Summer Va-cay

We spent last week in Northern California visiting family.  The giggling with the cousins started at sunup and didn't end till sundown!  We ate way too much Mcdonalds and watched hours and hours of DVD's in the van.  Highlights of the trip included:

Visit with family:

Fun new dresses for all the girls:

A visit to the Golden Gate (my kids said one of their favorite parts of the trip was throwing rocks into the ocean and chasing seagulls - glad we drove all the way to CA for rocks and birds!!!):

Cousin fun:

I love being with family.  We can pick up right where we left off.  There is no superficial "I gotta keep my house spotless to impress anyone" garbage.  We love each other for who we are - and I think they are all fantastic!

Big kudos to the CA Barlows who let us crash at their house.  That is a big task because we are COMPANY - we are loud, messy, eat lots of food, have melt downs, etc.  We sure love you!

Too much celebration

It was a birthday fest at our house for the crazy 6 year olds. In addition to the "friend" party, we had a "mom-dad-sibling" big breakfast and dinner at Mcdonalds party, and finally a "extended family" party on the 4th of July. Thinking about the parties, makes me tired all over again!  I sure love my big kids!

500 Feet

I am still nursing my stress fracture in my left ankle. I am allowed to walk, bike and swim. The most I can run right now is 3 minutes. Yep – I’m not going anywhere fast!


This whole “not running” thing has been really hard for me. It is my outlet for the day where I don’t have to worry about anyone. I leave the title of wife and mom at home.


I love having goals to work toward – seeing progression, feeling the “high”, and ultimately achieving the goal. But I can’t do this right now. No goals, no progression and I am in detox from my “high”. My running friends call and ask if I want to run a favorite route or do a speed workout and I politely have to decline. It is killing me.


All the big races are coming up. Runners are just swarming the streets. And I am not apart of any of it.


I’ve been doing a lot of biking – riding Tim’s old school mountain bike that feels like a hundred pounds (I am getting a road bike for my birthday - Hooray!). Biking is a lot harder that I had ever thought. Propelling yourself AND a bike takes a lot more strength then just running up a hill. Coordination – something I lack!


But all this biking isn’t cutting it for me. One of my favorite sayings is "I can do hard things." I feel like I haven't been doing anything HARD - really HARD. Stretching myself - getting out of my comfort zone.


Until tonight.


While driving the kids to an art class, I noticed this GIGANTIC hill leading up to a trail-head on the mountain. I said to myself, “I would like to ride that someday” (thinking in years).


Tonight I did it.

The hill was 2 miles up and a 500ft ascent (which is big for a slow poke like me). Not only did I make it up, but I did several of the side street hills as well. I confess, I did have to stop for water.


I don’t write to brag, but I felt the “high”. Feeling that drug again was awesome! It’s been too long. I felt like I accomplished something hard.


My next goal is to ride over the Alpine Loop.

BIG 6!

We are celebrating 6 years old at this house.  The most important celebration is the fact that Tim and I survived 6 years of raising 4 kids.  Yay....we made it another year!

The excitement level has been through the roof today.  We started by decorating cupcakes.  Love that sugar high at 8 am!  They turned out really cute:

We had a few melt-downs today (some of us have a hard time handling all the excitement - can you guess who?).

Off to the roller skating rink we go!  They allow the kids to ride scooters (and roller skates) and they had inflatables to jump on.

25 kids, pitchers and pitchers of lemonade, great friends, round and round the roller rink, lots of presents, tired Mom and Dad - a great way to celebrate 6!

A Good Turn

Awhile back, the girls and I hosted a quilting bee with a few neighbor friends while the boys were camping.  We finally finished all the binding on the quilts and took them to the humanitarian center.

Each of the kids carried in a quilt and gave them to the volunteer who graciously accepted them.  I am grateful for her enthusiam and she asked each of the kids questions on how they helped make them.

It was a wonderful teaching moment.

Last Day of School

On the last day of school, Tim and I took the kids on a "Field Trip Friday"!  We went to Salt Lake to spend the night in a hotel.

The hotel had a never ending supply of popcorn and soft drinks.  We had a small snack and headed off to the pool till we were all watered out!

Then we played games and ended the evening with cookies in bed and a movie.

Saturday, we took the kids on the TRAX trains and walked around temple square.

Fun times were had by all!

A few stitches

While at the gym last Friday, I was pumping away in spin class.  All of a sudden, I see one of the daycare ladies standing in the door waving at me.

Georgia was running, tripped, landed on a toy and cut her lip.  When I went into the daycare, the little cut was a HUGE gash.  Off the doctor's office.....they can't do stitches in the mouth, I need to go to the ER. 

Luckily, we live 2 blocks from a hospital.  I called my good friend to come and get my big kids (who waited in the waiting room ALONE because I was back with Peachy - another tender mercy that they were good, no one kidnapped them and for my amazing friend who totally helped me out). 

The doctor thought they might have to sedate her because of her age (and that they had to put stitches inside her mouth), but tried local numbing first.  That sweet Peachy of mine didn't move a muscle while they injected the numbing stuff around her mouth.  If it would have been any of my big kids, the screams would have been heard in Texas.

She got stitched up quickly and loved her hospital bracelet.  I'm so proud of my big brave Peachy.  Stitches come out tomorrow!