Lehi Frenzy Swim Team!

Swim meet season has begun. Here we go again! After a nice year long break, the girls are back at it. They had a week and a half of practice and then their first meet was this weekend. I almost forgot how stinking LONG swim meets are! Almost! Friday was 4-9p.m. and Saturday 9-12am.This was a much larger meet than normal though, so it was a not such a great way to break us in slowly! And of course, out of those 8 hrs your child swims an average of 6 min total, between all of their events! Let me tell you, those 6 minutes are pretty exciting though! Kylie and Sydney did AWESOME!! Brian and I were soo proud of them!I thought it would take a month or two before they were back in shape and in competing form. WRONG! They both kicked butt at their meet, and cut major time off each of their events. Kylie shaved 13 seconds off her 100 free and Sydney 9 seconds off her 100 IM. ( 100IM Is Individual Medley which is 25 yards of each of the 4 strokes: butterfly, back, breast and free). Their coach was impressed and knows they will continue to shave time off as they get in better shape. It was so fun to watch them and see them improve from last year. We even came home with a couple ribbons! Now if it just wasn't so HOT, LOUD, CROWDED, and FOREVER LONG in those dang indoor pools! Also, I really need to learn how to photograph swimmers. I manage to snap the picture as soon as they go under the water every time! It is a lot harder than it looks! I still have no camera (sigh...) so I used Heathers, and her camera is a little too fancy for me. Seriously these pictures are terrible. Heather tells me after the meet...that I need hold down the button half way to focus, and then take the picture. Oops...but now I know, so no more blurry pictures I promise!

Sydney in her first event (purple cap) 100 IM (look at her in the lead!)



Kylie stepping up on the block for her first event (crummy picture I know)


Kylie was smiling the whole time during her 100 breast stroke
So glad she is having FUN!



Swimming fast is EXHAUSTING! Sydney's well deserved nap!


We have such an awesome group of kids on the team, fabulous coaches, and the girls are having a GREAT time. Go Lehi Frenzy!

McKenna Can!

This morning Brett, Heather, Brian and I ran a 5k. It was a fundraiser for a 12 year old girl in our neighborhood who has leukemia for the second time. She was in remission at age 10 and now it is back. She is going through experimental chemo treatments 5 days a week. She was there at the race, smiling and happy. Her family says she has the most positive attitude, and nothing gets her down.You can read her story at McKennacan.blogspot.com. There were about 300 racers, so it was like a traffic jam on the narrower parts of the route! It was awesome there was such a big turnout for our little neighborhood! Brian beat us all with a time of around 24 min! Not bad for a guy who doesn't exercise! He also swigged a diet mt. dew right before the race. Maybe I ought to try that next time! Brett would have been that fast too, but he went the first mile and a half with Heather and I. But then he said his legs were hurting because he was going "too slow"! Sorry Brett, but if you were 4'11" that pace would NOT be "too slow!" But honestly, their legs are a foot longer than ours! That is the ONLY reason they beat us!:) I'm sure some heart defected twin slowed Heather down some too, but she was kind enough to slow her pace and run with me. That's the price you pay being the twin with the "normal" heart! Heather and I finished with a time of 32 min. It was about 2-3 min slower than any 5k we have run, but this one had a few hills and it slowed us down quite a bit! The last 3/4 mile is uphill. URGG! I thought I might die. I LOATHE running uphill! Anyway, we made it and it was for a great cause. We actually ran right by our house and my sweet daughters had made signs and were there cheering us on! In fact they were also our photographers for the event. Thanks kids! The theme of the race was McKenna Can because if anyone can beat leukemia twice, McKenna can!
p.s. Happy Birthday to Becky! I love you sooo much sis! Hope your day was FABULOUS!

Brian gives our cheering section a high 5!


The corner of the photo is Kylie's poster, Brett is in the white Lehi soccer t-shirt and Heather and I are on both sides of him, in orange and pink.


Heather and I crossing the finish line.


Hooray..it's all over!


So while you are all praying with me for my nephew Jackson and his chemo treatments, and I know you are, throw in an extra prayer for McKenna. Seriously, you guys ROCK!

September Fun

I can't believe September is almost over. Seriously? The highlight of the month for us was : GETTING GRASS! We laid sod a week ago today. It was back breaking work, literally. I pulled a muscle or something in my back and have been pretty much down all week. Saturday I felt good enough to climb to Timp Caves, and had a good day yesterday too. But the entire week was a wash for me. URGG. I will seriously empathize with people and back pain now. I have never felt so frustrated or helpless. Not to mention that Brian was out of town deer hunting all week too! Sigh. He should be back today sometime, just as my back is finally on the mend! Doesn't the grass look awesome though. It was probably worth it....I'm just not quite to the point of admitting it yet. I'm still bitter :)

This was a team effort for sure!



A view from the side


Sydney enjoying the fruits of her labor!


This was the easier of the back breaking tasks. Lifting the HEAVY pieces of sod is what did me in!


A view from the front. Whew! All done.

We climbed Timp Caves yesterday. I LOVE Timp caves. The hike up is challenging, but not too hard. It is beautiful and peaceful, and inside the caves are really cool. This is the 2nd time this month we have done it...and if it were up to me, we would go every Saturday. I am pretty sure I will not be able to drag Kylie up there again for a while. It is not an easy hike, and she is 13 after all. To say the least, she didn't want to go yesterday. She did go, and ended up having fun, although I don't think she will admit it. Tyson and his new BFF Carter (other than his cousins, of course) practically RAN up the mile and a half STEEP mountain. They were seriously crazy, those boys! Somebody has got to find a way to harness little boys energy and bottle it up! I know I can drag those two up anytime...they loved it as much as I did. They were a little disgusted at how slow the rest of us were though. They said they got tired of "waiting" around for us! I did beat them down the mountain though. I had to go BAD, and so I ran down, which they kept telling me was against the rules. Which it is, but when you gotta go, you gotta go!

Just starting our hike


Break Time!


This is how Kylie felt about the day! LOVE it!


These two are inseperable!


View of the Valley below. If I remember right, this is about half way up. (THe dark haired girl is Syd's friend CJ.


Grandma and the kids inside the cave


The kids and I inside the cave


Brian did get a deer on Friday morning. Maybe it was Saturday...I don't really remember. I just know he has been gone for a long time, and I am ready to have him home! He was disappointed it wasn't a bigger deer, but his Dad still has a tag, so they are hoping to shoot a bigger one before today. Either way, my kitchen is about to become a slaughter house. I do like the jerky once it is all finished, so I won't complain. As long as I don't have to do the butchering, and just the eating.

Jackson, I thought of you often this week, buddy. As I laid in bed for what felt like FOREVER with my injured back, I knew that what you were going through was a LOT harder than what I was going through. And I knew if you had a smile on your face, and were being a trooper (which I knew you were) then so could I. Thanks for being my inspiration. We are praying hard that your mouth sores, nausea, and fatigue are about to be kicked to the curb!

You'll be swinging high again soon buddy! Hang tight!

We are looking forward to a great week with some very exciting visitors! They might be from California. Hooray! We are thrilled to no end! Family pictures are in order too, since it has been like....geesh I don't even know when we took the last ones! Swim team is about to start, the weather is changing, and the stinking deer hunt is ALMOST over! It really is the end of September, isn't it? Bring on those beautiful fall colors.

Fried

My camera is fried. Dead. Won't even turn on. You get the idea. I hate not having a camera! And I have been dying to post the great pictures Brian took of him and Tyson up on Boulder Mountain. The good news is that I can take the card in and still get the pictures off my camera...so they are not lost. Hooray for that! Wait...I just realized that the camera died while Brian had it on Boulder Mountain. Maybe it took a little dip in one of the fishing Lakes. That might explain it's sudden death. Not to place the blame or anything...I'm just saying! :)

Anyhow, life is going fabulous. Nothing to complain about (except the dead camera.) I have learned to really enjoy and cherish the good times, you never know how long they might last! I am still working less hours (after begging my manager for months) and really, really loving that. I feel like a new woman! I really don't know how some Mom's work full time. Part time is enough for me. I guess I am just a big wimp. But I am sooo grateful for the reduction in hours, and hopefully I can keep doing it for a while. It seriously has made the hugest difference for me :) :)
I am pretty sure my family is enjoying having the "real" me back too!

Tyson started gymnastics this month, and after 2 lessons in level 1 they moved him to level 2. His coach said he has "mad skills" and could go very far in gymnastics. I'm not sure that is what Brian and I really want...but it is killing some time until basketball starts. And he LOVES it...so that is an added bonus! The girls are finishing up gymnastics also, and getting ready to start swim team again Oct. 1. I swear these two like to play musical sports. Try a new one every month! I knew they couldn't stay away from swim too long though. I am excited for them to start, because it means gym time for me. Whew! It's been a while!

Lastly, Jackson. My awesome, handsome, unbelievable 14 year old nephew Jackson. He is facing chemo for the 2nd time in his 14 years. I ache for him and his family, but am soo grateful for the fact that there is help available for him. We weren't sure there was going to be, so this is a huge blessing. It is no news to any of you that Jackson and his family have the greatest faith, strength and positive perspectives EVAH! They are going to come through this with flying colors. Still won't you join me in praying for them? Thanks! I knew you would.

Tyson and Sydney 1st day of School

We took a little final hoorah trip the day after school started. Who says you can't celebrate the first day of school by missing the second? We went to Lake Powell and enjoyed a day at the beach. The weather was so great and we only got the van stuck in the sand twice! The kids loved, loved, loved jet skiing, and cliff jumping. Don't have pictures of either, because cameras and water don't do well together. But trust me, the kids were all smiles! We got to see the biggest sandstorm Brian and I had ever seen in our lives. It was literally an huge wall covering the whole horizon, of pink sand coming at us. They actually evacuated all the beaches, but not quite soon enough. Brian was out on the Lake when it happened and thought it was great fun jumping the jet skis over the HUGE waves, until he started getting pelted with sand. He said it felt like he was getting hit with a sand blaster. OUCH! He rushed back into the shore, with no harm done! The sandstorm lasted a couple hours. So we went bowling, to dinner, and ice cream instead of the Lake the 2nd day. Hey, we are flexible like that. On our way home we stopped in Kanab to visit with the Grandparents. Grandpa White (who turned 90 in May) let the kids wreak havoc in his garden, and we came away with bags full of carrots, tomatoes, squash, and green beans. They were all soooo yummy! We even got to see 2 bucks just chilling in his garden, until Grandpa chased them away. I guess he doesn't like sharing his hard work with the wild life. Can't say I blame him. Then Grandma Wade fed us yummy lunch and let the kids feed her hummingbirds. We had such a great time, and we got to visit each grandparent for a couple of hours. I am so glad we stopped because the kids really got to spend some quality time getting to know their great grandparents better. They are such great examples, and so fun to be with!
Tyson has been really into praying mantis lately, they are EVERYWHERE around our house!) and his favorite thing to do is catch them, and then let them wander around his room. Seriously? Someone should have warned me that scooping up praying mantis's off your son's bed, and wall, and floor, was in the job description for Mother.
Well, school is in full swing, and so far so good. Tyson has been hesitant to say the least on a few days, but all in all the kids are loving this new school, and new year. They have great teachers, and Sydney and Tyson have loved riding their bikes to school every morning. I keep telling them to enjoy it because the snow will be here before we know it! End of summer/the start of fall is my favorite time of year!

Dad and Tyson having fun at the Lake


Sydney takin' it easy!


Beautiful Lake Powell



YUM! Picking fresh vegetables!


Grandpa helping the kids wash the carrots


Grandpa giving those deer a piece of his mind!


Off they go to find a new garden to raid!


Tyson with one of his many new friends


Honestly.

New Adventures

Sorry I never finished my post about Ruby. I know you have all been in suspense waiting to see if she is ok :)!! We did find her at the pound...have no idea whey they told me twice they didn't have her. The kids were screaming, jumping and soo excited they couldn't contain themselves. So when the lady handed me the $100 fine...I couldn't say no.(URGG!) I paid it. Ruby is home. This is how I found her at the pound. So. Sad. But it didn't take long and she was back to her tail wagging, happy self! With a new collar and license from the city, she is ready to go! Or ready to stay put in the garage, more like it.

Ruby waiting to be rescued!


On to the "REAL" exciting news of the day! Kylie started Middle School today! She has been soo nervous and so excited all at the same time. I can't believe my 4 pound little baby girl is starting Jr. High. Seriously! Where has the time gone? I am not going to lie and say that I stayed dry eyed. In fact I did NOT! Brian gave her a blessing last night, and she was excited and ready to go this morning! She waved bye with a smile on her face. Through the tears, I was smiling too.


Willow Creek Middle School



Ready to go!


Have a great day sweetie!

On to the other exciting new adventure for us. It is looking like we have sold this house. It is a lease option to buy. It has been signed and all that, but you know how these things seem to fall through...so I am not holding my breath quite yet. But indeed, it looks like a change is in store. No idea where we we would head to next because the renters in our house just signed a new 12 mos lease. No matter what, we will take it all in stride, and welcome change. New adventures are good for us, and our Family is getting very good at them! Tomorrows adventures include the first day at a new school for Sydney and Tyson...and a weekend trip to Lake Powell! Didn't I say adventures were good?

Lost Dog Part 1

Friday morning as we were leaving for Lagoon, Ruby ran out of the garage and in less than 1 minute she was GONE. Really GONE. We looked and looked and finally gave up and headed out, hoping she would come back during the day like she has before. To make a long story short...Ruby was NOT home when we pulled in late that night, however, we tracked down who found her, and she is telling us that the Saratoga police came and got her. Saratoga police are telling us they took her to the Animal shelter. The Animal shelter is telling us they don't have her. I'm confused...to say the least. So today I am going to the Animal shelter to look for myself. It's been 3 days without the dog...my poor kids are going CRAZY! Wish me luck!

P.S. Kylie left for girls camp today. It's going to be a long week...I miss her already!