My New Baby

I wanted to show you all my new baby.

Oh I love this car. It is so fun to drive and me makes me so happy. Okay yes it is a material item but man when you sit and drive in it you can't help but smile. I have never liked Ford Mustangs since being in Florida because everybody in Tallahassee drove them but the ones they drove were ugly compared to this but wow I love this car. I love the smell of the new leather and I love the feel when driving it. It is so smooth and driving 80 miles an hour feels like 35 miles.

Me getting ready to drive my baby away. Don't I look hot. It just fits me.

All of the kids wanted to get their picture in it after they got to drive in it.

Rachel

Hailey

Adam

Jacob and of course he is acting crazy.

Kaelen loves the car too.



Okay no we did not buy the car even though a part of me wishes we could. Chuck (my father in law) borrowed it from a friend of his who is a car dealer. He lent it to Chuck for a parade he was in. Enoch drove to Rexburg to pick it up. The best part though was that when he went and picked it up they drove it right out of the show room. It had no miles on it. Woody, Chucks friend was not there at the time but the guys at the dealership were told to just give it to Enoch. So they just handed over the keys and he drove off. He didn't sign anything.

We took the car out with the kids in it screaming around the neighborhood and then Enoch and I took it to run some errands and go to the movies in it. I am shocked that Enoch did that because he was so worried about the car. If you notice the picture of Hailey she looks likes she is doing the chicken dance because she isn't even touching it. He was so worried about something happening to it. He did let me drive it though up to Enoch's parents house at 2 am after seeing Harry Potter (let me say it was the best movie I have seen this summer. Loved it.) Enoch was so happy to get his loud beat up car back because he was so nervous of something happening to it. I have never seen Enoch freak out so much if the kids got too close to it. Very funny. I do love this car though and everything I said about it up top is true. I love how it drives, smells and man I did get a large smile on my face when I rode in it. There is something about riding around in a car with the top down. Oh I miss the car even though we didn't have it for very long. Maybe I should ask for one for Christmas from Santa. :)

Oh Happy Day

I have some wonderful news. Wal-mart which I hate shopping at but still buy stuff their now has a gluten free section. I am so excited. I buy my spaghetti noodles from Walmart because it is cheaper than other places but now they have a whole section. Oh I am so happy. Anything to make shopping for gluten free easier is the best.

Other great news is that Rachel passed swimming lessons. Rachel and Jacob took swimming lessons for two weeks and loved it. Rachel has been in the same class since she was 6. Don't get me wrong she is an amazing swimmer. She is almost done with swimming lessons but she has never been able to tread water so they have never let her pass. Well she finally did it. She passed and I am so excited because she now has one class left of lessons and then she is in lifeguard training. She passed fish and the last is flying fish. Shark is after but that is more about lifeguard stuff. Oh I was so happy when she showed me her card and it said that she had passed. I had told her that if she didn't pass I was still going to move her up. I tried to move her up last year and she only lasted about ten minutes in the class and started crying and she never got in the pool again that summer for lesson. They really push you. You have to swim a mile at the last class. I am happy to know that she will be ready for it. It may take time to pass but she got their on her own without me moving her up.



Jacob loves swimming lessons. He has a harder time because he can't kick his legs like most kids can but he loves it and has so much fun. He is always making his teacher laugh and the other kids. He is such a jokester. He would always come home and talk about how he swam the whole length of the pool even though he never did. I sure love him. His favorite part those was jumping off the diving board. He looks forward to it every time he takes lessons.

Take me out to the Ball Game

Rachel and Jacob both played baseball this year and loved it. Rachel has improved so well in the last year. She got really good at hitting and catching. Rachel's team was the gray dolphins .

Rachel hitting the ball.

Rachel on 1st base.

Jacob played t-ball this year as well. He played on a team with all the kids from the neighborhood. Jacob's coaches were two 14 year old boys from our neighborhood. They were wonderful. The kids loved them. Jacob had a great time. I was really worried about Jacob and how he would do. Well the first game Jacob got up to bat and right after he hit the bat his coach picked him up and ran him to 1st base. It was the sweetest and coolest thing. From then on every time Jacob went up to bat somebody would pick him up and run him to 1st base. Jacob said to one of his coaches after one game that they played a good game but they needed to run him to 1st base faster. It was so cute. Jacob's team was the orange gators.

Coming to home plate to hit the ball.

Running home.

Jacob sitting with a bunch of the boys that helped with the team.

Jacob's baseball team

Kaelen has actually gotten great at hitting the ball as well. Kaelen loves balls and has since before he could walk. He learned in the last month to hit the ball. He has the ball on a tee and then he hits it. He is really good at golf and soccer too. He will hit balls with a golf club and is very accurate too. He also loves to run around the yard kicking a soccer ball. I have never seen somebody so young hit and kick a ball so well and accurately. It is so fun to watch him play. He plays all the time too. He is always outside wanting to play ball.

Kaelen golfing

Holy Hail

On Friday June 26th we had a crazy storm come through Idaho Falls and surrounding areas. We had hail the size of a water bottle lid. It stormed for quite a while too. We were so worried about our garden. Everything that was smashed with the hail was able to come out of it. We have one plant in my herb garden that didn't do too well but luckily it didn't die. Enoch sent the pictures into the paper and they were actually in the article about the weather. Pretty cool. I think that pictures tell it all.

The whole side walk was covered with water.

Hail pile at the side of our house.

Water covering the whole street

Hail on our trampoline.

Large hail.

Hail on lid of water bottle.

More water in the street.

Another hail pile in neighbors yard.

Wasatch Back

(Our team about 3 minutes before our first team member started the race at the starting line)

On June 19th and 20th I did one of the hardest physical things that I have ever done before. In January I signed up with 11 other individuals in my neighborhood and ward to run a relay from Logan to Park City. I at first was not sure what I had signed up for. I thought that when I signed up for this race it would a relay where we each run 5 miles. When I found out that I would run 3 times including in the middle of the night I had many thoughts go through my head of what the heck was I doing and this could be fun. I should let you all know too that before all this I had never run a mile straight in my life. For years I have wanted to run but never knew how to do it and where to start. I tried many times but almost killed myself and then never kept trying. This race has a training schedule for beginner runners. It says that for the first month you try to run for 15 minutes straight. It also says that if you are unable to run the whole time you can walk but just keep moving and don't stop till your 15 minutes is up. After about a month your time increases every few weeks by 5 minutes. It's a pretty easy schedule at first and it made it easy for me to do it. I was running on the treadmill at this time. I was not improving as much as I would have liked. I was getting worried because my race was in a few months and was not anywhere near to running that far. My goal too for the race was not to care how fast I ran but to run the whole thing. In April I started to run outside with my friend Natalie. I used to walk with her and we both said that we could not and may never run. I found out that she had been running about a mile a day because she was trying for amini triathalon that she was doing at the end of May. At first it was hard to run outside. My legs were so tired but very quickly I got to where I could run a few miles. Natalie had a harder time and still does but we ran together. I got her ready for her race and she got me ready for mine. There were many times that she would stop and walk while I ran and then I would run back to her. I didn't mind because I enjoyed running with somebody.

On May 15th I ran my first 10 KM. Everyone of us on our race had to run it to determine our starting time for the race. They take our average time from the 10km and then determine when we will start. The slower you are as a team the earlier you start. I was so scared for my 10km but did it and ran it the whole time. I actually did it in less than an hour. I was so shocked. I was so proud of myself. Our starting time ended up being at 1 PM. We actually were supposed to start at 2 PM but we called and asked to be changed to 1 PM because we thought that 2 was way too late in the day. The last teams for the race started at 6 PM and the first teams started at 7 AM. Pretty much everybody on our team had been running for years. I was the only one that had just started running.

Our team name was Random Runners. We all bought matching running shirts as well. So the race starts in Logan and then we run the 187.7 miles to Park City. We run one at a time. We have to vans per team. 6 runners per car. Van 1 starts with runner 1, they run and then at the trade point you trade with runner 2 and then they run, etc. So somebody is running at all times. I was runner number 7. The 1st runner for our van. When your van is running your van will play leap frog with you. It will drive ahead till they can't see the runner, they will then sit and wait till you catch up and pass the van and then the van will drive a head again. If you need water the van will stop and give you some.

The day of our race Enoch and I left in the at about 9:30 AM with 3 others from our team. We all drove together. Enoch was not running in the race but was actually a volunteer for it. One of our team members brother from Utah was running the race. The rules for the race were that if you had a team member closer than 100 miles of the race course you had to have three volunteers to help at the check points during the race. Enoch was one of our volunteers. He was volunteering at check point number 14 or exchange number 14. I was happy that he could come with us. The car ride to Logan was good. When we got to Logan we met as a team, went over last minute things, got our little goodie bags and then decorated our car. Everybody goes crazy with decorating the cars. We didn't do much. Most of our team didn't want to do anything but then afterwards said that next year they wanted to do more. It is a fun part of the race. It is easy to spot certain vehicles on the race course. We just put footprints around the car with our names on it and them we put our name on the back. We also had "together we = 187.7" on the vans.

(Enoch with me right before my first run)

(Before my first run in Liberty, Utah)

When we started at 1PM van 1 left to follow their runners and van 2 just hung out. My starting estimated running time was 6:30 PM. We ate lunch and the boys played ultimate Frisbee while we waited. We had 8 men on the team and 4 women. We were signed up in the mens catagory. We had to do that because we didn't have even numbers of men and women. When we started our run it was about 85 degrees outside and when I ran at 6:30 PM it was 80 degrees. It was really hot. When I started my race I started in Liberty. We run the back roads and through the small towns in the area. When I started my race our van had to leave me to go and drop Enoch off at his volunteering station. When they left me I was doing great and didn't need water. I only ran 4 miles the first time. Well it was hot and when I got to my exchange point with my next team mate they were not back and had left no water. ( a side note we don't carry a baton to pass off to each teammate we carry a snap bracelet. You snap it on your wrist while you run and then pass it off to your other team member when you get to them) They actually dropped all the runner but the last two off at their starting points. They then drove Enoch to his check point. Well on the way back they tried to take the main freeway to avoid the runners and all the vans. Oh yah their were just under 700 teams on the race so tons of vans and people. Well after dropping Enoch off and they headed back to the race course. Well they didn't know that the exits were all closed for construction so they had to back track to Odgen and get back on the race course. So as they were trying to get back I was sitting and waiting for them at the exchange point with no water. I waited for two hours for them. I finally caught a ride with a guy who worked for the race. He took me to the next exchange point to find my other team mate who had been sitting and waiting for an hour as well. Well while I was waiting the sun started to go down behind the mountain and it sure got cold. I was freezing. The whole time though I was worried that maybe they forgot me and that the next person would not be there when the runner got to their exchange point. When I got to the next runner he was freezing too. When we finally were picked up the other girl in our van kept saying how sorry she was. She said that they drove over 85 MPH in a 55 MPH zone to get to us. Luckily they dropped everybody off and only the second to last runner had to wait a couple of minutes for us.

(Running my first run. My team left after this picture was taken)
Well as you all know that I got sick a few hours afterwards. We now think that it was because of altitude sickness. Even though it was not much higher than Idaho Falls I still got sick because I had not water. With altitude sickness you need water to help you. I was very nouseaous and had a headache. We also think that because I had no water for so long my body started to freak out. Well the rest of the race I was so sick and dry heaved for most of it. It was so awful. I was so glad to have Enoch with me. Well I didn't sleep because I was sick either.

My next run was for 2:30 AM. I was so sick and not sure it I was going to beable to do it. I got ready to run with another of my teammate ready to take my place if I needed. Well my teammate before me was coming and so I didn't have much time. Well he got their before I oculd decide what to do so I ran. It was my hardest run but my favorite. It was totally dark and I couldn't see really anyhting but runners near me and my own head lamp. I loved it though. I loved the cool air the stars and the not being able to see anything ahead of me. I had to acutally run up a few large hills. On the hills I was able to pass other runners. I acutally felt amazing as well running. When I got to the exchange point I was so happy. I had the biggest grin on my face. I was so happy that I ran it and finished it and felt great.

Ofcourse my grin did not stay. It was not much longer after I finished that I got sick again. I tried to sleep as best as I could but really couldn't. It was a long night. I did actually sleep for about 2 hours in the later morning just before my next run.

(Rob one of my other teammates sleeping in a sleeping bag under a table to stay fry from the rain. It was only drizzling at this point)

(Hanging out before our van started to run)

I ran again around 12:30 pm. It was really windy when I started to run.
(Before my first run)
I thought for sure that I was not going to be able to run it because after 1/2 mile I was so tired. I had not slept, not really ate all night and then I had the wind. Luckily though it started to rain. We pretty much ran the rest of the race in the rain. I was really wet when I finished but it kept me cool. My team was amazing too. They would stop all the time and run and give me water if I needed it. the last mile of the race too Enoch got out of the car and ran it with me. That was really nice of him. I loved running with him.
(Hanging out before I ran my last run. It was really windy and cold)

(Running my last run, wow ugly sweats I was wearing)

(Legs of one of our runners after running in the rain and mud)
I was so happy when I finished. I acutally fell asleep about an hour after and woke up after the last runner started. We finished the race in Park City and the last 150 meters our team finished it together. It was so exciting to finish together. It was really nice aswell to have my team members come up and hug me and tell me how awesome I did. Enoch has mentioned many times how proud he was of me and how impressed he was with what I did.
(Our whole team after the race)

(Me after the race in front of the official Ragnar van)
I now have this awesome metal to show for it and knowing that I ran my first race. I was sore afterwards too and sore for many days. The day of and after I couldn't walk down the stairs without moaning. We started at 1PM and finished at 6 PM the next day. Our team ran the race in 28 hours. We came in 66th out of 165 for the mens and 167 out of all the teams. We did amazing. I was so impressed with our whole team. Oh yah Mom Team Powdered by tahitian Noni came in 76th.
(Van 2 after the race)
We had tons of fun on the race. Joking with eachother and just hanging out. We have acutally signed up again for next year. Next year there will only be 650 teams and so you have to sign up right a way. We signed up after we finished. I am excited to run it again. Enoch is going to try to do it with me as well. That will be fun. I am excited to keep running.

I didn't run the week after the race but did start up again this week. I ran 4.5 miles on Monday without any problems. I am just so happy to have accomplished something that I thought that I would never have been able to do. I learend that if you really want to do something and put your mind to it you can do it. I still can't beleive I did that. Wow.

Thanks too for everybody for your prayers and support. I love you all.

Ragnar Race In June

Here is the video that was put together by one of our team mates of our Wasatch back Race in June. There is also a slide show of all of our pictures that we put together. I will try to upload that soon. There are not many videos of me because they left me the first time I ran. The second time I ran it was in the early morning hours and I am not sure why they didn't film any of us running at night. The last time they got me. I would have liked the night run filmed cause that was the best. Oh well next year. I really love this video especially the naked man. Enjoy watching it.

Happy Birthday To Me

Happy Birthday to Me. This year was a great birthday but different. Rachel is in Boise still and so she wasn't around for my birthday. She wasn't too sad though because she spent the day at Roaring Springs water park.

I started off the day with Jacob coming in to wish me a Happy Birthday. It was so cute and he was so excited to wish me one as well. Oh I guess Enoch wished me Happy Birthday at 6 AM when he left for work. After I got up we went to Jacob's baseball game and then spent the rest of the day tiding up a little and then watching a movie. I watched 27 dresses. Much more vulgar than the edited version I watched first. I still enjoyed it though.

Enoch came home early from work to wrap presents and stuff. We then just the four of us, Enoch, Jacob, Kaelen and I went to Texas Road House to eat. It was really good.

This year because Rachel was gone and I wasn't feeling like cake till after my race this weekend I said that I wanted ice cream instead. So to change things even more we all went to a movie. We saw "UP". It was very cute. Jacob loved it and Kaelen loved the balloons. He would point to them and say ball. Kaelen fell asleep during the movie and acutally stayed asleep even after we got home. The movie was longer than I thought and so we didn't get home till after 9. I still had to open presents too.

(Us at the movie theater)

Well it was even weirder opening presents with just Enoch and Jacob. I don't know when the last time was it was that quiet on my birthday. Jacob was so fun though. He hid all my presents around the room and made me play 'hot and cold' to find them. He didn't know though that I already knew where they were. I being a good mom though looked around in odd places and made him laugh.


I got almost everything I asked for this year which was amazing and only because what I wanted was not cheap and yes not your normal gifts. I first opened a 24 count mini muffin tin. Yes I am a total homemaker if that is what I wanted for my birthday. Next I opened three new bread pans. I have one really nice one and wanted three more. Well I got them. I am very excited to be able to make bread and not have to borrow other peoples.



I then got an amazing shirt from Layers clothing that I have wanted for a long time. It is so cute. My next present and biggest was a bike trailer. I am so excited. I got a new bike a couple of years ago and have been able to use it really because I have no way of taking the kids around with me. Well now I do. We are going to use it a lot this summer. I want to bike to swim lessons and stuff. I was so excited that we set it up and put it together right a way.



I mentioned above that I didn't want a cake. Yes I didn't want one for the reason of cake right now does not seem great to me because of my race this weekend but also with not many of us in the house a cake would just sit their. So instead I asked for some yummy ice cream. We put a candle on it and Enoch and Jacob sung happy birthday to me. I still am not sure why Jacob stopped singing in the video. Maybe he felt that his Dad needed a solo.

For my birthday as well I got lots of phone calls and emails. It was really awesome. My favorite of course was from Rachel who called me twice and then also wanted to know about everything I got and was so excited when she heard what I got. We are actually going to celebrate my birthday again when Rachel gets home. We are going to go to Red Robins to eat and then have a cake and open my present from Rachel that she bought while in Boise. Rachel was sad to miss everything so I told her that we would celebrate it again later. I don't mind that one bit.

I had a really nice birthday this year so far (I get to have it again next week) I was spoiled from my whole family and I knew from friends and family that I was loved. I am grateful to everybody who made it special. I enjoyed getting another year older.

Kaelen drinking from hose

I mentioned in a previous blog about Kaelen love drinking from the hose. He loves it. He loves to have the water on outside and get soaking wet. He will put his mouth right over the hose and drink the water. It is so funny.

I love how wet he is. His pants are soaking wet. They are actually shorts but looks like pants because of how wet they are.

I love this picture with his tongue sticking out. He is will lick the water.

Hmm yummy.