The Elf on the Shelf

It's a Christmas miracle! A very special elf, now named Harbert, showed up at our house tonight! "The Elf on the Shelf" is a darling book and stuffed elf that is sent to the homes of children by Santa to report to "the Boss" if they have been good or bad. (Man, the woman who invented this was a GENIUS!) I put the box on the front porch and asked Brykn to go turn the xmas lights on. He was so excited when he found the box. We read the story, took the elf out of the box and put him just where we thought he would be safe. Harbert (Brykn's name for his new elf friend) now flies back to the North Pole to report directly to Santa. Then, in the morning, he's found at a new place somewhere in our house. Awe, its so funny how naugty turns to nice so fast!

The video shows Brykn telling about his new elf. This Christmas should be fantastic. Stay tuned for more Harbert the elf stories!

Cancun!

Brandon and I took a 5 day get-away to the absolutely amazing beaches of Cancun! We had such a fun time! Aside from the beautiful, all-inclusive resort we stayed at, we went to the flea market (wow, that was an adventure), visited a "theme" park called "Xplor" which had an underground river and zip lines that were REALLY high (and scared the crap out of Brandon...seriously, I've NEVER seen him like that!), and chartered a boat that took us to an island for shopping, lunch, and parasailing (yet another wild adventure).

I've really never seen anything like the sand in Cancun. The closest thing I can liken it to is Bisquick. Soft, sikly...perfect. And the water in Cancun is crystal clear--blue, green in color, and its warm too--I had no problem swimming in it and I'm a wuss when it comes to cold water.

This was our first trip away from the kids, which was really hard. I was ready to come on day 5. But, it was also REALLY nice to get-away for a few days, just the two of us. I have an amazing husband and it was SO nice to have some time to reconnect! Love you, Brandon (even if you did scream like a 6-year-old girl on the zip line)!

13.1 Revisited--Halloween Style

Well, I guess I'm a gluten for punishment...I entered another half marathon. My cute peeps and I had so much fun running our guts out at the Halloween Half. I finished in 2 hours 10 minutes--15 minutes faster than my first half marathon. This one was nearly all downhill which I thought was going to be a good thing. But, wowee, the next day my legs hurt like never before. I had to come down the stairs backwards! My calfs were so tight and hurt like crazy. It took a long time to recover! But, I'm ready for the next one. Kelli is SURE we can run a full marathon next summer. Hummmmm.....

Yellow Belt Brykn!

Brykn started karate a few months ago and he's doing sooooo good! There are lots of rules to karate--rules that help teach a bunch of rowdy four-year-olds respect and discipline.
I have been really proud of Brykn. He's becoming really coordinated--he can even skip and do jumping jacks! Brykn's teacher, Sensei Michelle, is really cute with the kids and Brykn really likes her.
At the test for the yellow belt, Brykn did awesome! He had to perform a number of karate moves (hits, kicks, positions) by command, complete a written test (he got got 100%), and even count to ten in Japanese--something I STIILL can't do!
These pictures are of Brykn receiving his yellow belt. Evidentally it's customary to put your old belt on your head after you get to the next level. That picture is really cute! Great Job, Brykn!

Lagoon!

This year we went to Lagoon a little later in the season than usual...but, we had a great time at "Frightmares!"

No Problems

Sure glad 50% of our kids are easy going! Seriously, I think God looked at me when I was pregnant with Harlee and thought, "Well, another one like Brykn is going to send that woman straight over the edge." And, he was right. Whew!

Harlee is an easy going little kid--thank goodness! She's now sitting--she hit this milestone just today. Still topples easy, but she's doing good!

Hope Your Bad Luck Turns to Good Luck...

Okay, so Brykn has a bladder the size of a pea and let's just say that when he has to go, well, he has to go! We were in the Carter's store buying new pre-school clothes when he started doing the potty jig. There's just one problem...Carter's doesnt have a public restroom. (Seriously? A kids store? No Potty? All I can say is that a DAD must've come up with that stellar idea.) Anyway, I whispered to Brykn that he would have to wait until we got to the car, which was parked in BFE, and he could pee on the tire (I never said I should win Mother of the Year...).

Well, we made it to the car with Brykn dancing the entire way. I opened the door and told him to stand close to the car and go ahead and go. Then, I walked to the front door of the car and put our bags in. Suddenly, I felt something warm...and wet. Yup, you guessed it, pee. I shouted "Brykn, what are you doing? You just peed on me!" Finished, now, he asked, "I did?" I said, "YES and I didn't really want to walk around all day with pee on my foot (I was wearing flip flops)." And, he promptly replied, "Sorry. Hope your bad luck turns to good luck."

Part of me wanted to kill him! But, lucky for Brykn, the bigger part just had to simply laugh. Nothing like taking a four year old to put you in your place--wet foot and all.

Look Mom, No Training Wheels!

Yup, we are training wheel free! Okay, so it's been a few weeks, but nonetheless, it's a great accomplishment! I really thought it would take him a week or so to get the hang of it, but boy was I wrong. He took off like lightening after the first couple feet. Wahoo!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

I'm really slow to update this blog! Sorry!

These pictures are from Brandon's 34th birthday. Brykn keeps telling Brandon he's 44 and it's really starting to wake a dragon if you know what I mean! Anyway, we bought him new boots, a new shirt and pants, and Brykn bought him a new set of reins. Happy 44th....er... I mean...34th Birthday!

Holy Crap--I did it!

For the past 4 months I have been running my butt off--literally! To help lose the baby weight I gained with Harlee, I started running on the treadmill at the gym. When I started I could only run about a half mile before I needed to stop and gasp for breath. Then, as I began to get stronger and stronger I began to run longer and longer and before I knew it I was running 3 miles at a very slow pace. As the miles began adding and I started to slim down, I decided (on a whim) to run a half marathon. (Seriously, I still wonder what I was thinking!)

I have to admit that when I started running, I really wondered if I would make it to race day...and, well, I did! This past Saturday, August 7th, Kelli and I ran the Provo River Half Marathon--that's 13.1 miles! Wahoo!!!

We had a really fun time (did I really just say that?) and it all began with the bus...

We had to be on the bus at 4:45 am--holy crap that's early! And because it was so early, I was in desperate need of a Pepsi...something that I didn't realize would cause a whole bunch of strange looks and lots of laughing between Kelli and me. That and the bag of goodies I brought--I had everthing from bug spray to cream cheese (you know, for my bagel, of course!) in that bag--yet something else that others on teh bus found odd...

As we took the bus to the top of South Fork in Provo Canyon, we really wondered if the bus driver knew where he was going. Turns out he didn't! We ended up at a dead-end and had to turn the bus around with a 26 point turn. Finally after we moved baracades to the RIGHT road (yes, baracades that said, "Road Closed"), we ended up in teh middle of a big field with weeds to our waste. That's where the bus driver dumped us off. Still a little stunned and still laughing at how this morning has began, we got off the bus and discovered that there were about 60 port-a-potties waiting for the 3,000 runners half way accross the field. Eek!

The beginning of the race was REALLY unorganized! But, after we saw a buck deer up close--so close it was eating out of our fellow runners' hands, and we were totally befuddled at where the %$^@! race was going to start, we were enlightened by some old dude in a pick-up truck. He layed down the timing mat, told us all it was time to run and drove away. Yes, drove away. Hell, who needs a starting gun--we can use the pick-up taking off! Gee gads.

The first 8 miles or so went pretty quickly. I was stunned at how good I felt (despite the fact that I woke up with a TERRIBLE cold) and how fast I was running...and then, there was the HILL! This stupid damn hill was 1.5 miles uphill! By the time I got to the top I was nearly spent...but, I kept running and running...until I hit mile 12. At mile 12 I thought I was going to die!

I walked past the water station for about 50 yards until I realized that I was walking and that I have worked WAY too hard to walk! So, I started running again. And, before long, the finish line was in sight--thank heavens! That's where my cute family was there just a cheering for me! My mom had made signs for Brykn and her to hold and they were whistling whistles and clapping for me! I got so teary eyed!

I ran across the finish line with a time of 2 hours 25 minutes--not too bad for a wanna be runner! I was SO glad to be done! I can't even begin to describe the feeling I had as i finsihed this race--it was someting absolutely indescribable. To accomplish something I NEVER thought I could do was totally amazing. Even though I was exhausted, I was also so proud of myself--this was something I did just for me--all by myself with no one pushing me, but me.

A BIG thank you to Brandon for watching the kids on all those long runs and for being the one person to encourage me night after night. There were a few times that I thought it would be so much easier to throw in the towel and give up. Then, Brandon would say something like, "Just go--you can run 2 miles tonight." THANK YOU!!!! I could not have done this without you. I love you!

And, a BIG thank you to my race partner, Kelli--you are awesome! I know you hit a wall during training and were really wondering why you were putting yourself through this. You finished with such an awesome time and were really the inspiration for me to do this--BIG HUGS AND A LOTS OF THANKS!

Finally, thanks to my family for cheering me on! You all have no idea how welcome a sight you were at that finish line! Thank you for coming to see me accomplish my goal!

Wahoo! When's the next one?

He's a Mutton Buster!

Wahoo! He's a mutton buster! Brykn watched the mutton bustin at the Ogden rodeo over the 24th holiday and he was inspired! Luckily, Sam (our black neighbor) has sheep. Little did those sheep know, they were meant for mutton bustin! This was absolutely hysterical! I told him that no matter what, he shouldn't let go. Well, that was before the sheep went heading for the wood pile in Sam's field. Brandon was screaming for him to let go and was screaming back, "Mom told me not to!" He was underneath the sheep by this point and the sheep wasn't slowin down. Finally Brykn let go and went sailing into the only mud puddle in the place. He didn't cry, but he looked a little stunned!

She's a Talker!

Aside from being just a really happy girl, Harlee is getting to be quite a talker! I thought this video was super cute. She's just a telling me something good!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

This year marks 31 years for me--eek! I can't believe how old I'm getting...and, how old I'm looking! Brykn gets a big kick out of birthdays and parties and my big day was no exception. He was tickled with the cake! We had birthday cake and coffee for breakfast!

My cute family bought me a new pair of running shoes and a really cool running watch. The watch tracks your pace, distance, calories burned, etc. Pretty fancy! Thanks, guys!

All Jumped Out...

I bought Harlee a "Jenny Jump Up!" And, well, she likes to swing her feet and twirl herself around, but mostly she just likes being upright. I was cleaning her room while she was busy "jumping" in the jumper and after about 15 minutes when I looked closer at her, she was sound asleep. She had one arm down the leg whole and her head was resting on the top. She jumped herself right out!

Swimin' Like a Fish!

This year swimming lessons were MUCH better! We went to a pool in Brigham City and it was actually warmer than 60 degrees--unlike that stupid cold Clearfield Aquatic Center. Brykn really liked his teacher and he learned a lot too. Very, very fun!

4th of July

It's mid-year and I can hardly believe how fast the time is flying by. This is the first year that Brykn has rode his bike in the kids parade--we had a great time decking it all out with to red, white, and blue extreme. He was really proud of it and loved the way the pinwheels went around when he rode fast. Here's to another great 4th of July!

Karate Kid

We signed Brykn up for karate and, wow, he looks so big and so small all at the same time! He did such a good job! The cute little "Haya!" is hysterical. His jumping jacks and push ups were pretty darn cute too! Watch out--karate kid is in the house!

Run, Gramps, Run!

This year was the second year we have all ran the Springville Art City Day's 5k. We had a great time. Brykn kept telling me this year that he was going to run and that Gramps didn't need to pull him in the wagon. Funny thing was that Brykn ran from the car to the start line, thought that was the race, and then sat in the wagon while Gramps pulled him through the entire race. Great job Gramps and Brykn!

Happy 4th Birthday Brykn!

This free picture slideshow made with Smilebox

Brykn's birthday was lots of fun. I can hardly believe that he is already 4 years old! It seems like just yesterday we were 2 scared parents bringing him home from the hospital. Time flies.

Pink Piggies!

We painted Harlee's toes! Look how cute! I gotta say, though, trying to paint toenails that are SOOOO tiny was difficult to say the least. And, wow, she was wiggly!

Cuz Jamie's Teaching Me...

Brykn is getting so smart! And, don't think for a minute that he doesn't know it. His vocabulary has developed so much and he can now write his name with very little help. I asked him how come he was getting so smart and he said, "Cuz Jamie's teaching me to be smart." I just laughed--so funny! At Jamie's preschool the kids sing a song to start the morning off. I don't know the whole song, but listen to the video and you can hear, "Mother Goose Time, Mother Goose Time, Splore Everthing, the Brain Game with a Book worm, Learning Every Day, Learning Every Day!" There's also a couple little ditties about rainy days too. This video totally makes me smile!

Everything I've Ever Wanted

This Mother's Day was really special for me. The kids gave me a really cute T-Shirt they made at Jamie's house that has their picture on it. Then, Brandon and the kids got me some nice cards and gift cards to the mall--hooray!

As I finished opening my T-Shirt (of which Brykn didn't want me to wear because he was afraid I would get grass stains on it), I glaced at my kids sitting next to me and I was overcome with emotion. My eyes instantly filled with tears. At that very moment I realized that I have everything I've ever wanted. I have a husband who loves me, 2 beautiful kids, a place to call home, and a large extended family. As we go through life it's so easy to feel like what you have isn't enough--like you need more "stuff," more possessions, more, more, more. But, what I don't think we realize often enough is that the secret to having it all is recognizing that you already do. And, I do.

I am so humbled by the blessings in my life. Every morning when I look at my kids (who are often next to me in the bed) and Brandon kisses me goodbye, I feel so lucky. I certainly don't deserve everything I have been blessed with.

On this Mother's Day I realized that the ONE thing that REALLY matters in my life is what I write on the slates of my children's future. I just hope and pray I do them justice.

Happy Girl!

Harlee is such a happy lil' girl first thing in the morning. Good thing somebody in our house is! She hasn't quite started to laugh yet, but I'm sure that milestone isn't far away.