THE WILHELM ADVENTURES
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SEPTEMBER POSTS

9/30/2020

 
MADELINE'S 4TH BIRTHDAY (SEPTEMBER 6) 

MADELINE - 4 YEARS OLD (SEPTEMBER 6)

SNOW DAY IN SEPTEMBER (SEPTEMBER 8) 

MADELINE'S FIRST WEEK OF PRESCHOOL (SEPTEMBER 9) 

SARA'S PIKES PEAK BIKING ADVENTURE (SEPTEMBER 12) 

LOST CREEK WILDERNESS HIKE (SEPTEMBER 19) 

MADELINE'S SWIMMING LESSONS (SEPTEMBER 3-24) 

RUNNING AND BIKING (SEPTEMBER 1-25) - 
not yet posted

NEW HOME GYM (SEPTEMBER 26) 

ANDREW'S FIRST TEMPLE EXPERIENCE (SEPTEMBER 26) 

ANDREW LEAVES FOR HIS MISSION TO FT. WORTH, TX (SEPTEMBER 29) 

SLICES OF LIFE (SEPTEMBER 29) - not yet posted

Andrew Leaves for His Mission

9/29/2020

 
​It was a bittersweet morning as we said goodbye to Andrew at the Colorado Springs airport where he was boarding a plane to head to Ft. Worth, TX for his first missionary assignment. He was pretty calm and collected but I could tell that he was nervous about what he was heading into. Since I had already said goodbye last month this goodbye was much easier, even though I knew that it would be the last time I would see him in 2 years. I am so proud of Andrew for his commitment to share the gospel with the people of Texas and eventually the people of Germany. I know serving a mission will bless his life.
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Andrew's First Temple Experience

9/28/2020

 
​While Andrew was home for a few days between online MTC and leaving for his first missionary assignment, we had the opportunity to go through the Denver LDS temple with him and it was amazing. My parents were able to drive up from Utah so that they could be there for Andrew. We also invited Michelle Watabe and Tex and Anne Johnson. It was so nice to have a small gathering of friends and family for Andrew. The session was awesome and although I am sure Andrew had many questions about the Endowment, we spent some time talking with him the night before, the car ride to the temple and in the celestial room. We were all so blessed that the Denver LDS temple opened back up right before his mission so that we could have this experience with Andrew. I feel so blessed to have a son who is willing to give up 2 years of his life to spread the Hope of Christ to others. I can’t think of a better time to help others find hope in a time where it seems like all hope is lost and men and women’s hearts are failing. I know Elder Wilhelm will be a force for good in the world and will do great things!
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New Home Gym

9/26/2020

 
As with other times in my life and especially during COVID I have had to relearn and practice being ok with not being able to control every aspect of my life. The one thing I hold onto is the fact that I can control some things. 
I can control my attitude
I can control my behavior
I can control my health and fitness
I can control my ability to be kind to everyone 
I can control my ability to help others
I’m not always good at doing all of these things but at least I’m trying. We have a poster in our home gym of One Punch Man and on it, it says:
 
HUMAN BEINGS ARE STRONG BECAUSE WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO CHANGE OURSELVES
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This is such a good reminder and one I am happy to see every time I leave my house.
 
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EXERCISE IN SEPTEMBER

9/25/2020

 
I loved every minute of biking and running this month. Some of the highlights this month was mountain biking with Mike at Pineries, biking up Cheyenne Canyon Rd with Caryn and some fun people from USATF, and finally meeting the Striders for some group runs. I’m lucky I had great running buddies during the worst of COVID, but it was great to see people I hadn't seen in a while and to feel the desire to not slack in the group workout. I loved our track workout of 5x1000s with 200m recoveries and the tempo run up Section 16. Both were solid workouts. Exercise is such an integral part of my life and I'm so blessed I have great people to exercise with every month.
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Madeline's Swimming lessons

9/24/2020

 
With all the new restrictions with COVID I decided it was best to not take Madeline back to ballet. I knew that she still needed a fun activity to participate in so I signed her up for private swim lessons at PPA. Her instructor, Carolyn, is simply the best. She is so good with Madeline. Madeline has improved so quickly. She can lay on her back and float without any problems, kick with straight legs, blow bubbles in the water, put her face sideways in the water, go under the water, and can scale across the wall on the side of the pool. She loves her new purple goggles and she can put them on all by herself. When we get to her lessons, she is like a maniac trying to get her clothes off so fast so that she can go swim. She looks forward to her lessons every week. I'm so excited that we found something that Madeline absolutely loves. I hope she will continue to love swim like her older siblings do. 
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Lost CreeK Wilderness Hike

9/19/2020

 
​Mike and I ventured up past Woodland Park towards the Lost Creek Wilderness to do a hike we had never done before. We hiked on the Bison Peak Trail which ended being about a 12-mile hike round trip. The Lost Creek Wilderness is one of the most unique wildernesses in Colorado simply because of its terrain. Above tree line on the Bison Peak Trail, there were some of the most bizarre rock formations you will ever see. Much of the Lost Creek Wilderness, which spans 120,000 acres, is dominated by these incredible rock formations, including massive polished granite domes and towering spires. There weren’t a ton of people on the trail and part of that is because this trail is not in a super convenient location to Denver. Also, the trail was incredibly steep just to get to the top plateau areas where you can view the amazing rock formations. Once at the first plateau the trail wasn’t clear, so we just wandered in the correct direction until we found sections that looked like trail. It’s a good thing that Mike had already hiked this trail because he knew generally where we were going. Once the wind started to pick up, we stopped to put on more layers and got a random Facebook call from Andrew. It was awesome to be able to talk with him up on the mountain. Our reception was that great once we started hiking again, so we had to say goodbye and continue onwards. We hiked for another 1-2 miles until we finally reached the summit. At the top, Mike immediately found the Geocache box and found the journal that he had signed several years ago when he hiked this with Peter and the rest of the Boy Scouts. I was just happy I made it to the top because I had been tired all morning and the steepness of the trail really tried me physically and mentally. I can honestly say that the views from the top and the many plateaus of unique rock formations was well worth the hike. Since the weather looked like it could be getting iffy, we didn’t waste any time heading back down the mountain. We hiked so fast going down. One thing is for sure, I always have a great time when I am hiking with Mike. 
 
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Pike's Peak Biking Adventure

9/12/2020

 
​More than a runner...that is who I am these days. Running will always be my first love, but it has definitely taken a back seat to my biking this summer. I completed my goal of biking up Pike’s Peak (14,115 ft) with two of my favorite people, Dionne Randolph and Caryn Maconi, and some other awesome people from USA Triathlon. It was the most epic ride I have ever done. The entire ride was 36.81 miles total, with 18.5 miles up and 6295ft of climbing. We essentially broke up the ride into 4 sections. The first 5 miles was tough only because we started climbing without much of a warmup. We stopped at Crystal Creek for some hydration and to fuel up. The second part of the climb was from Crystal Creek to Glen Cove. This was the hardest part of the ride for me because my lower back started to hurt around mile 8. For two miles I was struggling mentally and physically. When I finally made it to Glen Cove, I was so excited to take my pack off, head to the bathroom, and eat more food. I was happy to have made it this far and to be the second one in our group to get to Glen Cove. The third section was the most grueling according to many who have done this ride. It is a series of switchbacks to get to Devils playground. I was actually surprised that this was my favorite part of the entire ride. I must have gotten some energy from the Gu I ate and my other bars. I wasn’t too far behind Vik and when I made it to Devils playground, we stopped for a few minutes to let the rest of the crew catch up. Then it was the last climb to the top. Vik and I rode the last section together and it was then that I saw Mike and Emma. I was so surprised as they didn’t let most vehicles past Devils playground. Mike had told them that he had to pick someone up at the top because they couldn’t make it down, which ended up being true. I made it to the top in around 3:11. I am so grateful to this awesome group who encouraged each other the entire way and to Mike and Emma for coming up to support me. I am incredibly blessed with good friends and family!
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Madeline's First WEEK of Pre-School

9/9/2020

 
​Madeline was so excited to start pre-school this year. We enrolled her in the Sunrise Methodist Church Preschool only 10 minutes from our house. Her first day was exciting but also very cold. It had snowed the day before and so it was freezing outside. Luckily, we still had her long-sleeved dressed hanging in the closet. She picked out her pink striped dress to wear the first day of school and we grabbed her matching pink face mask. Even though face masks were not required for the pre-school kids, we still encouraged her to wear her mask while she was at school. Madeline was a little nervous to say goodbye to me on the first day but she didn’t cry and so I am counting that as a win for both of us. She had fun her first day with Mrs. Walsh and Mrs. Shoop. Since she had just had a birthday, she was the first one to have her special day of being the line leader, bringing in a show and tell item, and bringing in a treat for her birthday. She got to do that on the second day of school. When I asked her what her favorite part of the day was, she said she loved playing outside. I’m not surprised because all of my kids have loved recess over the years. 
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Snow Day in September

9/8/2020

 
​Just when I thought 2020 couldn’t get any more bizarre, it totally snowed in Colorado the beginning of September. The kids were actually excited by it. Madeline was the only one that actually got on her snow clothes. She was so excited to play outside in the snow. She ran up and down the grass several times just trying to catch snow in her mouth. There is nothing better than the excitement from a 4-year-old when it snows outside. 
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Madeline's 4th Birthday

9/6/2020

 
​All Madeline wanted for her birthday this year was a stuffed animal unicorn and some Frozen Legos. She was so excited by her unicorn cake that I had custom made for her. She got dressed up in her favorite shiny pink twirl dress and let me take a ton of pictures of her outside. We started out the morning with an amazing pancake breakfast with fruit and bacon. Then we let her open up all of her presents. She got her coveted unicorn stuffed animal in addition to the Frozen Lego castle, some Moana Legos, and some Sylvania Family toys. Peter was eager to help her put together her Lego castle. It was so cute watching them work together. Afterwards Abby and Madeline played with her Legos for most of the day. After lunch we sang “Happy Birthday,” and then enjoyed eating the unicorn cake. This was the first birthday where Madeline wasn’t scared to blow out her own candles. After cake and ice-cream, we all headed outside to watch Madeline hit and break open the unicorn piñata. She loved hitting the piñata but it was a little hard for her to break it open, so Peter took some swings at it and completely destroyed it. After all, picking up the candy is the best part of the piñata anyways. 
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Madeline - 4 Years Old

9/6/2020

 
Madeline weighs 29.7 lbs. and is 40.5 inches tall (3 ft 4.5 inches). That puts her in the 75th percentile for height at the age of four which is pretty incredible considering none of the other kids broke the 50th percentile when they were younger. She is still a tiny little thing, though, since she is still only in the 10th percentile for weight. Madeline is just as cute at 4 years old than she was at 3 years old and she has grown up into such a nice little lady. Her amazing curly hair is still the highlight of her cuteness wherever we go. Strangers constantly comment on it when we are out and about doing errands. Madeline loves to do errands with me. Everyday she asks me what we have to do during the day. She gets excited when I tell her we have appointments to go to.

Madeline loves to talk. When we are talking around the dinner table she usually interjects with, "Now it's my turn to talk." She usually tells us made up stories that involve many of the things that were just talked about. It is so cute that she wants to be part of the conversation. At bedtime after I have sung to her and rubbed her back, she always says, "I have to tell you some things." She used to say, "I have to ask you some questions," but that really was her way of saying that she just wanted to talk for a little bit before I said goodnight. 

Madeline loves to play pretend and she is really good at it. She loves to play with Sylvania Family animals, stuffed animals, her doll house, the Little Einstein's characters, Toy Story characters, Disney princess dolls, LiteBrite, her kitchen and her pretend food, and her dress-ups. It is not uncommon for Madeline to walk around in a dress-up, with her tap shoes, rolling her hello kitty suitcase around the house. Every time I sit down and play pretend with her, I just let her take the lead and all I have to do is follow what she does. She is so fun to listen to as she talks for all of her toys. I could listen to her play for hours.  

As much as Madeline loves to play with her toys, she equally loves to be on the iPad. She always asks, "Can I do some learning on the iPad?" The amazing thing is she will actually sit and do her learning apps for at least 20 minutes before moving onto a TV show or movie. Her favorite learning apps are Duolingo Kids, Kahn Academy Kids, and the Fisher Price app.

Madeline loves to go on vacation, and she loves to stay in hotels. She frequently asks when we are going to another hotel. This year during COVID has made it a little harder to travel but we managed to do lots of things in Colorado, Utah and California and Madeline loved all of it. She especially liked skiing over the winter, playing at the beach in California, going biking in Colorado and Utah, and hiking and swimming in Colorado during the summer. Madeline is an excellent hiker and usually walks the entire time without complaining. This year she hiked around the Painted Mines, Spruce Mountain Open Space, Garden of the Gods, Mt. Herman, Steamboat Springs, and Crested Butte. After the kids started school, I put her in private swim lessons as her extracurricular activity this year instead of going back to ballet. She has loved swimming with Carolyn and has progressed really fast. She can do straight leg kicks, blow bubbles in the water, go under water briefly, float on her back, and pull herself along the wall. 

Madeline loves to be active. She is constantly asking us to play chase with her in the house, or ride bikes with her outside. She joins us when we are exercising in the garage and will do her version of pushups which is really cute. She even asked me if I could buy her a real pair of running shoes, some shorts and a running shirt just like Emma so that she could run with Emma. 

Being the youngest in the house, Madeline gets a taste of life with older siblings. Sometimes the big kids get into trouble and when I get upset with them during those times, Madeline is always quick to ask, "Are you mad at me momma?" or "Are you happy with me momma?" It just melts my heart and I quickly check myself to make sure I am disciplining with love and not anger. Madeline is a great example of love and tenderness. 

One of my favorite moments with Madeline is probably at bedtime. After reading books I tuck her in with her 3 blankets: purple (has to be the purple side face down), white fuzzy, and her quilt last. Then like clockwork she says, "I am a Child of God, 2 verses." She loves this song so much. I have asked her many times if she wants a different song, but she doesn't. Then she points to her back and asks me to rub her back. When all of that is finished, she pipes in, "I have to ask you some questions" or "I have to tell you one thing." This is the time of day where she tells me all of her thoughts. Most of the time she recounts what happened during her day or asks me things she doesn’t understand. She is a sensitive and inquisitive soul and I love that about her.

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