Mission accomplished...

So a few years ago I decided it would be fun to run a marathon. I talked about it off and on for those years and finally this year I decided to do it!! I found a half marathon (13 miles) in Payson. It is called the Rim Country Challenge. So I found a training guide and set out. I ran 5 days a week for 12 weeks (minus the last couple weeks, I wasn't very consistent!!) and I worked hard. So the day was finally here. We dropped the kids off at 2 different friends houses (thank you thank you!!) and set out for Payson. We left the seats to the van in Casa Grande and blew up our air mattress. It was such a gorgeous night! We opened the back windows and crashed in the van! It was so fun!! In the morning we headed over to the registration area. I thought there would have been more people but there were only 87 registered to do the half marathon! Which made me nervous since one of my main goals was to NOT BE LAST. Now you might laugh at that, but I ran cross country in high school, and it was not uncommon for me to be the last runner during the meets. I can go and go and go but I go slow!!! So seeing that there weren't many people I was a little worried about that, so I decided to focus on my next goal: TO FINISH. Now I didn't really doubt that I wouldn't finish, I had done my running, but still that was a main goal! My only other goal was to do it in under 3 hours. I really wanted to do it in 2:30ISH but I didn't know how well I would do on the hills and in the altitude since I trained in Casa Grande area and it is completely flat. So anyway we got to the start and off we went.


My dad came up there to watch me run so he and Eliott went down the course a ways to wait for me and yell and take a picture and what not. So after my awesome picture they headed off to Denny's for breakfast!!
Then after breakfast they came and tracked me down again, at this point I was pretty much by myself w/ just a few runners that I could see and some more behind that I couldn't see. They drove by me for a minute or so until I told them to leave, it was too hard to run like that. But on the upside, I need something in my stomach, so I got to have a few bites left over from my bar from breakfast and a much needed drink of water!!

The weather was gorgeous!! It could not have been better! It was overcast the entire time and had a slight breeze. It felt great. And the scenery was so pretty. We ran through neighborhoods and it was fun to see some of the different houses.

They met up w/ me once more but didn't snap any pictures, instead they got out of the car and cheered for me like goobers!! My best friend from growing up, April, came to cheer for me too!

I felt pretty good considering the difference in where I trained to where we ran. I do have hip problems and the hills were killing my hips. But I moved along and I finished!! I actually met all 3 of my goals. There was one girl that I knew was behind me but I didn't think anybody else was and I couldn't see her anymore so I didn't know if she dropped out. So when I finished I thought that there was a good chance I was last, but Dad and Eliott told me there were quite a few people behind me. And when all was said and done I think some of them dropped out!! So, not last, finished, and I did it in 2:30ish. 2:39 something, to be more exact!!

It was such a good feeling to accomplish something that I have worked so hard to do!! Eliott has been a great support too, during all my running. I tried doing it before he left for work but sometimes that didn't happen. And on Saturday mornings when I would do my long run, he never complained about the time I was gone! He is fabulous!! Thanks Babe!!! I love you!!

Girls night out!

Lately Eliott has been taking Seth out on Saturdays, just the boys, to run errands or do something fun. So I decided it was Riley's turn. So we got all dressed up "like big girls" and went out.

She was so excited!

So first we went to Olive Garden. We love having a new Olive Garden and Riley loves the breadsticks. But I can't lie, I love Olive Garden and it was a good excuse to go.

And then we went to Claire's so she could get some new earrings. She hadn't ever been before so I was hoping she would LOVE it. Well, LOVE it she did! she walked in and was oohing and ahhing over everything. She couldn't decided what to look at or touch first. It was hilarious, I really wish I would have thought to video it. She was in little Riley heaven!!

She picked out earrings that were little flipflops in different colors and patterns. She even passed up flowers and hearts for these flipflops!!


After Claires we went to Walmart to find a pair of black shoes for Carly's wedding. We found a super cute pair, but I didn't take pictures.
We had a blast and I can't wait to take her out again. Although the next one on one is Lexi and she picked to have Daddy take her on a date!

I love to camp!

We went camping a couple weekends ago up northeast of Payson with Eliott's family!
We had such a fun time! Everybody got appropriately dirty and ate an obscene amount of sugar. So it was just like a camping trip should be. It was the first time we had gone camping as a family ever. I have taken Seth and Riley a couple times with my family when Eliott couldn't go and Eliott has taken the kids on father/son or Daddy/daughter outings. So it was fun to go as a whole family. We got there Thursday night and Riley and Seth decided they wanted to sleep in the Pop up camper trailer of Eliott's mom's. They had a blast in there. But I don't think anybody had as much fun as Lexi. She was SO EXCITED to sleep in the tent. She couldn't contain her excitement it was hilarious!! Lyddie had a good time to. she mostly walked around (still so excited she walks!) and sat in peoples laps. Although she loves camping chairs, she sat in those a fair amount of time. And the bottle in her hand is a fancy shmancy root beer bottle but it was too funny not to take a picture of! Seth enjoyed talking "nature walks" and he even got to shoot Papa Todd's BB gun! Riley played in the soft sand by the camp for a good portion of the weekend. The kids had a blast w/ Eliott's mom. She probably had almost as much fun! She would take them on little walks and feed them sugar. The kids obviously loved it!! Eliott bought me a hammock and it was OH SO NICE!!! So we both got to lay around in that for a little bit. It only took 10 minutes (no joke!) to sunburn me and give me an awesome farmers tan. So I had to plan when I could hang out it in. We had a great time and can't wait to go again!! Enjoy the pictures!

super saturday

So I am enrichment leader in my ward and we have super saturday coming up so I thought I would post our projects (email me if you want to do one and I can hook you up!!) (super saturday is October 25th and the money is due by the 15th)

Personalized soap. Teacher, Christmas, and Friend ($1.50 each)
Super cute collage frame, it will be 16X20 bring your own ribbon for $13 or we will bring ribbon for $17 there will be white brown and black paint

Glass etching, bring your own dish ($3.00)
Child size apron ($2.50)

These are paper mache letters, they come already black and stand on their own (the F needs to lean on the A) and they are 8 inches tall ($15 w/ paper and embellishments $12 w/out)

This is a cute calendar. There is vinyl on the back and your write on the front w/ a dry erase marker ($23.50)

the bottom block is about 10 inches long ($9.50)

This is a double sided decoration (one side Christmas the other Thanksgiving)($6)

Seth's B-day Bash!

So I am not gonna go and rearrange all these pictures so my story will go backwards!

Seth had a birthday a week and a halfish ago. He is 6! Crazy. Anyway we started out the day w/ 2 friends of his choice and an activity, I will go into that more at the bottom by those pictures. So he asked me for a Transformer cake for his b-day. Well let me tell you I like to think of my self as somewhat crafty but I am not artistic by any means. Whether it be a pencil, paintbrush or frosting, I can't draw. Soooo this was a job for Eliott!! He made 2 cakes and cut out the 2 guys in the middle and all the corners so it was 3-d ish. I guys the guys are the logo for the good transfomrer and the bad ones. I think he did a smashing good job (much better than anything I could have pretended to do!) and Seth absolutely loved his cake!

So after we had our morning of fun the evening was a family party and cake and presents and what not! He had a blast got tons of stuff that he doesn't need but loves and was appropriatley spoiled!
I do have to say this is the coolest thing ever! Eliott's mom and hubby made him a "treasure box" it has a lock on the front so nobody can get in but him (and of course us). She even lined the inside. Anway it is fabulous and he loves it and now he can keep all his treasures away from his sisters! Yay no more scratched cd's!!
So my new thing for b-day's is that the kid gets to pick 1 or 2 friends and then pick an activity to do. I just think the family party is the thing that will last and that way the family that wants to come, doesn't get uninvited just cuz they have friends over, and they don't have to come to a party where we do kid activities. Anyway, it worked really well this year so I think I will stick w/ it. So when I asked Seth who he wanted to invite he told me he wanted to invite Gabe and Carter since he asked Parker and Mathew last year, he thought the other 2 would like a turn! (I have such a sweet boy!) So we decided on bowling. I called the bowling alley in town and they told me they opened at 10:00 and no they weren't busy at that time on saturday mornings and no they couldn't reserve me a lane. So I figured it was fine so we went and picked up 2 VERY excited boys and get to the bowling alley only to be told that it is league time and there are no lanes. Well every lane was empty and they were still signing people up for leagues but he said we couldn't bowl until 1:00. So LaMe!! Let me tell you it put me into the worst mood! But luckily the boys were just as excited about Peter Piper. So we went and bought a ton of tokens and let them loose! They had tons of fun and got tons of cheesy prizes.

and of course they thought they were so funny to ride the tractor! It was hilarious watching them.

They all 3 picked vampire teeth and had to model them for us!

After we were done at Peter Piper we went to McDonalds and had lunch and then took the boys home. So all in all I think he had a ton of fun and was way spoiled! I can't believe my boy is 6!!

Tagorama

I am it! This tag goes like this...

7 things Jen would never say:

Scrapbooking is stupid, and I especially hate scrapbook night

I have all the patience in the world

I never need a break from my kids

I hate food!!

Whoever invented chocolate is such a moron.

I don't like crafts at all.

I hate shopping especially when I have money for clothes

7 things Eliott would never say

I love shopping, especially when Jen makes me try stuff on.

Chicken for dinner AGAIN, gross.

I love my 2+ hours of commuting time

I hate chocolate malts.

I am so stress free, it is amazing!

I hate fiddling w/ computers.

I hate when I come home and my kids all run up and grab my legs, what a pain.

Now it is your turn, everybody get ready, get set..... GO!

About time!

It is about time! Lydia has decided to act her age and start walking!! Some of you might be thinking "well, of course she walks, she's old" but oh no she doesn't! She started taking some steps wednesdayish. And now she walks I would say about 60% of the time. Little enough that all the kids still get excited when she does it! But oh man I am soooo excited! She turned 18 months a weekish ago, so yes it is about time she did it! The video is sideways, sorry!! But her little giggle as she goes is too cute!