My first 10K

On Saturday I participated in my first 10k. I really enjoyed it! It was in Tooele, we ran down-coming out one of the canyons and it was beautiful! I didn't really take any pics, but ya know...it's okay. My s.i.l. Anne was the one who got me to sign up for it and it was her first 10k as well. Now I have run 6 miles before and it wasn't that bad, but I tell you going downhill was absolutely awesome! I loved it! My first 3 miles I averaged 10 min. miles! I haven't done that in like...never! By miles 4 and 5 I was slowing down but kept on going. Anne would take it slow on the down hills and I would speed up, but on the flat-er parts she would speed up and I would slow down, it was kinda funny that it worked like that but, it did. The canyon was so beautiful at 8 in the morning and it wasn't too cold either. I really got to look around and enjoy where I was and love what I was doing at that exact moment. I don't know when I really got that feeling on a run before. I'm so happy I did it. I finished the race in 1 hour and 5 minutes! Yay! that's my new 10k record ;) I didn't train like I should have and was super sore on Sunday, but I feel great today. I will do better in training for races, but I don't see too many in the near future as they are getting to be pretty expensive. I may only get a couple races in a year from here on out. That's okay, I still plan on making most of my days of running good ones and plan on going on long runs with my friends on the weekends. Here's to having a blast running the races!

So, so sorry to keep you all waiting!

I know I'm so popular you all have been dying to know what we've been up too! (said sarcastically!)

In June, I worked hard in training for Ragnar and then ran it. I think I did well. M.C.'s cast came off which he absolutely loved! I gave a talk in sacrament meeting, went to girls camp, ran Ragnar, and camped out all in one week. Starr and Dimples started participating in a Library Mentor Reading program. They love to read and are doing very well. The three oldest started playing piano again. Love to hear them.

In July, We hiked Adams Canyon in Davis County. We had fun and I know we have pics but I'll have to post them later. I ran in the Riverdale "Old Glory Days" 5k with My S.I.L. Net. It was her first race and she was amazing! So proud of her. I ran a 6 mile trail run with my pals then went for a hike with the family up Waterfall Canyon. I must've twisted my knee or something sometime because I limped down the trail once we got out of tree cover. Ugh! I really need my knee back! I have a 10k in Sept. I'm training for! Starr got to go to Lagoon with two of my brothers and their kids. She had so much fun with them! Thanks guys! We've gone: swimming lots, to see fireworks, and to lots of bbq's and parties. The kids all have swim lessons and they are doing so well! Starr also got to attend a Babysitting class at McKay-Dee Hospital, which she enjoyed and learned a few things to help out with others.

There's more to come I'm sure, so for now, See ya!

Wasatch Back Ragnar Relay2011

I ran Ragnar again this year and had a fabulously, exhausting, mentally and physically draining experience. I was really super busy in June and didn't have any time for my mind to rest. With the kids out of school, I did my best to let them have fun. I was asked to give a talk in church, which I did well. Because I have a hard time getting in front of people, I decided to paint the front room, therefore taking up my time. more on that later. I went to girls camp the monday through friday before Ragnar, so I didn't get any sleep or training done. I got home, picked up the burb from my friend, went to get it decorated, went home to pack.
We left Friday morning at 10:30 and headed to Liberty, UT. I was runner 7 in Van 2. My legs of the race weren't that hard really, BUT, when you've had as little sleep as I did, and didn't get to train as hard as the year before, well, I did my best I could possibly do with the circumstances. I enjoyed the whole thing, was tired, crazy, silly, insane, sleepy, caught my second wind at the wrong times...and so on. I love my team, and they are absolutely supportive. They don't care if I can only run a 10min45sec mile. They are just glad I can finish my legs and help others. I tried to take a lot of pics and that happened the first day but not so much the second. Oh well. Enjoy!

I'm never doing this again!

I will never go to Young Women's girls camp the same week that I have Ragnar Relay Wasatch Back! and then to the camp ground to sleep with my husband and kids in the tent, but to begin the week I was given the opportunity to speak in my ward on Love in Marriage. I think I did okay on the talk, then got myself packed up for girls camp and sorta for Ragnar. As of today, Tuesday June 21st, I'm still mentally and physically exhausted. Just tired. I guess I should mention that I decided to paint the front room before girls camp as well, so that's kind of another thing I had going. I will be posting pics soon of camp and Ragnar, but I'll have to wait a bit. Just letting you know what we've been up to! hopefully I can get this updated soon!

Guess what?

I figured it out. I have to use Mozilla so I can publish my blogs now. Man, it's so stupid, but, at least I can now post!

AAAGGGGHHHH!!!!

I don't know why, but blogger isn't letting me post anything! I've been trying since last week. I'm so frustrated I can't stand it! Hopefully I'll be blogging again soon.

Mohawks!!!

Stephen decided that the boys's hair was getting long enough for mohawks! So after school ended he pulled out the shears and cut shaved the heads of two really cute and adorable boys. I let them keep them until the day after Memorial Day. On Memorial Day, Stephen let the boys shave off his hair and Becks helped tidy it up for a mohawk. Enjoy the pics!

Did you U2?

U2. Need I say more? Thank you Stephen for a great birthday present!

Yikes!!! It's been awhile!

I participated in the Ogden Marathon Relay again this year, and I did better than I though I would. My leg was different this time, it was only 6 miles. I did my leg in 1 hour and 13 min. It may not seem much to you, but to me it does. I didn't train as hard during the winter because it seems I was always sick or the kids were. I felt great during this run. I just focused on moving my arms and legs and just going, nothing else. It was like I was just going to run until I couldn't. It was fun. Here are some pics of my team, not all of us together, but we tried. One of my friends ran the marathon and we got a pic with her-she's also on my Ragnar team. Yay!!!

I was happy and lucky to be able to do this. I loved it. I can't wait for next year. I will eventually finish the whole course.

Random things

O.K. M.C. broke his arm while Stephen was subbing in as coach for Dimples' soccer team. Becks was getting her team pics done while Starr was "watching" M.C. Yeah, that worked out really well. Half-way through the game, Starr brings M.C. over while shaking the broken arm and telling Stephen "he says it hurts when he moves it!" Yep, she did that. Stephen finished off the game, set Becks up with Starr for her team pics and game, then went to the clinic. We have the disk with the x-rays on it, but I'm not sure how to get those pics on here yet. Poor boy! He has a "Supracondylar fracture". I haven't got a clue what the exactly means, just that he did in fact break his arm somewhere near the growth plate. Dr. Bryan wants to see him one week after putting on the green cast...lets hope his arm will heal correctly!
I was running in this race while all of the above was happening. Great Mother's day gift!! just kidding, that wasn't my Mother's day gift. I didn't get one...not until Monday anyway. I needed a new ironing board and cover, a new shower curtain rod, and puff's tissues for our noses. (our noses that seem to run non-stop!)

This pic is of my birthday that I just celebrated! Tickets to a concert coming up very soon. I wish "U 2" could go with us! but I think the best gift was my own set of scriptures. I've never had my own, I always used my mom's old set or Stephen's. Yay!!! now I have my own, can't wait to put marks in them!OK, I think I'm all caught up. minus Easter pics, hiking pics, bountiful baskets, young women's activities...y'all know what its like, impossible to put it all on here.

Finally!!

So, so sorry, he he, I've been really busy and haven't had a chance to do any of this. UGH! anyway, here are the random pics I have of M.C. for his b-day several weeks ago. Man, where the heck does the time go? He's now 4 and life just seems to get crazier and crazier! Enjoy these random pics!

It's "M.C.'s" Birthday today!!!

Wow! Where on earth have four years gone?!!! I can't believe my baby is now four. He'll even show you on his hand. He's so cute, I love that he's in our family. He has this laugh that is so grown up for him, or maybe I think it is. I love this laugh...too bad I haven't been able to catch it on video. I will post his little picture post just like I have with the others, I just don't have the time right now. Happy Birthday M.C.!!! Your momma and daddy love you soooo much!!!!

And here is one more photo group of "Starr"

"Starr's" Birthday is today!!!

So I actually posted this today April 17th, 3 weeks late! Ugh where did my time go???

Starr's birthday is today, I remember her birth so well-I could have had her at home-but that's for another year. I can't believe she's nine!!! Where does the time go? I will show you, hopefully, in different pics where that time went. I've decided she's the nature loving, hiking, soccer playing, climbing, artistic, girlie girl who loves to learn. There's more I could say to describe her, I just can't think at the moment. Hopefully, you'll be able to see it all in the pics. Okay, here it is a little late, but I finally made up some groups of random pics of "Starr" and a lot of different things she enjoys!

OK, and we're back...

So yes I've been m.i.a from the blogging world, but when all you are doing in your life is nothing from the normal, it can get very boring. Well, we have been doing a lot of different things but now I can't really recall all of them.
Let's see, I'll look at a calendar to help my memory...February was so long ago...Parent-Teacher conference's went great!!!! So proud of all three of the kiddo's, they work so hard and their grades and attitudes at school show it....I took Beck's to a Best of E.F.Y. seminar, it was so much fun and I learned a lot! hopefully Beck's did too...been trying to work out, but it's been off and on for the last three months. I spent most of it being sick! soooo ready for summer and great weather to be here...Book club...Temple session with my Grandparents and my Parents for one final time at the Ogden temple before they close up for reconstruction...Bought a new car for Stephen. It's so nice! It's a 2006 Saturn Ion 3 with stick shift!!!! I love driving standard transmission vehicles, it's so much fun. His car is super sporty and goes really fast!!! I love it and it'd be very easy to get a speeding ticket, but hope to never find out...St.Patty's day...We had our youth dinner and auction last weekend, it went okay. I think people just can't donate money as much as they used to a year or two ago. We had lots of items that sold, and lots that didn't that went to the D.I. But the young women's portion was a huge amount so that will help with girls camp...New Bunk beds!!!! Stephen and I paid my Dad to make more bunk beds for us! they are so pretty. They are just like the first ones he made for us, but they are taller and have a lighter stain on them. The girls will get these ones due to the height and the boys will get the shorter ones. They slept in their beds last night and they all loved it!!!!...I just sold Stephen's Oldsmobile!!!! So stinking excited to get it out of here, sad that I couldn't get what I wanted out of it- although I probably got more out of it than just taking it to the junkyard!...Starr's birthday is coming up next week, so I be getting that post ready. Hopefully I can work on posting things more often.

Stephen's car...again!

Last Friday Stephen took his turn driving to work. His sister Sue had been driving for several days, as in all week. We picked up the car from the shop the Saturday before and Stephen had to work late a couple days of the week. So, Friday he says he'll drive and does. They get to work, everything is great. When it's time to go home, they get to the freeway. As Stephen is going up the ramp, the transmission makes a huge clunk! noise. He got off the freeway at the next exit, which is 600 N. in Salt Lake. He used Susan's phone to call me and tell me where they were and asked me to come get them...and tow them home.
I've towed a car before, it's not easy but doable. I almost called my Dad but remembered he would've been too tired cuz of his work schedule. I almost called Stephen's Dad, but decided I needed to get there soon so they weren't stranded for more than an hour.
Poor Beck's was sick, but watched the kids anyway. (Big THANK YOU to her.) I drove out to Salt Lake after filling up with gas, don't want to have that kind of problem as well ;). I got there in record speed which I owe all to Heavenly Father for making it a safe drive. I prayed the whole way there.
Once I found them, we got the tow rope out, hooked up the Olds to the Durango and off we went. I forgot how nerve racking it is at first, but was able to do this. (White knuckles and all.) I even put it in 4 wheel drive cuz "someone" didn't know what I was doing for a bit. Either way, we drove slow, on the freeway, to 12th St. We were even passed by a UHP and he didn't bother us at all.
Thankfully this all happened between 8 and 10 p.m. Not a lot of traffic, no problems. We got home, and I had pulled them a little too far ahead of our parking stalls so I had to push my husbands car back a bit so he could get into the stall. His car could probably limp around at a max speed of 20 m.p.h. but, most likely the transmission would fall off the vehicle, hahaha. I'm tellin' ya, the little lime green camaro sittin' on wall ave is lookin' better and better every time I pass it.
I was a hero that day, but not only to my husband and sis-in-law, but to our neighbor. Earlier that evening, I drove him to his truck, jumped it, followed him till it died, jumped it again, then again cuz it wouldn't suck up the charge. I told him to turn off his head lights and we are going to let it charge up for 5 minutes at least. I took off the cables, slammed down the hood of the truck and told him to go for it. He was going to be going downhill so that would get him closer to home. He made it home easy enough, but his little truck died just before the parking stalls- yeesh what is it with parking stalls? I pushed his truck into the parking stall and he was so very, very grateful!! He's a nice guy who knows zilch about vehicles so, not a big deal, just trying to help people out.
I did drop home economics to take auto-mechanics so I kinda can do some things. It's kinda cool being able to do things like jumping cars, changing brakes and oil. I'm pretty sure my Dad felt safer knowing that I knew how to do other things when he wasn't around.
Now, we just need to figure out what kind of car we're going to get that will help Stephen get to S.L. everyday and not putter out on him...bah, I hate buying a newer car. The lime green one is way too much for us. Bah!!!

Valentine's weekend hiking pics

Here is the herd of deer we saw. I believe there were 14, one could be questionable due to tree limbs but I'm pretty sure it's one because of the shadow on the ground.

This is the same herd, we just hiked down and out a bit, so it's a different angle as we left.

I never can get the pics and writing to match up, but you in the blog-a-sphere are smart people, you can figure it all out.

Our Valentine's weekend

*Warning: Be prepared to read for a bit*

Valentines Day is a Monday. That means the kids are in school and Stephen has to work. So the last couple days have been our Valentine's weekend. Saturday, the girls got to have a, or go to a, sleepover. They all had fun and enjoyed their time with their friends. I had an early morning meeting-it was at 9 which is early for a Saturday! So Stephen made breakfast for the boys and girls and played referee. When I got back he and his sister went hiking and I waited for Brake-Time Bobs to call about the car, I wrote about that earlier. We finally got the car back and Bob said the engine's real good, he was impressed with it and knows we plan on keeping that car for a long time. (That car will be the one that Becks gets to drive in about 3 years.) Later, much later, that night, Stephen took me to Outback steakhouse for dinner. Problem for me was, it was too late. Eating at 9 p.m. and my lovely stomach acid issues don't combine. I brought home my delicious sandwich and Stephen enjoyed his rack of lamb. We had fun either way, I got to talk with him while he ate-guess who did most of the talking. We came home and helped Becks get the kids to bed.
Let's move on to Sunday.
My wonderful friends were blessing their cute son yesterday. We were invited to a brunch and then to their sacrament meeting. They were just sealed on Saturday to the cute little guy, making their family a family of four. They are amazing people, so filled with the spirit and so excited for life that you can't help but want to be their friends and friends with their friends. Anyway, after we visited with them and others we went home. Stephen and his sister sue planned on hiking again. He begged me to come with them all-cuz the kids weren't going to pass this up again. He said "It would mean the world to me" if I went with them. How can a wife say no, I hate hiking, after that card has been pulled? I went with them and actually kinda enjoyed it. We hiked up to the "BL", then to some silver square thing (which I thought was our destination-Wrong!), and then a little bit further up. I did okay. I filled my hiking quota, anything else will have to involve money I think. On the way up, M.C. found the cactus, with his knee and finger tips. Thanks to aunt Susie, the prickly hairs didn't stay long in his fingers and thanks to his pants they didn't stick to his knee. The next thing M.C. said was- he didn't want to see anymore cactus. While continuing our hike, M.C. said- Cactus are mean! It was pretty funny, poor kid. We made it up the rest of the way without any further contact with Cactus or falling down in the dirt. The way down was great, Stephen found a herd of deer, we got pics of it and other things that I will post differently. I know why it's faster to come down a mountain hike, but I still think going up to be easier for some reason. I didn't complain too much about the hike this time, so most likely I'll go on another one.
We ate dinner with Stephen's parents and sister. We played Zombie dice and worked on a puzzle of New York City. We came home and eventually went to bed.
This morning, the girls got up and made themselves pretty for school since it was Valentines day and all that. Dimples wore a shirt and tie to school because they are having a dance with all the 1st graders. (I'm so excited to see this!) It's kinda just a regular day for me, nothing special til later when the hubby gets home.

So yes, I've been missing...

Yeah, yeah. I've been missing from the blog for a while.

In January, we went go-karting at Speed Street in Layton. We took Becks and two of her friends, Megs and Court. It was totally awesome! I loved it. Stephen and I tried so hard to beat each other, he cheats by the way-he bumps you out of the way. I had so much fun and I know that Becks and her friends did too. They were fabulous girls and we all got to race twice. Becks and Court went with Courts Dad the next Monday and they all had an awesome time. Good times, good times, love them. I hope Becks had a great time with her friends, it was sort of a birthday party and not all the friends showed up. Man, we should plan better. Anyway, here are some pics of the girls and fun we had. Enjoy!