Brian and Clara +2: July 2011

Grace is so happy all the time
look all those teeth- 4 on top, 2 1/2 on bottom (11 months)

She was loving the hose

yes the hose is still on!

We have the 'hole' on the hill in front of our house that Will
loves to play in, especially on Saturday morning in pj's with Daddy

Happy 4th of July! We spent the afternoon with Lori and her girls at the pool and a fun bbq

Will is so funny

Amazingly he didn't fall out of the bed

Every Friday and Saturday night there are free concerts in Daybreak (the community where we live) and there is a splash pad right there for the kids to enjoy. Grace slowly got into, but by the end was soaked.

Will is getting so big, he loves loves loves the water.

She is the best

She loves her food.

Will being a good helper feeding Grace

Happy 30th Birthday to me.

All I really wanted for my birthday was to go boating, I mean I would have gladly taken other things but what I really wanted to do was be on a boat in the sunshine. So Brian being Brian played it off pretty good for about a month before my birthday (July 14th). On Monday the 11th he came home and rang the door bell, who does that?, but was in his swim suit and sad let's go boating. I was a little confused, with who? where? kids? no kids? good thing I shaved this morning. He had arranged for a babysitter and we were off to go boating with 3 other couples! It was the best afternoon in the sunshine on a boat with no kids. It was a perfect afternoon on the lake with the Smiths, Alldredges, and Oehlers. By about 4 the wind picked up and out came the tube, the boys screamed like little school girls and were hilarious to watch.  

the boys out on the tube, seriously so funny to listen to them

Brenda, me, Kathy, Brad

Brian got a lot better on the wake-board this trip

Seriously I love boating, I've said since we got married (almost 9 years ago now) that I wanted a boat for my 30th birthday, but that was the dreaming 21 year in me thinking we would have money by now, ha! So I'm just as happy going with others who have boats that love to play!

I thought that boating for my birthday was the best surprise and that we would just go to dinner on my real birthday. My friend Kathy offered to watch the kids (which was a little off, she doesn't usually offer that) and he would never really tell me where we were going to dinner. He was late getting home from 'work' which was weird, especially in the summer! But we were off to drop the kids off then Kathy txt and said she had lost track of time and was at the splash pool and to drop the kids off there then she would take them back to her house, another weird thing but whatever (Kathy never forgets anything). We drove up and another surprise party! Brian is sneaky and a lot of fibbing was going on at our house for about a month! He is the best, I really couldn't ask for a better husband. Love him. He even printed off the big banners at work. (He was late getting home because we setting everything up!)

Matt and Lori

Heather (minus Addy and Brent) but glad she came!

Aren't I special, we didn't have any matches.

Natalie and Dylan drove forever to come down for this! They are so much fun

Grace loved the balloons!

Amber and Natalie- cute girlfriends from high school

I did it! My first 1/2 marathon! July 16, 2011 Bryce Canyon
Well I'm not sure I really want to claim this as my first but I still finished at about 3 hours. Lindsay, Katie, and I had been training together and signed up for the race and made a long weekend of it. The race started out fine, gorgeous scenery, fun girlfriends, but then there was a photographer and we decided to jump up for the picture (it really is an awesome picture but I'm to cheap to pay for it) well after having a 10 pounder baby I can't jump all the time :) So first port-o-potty I needed to stop and so did Katie, Lindsay kept going (she is amazing!) Ok I was good. But Katie, I think everything that could have gone wrong went wrong for her that day. There really wasn't anyone around so I wasn't going to leave her alone so I kept with her and we walked, but then ended up walking until mile 8. At mile 8 she was feeling better so we ran the rest of it, I wanted to finis in under 3 hours but barely missed it and Katie finished! (which really was what was worth it, she came over the finish line) The last 5 miles were going great, my knee was bothering me earlier when we were going down the canyon but I was doing good but then I landed wrong. Oh seriously killed. I was only maybe 1/2 mile from the the finish line and really could run on it. One of the old policemen was even saying you are so close. I know! And I had the best song on my ipod to finish with, oh well. I had to walk the last humiliating part, where everyone is watching, but I hobbled over the finished line. I will do another one and really run the entire race. It was a fun time.

Lindsay, me, Katie

Gracie girl is getting to blonde!

We went for a fun easy hike to a water fall.

Brian and Grace


The water felt great on my knee

The Nielson's joined us for the hiking and the food part of camping!

(grace is hiding) Brian, me, Will, Kennedy, Bridger, Jeremy, Charlotte (Lindsay is taking the picture) 

The night before the race we stayed at the most ghetto motel I have ever seen or stayed in. Really I think it was a double wide. A little concerned about walking around barefoot. And I think I would have slept better camping, which we did the next night!

Charlotte was getting into the dirt!