Blast From the Past...

My mom and dad dug up some old photos and scanned them. They sent them to me, so I wanted to share them because it is so much fun to see these oldies but goodies!

My beautiful mother, with my baby brother, Jared

The whole family... my parents were young once?  What a good looking crew!

Boy, were we cute!!  I can totally see my kids when I look at little girl me... weird!

Jared on his trike.  Haha, so adorable!!

the things he had to put up with...

I always remember Grandpa with this big, cheesey grin.  Always trying to make everyone laugh.  Love the wallpaper, too!

More Zoo Fun!

Living next to the zoo and having a season pass has it's perks, for sure.  We can head over there anytime we are looking for something fun to do.  So that's just what we did.  Here are some shots of the girls being archaeologists!

:)

Digging in the sand is so much fun!!

What will I dig up??

Hi McKel!

Mike conquers the Spartan Race

Mike signed up to participate in a killer hard obstacle race, known as the Spartan.  It was in the hottest part of the day, and you had to be crazy to put your body through this.  So that means my husband must be crazy.  That's okay.  Crazy people need support, so the girls and I bought some posters and made signs and decided to be spectators and cheer on our man.  Just being there, standing and watching, we about got heat stroke!
We watched and waited, and waited, and waited.  It was kind of fun to see all the other race participants light up when they saw the girls holding up the signs.  We got several comments like, "I wish my name was Mike!"  The girls had fun holding out their hands and giving encouraging high 5's to the runners as they came by... FINALLY we saw someone who looked like Mike.  He looked spent, to say the least.  We gave him some Gatorade and cheered him on to keep going.  And keep on going is what he did... all the way through the grueling obstacles, to the finish line which seemed like a million miles away.  We are so proud of him for finishing.  Here are a few shots from the event:

We found a tree to give us a tiny sliver of shade...

Avril was happy to be there and support Mike

If only her eyes were open for this shot...

McKel gives a high 5 to one of the Spartan runners

Could that be Mike???

Why yes it is!!  Thank goodness!  He looks hot!

This is where he cools off I guess.  I think he will need a shower later.

Check out the muscley muscles!

Spartan girls!  So so hot!!

 Awesome job, Mike!!  So proud of all you can do.  Now time to get you some food and clean you up!  Maybe someday I can be crazy with you and join...

Horseback Riding Adventure!

Something I've always wanted to do is to let the girls experience what it's like to ride on a horse.  Luckily, we live right down the street from This is The Place Park, where they have horseback riding trail rides.  It was pricey, but I think totally worth it for this adventure.
I was so excited to see Avril and McKel's awe when we pulled up and got to see the horses up close.  Our guide seemed very knowledgeable and experienced with horses, which helped to set my mind at ease.  Admittedly, I was a little scared about the girls riding on their own.  As the girls mounted the horses, I could see that they were slightly nervous as well, sitting on these beautiful, powerful creatures.
The scenery along the trail on the mountainside was breathtaking.  It was certainly an amazing experience.  HOWEVER... at one point, this mom just about died of a heart attack.  Mike seemed to have a horse that was slow and stubborn.  His horse stopped along the way countless times to eat.  This irritated McKel's horse, who was ready to get up and go.  The two horses seemed to have a quarrel, and continued to pick on each other.  At one point, McKel's horse got angry and bucked in the air... I heard McKel scream and hang on for dear life.  She has quite the grip, because she was able to maintain a hold on the horse when he nearly bucked her off.  I looked to see her hanging off the side of the horse, holding on to the reigns.  Brave girl.  Rude horse!!  It was honestly one of the most terrifying moments I've had as a mother.  Maybe second to the time that McKel rode down the sidewalk full speed on her bike, with no helmet, and crashed in to a rock wall with her face.
Anyway, the guide was able to calm the horse down, and McKel's horse got grounded.  He tied her horse to a tree and left him on the trail.  Then Mike and McKel rode together on my horse and I got stuck with the slow horse who would stop to eat every chance he got.  But we felt much safer.  Phew!  No more ER visits for McKel!  And we could enjoy the rest of our lovely ride :)

Mike and the girls, ready to ride!

Cowgirls!

McKel on top of the world

learning to hold the reigns

this girl is ready!

mounting my trusty steed

:)

So excited to go on this ride!

My hubs

Isn't he cute??  And so is my husband!

Love that smile...

Avril's turn!

Cowgirl Avril :)

She's ready to ride!

McKel's horse comes over to see what's going on...

Hmm... little girl and BIG horse!

Avril is excited to go!

Let's do this!

heading out on the trail...

McKel and the guide headed up to take the lead...

so fun!

here we go!

So glad that we got to experience this as a family.  I'd definitely do it again (if we were rich), and if I wasn't so terrified that the horse would give us a good scare again...  I will treasure this memory though.  It. was. awesome.

Big Purchase!

Very exciting news! We really needed a trailer to organize and store all of our race belongings. We sort of spontaneously went to Trailers Plus and had a peek at what they had to offer. We found one that would be perfect, and Mike used his amazing powers of persuasion to get us a steal of a deal. It was still a big, expensive purchase for us, but very exciting. This is the first big item we have purchased together as a married couple. It is going to make doing our Pancake Run soooo much easier for us. Plus it will be useful for all sorts of other things. Big day for us! Yay!! :) :)

Standing beside our newly purchased trailer!!

Uncle Mike and Baby Zayden

Mike's brother, Brenton, welcomed a healthy boy in to the world.  They named him Zayden.  We got to visit the family at the hospital, and even hold the newborn babe.  Nothing sweeter.  I did not want to give him back!

Doesn't get much cuter than this.  Makes me fall oh so in love with my hubby!!

cuteness overload of these two boys!

sound asleep

welcome to the world!

Girls Learning to Ride Bikes!!

What an exciting, monumental moment -- finally riding a bike with no training wheels!! We were up visiting Nana and Papa in Logan, and they were kind enough to spend some time coaching the girls on how to ride a bike. Here are a few videos of their first rides with no training wheels. A little wobbly, but they were riding all the way around the block in no time!! McKel's attempt another one of McKel's attempts Avril gives it a shot!

Kindergarten Field Trip - Hogle Zoo!

I was able to take some time away from my work day to be a parent volunteer for Avril's school field trip to the zoo.  This is why I love working close to Avril's school, and having somewhat of a flexible schedule.  There is nothing like seeing your daughter's face light up when you show up to chaperone a field trip.  Avril was beaming to have her mommy with her.  I must say, it was a little exhausting chasing my group around the zoo, trying to count out heads and make sure I hadn't lost any children!
But I did get some cute shots of Avril's adorable smile.

checking out a dinosaur exhibit, a happy girl!

My sweet, smiling Avril, who never has matching socks! :)

Avril with some of her kindergarten classmates

say cheese!

Avril with her lunchbox, ready to eat!

happy, happy girl!

had to get one more of her sweet smile

Thank you, Mrs. Buxton's kindergarten class, for a fun day at the zoo!