My Next THIRTY Years

Milestone birthdays can be painful, but I was able to endure this one with relative ease...it's hard to dislike birthdays when the kids are so very excited - and when they bring you breakfast in bed (again!), shower you with hugs and well-wishes, give you cheery pink Gerbera daisies, and send you to the salon! Not to mention Rob STUNNING me with a super-fancy new camera, one that I can only hope to someday deserve with my photography. Besides the rather embarassing attention given by the waitstaff at the Texas Roadhouse, it was a great day and I even had a few moments to ponder what I'd wish for myself in the next 30 years:

-Be more bold & ask more questions

-Wear sunscreen

-Complete a triathlon

-Savor time with the kids & Rob

-Get a Master's degree

-Travel to southern France, Italy, Australia, Alaska, Hawaii, Spain...could go on and on...

Preschool Graduation

Haley graduated from preschool on May 22nd and is officially on summer vacation! She was sad that school was over, but none of us have been complaining about staying up late or spending lazy mornings in pajamas. Kindergarten countdown: 2 1/2 months! Below: Haley and her teacher, Mrs. Anderson; Haley with the Ellie's: Ellie K. and Ellie H. (Emma, Emily and Ella are not pictured); Haley receiving her "diploma."

Fargo 5K Epic

Many months ago some friends and I decided we wanted to run a 5K race...this was way back when it was still below freezing outside and sunrise wasn't until after 7 a.m. We picked a training program (the Couch to 5K) and started hauling our sleepy selves to a local park at 6:30 a.m., 3 times a week.


It was dark. It was really cold. It was windy, dropping the temperature sometimes below zero. At first running for 3 solid minutes felt like a huge breakthrough. But as the weeks wore on we got stronger and the weather slowly started to get warmer. We were subjected to colds, flus, toddlers keeping us up all night, shin splints, pinched nerves, and various other ailments.


But last Saturday all four of us crossed the finish line! We weren't the fastest, but we met our goal and are already planning to train for a 10K next. Great job, Heather, Chris, and Holly!!! Thanks again to Rob's mom and dad, who stayed in town long enough to watch the kids while we ran. It was wonderful to be running myself instead of being on the sidelines cheering for Rob.


Rob and Haley ran that day too - Rob surprised himself by running a really great 5K, and has since decided to try for the 24th of July Marathon in Salt Lake. Haley ran her first race ever, a half-mile distance, which was so exciting. We waited with the thousands of other kids for her age group to go, and she did great! After crossing the finish line, she said, "That wasn't very far! I want to run longer!" I guess next year we'll sign her up for the one-mile race...as we walked to the car afterward, she said, "We're a running family!" Rob and I can't think of anything we would like better.





Left: Haley and I after her race; Haley watches as a group of older kids runs the 1.2-mile race.

Book Tag - Gideon Biddle: Shadowwalk

My friend Suzanne tagged me for this; here are the rules:

1. Pick up the nearest book (at least 123 pages).

2. Turn to page 123.

3. Find the 5th sentence.

4. Post the 5th sentence on your blog.

5. Tag 5 people.

I just finished this book last night - I'm not usually a sci-fi fan, but this was great. It's in the same vein as Harry Potter. And it's written my my incredibly talented sister-in-law, Katherine Wood! I'll be happy to loan it out to anyone interested...it's also available on Amazon.com. If you've read it, post your thoughts in a comment, or as a review on Amazon!

Page 123, 5th sentence: "It was fluttering mildly against a breeze which, when Gideon thought about it, he couldn't feel."

I now tag: Heidi Brough, Cindi Buhrmester, Mandy Pitcher, Lana Bromiley, and Heather Bartlett.

Happy Mother's Day!

How nice to have a day when I can ask for a million hugs from the kids, wake up to breakfast in bed, and hear Jake say "Happy Mudders Day, Mama"! Rob and the kids fixed a beautiful breakfast for me, and gave me a divine-smelling Star Jasmine plant. They also surprised me with a corsage to wear to church and many sweet pictures and hand-made books from Haley. I was also glad she sang to me with the Primary kids at church - I know she didn't really want to. Thanks, Bo, Haley and Jake!

Also, thank you to my own mom for being so wonderful! It's hard to live so far away, but I never doubt that she loves me and wants the best for me. She's such an example of hard work, following your dreams, and being true to oneself. I love you, mom!

Ballet Recital Success

Haley's recital was on Saturday, and she impressed the pants off of us by doing so well. After a bit of nerves at the dress rehearsal, she went onstage like a pro for the real thing and said she only had "5 butterflies" in her stomach when it was their turn. This was after 2 months of saying that she would refuse to dance in the recital - we just took it one step at a time and she was SO very proud of herself. She told me that she just looked straight ahead so that she wouldn't see the hundreds of people watching her.

I've posted the video of dress rehearsal below - she did better at the actual recital, but our video of that is too far away to see who's who. These girls are 3, 4 and 5 years-old, and many have been taking ballet for a long time. Haley's only been taking for 2 months...they're all so cute and hilarious to watch. She practiced very hard at home and she and her friend kept watching each other to get the steps right.

Rob took Jake home after Haley's performance so that she and I could stay to watch the rest of the recital. It started at 6, she performed around 6:30, and when we left at 9:30 it was only about two-thirds over. Can we say l....o....n...g.... But it was fun to watch her watching the other performances - she was so excited and it seemed physically impossible for her to keep from dancing along. I think next year we'll be adding tap classes to her schedule...and maybe hip-hop... Here are a few clips of her "watching" the recital.

Haley struck these "fancy" poses on her own; Haley and her friend Ellie from preschool.