Connor's Baptism

My crazy, wild, loud boy sat like an angel- AN ANGEL! - the entire time. I was so proud of him. It was a sweet, uplifting day. There were 3 children being baptized that day and he was the last one. The bishop asked if Connor would unplug the font and you've never seen someone excited to do a task. It was a very special day for all of us but especially for Daniel and Connor I think. Daniel was very touched by the thought that he was baptizing his only boy that day.

Lucas Oil Off-Road Races

The day after Connor's birthday party the men plus Megan went to see off-road races while the women got some Christmas shopping done. I heard it was loud, dusty, and exciting. Connor came home with lots of posters that he was very excited to put on his wall.


Connor and Isaac

Connor's 8th Birthday

Connor really wanted to go to Pump It Up for his birthday. We told him that was expensive and he could have a nice gift or the party. He opted for the party. He didn't end up lacking in presents though and we had a lot of fun. The next day I had the sore body and rug burns on my elbows to prove it.





New scooter from grandparents


Cousin Isaac


Victorious


Megan and Ben beating each other up

Jenny's Sprint Triathlon

I've wanted to do a sprint triathlon for quite a few years but I was intimidated. My friend Amber had done a few and she talked me into doing one. I gave myself 6 months to get into some sort of shape and (more importantly) to get up the nerve to do it. I thought it would be fun for us to do it together...and then she moved away. But that's okay. I made up my mind to do it and sent in my money. There was no turning back after that.

It turned out to be a lot of fun. I loved the swim, the bike was great, and the run was hard but I was expecting that. The race consisted of a 400m swim which is really short, a 10.3 mile bike ride and a 5k. My time was 1:22. My goal was 1:30 so I was happy.

Daniel and the kids cheered for me at every transition which was so motivating. He seemed very proud of me which made me feel so good. It doesn't hurt to have a biker as a husband either. At the very mention of me doing a tri he said, "We need to get you a road bike." And he did!


9:14
My swim- I'm in the nearest lane with the silver cap


43:17
Coming back from my ride


30:08
Starting my run


Sweet victory!

Next stop...Ironman? Hahahahahaha.....um....no.

Happy Birthday Connor!!

I can't believe this guy is 8 now!!!

The Pumpkin Patch

It's our annual trip to the pumpkin patch. I like this one because for a flat fee the kids get to go on a hay ride, jump in a bounce house, go through the maze, look at all the animals and pick out a pumpkin. It's a fun way to spend the afternoon and a good bribery tool also.

Megan and I on the hay ride


Mallory's face when the tractor turned on. Love it!





Connor's version of heaven...a huge pile of dirt.

Mallet Band

At Megan's school they have a mallet band and only 5th graders can join. This was very disappointing to Megan last year since she was a fourth grader so she made sure to join up on the last day of fourth grade. Is it bad to say that I was surprised at how beautiful their songs sounded? I loved the sound of the xylophones, although Daniel will only refer to them as glockenspiels. Anyway, it was really fun to hear her play.






On the right is Megan's "friend" Andrew and to Megan's left is her good friend Katherine.

Monsoons

This wash by our house is usually bone dry but it really filled up after a particularly hard rain storm. The rain ran down our street and into the wash in a huge sheet of dirty water. I'm still not used to having it rain when it's 100 degrees outside.

Mani-Pedi's

We went to CA for a wedding and got to hang out with Mimi and the cousins a bit while we were there. Sarah thought it would be fun to give the girl's manicures and pedicures and of course they loved it. Between Mimi and Sarah the girls had all the colors of the rainbow to choose from. And Connor even got in on the action with a bubbly foot bath.

The Slot Machine

Since I can remember my dad has ALWAYS wanted a slot machine. This might sound a little strange because my dad doesn't gamble and he hates Vegas but apparently he has a fascination with slot machines...that or a secret desire to make money from unsuspecting guests. He finally bought one for a great price and kept it in our garage while my parents moved here. Needless to say, there is not a nickel left in our entire house. Piggy banks were emptied, cushions searched, and wallets were ransacked. Thank goodness it wasn't a dollar slot!!!

Dinosaur Eggs

I'm teaching preschool again and for the letter D we studied dinosaurs. The kids had so much fun searching for dinosaurs in the eggs. Even my older kids made me promise to save them an egg. Thanks for the idea Melissa Nelson. They were a big hit.