Try a Tri 2012 - Spudman Baby!!

 This is me practicing my swim start.  We also went to Walmart and pushed Rachel around in the wheelchair because she had foot issues.                                      

 What a beautiful morning for a triathlon, don't you think?  The 1st transition area was at Scholar Park.  That semi is to carry all of our swim gear to the finish line.  I have never seen so many bikes together like that in all my life.

 Rachel really didn't want to take a pic with us in our wetsuits, but I think we look hot!!!

 This is the 2nd transition area.  This is how we found our gear.  Pretty genius ay?

 After my finish with the kids with the Snake River behind us.

 I sure do love this little baby!  She was so good on this trip!

 Rachel and Me after the finish.

Saying goodbye to Idaho with my two BFFs.  I sure do love these girls!


It all started with this silly idea.  My friend Rachel says, "Let's throw our names into the lottery for the Spudman." It is an Olympic triathalon held every year in the town of my birth, Burley, ID.  It would be fun.  Never in a million years did I think we would get in.  But, we did.  After four months of crazy training, learning to swim from scratch and finding and learning to ride a road bike, I found myself in a rented wetsuit on the shore of the Snake River with 5 minutes left until the start.  I really felt good and was super excited and nervous all in one.  I had been out of my comfort zone so many times in the last few months, what was a few more hours of all new experiences.  The swim was super fast, 1500 meters in 22:22 to be exact.  I was kicked and bumped and splashed just like I was told I would be, but it wasn't so bad.
I knew I would be chasing Rachel the whole time, so when I exited the water and saw her still in the first transition area, I was pumped.  I was about two minutes behind her starting the biking leg of the race.  Our ex-bishop lent me his wicked fast amazing bike and I felt so good during the ride.  It was really fun except I kept worrying that I would get a flat tire and not know how to fix it.  It took Ben and me and long time to change the last one I had and I wasn't confident I could do it on my own.  I think all that kept me from getting a flat tire was Ben's good karma.  He helped another lady who had a flat tire fix hers during the race.  That and a lot of prayers kept me safe on the bike ride.  Ben, the kids, Jennie and Nan all waited at the intersection of 350 E and 600 S for us to ride by.  When I saw my cute little family there waving and saying,"GO MOM!!" I have to say I teared up a little bit!
I felt really good even when we turned onto highway 81 and there was a horrible head wind.  I was still able to keep a good speed and there were some fun rolling hills.  The last hill was the biggest.  I was going as fast as I could when I heard this really strange noise behind me.  It sounded like a bunch of bees.  All of a sudden about a hundred bikes all came whizzing by and I found myself stuck in the middle of a peloton!!  I couldn't go right or left.  I hadn't had enough training to know what to do so I kind of just coasted into the next transition area in the middle of this group.  The bike ride was 25 miles and I finished it in 1:16:42.  Not too bad and I didn't even fall off my bike when I clipped out!

Now to explain the panty picture.  Rachel and I were trying to come up with some way to remember where our running gear was located.  We decided to buy some bright pink "Big Girl Panties" to mark the row our stuff was on.  It was a reminder to put on your big girl panties and finish the race!  It was really funny though because when we went back to pick up our gear there were a bunch of guys on our row.  When we took our panties off the bar they all laughed and said, "so you are the pink panty girls!"  We were like yah, sorry we are probably not what you imagined.  They said they were glad we put them up because it helped them find their gear too!  Pretty funny.  So, I get to the transition area, rack my bike and look down to find my running shoes laying there....double knotted!  ROOKIE MISTAKE!!!  I was so mad at myself that I didn't think about untying them.  I got them on as fast as I could, took a swig of powerade and crammed some sport beans in my face and I was off.  The start of the run was strange.  You ran on the golf course grass through this uphill trail that led to someone's backyard.  Then, you exited the backyard and went around a horseshoe and out over the railroad tracks and finally onto the road.  My legs felt pretty strong so I told myself I was just going to go hard until my legs gave out.  After all, I still hadn't caught up to Rachel!!! A few people looked at me like I was crazy because my pace was pretty fast.  They took us on a canal road and that's where I finally caught up with Rachel.  It was mile 3.  She had found another gimpy friend to chat it up with so I figured she was fine and kept going.  All along the course there were people with their hoses offering to spray you and there were even two water trucks with a shower you could go under.  It was so fun.  A few times when I would pass someone they would say good job or nice work or keep it up.  That was really nice of people.  I tried to say that to one guy that passed me and he ignored me.  Whatever.  I finally reached the last few hundred meters and I was still feeling good.  Tired, but good.  I gingerly made my way back down the wet grassy trail to the finish line.  I had finished it!  One mile swim, 25 mile bike and 6.2 mile run (which I finished in an astonishing for me 50:38!!)

I couldn't have asked for a better first triathlon.  It was sooooo much fun and such a fulfilling experience.  I am grateful for all the support of family and friends.  At this point in my life, now that I've made most of the big decisions and had most of the big moments, I was grateful to have this one.  IT WAS AWESOME!  And I will hopefully be doing it again next year, on my own bike, with my sweet hubby by my side!  Thank you SPUDMAN!

Winnie's One!

Actually, she's thirteen months now, but better late than never right?  Ben accused me of going way overboard for Winnie's birthday.  He says that like it's a bad thing.  She is the only girl and she is too cute not to spoil!  I think I was still on a Disneyland high because her birthday was Minnie Mouse themed.  Everything from decorations, cake and even her presents were all Minnie.  Here are some interesting facts about Winnie at one.

She had two teeth in the front.  (She now has 6, it was a rough month for teething)
She could stand on her own.  A week after her birthday she was walking and that is a full month faster than either of the boys.
She can climb down stairs, but not up.  That hasn't changed.
She pokes all her food with her thumb.
She now has 5 words in her vocabulary.  Mom, ad (dad), uh oh, hi and ball.   She is also now a proficient head shaker and nodder.
She is a big ham and has her brothers wrapped around her finger.  They love to run away from the "giant baby" and Winnie eats up the attention.
Winnie can wave and give fives.
She is not a dainty little girl.  She is constantly peeing on the floor, going through the garbage and she thinks the dust pile on the kitchen floor is a buffet.  She also loves to make the least lady-like noises including grunting and growling like a wild animal!

I just love this baby girl.  She has made our family even more fun and exciting.  She is a really good baby and I can't wait to see what the next year brings!
PS She is my only child that went to town on her cake.  The boys were both very neat, but not Winnie!  She chowed.  I've never been so proud!  That's MY GIRL!

Disneyland 2012

 Nothing like stealing a splash mountain photo so you don't have to pay $10 bucks for it!

 We love Heimlich's choo choo train.....can't you just smell the watermelon?

 Winnie's first trip to the beach!  Huntington beach is awesome and we love it!

 Nothing to see here!

 Watching surfers, diving birds and dolphins off the pier.  Our kids thought that was really cool.

 Winnie riding the Winnie the Pooh ride with big brother, Wil.

 Poor Joshy made it all the way through the line only to fall asleep as we got on the ride.  He missed the whole thing!

 This was one of my favorite moments at Disneyland this time around.  Going on the Little Mermaid with Winnie.  She was fascinated by everything in there.

 Of course the boys had to run through the fountains by Paradise Pier.  Then we heard nothing but whining about being wet for the next hour!  At least it was fun for a minute.

 I have mixed feelings about the Bug's Life show.  This year Wil did ok, but I had to carry Bennett and Winnie out of the theater because they were both screaming in terror at the scary bugs.

 This was pretty much how Winnie ended every day.  Cuddled in her crib with her milk and dead to the world around her.

 Cute cousins exhausted after all the fun!

These are only a few of the pictures from our Disneyland trip.  It was hard to juggle our regular camera plus two cameras on our phones and I still don't have all the pics together, so there may be a round two or even three of these pics.  In a word Disneyland was MAGICAL.  I have never had so much fun and been so exhausted as I was on this trip, but it was worth every second.  We went with my sister, Heidi, and her family.  We stayed the first night in Henderson where my boys discovered the coolest thing since sliced bread.....a hide away bed.  To this day, Bennett is still asking if we can go back to the hotel with the sofa that magically turns into a bed.  Now they wonder why our sofa isn't so cool.  We spent 3 1/2 days in Disneyland.  We discovered that Bennett is very brave.  He is 3 1/2 and would try any ride he was tall enough for including space mountain, tower of terror 3 times and Big Thunder Railroad at least 4 times.  I was very impressed.  Wilson is like me.  He enjoyed the slower rides that were just as fun.  He did love the river run ride in CA adventure.  We managed to completely avoid It's a Small World because both babies were sleeping when we were in that part of the park.  The favorite is still Pirates of the Caribbean and I lost count after the 12th time going on it.  My new discoveries this time were the pineapple soft serve at the Tiki Room (my sister and I ditched the boys while they went on Pirates) and it was worth the half hour wait to get it.  We also went to the Wilderness Explorer Camp that was by the Grizzly River Run.  If you've never found it before and you are an UP fan, GO!  It is super cool.  You get this map and earn badges by going on zip lines and climbing up walls and my kids probably could have spent an entire day there.  We never even knew it was there!  We already have to go back soon because we missed the opening of Cars Land or whatever it's called.  It opened a month after we went.  Darn, I guess we'll have to go again!

Wilson's a Kindergartener?!!!!

I am sure every mom of a five-year-old has a blog entry like this one about this time of year. I will add my sentiments of disbelief to theirs. I can't believe my baby is going to kindergarten! But, unlike a lot of moms, this does not make me sad and nostalgic for the days when he was a little baby. I am ECSTATIC for Wilson. He is starting his education and some of the funnest times in his early life. He is so smart and is going to do so well that I can't be sad!
The first day his teacher, Mrs. Partridge, allowed the parents in to the classroom to read a story, The Kissing Hand. We found Wilson's table, pinned his name tag on and just let him go. Within minutes he was coloring a picture and then went directly to the rug when asked. After the story, there were parents crying and kids screaming for their mothers. But, not Wil. He was just like, "See ya later, mom!" That moment right there made preschool all worth it. That is exactly how I wanted his first day to go. Yesterday, he brought home his first worksheets. I almost cried then, though. I will have to frame them because I think it's soooo cute. He has worksheets!
Now, I'm not saying that next year won't be difficult when he goes to school ALL day, but for now, I am just excited to see Wil come home every day and tell me all about letters and songs and recess. What a great time in our lives!

PS I am also carpooling for the first time. Wilson has a girl in his class from the ward. I am the drop off mom and the other mom picks up. I think it was more nerve wracking waiting for him to be home after school the first day because it was out of my control. I was giving my responsibility to someone else for my child. It was a very strange feeling, but I think it will be good once we get all the bugs worked out. I will also be a soccer mom starting next week. Wow, I am the minivan driving, car pooling, picking up and dropping off, kids in school, soccer mom. Isn't it great?

A Blessing for my Baby

My mom only has three grand daughters. Each born in June and each 7 years apart. Weird, right?



I can't believe we did it, but we blessed Winnie on Father's Day. She must be a third child because I never would have dreamed of blessing either of the boys two weeks after they were born! Ben's parents came to visit from Virginia and were only here for a few weeks. We had to convince the bishop we were serious about the date and then it was on! Winnie's beautiful dress was made by her Nana Kay. It is completely hand made and will for sure be a family heirloom. As if the dress wasn't enough, I had to add the over-the-top feather headband to go along with it. Too much? Maybe....but our family only has a girl every seven years, so I thought, why not? Ben did a wonderful job on her blessing and it was fun to be surrounded by family and friends. It was a perfect day and I even managed to sneak in a nap! Can't beat that! I can't believe how much I am enjoying this little baby and how much she has already blessed our lives! We love you baby Winnie!

Welcome Winnie!

Ta da, I'm here!
Big brother Wilson
Kisses from big brother Bennett
So sweet!
Proud papa
Every girl loves getting her hair washed!
Apparently she did not agree with my choice in take home outfits!
Ready to go home now!


Introducing the newest member of our family....Miss Winnie! We are so excited she is finally here! She is such a sweet little baby, so petite! She actually came with dark hair! I always secretly wished she would have dark hair, but never expected it to really happen. Chances are it will change to blonde soon, but her dark hair will be well documented! Her brothers both love her to death and always want to check on her to make sure she is okay. I think they will be big helpers for me. She is gorgeous and we are enjoying every minute of having her here!