Diamond Kid Triathlon 2010

Ethan, Blake, and Keaton completed the Diamond Kid Triathlon at the beginning of the summer. This was the 4th year in a row that Ethan and Blake did this race! It was Keaton's first tri and he did fabulous. All three boys really gave it their all- they were genuinely exhausted after the race, especially Ethan. (The first photo was taken after they had finished all that hard work.) Blake seems to have a strength in running. Ethan did awesome with the swimming! I helped Keaton with the swim and then Darren followed him on the bike and run. I have to mention our sweet little Nash. He's an awesome cheerer for his big bros. It is such a fun race. I love for the kids to be involved and see all the other determined kiddos out there. I hope the boys are up for keeping this a summer tradition for our family.

Engineer Ethan

Ethan has an a.m.a.z.i.n.g ability to follow lego/k'nex/bionicles instructions. He does the most difficult assemblies without help. This summer my dining room table has been a permanent place for housing finished products and current projects. I love legos! I love that when Ethan is working on his things, the other kids get into the mood and work along side him doing their own works and creations. This includes Nash! I will snap some more pictures of all the finished works later. For now, enjoy this fine piece of work. PS- I have a home video of this k'nex masterpiece but I can't get it to download. It moves like a double ferris wheel. Pretty cool!

Boy Genius

Keaton just happens to be a genius...as are his brothers. What can I say? You say the same things about your kids! He made some great friends at preschool this year. He was always excited to go to Miss Kristina's, knock on the door, and then hide behind his hands until the door opened. Then he'd laugh and walk in without looking back for a second. Every day he skipped to the car when getting picked up...I'm so glad he had a fun place to learn where he also felt safe and comfy-wumfy (as he'd say). He is returning to the same preschool with mostly the same kids this year.

These pix are taken at his graduation. When it was his turn to stand next to Miss Kristina and have a few words said about him, I wasn't surprised to hear that he was class clown- always getting a laugh. He is a bright boy and he really does amaze me with his memory and his ability to absorb new things. Well done, Mr. Keaton!

Easter 2010

What? So school is about to start and I haven't even posted any pictures of our wicked-fun summer! As usual, I am so sad to see another summer end and send the kids away for half of the day. You know, I'll miss the near-constant teasing/whining. And if it's not a loud "not get along" moment, then it's a loud "get along" moment. Not to mention the awesome forts, traps made of mile-long yarn, lizards living in my house, wet swim suits on the carpet, going through 20 towels a day... ahhh, I can go on and on. So I will try and post a few things each week until I catch up. "Why do I even blog?", I ask myself. To preserve my memories and share them with those who care (thanks for reading, mom!).

Easter is so great here in the middle of the vast desert. The weather is great and there are a lot of community events to enjoy. We decided to go to an outdoor mall and play. There was no way we were waiting in line for the egg hunt- 3 hours! Luckily, the kids were happy with putt-putt, climbing walls, petting bunnies, and eating a picnic. We also fit in a quick trip to Red Rock. I had to show the kids all the worms that were plastered on every living plant. They would soon be moths/butterflies.

Boston Marathon 2010

Darren and I had a great time at Boston this year. This is my fastest marathon time so far- 3:13. It was also the hardest race I've ever done. And the coolest. We traveled this year with several couples- both Threshers, Fellows, Olsens. Everyone trained hard and did well. Will I do it again? Probably. But it might be fun to do another city- like Chicago or New York. Or anywhere in Hawaii.

First five pictures are taken in the Boston Commons park/garden.






Next four pictures are taken of the Charles River. This was the view outside of our hotel room.





Following two pictures are of the whole group out to eat/play the night after the marathon. The first picture is of all the runners in our group.



Me at the final turn just before the finish line appears. Probably one of the hardest points of any race that I have ever done. I think there was about a 1/4 to 1/2 mile left at this point.



JFK Memorial Museum (or something like that). I just wanted a nap!


Red Sox game.




Street performers. I'm spacing the area of town we were in. I can tell you that it was cold, though.



Expo. I think we visited here three different times. It's a fun place to go in anticipation for the event.

Ethan is 9

Ethan is one AWESOME kid. I missed part of his birthday because Darren and I were traveling back to Vegas from Boston on that day. But, lucky for all of us, G&G Bailey were taking fabulous care of the kids and they made sure to make our birthday guy feel special. He woke up to presents, a yummy cake that grandma made, and decorations. Grandma took donuts to the school for Ethan to share with his class. Then we were home later to top off the day. Ethan's birthday party was fun- the weather was perfect for the jumpie and pinata. His friends stayed late and played wall ball and football in the street. Our neighbor's father had to be taken to the hospital by ambulance just as the sun was going down. The firemen that had responded let the kids tour the fire truck. Exciting and fun! (ps- her father is okay) We love you, E-Train!

I Love This Face- Nash- May 2010

Thank heavens for skin. Easy to wipe off...fixes itself if needed...protects everything beneath...fairly stain-resistant...

I love this boy, messes and all.