SOJO 1/2 Marathon!

Twas time for a girls trip to Utah. I was looking forward to the weekend in Salt Lake to see family and hang with friends and relax. The real purpose of the trip was to run the SOJO - a 1/2 marathon. The race had the word marathon in it, which really equals 13.1 miles.

I brought miss Macie with me so she could hang with her bestie cousin Cali!

It was also pretty great to get to meet my newest niece Quinn!

The day finally arrived, after little to no sleep. For some reason the anxiety totally got the best of me and I had a really crappy night. My mind kept "racing" and I was unable to fully just relax and dream the night away. I was scared.

I remember thinking as I was on the bus heading to the start line, "How did this happen? Really, when did I truly decide to RUN a 1/2 marathon?" I don't really remember how it came to be. All my friends up here in Idaho run. So, Natalie and I decided that if we wanted to join in on any conversations, it would require some work. The running began.

Fast forward 4 months and I was off to run my first race... all 13.1 miles of it!

I felt great. The adrenaline kicked in and I was pushing myself and going faster than I normally run. I was maintaining a good pace. I felt like all the training I had done was worth it. I had new music on my ipod and I was in a happy place! The water stops were often and I felt so good that at mile 9 I passed on the water. I didn't realize there wouldn't be water until mile 12 and I was struggling through, but I kept on running.

And I even finished, which was my only goal!



It was even better to run across the finish line to see my favorite girlies holding these pieces of art!

What a great support I had at the end. I struggled through that last mile, and it was so rewarding to see the people that mean the most to me when I felt so weak.

Thanks to my mom for driving all that way and with her own personalized medal to give me - thanks again mom for the necklace, it means a lot to me!

And these girls right here are total rock stars and we all had something to cheer about!

See. We did it and we all have the shirts to prove it!

I feel so much stronger for it - I would even do it again!

Khloe is crawling!!!!

See this great big smile!

Here is the bait...

The pathetic reach!

The long awaited first crawl (12 mos and 2 weeks!)

and HOOK!

Way to go miss Khloe! This should open up a whole new world for you...let the exploring begin!

Labor Day Weekend

Dave's parents are so great about making the 11 hour drive up to see us all the way from Las Vegas. It was so nice to have a long holiday weekend and be able to spend time with them. Our kids love it so much when they come visit and they are so great with our kids.

Dave couldn't wait to get his dad up here to do a few things to his new truck.

Here are the boys workin' hard in the garage, grease monkeys getting their hands dirty!

This is Dal's pure passion in life....tools and grease!

While the boys were workin'...the girls were inside getting miss Macie ready for school! Grandma and Felicia got to walk her to Kindergarten and it was so nice and fun for Felicia to get her all ready for school!

She wanted to wear "Felicia lipstick!"

And of course she wanted the poof we call "Felicia hair!"

Grandma insisted on spoiling the kids, and she is a BIG fan of Build-a-Bear! Macie was so super excited to build her bear!

Dalan rubbing the heart on his cheek for good luck!

Grandma Kay loves to bring her grandkids to build-a-bear...and we love her for it! Macie picked out her own outfit, and Dal of course turned his bear into a firefighter!

The reward for good behavior at the mall...the alligator (aka the escalator!)

We headed over to the ballon festival downtown Saturday night and it was a lot of fun for the kids to see hot air balloons in real life!

There were 10 hot air balloons all lined up and the entire community said a chant that went a little something like 3....2.....1.....BURN! This is what Dalan was like the entire night...a great big huge smile. He thought it was the coolest!

Felicia and Dal!

Khloe thought it was pretty great too...

We all did!

It was a really fun night and the kids haven't stopped talking about it!

Grandma, Poppy, and Weesha left early on Labor Day so we decided to have a family day and take the kids fishing at a local park. It was such a beautiful day and we are so sad to see these days come to an end....

Dave getting ready to get his fish on!

Macie & Dal checking out the pond!

Macie and Khloe playing in the grass - not a care in the world!

I love Khloe's little pony tail and her hair is growing in so great!

The kids got a little bored of fishing so we headed over to the playground! Khloe loves the swings at the park. She gives the biggest smile!!

This year, Dalan learned to "pump" all by himself. This is great news for mom!!! Way to go buddy.


Macie is working on mastering the monkey bars!

So long Summer. Can't wait for next year!

First Day of School

Macie: Age 5 1/2 and in Kindergarten. I cannot believe this day is here and that you are at the big school. I'm not sad. I haven't let any tears drip because I know you are going to love school. I am super excited for you to experience these fabulous years of elementary school. I have the best memories of my childhood at this age. For as social as you are, I know that this is the beginning of new friendships, lots of fun, many memories, and tons and tons of learning! You are such a sweet little girl Macie and we are so proud of you!

Lucky girl gets to walk to school!

Mom & Dad there to support you on your big day.

Dalan: Age 4 - Round 2 of pre-school with Ms. Jenn. You look so sharp buddy. You are a little nervous for some reason. You asked me what to do if you got scared. With a smile as big of yours, I am pretty sure fear will be no factor!

Dalan's preschool class