Gymnastics

With Stockton gone to school all day, Mary and Tess have started some new activities.  They had their first gymnastics class yesterday.  They loved it!!!  Every aspect, from wearing their leotard, to walking on the balance beam, to jumping in the foam pit was a big hit. The only problem was they were so excited that they didn't always wait their turn.  Hopefully, they will learn the rules fast. 

 

First Day of First Grade

My handsome little boy started first grade on Monday.  He was so excited!  He was so anxious to meet his new teacher.  When we arrived at the school Stockton kept pointing to different moms and asking me, "Is that Mrs. Cooley?"  I kept telling him, "No, Mrs. Cooley is inside the classroom.  We'll meet her when we go inside."  When we finally went inside I pointed out who Mrs. Cooley was.  She came right up to Stockton and warmly introduced herself.  Stockton got so shy he could hardly speak.  He was star-struck!  He had a great first day and was very happy when I picked him up.  He didn't even seem very tired from starting "all-day" school (though he did mention that school was too long the next day).  I am so proud of Stockton and how well he is doing.  At moments like these, the future looks very bright.    

 

Utah Grand Slam: Marathon #3, Park City

Pre-race.  Mood:  Nervous, doubtful, irrational.  I didn't have a good experience on my last race.  I was in pain and decided running is not fun if you're hurting.  Because of that experience, I didn't do any running in preparation for this marathon.  I trained on the elliptical machine, but I went two solid months without running.  Needless to say, I didn't really feel confident in my ability and had a couple of people on call to pick me up if I needed to drop out. 

 

Post-race.  Mood:  Yeah!!!!!   I did it and completely pain free (well, at least pain free from my injury)!  Every mile I passed I would think, "I've gone 3 miles without pain, 8 miles, 15 miles . . ." until finally at mile 20 I knew I was going to stay strong.

 

The aftermath.  Mood:  Still giddy with excitement.  This is how you're suppose to feel after a marathon.  This is what makes them fun--feeling good and that you've really conquered something.  I can't stop thinking about it.  Even though it was a pretty tough course (16 miles uphill) and I was as sore as I've ever been after a marathon, it was fun and will be one of my favorite races.  Bring on St. George! 

Sweet Stockton

I have such a sweet little boy.  My grandma Howe moved in with my parents this last weekend.  We decided to make a little welcome gift for her.  Stockton decided to make her a card.  He has such a special relationship with all of his great grandparents.  I'm so glad that he's got to know them so well.

 

Goodbye Summer

I love our ritual of waiting for Dad to come home from work.  We all go and sit on the front lawn and wait and play.  The kids usually come up with some creative games.  They are always so happy at this time of day because they are so anxious to see Daddy!

Tess is so funny!  She was making all sorts of crazy faces in the mirror and was laughing so hard!  This was one of her favorite funny faces:

Swimming at Seven Peaks:

 

We took the girls bowling for the first time.  It has become a favorite activity:  



My kids fight as much as they play but they really love spending time together.  I love catching their quieter moments:

Clark and Stockton usually go on a bike ride every evening.  I loved driving past them and seeing Clark help Stockton get up the big hill by our house.  So cute:

Wasatch Back 2012



Clark and I ran the Wasatch Back with my family again this year.  Unfortunately, it didn't go as well for me as I'd like.  This race was the week after the Utah Valley Marathon and my calf injury was at its peak.  The pain got worse with every leg I ran.  I've decided that it really isn't worth running in pain and I plan to take some time off.  On the flip side, though, Clark and I both had a great time!  The relay races are so much fun because you get to spend so much time with your family/friends.  And we did really well as a group. 

Summer Days

Dress-up at Anna's house:

Rocky Shores exhibit at the zoo:

The kids have a new ritual of waiting in the front yard for Dad to come home from work:

Sometimes, the wait is longer than expected and they get more creative:

Ouch!

Stockton still has allergies!  The poor kid got poked again at his last appointment.  Most of these reactions came from various kinds of nuts.   I was surprised that the biggest reaction was from pistachios and the next biggest was from pecans.  Peanut was a relatively small reaction.  Basically, though, Stockton cannot have any nuts.  Except Brazil nuts.  He can have Brazil nuts!  Yay!