So sorry for my lack of posting on the blog, but we have been crazy busy this last month trying to squeeze in all our last minute fun before school got started. We made some big changes over the summer, but I can honestly say LIFE is GOOD & we are all healthy & happy. It's about time!!! :)

Anyway, I promise I will post more soon...be sure to check back for more to come on our summer trips, Aidan's great 1st yr of swim team, soccer season, & **sigh** starting back to school! :)

Take care!

Provo River 1/2 Marathon

We did it!!!

I am so pleased to say that my friends & I were able to run

the Provo River 1/2 Marathon this past weekend.

I've already mentioned my amazing pal, Canesa,

but I thought I'd toot her horn a little bit more.

This girl ROCKS!!!

She has only been running for the last couple of months & yet she managed to pull off running a 1/2 marathon (yes, she did jump from a 5k to 1/2 marathon in a week) in just over 2 1/2 hrs. KUDOS, CANESA!!!

Linda & I went back & ran the last leg in with Canesa

I must mention her dear sweet hubby, Burt.

I do believe he played a good role in motivating her by saying..."hmmm...I don't think you can do it." Way to use reverse psychology there, big guy;) He also took care of my boys in the wee early hours so that Canesa & I could go run in the canyon (he used this time to convince them that he IS Batman...they still randomly say, "um, he's not really Batman, Mom...is he?").

He was a big help to me.
Needless to say, I am so proud of Canesa.

She did this hilarious little dance of joy that I wish I would have caught on video.

This picture will have to do...just imagine her jumping around waiving her hands:)


I also want to mention another amazing gal pal, Linda.

She is AWESOME!!!

She ran this race as a last minute favor to me. She ran in the Bryce Canyon race a few weeks before & finished in just over 2 hrs. My goal was to finish in under 2 hrs 15 mins...I knew Linda would be a great person to set that pace for me. She was a bit reluctant, but all the same I dragged her little bootie out of bed at 4:15am. Again, another success story! She finished this race 3 mins faster than her last!

YOU GO GIRL!

Finally, my cousin, Simone, also got in on the run. If you know Simone, you know she is a natural born runner. However, she was nervous going into the race since like Canesa, she has a tiny little baby that she is still nursing (which by the way makes me look at these ladies in awe even more. They are my inspiration). Simone was worried that she wouldn't be able to keep up with all her other cousins, but I daresay I do believe she finished before all of them.

This sweet pic was taken early in the morn

before the race with my phone

by some guy waiting in line to use the port-a-potties...nice....

SIMONE, YOU ARE AWESOME!!!

I would be remiss if I didn't mention that I convinced all my friends to run because I let them know that not only was this a beautiful run along a lush, green canopied trail next to the cool waters of the Provo River, but it was also fairly fast since it was mainly all down hill.
Of course, I was not anticipating wild fires to change almost the entire course.
Um...the route ended up taking a drastic turn to being largely uphill on the freeway & the last 3 miles were on flat ground that wound around & around AND around in a parking lot. I have to laugh, my friend from my favorite running store (Fleet Feet in American Fork-- her dad/the owner & I have a Cali. connection going on) was running the last leg with me & finally yelled out loud what everyone else around us was thinking..."OH MY GOSH! WHEN IS THIS FREAKIN THING GOING TO END!!??!!"...I'm just sayin' the last 3 miles were ridiculous! Good thing I had my GPS watch to give her some bearings.

We sprinted to the end together.
After which, she tore off the bottom of her bib & handed it to me because she immediately turned to the side & threw up...nice. That's when Aimee took this pic. My expression makes me laugh. I have what some might call a phobia of vomit....it's really yucky, people!

I'm happy to report that I not only met my goal,

but well surpassed it with

a time just under 2 hrs (1:57:25 actually).

YIPPEE FOR ME!!! :)

Also, I can't forget our cheering squad at the end...Aimee & Judi.

They are true friends through & through.

Both of them have babies & both of them have much better things to do than to get up early to come wait at the finish line so they could root for us with big, smiley faces...

BUT THEY DID IT ANYWAY!

You guys are the BEST!

FYI, Canesa is already planning our next 1/2 marathon & we have the triathlon in Sept.

Who's in!?! :)

Some more family pics

As Cute As 2 Bugs in a Rug

Yippee!!! Here are the 1st of some of our family pics. My boys are so unbelievably handsome. I also want to point out Dyl's little nose & lip...keep in mind my earlier post of him crashing right before the pics. Yes, people! THAT IS HOW GOOD PEEK-A-BOO PHOTOGRAPHY IS! Anyway, if you can't tell, I am very happy to finally have some professional photos after all of these years. I'll post more later when I get 'em.

Vandalism or Good "Clean" Fun?

Upon arriving at the pool today, we were met with this terrible sign:

Typically, the kids look forward to the last day of swim lessons since it means they get to go off the diving boards & down the water slides...but not today. I saw this sign & thought, "oh no, what terrible, horrible, atrocity did some dirty, rotten fiend do to our beloved waterslides". I'm envisioning profanity graffitied all over. Or tons of stinky garbage piled down the slides & in the pool. Or maybe the scoundrels went one step further and somehow broke the slide or took it apart. Never in my wildest dreams did I envision the ACTUAL heinousness of the crime...

BUBBLES!!! For the love of everything good in this world, WHY!?! OH, WHY!!!!????!!!!!

I even captured the valiant efforts of the staff trying to make the world right again...

We'll check back in with them later to see how that drama unfolds.

Now on to the silver lining of this tragic tale...DYLAN'S LAST DAY OF SWIM LESSONS!!!

So as you all know, this kid is something else. First, I can't pay him enough to go to lessons. And just like anything else, now it's a battle to get him out of the pool. I will say this new found love has a LOT to do with his amazing teacher: Chad.

Dylan LOVES Chad & thinks he is the funniest guy in the world. I will have to say he is pretty creative. Yesterday, Dylan was a bit nervous about going to lessons since Chad said that he was going to be gone for the day. Dyl put on a brave face & went anyway. To our surprise, it was Chad EXCEPT he was wearing some crazy wig, glasses, & a tie (IN THE POOL!) & talking with a funny voice. Dylan was laughing his little head off.

Today, as an alternative to water sliding, the teachers combined the classes & the kids played games in the pool. Chad quickly picked Dyl to be on his team as Sharks & they had fun picking off the Minnows. They were quite a pair & had everyone laughing.

The kids also got to go off the diving boards still & so that brought a whole new batch of entertainment. Dylan was very timid & insistant that Chad be right by the board when he jumped off; however, there was no need to worry since Dyl did a SUPER job all by himself. He quickly gained his confidence & was soon running...um...no, I mean walking briskly (hello! everyone knows you don't run by the pool. You might slip & fall. And plus, the life guards will blow their whistles at you & embarass you &...ah heck...you know what happens) to get in line again & again & again!

Once again, Chad had all the kids laughing with his antics as he started a "Biggest Splash" & "Craziest Dive" contests. Amazingly enough, Dyl was apart of both & Chad made Dyl feel good by saying he was pretty sure Dyl's splash was MUCH bigger than his own. Thanks, Chad! :)

Big bro, Aidan, was there to support & cheer Dylan on. I felt so bad for him. He kept saying, "Man! I wish I could get in the pool. I want to SWIM!!!" He was dying to show the kids his front flips off the board.

A funny sideote: Chad is actually in our ward. His sister was Aidan's swim coach. His dad is in our bishopric. When lessons were over & Dylan received his graduation certificate, he turned to me with a sad face & said, "I'm never gonna get to see Chad again." I let him know that he would since Chad lived near us. "But it's not the same, MOM! I'm never gonna get to swim with him again!" Well, that's true, but you'll get to see him every Sunday at church. Dylan stopped walking & looked at me, "MOM! I don't even know where he sits! Besides, swim lessons are waaaaay funner than church! Geez!"...and with that he stomped off to the car. I can't win.

Oh yes...I know you are dying to know what happened with those poor staff members working so feverishly...

I know...they look miserable. Somebody needs to get them a pay raise...

All in all, it was a great way to finish out swim lessons for the summer.

Let's go swimming...

Dylan's face

Some of you may have noticed that earlier this summer Dylan was sporting some discoloration on his nose & under his lip. If not, well look again people! It's there! Anyway, in an attempt to catch up a bit on some things that we have done this summer I thought I'd start with this little incident. So here we go...

The boys are definitely enjoying being able to play with all the "big kids" now. The only problem is these same kids have a lot more experience at all the rough & tumble stuff. I do believe the first week we moved in the boys ran down & asked if they could ride a motorcycle. Now we're not talking ride ON a motorcycle being operated by a supervising adult. We are talking ride BY THEMSELVES on a dirt bike on the rocky hills next us...um...yeah...I don't think so. The best part was the look of disbelief on their faces that their supposedly "Cool" mom just said no to something as harmless as riding a simple little bike that happened to have a motor attached to it...geez, MOM! Ugh!


Anyway, moving along, the boys decided to go ride their bikes with the "big kids". Both my boys are pretty good on their bikes, but we'll just say they don't have a lot of rough-terrain, down hill, mountain biking experience...which brings us back to Dylan's face. This little kid is so fearless sometimes it is scary. First time up, he went all out. The craziest part was after he flipped his bike & bit the dust was that the aforementioned "big kids" were saying things like "he was freakin' nuts! We never go down that way! It's waaaay too steep"...yeah, that would have been nice to know before you took him up.

Needless to say, when the tears were done & the blood was washed away from his nose & mouth he was left with some pretty good scrapes & bruises. As you can tell, his nose & lip swelled up pretty quickly & his poor gums turned black & blue from his teeth getting jammed up...all of this 2 days before family pictures (side note: we have not had pics taken as a family since Dylan was about 2 mos old)...nice...I'll chalk it up to moments we'll look back at & laugh upon some day.:)

Initially, I kept thinking that Dylan looked like Charlie Chaplain. I pulled up some pics for him so he would have an idea of who I was talking about. Hmmm....



BUT upon further examination, I realized he looked a little more like this guy...'cept the guy in the picture seems to have a happier disposition & probably doesn't give his mother as much grief....



WHAT!?! I'm joking!!! Geez! :)

Are you ready for some football!!??!!

Dylan has been dying to play football & this year he is finally old enough. I've had mixed feelings on this issue since on the one hand I am happy that my son is so excited about something, but the other hand belongs to the mom in me & is shaking me while screaming, "ARE YOU FREAKIN' NUTS!?!" Oh yeah, here's the other little sidenote: it's TACKLE football. I reiterate, "AM I FREAKIN' NUTS!!!???!!!"

In the end, I gave in & signed the little guy up. He is now beaming from ear to ear & I have to admit I am actually really excited for him too.

The first couple of practices were just in t-shirts, gym shorts, & cleats. There are quite a few hurdles in whether this new adventure will actually come to fruition, one being the fact that practices are 2 hours long, but Dyl handled it like a champ. Honestly, I can't remember seeing him this excited about anything (excluding his brother Jake...who he now has decided is veeeery boring 'cuz all he does is sleep...oh well...). I think he likes having something that is just about him that Aidan has not done before. There is definitely something to be said for not having to follow in your big brother's shadow, which works for Dyl.

Then came the next hurdle: helmets. Again, I was holding my breath to see how much bargaining I would have to do to keep him going. If anyone has played football or had a child play football, they know that the helmets are a definite struggle since they are so uncomfortable....that plus have you seen Dyl's noggin? What!?! I'm his mother. I can say that. Besides it's so big because of all his brains...yeah that's it:) Anyway, all the kids (not just mine) complain about the helmets. They're heavy, tight, & make your head sweat! Plus there's also the mouth guard...my own gag reflex goes off just thinking about it. But, to my wonder, Dyl again hung in there strong. Which is pretty impressive since Dylan really is the smallest kid on the team...and man he looks it...YIKES! The coaches call him "Lil' Dyl". At first I had a panic thought of, "what if he is like the kid in 'Rudy' that just had all the heart, but not really the skill. And what if he's just more of a mascot or a water boy"...not that there is anything wrong with that, I just don't want to keep making him suffer through practice after practice in the smothering heat if he doesn't want to. However, my fears were put to rest as I watched him handle every drill or task the coaches asked without a hitch.

I will say he is easy to spot because he is the little body with the big helmet running past all the bigger kids:) I'm pretty sure he is aware of his size comparative to his teammates since he commented to me with a big smile, "did you notice I wasn't even close to last, Mom?" Yes, Dyl, I sure as heck did:)

Then came his first practice in full pads & helmet. I know I'm his mom, but seriously, he is the cutest dang kid you ever saw. Okay, that didn't sound very manly man footballish...so scratch that last comment. He looked burly TOUGH. Argh!

Anyway...let's see...oh yes, practice...Well, Ben got to enjoy the duty of taking Dyl to this practice. I was on pins & needles all night watching the clock wondering if I would hear that I needed to meet Ben at the ER or something crazy like that (have I mentioned I have an active imagination?...overly active some of my family & friends might say). Sure enough my phone started ringing. Then I got a text, "Dyl is struggling". Oh great! What have I done? How could I have signed my baby up for such a brutal sport!?! I'm picturing bruises, blood, & broken bones. I panic & call Ben. "What's going on? What's happening?" Looking back now, I think it was probably more of Ben's own paternal instincts that was making it seem worse than it was. He told me he didn't want to ever encourage Dyl to quit, but...."Kari, he's just so small. He's so much smaller than the other kids. I keep cringing every time it's his turn". Now if you know Ben, this is saying a lot. I wasn't there but I was visualizing big, huge defensive linebackers drilling my poor little 6 yr old down...ouch!

Also, I guess at one point, Dyl kept coming off the field for water & told Ben he wanted to go home. Ben would give him a sip & say get back out there buddy, you can do it! Here's the shocker, Dylan did it!!! Normally, this kid would fight you tooth & nail if you told him to do something he didn't want to, but not this time. He was hanging tough & then there was the blood-curdling scream. Ben said he was standing on the field & Dylan just started screaming. A big green bug flew into his mask & bit him on the cheek. Ugh! The coaches got his helmet off & put some water on him & eventually he calmed down & finished out practice. After hearing all this, I figured Dyl was throwing in the towel. Well, at least he gave football a try & that's what matters, right? OR wait...

I came home that night to a happy little boy jumping around on the driveway in his practice pants. He was reenacting how he got tackled from the side this way & then tackled from the side that way, all the while smiling & laughing about it. I couldn't believe it. I asked him if he just loved football, "of course I do, Mom!" He told me he did ask dad to take him home a couple of times 'cause he was so stinkin' hot & then the bug bit him on the face (by the way, when he initially showed me his face & kept pointing to the spot, I didn't really believe him since there was not even a hint of red where he was pointing. However, the next morning he had a penny size swollen mark that has now since scabbed over. Sorry for not believing you, Dyl). Other than those couple of things, Dylan loved football still. YIPPEE!!!!

I will say this, I know a huge part of Dylan sticking it out is because of the great coaching staff. They are all very patient & kind to those boys. Dylan thinks they are all the greatest.

Keep your fingers crossed that we have a great season.

He's already working on his mean face for pictures:)

Go Vikings!!!

Highland Fling

I'm always encouraging my gal pals to start running with me, but most of them have let me know that running is not their thing...except one: Canesa! Can I just say how much I love this girl. She cracks me up. Just tell her she can't do something & Wham! Bam! She'll prove you wrong. The thing about her is she just had a baby less than 6 mos ago. Since then, she has taken up biking & rode in an 80 mile race. Not to mention, decided to not only start running a couple of months ago ('cause I asked her to), but is willing running races with me as well. I might also add, we've both decided to also move on to triathlons. We are WOMEN; hear us ROAR!!!! Okay, enough about girl power & back to the main topic of this post...Highland Fling 5k.

I got to be honest, I was a little tired going into this race...okay, a LOT tired & wasn't sure how I would do. I could tell Canesa was a bit nervous & I tried to stay upbeat & positive. I honestly think the majority of running is mental...if you run with me, you know that I am constantly saying that & I strictly forbid you to say anything other than I CAN do this! I'm really not that harsh...well, maybe I am, just ask my friend, Katie. Okay...moving on.

As per usual, the first mile was a little slow going & a bit of a struggle. I could tell Canesa was getting a little concerned that so many people were running past us at first (don't get me wrong, we were well in the middle of the pack, but it is a bit daunting when you are gazing at the sea of people in front of you, but fail to realize the whole slew of people behind you. It really wasn't as bad as she thought). Seeing as how this was her first race, I assured her that she was doing fine. The thing is most people shoot out of the gate & then lose steam about a mile in. Eventually we started catching up to these same people who were now walking & yes, we confidently passed them. I saw a little glimmer come back into Canesa's eye & knew she was going to make it. I typically, will stay with my friends if I'm afraid they will quit, but I knew I was good to run on. Of course, I made sure she would be okay if I ran ahead & she said to go for it.

I will say this race was a bit harder for me since: a) there really was no markings along the course to let you know how far you had gone, b) the 2nd half of the race was uphill, c) the finish line consisted of a lightly sprayed line on the ground. Typically, I like to push myself the last stretch, but before I knew it they said, "you just ran past the finish"...what!?! You got to be kidding me! Oh well...

Anyway, Canesa finished in a little over 35 mins & I was so proud of her. She ran almost the whole 3.1 miles! In all honesty, she WOULD have run the entire race but once again, the fact that the course was poorly marked, she had no idea how close she was to the end. Unbeknownst to her, she walked for about 45 secs...less than 1/4 mile from the finish line!

Regardless, she did a great job.

Hip! Hip! Hooray, Canesa!!!!!