Wicked!

Went weren't sure we were going to make it due to the stomach flu that had hit our house, but we made it to see Wicked up in Salt Lake City at the Capitol Theater.  We had had our tickets for a few weeks and were excited to go until we all came down with the stomach flu.  I had the flu the day before, McKay had it earlier that day and Jeremy got it the day after we saw the show.  Needless to say, we loved the show and had a great time!

McKay, me and Jeremy outside the theater just before Wicked started.

McKay inside the theater during intermission.  (He looks pretty good considering he was throwing-up 12 hours before.)  Our seats were near the front of the balcony and we had a great view of everything.  It was an amazing show and I am glad that we made it to see it together.

Say It With Me Now....

.......Awwwwwwww!

This picture is priceless.  It was taken one Sunday when we went on a primary field trip to sing some primary songs to a sister in our ward that has been battling cancer.  Kayden was walking with two of the cutest girls ever.  I had to share.

First Day of School 2012

School is upon us again. We had a great summer and now it is time to get back into the routine of school. McKay started Jr. High this year. The seventh graders went to a half day of school for orientation on Monday.  So he started one day sooner than everyone else.

McKay went to school that day with a few of his buddies from our ward.  McKay grew a lot this summer.  He towers over his friends.

Josh is in second grade this year and Jaxon is in fifth grade.  They love riding their bikes to school and they both had a great first day.

Kayden and I stayed home together all day as he was sick and throwing-up.  Poor guy.  He was miserable the whole day.  His year can only get better from here.  He doesn't start school for another week or so but is excited to go.  (He keeps asking me how many more sleeps until school.)

Alpine's Sliding Rock

August 3, 2012

One afternoon we decided that we needed to get out of the house and have some fun. We kept hearing about a great hike in Alpine that has a natural water slide at the end of the trail. We invited a neighborhood friend and her kids to come with us and then went to check it out. The hike was short but hot. We were rewarded with a nice cold pool of water with the water slide when we got to the top. We had a great time:

Jaxon sliding on down the rock.  He couldn't get enough of it.  He loved it there and has asked several times when we can go back.

Josh taking a turn.

McKay sliding down.

Even I had a great time sliding down the rock.  Surprisingly the rock is very smooth and it does not hurt your bum at all.  However, the water is shockingly cold so once was enough for me.

Jeremy took a video of me sliding down the rock.  The kids get a kick out of watching it due to the yelp at the end of my slide. That water was cold!

We brought our dog Suki with us.  She followed the kids up the trail to be able to go down the slide and then she followed the kids down the slide as well.  She slid down three times--I couldn't believe that she kept doing it!  Usually she is not a fan of the water.  The above video is of her sliding down the rock and then right after she slides, Jaxon goes down.  It was a great afternoon and it will be on our must do hiking list again for next summer.

Running is Nuts

We all set goals.  Some goals are crazier than others.  Running 13.1 miles is a crazy goal.  I had no excuse this year when Jeremy asked me if I would like to run the Timpanogos Half Marathon.  So I agreed.  We started running in the early spring and I couldn't even run one mile without dying.  I decided I really needed to push myself and run anyway.  I convinced myself that I wasn't going to die.  Soon I was running a mile without stopping, and then two.  Finally I was able to run three miles which means I could begin my half marathon training.  At this time, I ran in the Blood Run with some good friends of mine.  I love these ladies:

 Me, Raylyn, Camie and Lisa

I ran the whole 3.1 miles, but it was on a dirt path, which I had never done before.  It proved harder than I thought it would be.  Nonetheless, I continued on with my training.  Our training consisted of running a couple of smaller runs (3-4 miles) a couple of times a week and then a longer run on the weekend.  I was amazed with myself as my miles increased.  When I reached five miles I thought I was something else!  Before I knew it, one weekend I ran 8 miles.  I thought my legs were going to turn to jello.  That same run I learned about Body Glide as I had experienced some serious chafing.  I also learned a thing or two (thanks to some friends) about running attire.  If you want to feel and be a runner, you need to look like a runner.  So I ordered some running clothes.  Over the next few weeks, our training took us up to ten miles and I was able to do it without stopping.  Jeremy and I declared ourselves ready for the race:

The starting line.  We had to be at the finish line at 4:00 in the morning to board a bus to take us up the American Fork Canyon to the starting line.  It was early, dark and cold.

 

I talked my two new friends Tiera and Kari (who were already runners and my running attire coaches) into running the race too.  We did some running together during our training.  I also ran the first seven miles of the race with Tiera (in light blue).

 

This wonderful product called Prev (above) was a gift from Tiera for my birthday (which was the day before the race).  I was seriously concerned about my GI track and feared needing a bathroom and not having one during the race.  Taken 30 minutes before a run, this stuff will help your GI track and help you to not have problems.  I was willing to try it and Tiera tried it with me.  The stuff worked great and my stomach was fine the whole race.  It was a very thoughtful gift as Tiera knew how stressed out I was about my stomach.

Oh the finish line.  I couldn't have been happier to see it!  I ran the whole race minus the last hill.  I struggled through miles 11 and 12 (why oh why did I not eat the rest of my energy jelly beans??), but I made it.  It was a little harder than I thought it would be.  I was also surprised at how sore I was the afternoon after the race and the few days following the race.  I am glad to be finished with the training and the race itself.  I have continued running a few times a week, but I haven't ran any longer than four miles.  It has taken a few runs before my legs didn't hurt, but I feel great running now.  I just need to keep finding my motivation and desire.  Let me know if you see either of them anywhere.

Martin's Cove

My parents have been serving a Mission up at Martin's Cove the last few months. They left in April and will be back in the middle of October. We have missed them terribly but couldn't be prouder of their service. We went up to visit them after our trip to the Tetons to see where they are staying, to see all the work that they do each day, and to spend some time with them.  We got there on a Sunday afternoon.  We got to eat lunch with all the missionaries when we first arrived.  Then we went back to Missionary Village to see where they have been living the last few months (they have been staying in their trailer) and to meet some of their friends.  Once the visitor's center closed that evening, my parents took us out on the rovers to see the sites.  It was awesome to see the sites and hear the stories that go along with them.

Here we are at the Sweet Water crossing.  There were three statues to represent the three men that helped the handcart pioneers across the river in the bitter temperatures.  The statues also represent the Aaronic Priesthood.  It was nice for McKay to make that connection.

Martin's Cove where the pioneers took refuge from the storms that were pounding them.  There is a special feeling in the cove.  I cannot even imagine all that was endured there.

On Monday morning we went out to Independence Rock.  We climbed to the top and looked out all around the valley.  It was fun being with Grandma and Grandpa.

We walked all the way around Independence Rock and were able to see many of the names of the travelers that had passed through there.

We went back to the visitor's center for the official tour.

After our tour, we pulled a handcart over to Devil's Gate trail head.  The boys thought pulling the handcart was fun.  (The whole couple hundred of yards.)

Kayden even pushed the handcart.....

.....for about three minutes.  Then he hopped in the back and went for a ride.

Devil's Gate.  We had a good time wading through the water and having fun with Grandma and Grandpa.  We were told the legend of Devil's Gate and Kayden was looking for the "beast" the whole time.  He was a little disappointed when he didn't see it.

On the way out of Devil's Gate, we were greeted by the ranch horses.  (The Church uses the property to ranch when it isn't trekking season.)  They walked right up to us wanting to be pet and patted.

My dad giving a horse some love.

Josh giving some gentle pats.  The horses wouldn't leave me alone.  They really liked me--or they really liked the backpack I was carrying full of food.  Either way it was fun to be surrounded by the horses.

It was a great trip to Wyoming to see my parents.  It was hard to say good-bye to them, but we will see them again soon.  It was fun to see Martin's Cove, the sites there and to spend some time with my parents and the missionaries.

The Tetons

We went up to Wyoming for a family vacation this year. We had two parts to our vacation. The first part was a trip to the Tetons. It was beautiful there and we had a wonderful time hiking, boating, enjoying the scenery and being together without distractions (such as the Wii and TV).  We stayed in a small little cabin just outside of the Tetons in a tiny place on the map called Moran.  Just outside our cabin there were great hiking trails and beautiful look outs.

On our first night there we hiked along a ridge that over looked Buffalo River.

There were beautiful wild flowers of all colors.  It was breath taking.

Kayden, Josh and I brought up the rear.  The sun was just starting to set as we returned from our hike.  The boys even found walking sticks as they went along.  They also found stick swords, stick guns and stick wands.  (See?  We don't need TV or Wii to have fun!)

Jaxon, Kayden and I went back to the cabin while Jeremy, Josh and McKay continued a little further on.  They just could not get enough of the beauty in the area.

The next day, we went hiking by Jenny Lake.  We took a ferry across the lake and then hiked up a half mile to this beautiful waterfall (above) called Hidden Falls.

Kayden thought we were done hiking and was happy and all smiles.  We did take a small rest but then continued on another half mile up some rocky terrain to a lookout point.

Kayden did not like this hike at all.  He cried most of the way up and was mad that we wouldn't carry him.  (The kid is a tank!)  When we finally reached the top and wanted to take a picture, the only thing he would do is throw daggers at the camera with his eyes.

Jeremy jumped into the next picture and still, Kayden would not give the camera the time of day.  He was grumpy.  But the view was great!

Some of the wild life.  The animals were so used to people feeding them that they would basically sit in your lap.  One chipmunk nearly stole a granola bar right out of Kayden's hand.  This one thought Jeremy had a snack and nearly bit his finger.

A view of the mountains and Jenny Lake.  Kayden is happy now because we had just told him it was time for lunch!

After lunch we rented a boat and went for a ride on Jackson Lake.  It was very relaxing after hiking all morning.  Aren't those mountains amazing?

We parked the boat for a bit and went for a swim.  The boys had a good time jumping off the boat.  Josh was the first one in (after Jeremy) and loved it.

Jaxon diving on in.

McKay doing a cannon ball.  Kayden jumped in too, but my camera missed him.  Once was enough for Kayden.

While heading back in the marina Jeremy let the boys take a turn driving.  McKay is at the wheel above while Kayden is having a snack and Josh is being silly.

Jaxon on Jackson Lake with the beauty of the mountains behind him.

Jaxon taking a turn at the wheel.

Kayden playing in the water at the marina.

After boating at Jackson Lake, we went for a drive to try and find some bears.  We were unsuccessful, but we did come upon some beautiful views.

Proof that my boys DO love each other.  Here is McKay and Jaxon sleeping in our cabin.

We loved the Tetons and were glad that we got to spend a few days there.  Now that we are familiar with the area, we know more what we would like to do the next time we go there.  We also learned that Josh needs to sit in the front of the car while winding through the mountain roads.  We had to pull over to let him throw-up due to car sickness.  While on the side of the road with Josh, we had two more boys jump out to water a bush.  I can only imagine what passer-bys thought of us.  It was a great memorable trip!

Below find some photography by McKay.  He took many pictures during all our hikes of the scenery.  He got some great shots and I thought I would share a few:

Beautiful, am I right?  The kid has got some talent.