THEY'RE HERE!!!

 For 4 years almost 5 we have been waiting for this day. Michael went on a surprise trip to seattle to pick up Shanon, Christina, Shelby, and Tryn. It was a really long trip because on the way there the transmission on his truck went out. . . sort of. He could only drive short bits at a time.The night that he was gone Amber and the girls slept at our house we got to stay up late and visit. It felt like forever that we were waiting to hear from Michael updates of where he was. I would have been terrified sleeping in my vehicle in a place I am unfamiliar with in the middle of nowhere. and if Mike were in the same situation I would be so scared also. Well it was a really long couple of days but Michael and the girls made it here Monday morning. We hung out for a week with just the girls. The following weekend Michael, Mike, and my dad drove out to pick up Ben, and Michael's truck and tow it back here. While they were gone we got together and did a craft night while the kids played.

 

 

Meanwhile Jeremy was sitting in the front room snuggling with Emily and she fell asleep. He was so kind to take care of her for me.

 

We also made a little craft for my mom. Each of the kids put their thumb or fingerprint on a block of wood to be strung together and hung from a "Family" sign.

I am so excited for the men to get back so that we can spend some time together. It's strange to think about them being back since they've been gone for so long.

The rest of September

 The elementary school has a birthday lunch every month for the kids who's birthday is that month. Since Addi's birthday is in August and Jaiden's is in September they had their birthday lunch on the same day. They were so sweet to invite me to come and have lunch with them and Michael brought pizza.

Emily definitely has her times when she prefers her mommy and her daddy. This night she wanted her daddy. They snuggled until she fell asleep.

 Emily really loves reading books and will bring a book to anyone to read it to her. This book is her favorite now. "Ten little Finger and Ten Little Toes".

 After kindergarten today I took Jackson Molly and Emily to the zoo.

 It was a nice day and of course we had to take a photo next to the lion drinking fountain.

 Molly has struggled with accidents lately so for incentive I told her that if she could go potty in the toilet 60 times she could go get a pedicure like mommy. It took her some time, I made her a chart that she could put stickers on every time she went potty. She had to go by herself or upon the first time being asked, she had to flush, and wash her hands also. She finally did it!

 This salon has little kid chairs so we went there and they soaked her feet, took off her old polish, clipped and filed her nails, pushed back her cuticles, and painted them with the color she picked, which was of course pink.

 Then she put lotion on her feet and legs.

 AND she painted a little flower on her big toes. She was so nice and Molly just thought she was the queen sitting in a chair all by herself. She was so proud of herself.

Big Cottonwood Half Marathon

It's finally here! This is MY race. This is the race every year that I strive to be fast. That I strive to get my personal best. So this was my year to meet my goal. I captained the Run4Fun team and because we had so many members the race organizers gave us a tent spot at the finish line.

 Mike made posters and we took our pop up shade over the night before and set it up. It was a little windy so we were worried about it but it ended up being ok.

We met up with Lyndsie at packet pick up yesterday. This was her first half marathon that she's run. 

At the end of the expo we took some pictures. They had a cool sign that you could put your goal time in and take your picture. My goal time was 2:30:00

We had fun taking pictures in different groupings. Me with Lyndsie

 Me with Mike

 and of us kissing. awwww.

 Because we went during school Jackson and Molly and Emily came with us and Ryder was with Lyndsie.

 That night we had our pre race meal of Cafe Rio. I got a tostada and a soda that I drank with 48 ounces of water. Mike had a burrito and soda also. We got all our gear ready and headed for bed. My mom came over the next morning dark and early.

 Phil dropped Lyndsie off at our house and we rode over to the finish line together. We got in line early enough that we got to ride on a charter bus. But of course that meant that we were waiting at the start for a while also.

 The staging area is at Spruces campground where Jim and Dawn happened to be camping so they came and met up with us. A couple days ago we were at their house and they had hand warmers I asked them if I could have some for the start. They were so helpful. I put them down my sports bra. That was awesome!

 When the race started we all agreed that we would run our own paces and do our very best. I was going for a personal best, so was Mike and Lyndsie's goal was simply to finish. That's the goal for every first I feel. When the race started I was still cold but I warmed up quickly.

 I was running along and feeling so good. I'm pretty sure I found MY pre-race meal. the one that works best for me.

 I was so speedy down the canyon. I was on track to beat my goal time. Then it hit me. I had to go potty! NOOO!!! That was going to slow me down. I wasn't going to stop at the port-a-potty the line was too long. But I knew there was a camp ground further down the course. When I got there I waited for a few minutes but kept moving I peed super fast and then ran on my way. I was feeling so good! At 8 miles there was a photographer so I jumped and my legs didn't even cramp it was a feat and showed progress.

 

Coming out of the canyon is always the hardest part because it flattens out and after running downhill well, you may as well be running uphill.

I kept going until I was there. I was at the finish. I couldn't believe it. I was done and had more in the tank.

 

 Mike had already finished of course.

His time was 2:05:25.68 he placed 71st in his age division!

 When I was done I posed for a pictured and headed back up the course to meet up with Lyndsie knowing that wherever she was she was surely struggling if she was alone and could use a friend. I went back about a mile and a half where we met up and finished together. She did it. I'm so sure she wanted to quit but I was beyond proud of her for finishing.

 My mom and dad came with the girls and our kids to cheer us into the chute.

 When we finished we hung out in our recovery tent for a while to see if any other run4fun-ers would come to meet up. Not many came this year but maybe next year.

 My friend Shaylee last minute bought someones full bib and she finished and we got a picture together.

 and of course Mike and I had to get a finish line picture together also.

I was so excited for this race and it did not disappoint. I finished in 2:25:50.72 I can't wait until next year.

The Dinosaur Park

 I was looking at Facebook today and saw an ad for an unkown park in ogden. I asked Mike it he wanted to do something spontaneous and he said sure. I told him about the park, we hopped in the car and headed up there. We started inside the museum where they had gems that had been found that were HUGE! They had dinosaur skeletons, and fossils of all different kinds.

 The last thing we looked at were these dino's that were animatronic it was kind of like Jurassic park

 Then, well then we went outside where they had life size dinosaurs. This was so cool! The first one we saw was a t-rex.

 Then we saw a parasoralophus.

 We loved this triceratops.  and took the opportunity to take a family pic.

 There were all kinds of dino's meat eaters, herbivores, and omnivores.

 We had to run away from the ones with pointy teeth and open mouths. We didn't want to be eaten.

 There were fun secret dirt trails that took you around to see them in their natural habitat.

 We came across this brachiosaurus that was life size. It's huge! the legs are like 10 feet long.

 We also had to get photos of the "worlds most dangerous creatures"

 And they had to take one of us.

 We had so much fun there and could have spent so much more time walking around and reading information about the dinosaurs we saw.