On Your Mark, Get Set, Go!

Before the race with her friend Courtney

Today was Isabel's first track meet of the season. This is her 3rd year doing track. It was freezing cold at the meet, it was down in the 50's. We were all cold, hopefully it is not going to stay this way. I don't mind lounging in the sun for a few hours, but today I couldn't wait to get out of the cold. Anyway, back to Isabel. She did great! She ran in two events. She always runs the mile, and today she also ran the 800m relay. I was so proud how well she did. She came in 3rd of all the girls grades 6-8. And her team came in 3rd in the relay of 8th grade girls. It makes me tired just watching her run, and she barely breaks a sweat, I know she doesn't take after me. She is off to a great season and I hope this will be a great year for her in track. Great Job Isabel!!

Isabel running the mile (I know it's blurry, but she is fast)

I Just Have To Share

You have to use you imagination for the ugly silver

Ok, I always see all these pictures of people finding amazing bargains and turning them into things that are so cute, wondering where they find these treasures. I just have to share that I finally found my own. I was at Target just wandering for a minute as I usually do. On an end cap I see two lanterns. They are by the way shiny, ugly silver but that doesn't stop me. I look to see what the price is, they had been $30.00 a piece and they were marked down to $7.00. It was my lucky day. I thought of all the holidays that I could use them for. I took home my treasures spray painted them black (ok, Trent did), filled them up with some fall things that I already had downstairs, put them on my mantel and stepped back to enjoy. I don't like to toot my own horn, but I think they turned out pretty cute. I think finding them at a bargain price makes them even cuter. Anyway thank you for letting me indulge for a minute.

The finished product

Tagged

I was tagged by my friend Kristie, so here it goes:

20 Years ago:
1. I was 15, and we moved to Connecticut for a year while my dad did a sabbatical.
2. I was listening to Erasure, 10,ooo Maniacs, Some Kind of Wonderful soundtrack, and Ziggy Marley, to the point that the whole family could sing along.
3.We got cable for the first time. I was glued to MTV for a really long time trying to catch up on what I had been missing out on.

10 Years ago:
1. Trent finished graduate school in Denver
2.We move to Memphis, TN for Trent's first "real" job.
3. Got pregnant with Oliver

5 Years ago:
1.I was trying to talk Trent into having another baby.
2.Trent starts at Manhard Consulting. I know it's a weird name but it is his current place of employment
3.Trying to deal with turning 30.

3 Years ago:
1.My brother, Thomas came to stay with us for 3 months(I loved it)
2.We move to our current house.
3.We went to Yellowstone

1 Year ago:
1.Think we are going to move and put our house on the market.
2. Trent starts commuting to Reno(turns into 9 months)
3.Oliver has his first nose surgery

This year so far:
1.My mom and dad left for a mission in Jerusalem
2.We find out we don't have to move to Reno, and Trent stops commuting(relief)
3.Oliver has 2nd nose surgery because the 1st one didn't work. The 2nd one doesn't work either. We don't know what to do.

Yesterday:
1.Went to the park with Phoebe
2.Cleaned house
3.Helped kids with homework

Today:
1.Went to story time with Phoebe
2.Helped in Miles' class.
3.Finished a great book.

Tomorrow:
1.Go to Isabel's first track meet of the season
2.Clean my house again.
3.weed the garden

Next year:
1.Isabel will start high school(I can't believe it!)
2. With that, I will have to wake up really early, every day to take her to early morning seminary.
3.I want to paint all my kitchen cabinets.

I tag Stephanie (since she got me last time) and anyone else who wants to play along.

Jungle Quest

Miles Walking The Ropes

So I'm just now catching up from Miles' birthday. I offered him a party, but Miles said that he just wanted to do something with the family. (Who knew he liked us more than friends?) Anyway, we decided to take the kids to a place called Jungle Quest to celebrate his birthday. Jungle Quest is a place where they harness the kids in and then they are free to go on zip lines, rope courses, rope swings and climbing walls. They had a blast, we spent almost 2 hours there. Phoebe couldn't go because you had to be at least 5 yrs old (they had a tree house playground that she could play on). She really wanted to and I don't doubt that if they would have let her she would have jumped off without a second thought. They pretty much are all daredevils. Miles was a little hesitant at first but once he did it, he wouldn't stop. We went out to dinner after and we didn't get home until after 9:oo. The kids needless to say fell right into bed. Miles' said it was a great birthday!

Phoebe catching her breath

Isabel & Oliver getting ready to race on the zip-lines.

Miles making one of his climbs.

September Simplicities

I wish this was my yard

Do you feel it in the air yet? Fall is on its way. Maybe some of you remember the book Simple Abundance, it came out about 10 years ago. Anyway it's a day book and at the end of every month the author would give you ideas about how to enjoy that month which she called Joyful Simplicities. So here are some ideas from both the author and myself about how to enjoy your September. So maybe take some of the ideas and enjoy the end of summer and the beginning of fall!

1. Stock up on your own school supplies. Experiment with every type of pen you can find until you discover one that writes wonderfully. Get your own notebooks, markers, tape and scissors. Should the kids get all the fun?

2. Make caramel apples. Roll them in nuts, chocolate chips, toffee bits, drizzled chocolate, and sprinkles.3.Pack away your swimsuit. Bring out your sweaters.

4. Celebrate the autumn equinox with a festive dinner of fall favorites (make a pot of your favorite soup, chili, soup, stew).

5.Start making your Christmas list this month so that you won't be frantic in December(ok this is a good idea, we'll see if it really happens at my house, probably not).

6.Bring home a pot of mums for your front porch.

7. Make or enjoy something with apples. (apple crisp, apple pie, apple tart, apple cider, you get the idea) or even just try a new variety of apple that you haven't tried before.

8.If you have children, this is the time to have them decide on their Halloween costumes. Don't despair. They don't divide the children into two groups at school: those wearing store-bought costumes and those wearing homemade ones!

Halloween 2007

9. Take a walk and breathe in the crisp air.

10.Start feathering your nest for fall, put away the summer stuff and bring out the fall decorations.

11.Buy yourself a new fall scented candle and light it. So even if you don't have fall weather yet the smell will get you in the mood.

Just thinking about these things makes me excited for fall! I hope wherever you are September will be a wonderful month for you.

Happy Birthday Miles!

Today Miles turns 7! I can't believe it. I remember the day he was born so well. He made me wait until 2 days before his due date. He definitely was worth waiting for. So in honor of him turning 7, here are 7 of the many reasons I love him.

1.He has such smiley eyes, and even when he doesn't want to, he can't help himself from smiling.

2.He is such a good natured, laid back boy, who is always willing to go along with anything that I ask of him.

3.I love him because if I can catch him without him noticing he does what I call his "x-men moves" I don't know what he is exactly imagining because he's always embarrassed when he notices me. But I think it is funny all the same.

(Wolverine is his favorite - Halloween last year)

4.He's got such a gentle soul. He may play the tough boy, but he has a really good heart.

5.He is such a good brother. Especially to Phoebe. He loves the others, but he has always loved and taken good care of Phoebe. She can do anything and he will take it.

6.He's curious. He always wants to know why things are and where things came from, and how things work. There's a lot going on in that head of his.

7.I always think of Miles as my miracle baby. He was a surprise, and proved to me that I could still have children when I was told I shouldn't. He will always have a special place in my heart.

Happy Birthday Miles! I'm so proud to be your mom. I know that you truly were heaven sent!

Labor Day

Castlewood Canyon

I don't exactly understand the purpose of Labor Day. I guess it's a day off from work but then you work hard at playing. It was a great day. We woke up early to go down south about 30 minutes from our house to Castlewood Canyon State Park to go hiking. We decided on a 2.5 mile hike which doesn't sound like much, but it was considered a moderate hike, and we hiked over boulders and places where the path disappeared. The kids were a little bit paranoid about the poison ivy that was all over by the trail. It didn't help that I told them of an instance when I was 15 and mistakenly got poison ivy from my knees to my ankles(it was awful!) The kids were great troopers though !

The kids crossing a bridge over a gulch

I was amazed at how well they did. Even Phoebe didn't give up until we were about an 1/8 of a mile from the end.

Phoebe & Trent (notice how happy Trent looks carrying Phoebe).

It was a beautiful day and it was great to spend time together just as a family. We had a picnic after the hike where suddenly I was bitten by a ton of mosquitoes. We made it home by the afternoon where we rested just long enough to re energize to have our friends over for a BBQ. It was such a pleasant night no one wanted to go inside and end the night. It was a fantastic day, I know because I did not here one sound at bed time. They all fell into bed and crashed. It was a good way to end the summer season!

The kids enjoying the day

Myself and Trent during our hike.