here's to 8 years of amazing adventures

I can't believe we've been married 8 years- I would have never imagined I could love someone so much.  There's already been so many wonderful crazy adventures.  But above all, our two boys have been the greatest of these... 

our little turkey

Carson loves loves animals and for Thanksgiving really wanted to go catch a turkey. (?) So we stopped at Sugarhouse park where there were hundreds of these geese and let him run around and try to catch one.  When he got close enough to one and realized it was as big as he was,  he quickly turned to chase another.  Morgan had no interest in the poopy flappy birds and stayed by us! Good thing we had an extra pair of shoes for Carson.

know your sitters...

So last year on game day I dressed the boys in their little  byu shirts and left them to be tended by their auntie abbie. When we came back,  to my horror(Ha!) they were clad in bright red Utah shirts.   I love red, but these just had to go.... I think the boys look better in navy anyway! 

However, they were still quite cute in red, who knows where they'll go to college,  both are great schools! 

Back on Blog.

Alright, so I'm not the best blogger.   Blogging requires opening up my computer, something I refused to do once I finally finished and sent the illustrations for "Stinky Feet of the Mandarin."

I am so happy it's done, however, I'm debating on whether I ever want to do another....The book will be out in the spring. 

The other reason I haven't posted lately is that my camera was dropped on some bleachers and well, is  demolished.  So I have a bit of catching up to do. I posted some pictures of what was left on the card, like Morgan's first day of Preschool, (he's loving it now, but definitely not at first). Also had to add some pics of the only time we went camping and got hit by a torrential rainstorm in the Uintahs.  The funny thing is the boys loved it. Every time it rains now, they want to go camping.  

Wes also competed in the Lake Tahoe XTERRA mountain championship triathlon and did great despite the freezing temperatures!

Oh, and the garden thing? I pretty much let it go when I found out I was pregnant.  It didn't turn out so well.  The tomatoes grew noses, the corn were midgets, the carrots looked more like the fingers on an ancient witch doctor and I had a pumpkin growing in the grapevine. Nevertheless, little Morgan was proud of it.

For Halloween Morgan was Indiana Jones and Carson was and is a ferocious dinosaur. Where Morgan is sweet and tidy, Carson is wild and crazy. 

I also have to say how excited I am for my sister Jenn who had a beautiful healthy baby girl! Babies are ultimately the true definition of miracles and blessings. 

Soooo anyway-- I've been taking it easy and enjoying the pregnancy.  We are excited to say we are expecting a little baby girl!   Pink seems so refreshing for a house of 'blues!' 

Happy birthday Morgan!

Morgan turned 4 last weekend and wanted a treasure hunt party, Indiana Jones style.  So after decorating some bandanas they set off on the obstacle course/treasure hunt.  They first took an adventure ride with Dr. Jones (Wes) to the beginning of the course. Then they had to outrun the boulder,(which just killed me to watch, haha!!) cross a bridge, run through slimy snakes, (green spaghetti) and other tasks before uncovering their treasure chests in a pool of packing peanuts.  

   After breaking a  pinata, they had golden (chicken) nuggets in buckets eaten with a little shovel and rake.  Morgan loved the cake and had a great time with his friends.  

   Earlier, when he awoke that day, he said, I'm still little and my voice hasn't changed." Apparently, he though that when you turn four, you become a man.  Not quite little buddy...and it's a good thing too!

Also some of my favorite pictures of little chubby Morgan.

XTERRA triathlon mountain championship

This is Wes' fourth year doing the triathlon and he did great.  He placed fourth in his category and later found out he would have placed first had he registered for the clydesdale division!  So way to go  Wes!  Also to Michael (Wes' sister's husband) who did the whole thing with a sprained elbow.

This is definitely one of my favorite races because the competitors come from all over the world and we get to see the world champion winners compete. It's also just a fun atmosphere.  Carson was excited to get a number on his arm too, and did some climbing of his own. So the next one is in Lake Tahoe which they are planning to do as well. good luck guys!

Bear Lake

                                                                                                    

 

   

Bear lake was fun.  I didn't take many pics so I added a couple from last year.  I took some on my phone but i have no idea how to get them to my computer. 

What makes Bear Lake so great is the lack of commercialism (however, I wouldn't mind a great seafood restaurant!).  It also amazes me how the color of the water can change with the weather.  Anyone know what makes the lake so blue?

The pics are of Wes,  flying high, Carson, donning a really old scuba mask, and the boys enjoying the beach.

Oh, and about that first picture, we did do some kayaking but had no idea the Bear lake monster was indeed a shark.  heehee:)

My first Tri

Busy week but no pictures. Why?  When you want nicer pictures you tend to buy a nicer, bulkier camera.  But if your a minimalist like myself, it's very hard to take the camera places because of it's size.  I rarely like to take more things with me than I have to.  So if anyone knows of a tiny camera that takes great pictures, let me know!!!!

I also did my first Triathlon....and try I did.  The Deer Creek Triathlon was a great race to do a first tri. It was low key and so beautiful.  My only anxiety was getting in the frigid lake at 6:30 am.  Luckily, the water temp was warmer than the air temp and not near what I expected. Wes, as usual, never dons a wetsuit, the toughest guy I know and did the swim quickly.  

I have to admit there was one point where I thought, " what am I doing here out in the middle of the lake at 6:30 am???"

Thanks to Dory from "Finding Nemo" for the mantra that kept me going, "just keep swimming, swimming swimming...."   

The bike ride was fun.  It was hard to stay focused on the trail when it was such a nice sunrise over the lake.   But the frequent cattle crossing and sandy washouts kept my full attention.  

The transition from bike to run went fine until two people wearing tennis shoes on the bike caught up and jumped off their bikes and started the run.  Okay, so there's is on tiny annoyance with clipless pedals and that's having to change them but anyone will tell you it's worth it.

I ended up doing the run a bit slower than anticipated but I wasn't pushing it hard.  I couldn't.  There's something that happens to your whole psyche (and physical body for that matter) when you find out your pregnant the day before a race.  Yessirree.    So I took it easy and it turned out to be a fun, enjoyable race.  I placed 7th in women of only about 50 participants. I most likely won't be doing the Xterra Tri now, morning sickness isn't the best  training partner. There's always next year.  For now i am shifting my sights on the excitement that only a new little life being can provide.  

And now for a week in Bear Lake.  ahhhhh.

Little Gimpy

Morgan woke up this morning with as he put it, "a headache in his foot," and he couldn't walk on it. Yesterday he'd been jumping off his playhouse in the morning  so I think that's when the injury occured.  Yet he spent the rest of the day running around at Cherry Hill so we didn't know he had a hurt foot.   

So off to the doctor we went to get a splint.   Morgan says, "will you push me around in my fire truck, i just can't walk very well with my foot like this, but I'm trying to be brave."

Morgan is not too happy with the splint but is such a positive little fellow and smiled for the picture when I said, "say cheese, Mr. Bigfoot!"    

Why isn't there a song about no more monkeys jumping off playhouses? 

Weekend in PC

One of the best things about having kids is that old things are fun again.  The alpine slide in Park City thrilled the boys.  Wes took Carson and I took Morgan and we raced down the track. It is so fun to see their excitement, now that they are old enough to ride the lift up.  Morgan loved seeing the mountains from high on the lift and said, "I just want to take Park City home with me!"  It was a fun weekend visiting Wes who had been up there working all week.   We even went and saw the BYU runners coming in first at the relay race. All I have to say is wow!  

Maybe we will do it next year when Wes' knee gets healed up!

Here's a great site, froghive.com.  It's like facebook but with email, blog, etc.  It's a great place to advertise or chat with your friends!

Sign up free, just put 72 under sponsor number.

This is the logo I did for the site, who's main creator is my brother-in-law.   Try it out!

Death to the Crayon

if you have ever had a problem on whether or not to get rid of some clothes, here's a suggestion, throw a crayon in the laundry, preferably a bright red one.  For extra punch, pretend not to see the crayon and make sure it gets into the dryer.   You will be amazed at the damage such a little thing can do, and there will be no other option but to throw the whole load out!   Extra points for throwing in your husbands favorite shirt.   

    Crayons.   They ruin laundry,  wood floors, and walls.  In kindergarten, we were given crayons that were too big to put our little fingers around, it didn't make sense.  They don't color well unless you push hard, then they break, ending up in the bucket with the crayons with no wrappers, and no one likes those.   And the whole "crayon" or "cren" pronunciation  thing, they just don't deserve the debate.   If you have ever asked for art supplies as a kid, you most likely got a box of crayons.   An art supply? They are sticks of colored wax waiting to ruin the world.  I remember watching a show on how a crayon was made in my little years and it was entertaining, probably the only reason I remotely liked using them.   But it is high time for the crayon to go, to be melted down into pretty little candles or something. 

There is no picture to post, I don't want to remember the lost laundry load.

How does the garden grow

A garden; 

Something requiring lots of care, hard work, some sense, and eyes in the back of your head.   Will sprout weeds of terror when not looking. May cause sunburn, sore back and frustration. When properly cared for, may give great returns.  See also children.

So this year we started a little experimental garden in our backyard.  So far, we lost a few to frostbite, but most are still green and growing, I hope!  Morgan was thrilled to pick out some vegetables, his favorite, watermelon.  We dug the hole and Morgan placed the little plant in and carefully packed the dirt around it.  In a little whisper he said, "There, little watermelon, nice and cozy."  He then asked if the plants had little voices.  "Why, I said, are you hearing some"?

Each day we check the garden,  Morgan says, "oooh! look at the little baby peas!"

Little Carson has no problem digging out weeds, not to mention some plants too.  

My favorite are the grapevines. I love how they grow, wild and free,  making little places for the kids to hide under, and eat yummy grapes. If that's not enough, homemade grape juice can't be beat.  

There is something mildy euphoric about gardening,  whether it's the interaction with a forgiving earth, helping in the creation of something living, or just being outside enjoying the blessings around us.   Maybe, like raising kids, it's just the satisfaction of working towards something good, with each day as a chance to do better, a challenge to overcome, a continual hope that one day it will all pay off.... 

Morgan's Run

The Ogden race turned out to be alot of fun. 

 The night before,  we took the forerunner train to pick up our race  packets then rode a rickshaw to dinner.  It was kind of fun getting around without a car.  The boys were glued to the train window the entire time and couldn't wait to get in the "bicycle buggy."

Wes and I both had mixed feelings about the race  because we both had signed up for the marathon and half marathon and would not be doing it.  Instead we did the 5K , we didn't train enough because of injuries we need healed for the next race.  So I actually enjoyed the run. I really hate the pavement and prefer trails, so when it comes to road races I'm sticking to the 5K's.  Kudos to all who ran the marathon, esp.  Tomee (Call) Pace who came through the finish doing her first marathon, way to go Tomee! Also to Carrie Neiderhauser, how many is this now?

The best part  was watching little Morgan run his 1K!  He was so excited for it and requested that I get him a 'Dash' outfit to run in.  Yea, they're jammies! He ran a bit, walked a bit, was carried a bit, then sprinted across the finish line to people cheering on "Mr. Incredible."  If only our races were that easy.  Afterwards, he got his own medal, a bell, and was made in the shade with popsicles and blue gumballs from grandpa, who also ran the 5K.  The other best part?  He slept great that night.  

Way to go Jenn!

Congratulations to my sister Jenn who took an honorable mention in the cookie contest from marthastewart.com! This is her picture of her most amazingly delicious gingersnaps.   I really think she should have been a grand prize winner(but isn't that always the case???) There were over a thousand entries, check it out on marthastewart under cookie contest winners.  

I only wish Jenn didn't live so far away in sunny warm Florida so I could eat these on a daily basis. Oh wait, I just found out that I'm hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) and can't eat much sugar any more.  Doesn't make sense.  It hasn't been fun, but it's definitely a great thing as I feel so much better staying away from the sweets.  I've never been a huge dessert fan, but tasty little morsels like this can never pass me by unscathed.... 

 I guess I'll go eat my celery and peanut butter sticks now.

Here are some drawings from the book I am illustrating.  So far it's been a bit tougher than I thought it would be, but for the most part it's coming along.  I finally got the main character down, I think. (thanks Molls and Annie for the tips).  The story  is about a handsome mandarin who has one flaw, stinky feet.  The other character is one of the many travellers coming to try and cure his feet.  Other pages are posted on my art blog for review convenience.   

Morgan has proved to be my toughest critic though, and I still don't think these are up to his standards, at least until they are colored..... 

Center and Ogden Temple and not nearly as crowded as the gateway's discovery center.

I've also added my running goal meter to get me back on my feet from being so sick with bronchitis.  I just wish it clocked my biking since that is what I'd much rather do.

Morgan's impression of a tree.  Or  a mermaid(man) with a pegleg.

There is something wrong with Morgan being able to throw snowballs in April. (this was yesterday). The banks were six feet high in PC.  I love the snow and all but this is definitly too much of a good thing.

From what bits and pieces I heard of GC one quote by Elder Wirthlin I appreciated. He said, 

"We shall run and not be weary.  Leaders teach and support, but do not pressure.  Those who start slow sometimes go the farthest.  The question is not whether we trip and fall, but how we will respond.  The church is an imperfect place for all of us to get together.  We are all imperfect but are striving to be better people.  No signs on the church doors say,  "restricted entry, perfect people only."

Two tough coaches

I got my bike out today, I forget how much I love to ride it. I attached the trailer with Morgan & Carson and did my usual route which includes up a long  hill. Being the first ride of the season, I was sooooo slow and Morgan kept saying, "faster mom!" Well if that wasn't enough, after I had dismounted near the top, he shouts, " get back on your bike mom!" For being one of the sweetest, most sensitive boys I know, he's a killer of a coach.
When we got to the top, we went for a hike which went well, unlike last week. We were on the trail and a horse bucked his rider off and came charging down the trail at us. Luckily, he responded to the words , "Whoa horsy! " I didn't know what else to do????? The horse calmed down and stayed with us till the owner came and got him, but I have to say, it was a bit rattling.

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Easter Sunday.

Morgan wanted to join us at indoor skydiving in the Salomon Center.  While he did great participating in the flight suit dress up, he decided at the last minute that he needed to grow up first.

Some good nature

So I have finally created a bit of a blog I suppose, I could say it's great way to remember these childs as they are right now, at my favorite age.  They are so full of curiosity, ready to replace it with new found knowledge.  Everyday I am inspired by their little gestures, that happen so quickly and then they are gone.  Hopefully I can capture a bit of their childhood, and preserve it, like in a mason jar, to be opened one day and enjoyed again.  All children are angels, which we all have around us, some walk beside us, and some fly above us.