Kate's Family Party "7"

We always have a big family party for Kolten and Kate's birthdays, so twice a year we have both families over for dinner. It usually is about 30 people. My kids can pick out what ever cake they want and it is my personal challenge to create it into a cake. Luckily, with the Internet, it is easier to get ideas. This was my easiest fondant cake, I guess I have figured out how to make it a little better. A class probably would have been nice. We had barbecued pork sandwiches, beans, and chips to eat. Kate had a good time, it is always a little chaotic, but that is expected.

Happy 7th Birthday Kate!

Kate has always had huge birthday parties averaging about 25 kids, usually combined with Erich Heim's birthday{one day apart}. She decided that she just wanted a small girl party this year, and invited just enough girls to fit at her table. It was much easier for me, even though the big parties are fun. She wanted panda bears, so I made little individual cakes, which I already had the molds and had never used. They turned out cute for as much work as they took. It was a fun party, I just can't believe how old she is getting!

Boston! Here Bart comes.

Bart has been training very diligently to attempt to qualify for Boston in the marathon. He needed to get a 3:15.59 to qualify. This was his sixth marathon. His first marathon was the PF Changs race in Phoenix which he got a 3:50. He ran Ogden in May hoping to qualify and got 3:19, which was very disappointing. He put in for St. George, and luckily drew out, I didn't share the enthusiasm, but I drew out too. He has lost weight, and has trained very hard for this. I have had to look at the elevation drawing on the fridge with his goal time since the day of Ogden's race. He did qualify in St. George with a 3:09.21. It rained the entire race (only the 2nd time to rain in the 30 year history of the race- not a sprinkle either!) The rain wasn't so bad, it was just the sloshy shoes. There were people who ran the entire race wearing garbage bags, but it didn't seem to slow anyone down. I finished in 4:04, my first marathon. It actually wasn't as bad as I had anticipated, the miles seem to go a little faster when you are running 26 of them. Sarah and Jonathan were there to cheer us on, which was helpful. Good job Bart, I am really proud of him and I am excited to go cheer him on in Boston, glad to be on the other side.

Utah Half Ironman

I'm sure Bart was sick of me asking him if I should really do this race or not. I wanted to, but I was definitely under trained. I trained in each sport individually, but not combined. I mostly wanted to see what it was like. I finished the Utah Half Ironman, and that was my goal. I did it in 6:08. The swim was good, 1.2 miles in Utah boat harbor. The bike was pretty flat 56 miles out to West Mountain and back and I did better than I planned. I was fine until mile 6 of 13.1 run, then it was just survival. The run was 3 different out and backs, which was the hardest part for me. I didn't start running until about 10:30 so it was pretty hot. They had race support at each mile of the run, so I thought they did a good job overall. I am just happy to have finished, and lived to tell about it. I definitely know some things to work on now. If you ever do this race, be sure and take a lot of mosquito repellent. I don't know which was worse, the mosquitoes or the run. Thanks Ana for cheering me on.

First day of school

Summer is over, and the day has arrived that I have dreaded since Kate was born. She started 1st grade and is gone all day now. She goes everywhere with me, so it will be a hard adjustment for me. So far, she had enjoyed school, saying it is a long day, but she gets in the car and all she cares about is who she can play with. She is just fine. I really miss her being gone all day! Kolten seemed excited to start school, I think he was getting bored. I just can't believe he is in 9th grade!

Cardinals at state

The PG Cardinals went to the state tournament. They did well, but ending up losing the game going into the top 4 places. It was a hard loss, but they all did really well. Kolten did a great job mostly pitching and catching, and got some great hits. It was sad to see the season end.

Welcome Max

A new cousin! Max was born May 30th and weighed 8lb 13oz. We got to go and visit him for the first time in Grand Junction. Congratulations Tanya and Shane. He is very cute, we all obviously love the hair!

Echo Tri

Is he grabbing his butt? Who could blame him in that outfit.

This is really late posting, but I am just trying to catch up our summer highlights. This was a really fun race. There were a lot of professional racers there, and some not so professional. It was a big tri, and our first open water swim. Bart did great with just a little panick attack during the swim, but a natural biker making up for that. He took 1st place in his age division for the sprint distance. I did the olympic distance for the first time, just happy to survive. Tanya did the sprint and did really well. Joni took first in her age division in the sprint. It was different racing in the open water, more fun for sure. The course was really good, I liked the bike course just rolling hills, pretty flat. The run was a little hard, it was hot and a dirt trail, but very flat. I'm sure we'll be back next year.

PG Swimteam

Kate with her highpoint trophy and 1st place breaststroke medal.

Her race start at county.

I just love this picture.

He must of inherited my breaststroke.

Just exctited to swim.

PG Swimtean good job! The season is over. Kolten did well at county at the Gold Meet, with both relays taking 3rd. He swam butterfly, IM, and breaststroke. He placed 4th in breaststroke 39.09. We are excited to see how he does on the highschool team. Kate had a good first season. She swam free, back, and breaststroke. Kate is the county champion for 6&u breaststroke. She asked the timers as soon as she got out if she got disqualified. She was jumping up and down so excited that she wasn't. She also got a trophy for high point for PG 6&u girls earning the most points at county. She is very proud of the trophy. She is looking forward to swimming this fall for HAST.

Freedom Run

Good job Bart! 2nd place 5k in his division{of course he wanted 1st}. He ran it in 19:56 which is great for that course. For days, I kept hearing "Only 7 seconds!" {how much he lost by}. I think 2nd is great.

I took 3rd place in the 5k in my division. I think the serious runners all entered the 10k so I had an advantage. My time was 23:38, I thought I might die, but I didn't. Ana and Pat ran it also, so that was fun. Ana beat me with a 22:45 good job Ana, of course that is with out training too!

Way to go Cardinals!

Kolten's team the PG Cardinals for pony league, took 1st place for the city tournament this year. They will be going to the state tournament this week. Kolten played really well, having the best batting average on the team. He mostly was the catcher, did some pitching, and 3rd base. Good job Kolten.

Strawberry Days

We always look forward to Strawberry Days, especially Kate. Every time we pass the rodeo grounds she asks when it is going to be. I know the thing we all like the best, the strawberries and cream. The rodeo is always fun, and the entertainment was good this year with the motorcycle jumpers. The kids all loved it. Carter said it was the best 5 minutes of his life. We couldn't get any kids to ride the sheep, but I can't really blame them, they look a little wild. We also went to the parade, Zack got so into the candy and prizes, he almost got hit by a float, they had to briefly stop the parade, I don't think he even noticed. I think Kolten had the most fun at the parade of anyone, I'm sure you can tell by the picture.

Strawberry Days 5k

I'm number 1!

Bart and I ran the Strawberry Days 5k. It was a good course, starts out down hill, then has some gradual up hills. Bart took first place in his age division, his time was 19:26 and his pace was 6:16 . I took 3rd in my division with 23.12, which is great for me. Good job Bart. We will find a great spot for the new trophy!

Little Red Riding Hood

Kate and I were invited to go to the Little Red Riding Hood with Steffany and Sydney. It was a 35-100 mile bike ride in Logan. We signed up for the 100, my longest ride ever being 20 miles. I thought if we just went slow it wouldn't be too bad. This was my first of 3 goals for the year and I didn't quite make it. We made it 70 miles, which Steffany totally could have made 100. She probaly felt sorry for me. I am not a natural biker, and was on a brand new bike{ another long story}. It was really hard. Explain to me how it can be up hill both ways, and a strong head wind both ways. A mystery. Our average was 13.6mph, thanks to me again. I am glad that we did it, it was a lot of fun. Sydney and Kate went for breakfast and swimming {sorry Sydney for the pool incident} I think Kate swallowed too much water. They met us for lunch, cheered us on, and rescued us. Kate had a blast. We stayed in Logan for the night and went to dinner. It was a lot of fun, and exhausting.

Bart's first triathalon

Here is the requested picture of Bart in is tri outfit, you need to zoom in for the full effect.

Bart did the PG triathalon. He took 2nd place in his age division. He ran well, he biked awesome he says. He was in first coming into the swim, and struggled in the swim. He found it faster to bounce on the bottom after the first couple of laps. We helped with the tri, it was a swim team fundraiser. It was fun to see all of the runners pass us, and we had time to go cheer Bart on in the pool. Good job Bart. I think he found his sport.

Good job Kolten

Kolten graduated from 8th grade. He did really well this year. He stayed on the honor roll all year. He also was awarded a for outstanding performance on the Iowa tests in reading. Good job Kolten. We are proud of him.

Kindergarten Graduate

Kate graduated from kindergarten! We are very proud of Kate. She loved school this year. She really enjoyed her teacher, Mrs. Jensen. She is really starting to read well, and loves it. A night NEVER goes by that we can skip reading before bed. Neither one of us is anxious for first grade, due to the all day schedule. I bet Kate will do better than me. We have both agreed not to talk about it or we both cry. Back to the graduation, they sang songs and got diplomas, and we had juice and donuts. Nanny also came. We went for lunch to Pizza Factory. Good job Kate. Mrs. Jensen gave individual awards to all of the kids, Kate got the award for being "sweet", I have to agree with that.

Jive Dance Concert

This was Kate's fourth year with Jive Dance. They have one performance a year, which is run really professionally and is so much fun for the dancers. The theme was Girls, Girls, Girls. Kate's dance was to Carwash. She was so cute. She knew the dance well. She really enjoys dancing, especially performing. I don't know who she got that from. We all especially loved her cute stage smile!

Mother's Day

These are my Mother's Day cards from Kolten and Kate. They are so cute. I'm not sure that these coupons are actually valid on Kolten's, but isn't it the thought that counts?

Havasupai

This is our tent. It isn't bigger than it looks.

What a dive, a splashless entry. If only he had kept his legs together and pointed his toes.

The backpack was a little heavier than I had expected, so Ana traded me.

Pat and Ana. It was kind of like a race the whole trip.

I lost.

The beautiful village of Havasupai.

The swing. I think this was everyone's favorite part of our trip. Some of us were a little more talented on the swing, but we don't need to mention names.

We all had a lot of fun swimming in the falls, the water temp was a little cool, but who could resist a swing. We also had fun swimming in the falls, hiking down the river, and exploring the canyon. It was so nice there, it was worth the hike {I think it was about 12 miles each way}. We backpacked all of our stuff in for 2 nights. Luckily, Bart is an experienced hiker, and was the camp cook. We had a little giardia scare afterwards, but the lab tests came back negative. The port-a-potties were completely to the rim, some slightly over, but we did get to stay for half price, so we were happy. There were a couple of pictures we were disappointed that we didn't get, like the speedo hiker{is that the new style?}, Havasupai village, the day after the storm, the sleep-eater/squirrell? We never totally solved that mystery.