January 2018- 10 on 10

January was all basketball! In addition to Parker Rec basketball with Coach White (Sun Devils), Michael also played with Liberty Middle School (Wolves). Challenge School doesn’t have sports teams so he played with his home school- Liberty. It was a 3-week season from January 16 through February 5. Practices/games were Monday through Thursday at Liberty. I took 1 ½ hours of vacation time every one of those days so I could pick Michael up from Challenge when they dismissed at 3 pm to get to Liberty in time for the 3:55 pm practice/game. Michael knew a few of the 60 boys from elementary school and we also saw some familiar faces on the opposing teams including a current Parker Rec teammate who just happens to be Coach White’s grandson! We saw Michael’s 2017 Aurora Rec coach and all of those teammates too. Chris even got stopped at work by a parent he sat by at one the games! And a true blast from the past- a preschool classmate also played for Liberty (but on a different Level 1 team). The 60 boys were divided into 6 teams of 10- three Level 1 teams and three Level 2 teams. Michael was on the red Level 1 team with an elementary school G.T. friend. It was an exhausting but fun month!

Monday, January 1- We started 2018 with breakfast at Mimi's Cafe.

Saturday, January 6- Michael really is on the verge of being too big to snuggle. The big book on the floor was the book for the second test (Fundamentals of Insurance Planning) for the ChFC designation Chris is working on through The American College. He took and passed! the test on the 29th.

Sunday, January 7- The week 1 prompt for Amy Johnson-Crow’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge was "start". I started a visual family tree project for Michael. I’m hoping to do something similar for Kyle and Keila. Thanks to all who have provided information and photos when I’ve asked! The collage on the left is me, my parents and grandparents and the collage on the left is Chris with his parents and grandparents.

Saturday, January 13- First Parker Rec game of the 2018 winter season. White (in white) at Harmon 40-9. (Michael is # 3.)

Sunday, January 14- Michael is ready to let go of some Legos. It's going to be a process to get the sets back together. Balls and Legos are not friends.

Monday, January 22- Michael's team was the first coach named- the red team. Their first game is Thursday! (Liberty Middle School)

Thursday, January 25- Five *****! the Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg.

Saturday, January 27- White (in red) at Booher 40-10. (Parker Rec)

Monday, January 29- Liberty 6th grade boys Level 1 teams with Coach Moore before the game against Thunder Ridge Middle School. (Michael is # 25 front and center.)

Wednesday, January 31- Liberty Red (in white) vs. Falcon Creek 29-20.

Thanks for reading! See you next month...

With ordinary talent and extraordinary perseverance, all things are attainable.
Thomas Fowell Buxton

December 2017- 10 on 10

In December, Michael’s fall basketball season wrapped up, he had a small part in the Jesus’ Family Tree skit at church, the Cherry Creek Math League season ended and he had an emergency tooth extraction. Michael turned 12 on the 16th and Keila turned 21 on the 24th! Chris’ parents were here to celebrate Michael’s birthday and an early Christmas with us. And finally, we enjoyed Christmas and New Year’s.

Friday, December 1- Michael made a free throw in the last 2 seconds of the game to tie the score but his teammate Brady stepped into the lane and it didn’t count.

White vs Willis last seconds YouTube video

Saturday, December 2- Max not being a good photo subject for his photo with Santa by Tony of Mile High Weimaraner Rescue at Chuck and Don’s pet store. (Photo from their FB page)

Putting up the Christmas tree time lapse YouTube video

Monday, December 11- Final Cherry Creek Math League Meet at Smoky Hill High School. Michael’s team won the top West Division 6th Grade Team and he also received an individual award- 2017 Math Team All Star Challenge Middle School.

Saturday, December 16- Michael turned 12! He got a ping pong table, played at a trampoline park with cousins Ben and Carl and had dinner with family afterward at CiCi’s Pizza.

Friday, December 22- We made brownies to take to Christmas at Dad’s.

Saturday, December 23- Evers’ Christmas. All three boys got fishing poles from Grandpa. I wonder what they’ll be doing this summer?!?

Christmas at Dad's 12-23-17 YouTube video

Friday, December 29- We got the card game Exploding Kittens for Christmas and have played multiple times per day ever since.

Sunday, December 31- Waiting for our table at Maggiano’s.

Thanks for looking! See you next month.

November 2017- 10 on 10

In November, Chris took a trip to Las Vegas, Dad turned 74, my Aunt Margie (Dad’s older sister) passed away and we went to her funeral in Beatrice, Nebraska, Michael played basketball and competed in the Cherry Creek Math League (meets 3 and 4) and we took a quick trip to San Diego over the Thanksgiving break.

Saturday, November 4- The birthday boy with his cake! Every year he picks the same restaurant (Piccolo’s) and orders the same thing- a half order of spaghetti with sausage and minestrone soup.

Monday, November 6- Aunt Margie’s funeral. This was one of Aunt Margie’s photos and I’ve never seen it before. Taken about June 1939 this is a 4-generation photo of Grandma Frieda holding infant Aunt Margie, my Great-Grandma Rosie (Huttenmaier) Meints and my 2x Great-Grandma Katherine (Lenz) Huttenmaier. My GG and 2x GG (as well as the rest of their family) came to the US in 1902 via Hamburg, Germany arriving in New York. My GG was 9 years old.

Sunday, November 12- We played mini golf at Boondocks this afternoon but Michael didn’t want me to take photos so this was it!

Wednesday, November 15- Basketball practice at Cimarron Middle School.

Friday, November 17- Taking Max around the block on his daily walk.

Saturday, November 18- 1 p.m. basketball game at Sagewood Middle School. White vs Boyle.

Wednesday, November 22- Chris and I enjoyed Hefe Weizer beers and we all played ping pong while waiting for our MarBrisa room to be ready. Carlsbad, California.

Saturday, November 25- Snuggling on the airport rental car shuttle to the San Diego airport.

Monday, November 27- Cherry Creek Math League Math Meet #4 at Campus Middle School.

Tuesday, November 28- “When I get home I’m going to take off my shoes, have a piece of fudge and watch YouTube.”

Thanks for looking! See you next month...

October 2017 - 10 on 10

October was a busy month. For Michael, soccer ended and basketball began. We all took a road trip to Beatrice, Nebraska to visit with Aunt Margie after she was placed on hospice and Chris and Michael went to Springfield, Missouri for Fall Break.

Sunday, October 1- Hello fall! (This was a display at Tagawa Gardens.)

Monday, October 2- While I was waiting for Michael to finish Math Club, I found Kyle’s memorial brick pavers from when Challenge School built a new building.

Thursday, October 5- Michael playing Connect 4 with Evan at after care. My poor guy has another cold.

Saturday, October 7- Last game of the fall soccer season. Atha at Lewis 6-0.

Monday, October 9- Math Club meet at Prairie Middle School. Today was Michael’s first Math League meet but it was the second meet of the year. (He was home sick for the first meet.) The theme today was Logical Reasoning.

Friday and Saturday, October 13th and 14th- Chris, Michael and I drove to Nebraska to visit with Aunt Margie Friday afternoon. About half way there Michael said his ear really hurt. On Saturday morning, Chris took Michael to urgent care in Beatrice and sure enough Michael had an ear infection! We decided it would be best for Michael to sleep in his own bed and we drove home Saturday afternoon. We drove over 1,000 miles in 48 hours!

Wednesday, October 18- I drove/chaperoned the zoo field trip for Michael’s Creatures Great and Small Immersion. This is the entire group (20 6th-8th graders) before entering the zoo. My group of 10 was mostly 6th graders.

Sunday, October 22- Ten of the SPY kids (St. Paul Youth Group) enjoyed the 7-acre corn maze, food trucks and other fun fall activities at Chatfield Farms.

Wednesday, October 25- Laser Tag at Incredible Pizza in Springfield with Lincoln, Noah and Isabella. Photo taken by Debbie.

Saturday, October 28- Coach White briefing Michael on defense before this afternoon’s game.

Thanks for looking! See you next month…

September 2017 - 10 on 10

In September, we spent Labor Day weekend in Durango, Colorado, picked apples in Longmont and saw fall leaves in Georgetown. Michael was made captain of his soccer team and Chris’ parents came for a weekend visit.

Friday, September 1- Michael ran 44 laps at the Wolf Run (Challenge School's version of the Fun Run.) He raised $80 for Teacher's Assistants!

Sunday, September 3- We toured the Old Hundred Gold Mine in Silverton, Colorado, and our guide was a former miner! We rode the electric mine train for the 1/3 mile ride 1,600 feet deep into the heart of Galena Mountain. Here we saw the gold vein with tunnels and shafts built by hard-rock miners between 1907 and 1972.

Sunday, September 3- After the mine tour, Michael tried his hand at panning for gold and silver.

Sunday, September 3- Then we rode the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad’s steam train back to Durango. These are the same rails gold and silver ore took on its way to the smelter back in the 1880s. The views in the Animas River Canyon were breathtaking.

Monday, September 4- Michael and I took the ranger led Cliff Palace tour at Mesa Verde.

Monday, September 11- Michael and I stopped by Dad’s on our way home from school and Michael helped harvest some veggies that we got to take home and eat.

Saturday, September 16- Throw in. Atha at Langheinrich 5-1.

Sunday, September 17- We had a 9:30 appointment for apple picking at Ya Ya Farm & Orchard in Longmont. It’s an annual visit we look forward to every year.

Saturday, September 23- We went to see fall leaves at Georgetown’s Guanella Pass. It rained (and snowed!) the entire time which made for interesting pictures and a not so fun drive home.

Friday, September 29- Michael had his first ever student led parent/teacher conference. He did a great job!

Saturday, September 30- All four grandparents were at Michael’s soccer game today!

Thanks for looking! See you next month…