Utah State Fair 2009

I know I say it every year, but it must be repeated.....I LOVE THE FAIR! We went as a family one night and Wilson ate it up. I remember last year we had to drag him through the little farm. This year he was telling me to come on and hurry up! He was so excited to plant, harvest and sort the vegetables and couldn't believe he got a dollar for his efforts. He savored his cheese crackers like they were manna from heaven! We saw the shark show and he got such a kick out of putting his hand in the sharks mouth and going in and out of the shark cage. He loved all the lights and sounds and all the animals. I got to take him down the banana slide this year and it was so fun. He even liked the butter cow and understood what it was.

We went again with Lisa, Parker and Perry. The boys had to endure the quilt building and the scrapbook section, but they had fun. They had some Japanese students doing children's names in Japanese for them. We got all the kids' names done and they each got an origami animal or game to take with them. Parker and Wil loved sitting on the RVs and the huge cow. It is such a fun time and I hope we never stop going!

Sisters and Swiss Days

Of course I forgot my camera, so these are all camera phone pictures.

Look at those hot stems!

How did I let them talk me into wearing these?

We were going so fast the camera couldn't keep up! Lighting fast!

Heather finished like a second before me. Darn these short legs of mine!

Yeah for sisters and Swiss Days!

A long time ago I planned a girls' weekend in Midway for Swiss Days, one of my favorite events to attend. But, everyone baled but Heather and me. We decided to go for it anyway and booked at hotel in Park City (for $65 on priceline, go me) and signed up for the 10k race. It was such a fun time. We saw a chick flick and stayed up way too late just because we could! We got up early for the race and took pictures in our butt flap shorts (which Heather looks way better in than me). Heather and Ben both told me how much better it would be to run in these shorts, but I didn't believe them. Of course being in Park City, we had to stop at the outlets and they just happened to have a good deal on them, so I bought a pair. Let me tell you, the verdict is still out. Whatever you gain in comfort of running, you lose in self consciousness of people looking at you in your short shorts. The race course was beautiful and the weather held up great. I finished in 56:34 which is 6 minutes faster than the last time I ran it, so I am getting better! I actually finished 8th in my age group and 74th out of 500, so it was not bad at all! Heather's brother-in-law was so kind to bring his camera and take the after pics for us. Thanks, Robert!

Ben and the boys came up and we watched the parade. Wilson loved all the tractors and, of course, the candy. It was not even crowded so he got his fair share. We walked around the shops and I had a knockwurst sandwich with extra sauerkraut for good measure! Mmmmm. Sauerkraut. It was another great weekend and I highly recommend it to anyone who has the means!

13.1.....done.

This is me at the final 10th of a mile. Do I look like I'm ready to pass out?

The race started 20 minutes late so the boys were really early. To pass the time Ben was teaching Wil to clap when he saw the runners go by.

Unfortunately, but the time I got there, Wil was all clapped out.

Bennett has one of his faces going.

What a happy boy for gettin up at 6:45!

Still waiting for mommy.

My good friend Rachel. Bennett is her secret boyfriend.

I was so happy when we finished!

My cute supportive family.

Wilson really liked my finishers medal. He calls it my running necklace.

I guess I did learn something in YWs. You know that whole setting goals, creating plans and carrying them out thing? Well, I did it. I don't normally brag about myself or my accomplishments, but I think this deserves a shout out. At the beginning of the year I decided I wanted to run a half marathon before I turned 30 (which is rapidly approaching). So, I set the date and began training. A short 10 weeks later I found myself heading up the Blacksmith Canyon at 6:00 am in a crowded bus full of runners thinking to myself, "Am I really going to do this?" My saving grace was that my ultra amazing more experienced and faster running friend Rachel was by my side the whole time. She pushed me hard down the canyon (not literally, ouch!) and kept me going at a pretty quick pace. By mile 9 I could feel myself getting fatigued, but she kept me going. I was so excited to see my boys at the finish line. That made the experience complete to have my family there rooting for me. My final time was 2:00:30 which is about 15 minutes faster than my original goal. It is probably one of the hardest and funnest things I have accomplished since Bennett was born. It will probably take me about that long for my body to recover from this! I am so grateful for a strong body and mind that helped me do it! While running I kept saying to myself, "Just finish and you'll never have to do this again." But once I was finished and was back at the hotel I was ready to do it again! Running is so addictive and I hope I can keep doing it as long as possible. It has been a good weekend that oddly enough was all focused on me! That like never happens, but it felt wonderful.

Prehistoric Peer Pressure

Are we seeing a theme here?

I finally got in a trip to the Ogden Dinosaur Park this summer with our friends Kari, Noah and Anslee. The best part is that Kari's kids love having their picture taken. So, Wilson followed suit and also wanted his picture taken. That never happens. Usually whenever I get the camera out Wilson bolts. We have a lot of pictures of his back side. Every dinosaur we came up to the boys would ask what kind of dinosaur it was. After Kari and I took turns slaughtering the names, they would repeat it like we were two world famous dinosaur experts and then say, "I want to take a picture with this one." It was really funny. I actually only included about a fourth of the pics that we took! The swings were actually open at the playground and Wil and Bennett had such a good time swinging and giggling together. It melted my heart. They finally had the pteradactyl slide open too and Wilson really liked it. It was a super fun trip and that park is one of my favorites!

Bennett's One!

I just love first birthdays! They are such a celebration of survival for the baby and the parents. We had Bennett's party at the same park as Wilson's. It was supposed to be a fishing party, but the pavilion at that end of the park was already taken. My mom came with me to save our spot at the park at 4:30 and the party didn't start until 6:30. For two hours we sat in the windy, stormy park just praying that the 10% chance of rain wouldn't be over Bennett's birthday party! By the time people started coming it cleared up and it was a nice evening. This year went way faster than Wil's first year. It has been excellent and Bennett is the sweetest, cutest baby ever. We had a trivia game to see who knew Bennett the best. His Aunt Jennie beat out grandma by one tie breaker question, which I must admit I even forgot the answer to! It was a great party. On Bennett's actual birthday we went to grandma's and had dinner and we even had one present left for him to open. I am excited for the next year and can't wait for Bennett's first steps, first words, first day in nursery! It's so fun to watch them grow and learn every day. See how many questions you can get right!

Fishing for Facts
How well do you know Bennett?
True or false

Bennett can climb up a full flight of stairs.
Bennett has 3 teeth.
Bennett can sit on and push his ride on toy.
Bennett can feed himself with a spoon.
Bennett can stand on his own.
Bennett can say five words.
Bennett can eat an entire banana.
Bennett loves pickles.
Bennett can clap at appropriate times.
Bennett gives zerberts.
Bennett can wave hello.
Bennett can make cow noises.
Bennett loves water.
Bennett can place blocks into correct holes.
Bennett can do addition.
Bennett’s favorite toy is a monkey.
Bennett can stack two blocks.
Bennett can turn the tv and the lights off and on.
Bennett loves grapes.
Bennett gives kisses.
Bennett loves to play in the toilet.

Faces Only a Mother Could Love!

This is Wilson at about 10 months. He and Bennett make similar faces. Both super cute!

This was just after Bennett managed to pilfer a marshmallow and pound it before I finally caught him. Note the gooey chin and look of satisfaction in his eyes.

Crazy boy!

Yes, that is mascara.

This is what Bennett will look like in about 20 years when he grows his first goatee. That is if he can grow facial hair, considering who his father is!

Friends, Fondue & Fun

It's been a year in the making, but we finally got to go to The Melting Pot with our friends the Sudweeks. We found some pretty good coupons (which actually didn't get used) and decided we'd better go before we had to start our perspective diets. It was such a good time and as you can see we made sure we got every last little bit of it! ILisa and I were in charge of making all the decisions, like swiss or cheddar cheese and dark or milk chocolate. What a hard job! I definitely put my sugar-free week to a grinding halt, but what a way to go! Ben and I are glad to have good friends like Lisa and Preston to enjoy a good fondue party with!

Running Downhill Sounds Fun......

Poo flavored clif bars, the breakfast of champions!

I can run 6 miles, but I can't figure out the timer on my camera!

We rock!

Heather and I ran the Deseret News 10k this morning and had an absolute blast. It started at 6:00 am which made the decision to be up until midnight the night before a little crazy. Neither one of us thought about breakfast so we ended up sharing a mini Clif bar that tasted a lot like...well, poop. There were a ton of people running and the course was mostly down hill, which sounds like a plus, until you get to mile 4 and your calves are screaming, "Enough with the down hill already." The course went around the same way as the parade so the last two miles were lined with people you thought were cheering for you, but all they really wanted was for you to hurry up so the parade could start! It was my fastest 10k ever at 51:14 and Heather wasn't far behind! It was a great race and must be repeated next year!

Bennett is 11 months!

These pictures encapsulate Bennet at 11 months. He is TROUBLE! He is now crawling, pulling himself up and along furniture, pushing buttons (literally and figuratively) and climbing stairs! I can't believe how much he gets into things and how much more I have to watch him than I did Wilson. He loves to egg Wilson on and chase him around the house. They scream at each other and laugh at nothing together. It is so cute and we hope they will always be good friends. Bennett has his two bottom teeth. That's almost 3 months earlier than Wil got his. How funny is that. I am excited that my 11 month old has teeth and I think he's ahead of schedule! He is adorable and still making the cutest noises. He doesn't know how to point yet, so whenever he wants you to look at something, you get a little Hitler salute followed by an emphatic "Oooo". He has learned to turn the TV off and on and just waits for you to tell him no, then he laughs and does it anyway. What a stinker! I can't imagine life without him and can't wait to see what he comes up with next.