelan, Keelan & Justin, and Justin & Samuel!)

New Photos!!

We have new photos of Rylee!  A family was visiting her orphanage last weekend and got them for us.  She has grown a lot since last winter!  Love her so much already! 
💗💗💗

Altman Adoption Shirts!

Friends, please consider helping us in our adoption journey by purchasing one of these awesome shirts!  If you know our family and have followed our story, you have seen for yourself that indeed "Adoption is Redemption"! 

Proceeds will help with adoption fees, travel costs, and donations to our little one's orphanage.  Shirts will be shipped directly to you when our campaign ends at the end of July.

There are unisex, women’s slim fit, and kids’ styles, each with several color options.  Thank you so much for your help!

Click here:  Altman Adoption Shirts

Florida Trip

On June 29, we went to Florida to visit Jim's mom, Sylvia.  We were there for 6 days and had lot of fun!  The first thing we did was go out to celebrate Samuel Day!  Samuel has been in our family for four years now!

And after dinner we went for ice cream.   Justin ordered a big cone, but they made a mistake and made a little cone.  Then they stuck that little cone into his big cone.  

Anyway, it was yummy!  

We visited Grandma Sylvia's neighborhood pool several times.

Grandma took Justin to practice his driving in her golf cart.

 And when you're in a golf cart in Florida, you sometimes see things like dead armadillos in the road!

Keelan hanging out at Grandma's house.

One day we went to the Brandon Mall, and Caylie took a couple of carousel rides.

A horse AND a kangaroo!

That same day we met up with friends Lloyd and Vanessa, who went to school with me back in Winchester, Indiana.  They live in Tampa now, but also used to live in Colorado.

Another day we went to the Florida Railroad Museum.   We took an hour-long ride on a open-air train.  Very breezy and nice on a hot Florida day!

Some cars at the museum.

 Just a tree I saw along the way!

Circus car!

The train stopped at this old station which is now a museum.

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And this is an old sleeper car that we walked through.  Very hot and no air conditioning.  I don't think I'd want to travel through Florida on it in the summer!

j

Jim being goofy at me.  

Another day we went to St. Petersburg for a Tampa Bay Rays game. 
Driving over the bay.

Sunshine Skyway Bridge

Outside Tropicana Field

All of us waiting for the game to start.

I only have one picture of the actual game, haha.
 Inside baseball has a totally different vibe.

Caylie with Mickey.  I feel like I have a shot of her with the one at Coors Field, too.  I'll have to look.

Outside the stadium after the game.
 Palm trees light up are very cool.

Going back home over the same bridge, now lit up and changing colors.

And one day we went to the beach!  A very fun time!
 Caylie didn't like the water much - it was very choppy that day - but picked up lots of shells.  The rest of us enjoyed being out in the waves.

The kids in Grandma's front yard.  🌴

We had a fun time!!  🌞