April 18, 2012

Laurens Baptism and Lilyannes first birthday!

It was a beautiful baptism service, pretty day and perfect party. All spent with family and close friends on a spring afternoon.

Little girls, little girls

I was preparing to run a marathon, nursing a baby and just barely getting time with my husband after a very long campaign year. My little Lyla was only 8 months old. I was 90% sure I was finished having babies and told everyone three was the magic number. And then....I got pregnant. I found out in August.  Not  my plan!!! A big surprise. I was deflated, overwhelmed and disappointed. At times I even felt angry. I know I should not confess these feelings but that's how I felt.  Luckily my husband and girls were very excited. My family was excited. Kelle and Sidney were excited. So I"m grateful for them and their support. Of course I had a few family members act like complete jerks and not hold back their opinions on big families but they can kiss my grits!!!  It is what it is. As much as I was disappointed I felt this must be Gods plan for me and I needed to get on board with it. Its December, I am now 20 weeks pregnant and I had my ultrasound yesterday. I finally feel a bit of relief and excitement. It appears to be a healthy baby girl! I love little girls. I know she will bring more joy to our family. I had to drop out of the marathon and quit nursing Lyla. We have had to ignore comments of those who don't agree with our pregnancy.  I have been tired but it will get better and be worth it.  I can't wait to meet her!!! Lyla will have her own best friend like Lauren and Lindsay have in each other. I can keep my upstairs pink!!!! Life is good.


PS: It was the St George Marathon I dropped out of. I still ran my half in Bryce Canyon, loved it and beat my best time!!!!

Up and Running!!!!!

Late April

It has been a while since I have ran, I mean really ran. Since I've had Lyla I have put my running shoes on but it has not been consistent. I have the craving to get in some real miles but it has been hard.  I have been struggling with sleepless nights and then Dan being gone all day.  I am tired but I am determined.  So I have registered for a few races. Yahoo!!! I'm going to run our Stake (church) local annual 5k this weekend.  Then I have a half marathon scheduled for July 17, in Bryce Canyon.  I'm looking forward to this one because I will be running solo amongst beautiful scenery. It will be a great time for reflection and just taking everything in. I miss my running group but eventually we may run together again. We are all signed up for the St. George Marathon in October. That's right, another 26.2.  I want improve my time from when I ran it a few years ago. I know I can do it.

May

Last week I ran twice with Alisa, We are going to train together for St. George. Alisa rocks! This morning I ran with a few ladies from my last years running group. Jessica and Rachel. I love them.  We go to church together, play bunco, live in the same neighborhood and our kids play together.  Running together is what really made us bond. But the past year I've missed it. I was uninvited to run with them when I got pregnant and I let it offend me...I shouldn't have.  They booted me out because they wanted to improve their running time and I was only going to get bigger and slower.  I continued to run alone and sometimes wog (walk/jog) with Kristy Langford. I stopped running about 6 months pregnant. Now Lyla is six months. I'm ready to hit the pavement. I feared they wouldn't want to run with me after I took almost a year off. I might be at too slow of a pace.  But I have ran with them a few times now and held my own. In fact today I did great! We ran together this morning and I have to say I was impressed with myself. I kept up with their pace and out ran them on the hill! Woohoo! Not that it matters :-) But secretly I was laughing all the way up the hill!

Three weeks later

I am up to seven miles now and feeling great! I try to run around 6:30 am when the girls are still sleeping. So far it is working out. I have a ton of races I want to sign up for but I can't do all of them.

June

Still running and loving it! I had to slowdown with running for the last week because of campaigning and the election. But now I'm back. I ran eight miles at a pace of 9:40!!! This may not sound great but it is for me. Only three weeks left until Bryce Canyon Half Marathon!

July

Ran 10 miles down AF Canyon last week. What more can I say than it is simply gorgeous. A beautiful relaxing run down the mountain surrounded by nature, trees, streams and fresh air. I loved it. This week I bought new shoes and ran 10 miles from Alpine through Highland to AF rec center.  One week until my race!

Welcome to summer

We welcomed in Summer with the usual.

We started with Popsicles. One sunny afternoon we opened a big box of them and decided to share them with the neighbor kids. The street was full of kids riding bikes and writing on the sidewalks with chalk. Everyone was out to enjoy freedom in the sun. So we shared our Popsicles and got lots of smiles in return. Later on in the week we enjoyed a fire pit with the Madrugas in their backyard. It has been a summer tradition since we moved here four years ago. Late nights making smores and telling stories.

This week we hit the American Fork Rec Center pool. Wow the pool was crowded!!! I walked in and was ready to turn around and walk out. The crowd made me nervous.  I get nervous with my girls and water because they don't know how to swim yet. It was noisy and busy and so hard to keep an eye on them while holding Lyla. But I stayed for nearly three hours and the girls had a blast. They played so well together, splashing, going down the slide, jumping in (the little end of course not deep end) and, making new friends. It reminded me of summers with my sisters at the little local YMCA pool in Ridgemont neighborhood of Rowland Heights. I'm so glad my girls are making the same memories.

This year summer is going to be super fantastic. I love summer!!! I love the heat, the sun and its warmth, clear skies, free days, giggles, water splashing, ice cream and everything else that comes with it.

Be involved VOTE

Last weekend we walked with about 100 other Mike Lee supporters at the Orem City parade. It was a blast!  You should have seen Lindsay chanting "I like Mike" with her fist held high in the air!!! She was so cute. Lauren sat on Dans shoulders with her Uncle Sam hat. As much as I despise the dirty side of politics it feels great to be civically minded and involved.

Dear friends,


I promise my husband didn't ask me to do this .

I  just went to early voting! I love to vote, I get a natural high from doing my part as a citizen!! I believe each of our votes do make a difference. So I'm asking each of you to vote for Mike Lee for US Senate.

Here is why...

I have attended several of the senatorial debates and events the past few months. I followed the seven candidates through convention and we are now down to two, Mike Lee and Tim Bridgewater. Mike is far more qualified than his opponent! I have personally met with him and find him to be intelligent, prepared, passionate about our Constitution and very honest! Mike Lee is the man! He is a highly educated constitutional attorney but like most of us cruises around town with his kids in a mini van.

Unfortunately his opponent has sent several attack ads, paid for endorsements (yuck) and lied. The opponent claims to be a small business man but he isn't...he has taken millions of dollars of government money for his "small" business and sent it to Mexico and Indonesia. He seemed like a nice enough guy but the truth is coming out. It is embarrassing how ugly politics can be. :-(  Tim Bridgewater has donated nearly $400,000 of his personal money to his campaign. Yet he continuously cries out that he is just a small town boy from a double wide. Make me barf! He also is dragging Cherilyn Eager around as his pathetic side kick. Let me tell you she is one mean lady! She even admits it while parading around with a sticker that says "nice women don't get ahead".

Mike Lee is who you want to vote for!!!!

Mike Lee is a pro life Republican
He doesn't like BIG government telling us what to do
He opposes government bailouts
He has never worked as a lobbyist
Supports the 2ND Amendment gun rights
Supports lowering taxes
Opposes amnesty
Fights to protect Utah's lands and water from federal encroachment
Wants to balance the budget and reduce national debt.
He has ran a clean campaign
I trust him
Log onto his website and read issues for more details

Mike Lee has been endorsed by
Steven Covey
Attorney general Mark Shurtleff
Governor Norm Bangerter
Representative Jim Hansen
Utah Senator Mark Madsen
Mark Levin - radio host
Carl Wimmer – Patrick Henry Caucus Co-Founder
Freedomworks
Republican Liberty Caucus
ALL of the 912 tea party groups
and more!!!!!!! check out the website to read more than 50 additional endorsements www.MikeLee2010.com


Forward to everyone you know who cares enough to vote.

Please join me and
vote for Mike Lee!
Early voting is now
through June 18
Election day is Tuesday June 22

www.MikeLee2010.com

facebook.com/mikelee2010

best friends

Lauren Kay & Lindsay Jane

Best friends and sisters

Roses are red

Violets are blue

I'll be your best friend

If you'll be mine too!

He is not finished with me yet

Here is my prayer for today, that I may remember God is not finished with me yet. I have a long way to go but he will never leave me. So I need to be patient with myself.  Its OK that I m not perfect or anywhere near perfect!  Hes not finished with me yet, words from a song, Wait and See, by christian artist Brandon Heath. I love it. It reminds me that my Father in Heaven is not finished with me. I'm living this life to grow closer to him and to become a better person but I am a work in a progress!

I'm the last one to drop my kids off at school..I wish I was on time.
My house is a mess. I clean it, but I wake up and it looks like a pig pen. How does this happen. Do I have mid-night ghost who makes a mess while we sleep?
I feel like I don't do enough good things with my kids and let them watch too much TV.
Dinner is not on the table at dinner time often enough.  Wouldn't it be nice to have the table set and a healthy meal at 5pm every day. I am capable of this but why is it not happening?
I could be saying my prayers more regularly and getting to church on time.
My husband and I never spend enough time together. I know he wants to but he is just too busy.
The baby won't sleep through the night and I'm tired.
I can never make decisions. Why can't I just decide and move on.
I have art work to hang in the pink bathroom. I bought it one year ago...it is STILL in the bag!!!!
Why can't I be more like Martha Stewart??? :-)
Why are my Mothers Day cards still stamped and on the table one week after the holiday..oops!
I love my life and love my family !!! At times I feel elated but at others defeated.  So when I heard the words to this song I knew I needed to sing it out loud. There is hope for me yet!



Lyrics to Wait And See :


I was born in Tennessee
Late July humidity
Doctor said I was lucky to be alive
I’ve been trouble since the day that I got here
Trouble till the day that I disappear
That’ll be the day that I finally get it right
There is hope for me yet
Because God won’t forget
All the plans he’s made for me
I have to wait and see
He’s not finished with me yet
I never really was that good in school
I talked too much, broke the rules
Teacher thought I was hopeless fool alright
I don’t know how but I made it through
It’s one of those things that you’ve gotta do
But I always had a knack for telling the truth
There is hope for me yetStill wondering why I’m here
Because God won’t forget
All the plans he’s made for me
I have to wait and see
He’s not finished with me yet
Still wrestling with my fear
But oh, He’s up to something
And the farther on I go
I’ve seen enough to know
That I’m, not here for nothing
He’s up to something
So now’s my time to be a man
Follow my heart as far as I can
No telling where I’m ending up tonight
I never slow down or so it seems
But singing my heart it’s one of my dreams
All I gotta do is hold on tight


There might be a day I finally get it right... or not.  But there is hope for me yet, because God won't forget all the plans for me.  Hes not finished with me yet.  The Lord is up to something. I'm not here for nothing. All I gotta do is hold on tight.

It is OK that I'm not perfect. This song uplifts me even when I'm feeling down. So thankful for good music!!!!

puppy love

I love the scent of my baby. It is like the way a new puppy has a certain little scent. She smells so good... that is except for her diapers! I love the nuzzle into her warm baby soft skin and just take a deep breath. I love kissing her little lips, her forehead and the back of her head. She smells so yummy and is so fun to cuddle with. I'm absolutely in love with her!

Laurens first day!

Oh, the first day of school!!!! It wasn't so hard I only got teary eyed for a few minutes. Lauren is ready for school. She is so smart and confident and makes friends so easily. So we have nothing to be worried about. I just wish she was a baby for a few more minutes and then may be two or three years old for a little while longer. She is growing up so fast now. She doesn't even have a baby face any longer. I miss her sweet little cheeks. But we are equally excited to see her grow.

She is so proud of her new backpack! We went shopping together for new school clothes, ribbons for her hair and her backpack. I let her pick out a few things but she had limited choices since she is wearing a uniform. Dan is very excited about uniforms! I made all of the bows and let the girls help. She is attending a charter school called Mountainville Academy. We have only heard great things about this school and hope that we will be happy with our kids going here.

Daddy and his girl share a hug!

None of the parents wanted to leave! After 15 minutes the teacher Mrs. Powell said "OK parents you can leave now" . Here is Lauren saying goodbye and off we went leaving our first born to her first day of school.