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slices of life - march 2023

3/23/2023

 
​It was Dr. Seuss week and Madeline dressed up as Lucy Lou and she was adorable in her cute dress and crazy hairdo. | I have been working on the kid’s school albums and have loved seeing their old artwork and writings. It is a lot of work to scan everything into the computer, but it will worth it. | Mike was having a rough day in the clinic and so his support staff went out and bought him chips and lots of different salsas. | We have been trying really hard to have fruits and vegetables prepped for the kids every week. It’s amazing how quickly it gets eaten up. | After rummaging through old school memorabilia, Mike found my old Walkman and after trying to get it to work, he decided to get online and order a new one. The girls were in heaven listening to our old mix tapes. | One of our favorite places to eat is Cowboy Star. Mike loves getting the scallops when we are there. My go to is definitely the filet mignon. | While Andrew was visiting during his spring break we headed up to the Denver LDS temple to do a session. It was really nice to be in the temple with Andrew. | Emma went to the Sadie’s dance with her friend Rya. The theme was the 70s. The girls and I had loads of fun picking out their outfits. | When we get those random warm days, the first thing Madeline asks is if she can go to the pool at Flying Horse. Mike is always happy to take her and go sit in the hot tub. | Abby spent a lot of time on her project about women’s rights and I loved how she displayed everything on her board. She really is quite the crafty one.
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SLICES OF LIFE - FEBRUARY 2023

2/27/2023

 
​We love watching Peter’s air tag on his mission to see where he is. It was especially fun on this particular day when we realized that he was being transferred up north to the island of Samar. | Abby is such an amazing big sister to Madeline. After being gone at Emma’s track meet, I came home to a tea party that Abby put on for Madeline. Even Abby dressed up which was so sweet! | For the 100th day of school Madeline wanted to dress up as a 100-year-old. I pulled out the wig, glasses and pearls and we put together something so hilarious. She was so excited to show her friends at school. | Madeline had fun assembling her milkshake valentine cards this year. It was quite a bit of work to punch everything out, but she had a blast creating fun paper milkshakes for her classmates and attaching a cute curly straw to each one. | Mike out did himself for Valentine’s Day this year. I came back from my early morning run to flower petals and chocolates on my bed with a dinner invitation. He did the same for all of the girls. He took charge of serving us dinner in the dining room and made us all feel so special. It’s a Valentine’s Day we will all remember! | Stephens hot chocolate has been out of stock forever at our store and so when I saw it had finally come back in stock, I grabbed 3 cans. There really is no other hot chocolate that tastes quite as good. | It was so fun to be back in the temple again and even better to share that time with Michelle. | Emma and Abby went to an 80s dance at the high school. I let Emma borrow my letter jacket and Abby quickly came up with the most perfect outfit, big earrings, and all. The girls looked cute and had a blast. | Emma and I went prom dress shopping and had so much fun at Something New. The dresses in this store are definitely on the pricey side, but we managed to find one that was manageable. It was the most perfect dress for her figure, so we went halfsies on the dress. It was a win win for everyone! | Emma was asked to Mormon prom by her good friend Collin Bass. He was so cute when he came over to ask her. They have been good friends all school year so I knew that they would have a good time. | Madeline wasn’t feeling well so she just laid on the kitchen chairs while I cooked dinner. | Mike and I were able to go to the temple together this month. This was his first time seeing the new Endowment session. Afterwards we headed over to The White Chocolate Grill to eat dinner. We shared the veggie burger which is amazing and had fun chatting without the kids around. | Peter’s missionary plaque was finally finished and put up on the missionary wall at church. I just love the way it turned out. | I usually shy away from dinners that involve lots of cheese since Emma and I don’t tolerate it very well, but I was able to modify the shells recipe to include one batch with lactaid cottage cheese. The other batch included ricotta cheese and parmesan for the top. This has now become a family favorite again. | For Dr. Seuss week Madeline was so excited to dress up like Cindy Lou. We found something in her closet that worked, and I did a crazy hairstyle that involved a small cup and lots of hairspray. I thought it turned out super cute. 
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Slices of Life - January 2023

1/30/2023

 
​The snow is never ending here and just when I think I’ve had enough I look out the window and witness the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets over a white covered land. It may not be ideal to always have snow but sometimes it is a beautiful reminder that even in winter things can be magnificent. | This year we have to use our own bags at the grocery store or pay 10c for the store plastic bags. I decided to just buy 5 of my own reusable bags and was pleasantly surprised when all of my groceries fit in all five without any problems. | I’m always amazed by Abby’s beauty. She asked me to take her photo one morning for her audition paperwork for the HS musical. | Madeline always likes to be the first one on the bus in the mornings. She and her friend Easton are usually the first ones to line up for the bus. | It’s been a while since I’ve made ricotta filled shells for dinner. I used dairy free cottage cheese for Emma’s shells and ricotta for the rest and they turned out really well. | Madeline and Easton loved eating the Mickey Mouse ice-creams that I got for them during one of their Friday playdates. | Madeline has been doing so well on her recent spelling tests. Some of the words they have to spell are pretty difficult for a first grader. | Madeline has become quite the good reader. She found her Humphrey book that we started last year and tried reading some of the sentences all by herself during dinner one night. | With all the exercising I have been doing I have found that doing compression with the Normatec has really helped me with my recovery. | Madeline got new pink snow boots and was so excited to wear them to school for the first time. | After a weekend of not feeling well, Madeline stayed home from school and watched TV all day in my bed. When I told her she should take a nap, she wasn’t too happy about it. I told her I was going to take a nap on the couch, so she got her blanket and before long she was fast asleep. | For our super combined youth activity, we went to the Planetarium at the AFA. We all had such a good time. I love our Class 2 girls. They are so fun and hilarious! | Mike and I made ratatouille for dinner, and it turned out so well. All of the girls loved it including Madeline. | Abby was cast in the high school musical Bye Bye Birdie as Randolph, and she is beyond excited for this new venture. She loves theater and her theatre friends.
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Slices of Life - December 2022

12/31/2022

 
Mike took Madeline to go and get her nails done at the salon and she was in heaven. There is nothing better than special daddy time. ​| Emma had both an Orchestra concert and a Jazz Band concert. She got to play with Ron Carter for her Jazz concert. He came to their high school to do a clinic with the kids. | Mike bought Madeline some new squishmallows at Costco and she came home and immediately lined all of them up with her other ones. It was so cute watching her play with all of them. | Emma is constantly borrowing my really good hair dryer and my flat iron. It was time for me to get an upgrade and to pass on my hair stuff to Emma. I choose the gold colored GHD linen this time. That way no one will confuse my stuff with their stuff. | I just love where we put the Christmas tree this year. At night when all the lights are off and the sun is going down, the lights on the tree just make the room look so magical. | My mom made some amazing Christmas placemats and Madeline loved being able to open that gift early. We can't wait to use them. | Mike always makes the best Sunday lunches for me. One of my favorites is when he grills tuna steak. I have yet to figure out how to do this one myself without messing it up. | We have already gotten more snow than we care to have and it's only December. | Madeline's cute friend Easton gave her a Christmas present and in the gift was a Barbie Doll. First thing she said to us was, "How did he know that I wanted a Barbie Doll?" | Madeline's hair was getting way too long. Instead of paying someone to cut a few inches off the end I decided to invest in some good shears and do it myself. I straightened her hair first and then chopped it. It was more difficult than I thought it would be. but it turned out well. | I put together 2 boxes to ship via boat for Peter so that he would have something fun for his birthday in 
April. There is this amazing lady that ships out packages to all the missions in the Philippines. | We had the missionaries over for dinner and shared with them a Japanese style meal and they loved it. | I love being able to video chat with Peter every Sunday. I am getting better at taking quick snapshots of our chat but sometimes all of the extra stuff gets displayed. Oh well. | I love getting Christmas cards from family and friends and we found a new spot to display those this year. We keep them up until January 1 and then we take them all down, along with Christmas!
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Slices of Life - March 2022

3/30/2022

 
BOYS SPRING BREAK
MARCH 5-12, 2022
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It was so much fun to have the boys home for a week during their spring break. It was a little chaotic at the house since we were right in the middle of our home renovations, but we did our best to have fun around the chaos. The boys played Smash Bros in the basement, took care of necessary appointments, helped Emma with her German cooking project, were thrilled when mom treated everyone to Chick-fil-A, went to Scheels to ride the Ferris wheel and play the dinosaur game with Madeline, and spent time playing with Madeline at the park. It was a super chill week and a good time for the boys to reset before heading back to finish out their semester. 

SICK LITTLE MADELINE
MARCH 12, 2022
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It's rare when Madeline comes into my room because she isn't feeling well. I decided it would be best to just bring her mattress and lay it on the floor next to my bed for the night. Poor little thing sure didn't feel well for a few days. 

HEALTHY LUNCH
MARCH 13, 2022
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I love it when Mike is in charge of lunch on Sundays. He usually comes up with the yummiest and healthiest lunches. I especially love it when he makes grilled tuna steaks and pairs that with a yummy salad. 
MIRACLE CAR MANEUVERS 
MARCH 14, 2022
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In the middle of our home renovations, the minivan got boxed into the garage and for some reason we couldn't find the Rav4 keys to move the car and back out the minivan. So, Mike used his superpowers and did some amazing backwards angling and was able to get the minivan out. The tire marks on the driveway show how angered he had to be to get the car out without hitting the Rav4. Mike is amazing!!!

MADELINE'S ALL ABOUT ME PROJECT
MARCH 15, 2022
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Ever since our house has been flipped upside down, certain things have fallen through the cracks. One of them was this All About Me poster that Madeline and I were supposed to work on together over 2 weeks. Well, it got hidden under a pile of office stuff stashed in the basement while the office flooring was being done. When I did find it we had only 2 days to finish it. It was a lot of work to help her since I wanted her to do all the writing. She did an amazing job!!!

STUDENT LED CONFERENCES
​MARCH 16, 2022
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I love this student led conference that Madeline's teacher put together. Madeline and I went through different stations where we either worked on something together or she showed me what she had made or written. I especially like her little writing book. She even got to see one of her good friends, Max, while we were there. 

TRAVELING WITH MADELINE
MARCH 17, 2022
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I often hear parents talk about how they don't travel with their kids because it is just too hard. I have to admit that when we first started traveling with our kids it was hard. But, the more we did it, the better we became and now we have it pretty much nailed down. Madeline is the best little traveler. She is such a sweetie and pretty good when it comes to traveling. So grateful to be taking her to Hawaii for the first time. 

MY GO TO SALAD
MARCH 26 2022
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I try and follow and very specific diet when it comes to what I eat for lunch. I almost always choose a salad and have finally figured out what I like best. My go to salad usually involves a mix of greens (usually romaine), goat cheese, mix of pecan and craisins, either rotisserie chicken or pan seared tofu, poppyseed champagne vinaigrette dressing, Mexicali dip and a few mini naans. For me, this is the perfect lunch!

WORKING THROUGH INJURIES
​MARCH 26, 2022
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Emma has been working through some knee pain at the beginning of her track season. She has spent a lot of time at PT, cross-training on the bike, and working on her form and strengthening her hips and glutes. 

MADELINE'S LAST SWIM LESSON WITH MS. CAROLYN
​MARCH 31, 2022
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Madeline has been swimming with Ms. Carolyn for the past 2 years. She has improved so much since swimming with her. Today was her last day with Carolyn and although we were both sad that she would not be teaching Madeline anymore, we were glad that Madeline finally got to a good point in her lessons. I will always remember how patient and loving Carolyn was with Madeline. 

Slices of Life - February 2022

2/27/2022

 
BIRTHDAY CARD FROM GRANDMA
​FEBRUARY 1, 2022
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Grandma Anne always sends the sweetest birthday cards to the kids during their birthday. She usually includes cash according to how old they are. It is really the cutest!

WORKING ON FAMILY ALBUMS
​FEBRUARY 2, 2022
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I have been working hard to catch up on my 2020 family album.  It feels good to be able to spend so much time doing what I love.

THE MONTH OF ENDLESS SNOW
​FEBRUARY 3, 2022
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This is the month of endless snow. It's only February and I am already over all of the snow. 

GETTING OUR NAILS DONE
FEBRUARY 5, 2022
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Madeline loves to get her nails painted and always begs to come with me when I need to get my nails done. It was fun having her join me today for some nail pampering fun!

SHOPPING WITH DAD
​FEBRUARY 5, 2022
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Mike took the older girls up to Denver to do some shopping. The girls loved going into all the stores they loved, trying on different outfits for their super fun dad.

TALKING WITH FRIENDS
FEBRUARY 8, 2022
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I loved watching Mike FaceTime with Adam who is stationed in Japan right now. They were so much fun to listen to. 

GET WELL FLOWERS
FEBRUARY 9, 2022
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Dionne brought me over some beautiful flowers to cheer me up while I was sick. It totally made my day!

DRESSING UP AND HAVING FUN
FEBRUARY 5-9, 2022
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Whether it's putting on dress-ups or dressing up in a cute outfit, Madeline is always the life of the party. 

STONES, STONES AND MORE STONES
FEBRUARY 11, 2022
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I was finally able to get in and have a CT scan done to see if I had anymore stones that were causing me trouble. Luckily, they didn't see any stones but, it did show that I had recently passed a stone. 

FINISHING THE FIRST BOB BOOK SET
FEBRUARY 12, 2022
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We told Madeline that when she finished all the books in her first Bob Book set that she would get a surprise. She decided that she wanted her first magna tile set, and it did not disappoint. 

ORGANIZING THE OFFICE AND THE SCHOOL ALBUMS
​FEBRUARY 13, 2022
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It's been a labor of love and money trying to organize and update all of the school albums in the office. I found an entire bin full of the older kids artwork from various years and went to work taking photos and scanning them all into my computer. Then I updated everyone's school albums to be more uniform and colors they wouldn't mind having in their homes someday. I have 5 albums for each child (1 baby and 4 school years), but I am finding that I may have to order one more for each of the kids. We will see!

SCHEELS ADVENTURES
​FEBRUARY 19, 2022
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One of Madeline's favorite places to go is Scheels! She loves the real life-sized stuffed animals and the dinosaur video game. She asks to go to Scheels almost every weekend.

SUNDAY AT THE PARK
​FEBRUARY 20, 2022
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It was an unusually warm Sunday afternoon and so we headed to the park so Madeline could play on the playground. It was a great chance for all of us to get outside.

MAKING PANCAKES AND GETTING MESSY
​FEBRUARY 20, 2022
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Madeline loves to help Mike make pancakes. She got a little too excited when mixing up the batter and the flour sprayed all over her face.

SHOPPING WITH FRIENDS
​FEBRUARY 21&26, 2022
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Abby had a blast shopping with her friends at the mall and at the Promenade shops. 

TEETH WHITENING
FEBRUARY 25, 2022
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I gifted Emma a teeth whitening session and she was able to get through 3 rounds before it got too sensitive! 

FIXING THE GARAGE DOOR
FEBRUARY 25, 2022
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We have had several problems over the years with our garage door system. We had a complete overhaul of the system replaced a few years ago but Mike noticed that they didn't install it very well and it was rubbing incorrectly so he figured out how to fix it without having to pay someone to come by and do a crappy job fixing it. Mike is so handy!

THE WAR IN UKRAINE
FEBRUARY 25, 2022
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It was a sad day today as the news of the war in Ukraine broke out. 

EMMA'S FIRST DATE
FEBRUARY 26, 2022
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Emma went on her first official date with one of her good guy friends Ryan. Black. They went to see a movie and had a great time hanging out together.

Slices of Life - January 2022

1/30/2022

 
FINALLY A LIGHT ON OLD RANCH ROAD
​JANUARY 6, 2022
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​For the last 9 years we have been hoping that the city would put in a light at the big intersection by our house. Well, it finally happened. The day the kids went back to school after winter break the light was finally up and running.

ANDREW AND MADELINE
​JANUARY 7, 2022
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I love watching Andrew and Madeline together. Those two just love each other so much.

EMMA IS DRIVING
JANUARY 8, 2022
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Emma has been working hard to get in all her driving hours so that she can get her license in the spring. She drove on the freeway for the first time and she doesn't even have 10 hours yet. 

IT'S VIRUS SEASON
JANUARY 9, 2022
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Emma was the first one to get sick this year.

CROSS-TRAINING AT THE FLYING HORSE POOL
JANUARY 12, 2022
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I started driving Emma to Flying Horse so that she could cross-train in the pool. On one particular evening the sunset was absolutely beautiful.

PUZZLE TIME
JANUARY 14, 2022
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We finally finished the Howls Moving Castle puzzle we started over Christmas break. This was a tough puzzle.

MADELINE AND EASTON
JANUARY 14, 2022
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Madeline loves to have playdates with her good friend Easton. Those two love playing anything and everything.

CATCHING UP
JANUARY 15, 2022
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I spent a lot of time working on getting caught up with photos and journaling from 2021. 

THE PUZZLE MASTER
JANUARY 16, 2022
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Madeline loves to do the jumbo puzzles all by herself. Her favorite one lately is the dinosaur puzzle.

WRITING PRACTICE
JANUARY 17, 2022
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Madeline and I started working on her writing at home. She was excited by her new workbook.

CUTE LITTLE MADELINE
JANUARY 18, 2022
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 Madeline is kind of the cutest and I just love it when she lets me put little buns in her hair.

SILVER TONES CONCERT
JANUARY 20, 2022
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Abby had her first silver tones concert since she started up with this 8th grade audition choir second semester.
PETER SKIES WITH HIS COLLEGE FRIENDS
JANUARY 22, 2022
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Peter went skiing with some of his buddies from college. Julian drove them all to Alta to ski. They all had a great time on the mountain.

COLLEGE BOYS
JANUARY 23, 2022
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We love Facetiming the boys on Sundays. We love it when they get to do Sunday dinners together at Andrew’s apartment.
SUNDAY AT THE PAINTED MINES
JANUARY 23, 2022
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Mike and Emma spent a beautiful Sunday afternoon walking around the Painted Mines. 

READING LOGS
JANUARY 27, 2022
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Madeline loves filling out her reading logs for the week because that means she gets to pick a prize at school. I love it because it helps her work on her writing skills.

SALT LAKE CITY SYMPHONY
JANUARY 28, 2022

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Peter attended the symphony again with his friend Julian.

IT SUCKS TO BE SICK
JANUARY 31, 2022
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It’s never a good sign when I am lying in bed in the early afternoon. Whatever virus I got has really been hard on my body.

Slices of Life - December 2021

12/30/2021

 
THE CHRISTMAS TREE
DECEMBER 1, 2021
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Our Christmas tree is already decorated and all the presents that have arrived have been wrapped. It’s a good feeling to be ahead of the game this year with presents (left photo). The presents kept piling up so much that I had to move the sleigh out of the way. Two days before Christmas our tree looked like it was exploding presents (right photo). 
ABBY'S SCHOOL PLAY
DECEMBER 3, 2021
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Abby tried out for the middle school play this year and was Mrs. Mole in Fantastic Mr. Fox. She loved the practices after school and performing with her friends on the two days they were showing the play. 

​CARE AND SHARE SERVICE PROJECT
DECEMBER 4, 2021
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Emma, Abby, and I went to Care and Share with some of the other youth in our ward to do some service. We packaged boxes of food for senior citizens. In less than 2 hours we put together 325 boxes which was just under 5 tons!
 

​SCHEELS WITH MADELINE

DECEMBER 4, 2021
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Mike took Madeline to Scheels while the older girls and I were at Care and Share. Scheels is one of Madeline’s favorite places to go to. She is now the record holder at the Jurassic Park video game there.

SALADS FOR LUNCH
DECEMBER 6, 2021
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I have been eating salads for lunch every day for the last month. This is my favorite salad to make. I simply use romaine lettuce chopped, tiny tomatoes sliced, rotisserie chicken, goat cheese, pecans, craisins, and poppyseed dressing. Then I slap a spoonful of Mexicali dip and mini naan on the plate for a little carb action. 

​EMMA'S WINTER MUSIC CONCERTS

DECEMBER 8-9, 2021
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This first video gets going around 1:00 and Emma is the one in the red Santa hat

...more videos coming soon

​Emma had 2 winter concerts two days in a row. The first concert was her orchestra concert. They all sounded so good. It was fun to watch her perform. The next day she played in the Jazz Band concert where she soloed several times throughout the concert. I was blown away by her talent on the saxophone. 

FOREST BEND FARMS
DECEMBER 11, 2021
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We went to Forest Bend Christmas Farm with lots of friends from our ward this year. We had fun on the sleigh ride, drinking hot chocolate, kissing under the mistletoe, zip lining, and decorating and eating sugar cookies. ​

​JAPANESE LUNCH WITH THE MISSIONARIES

DECEMBER 12, 2021
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We made the sister missionaries an amazing Japanese lunch with katsu, rice, gyoza, sushi rolls, pocky’s and ramune to drink. They thought it was amazing.

STAKE MUSIC CONCERT
DECEMBER 12, 2021
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Emma was asked to perform in the Stake music concert this year. She did an amazing job playing the violin. I was amazed at how incredible this program was. I could’ve listened to them play and sing all night long. 

MADELINE AND EASTON
DECEMBER 14, 2021
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Madeline and her best friend Easton love playing on the neighborhood sidewalks after they get picked up from the bus stop. It gives the moms a chance to chat too.

WICKED AND CRAZY WINDSTORM
DECEMBER 15, 2021
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​We survived the most powerful windstorm to ever come through Colorado Springs in the 8 years we have lived here. It was so powerful and lasted most of the day. By the end of the storm both of our fences were damaged. One side actually fell over. 

MADELINE AND THE DINOSAUR PUZZLE
DECEMBER 17, 2021
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Madeline did an entire dinosaur jumbo puzzle while I was on the Peloton one morning. She was so proud of herself. 

COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS
DECEMBER 17, 2021
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Aunt Stacy sent us the coolest countdown calendar this year. I am so excited to use this every Christmas season. 

GETTING OUR EARS CLEANED
DECEMBER 26, 2021
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Andrew and I get the worst buildup of wax in our ears. We are lucky that Mike can clean them out for us whenever we want. 

MADELINE'S 2ND COVID VACCINE
DECEMBER 27, 2021
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Madeline finally got her 2nd COVID vaccine and although she was a little teary while we were waiting for the shot, she didn’t whimper or even cry when she got the shot. She was incredibly brave this time. 

OUR NEW WINDOW FINALLY ARRIVED
DECEMBR 28, 2021
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After 3 months of waiting for our new fixed window to arrive, it finally got installed. I was so tired of looking through a damaged window that looked like it had mold between the panes of glass. 

ABBY'S PRIVATE SWIM LESSONS
DECEMBER 29, 2021
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​We gifted Abby a couple of private swim lessons with one of the upper-level coaches to help her with her form. She loved it!

Slices of Life - November 2021

11/29/2021

 
​I spent the beginning of this month getting the lasts of my long runs done in preparation for my race. One day I ran from Cordera all the way to my PT apt which ended up being 13 miles. I started out at a faster pace and realized I had to keep that pace to get to my apt on time.
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​As Madeline and I were walking home from the bus stop one day we had to stop and play in the yellow leaves.
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​Emma was struggling with some of her math concepts, so Andrew spent some time helping her out via Zoom.
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Mike and Abby were being goofy one day and took a photo where Abby looked taller than Mike. Then they sent it to Gina as a joke.

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​Madeline has been doing well at her swim lessons with Ms. Caroline. She can now swim a few strokes on her own before reaching her instructor.
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​Mike and I stayed up in Denver and spent the night shopping, eating good food, and laughing at the Jim Gaffigan live show. The next morning, we basked in the unseasonably warm sun and lounged at the pool at the Four Seasons hotel.
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​A few days before my race I weighed myself after an awesome run and was shocked to see that I was 107.9. It has been almost 16 years since I have seen that number.
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​Emma rode the peloton for the first time during one of her cross-training days.
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As the gifts started to arrive, I gathered all the wrapping supplies and started wrapping presents.
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​It is not often that I find Mike taking a nap but the day after our race really did him in.
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​Sometimes we have the most beautiful sunsets and the view from the back of our house is just amazing.
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Since the weather was warm, I decided that I would do the Christmas lights on the house all by myself. I managed to get the first level of lights all finished but decided against going on the upper roof to do those lights. These are the times when I miss having boys to do this sort of thing.
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Madeline finally got her first COVID vaccine and didn’t have any reactions.
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​​My parents sent me a super cool triathlon ornament that they had made by a friend.
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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.

Slices of Life - September 2021

9/29/2021

 
E-LEARNING FOR MADELINE
SEPTEMBER 2, 2021
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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. 

A NEW BOW FOR EMMA
SEPTEMBER 2, 2021
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​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.

LEXI'S FUNERAL SERVICE
SEPTEMBER 4, 2021
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I went to my good friend and hairdresser’s funeral, Lexi Claus, with Jen and SaraJane. It was a nice service, but the tears flowed heavily, and it was hard to finally come to terms with her death.

PLAYGROUND FUN WITH MADELINE
SEPTEMBER 4, 2021
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We took Madeline to the park to play in between Abby’s events for her swim meet. Mike was so cute with her on the playground. 

EMMA IS DRIVING
SEPTEMBER 5, 2021
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Mike took Emma driving out to black forest and after they got into the middle of nowhere, they stopped and took a break.

PREPARING FOR MADELINE'S BIRTHDAY
SEPTEMBER 5, 2021
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​Emma and Abby helped me with the fondant for Madeline’s birthday cupcakes.

EMMA'S NEW RUNNING SHOES
SEPTEMBER 8, 2021
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​Emma got a new pair of running shoes and the print they had in stock was super cute.

MADELINE'S SWIM LESSONS
SEPTEMBER 8, 2021
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​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.

MADELINE'S BIRTHDAY AT SCHOOL
SEPTEMBER 9, 2021
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I took cupcakes to Madeline’s school to celebrate her birthday with her classmates. It was sweet watching her as her classmates sang to her.

MADELINE HAS STYLE
SEPTEMBER 10, 2021
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Madeline has great style and usually comes downstairs in the morning with her outfit for the day and most of the time everything matches. Her favorite shoes are her bow boots. She wears them almost every day.

STUDYING FOR CALCUCLUS
SEPTEMBER 10, 2021
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The boys got together at Andrew’s apartment to study for their upcoming calculus test.

ABBY AND HER GUITAR
SEPTEMBER 11, 2021
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​Abby has been taking guitar at school and I love listening to her practice at home.

MAKING COOKIES WITH MADELINE
SEPTEMBER 14, 2021
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​Madeline and I made peanut butter cookies and they turned out so yummy.

SHOPPING WITH FRIENDS
SEPTEMBER 16 2021
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Emma and some of her teammates headed to the mall after a run to look for Homecoming dresses.

MADELINE'S NEW RUNNING OUTFIT
SEPTEMBER 21, 2021
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Madeline got to wear her new running outfit and new running shoes to school today.

FACETIMING THE BOYS
SEPTEMBER 26, 2021
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We love facetiming the boys when they are at Andrew’s house on Sundays eating dinner together. We can always count on them to be super silly.

YOUTH NIGHT IN OUR NEW WARD
SEPTEMBER 29, 2021
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Abby went to her first youth night in the Pine Creek ward and loved the group of girls that are in her class.

BACK TO THE TEMPLE
SEPTEMBER 29, 2021
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​I went to the temple by myself today and it was glorious.

APPLE PIE FROM DIONNE
SEPTEMBER 30, 2021
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Dionne made us an apple pie and it was delicious. ​​

Slices of Life - August 2021

8/29/2021

 
CHEESE AND FRUIT CHARCUTERIE BOARD
AUGUST 1, 2021
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One day after church Mike made us all the most delicious Sunday snack. There is nothing quite like a cheese and fruit charcuterie board.

HEALTHY LUNCHES
AUGUST 3, 2021​
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Eating healthier for me means eating salads for lunch every day.

ROASTING MARSHMALLOWS WITH THE KIDS
​AUGUST 3, 2021
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We roasted marshmallows with the kids one beautiful evening and just enjoyed being together. 

TEMPLE TIME
AUGUST 5, 2021
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Mike and I headed up to the Denver LDS temple together after finally being able to make reservations to do endowment sessions again

POST RACE BRUNCH
AUGUST 7, 2021
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Mike took me out for a big brunch after my big Pikes Peak bike race. It looked more delicious than it tasted. I’m not sure my stomach was ready for all that food.

LITTLE, LITTLE VIOLIN
AUGUST 12, 2021
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Madeline loves to play pretend. It was so cute watching her try and play the doll violin so that she could be like her big sister Emma. 

PRETTY NAILS
AUGUST 12, 2021
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Madeline loves getting her nails painted. When I went to get my nails done at the salon, I let her get her nails done so she would have pretty nails for the first day of school. She picked pink and Kim put glitter on top.

DENVER CITY SUNSET
AUGUST 13, 2021
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Mike and I stayed at the Art hotel in Denver to celebrate our anniversary. There was the most beautiful sunset that night from our hotel room. 

PETER AND JOSH
AUGUST 15, 2021
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We loved listening to Josh Jester’s missionary farewell talk. Afterwards we took one last photo of Peter and Josh before Josh left for his mission. 

FATHER'S BLESSINGS
​AUGUST 15, 2021
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All of the kids got father’s blessings before the first day of school. Madeline was so excited to be included this year.

ANDREW'S FIRST SUNDAY AT THE U
AUGUST 22, 2021
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Andrew ventured out to church for the first time on the Trax line. He looked so handsome in his church sweater.

UNIVERSITY OF UTAH CLASS OF 2025
AUGUST 23, 2021
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Peter and Andrew were excited to start their new life at the U. Since Peter was a freshman, he got to be in the class of 2025 photo.

PICKING UP MADELINE AFTER SCHOOL
AUGUST 24, 2021
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I love picking up Madeline after school. She is always so excited to see me when she walks out of her classroom doors. 

FUN HAIRSTYLE AND A VISIT TO THE DENTISTS
AUGUST 25, 2021
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Madeline was excited after Myisha did her hair for school. After school she got to go to the dentist and was such a brave girl to sit in the chair all by herself. 

UNIVERSITY OF UTAH VS OREGON
AUGUST 27, 2021
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Andrew and Peter went to their first University of Utah football game and had a blast.

EASY SPAGHETTI DINNER
AUGUST 27, 2021
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I can always count on the girls to be super goofy anytime we eat spaghetti. Naturally, someone always must put a noodle under their nose and pretend to be Master Shifu from Kung Fu Panda. 

BEST DOCTOR IN TOWN
AUGUST 27, 2021
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Mike took Myisha and I to his clinic to clean out my ears and look at Myisha’s sinus’. So grateful to have the best doctor in town at our disposal! 

COLLEGE LIFE
AUGUST 28, 2021
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Andrew went with Peter and his friends to eat desserts at the Japanese dessert place.

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QUIET SUNDAY PLAYTIME
AUGUST 29, 2021
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Madeline loves to play with the little people on Sundays. 

PETER THE MISSIONARY
AUGUST 29, 2021
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Peter took one of his friends that is on his floor to church with him. They had a blast together.

PETER'S IDENTICAL TWIN
AUGUST 30, 2021
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In the common room on Peter’s floor was a doll with blonde hair that sat on top of the refrigerator. Everyone kept saying how much it looked like him, so he had to have a picture with his “twin.” 
 

Slices of Life - July 2021

7/30/2021

 
MOUNTAIN VIEW PLAYGROUND WITH THE GIRLS
JULY 14, 2021
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​I rode the scooters with the girls to the Mountain View playground so that we could play with Madeline. The girls loved swinging together. Madeline has finally learned how to pump her legs so that she can swing by herself. There was lots of climbing and sliding and even hanging upside down from the older girls.

DINNER AT MC GINTY'S

JULY 18, 2021
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On the way back home from our McCullough Gulch Hike, Mike and I stopped at McGinty’s for a quick dinner. We both got the most delicious chicken salad.

MADELINE'S BIG GIRL BIKE
JULY 19, 2021
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Ever since Madeline got her new big girl bike she wants to go out and ride it every day. She is getting really good at pedaling and stopping.

ANDREW TURNS 20
JULY 19, 2021
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Andrew was so excited to get the Remarkable for his birthday this year and a gift card to Buckle to buy some new clothes. The older the kids get the more excited they are to get practical gifts.

IT'S SALAD FOR LUNCH AGAIN
JULY 23 & 25, 2021
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It’s always a struggle to eat healthy but making salads for lunch has really helped me. I am trying to add variety to my salads by either adding tuna steaks or crackers and brie.

PACKING UP THE BOYS FOR COLLEGE
​JULY 30, 2021
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I spent a great deal of time this month helping both boys start to pack up for college. Since both boys were busy with full time jobs, I figured they could use the help. After the rest of Peter’s new luggage came, I was able to start packing up their suitcases. I even cleared out and sold most of Peter’s furniture in preparation to have the room painted and set up as a guest bedroom. ​

Slices of Life - June 2021

6/29/2021

 
NEIGHBORHOOD FROG
JUNE 6, 2021
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Madeline loves to go on walks around the neighborhood. Her favorite place to stop is the frog in one of our neighbor’s front yard. 

​PETER AND MOM

JUNE 6, 2021
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Peter agreed to let me take him to Flying Horse to get some more graduation photos of him in his cap and gown. He wasn’t all that excited to get dressed up again, but he knew it would make me happy, so he did it. 

​ANDREW'S COLONOSCOPY

JUNE 9, 2021
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Andrew underwent his first colonoscopy in hopes of figuring out some of his stomach problems that have been plaguing him since his mission.

​FLOWERS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

JUNE 10, 2021
June is the best month for flowers in Colorado. I love the purple lupins in our neighbor’s yard.
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​OUTSIDE MADELINE

JUNE 10-13, 2021
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Madeline loves to be outside. She has enjoyed riding her bike, jumping on the trampoline, and blowing bubbles whenever she can. 

​MADELINE DOING ACCOUNTING

JUNE 15, 2021
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One day Madeline set up her cash register in the office so that she could do some accounting and be just like mom. 
ANDREW TREATS THE KIDS TO A JAPANESE DINNER
JUNE 19, 2021

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Andrew took all the kids to really nice Japanese shabu shabu restaurant while Mike and I were on a weekend trip, and he paid for the entire thing. When I told him we would help pay for it he said he wanted to pay for it himself. He is such a nice brother.

​FERRIS WHEEL WITH MADELINE

JUNE 23, 2021
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I took the girls to Scheels just so that we could all ride the Ferris wheel. Madeline was in heaven. 

​MIKE'S DECORATED OFFICE

JUNE 23, 2021
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After printing out the photos for Mike’s office almost 6 months ago, we decided to finally hang up the photos and his diplomas and certificates. It was definitely a team effort to figure out spacing but we managed to get it done one evening after work.

​MINIATURE GOLF

JUNE 26, 2021
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Mike took Andrew, Emma, and Madeline to play miniature golf one afternoon and then out to ice-cream. Madeline had so much fun and when she came home, she asked me, “When can I go golf balling again?”
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​OPENING CANS WITH DAD

JUNE 27, 2021
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Madeline loves to be everyone’s helper in the kitchen. When Mike was opening a new can of flour, she quickly went to her get her pretend can opener so she could help him.

​TRACK BANQUET

JUNE 29, 2021
​The Track and Field banquet happened at the end of this month. It was quite uneventful as Coach Wasson forgot to highlight each of our girls on their season. Needless to say, we were proud of Emma but disappointed we sat there for 2 hours and didn’t hear one personal thing said about Emma or some of her other distance teammates. 
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Slices of Life - May 2021

5/28/2021

 
MADELINE AND BRIX
MAY 4, 2021
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We watched little Brix one day and Madeline was so cute with him. He was not very happy when his momma left but Madeline just got on the floor and started playing with him and for a time, he forgot about being sad. Madeline still talks about the day she played with Brix. 

MAKING THE PROM CORSAGE AND BOUTONNIERE
MAY 7, 2021
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I was having such a hard time finding a pretty corsage for Peter’s prom date, so I decided to make both the corsage and the boutonniere. After watching a few videos and messing up a few times, I finally made something magical. 
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​PETER AND SARA BEFORE PROM

MAY 8, 2021
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I made Peter take a quick photo of us before we headed off to take prom photos.

​MADELINE GETS A MASSAGE

MAY 8, 2021
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Mike had the massage table out to give me a massage and Madeline climbed right up one night and said, “It’s my turn for a massage.” Mike gently rubbed her feet with lotion, and she was in heaven. 

​MOTHER'S DAY DINNER

MAY 9, 2021
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Mike always makes me the best Mother’s Day dinner. This year he did simple and healthy and made a Caesar salad and tuna steak. It was delicious. 

​SARA'S FUN HAIR

MAY 12, 2021
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I took my halo into Lexi to have her fix some of the coloring. After my haircut she put it on and styled my hair with the halo in. It was fun to walk in with short hair and walk out with long hair.

​MADELINE'S NEW SWIMSUIT

MAY 14, 2021
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Madeline’s new swimsuit arrived from Albion Fit and it was so cute on her. She wore it all afternoon. 

​FAKE LASH ORDEAL

MAY 21, 2021
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RIGHT AFTER THEY WERE FINISHED and EYES ONE DAY LATER (totally infected) 
I decided to try lash extensions after talking with some of my friends who had done it before. Right after I loved the way they looked but by the next day I was regretting what I had done. My eyes got red and poufy, and it was clear that I was allergic to the glue that was used. I spent the next couple of days in pure agony until I could go in to have someone else take them off. I will never do that again. 

​WALKING WITH GRANDPARENTS

MAY 23, 2021
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​Madeline loves to go outside to ride her bike. She got grandma and grandpa to go with her. They loved watching her ride her new bike.

Slices of Life - April 2021

4/29/2021

 
MADELINE IN THE TUB
APRIL 1, 2021
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Madeline just loves taking bubble baths in my big bathtub. Sometimes she will even ask if she can have a bath in the middle of the day. ​

​SLEEPY MADELINE IN BLANKETS

APRIL 1, 2021
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One day I got out the bin of baby blankets for Madeline to play with. As I was cooking in the kitchen, I noticed how quiet it was and so I went to check on her and found she had fallen asleep amidst the many, many blankets from the bin.

​YELLOW DRESS MADELINE

APRIL 4, 2021
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Madeline loves to wear dresses and her cute little church shoes. One day she wanted to go for a walk in her cute yellow dress.

​NEW BEDROOM SET-UP

APRIL 4, 2021
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The bedroom furniture Mike and I ordered finally arrived. It is so beautiful, and we both love it! ​
FLOWERS
APRIL 4, 2021
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Mike bought me pink tulips just to be sweet since he knows tulips are my favorite flower.
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​PETER’S 1ST DOSE OF VACCINE

APRIL 7, 2021
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Peter was able to get his first COVID vaccine down at Optum.

​​ABBY’S NEW ROOM DECOR
APRIL 11, 2021
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Abby’s room is finally coming together. Her new bookshelf came as well as her cute Stranger Things portrait and quotes from the movie. ​

​ XC BANQUET 

APRIL 15, 2021
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​PETER’S T-SHIRT QUILT

APRIL 2-20, 2021
Peter and Emma finally had their XC banquet. It kept getting delayed due to COVID restrictions for events at the school.
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I started and finished Peter’s t-shirt quilt for graduation this month and it turned out so well. 

​MADELINE’S SWIM LESSONS

APRIL 22, 2021
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​Madeline loves swimming lessons with Ms. Carolyn. She is good about balancing skills and getting Madeline comfortable in the water. 

Slices of Life - March 2021

3/30/2021

 
SUPER FUN HAIR
MARCH 2, 2021
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I love my short hair and as many times as I try to grow it out, I just can't do it. So I opted for another option to be able to have long hair whenever I want. I bought myself a halo hair piece and have been having so much fun wearing it. My hair is still a little too short in the back to wear it solo, so I have been having fun wearing it with hats. It's fun to have long hair again, even if it is only for a day here and there.

​JUMPING ON THE TRAMPOLINE

MARCH 4, 2021
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Warmer days means more time outside and afternoons jumping on the trampoline with Madeline. Watching Madeline jump on the trampoline is just such a joy! She is by far the cutest little girl I know.

PANERA LUNCH TRADITION
MARCH 4, 2021
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After Madeline's swim lessons every week, we order Panera and pick it up on the way home. It has become a tradition over the last several months and we both just love it. Curbside pickup is simply the best!

GOOD FRIENDS
MARCH 7, 2021
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We are so thankful for good friends that moved to Colorado this past school year. The Parr family moved into our ward and they have the best kids. Peter enjoys hanging out with Conner and Emma is best friends with Raelee. It's nice to see Emma have a good friend who is kind, treats her with respect, and doesn't gossip about her behind her back. Girls can be really mean and Emma is learning to steer clear of people like that. 

SPRING WEATHER
MARCH 7, 2021
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It was unseasonably warm after church, so we took advantage of it and spent a good portion of our day outside with the kids. We went for a walk around the neighborhood while Peter and Madeline rode their bikes. We even had to raise Madeline's seat up a bit because she had grown taller since the last time she rode her bike. Then we all headed to the backyard to relax under the gazebo while Madeline jumped on the trampoline. We just talked and had fun with the kids while the sun was shining. It was pretty great.

JELLYBEANS, JELLYBEANS, EVERYWHERE
MARCH 7, 2021
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The jellybean craze started after Andrew asked us to send him some on his mission. He got the jellybean craving. Luckily, it's pretty easy and quick to order from the German amazon site. After sending him several different packages of jellybeans, Mike came home one day with a gigantic jar of jellybeans from Costco. The kids have been enjoying picking out their favorite flavors and trying some new flavors. I thought it was funny when I noticed Madeline had taken the jar and was picking out her favorites. Silly, silly girl.

STARDEW VALLEY
MARCH 7, 2021
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Mike, Peter and Emma have really gotten into playing Stardew Valley together. It was hilarious to see them all with their laptops working together to build awesome farms. 

COVID-19 VACCINE FOR SARA
MARCH 10, 2021
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It's about damn time is all I have to say about getting the vaccine. For one year I have been praying that none of us get extremely sick from COVID. With Mike in and out of people's airways pretty much all day every day, it has been an emotional roller coaster of a year. I was a little emotional when the guy was giving me the shot. He even asked me, "Are you ok?" I said I was fine, but what I wanted to say was, "It's just been an extremely long year of worry, stress, and unpredictability and I'm ready for all of this to be over." I will be the first one to admit that I know that this isn't over yet, nor are we in the clear for removing our masks or social distancing. It surprises me how many people I come across who are complete idiots about the mask thing. Some don't believe in wearing the mask at all and others simply don't want to do it anymore. I have had people tell me that it's ok to not wear the mask because people are getting vaccinated. Um...hello...only 16% of the US population as of today have been given at least one dose and only about 11% have been fully vaccinated. The reality is we all still need to do our part to protect each other because even when you are vaccinated, you can STILL get the virus and you can still pass it onto others. This vaccine does not make us immune to the virus, but we are less likely to get it and if we do, we are less likely to do poorly. So, even though I am on my way to being fully vaccinated, I will still wear my mask, hand sanitize, and social distance myself the best I can. I don't want to be part of the problem but part of the solution. I wish those around me would do the same. Sadly, I have been disappointed in most Americans this year and even some people I would call friends. 

MADELINE'S SWIM LESSONS
MARCH 11, 2021
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Madeline has been in private swim lessons since September, and she loves swimming with Carolyn. She is improving but she still is afraid of putting her face all the way in the water. Her instructor decided to laminate a face and after every lesson, Madeline gets to color in the parts of the face that she put in the water that day. I love that her instructor came up with a clever way to motivate Madeline to be a little bolder in the water. 

TECHNOLOGY IS AMAZING
MARCH 11, 2021
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We all look forward to Thursdays because that is the day we can talk to Andrew on his mission. With the time change, Mike is usually off to work by the time Andrew gets to video chat with us. But he has found ways to be on the call even when at work. He will often call Andrew in between his surgery cases or call in his scrubs right before he enters the OR. Peter even got to sit in on the call for a little bit before he headed off to school today. It's amazing that we can all video chat together wherever we are in the world!

OPENING THE MURATA PACKAGE
MARCH 19, 2021
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We still love exchanging gifts with our friends from Japan. We have stayed in touch with the Murata's over the 8 years since we left Japan. It has been fun to see each other's kids grow up and to enjoy the fun trinkets and treats that they have sent to us. This year they hand stamped personal leather glasses classes for the boys and hair clips for the girls. We sent them some fun American face masks, so they sent us some cute Japanese ones back. We enjoyed the treats as well and the photos of their cute family!

OFFICE TOUR
MARCH 19, 2021
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Mike enjoyed showing his dad around his office and giving him the first-class treatment of doing a CT scan of his head. It is remarkable how far Mike has come with his practice since he started this 4 years ago. His dad was definitely impressed.

PRIORITY PASS LOUNGE
MARCH 26, 2021
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Having the Priority Pass card has been a game changer when we travel. We have had the card for a decade now and it comes in handy more often than not. While we waited in Atlanta to travel back to Colorado, we enjoyed some free food in a crowd free comfy lounge. It was pretty great!

Slices of Life - January 2021

1/30/2021

 
PETER’S CAMPBELLS SOUP SWEATSHIRT
JANUARY 1, 2021
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​One of the only things Peter has been asking for all year long has been a Campbell’s Soup sweatshirt. I failed to purchase one earlier in the year and since they are difficult to find online, I was so happy when I stumbled upon one before Christmas. I ordered it knowing that it wouldn’t get there by Christmas Day. Peter’s grandpa was so excited to give it to him for Christmas and when it finally came in the mail Peter was so excited. 

MADELINE’S HAND KNIT DOLLS
JANUARY 5, 2021
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​Madeline got some hand knit animal dolls from Cuddle and Kind for Christmas from her grandparents and from mom and dad. She has been so cute lining them up and playing with them every day. They are some of the cutest little stuffed animals I have ever seen and I’m so glad that she loves them too.

​ANDREW’S MISSIONARY PLAQUE

JANUARY 10, 2021
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​I know Andrew’s missionary plaque has been up near the Bishops office at church for a little while but since we leave after church rather quickly every week I don’t ever remember to go and check it out. I loved spending time after church looking at his plaque and all of the other awesome kids that are in our ward that are also serving missions right now. It just put a smile on my face to see the wall of missionary plaques.

​LITTLE JAPANESE MADELINE GIRL

JANUARY 10, 2021
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​Abby is one of Madeline’s best friends and I love it when she dresses Madeline up and plays with her. The girls found the Japanese kimonos and Madeline was so excited to play in it. Abby even did Madeline’s hair. It reminded me when Abby and Emma wore these same kimonos so many years ago. It made me a little homesick for Japan. 

​PLAYING MASTERMIND

JANUARY 13, 2021
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​I have been slowly collecting some of the classic games that we either didn’t have anymore because they had been destroyed by many years of use or didn’t ever have in the first place. After purchasing Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders for Madeline, I found Mastermind for the older kids. It was hilarious watching Mike and Peter battle it out.

JULIE VISITS
JANUARY 23, 2021
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​One of my college roommates from my BYU days and a good friend who went through the accounting program with me was in town and came down to Colorado Springs to visit me for the day. Julie and I headed over to the club to eat lunch and chat and then I took her to Garden of the Gods to show her the coolest place in the Springs. We had a blast catching up and talking about our lives. 

THE ALWAYS WILLING TO HELP SON OF MINE
JANUARY 26, 2021
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I can always count on Peter to shovel the driveway and sidewalks for us when it snows. Unfortunately, our snowplow is on the frits, but Peter honestly doesn’t mind doing it the old-fashioned way with a regular snow shovel. I’m so grateful for him and how he never complains when we ask him to do things to help out the family.

BLOOD PRESSURE CHECKS
JANUARY 28, 2021
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​I have been known to have periods of time where I have random spikes in my blood pressure. It’s been a very long time since I have had problems with my blood pressure but after getting it checked at a recent appointment and seeing that it was rather high, I decided it was time to do regular checks. I was so relieved to see a good reading one day after I exercised. 

MADELINE AND SARA’S SWIM LESSONS
JANUARY 28, 2021

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​Madeline has been in private swim lessons for a few months now and she has been loving it. I decided to start up my own private technique lessons at the same time she has her lessons. I have already learned so much from my awesome instructor Jan. I hope that with some more training on my technique and form that I will be able to swim more efficiently in the water so I can be more competitive in my future triathlon racing. 

PETER'S NEW BASS GUITAR
JANUARY 28, 2021
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​In Advanced Jazz Ensemble, Peter plays the trumpet. However, the band lost their bass player and so Peter was filling in using the bass feature on the electric piano. Then Mike ordered a bass guitar for Peter so that he could practice. I was amazed at how fast he picked it up. It has been fun to hear Peter and Mike jam out on the guitar together.

MIKE’S ENT SEGMENT ON TV
JANUARY 29, 2021
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​Mike and his work partner had two segments on the local news. The first one was about their practice, Pikes Peak ENT, where they were able to talk about some of their services and to just get their name out there. The second segment was all about the Inspire Sleep Apnea implant that Mike has been implementing into their practice. Mike is currently one of the only ENT physicians in the front range of Colorado who is trained to surgically deal with this awesome implant. The segment was all about one of his patients and how well it has improved this patient’s quality of life. He also had such awesome things to say about Mike as a physician.

EMMA’S BIRTHDAY DINNER
JANUARY 29, 2021

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​Since we weren’t celebrating Emma’s birthday until the day after her official birthday, we decided we had better do something fun for her birthday dinner. Mike ordered ramen from Menya and brought it home so we could all enjoy an excellent Japanese dinner with Emma. Emma was beyond excited.

​CADEN’S MISSIONARY FAREWELL

JANUARY 31, 2021
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​It was so fun to be at church to hear Caden McDowell’s missionary farewell talk. Afterwards, Peter stuck around to talk with the boys. After getting a photo together, Caden’s mom asked Caden who the blonde boy next to Caden was. She had no idea it was Peter since she hadn’t seen Peter since his hair had grown out during COVID. It’s so fun to see Peter bond with friends who are mostly his brother’s age. He has a soft spot in his heart for Caden who he really looks up to. 

Slices of Life - August 2020

8/30/2020

 
SWIMMING AT FLYING HORSE
AUGUST 1, 2020
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The kids love swimming at Flying Horse because it isn't really crowded at all. With all the new restrictions we had a few hours in the afternoon time slot to play and have fun together. 

FIRST TIME BACK AT CHURCH
AUGUST 2, 2020
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After over 4 months of not being able to meet with our congregation for church, the girls and I enjoyed being back at our church building for sacrament meeting while the boys were away.

GIRLS BIKE RIDE TOGETHER
AUGUST 3, 2020
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Abby was so excited to go on a bike ride with her brand-new bike. The girls rode 8 miles up into the newer part of Cordera. They both love their new bikes.

ABBY’S GH TEST
AUGUST 11, 2020
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With Peter and Emma both taking the growth hormone test a few times I thought it would be prudent to have Abby get tested just to make sure she was producing enough. She was a little nervous about the IV but she did a great job (update...she found out that she is deficient in producing growth hormone so she will be on GH shots for the next few years).

MADELINE AND GRANDPA
AUGUST 14, 2020
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I love how sweet Madeline is with her grandpa. Most of the kids when they were younger always snuggled up to just grandma, but Madeline snuggles with her grandpa and her grandma. It is so cute. 

ANNIVERSARY DINNER
AUGUST 15, 2020
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For our 22nd Anniversary dinner we headed to Prime 25 and had a delicious steak meal. It was nice to go out somewhere fancy to celebrate our special day.

GOOFY PETE
AUGUST 18, 2020
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​I bought Peter a funny sweatband earlier this year and he decided one day to wear it and be super goofy. It was hilarious.

TEST DRIVING A TESLA
AUGUST 18, 2020
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After sending Andrew off to start his mission I was a little sad, so Mike took me over to Tesla where I got to test drive the Model Y. It was so much fun. 

ELDER WILHELM
AUGUST 19, 2020
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​We got a call from Andrew on his first day of online MTC. It was so good to see him and hear his voice. We are so thrilled that he gets to do his online MTC from grandpa’s house in VA.

DAD DOING MADELINE’S HAIR
AUGUST 20, 2020
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​I came home from running one morning to find Mike trying to do Madeline’s hair. It was so cute that he was trying. I swept in and gave him a little help and he was so relieved.

FLOODING IN TOWN
AUGUST 20, 2020
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​One of the most annoying parts of Colorado summers are the random torrential rainstorms that create intense flooding. On the way home from a canceled cross-country meet I witnessed how badly some parts of the town were affected by the previous down pour.

EMMA READING TO MADELINE
AUGUST 20, 2020
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One of my greatest joys is watching my older kids read and play with Madeline. I loved watching Emma and Madeline read together. 

POOR AIR QUALITY WARNING
AUGUST 21, 2020
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​The air quality has been so bad this month due to all the fires in CO, UT, and CA. It has made it really hard for Peter and Emma to run well in cross-country.

DOING PETER’S HAIR
AUGUST 24, 2020
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Madeline loves to play pretend and had so much fun doing Peter’s hair. He was a good sport and played along with her. She was beyond happy to make him look pretty.

GRILLING KABOBS
AUGUST 24, 2020
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​I took care of the grilling for our dinner kabobs and I was amazed at how well they turned out. The kids were super impressed that I could grill as good as Mike.

COOL SUNSET
AUGUST 24, 2020
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​With all the fires that we have been having in and around Colorado, we do get some pretty awesome looking sunsets.

ABBY TRIES OUT FOR PPA
AUGUST 25, 2020
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Abby tried out for PPA swim club after being unhappy with swimming with Rapids. She was so excited to be placed in Group 3 with some of her other friends. 

PICKING NASTY WEEDS
AUGUST 28, 2020
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I hate picking weeds and all summer I stayed on top of it so it wouldn't get that bad. I took a 2-week break from weeding and then I spent over 3 hours picking some of the most stubborn weeds. It was pretty awful. 

ABBY AND MADELINE
AUGUST 30, 2020
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​Abby is such a good sister to Madeline. Madeline frequently goes into Abby’s room to find little treasures and although Abby doesn’t like Madeline going through her stuff, she still manages to be kind to her.

ABBY’S MRI
AUGUST 30, 2020
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After Abby failed her growth hormone test, the next step was getting an MRI done to make sure her pituitary was working correctly.  She was a bit nervous, but the techs were so good about making her feel calm and safe.

DOUBLE RAINBOW
AUGUST 31, 2020
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On our walk we saw a double rainbow in the sky. It was only brief that we saw the double rainbow. By the time we made it halfway down the block, the second one had disappeared.

Slices of Life - June 2020

6/30/2020

 
PLAYGROUND FUN WITH MADELINE
JUNE 1, 2020
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​Peter has been so good with Madeline and takes her to the playground most afternoons. She just loves the time when she can play on the swings and the slides and just be a kid again. Secretly I know that Peter loves it too.

SWIMMING AT FLYING HORSE
JUNE 2, 2020

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​I took Abby and Madeline to Flying Horse to swim one sunny afternoon. None of the other kids wanted to go so we headed on over to the club for some fun in the sun.

NEW HOME GYM
JUNE 7, 2020

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​For two months we have been waiting for the Ethos Power Rack and Bench to come back in stock so that we could start to do some cross-fit from our home. All during the craziest times of COVID all we wanted to do was to be able to do pull ups and box jumps and lift some weights. Our rack system finally arrived, and we were so happy to finally be able to get back into some strength training.

CHOCOLATE CAKE AGAIN
JUNE 7, 2020

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​Andrew is just so good at cooking and baking and we all convinced him to make us the molten chocolate cake again. His second time baking it was just as good as the first time he made it. We were all in heaven.

OUTDOOR PATIO PARADISE
JUNE 10, 2020

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​We just love our backyard paradise under the gazebo. It has been so nice to be able to have somewhere to sit outside during the day when the sun is out. It is so peaceful out there.

CHICKEN MARSALA
JUNE 11, 2020
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​I love it when Mike gets the itch to try something new for dinner because I am just not that into cooking anything new these days. He found a great chicken marsala recipe online and it did not disappoint. We all loved it.

BASKETBALL WITH MADELINE
JUNE 14, 2020

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​Madeline loves to play in the backyard but on this particular afternoon she was super excited to dunk some baskets with Andrew. We lowered the hoop all the way and she dunked basket after basket as Andrew lifted her up to the rim. It was super cute.

MADELINE AND MIKE
JUNE 22, 2020

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​Every time I browse through Mike’s photos on his phone, I come across countless selfies of him and Madeline. I just love how much he adores her.

MIKE’S INSPIRE PROCEDURE
JUNE 24, 2020

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​Mike did his first Inspire procedures for sleep apnea and they went so well. He was told by the device reps after the procedures that he was the best they had ever seen just starting out. He was quick, efficient, and just downright amazing.

BIG HAILSTORM
JUNE 26, 2020

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​It is not uncommon for us to get plenty of hailstorms in June. Lucky for us we haven’t had that much hail this month. So, it was no surprise when a big hailstorm finally hit. Usually we get smaller hail but this time we actually witnessed golf ball size hail. It was loud and pretty crazy.

BEAUTIFUL SUNSET
JUNE 28, 2020

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​We have enjoyed the amazing summer sunsets while sitting underneath our gazebo. It’s hard to imagine life without our little backyard paradise.

NAIL SALON WITH EMMA AND ABBY
JUNE 30, 2020

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For part of Abby’s birthday celebration, I took her and Emma to get our nails and toes done at the salon. Abby picked a fun purple color for both her fingernails and toenails. She was in heaven!
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