It's a beautiful thing

One night I decided to get some exercise and let the kids take turns riding in the bike trailer while I circled the neighborhood.  Summer nights are so wonderful.  The cool night air draws people outside to chat, walk, ride bikes.  I rode round and round, sweating, breathing heavy, and soaking in the beauty I'm surrounded by. 

This was the sunset as I finished my last rotation.  

Unbelievably gorgeous. 

 And this was the creation the children and their friends had made on the sidewalk with chalks. Inspired by the beauty of the sky. 

I loved it. 

The Cole boy's 6th Birthday

July 7, Coley boy turned 6!

The day started with a sparkler in his pancakes.  After breakfast he opened his gifts which included:

- a rashguard

- a Perry the Platypus t-shirt

- a watch

- beyblades

- a red scooter

Here are some interesting facts about Cole @ 6:

- loves to play with friends

- loves to kiss his Mom

- is dying to go to Kindergarten

- doesn't like to sleep in a room alone

- plays the piano and is a quick learner

- loves sugar

-has canker sores often (see above)

- is still loud (waiting for him to outgrow this one :)

- has some awesome dance moves

- loves to swim

- loves animals

- loves to be outside

We had a friend party for Cole too.  We decided a Wipeout style obstacle course would be perfect for a  bunch of 6 year old boys. The kids, Scotty, and I had as much fun planning this as the little boys did participating in it.  It was messy and so much fun. 

The started out sliding down the soapy slip-n-slide. 

Running through the tire run while being pelted with balls filled with pickle juice.

Diving for swedish fish in icy water with only their mouth.

Rolling across the very muddy trampoline.

Taking a spin on the stool.

Crawling across the ketchup covered tarp in the "hot dog crawl".

Popping a balloon full of green jell-o with their teeth. 

Sitting on a balloon full of mud and the timer stopped!

We laughed and laughed and I videotaped it all. 

What a great time. 

Afterwards we had rootbeer floats and did sparklers. 

-

Lucky 13!

It's our lucky 13th Anniversary.
Woah boy!

I honestly thought I planned our Anniversary last year.  I had to read through this blog to realize, nope, it was all him.  So, I decided we'd go see 17 Miracles together. Hey, our Anniversary is on Pioneer Day. It all tied together beautifully.

What a movie.
I don't cry at movies.
This was an exception.
These faithful pioneers endured the unbelievable and kept on going.  It is a must see movie. I cannot wait for my children to see it and help them understand the sacrifices others went through for their beliefs.

To wrap up the celebrating of our union I made the classic Sunday dinner today; roast, mashed potatoes with gravy, rolls, corn, and coconut sticky rice with mango for dessert.

Then I told everyone we'd have a movie night downstairs. They were so excited.
I turned on...our wedding reception video.
Scott and I loved watching all those who came to wish us well. Seeing some who have passed on. Reeling at how little the nieces and nephews were.  Soaking up how young and excited we were.

We were invited to a temple sealing on Wednesday in the Salt Lake temple. I am so excited to be a part of that and remember how special our day in that temple was.  I am so thankful for my marriage.
I love you my Scotty boy.

And of course the obligatory photo of the lovebirds.

Ragnar: Bad Anderson Style

After 34 hours 33 minutes and 59 seconds our family had completed the Wasatch Back.

What a feat!

What a great race this was.  I loved running with a team.
Cheering each other on and expecting great things of yourself and others was inspiring.

Van 2 had the luxury of not starting our run until Friday afternoon.  We decorated the van with markers, signed in and waited for the arrival of Van 1.

Van 1 minus me. Pre-race

It just so happened that when Van 1 showed up Jen and I had painted our toenails very similarly.

We all rode in Tristan and Molly's van.
Tristan was a great "Rag Dad".  He happy to drive, a great navigator, and stayed up through the night to ensure we all could sleep without worrying about leaving on time.  I love the way Tristan puts others before himself.

This was one of the more exciting hand-offs.  John's first run. He was in "the zone", ready to go! However he followed the orange barricades and ended up going the wrong way right out of the gate.
Molly chased him down in flip-flops running like the wind.  It really was impressive. There was a group of people watching these two.  John couldn't hear her because his music was pumpin'.  She reached him just as Tristan picked them up in the van.  Molly laid in the back of the van with her heart about to beat out of her chest. That girl has some speedy legs.

There were some serious  hills along this route.  Those of us who rode in the car during those hills would cheer on those runners brave enough to face the hill.

Such beautiful scenery along the race.  I loved driving through these tiny towns full of cows and mountains.

As luck would have it the Thorne's friends live in the town we needed to stop in for the night.  We showered, had an early dinner and hit the concrete.  We slept in their unfinished basement.  While we were warm, I think the grass would have been far more forgiving on our hips. Em, John, and I cuddled up to share my pad under our bottoms.  I did get a bit of shut-eye so it was well worth it.

Our second leg of the race began in the middle of the night. It was very cold. I trained through the winter, so this was perfect running weather for me. However, standing out in the cold was miserable as you waited for a run to come in or a runner to leave.  This was my favorite leg for me.  It was a 7 mile downhill run through mountains.  It felt like flying in the night.  I heard streams, and farm animals, but not much else.  I think only 6 or 7 cars passed me.

The real problem we had was when people finished their run in the night.  You were hot and sweaty but your body temperature plummeted about 10 minutes later and you were cold to the core.  The backseat was reserved for recovering runners.  Blankets were piled on and the heat ran on high while others sweated it out trying to warm up the last runner.  Some ended up getting sick to their stomach.  This race is not for the faint of heart.

Molly was our last runner, so she ran as the sun was coming up.  Molly runs the same way she lives her life.  No excuses.  She just gets it done.  
Kenz was our first runner. Here she is during her final leg of this race.  Kenz is a steady runner.  First leg, second leg, or last leg it didn't matter. She just kept running and didn't let anything phase her.

My last leg was by far my most difficult.  It was hot out and I was tired.  It really took everything I had to even walk some portions.  And when I finished things got real difficult.

We began the ascent up the mountain.  This was not a running trail.  This was hiking up a mountain.  Ridiculously steep.  Any runner on this road was cheered and revered.  Em started this portion.(her 2nd leg was 10 miles)  What a tough final leg to run, but when Em puts her mind to something she will stick to it.  She cursed the hill at one point, but she was determined to finish this mountain, and she did.

When we got to the top where John was running this is what we saw; snow. Piles of snow.  Think of the elevation gained. I ran in some serious heat, and 2 runners later there was snow.  John's a very focused runner.  He doesn't let any outside distractions get to him and is able to put everything into the task at hand. He was so fun to watch.

We met up with Van 1 and as soon as we saw our speedy Molly we all ran to cross the finish line together. Dad and Mom were there cheering their hearts out.

Our Ragnar Team minus Wendy.

The nieces who ran.  So proud of these girls!

Van 2's illustrious couple.

Shawn came to watch Em run across that finish line.  So sweet.

Jen's whole family was there to cheer her in.

What a great race (minus the honey buckets).  It was exhilarating.  

I believe we all have potential far beyond what we imagine. 

Sometimes you tap into that a bit and life is so beautiful.  

Da Dentist

Has nothing to do with this post. Just think it's funny. 

It was dentist day on Wednesday. I schedule all the children's dental appointments over Christmas break and summer break. I also schedule them on the same day at the same time. I'm a firm believer in "if you're going to do something difficult just get it over with all at once even if it may push your sanity to the breaking point" theory.  So I actually talked Scott into coming and helping me wrangle Grace.

Like always, when I announce it's time to get in the car and head to the dentist, many run upstairs and brush and floss.  Our dentist is a nice patient man. Those are good qualities to possess if you'll be a pediatric dentist right?  They all had pics done, had their teeth cleaned (even Grace this time!) and then I sat in while he looked at each child's teeth and x-rays one by one and he gave me the breakdown.

So here's the summer dental session 2011:

Chloe- Hygienist compliments her good job of keeping her teeth clean, especially with braces on. Chloe beams with pride (and a bit of that "I told you I was doing a good job").  Her back molars are coming in and the dentist notices she has a pit in both of her back teeth. It's just something that happens as those teeth form, but it needs filled so a cavity doesn't form in the void.  We'll do that at the winter session. Chloe's free and clear and maintains her filling-free mouth!

Asher- Whispers to me that he'd like the dentist to pull all his baby teeth so he can get braces soon.  Unfortunately that'd be A LOT of teeth.  He only has 4 adult teeth! He's 11!  No big deal the dentist says. I applaud that. Gives us more time to grow that money tree for his braces.  He's cavity free as usual, because he grinds his teeth at night so horrendously that most of his baby teeth are missing. In fact one is ground down to the point you can see all the layers of the tooth.  I suggested it for a science fair project next year.

Aidan- He's had the most work done and thus he is the most nervous.  He literally clenched his jaw shut last time he had to have a cavity fixed.  However, this time he passed with flying colors!  The dentist noted an overbite. I noted that my boy sucks his thumb at bedtime.  He noted that there are appliances for that and I let him know I wasn't interested.  That was that. Go AIDAN!

Cole- Cole has had a few cavities unfortunately from lack of flossing.  That would be my fault. However, when he had those fixed a while ago, he fell asleep while they were working on him.  I asked if they gave him something I didn't know about? Nope. I guess he was just tired.  The dentist doesn't bother him in the least. Shots or no. He's cool with it.  Today- he received a warning on one tooth. I promised to floss it like crazy and we were good to go.

Grace- For the first time she let them clean her teeth.  She loves to brush her teeth at home (ie. eat toothpaste) so she was excited to let them take a stab at it after seeing all her siblings get theirs cleaned.  Then she proudly announced- "They brushed my teeth Mom- look!"  A definite "thumb-suckers" palate here.  I did that to her. I took away the binky and she went straight to the thumb and never looked back. oops.  Ah well. No cavities for this one. All that brushing pays off ;)

Yellowstone 2011

What I love most about vacations are the memories. 

Little pieces you tuck away that seem to become better with time. 

As a kid I went to Yellowstone several times. 

Dad had to work up there every year and so Mom would load us up and we'd make the trek.

We'd swim in the pool and buy cheap rings in West Yellowstone. 

We'd search out the dollar store and get excited over a cute waiter at the Three Bears restaurant. 

I love those memories and feel extremely blessed to be able to make those memories with my husband, my own children, and my parents. 

This is the 32' RV that housed the 9 of us for the week. 

DAY: 1 

The bunk area is always a hit with the kids, and I must admit it's kind of funny to watch them get up and down, up and down over Dad's head as he drives for hours. 

An occasional blanket would fall and land on the driver, or Scotty. 

 One of the beauties of an RV is being able to enjoy the spectacular views from so many large windows.

 Our first stop, as always, is Henry's Fork State Park. 

Last year we discovered leeches in the lake the hard way, so this year the children caught the leeches and skipped rocks. 

DAY 2 : We headed to West Yellowstone. 

This is where a parent must have utmost patience as they help each child spend their 

earnings on trinkets and bobbles.

Here's the breakdown: 

Chloe- a bag, a funny shirt, an I Love Lucy lunchbox, earrings, and a couple gifts for friends. 

Asher- a fedora, a funny shirt, and a satchel (not a purse.)

Aidan- a rabbit fur sprayed to look like a tiger to add to his rabbit fur collection :), a bear claw, a postcard, and a crystal.

Cole- a chipmunk stuffed animal, and an ice cream cone whose top shot off.

Grace- a dog

 We all went to the IMAX to watch National Geographics: Lewis and Clark, Great Journey West.

It was unbelievable. The things these two men went through to chart a wild land. 

We all loved it and learned much.

We've decided without a good woman (Sacajawea) men would be....lost.

 We wrapped up West Yellowstone with pizza and Wilcoxon's ice cream.

Mmmm boy!

That night we stayed at Bridge Bay Campground in the park.  

 The snow was a novelty for June.

Grandpa picked up a hitchhiker. Uh- huh. He sure did.

Mom and I tried to make small talk with the NY native who was here with friends, but

was trying to locate them?  

Then we enjoyed the unbelievable sights at Artist's Point. 

 And a stop at Dragon's Mouth.

It's like picking a scab. You know it won't be good, but you can't stop yourself.

It was stinky, but a real phenomenon.

 That  night we had hot dogs and smores around the campfire. 

Aidan FINALLY had a chance to use his pocket knife and whittle some sticks.

 Mom kept things running.

Here she serves Scott up some mustard with a hot dog :) 

 That night at Bridge Bay Scott, Chloe, Asher, Aidan and I went to a 

Ranger's presentation called, The Living Volcano. We brought hot chocolate and wore our coats.

The information about the geothermal activity and such was intriguing.

DAY 3: 

 Mom needed a new hair-do and I gave it to her. 

A faux-hawk.

We searched out last years sand bar for some fishing on Yellowstone Lake. 

The kids played in the black sand and fished and fished and fished.

Mom built sand creations with the kids and kept her face out of the sun.

Scott and Dad took turns fly fishing when they weren't helping kids.

 History repeats itself however and I'm afraid Dad spent the majority of his time undoing tangles and knots. Patience is his middle name. 

Chloe's persistence paid off when shortly after Dad said, "You'll usually catch a fish in the 11th hour", Chloe lands a good sized cutthroat.  

DAY 4:

We stayed at fishing bridge RV park (which is in no way, shape, or form handicap accessible- note to self) and the kid's discovered a large family of chipmunks living in the tree next to our RV.

They laid still with nuts and crackers in their hands and got the little creatures to climb right on them.

A definite hilight for the kids. 

 We tried a more accessible fishing spot on Grand Loop Dr.

It was very easy to get to, but not great fishing. 

Lots of snags. 

 Chloe volunteered to unhook the snag and ended up in the ice cold drink.

 Asher gave it a shot next and had the same results.

 We decided in order to see some animals we'd have an early dinner and head out to the Hayden Valley area in the early evening. It paid off big time!

We saw a mama grizzly and her two cubs playing in the snow. 

I could've watched them for hours. 

 On the drive back to Fishing Bridge we saw another grizzly up on the mountain near a buffalo. 

The two weren't really interested in each other. 

DAY 5:

We left Yellowstone National Park and headed to Targhee National Forest.

We stayed at Colter Bay Campground.  

We hung out at camp and let the kids play.

This led to the forming of the "Booster Bros."

Booster Bros. help each other out.

They boost each other into trees and the like.

They perform routines in the RV.

Very entertaining. 

We drove in to Jackson that evening and the girls walked the town.

Mom took us to some of her favorite spots.

Wild Hands, the Bunnery, Mangelsen's studio.

On the drive back to Colter Bay we saw yet another grizzly bear just right off the road.

So close in fact the Ranger would not let us pull over.

 DAY 6:

Dad's 77th Birthday was begun with singing and smooching.

Then we were off for home. 

We drove through beautiful Star Valley, Wyoming.

That place always gets my mind spinning. 

I imagine living in a place so wild and breathtaking.

 We pulled in to our driveway on Sunday early evening and unloaded until dark. We were all exhausted and a bit stinky. In total we saw 6 bears, several elk and buffalo, a super cute snow-shoe hare, several chipmunks, geese, ducks, a bushy tailed squirrel and antelope.  My laundry was truly a mountain and took 15 hours of washing to conquer. It was a wonderful time. Thanks so much Dad and Mom.