You Know You're Getting Old When...

The song you choose to give you a little boost for the sprint at the end of your treadmill run is "Islands in the Stream" by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton. And this was not just a one time slip of the finger on the i-tunes play list, it is my daily routine!!

Romneyfest!

The Romneys are one of those families we know will always be in our lives, partly because Mike is such a dork...a loveable dork (as is evidence in the pictures above) and who doesn't love someone like that in their lives, partly because Brooke and I never run out of interesting things to talk about, and the topic of conversation is not always about our kids which is refreshing, partly because their kids know how to party just like them, and partly because they are loyal friends, the kind where the rule "out of sight, out of mind" doesn't apply. The aforementioned Romneys treated us with a visit this summer. We loved it...and Mike couldn't keep his hands off my eye candy! Oh well...I was busy talking to his wife, so I was okay with it!

Eye Candy

Poor Steve has a wife that doesn't always think of the repercussions of what she says before she says it, which has led to some embarrassment on his part. Luckily, he has learned to handle the attention! Three years ago I called Steve "eye candy" over the pulpit during a sacrament meeting talk...he has yet to live that one down as this picture is evidence of!!

Y Not Tri

Why is it that I will pay $50 to swim in a duck poop infested pond that has a sign on the edge that says "No swimming", then bike quite a few miles on a borrowed bike that I'm not familiar with which means when the gears get stuck I have no idea how to fix it, and then run on the greenbelt which I'm sure my tax money paid for? To compete, that's why!! I'll admit it, I love a good competition. Also, I loved having a reason to spend time with two of my sisters, Hilary and Cali. There is also an energy at races like this that that I just can't resist.

Reaching our Deductible!!

Four surgeries in one year definitely reaches our deductible...infact, we reached our out of pocket maximum! First Capri got her adenoids out, a month later she got tubes in, I had back surgery, and Sophie's tonsilectomy makes four! Right when we arrived home from the hospital she ate like a champ, and the doctor had told us that the sooner they eat, the faster they recover, so I was stoked. I even bragged about her quick recovery to friends. THEN...the drugs wore off! She didn't eat or drink for 7 days, with the exception of small sips to avoid dehydration. She must have lost nearly 10 pounds, and much of that came from the neck region! It seems that a neck always shows weight loss first. Too bad it's not the butt! My very independent five year old morphed into a very needy and very skinny five year old. And then on day 10, just like the doctor said is the norm, I got my Sophie back. And now we look forward to less snoring and no strep throat!

Cropped Bathtub Pictures

These pictures are cropped a little tighter than I wanted them to be thanks to the prompting (understatement!) of Max and Sophie. It's pictures like this, when there are no distractions of clothing, jewelry, cute hair (obviously missing from this picture!), that I see the striking resemblance of my kids.

Love Notes

Steve and I found these sweet little love notes from Maxwell sitting outside our door after a Sunday nap. It was a wonderful surprise.

Like Mother Like Son

Steve thinks this picture is soooo funny, probably because he took it. He calls Maxwell and I his little book nerds. This was taken on a relaxing Sunday afternoon. Seriously, what's better than this? Do you know what I think is funnier than this? It's that Steve has only read three non-textbooks in the 12 years we've been married!!

Cheerleader Wannabes

Cheerleading camp equalled masses of little girls, straining the eyes to make sure your daughter and all your carpool girls were accounted for because it was super fun for them to sneak off and run down the high school halls, popsicle stickiness, but most of all, adorable dances and cheers to last a summer. Little Sally Walker was Sophie's fave and she played it with anyone who would oblige her.

Sun Valley - the perfect summer getaway

Mike and Jennifer Payne are always so generous in sharing their Sun Valley condo with us. We especially love going there with them, because not only do we love spending time with their family, but they also know all the perfect things to fill our days with. They have a weekend in Sun Valley down to a science, and I am so content just following along! This particular weekend consisted of swimming at the YMCA (which has a slide, a lazy river and fountains...basically enough stuff to keep the kids occupied for hours), Art in the Park (which attracts different, and in my opinion, better, artists than the Boise event...the price tags are a little higher too. You could even order your very own hut made of sticks!), and finally a night out at the Ice Show (headlining Evan Lysacek who makes ice skating quite manly!). The drive home was made a little more exciting with a stop at the old army tank sitting on the side of the road. Perfect photo-op for a boy who draws battle scenes nearly every day.