THE WILHELM ADVENTURES
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OCTOBER POSTS

10/31/2021

 
MADELINE'S XC SEASON WITH LANDSHARKS (SEPTEMBER 9-OCTOBER 4) 

MADELINE'S FIELD TRIP TO THE PUMPKIN PATCH (OCTOBER 5)

HIKING THE CRAGS (OCTOBER 9) 


HIKING AT MUELLER STATE PARK (OCTOBER 10) 

SHOOTING ADVENTURE WITH THE BOYS (OCTOBER 13) 

ZOO DAY WITH MADELINE AND THE BOYS (OCTOBER 14)

BOYS VISIT FROM COLLEGE (OCTOBER 9-15)
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ABBY'S SWIM MEET WITH PPA (OCTOBER 16) 

SCHOOL HAPPENINGS (OCTOBER 4-29) 

EXERCISE IN OCTOBER (OCTOBER 29) 


EMMA'S CROSS COUNTRY SEASON (AUGUST 9-OCTOBER 30) 

HALLOWEEN (OCTOBER 31) 

SLICES OF LIFE (OCTOBER 31) 

Halloween

10/31/2021

 
For Halloween this year some of us recycled last year's costumes. Mike and I dressed up with Madeline which was a ton of fun. Madeline was Little Red Riding Hood, Mike was the woodcutter, and I was the big bad wolf dressed up in granny's nightgown. Emma and Abby went as Totoro and Pikachu. Since we didn't go trick or treating last year it was fun to take Madeline out this year. Both girls had some friends over for the night. Emma and Lauren when out with Madeline while Abby and her friends held down the fort at home. Madeline was super excited to go trick or treating but as we walked from house to house, she was very vocal about not going up to any house that had scary pretend spiders or other spooky things. Needless to say, it was a quick walk around the block before Madeline was ready to be done with trick or treating. She was just as happy handing out candy to the kids who knocked on our door. Emma and Lauren went back out and Abby and her friends headed out to get some candy of their own. Madeline enjoyed being part of the candy exchange with the older girls after they got back to the house. It was amazing how much candy Madeline got after only doing a small loop in our neighborhood. 

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Slices of Life - October 2021

10/30/2021

 
MADELINE'S KINDERGARTEN SCHOOL PHOTO
OCTOBER 1, 2021
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Madeline came home with her kindergarten school photo and was so excited to show it to me.

READING TO HER STUFFED ANIMALS
OCTOBER 2, 2021
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One of Madeline’s favorite toys to play with are her many stuffed animals. One day I came into her room, and she had lots of them spread out all over the floor. She was reading books to them, and I thought that was super cute.

CINNAMON ROLLS FOR CONFERENCE
OCTOBER 2, 2021
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I decided to make cinnamon rolls for General Conference this year and the girls were so excited. I may have to start this tradition every time General Conference rolls around.

WATCHING GENERAL CONFERENCE
OCTOBER 2, 2021
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The girls and I watched General Conference up in my bedroom this month. I gave Madeline a pad of paper and crayons and let her color. While Elder Bednar was speaking, she drew him speaking into the microphone. It was so cute.

PETER HIKES WITH COLLEGE FRIENDS
OCTOBER 2, 2021
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Peter adventured with some of his college friends up Big Cottonwood Canyon. He was the planner and the tour guide even though he had never climbed this route before. Leave it to the Eagle Scout to lead such a fun hike. 

MIKE VISITS ADAM WHILE IN CA
OCTOBER 2, 2021
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Mike had lots of fun visiting Adam in San Diego while he was out there for his ENT academy meeting. They hiked, talked, and ate tons of good food. It's always good to have good friends. 

VISITING TRACE
OCTOBER 3, 2021
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While Mike was in CA visiting the Partridges, he was able to visit with Trace Kelly on his mission.

CUTE LANDSHARKS GIRL
OCTOBER 4, 2021
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Madeline has been running in the ES running program with her school’s Landsharks team. On her last race I pulled all her hair up and used a running band to hold her hair back. She reminded me so much of a little Emma.

HEART ATTACKED
OCTOBER 5, 2021
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After the ward boundaries changed, we switched wards and went back to the Pine Creek ward. The girls from Emma’s YW class in Cordera ward heart attacked the door with sweet sayings for Emma.

SALAD, SALAD, EVERYWHERE
OCTOBER 6, 2021
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​I have been good about eating salads for lunch every day. I finally came up with a salad that I could eat most days and not get bored with.

PAINTING PUMPKINS
OCTOBER 7, 2021
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Madeline painted pumpkins at school but came home and wanted to paint some more on her pumpkin.

PLAYING AT SCHEELS
OCTOBER 8, 2021
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One of Madeline’s favorite places to go is to Scheels. While she was on an adventure there with Mike, she got her photo in the Bronco’s football uniform.

ONE LOVE EVENT
OCTOBER 14, 2021
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Mike and I were invited to a fancy fundraiser for One Love with our good friends the Mancini’s this year. It was held at Spruce Mountain Lodge, and we had so much fun bidding in the live auction.

FIRST TIME RIDING THE BUS HOME
OCTOBER 19, 2021
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Madeline started riding the bus after school and found that one of her classmates gets off on the same stop as her.

NEW PELOTON BIKE
OCTOBER 22, 2021
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We finally gave in and ordered a Peloton bike and it arrived. We are so excited to sell our old trainers and start using this indoor bike during the colder months.

SILLY MADELINE
OCTOBER 22, 2021
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​We can always count on Madeline to be silly. One day she came in the living room with the American Doll glasses and violin and started playing it. It made me laugh so hard.

TRAINING WITH DAD
OCTOBER 23, 2021
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​One morning while Mike was doing cross-training in the garage Madeline joined him and used a broom pole as her bench bar. She felt so special.

FIREPITS AND MARSHMALLOWS
OCTOBER 24, 2021
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We love it when we get to use our outdoor firepit. The girls love roasting marshmallows out there and just talking.

CHURCH TRUNK OR TREAT
OCTOBER 27, 2021
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​Madeline was the cutest little Red Riding Hood at our church’s Halloween party.

TEMPLE WITH CHURCH FRIENDS
​OCTOBER 28, 2021
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I went up to the Denver LDS temple with some other fun people from the Pine Creek ward.

FUN AT THE PARK
​OCTOBER 30, 2021
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Madeline had fun at John Venezia Park with some other kids she met there as they dangled from the spinning tree.

PETER'S MECHANICAL ENGINEERING PROJECT
OCTOBER 31, 2021
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Peter has been struggling with a variety of issues with his computer this semester and it finally came to a point that he needed a new laptop. He was at the breaking point of having a really important project due and he was very stressed out. Andrew picked him up at the dorms and they both Uber'd to a nearby Best Buy where Andrew helped him pick out what he needed. Then Andrew brought him back to his apartment where he set it all up for him and let him finish his project where it was quiet. It's good to have someone always looking out for you.

Emma's Cross Country Season

10/30/2021

 
MEET #1
AUGUST 28, 2021
CHERRY CREEK LOHMAN INVITATIONAL
CHERRY CREEK HS
5K - 20:30.20

The first meet of the season was up in Denver at Cherry Creek HS. Emma was a little nervous to run the course since it was all pavement, and she prefers to run on the dirt trail. I'm afraid she got in her head a little bit about the course but still was able to run a good race despite the weather being a little too hot and her calves being a little too tight. She wasn't too thrilled with her time as she wanted to be under 20 minutes. The first meet is not always going to be the best meet, but it is a good time to work out the kinks. Emma's motto after this race was to shake it off and move on.
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MEET #2
SEPTEMBER 3, 2021
WIDEFIELD INVITATIONAL
WIDEFIELD HS
5K - 19:17.42 (PR)

Emma went into this meet with nerves as always and a stomach that wasn't feeling quite right. At the beginning of the race, she was in the front pack with five other girls. I yelled at her to stay with the pack. I was really hoping she would be able to do it. As I waited on the trail for the girls to do their out and back, I was floored when I saw the lead bike and the first-place girl come down the trail with Emma right behind. She was in 2nd place!!! She was only a few steps in front of her teammate, but she was able to maintain her position. As she ran up the last hill, Mike was there to encourage her and to tell her how far the girl behind her was. Emma took off like a bullet, running into the track at a 5:30 pace and rounded the last corner to the finish line at a 5:05 pace. She finished the race in an all-time PR of 19:17. She was beyond excited and surprised by her performance. This was a really good meet for Emma. After this meet Emma was ranked #8 in CO for the sophomore girls. 
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MEET #3
SEPTEMBER 11, 2021
LIBERTY BELL INVITATIONAL
HERITAGE HS
5K - 19:35.20 

There was so much pressure going into this meet as it is the highlighted meet of the season at elevation. Liberty Bell is a fast-paced course with both pavement and trail sections. It is the one meet where the athletes usually get their elevation PRs. Emma was super nervous today and her calves were still a little tight. Her goal was to break 19 min. She was seeded to be 2nd on her team at the starting line but at the last minute one of her teammates who is a senior, decided that she was going to take the 2nd spot. Emma was so nervous that she let her. After the gun went off Emma was tripped by the girl next to her but luckily didn't fall. She ran hard and even though after she told us that all she wanted to do was stop because she was hurting so bad, she kept on running. She finished the course in 19:35 which was still faster than any of her times from last season. She ran through the finish line and saw the clock which said 22 something and was so upset. What she didn't realize was the clock was the correct time for the boy's race which was 3 minutes before the girls Sweepstakes A race. She was somewhat relieved when I told her that she ran in the 19 min range. Her sweet teammate and friend Lauren grabbed some ice for Emma's legs. There is always something to learn from each race...stand up for yourself, give it all you have even when you are not feeling 100%, and be kind to yourself when you fall short of your goal. 
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MEET #5
SEPTEMBER 24, 2021
DESERT TWILIGHT
QUEEN CREEK, AZ
5K - 18:08.10 (NEW ALL TIME PR)

Desert Twilight XC Festival 2021 in Arizona was a BLAST! This was the MOST exciting race I’ve ever watched Emma run. It is the most coveted race of the season because it is a place where these kids who train at elevation can PR big time. And that is exactly what happened tonight. This race which is run late at night is so unique and so fun. Emma came in 1st for her team, 27th overall in the elite Sweepstakes race (23 teams from all over the Southwest) crossed the finish line in 18:08.09 (5:50 pace) and took 1 min and 9 sec off her previous best time. I believe her girls team also came in 4th overall. I’m in constant awe at her abilities and her sportsmanship. She is humble and kind to all her teammates. My favorite part of the night was turning around at the finish and watching Peter just hug her and jump up and down with excitement. He flew in just to watch her run. It was so fun to have Peter here to witness such an exciting time in Emma’s running career.
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mandatory study time
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warming up before the race
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MEET #6
OCTOBER 1, 2021
DOHERTY SPARTAN INVITATIONAL
BEAR CREEK PARK EAST
5K - 18:42.00 (NEW ELEVATION PR)

Emma had another great meet running at the Doherty Spartan Invitational. This course was new to our team, but it ran along some of the same sections as the State meet course. With a few more hilly sections, this course has been deemed as one the hardest courses of the season. After coming off an extremely successful meet in Arizona, Emma was full of positive energy. With 1K into the course she was sitting where she normally does which is right next to her teammate Madelyn. She ran in line with her until the grind up the long hilly section where she pulled away. By the time she made it to the top and started her way downhill and on the flats, she was well ahead and in 3rd place. Running a 5:15 pace on that last flat section (I only know that from zooming into her watch) she closed the gap between her and the second-place girl. She finished strong in 3rd place, only 2 seconds behind the 2nd place girl. Emma managed to pull out an elevation PR of 18:42.00 on a really tough course. The Pine Creek girls team placed 2nd at this meet. Heritage HS from Denver took 1st. Currently, Emma is ranked #9 in CO for Sophomore girls. 
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MEET #7
OCTOBER 8, 2021
PPAC LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS
NORTH MONUMENT VALLEY PARK
5K - 18:59.36 

With three weeks in a row of racing, no one really knew how this race was going to play out. Emma seemed to be in good spirits all week and even when we were strategizing about the course, she said she wasn't all that nervous. We have been doing everything we can to keep her legs in tip top shape such as Grastron scraping, manual therapy stretching and pressure point therapy with Jenna who she and I see weekly for PT. The new thing as of late has been active release therapy (ART) with Dr. Wood. She has been able to run without super tight calves which has been awesome. He also makes sure her hips are in alignment since she tends to get out of alignment like her mom. Having done all of that, there is never any guarantees how an athletes legs are going to feel. At the beginning of the race Emma was in the same position she usually is in at the beginning of her races. She was in the front pack but never out in front. She tends to hang to the back of that fast pack and between mile 1 and 2 she usually makes her move and starts passing those in front of her. Just before mile 2 she had moved from 6th to 2nd place and held that position until the finish line where she pushed hard enough that last stretch to give herself a sub 19 minute finish time. With only 18 seconds behind her friend and club teammate Tessa, Emma finished in 18:59. It is worth noting that Emma has been consistently at least 40 seconds behind Tessa the entire season. So, this was quite a run for Emma on tired legs. The Pine Creek girls varsity team placed 1st for the fourth year in a row. The girls were quite excited by this huge accomplishment. I love this girls team so much and we will truly miss the seniors who are leaving next year as well as Alexis and Mikayla who will most likely be doing some serious biking. 
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MEET #8
OCTOBER 21, 2021
COLORADO 5A REGIONALS 5
NORTH MONUMENT VALLEY PARK
5K - 18:59.30

There was lots of excitement heading into Regionals. Emma seemed excited and a little nervous about an upset tummy she had been having all week, which made me all the more nervous as I watched her get ready to run this race. The beginning of the race was like most races she runs. She was out in the front pack but not out in front. She was sitting nicely in between four of her teammates as they pushed each other along the course. At mile one she was right where she usually is and by mile 2 I was expecting to see her further ahead but she was trailing by almost 10 seconds behind two of her teammates. I cheered her on at this point and told her to go and catch them. When she got to the top of the hill she told me that she just sprinted to catch up. By the last 800m stretch she and Maddie pushed each other to the last stretch of the race. Emma came in 3rd, only 2 seconds behind Maddie for an amazing finish to a somewhat mentally tough race. Emma ended up finishing in about the same time as last meet but was just ever so slightly faster. All the girls on the Pine Creek varsity XC team ran an amazing race and their team came in 1st for Regionals for the 4th year in a row. All 5 of their top scoring girls on the team came in the top 15, each earning an individual spot in the State meet. What an amazing accomplishment for these super talented girls!
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MEET #9
OCTOBER 30, 2021
COLORADO 5A STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
NORRIS PENROSE EVENTS CENTER
5K - 19:07.80

It is always exciting to make it to the State Championship race and all the more nerve racking to run this race in Colorado. Colorado has some of the best female runners in the nation. In fact, two of the high school teams that are in the 5A category are #3 and #6 in the nation (Cherry Creek and Arapahoe). That being said, the Pine Creek girls team held their own in a competitive field of runners. Emma ran this tough course in 19:07.80 which is a new state course PR for her. She cut over a minute off of her time from last year which is amazing. She tied with her teammate as they crossed the finish line as the first two girls on their team. Emma came in 27th place overall. Even though some of her teammates struggled on the course, their team was still able to take 5th place which is the best their team has ever done at a state meet. This truly was a great season for Emma and one in which she will never forget. 

Exercise in October

10/29/2021

 
This was an exciting month of training for my upcoming half marathon. The beginning of the month graced us with warmer weather and so I continued to bike outside as often as I could. My running training was solid and focused as I worked on race simulation long runs, hill repeats where I focused not only on running uphill but pushing the downhill sections, track workouts, fartlek runs, and some severe downhill training. I was so lucky that we had such great weather throughout the month. At the end of the month our new Peloton bike came and that was a lot of fun riding on those cooler days. My favorite run of the month was my 6-mile race simulation down Rampart Range Road in Garden of the Gods. My mile splits were spot on for my race and I felt great for most of the run. The most exciting thing I noticed this month was my weight. I finally got down to my lowest weight (108) in 16 years. 
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school happenings

10/29/2021

 
This month was full of school happenings both with Emma at Pine Creek HS and Madeline at Mountain View ES. At the beginning of the month Emma was inducted into the National English Honors Society. Her English teacher for the second year in a row, Mrs. Gefreh, encouraged her to apply. It was so fun watching her become part of a fun group of kids. 

After a year of no indoor concerts, it was really fun to be able to watch Emma play with the orchestra for their mid-fall concert. Since both Andrew and Peter were visiting during their fall break they came and watched her perform and had so much fun seeing Mrs. Margrave after the concert.

At the end of the month Madeline's class had a Halloween party and I went in to take photos and help with the cookie decorating. It was cute seeing all of the kids dressed up in their costumes. Madeline was dressed up as Little Red Riding Hood this year. Madeline's favorite part of the day was eating her decorated sugar cookie and recording the song, "Five Little Pumpkins" on her iPad.

EMMA'S HONOR SOCIETY INDUCTION

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EMMA'S ORCHESTRA CONCERT

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MADELINE'S SCHOOL HALLOWEEN PARTY

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Abby's Harvest Festival Swim meet at PPA

10/16/2021

 
​After a long time of not swimming in any meets, Abby participated in the Harvest Festival swim meet with her club team at PPA. She swam in the 100 breaststroke and the 100 freestyle. It was so nice to be able to be inside the building watching the swim meet this time instead of standing outside watching from the outer windows. Most of the girls in Abby’s heat for the breaststroke missed their heat as it was not announced correctly. Luckily, they were able to jump into the following heat. After feeling a little flustered, Abby still swam as hard as she could and finished her 100 breaststroke in 1:57.04. Breaststroke is not her favorite stroke, but she did her best and for that I am really proud of her. Abby later swam in the 100 freestyle event and finished in 1:20.42 which is a PR by 4 seconds. I loved being able to watch Abby swim again. I can’t wait for more swim meets in her future!
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Boys COME home for their fall break

10/15/2021

 
​The boys both flew to home to Colorado to visit us during their fall break. We were so excited to see them for an entire week. They spent their week playing board games, video games, shooting guns, hiking, eating good food, and going to the zoo with Madeline. It was a fun filled week of adventure, laughing, and relaxing. 
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Zoo Adventure with Madeline and the Boys

10/14/2021

 
​One of the things that Andrew wanted to do during his fall break was go to the zoo with Madeline. It was a rather cold morning, so we all bundled up in our jackets, gloves and hats and headed to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. Since it was a little cold, the giraffes were inside the giraffe house. We went and fed the giraffes first. It was so fun to watch the giraffes eat the lettuce off Andrew’s hat. Madeline was only interested in feeding the giraffes through the gate. She was cute to watch. We saw so many animals during our time at the zoo. The cold weather didn’t seem to affect the animals being out and about. We saw the lions roaming around and an elephant that looked like it was dancing. I had never seen an elephant move like that before. The highlight of the zoo is always feeding the budgies. The birds were very active, and we had multiple birds that landed on our feeding sticks. One special bird even landed and stayed on Peter’s arm, my back, and Andrew’s shoulder. It was hilarious watching Peter whistle to the bird and hearing the bird whistle back. Madeline loved feeding the birds but was the most interested in feeding the blue budgies. As we left the budgie house, we saw the wallabies and even saw a baby sitting in its mom’s pouch. It was adorable. The fun continued inside the reptile house. For some reason Madeline loves to see the turtles, snakes, lizards, and geckos. She is fascinated by all of it. Then it was on to see some of the bigger animals. The tiger was out just relaxing, the mountain lions were snuggling with each other while they were sleeping, and we finally got to see the grizzly bear. It was only the second time I have seen this bear at the zoo, and it was Madeline’s first time. Then we rode the carousel before seeing the penguins, hippos, and the animals inside the monkey house. The penguins were all inside and they were super active. We got to see them jump inside the water and swim around. One little penguin followed Madeline as she ran along the tank. Every time Madeline turned and went the other direction the penguin followed her. It might have been one of the cutest things I have ever seen and a great way to end our day at the zoo.
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Shooting Adventure with the Boys

10/13/2021

 
Mike took the day off work so we could take the boys shooting up in the mountains. We originally planned on going to our usual spot up in Woodland Park but when we got there it was closed due to some planned burning in the area. So, we headed to Rampart Range Road from the Woodland Park side and headed up to the top of Mt. Herman. At the top we found the most perfect spot not too far from the main road. It was only a short little jaunt down the hill to the best place to shoot in the woods. After setting everything up the boys were quick to know which guns they wanted to shoot with first. The most popular gun was Peter’s rifle that he got for graduation. It was actually the first time he shot with it. We all took turns with his rifle and had fun using his new scope. Then we all took turns with my rifle, the 12-gauge shot gun and the Ruger hand guns. Everyone had some amazing shots, but the most impressive moments were watching Andrew’s shotgun skills and Peter with his new rifle. I’m so glad we found this awesome new place to go shooting. I can’t wait to bring the girls here on our next shooting adventure. 
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Hiking at Mueller State Park

10/10/2021

 
Hiking up in Mueller State Park during the changing of the leaves has been our annual tradition since we moved here 8 years ago. Last year was the first year we didn't make it to the park, and it's been 3 years since we were able to do it with all five of our kids. With the boys in town visiting during their college fall break, we packed an awesome lunch and headed up to enjoy the beautiful fall weather. We lucked out since the leaves were still vibrant and beautiful. Peter, Abby and Madeline all found great walking sticks on the first stretch of the trail. We all loved watching Madeline copy exactly what Peter was doing. She was his little sidekick for the day. We ventured along the Outlook Ridge trail to the Raven Ridge Overlook and set up our picnic lunch on the big rocks. We love the views from this overlook. In the distance we could still see lots of yellow popping up through the evergreen trees. It was absolutely beautiful. After stuffing our faces full of sandwiches, cheese and crackers, chocolate covered pretzels, and veggie chips, we headed down the rocks to explore a bit like we do every time we come to this place. We were amazed and shocked to see that the teepee we had made 2 years ago was still standing. There were a few more tree branches that people had added which was fun. Madeline was the most excited to play there and in the cave down below the teepee. All the kids were able to squeeze in the open cave for a quick photo. After playing around for quite some time we climbed back up to the overlook, grabbed our bags and headed back to the car. It was great to be able to build more memories together at Mueller State Park.
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hiking the crags

10/9/2021

 
We have lived in Colorado Springs for 8 years and this was the first time that Mike and I hiked the famous Crags trail. The 5-mile trail started through a beautiful aspen lined meadow with mountain peaks in the distance. After walking through a forest of aspen trees we came to another clearing with the coolest rock formations in our view. As we rounded the corner from this first rock formation, we began to make the climb to the top of the granite dome. As we made our way to the top we came upon some astonishing gnarled ancient Bristlecone Pines sprinkled throughout the rocks. In every direction we saw the coolest rock formations and were amazed at the beauty of these rock formations and at the view of the Rampart Range, Ute Pass, and the Catamount Creeks drainage. We could've stayed up there all day, but the wind was pretty brutal at the top. After eating a quick snack, taking in the 360-degree view, and playing very quickly with an Australian Shepard, we headed back down the trail. This was a relatively easy hike and one in which we will have to do again with our kids.
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Madeline's Field trip to the Pumpkin Patch

10/5/2021

 
Madeline's first kindergarten field trip was to the Colorado Kids Ranch Pumpkin Patch. Luckily, it was the same pumpkin patch that she went to last year when she was in preschool. After everyone arrived, we split the class into smaller groups. I was in charge of Madeline and two little boys, Nolan and Joshua. Our group wanted to play on the slides first like most of the other kids in the class. They had a blast going up and down the fast slides. Some of the kids used the burlap sacks to sit on but Madeline didn't want to use those this time and just went down like a regular slide. We spent a good 20 minutes at the slides. Then we ventured over to the animals so they could pet the donkeys, llamas, sheep, goats, ponies, and horses. Madeline just loved petting the animals. The boys in our group wanted to milk the pretend cows and so we did that before heading over to the orange jumping pillows. The kids loved jumping and playing over in that section of the pumpkin patch. After their fill of jumping, we hopped on over to the laser tag arena. With mounds of tires stacked everywhere and a raised fort, the kids had fun running around with their laser guns. Then it was off to the large tube swings, musical playhouses, and finally to the cow train. Madeline's cow was named Cowlick and she just loved this ride. They went around the field twice and in various parts of the course there were little hilly sections. The kids quickly ran from that ride over to the corn box. Madeline didn't stay long in that since the corn kept getting stuck in her shoes. We eventually met the rest of her class to eat lunch. Then it was back to the slides before playing the large Jenna, Tic-Tac-Toe and Connect Four games. We went and fed the ponies on our way to go and pick out pumpkins. The kids each got to pick out their own medium sized pumpkin to take home. We took a class photo and then the kids got back on the bus and headed back to school. It was a successful first elementary school field trip for Madeline!
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Madeline's XC Season with Landsharks

10/4/2021

 
Madeline joined the Landsharks running team at her school and ran cross country for the very first time. She started a few weeks after school started and had practice twice a week. Talli, the MVE coach, was so good with the kids and just took Madeline under her wing. Every time I picked up Madeline Talli would just tell me what a great job she did at practice. The kids ran and played lots of running games and other fun games during their practices. I love this program because it teaches the kids to have fun and be active at the same time. After a few weeks of practices, they had a meet on 3 different Mondays. The kindergartners were only allowed to run in the 1/2-mile race. The separated the kids into different heats based on grade level, so she only ran with other little kindergartners. The very first meet was a little chilly, but she toughed it out and was all smiles the entire race. With each meet, I saw her get more and more comfortable with the other kids on her team and with racing. The goal was for her to have fun and to not stop during each race she ran. She did such an amazing job. She ran the 1/2 mile in under 5 minutes every meet and didn't stop at all during each one of her races. I am so proud of Madeline for doing something she has never done before. Maybe we will have another runner in the family!

MEET #1
MOUNTAIN VIEW ES
SEPTEMBER 20, 2021
1/2 mile - 4:54

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MEET #2
MOUNTAIN VIEW ES
SEPTEMBER 27, 2021
​1/2 MILE - 4:39
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MEET #3
MOUNTAIN VIEW ES
OCTOBER 4, 2021
​​1/2 MILE - 4:39

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