Everybody knows that the best way to celebrate the birth of our country is to eat hamburgers, hot dogs and blow stuff up. And that’s what we did. Fortunately, in Utah, fireworks are fully legal in every insane permutation you can imagine. Being starved for entertainment, we decided to join the locals and go crazy with big fireworks. It was a lot of fun. Madeline had some sparklers, the girls did cherry bombs and spinners and the boys lit off the big displays. There were so many fireworks going off in the neighboring streets that it was like we had our own private show. It was quite the event and a whole lot of fun.  

Driving to Utah is a bit of a slog, so it’s nice to be able to break it up. We got up early and, on our way out of town, stopped at the big park in Grand Junction. It was pretty amazing.  There were dozens of slides, zip lines, ninja warrior stuff, and all sorts of fun stuff.  Madeline had a blast, and the older kids proved that everyone loves playing on a cool playground. Thank goodness it wasn’t too hot!

​Packing and hauling bikes for seven people cross country is quite a chore, but bike rides like this make it all worth it. Right off the Interstate is a bike path that follows the river as it courses through Glenwood Canyon. The roaring water and the towering rock walls are spectacular. There are parts of the canyon that are only accessible by the trail, so It’s worth the ride. Of course, sometimes even the best laid plans have their hiccups. The plan was to start at the top of the canyon and bike downhill to Glenwood Springs.  Instead, we started about half way down and biked up and then all the way back down. Of course, to do this, we had to leave a car in Glenwood and one in the Canyon. While in Glenwood, renting the Burley for Madeline to ride in, Peter somehow knocked the stem off his tire, thus creating an unfixable flat.  Fortunately, after Mike used some choice words, they found a bike store and got a new tire put on. It only delayed things by about 30 minutes, so not the end of the world. Once the gang was all back together, we headed up the Canyon. It was breathtaking, both visually and physically. It’s hard to pedal uphill with kids in tow! When we got to Hanging Lake, we saw a marmot just hanging out by the trail. We turned around at Hanging Lake and headed downhill to Glenwood Springs. Of course, it wasn’t totally downhill. In fact, there were some big ups, and it was super sunny and hot. There were some grumpy comments, but once we made it to the bridge over the interstate, it was pretty easy. We ended up at a park down by the river in the shade with ice cream.

​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.

​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.

​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.

​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.

​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.

​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.

​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.

​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 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.

​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.

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

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!

​Since our race at XTERRA Beaver Creek was still a go in June, Mike and I spent a lot of time working hard and putting in the time to bike, swim and run. We often had to double up 2-3 days a week in order to fit it all in but we both enjoyed being able to bike and swim together. Some of our favorite rides this month were biking at Rampart Reservoir and Staunton State Park. We even fit in some Red Rock rides and some road biking on the Cottonwood Creek trail and up into Cordera and Wolf Ranch. We felt blessed to be able to swim at Flying Horse 2-3 days a week and really enjoyed our mornings swimming together. The only thing we didn’t do together was run. I ran mostly with Dionne and Caryn and we followed many of the Striders workouts. I ran at Garden of the Gods, Barr Trail, Bear Creek Park, High Drive, and Black Forest Section 16. I didn’t get in as many runs as I would have liked since my foot was still healing but I got in enough hard runs keep up my endurance. It was a really great month of training!
 

​Since we were traveling on Father’s Day, we decided to celebrate our official Father’s Day the week after. I made Mike a wonderful pancake breakfast with bacon and fruit and all the of the kids each made him a card. We tried to do what we could so he could have a relaxing day. The kids even got ready for church and photos rather quickly and without any whining. We couldn’t be luckier to have the best dad and husband around. He does an incredible amount for our family and deeply cares about each and every one of us. The kids adore his sensitivity and creativity and enjoy his sense of humor.  We are all extremely aware of his hard work attitude and try to support him in his efforts to excel at work. Our family just wouldn’t be the same without him in it!
 

​Today we slept in and then packed up all of our stuff.  Mike made pancakes for everyone even though it was Father’s Day. We are super grateful for him. After the car was all packed up, we headed to Fish Creek Falls which was just a 15 min drive from downtown Steamboat. The trail to the upper falls was mostly paved and it was only a ¼ mile. We headed to the overlook at the top first to see the picturesque views of the upper falls before winding down and meeting up with the dirt path to see the lower falls. It was really quite magnificent. We stayed at the bottom falls for quite a while as we were all mesmerized by the sounds and movement of the water. Once more crowds of people started showing up, we decided to head back up the trail and back to the car. It was just what we needed before the long drive back home.

We spent all day at Steamboat Lake today. Mike and Peter headed up early to find a good spot on the lake and set up the paddle boards and the sunshade. I stopped at the store to grab some more life jackets and then we headed out to meet Mike and Peter. The drive to the lake was a little further than I was expecting, about 45 minutes away, but it was absolutely beautiful. When we got there, I stopped to get a pass for the car and then we drove to where Mike and Peter had set up all of our stuff. It was rather windy by the time we made it down to the shore and so we all kept on our long-sleeved shirts. Since everyone was a bit chilly it took a little bit of time for people to be brave enough to get in the water. Peter The kids each took turns heading out on the paddle boards and then Mike tied the tubes to one of the paddle boards and pulled the kids along. Emma and Abby loved sitting in the double tube, and they headed out with Mike on a little adventure to the other end of the lake. I took Madeline with me on the other paddle board and we went out to find them. Madeline loved being on the paddle board with me and she took plenty of videos with the GoPro on our way out to the other end of the lake to find Mike and the girls. We finally met up in one of the inlets and got out on the sandbank for a little bit to enjoy the views. Steamboat lake is enormous, and all of the motorized boats were required to stay in a specific part of the lake. We were obviously paddling in another part of the lake and it wasn’t crowded at all. We only saw a few people out paddle boarding or kayaking. It was so nice to basically have the lake all to ourselves.

​Our first day at Steamboat Springs was spent on a family bike ride with the kids along the Spring Creek trail. We rented a Burley trailer for Madeline and attached it to Andrew’s bike and headed out on a fun adventure together. We biked along the most beautiful trail that rang along the Yampa River. It wasn’t a very long trail all the way to the end from where we started but no one was complaining about that. After making it to the end we turned around and ate lunch at a park along the trail. Madeline was super happy to get out and play on the playground. We ate lunch and relaxed for a little bit before heading back on our bikes down the trail. On the way back we saw that the Alpine Slides were open, so we stopped and bought tickets. Each of the kids got to do 2 rounds on the slides and Mike and I each took a turn with Madeline on the slide while the other one kept an eye on the bikes. I wasn’t sure if Madeline would like the slide or be afraid of it, so I was pleasantly surprised when she screamed in excitement all the way down. I personally loved it too and enjoyed the beautiful views on the way down.
 
After getting back on the bikes, we rode along the trail but stopped briefly to check out the botanical garden we saw at the beginning of our ride. We parked our bikes and put on our masks and entered the Yampa River Botanic Park. We did a big loop around the park, just enjoying the pretty flowers and beautiful landscape and fun paths in the wooded areas. Then it was back on the bikes to finish out our biking adventure. When we got back to the hotel, we got on our swimsuits and headed to the pool for our reservation pool time. We were a little sad that the hot tubs were closed but the kids still had a blast swimming in the pool and fooling around together. The older kids took turns playing with Madeline which was nice. The pool was a great way to cool off after finishing our ride with the kids.

​Mike and I decided to head up to Staunton State Park for a new adventure ride. We left early in the morning and arrived at the State Park in good spirits. It was a little cool when we left but the initial climbing at the beginning of the course helped warm us up quickly. We rode a big clockwise loop starting with the Staunton Ranch Trail. This steady uphill climb was mostly a rather wide single track. The trail was incredible with amazing views. This trail eventually dumped us onto a service road that took us up a short distance until we met up with the 4-way intersection. We took a left and headed on the Marmot Passage Trail. This was a pretty spectacular section of the loop. It was a steady uphill climb for almost a mile that brought us to the top of a beautiful lookout that overlooks Lion’s Head. The top was mostly a rocky section and I was having so much fun navigating the rocky section that I didn’t even stop at the top to see the views. The rocky descent was super fun and reminded me a little of biking Slick Rock in Moab. Once at the bottom of this little section, we decided against doing the Chimney Rock and West Meadow Trail and instead bypassed this section altogether by riding up the Bulging Elk Trail that looped back around and took us back to the 4-way intersection. This time we headed on the Border Line Trail and put our bodies to the test on the hardest climb in the park. We climbed for about 1.2 miles. It was grueling at times but definitely doable. We made the short trek up to the overlook and took that as a much-needed break. The views were something else! As we continued to descend, we headed onto the Mason Creek trail and just loved biking through the Aspens and other tree sections. We were diverted to the Bear Paw Trail for part of it as a short section of the Mason Creek Trail was closed for rejuvenation. There was another great overlook at the top before the super fun descent all the way to the bottom. This was probably the coolest ride we’ve done in Colorado by far. It was such a beautiful place to bike and only an hour away from our house. We will definitely be coming back here to bike, hike and camp!
 

​The last time we biked Rampart Reservoir was almost 6 years ago. We decided to ride it again, now with more experience on the mountain bike. We decided to go counterclockwise, although part way Mike informed me that this direction was much harder than the clockwise loop. Great. We were already too far into the course to turn around and go the other direction. The first few miles were tough with many impassable sections. It felt like we were off the bike too much. The saving grace on the first section were the incredible view. I guess that is really why people keep coming back to bike this place. The course isn’t always rideable but the parts that are can be really fun and the views on a sunny day are pretty amazing. We finished the 11.57-mile loop in 2 hours and 10 minutes and then headed to Rudy’s for some yummy BBQ.

With the weather turning a little warmer and the grass turning a little greener, the boys headed out to do some spring cleaning in the front yard. They replanted some bushes that had died and replaced ground cover in different parts of the rocky areas. The boys weren't too thrilled at first, but we made sure to let them know how much we appreciated their help.

​With warmer days but cooler evenings we decided it would be nice to sit outside more often in the evenings if we only had a little help with staying warm. We finally decided to invest in a heater for the front porch and we couldn’t be happier being warm and cozy lounging on the front porch on those cooler nights.

​Mike and Madeline had fun eating strawberry shortcake together outside on the front porch. Mike always made sure to put extra whipping cream on top for Madeline.

I have become addicted to smoothie bowls and get so excited every time I get to eat that for breakfast. My favorite smoothie is a dragon fruit, pineapple and mango mix. Then I sprinkle my homemade granola on top and top it with fresh fruit and unsweetened coconut flakes on top.

​I love seeing my purple tulips come out every springtime. We don’t get a whole lot of color or flowers blooming in Colorado Springs in the spring since we usually have pretty cold temperatures until late May and early June. My tulips remind me that the winter is pretty much over and the warmer days are about to arrive and that makes me super happy.

​With a shortage of hand sanitizer in the stores we were all super excited when Mike’s order of hand sanitizer came in the mail. Three of the bottles were designated for his ENT office but we kept one of the bottles for home to refill our smaller travel sized bottles. Oh, happy day!

Ever since we planted flowers in the front yard, Madeline often sees us out watering the flowers and our Japanese maple tree. She gets so excited when we let her water anything and everything. 

​Emma and I went in to get allergy tested at Mike’s office. It turns out that Emma is only allergic to seasonal things trees and plants, but I am allergic to that and to milk. What a sad day for me to realize that I have to cut milk out of my diet. 

WASHING MACHINE REPAIR 
MAY 16, 2020

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​I normally love our washing machine and dryer. We had some problems the year after we bought them due to a faulty circuit board but that was pretty much fixed. When the washing machine decided to stop working mid cycle and wouldn’t drain, we knew something was wrong. Mike spent time figuring out what was wrong and went and got a new drain pump. It was quite the project to repair the machine by himself, but he did it. 

​After spending a few weeks of planting, mulching, and watering, our front yard finally looks ready for the summer. I love this time of year when everything is alive and green!

​Trying to figure out what kind of masks work best for my kids has been interesting. I ordered a few masks, but they are backordered until June, so we are making the best of it with some homemade masks. I tried a new mask today and I love the way it turned out, but it took way too long to make for me to want to recreate that a bunch of times. 

​It is not uncommon for us to find Peter curled up asleep in the middle of the floor or on the couch at random moments during the day. Today I found him asleep on the front bench and it just made me smile. 

​Andrew is quite the baker. He bought himself a Better Homes and Gardens cookbook at college and has been trying some new recipes since he’s been home. He made a chocolate molten lava cake for all of us and it was out of this world delicious. It was definitely restaurant quality.

​The Stay at Home orders during COVID has definitely left us feeling isolated so we try to get out and go for family walks as often as we can. It has really helped us to get out of the house and feel more normal. 

​There are many things that I love about living in Colorado Springs. The beautiful sunsets we get is definitely one of them. The colors can be pretty remarkable.

​Since all the celebrations at school had been cancelled due to the COVID crisis, we decided to do a little 8th grade graduation celebration for Emma while grandpa Al was visiting. I ordered a fun yard sign and some yummy customized sugar cookies and cake pops. This lady who makes these delicious treats is such a treasure. She made the most amazing cookies for Emma. The 2020 cookie even had a face mask and a roll of toilet paper on it to commemorate the COVID-19 crazy. One of my favorite cookies was the blonde girl with the cap and gown. She really went above and beyond to make it special for Emma. Emma was an excellent student at Challenger Middle School. She got mostly A's and a few B's throughout the three years she was there. She was able to get straight A's her entire 8th grade year. We couldn't have been prouder of the amazing things she accomplished!

​We always love any excuse to go and walk around Garden of the Gods together. It had been a few years since Al had been there, so we rounded up all the kids and headed on over before the afternoon thunderstorm arrived. We got there at the perfect time. The weather was cooler, and it only sprinkled a tiny bit while we were on our walk. Madeline had fun running up and down the paved walkway, collecting a variety of rocks along the way. We made it pretty much all the way around the path before it started raining. By the time we got back in the car it started to pour. What luck that was. I was happy that I managed to get all five kids to come on our little adventure. The beauty of this place never ceases to amaze me.

​While Grandpa Al was still in town, we decided to do Andrew’s Priesthood Ordination to the Melchizedek Priesthood in preparation for his mission to Frankfurt, Germany. We were fortunate enough to have Joe Hale come over as a member of our Stake High Council. Mike gave a spectacular blessing to Andrew. We are so excited for Andrew’s future and the amazing things he will be able to do now that he holds the higher priesthood.