school girl

Ellie started kindergarten last Thursday 1 week and 2 days after Canyon started.  It may have quite possibly been the longest week of her life. Her first day as she put it was "Better than anything ever". She told me all about it talking a million miles an hour. She has been a little disappointed that she hasn't had any homework yet. So I make up fake homework for her to ease her school nerd pain. What a weirdo. I wonder how long this love for homework will last? Now all I need to do is figure out how to set up a spy cam to see what my kids are doing at school. That would be the best to check in on them like that. Until then I will just be happy that she is loving it so much.  

a side note:

when I first posted this I wrote about the song kindergarten baby born in the gravy...Shane has mockingly informed me that there is no such thing as that song and that I am probably the only one who knows it and I probably made it up myself. At first I didn't believe him but after talking with two friends who had never ever heard of it either and pretty much laughed at me I am starting to believe that maybe I am crazy and this song does not exist to anyone but me after all. 

6.2 swiss miles

(Jen, Ali, me, Janelle)

I ran my 10k on Saturday. I know this is nothing compared to all the 1/2 marathoners and marathoners out there but because I haven't ran more than 2 miles since high school this was a lot of miles for me. I was a little nervous before the race. My running partners and I were sizing up the competition. We found an endless sea of people wearing past marathon t-shirts with 0% body fat and bulging leg muscles. This made me think I would have a pretty good chance at finishing dead last. I wanted to run under a 10 minute mile and I did.....but when I was feeling really ambitious I decided I wanted to finish in 1 hour or under. When I rounded the corner to the point where I could see my time on the big clock I realized that I was going to fall short by a few seconds. I'm not going to lie... that really sucked. To make myself feel less defeated I tell myself that if didn't have to stop to tie my shoe or stop to take a gulp of pointless water or if they wouldn't have added an extra hill to the course that I would have pulled it off. (just writing all these excuses is making me feel better already, Oh! and adding that I didn't come close to last place helps too.) Shane and the kids came to watch at the finish. The best part of this was when Canyon came running up to me when I crossed the finish line. I thought he was going to say something like "good job mom" instead he spouted out "Mom two little kids beat you!" That was such a awesome moment, probably my favorite of the day!I knew the kids he was talking about and they were fast. I pretty much wanted to punch them when they passed me. A big thanks to my running girls (jen, janelle, ali). There is no way I could have done all those early morning runs without them. They all made me run a little faster and longer each time. Jen was the running veteran of the team. Sometimes we even wondered why she wanted to run with measly beginners like ourselves. She won third place in her age group with a 7:40 minute mile!! Are you kidding me that is so fast! She is so lucky now she gets to drink her diet coke out of her trophy. Way to go Champion! Next up the Marathon Relay down Provo Canyon. I don't how these running girls talk me into these things, but I'm glad they do.

(Jen and her fancy race mug)

3 moms = 9 kids

What Happens when 3 moms take their 9 kids to Sundance for a lifty ride, small hike and ice cream?

1.) You get a lot of stares from the old and young alike. Apparently children are very scarce creatures at Sundance on the weekdays. I think our 9 kids made up the entire child population and Sundance that day. When you have a pack of 9 kids 8 years and under you tend to get some attention and stares of wonderment and concern. Once in a while when 1 mom would go to the bathroom and the other was slightly out of sight you would even get some sympathy stares. (yes even in utah)

2.) You feel very outnumbered and some how the oldest 6 kids convince all 3 moms that they can ride on the lift all by their big selves. We spared the lives of the 3 kids 2 years and under and made them ride with us.

3.) You are reminded once again that kids would rather play dangerously close to raging rivers, climb trees and chase each other on trails than relax and eat ice cream (imagine that). This leaves you finishing off more ice cream than you ever would on a normal basis...but you can't help it.

In the end you go home tired with disheveled hair and obvious signs of what you did and ate that day embedded into your clothing. You find yourself wondering if you would ever do this activity again. The answer from all 3 moms is an unexpected.... YES. I guess this activity it mother approved and recommended after all. (for a more enhanced experience some hired help or less kids is highly suggested)

running fiasco

(This is a picture of us running. Janelle is the one in the bra, Jen in the middle and I am the blurred blonde)

This morning a couple friends and I went for a run. We are doing this 10k on Saturday so we thought it would be good to practice the route a couple times. We took 2 cars and left one at point A and the other at point B. It was a good little morning run down to the parked car at the end of the route.This is when the fun starts. Janelle realizes she left her keys in my car at point A miles and miles away. So with 15 minutes to get home to husbands that needed to go to work and kids that needed to get ready for school we had to think fast. Really our only option was to run back the miles we came to the car. So that is what we started to do but the fastest way back was up the steepest longest hill EVER and the closer that hill came the more desperate we were! So we stuck out our thumbs in hopes of hitching a ride. Now I'm not one for hitch hiking. The last time I hitch hiked was probably at my home town in P canyon when I was 17 stranded covered in mud and delusional from a night of camping with no sleep. (to my partners in crime on this adventure what were we thinking? ha ha). So with desperation in our eyes we stuck out our thumbs like old pros and flagged down a very nice lady that passed us by but then decided to stop. I think we were all jumping up and down as if we hit the jackpot. We hopped in and I sat in the back with a dog that looked like the one pictured below. And the first thing this nice lady says is "I am sorry he loves armpits, I don't know why." Perfect..... just Perfect, I am sitting next to a dog that likes armpits and I am wearing a tank top. Needless to say this little white dog with a St. Bernard sized tongue licked my armpit all the way to my car no matter how hard i discretely tried to make him stop. I had to sit there smile and take it because after all the nice lady was was giving us a ride. Janelle tried to make things better by telling me "at least you don't have to shower the dog just licked off all your sweat" Nice try Janelle but I don't know what is worse in life than smelling like a mixture between sweat and dog breath. So thanks to the nice lady who owns a hot dog joint in town and her armpit loving dog, our luck turned around and we were only a few minutes late getting home. Looks like we need to go and buy a few hundred hot dogs from her now. We will forever be in debt. What a way to start a day!

school days

School is back in session and while I know the kids are kind of excited to start the new year. I am not so sure that I am ready for all the homework, schedules, and packing lunches. I got used to our carefree summer lifestyle of playing late in to the night and then sleeping in with really no order or schedule to our days we just did what we felt like. It was nice. Now we are back to business, well kind of anyway. Our first 2 nights after school started were spent at 7 peaks and out on the lake. I guess we have to ease ourselves back into the rigid structured lifestyle we are embarking on. So starting this week we will officially be back to business and I will try my hardest to be the responsible mother that I know is in me.... somewhere.

Canyon got the best teacher this year for 3rd grade we are so excited. After 3 years of hoping he finally got in the same class with his friend Felix (pictured above). He has a battle wound to show off for the first day. He got a huge burn leaning up against a hot motorcycle...ouch!

Ellie hasn't started school yet but she had her kindergarten testing and thought that was official enough for some pictures. She is such a funny girl. She was trying to convince me that if she was going to the school that she needed her lap top. We finally came to a compromise that she would leave it in the truck for the testing. The test went great when she was asked to write her name I think she was on a mission to impress. She wrote Ellie and then the teacher was ready to move on to the next thing but she continued to keep going writing Apsen and would not stop until the X in Cox was completed. Then she looked up with a big smile and said "There that's my name". When all the testing was over she hopped back in the truck whipped out the lab top and started typing. I asked her what she was doing she said homework. I guess she is ready for Kindergarten. I have a feeling she won't miss me very much.

Ellie with her homework companion

poor me

I guess I am feeling sorry for myself right now. For months we have had a trip planned with some friends to go to Havasupai in the Grand Canyon, those dreams of basking underneath a waterfall for hours on end and swimming in beautiful turquoise waters are now over and I am so sad...Boo Hoo. There was a big flood there recently and all the trails got washed away and everyone was helicoptered out including the Indian tribe. (see here for story). The area is now closed for the rest of the year. We were going to go in August (I think it was pretty close to the date the flooding took place) but changed it for September. I should just be grateful that we weren't down there but a bigger part of me is kind of disappointed we weren't. Everyone got out safely, so it would have been kind of exciting to be there and see it first hand get rescued by a helicopter and come home with a great story. Am I crazy?? maybe so I guess. So now we are trying to think of somewhere else to go. We are thinking maybe doing the Subway in Zions (permits pending) or maybe even taking a little Train ride to some hiking trails in Durrango. Any other ideas out there?? These trips have some pretty great potential so maybe I won't feel bad for myself for very much longer. Goodbye Havasuapi I will be seeing you in my dreams and then for sure in 2009. (please don't flood again thankyou!)

(the rescue mission)

a full set of.....

We thought it would be funny to see what Lucy looked like with full set of sparkling new teeth.

Here is the grand result...ha ha.. she's looking good.

(us in the bighorns)

This past weekend one of our favorite people got married up in the Big Horn Mountains (a 3 day camping wedding). So thanks to Grams and Gramps C we said goodbye to our little ones and took a little trip to see this event take place. After 9 hours of driving in boring desolate Wyoming (no offense wyomingers) we finally arrived at our destination. It was a beautiful wedding, it took place in the most amazing meadow. The bride to be was a real trooper getting ready for her wedding by bathing in a creek and using a generator to curl her hair...what a riot. It was a really fun weekend despite the drive through the pit of Wyoming. The towns our gas tank forced us to stop in were so strange and creepy yet entertaining. Let's just say Wyoming has many many hidden treasures.

(beautiful meadow)

(Matt and Hannah)

walkie talkie

She has changed so much this summer....a little walking and some more talking.

Some things always remain the same...
like her spunky attitude that has been with her since birth and has yet to abandon her.

summer daze

Summer is some real serious fun. It is for sure a time when some of the best memories are made. We had a weekend of pure summer hanging from ropes, raftin, 4-wheelin and BBQ'n...throw in a couple of cousins and the kids did not want to leave. Canyon asked "why do we have to leave what do we have going"? I really really wish I could have said nothing. We have absolutely nothing at all going...but really I'm I lucky enough for that to be the case...NOPE. So back home we are. Only 3 weeks left until school starts BOOOO! So we are trying to get in all the summer we can. I just think the whole summer should be a national holiday...Is that to much to ask??

doughnut falls

We hiked up to doughnut falls with some of our friends. Last time we did this hike is when Canyon was 1 years old. It was fun to do it again and it was so pretty!! What took us so long to do get back there?? Canyon and Ellie had extra good time hiking/exploring around with their friends.

(flower girls)

(the jerky club and a snake)

(little lucy bird)

getting close

Every day Lucy takes more and more steps. I am sure that soon her trademark crawl will be
gone and replaced with little wobbly steps. I will miss that monkey crawl.

cows and ponies

We had a day at Thanksgiving Point everyone got a little pony ride. Lucy almost got eaten alive by a baby cow. The stroller was the closer target so it got the brunt of the action. She was fortunate enough to only get a good toe licking. Lucy was not amused at all, but the rest of us found it very entertaining. (sorry Lucy)

optimistic

The other day Ellie was so sick all morning. She laid around the house in different spots with a bowl nuzzled up to her side for emergencies. After what seemed like her 10th time of taking advantage of the ever dependable bowl, I started to clean her face and I said......

"Ellie I'm so sorry your sick. I feel so bad for you."
(she smiles and replies) " Don't feel bad for me mom. I'm really happy when I'm not throwing up."
Well okay ?? What do you really say to that?
I am glad she can look at the bright side of things, what a little optimist. I love her energy and love for life. She makes me happy.

old tree

(it's no secret what flavor they had.)

You just can't leave Zions without getting ice cream and sitting under the big old tree. You all know the big old tree I am talking about right? Every time we go, without fail we plant our tired selves under the shade and soak our up every last bit of Zions we can.

the narrows

The narrows has to be our all-time favorite hike. It is so fun and refreshing to hike through the water on a hot summer day. There are perfect brake spots for lunch and swimming. And it is amazingly beautiful. My sister Stephanie and her husband decided at the last second to come and join us on our hike. I am so glad they did we had a great time! Here are just a few photos.

under the stars

You can't beat camping when the low is 65, there are endless samores, perfect camping music and you can hear the river all night. The kids were in heaven. They did a great job keeping the fire going, scrapping around for leafs and twigs all night. They also loved making fire tracers with sticks and roasting their marshmellows. Our night under the stars was lovely.

skimmin @ virgin river

We went to Zions over the weekend. It was SO hot when we got there so a little skimmin (surfing/skateboarding on shallow water) was the first on our to do list. It was Canyon's first time and he was a natural at it. He really surprised us all with how easy it was for him. We had the best time. There is something about this place that we just love. Our entire trip was nothing short of amazing. No one wanted to go home. BOOO!! for the real world of obligations. (more pictures to come)