Mud Run 2007

Before....
...and after!
Our team crossing the finish line.
Celebrating (at Pinkberry- YUM!) afterwards.
So who is in for next year?? We did the Mud Run this weekend and decided it will definitely be an annual tradition! So start your training NOW. We had the greatest time. In all seriousness, we are going to be putting together a huge group for next year, and everyone is welcome, so think about heading to So Cal next June and join us! We had 4 out of 6 kids and 3 out of 6 spouses. It was such a blast! We spent the rest of the weekend watching the kids and their cousins destroy my brother's beautiful house in Temecula. A great time was had by everyone. Thanks Todd and Jen!! We missed you Ben and Nate. Next year: no excuses! If I can do it, anyone can. Let me know if want in!!

On another note, my mom is back in the country and we are all gathering in Idaho tomorrow (even my dad) for my grandmother's funeral. So while it was a great weekend, it was somewhat bittersweet. It was great to be with my brother and sisters, I can't wait to all be together tomorrow in Twin Falls at my grandparents farm.

Ella and Alex: reunited!

Our good friends the Scoresby's are in town and we were so lucky to meet up with them this morning. Ella was one of Alex's best buddies from our days in Dallas, and it was so great to watch them reconnect with each other. Seeing Lynette was so great- she is one of the strongest, most positive people I have in my life- I love her and am constantly amazed by her. Thanks for making some time for us today guys!! We love you!!

Meet Papa

Sometimes I think this man was born in the wrong era. He is shown above roping a homemade bull (which was made by him) in the middle of June in suburban Tempe Arizona in the year 2007. Can you feel the joy from the look on his face?? Love him.

A couple from tonights swim party...

I love Will's confidence in himself. He was totally sure that he could figure out a way to get that basketball in the hoop.
Alex was in the pool from 4:30-8pm, when we dragged him out (screaming I might add.) There is nothing this child loves more than being thrown around in the pool by his dad.

This is how we keep it cool in AZ.

What to do on a Saturday when it's over 100 degrees outside? We took 'em ice skating, and they loved it! Alex has been twice before in Texas, and Will was an enthusiastic first-timer. We found out that they offer skating lessons starting at age 3. Looks like Alex will be adding another activity to his extra-curriculars come fall! (Excuse the quality of the pictures, they were taken through the glass.)

Nana Camp!

This week Nana (Julie-Alan's mom) held her annual Nana Camp for all of the grandchildren age 4 and up. Whew, we barely made the cutoff this year. She organized 2 days of non-stop fun-filled activities for the crew (total count: 8 kids ages 4-9.) I don't have many pictures because I wasn't there- this camp is run by Nana herself (with some help from Papa and a few aunties who joined for parts of the fun.) The did all kinds of activities: made t-shirts, swam, had a barbeque, played with Papa's assorted inventions (like stomp rockets as pictured above), went to a water park, had a cake decorating contest, decorated hats... and I can't remember what else. Alex had a great time being with his "big cousins." He looks up to them so much and they are so good to him, always looking out for him and helping him keep up with the crew. Sometimes when we are with them I think about how lucky my boys are to have these spunky, funny, smart, kind, "big-kid" examples around on a regular basis. Had we decided to live anywhere else they would be missing out on the relationships they are developing with each of them. I'm really, really glad they aren't' missing out.

Summertime

Umm, I think we need to teach Will the proper way to eat an ice cream cone. He was definitly going his own way tonight as he chowed on a drumstick at nana and papa's house. As long as he's happy, I guess it works for me!
Alan's parents had us all over tonight for a yummy summer dinner and swimming for FHE. The boys love being with their cousins. I loved watching Alex be braver than usual and jump off the diving board holding Sam's hand and not looking the least bit afraid. They were exhausted after our crazy day (first day of summer camp, trip to the library, errands, swimming lessons) and both feel asleep on the car ride home from Nana's. As I was carrying Will up the stairs he looked at me and said "Bed." And as I was carrying Alex to his room, I told him I loved him and he said, "I love you too. And Mommy? You take good care of me." Thank you child, for making it all worth it by sharing a moment like that with me.

Clean boy, dirty water

This child has the best grin, I just love that mouth full of big white teeth (although Alan is already talking about what a bad ortho case he will be. Let's just say he was on the ba-ba a little bit longer than he should have been! Whoops. I take full responsibility.) The baby blues get me as well, especially when they are full of crocodile tears as has been the case a lot recently. Will is definitely a 2-year old, and even though he is very verbal (he can say almost everything, including gracias at the appropriate time) he is showing all of the signs of the terrible two's with his fits and tantrums. But we love him and accommodate him, probably too much. What can I say, he is the baby in this house and always will be!

The big boy turns 4!

Well, he actually doesn't turn 4 until Friday but the party was today, and man, was it wild!! I was thinking since it's a holiday weekend and I only sent the invitations out about a week ago that we would have a small turn-out. Not so! Even people who had rsvp'd NO showed up, along with siblings to add to the fun! It was crazy and I was so happy that we weren't having it at home. (I must say that until today I was a big believer in at-home parties, but after experiencing how little work it can be to throw a party somewhere else, I'm converted!) It was a blast and I really think Alex felt important and very loved, which is the whole point. So I'm calling it a success! We had it at Funastics, where they set-up about 6 different "bounce houses" around the room and had a balance beam and bars for the kids to hang from. It was a great place for a bunch of wild 4 year olds (and some older friends and cousins)!

Making silly faces for Alan.
Alex's favorite- pepperoni pizza.
This cake was a dream come true for Alex. Many of you know how I feel about his long-suffereing Thomas obsession. I decided to indulge him one last time with the cake of his dreams, courtesy of Costco (Thanks Jen, for the topper idea!)

Last day at LadyBug

It was Alex's last day of preschool today. Next year he will be attending Pre-K five days a week at the local elementry school. My eyes started to well up with tears as we hugged and said our final goodbye to Mrs. Anderson. I feel so grateful to her for providing him with such a caring and loving enviroment for his first-school experience. I felt like I was leaving a piece of Alex behind in that classroom. A big chunk of his childhood- over forever. So tragic and exciting all at the same time!

Seattle

Don't know why but we look very few pictures while in Seattle! Here are a few that we did manage to snap at the Public Market (Pike's Place), overlooking the view of the city from Queen Anne (with Shannon, who lives in Queen Anne, from our UCLA days), and of course Ellie eating a cupcake from the famous Cupcake Royal in Seattle. We loved Seattle! This trip reminded me how much I love to explore a new city. It was rainy and wet most of the trip which is just what I would have ordered. (Do you know how long it had been since I had put on a pair of jeans?? We've been in shorts since February.) We had a great time seeing my sister and her family and catching up with old ortho friends from dental school and residency. We love Seattle!

Livin' the Life

Boys love swimming at Nana and Papa's pool.... here they are enjoying some watermelon, poolside. Does life get any better? As I was taking this picture I informed them that I'm pretty sure it does not. I'm going to miss them this weekend.... Alan and I are headed to Seattle for AAO conference. Good luck Dave and Julie! Thanks for taking care of them!

Father and Sons Campout

Alan gave me the best mother's day present ever- 20 hours all to myself. Our ward held their father and son's campout and Alan took both boys, which left me home alone! He tells me the boys were so well-behaved and happy to be out in nature and away from the 100 degree heat we've been having. I must admit by the time they came home I was ready to have all three of my boys back.

Oh, the lemons!

Beautiful, big, juicy, fresh-off-the-tree-in-Julie's-backyard lemon's- yum!

My little boy is growing up

Today at preschool they had a Mother's Day celebration, and while I watched Alex up at the front of the classroom with his friends, it hit me how quickly it's all going by. It's so rare that I get the chance to focus on just him, without the distraction that is his brother Will. I arrived a little early for the program so all of the children were still on the playground having recess. I sat in my car and watched him playing with his friends, and had to resist the physical urge I felt to jump out and go be with him (this was partially because I wanted to tell him to stop harassing the poor little boy that he and Shane were pouring buckets of sand on.... but also because I just wanted to hug him.) He is growing and changing so quickly and I'm realizing more and more that this time in our life is such a brief period. I need to work on savoring each moment.

Breakfast with the Franco's

Alan's former co-resident, Krysten, and her husband Pedro, are in town! We met them for breakfast in Scottsdale and had a great time catching up. We were talking about how strange it is that for over 2 years the ortho residents at Baylor spent practically every day, all day together. And then, all of a sudden, it was over when they graduated last August. They have all gone separate directions and will never be involved in each another's lives the way they once were. It was great to be able to catch up with the Franco's! (It also made both Alan and I really miss Dallas!) Oh, and don't mind Will who was having a very sticky meltdown as I was trying to snap this photo!

Lady Bug Learning Club Spring Picnic

Seriously, Will? You are barely 2!

Alex and Shane- preschool buddies!

More Visitors!!

One of the great things about being in AZ is the constant stream of visitors!! Today at noon my little bro called to tell me he would be here at 6pm- Yipee! Julie had already offered to watch the boys so Alan and I could have a date, so Alan picked Nate and Carla up from the airport after work and we met for sushi. Our favorite spot was closed for remodeling (so sad!) but we improvised and found a great little place. It's so fun to have Nate and Carla here, even if it's just for 12 hours or so.

Missing Miss Ellie

She's been gone only a couple of hours, but our house already seems quiet and there are little reminders all over of our little miss: a pink sippie-cup here, a girlie sock there. As we drove away from the airport Will started crying and said, "Where Ellie? Where Ellie?" He'd gotten used to the backseat tug-of-war they've been playing all week while riding around together. We are missing you Miss Ellie!!

One more day to go...

Dear Sister,
I know by now you are missing Ellie desperately. For the first time this week, I think she missed you, too! This morning she was just a bit melancholy as she wandered around the house. She even looked at me and asked in a questioning voice, "Mama?" Don't worry, we distracted her with a day of fun. After dropping Alex of at school, the three of us headed to the mall for the SuperKids Club. We met Sommer and Kate there, and Ellie had a ball! There was singing and dancing and storytelling and a dog named Dewbie, who Will immediately fell in love with and harassed during the entire program. Ellie was a gem, and it's a good thing because I was so busy chasing Will I would not have been able to deal with anything else! I was literally sweating when it was over. We headed to Caroline's house where we had a little cousin's get-together; we ate lunch and played on the tramp with all of the littlest cousins. It was hot today, at least 95 degrees, so by the time we made it home everybody crashed. All of the kids were thrilled to be having pasta night, and when it was all over I think we used half of a container of parmesan cheese. They were all tucked in by 7pm, and I'm headed that direction as well. Your emails about room service, mornings by the pool, tennis matches and beach time sound heavenly- I'm so glad you've had such a great time. Soak it up while you can, sis! See you tomorrow!

Love, Christie