Two weeks after school started, Madeline’s kindergarten class was quarantined. We spent 10 days at home doing work on her school iPad, doing educational craft projects, and working on her writing her name. 

​Emma and I finally went to buy her a new bow from J. Mijares violin shop in downtown Colorado Springs. She tried a couple dozen bows before she found the right one.

​Emma and Abby helped me with the fondant for Madeline’s birthday cupcakes.

​Emma got a new pair of running shoes and the print they had in stock was super cute.

​Madeline has been making good progress in our swim lessons. She has mastered scaling the wall, floating on her back, putting her face in the water, and going under the water.

​Abby has been taking guitar at school and I love listening to her practice at home.

​Madeline and I made peanut butter cookies and they turned out so yummy.

​I went to the temple by myself today and it was glorious.

​It has been so much fun switching gears and focusing more on running. After finishing my last bike race last month, I have been focused on training for my upcoming half marathon in November. I didn’t want to lose too much fitness on the bike, so I consistently rode twice a week to cross-train and I was amazed at how much stronger I felt on the bike compared to last year at this time. I was able to get on my mountain bike and rode with Dionne at Red Rocks. That was a ton of fun. I had some amazing runs this month. My top runs were with my running group, the Sunrise Striders, on the 3x8min tempos at Rock Island trail, the Bear Creek tempo run, the MVP 3x1 mile repeats, the 4x400m (4 sets) at the Manitou track, my own personal 4x4 min tempos up in Cordera/Wolf Ranch, and the Rampart Range Road hill tempo where I pushed the pace coming downhill. After focusing so much time on biking I was amazed at how fast my speed came back. I still have some work to do but this month was encouraging. 

It was so nice to sleep in this morning before heading out on our last adventure in Crested Butte. We packed our lunch and then headed out on Gothic Rd. We drove all the way to the Judd Falls/Copper Creek Trailhead, just past the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (which resembles a sort of eerie ghost town). The weather was much cooler than the day before and so we headed out with our jackets. This trail was lined with the most beautiful yellow aspens and the hike to Judd falls was just gorgeous. The falls was magnificent to see from the viewpoint up above and it reminded me of the falls at Salish Lodge in Washington. It was fun to read the history behind this area and how it started as a mining town, then turned to a ghost town, and then to a scientific field station. We decided to continue on the trail and head on the Copper Creek trail towards Copper Lake. As we neared an opening to the vast mountain range, we saw several cows journeying in the same direction. It was fun and unique to see cows on the trail. For sake of time, we decided to turn around and head back instead of trying to push it to the lake. This trail is one we will come back and do again when we have more time. After we got back to the car, we drove up a little further to a small lake and ate our lunch and skipped rocks for a bit. Everyone got into the rock skipping fun and we all took note from Mike who is the ultimate rock skipper. Our trip to Crested Butte was shorter than the year before but we had just as much fun hiking different trails while still enjoying the changing of the leaves. This is definitely one of our favorite places to adventure during the fall season.

Emma and I got up this morning and went for an early run before getting ready for a day of hiking with the family. Running at 9000ft is no small task and I expended a lot of energy just to keep up with her. It was all worth it, though, as we ran through the most beautiful scenery. The leaves were absolutely amazing as they were in the middle of turning colors for the fall season. We all hopped in the 4runner and headed back to Ohio pass to walk the Beaver Pond trail again. Since we were a week or two early from the peak time to enjoy the changing leaves, it was not crowded at all. We essentially had the trail all to ourselves which was amazing. Even though not all of the leaves had started changing, the beauty inside the aspen forest on this trail is pretty spectacular any time of year. At the beaver pond there was a beautiful section of yellow leaved trees across the pond. It was magnificent. We would have circled the pond but since the cows were roaming around we decided to head back the same way we came. On the way back to the car Madeline and I walked a little slower than the others so that I could take some photos of the aspen trees and enjoy the beauty a little longer. She was not disappointed at all to go slower and eat a fun snack along the way.

After leaving Ohio pass, we decided to hike up the Scarp Ridge trail to see the magnificent views of the Maroon Bells and other mountain vistas from the top. It was a brutal steep ascent and the sun was out in full force since it was the middle of the day so we were all a bit warm. The hike was more about the views at the top than it was about viewing the changing leaves so it took some of us a hot minute to be ok with that. The views at the top did not disappoint. It was pretty spectacular. We didn't spend very long at the top since the sun was hiding behind the clouds and the wind was pretty strong. We hiked back down trail until we met up with the 421 loop. We found a nice sheltered area along the ridge line and stopped to eat our lunch. We hung up the hammock between two small trees but only Madeline was small enough to sit in it since the trees weren't strong enough to hold us big people. The 421 trail was really pretty and I enjoyed going back down that way a whole lot better than the trail we took to the top. By the time we got back to our car we were all exhausted. I wasn't surprised since the hike was a little over 5 miles roundtrip and we ascended 1600 ft in the 2.5 miles it took to get to the top. We spent the rest of the night back at the hotel, refueling and relaxing. 
​

Madeline was so excited for her 5th birthday this year. We were originally going to do a friend birthday party but with the way COVID was still evident in our society and little kids not being able to be vaccinated yet, we opted for a family only birthday party this year. Madeline choose fox cupcakes. I went to work figuring out how to make the cutest and simple fox fondant cupcakes. Emma and Abby helped me with some of the fondant pieces. They turned out so cute. Madeline was excited by her pink and gold balloons and her number 5 balloon and all her presents. We FaceTimed Grandma Anne and Grandpa Franz so that they could be part of her birthday celebration. Madeline got some unicorn and pegasus figurines from the girls, some amazing new dress ups from Grandma Anne and Grandpa Franz, a magazine subscription to National Geographic Kids from Grandpa Al, some cute books from Aunt Kim and family, and a cute wooden tree house for her wooden dolls and animals from mom and dad. Madeline and I had so much fun putting her wooden tree house together after eating a fabulous lunch and yummy cupcakes. Madeline played with that tree house all day long and tried on all her new dress up outfits. It was the perfect little birthday celebration for our perfect little 5-year-old. 

Madeline has got to be one of the most remarkable little girls I have ever met. She is so bright, curious, creative, imaginative, and always optimistic. Madeline always has a smile on her face and she is a friend to everyone. There is not a day that goes by that she doesn't put a smile on all of our faces. She is the face I want to see when I get up and the face I want to see when I go to bed. She has so much love to give. She has a kind and sensitive spirit and I just love that about her. She is eager to please but also has her opinions about things. She brings so much joy into our family. She rarely has any temper tantrums and is just an overall obedient and good little girl. She cracks us up with the things she says. There are so many cute and funny things that come out of her mouth. I wish I could remember them all. 

THE CUTE THINGS SHE SAYS:

Madeline - "Do spoons grow baby spoons?"

After mom opened up all of her birthday gifts Madeline said - "you have one more present...it's ME. I'm adorable."

After tooting in the car Madeline said - "Excuse me...that tickles...my toot tickled me."

Madeline - "Oh my gosh my eyebrows look so pretty after I get out of the shower."
(This is the second time she said it. I thought it was funny because her eyebrows look darker when they are wet so she can see them better)

I told Madeline she had to get out of the bath. The she said - "Can I stay until all the water is gone?"

When Peter was home for lunch one day he started singing the Pina Colada song. Madeline then started singing "Pee on your mother..." because that is how she heard it. Then she was in a goofy state and starting saying pee this and pee that.

After sitting on the heated toilet seat she said - "Ahh, it's like a warm pillow."

One day Mike asked Peter what he was doing and then asked him if he was going to talk to the ladies. Then Madeline said - "I'm going with Peter to go and see the ladies."

Madeline - "Am I going to make good friends in school?"
Mom - "Yes you are!"
Madeline - "I'm so nervous."

Madeline - "When do I have to get married?"
Mom- "Not until you are grown up."
Madeline - "But how will I find a boyfriend to marry?"
Mom - "You will meet someone when you are older."
Madeline - "That makes me so nervous!"

Madeline - "Mom, you need to do my laundry because I only have one pajama left!"

Madeline - "Are you married to your daddy?"
Mom - "No, but I am married to your daddy!"
Madeline - "He is your soulmate?"
Mom - "Yes he is my soulmate!"
Madeline - "Do soulmates kiss, hug, go on bike rides together, run together, squabble, watch TV together, sleep in the same bed....?"
Mom - "Yes, soulmates do all of those things."


​THE FUNNY AND SWEET THINGS SHE DOES:

I pulled the bin of blankets down for Madeline because she wanted to play with them while I prepped for dinner. I called her to help me grind the wheat and she didn't answer. I went into her room and found her asleep with all of the blankets on top of her. It was so cute.

Madeline is in the question phase. She will have question sessions with me where she just asks whatever question pops into her head. Some of the questions I know she already knows the answers to, so I just respond with, "What do you think?" I am always amazed at how smart she is. 

Over the last few months Madeline has developed the cutest laugh. It is kind of like an exaggerated laugh and it cracks me up every time. I often find things that make her laugh just so that I can hear it. 

Madeline has a sensitive little spirit. It is a blessing and a curse for her to live with older siblings. They love her and play with her but she also is exposed to moments when her older siblings get into trouble. Most times if I raise my voice at one of the other kids, Madeline will come up to me after and say, "Are you mad at me momma?" It melts my heart and reminds me that I need to be a little calmer around her.


THE THINGS SHE LOVES:

Madeline loves to play with all of her toys. She doesn't have just one thing she likes but plays with most everything in her room. She spends the most time playing with her Sylvania Family animals, her princess people and their castles, her stuffed animals, baby dolls, legos, and her dollhouse people. One thing is for sure, Madeline loves her dress ups and is usually dressed up in something while she is playing. Her favorite dress up is probably her Elsa dress followed by her Anna dress. 

Madeline loves to go for walks and just loves to be outside. She is the instigator of going on walks after dinner on most days. She will usually ride one of her bikes while we walk but sometimes she just wants to walk next to us. She loves to run and hike and she is an excellent skipper. Madeline is still taking swim lessons and she is progressing at her own pace. She can put her face in the water, blow bubbles in the water, go under the water, and swim a few feet to her instructor. However, she is still a little timid when it comes to going under the water. 

Madeline loves to wear boots outside. All winter long she wears her favorite Bear Paw boots and even when we are in the middle of summer, sometimes she pulls them out to wear on walks. She also loves her other cute boots and will choose those over other fun shoes. I recently bought her some new ankle boots for the fall months and told her that she could wear them when her other boots got too small. She found a way to wear them anyways. Madeline has great style. She picks out her outfits the night before and its cute to see the things she puts together. 

Madeline loves to eat. She is always asking me for something to eat. Just when I think I've fed her enough, she is back in the kitchen asking me for another snack. It's a good thing she is willing to eat her fruits and vegetables. Her favorite healthy snacks are bell peppers, apples, cheese and cinnamon toast. Other snacks she enjoys are fruit snacks, fruit leathers, mints, and gum. But of all the things that Madeline loves, she loves chocolate the most. She is always asking me for some sort of chocolate to eat. At one point she was getting into the chocolate chips so much that I had to put the chocolate chips away so she wouldn't eat too many of them. Madeline's favorite breakfast is oatmeal with brown sugar. For lunch she prefers a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and for dinner she is just happy to eat what the rest of us are eating. 

Madeline and I took the day and headed to Denver for a little field trip to the aquarium. The last time we were at an aquarium was in Atlanta a few years ago. Madeline loved looking at all the different kinds of fish. She loved the huge tanks where she could see lots of different kinds of fish, sharks, and stingrays. She spent quite a bit of time admiring the big sting rays that would swim right in front of her. In some of the smaller tanks she loved the colorful fish but wasn't too fond of the lobsters. She did, however, love watching the little sea horses in their little environment. She was the most excited when we came upon the tank with the Nemo and Dory fish. She just followed that Dory fish around and around that circular tank. It was cute to watch her be so enamored by the kind of fish she had seen in the movies. As we neared the big shark tank, we saw a school of big colorful fish and some sea turtles. Then we came upon all the sharks. The most interesting shark was the sawtooth shark. Its nose was really long and looked exactly like a real saw. It was crazy looking and Madeline was so curious about this shark. Our last stop at the aquarium was the sting ray petting area. Madeline was careful to only use two fingers to pet the sting ray. She was so gentle, unlike the boy next to us. He was so rough that one of the stingrays flapped its wing and completely soaked the boy. It was really hard not to laugh. We made it through the entire aquarium in an hour which just goes to show how small this aquarium really is. We had a good time, even though it was a little sad to not see any really big fish like whales and such. After leaving the aquarium we headed to Crumbl cookie and enjoyed a treat before heading home.