Happy Birthday Lanie

This week was Lanie's 5th birthday. Crazy.

My Mom was in town for two days and it was fun to celebrate it with her. Saturday we had a little birthday party for her at our house with a few friends. She had a lot of fun. We are glad there are so many good kids here for our girls to play with.

Making her wish
Can't forget Baby C!

"It doesn't hurt to try athlon"

That is what was written on the girl's shirt who was running in front of me...I don't know if I was in total agreement though! A few weeks ago I did the Anthem Sprint Triathlon with some friends from our ward. It was a reverse order triathlon, so we started with the run, bike, then swim. We had a lot of fun, despite the 105 degree temps. Dean was there with the kids and they were all such troopers- and great cheerleaders! Our bike ride was 3 loops of a 4 mile course, and it was fun to see them with their sign yelling and cheering everytime I went by. The swim was in a pool which was kind of hard because it got so crowded- not like swimming all by my lonesome at the gym pool... nothing like getting kicked in the face a few times at the end of a race. Thanks to my ipod and camelback for getting me through the rough spots!

Meadowview ward girls: ready to run!

My cute cheerleaders!

Finished!

Painting the kitchen

Last Monday we painted our kitchen. We picked out a color that we thought was a light sage green...wrong. More like pea green. Actually I don't hate the color, but it doesn't go great with our cabinets and counters, so I was kind of bummed. Too bad, because there is no way we are repainting it for quite awhile. Dean and I both dread painting, which is why we will have been here almost a year and still have more than half the house to finish. Hopefully it grows on us, but until then...

Sedona

We can't take the Heat! I have tried to be strong this summer, but I needed a break from the Phoenix temperatures. So Labor Day weekend we headed up to Sedona to remind ourselves what 70 degrees feels like...wonderful!

We had a lot of fun camping with the kids and some friends from our ward, the Jones and the Jennings. Besides the cool weather, the next best thing was the s'mores...okay, maybe they were tied. I love s'mores, and apparently my kids love them just as much. Saturday we did a beautiful hike in Oak Creek canyon the followed a little river. The kids loved every time we had to cross it, even when they did fall in (which was often). One thing I love about camping is that I am always excited to get out and do it, and at the end I am always just as excited to get back home to a hot shower and warm bed!

A New Bergstrom Record

Last month we met my family up at Lake Powell for a few days. We are always excited for our summer trip there, and the kids love playing together on the beach. Steven is in Iraq right now, but Cami flew out with their kids for the week. Dean had to work, but Diane and I went up with the kids. Thanks Dad for such a fun time!

One of the highlights of the trip was getting the kids up on skiis! Steven has held the record for the last 25 years as the youngest one in the family to double ski (5 years old), but Autumn broke that record. She was the first and youngest of the grandkids to get up (3 yrs. old)! I couldn't believe she was brave enough to do it, but she got up on her first try. The other kids were nervous, but after seeing Autumn they were all anxious for their turns...what a dare devil!

Lanie skiing: