4th of July and the rest hasflown by...

So I really don't know what has happened to this month... I mean just yesterday it was June and now I find my self encroaching very close to the month of August! I know we have been super busy but I can't remember what we have actually done...

I remember that we enjoyed the 4th with my my mom and Dan and Brian's parents; and that was after we enjoyed the day fishing/hiking up on the mesa.

I also remember that I ran...a lot...lots of serpents trail runs, lots of runs with Anne and Lisa and Ari...

I also remember that we spent a lot of time in the water, either at the lake or at a friends...

I also remember that we spread Bill's ashes.
It has been eight years and have been trying to find the perfect time to get everyone together and then the right time of year to get back into his favorite lake on the Mesa (Colby Horse). But since its been 8 years we opted to go for the second favorite lake (40 Acre) and with just his mom, and siblings. I was truly shocked at how emotional I became. I need some more time to process all of this and will (promise) write about it later. As of now all I can say is it was an emotional experience for all of us.

I also remember that we bought a new car... we have been talking about it for a while. I really wanted/needed something that I felt more comfortable driving over the mtns in, especially after this crazy winter and spring! Plus we needed more room for all the "adopted" children I cart around (aka Madison's friends), and it will be nice to carpool with some other families... Our friends Vycci and Danny got a Sequoia last year and we love it and all the room it provides. It isn't black but I really can't imagine a huge black beast and how hot and dirty it would be all the time. And the best part is that I get FREE CAR WASHES FOR LIFE with it!!!

I also remember some INSANE migraines. I got one last Wednesday and was pretty puny for the next day or so, then got hit with another one that next Sunday! Sunday's was a killer and had me crippled for 6 days, I finally feel better today. Needless to say I have started seeing my acupuncture lady again, and plan on never stopping that again, cuz I can NOT deal with that again especially during the school year!

Well that has been my life for the past few weeks, at least what I remember of it!

Learned: I need to find a balance between running and resting, can't drain my body like that anymore...

OH!!! and Maddox learned to swim... all by him self, I mean I didn't teach him (because he wouldn't let me) and he didn't take lessons (because his teacher SUCKED last year). He just jumped in and swam to me like it was no big deal! So impressed!

Denver Trip: Just the Kids and I

This past weekend the kids went on a spur of the moment trip to Denver. (Brian had to work.) We headed over Saturday morning and stayed with my brother and his wife. My mom and Dan were there too so it was a nice little family gathering.

We pulled into town just in time to watch the last little bit of the USA World Cup game (they lost in overtime 2 to 1). Then we all went separate ways... Mom and Dan took Maddox and Tenley to the Bass Pro Shop (they had a BLAST driving boats and seeing the fish and animals). Nate, Drew, and Madison went golfing, leaving Kristen Tessa, and I to go shopping!!!

Sunday we all got up and went to church, then home for naps, and finally to the best place on Earth (not really be we love going here) REI down town. I love REI, and this site is amazing in an old train ware house right off the Platt river. We got to watch a bunch of people tubing and playing in the river too.

Monday the kids and I headed to Vycci's and then off to the zoo. We were at the zoo from 10:00 till 3:30, and all the kids did great, even Esaias who is now two months old! The kids had their fill of fun including snow conesAfrican drumming...coaxing an elephant into the water... and posing for our special zoo picture.

This Dragon happens to be named Castor... though spelled differently than ours we took a minute to pose for a family picture.

After the zoo we went to Vycci's sisters and the kids swam for an hour then loaded up again and headed to a birthday party at the park. All the kids did incredibly well, at least until 8:30 when it all caught up with Maddox...

It turned out to be a great trip and it was (and always is) great to see my family and Vycci and her family.

Learned:a day of non stop go!go!go! combined with TOO much sugar, makes for one hard crash, rendering a 4 year old unreasonable...

I Did it ALL By My Self!

Last week I tackled a HUGE (for me) project... I found and fixed a cracked pipe in our irrigation system, and capped off another pipe, making our third zone usable again! And the best part is I did it all by my self... no help from any muscle-y man. I even went to the hard ware store and got my own supplies and sounded like I knew what I was talking about (at least I think I did).

Next project.... a manicure!

Learned: While I sure love having a husband who can do any and everything, it was nice to know that I could take on this project and complete it successfully.