Runner In Training...

I don't know what has gotten into me. This morning I caught wind that a family team was being organized for the Ragnar Las Vegas in October. Without even thinking I committed to join 11 other runners from my extended family and am now "in training" to run this race. The ironic thing is I AM NOT A RUNNER. I always look at people the run and wonder how on earth they do it. I run around the block, okay half way around the block, and I feel like my lungs will collapse and my legs will fall off. Small exaggeration but you get the picture. I ran my first "training" run (a whoppin' 15 minutes) tonight and it felt great. I only have a few months to get my body ready and hopefully I won't be an embarrassment to my team - for now I am way excited and will do my best to be ready! You know I am committed when I am willing to spend more than $30.00 on a pair of shoes...new running shoes will be on my feet next week. That means there is no turning back now! Wish me luck in this new adventure! I am told by my cousin that "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas". I have no clue what that means but I have a feeling that I am in for a fun, tiring, but fabulous experience! Vegas here I come!

Family Night FUN!

If any of you live close enough to get a pass to Thanksgiving Point I totally recommend it! We have gotten great use out of it as the weather has started to warm up. Tonight we joined Ryan, Sarah and the boys at the gardens for some family night fun. The family night theme at the gardens was "space exploration" which included homemade ice cream made with rock salt, making and launching rockets, weighing in and comparing how much we would weigh if we lived on planets (I would weigh 55 pounds on Mars) and a whole lot of running around! It was a beautiful night and the kids had a blast. I think we will make Thanksgiving Point our family night tradition.

Lagoon...

I have decided that Lagoon is better than Disneyland for FOUR reasons...

1) Even on a hot Saturday in June the longest line we waited in was 20 minutes.
2) Kylee and Nick are now big enough to ride almost every ride in the park which made them happy and kept us all busy!
3) Lagoon has the best "little kids" area! There are so many rides that Austin can ride on all by himself which made for one happy 3 year old and an even happier mom!
4) Since Tyler's company pays for us to go every single year, lunch included, it is a whole lot cheaper! I LOVE Disneyland because it is Disneyland but who can beat a 40 minute drive, free park entrance, lots of great rides for ALL ages with lunch included!

It was a perfect day - even with a 1 year old who thinks walking is the coolest thing ever! Thanks to Tyler's parents we had extra hands to chase our monster Summer!

Successful Week of Camp...

I have been down to just two children since Sunday night. The house has been quiet. The house has been clean. The fridge has stayed full. Projects have been accomplished and quality time has been spent with Austin. Amazing what having only two children does! Kylee and Nick were off attending basketball camp at Utah State this week. 4 days for 4 hours each day = exhausted kiddos! They stayed with Grandma and Grandpa and were well fed and happy all week long. Today was their final day of camp and it was fun to be able to watch them play and see their progress. Neither of them wanted it to end. Kylee had to be pulled of the court giggling and smiling with her new friends (no joke) and Nick had an emotional breakdown after we left because "I never want it to end". I guess that is what it is all about...we invest time and money for our kids to have experiences and HOPE that they just LIKE it - this week was one that the kids LOVED. Definently one of those happy parent moments!

The highlights of the week included:

- Riding the elevator (Nick) with Coach Morrill of the Aggies and being able to talk to a new recruit. Grandma said Nick had died and gone to heaven!
- Being able to have 5 night at Grandma & Grandpa's house and their undivided attention when they weren't at camp.
- Playing with cousins in the evenings...cousin Haley went to camp with Kylee!
- Riding on Grandma & Grandpa's new toy, "the Rhino" and helping pick out the special bug protecting sunglasses for the kids to wear while taking their joy rides.
- Meeting a WNBA player (Kylee) and thinking that being a professional basketball player has to be the coolest profession.
- Playing at the germ free McDonalds play land with the cousins.
- Having Tyler Newbold (one of Nick's USU heroes) as your coach all week long and getting to rub shoulders with many others!
- Golfing with Grandpa (Nick) and beating him by two strokes!
- Learning to jump from the swingset to the trampoline and learning to do flips (pretty sure Grandma & Grandpa had a heart attack)
- Seeing Austin and Summer after a long week apart.

Nick getting his award at the end of camp from Coach Morrill.
Kylee and Danny - the "Professional" basketball player that Kylee now idolizes!
Kylee and Coach Reagan Scott Pebely - she went to my High School and I played with her sisters. Small world!
Nick and one of his favorites...Tyler Newbold.

Happy Birthday Summer!

I can't believe my baby is ONE. This year has flown by and I have loved every minute of Summer's first year. She has been my easiest baby by far which means she is bound to be a terrible toddler, right?!

Right now Summer is...

- Walking all over the place! She favors her left foot and walks with her hands in the air so her walk is funny to watch.
- She loves all baby food and is getting better with table food. She didn't love eating birthday cake and pushed the plate away when it was put in front of her!
- Her favorite word is "ba" which we think means a number of things...bottle, bye, bed and anything else she points at. She says "ma ma" when she is tired or upset and "da" when she sees Tyler.
- She has 4 teeth and 2 more on the way.
- She loves being outside and is content in the stroller. She likes to take walks and points at things along the way while saying "ba".
- Summer is not a snuggly baby anymore but has turned into a great sleeper. She likes to be in her bed with a bottle and puts herself to sleep.
- I am pretty sure she is my busiest baby...she is into everything. Her latest trick is climbing on anything she can. If she finds a little stool or chair she climbs up and stands up...we have had a few accidents in the last couple of days!
- Thanks goodness she is finally out of the carrier and into a FORWARD facing car seat. She loves being able to see and is great in the car. (The baby carrier comes out on Sunday's so she can nap while we are at church)
- She likes balls not babies. We did get her a baby for her birthday and she has shown no interest in cuddling at all but she loved the purple ball Grandma Holland gave her...maybe I have a tomboy on my hands!

We love our sweet Summer and can't wait to see what the next year has in store. Happy Birthday to my baby girl!

Wedding Day...

I will have an overload of pictures to post in the coming days but I loved these pictures! The wedding day went off without any major mishaps and was PERFECT. Abbey looked perfect (as you can see), the weather was perfect, the reception was perfect and I think these pictures are pretty close to perfect! Lots more to come soon but for now enjoy two of my favorite pictures...I LOVE my family!