Provo River 1/2 Marathon

We haven't been to Bridal Veil Falls since the boys were just little. Its such a beautiful time of year up the canyon and we really enjoyed a weekend away.

The whole purpose of this trip was to run the Provo River 1/2 Marathon. I've been looking forward to it since I registered last March. Unfortunately, my ITB issue kept me from running it. It was just going to be S, Carl and I running but since I wasn't participating we brought H along too!

I drove Carl and S to the buses early in the morning like 5 AM. They were bussed to the start line. The race didn't start until after 7 so they were up there for awhile trying to stay warm. We had an unusually cold weekend for August.

H and I didn't show up at the finish line until a little after 8. We got to see the first place finishers cross the line. I always get a tad bit emotional at races. Racing has been in my blood since high school. Plus, knowing my 12 year old was out there running 13.1 miles just adds to those emotions. It was hard not participating but it was good to spend time with H.




















Carl and S stayed together for the 1st mile and then S pulled ahead. I was worried about him running alone. I didn't know if he would be able to pace himself well enough to have something left at the end. We waited at the 13 mile marker and when he came around the corner I was so excited. He looked good and strong and he was. S finished with a PR of 1:54:04. I was trying to find S in all the crowds and I missed Carl finishing in just over 2 hours. It was his 1st half marathon and I think he was pleased with his time. Both of them had a good experience. They said the course was beautiful and very much downhill.

Growing up

Sunday was definitely a day to remember. S graduated from Primary and received his "Faith in God" award. The highlight was S getting ordained by his father. I know he is ready for this transition. I'm constantly amazed at what this kid knows and understands. It will be a huge blessing for all of us to have another priesthood holder in the home. The spirit was strong and I will never forget the feeling.

All the grandparents were there which meant a lot to us. Crew was having one of his moments so Brother Ames stayed out in the hall with him. I can't believe S is in Young Mens now.... where has the time gone?

For more about what we believe go here. For specifics about the priesthood look here.

5K Report

I do have the intention of eventually starting a separate blog to document my running adventures. But, until then just a quick post to report:

S and I ran the Wellsville "Hotter than Haiti" 5 K Fun Run last Saturday. The run was held to raise funds for an orphanage in Haiti. I was surprised at how many little Haitian children were there who have been adopted by families in our area. It was really neat!

The weather was perfect.

The course was quite fun with a couple small hills.

We both set a new PR.

S- 25:36

Mel- 25:37

Oh, and S walked away with a football prize from the raffle drawing. Woot!

Next race: Red Ribbon Run- October 11th.

All-Stars Tournament

I'm sad that our Baseball season has ended. The All-Stars was a good experience for S. His team played hard, they were competitive, they had fun! The coaches were very knowledgeable which was what S needed. They battled hard and came away with 2nd Place.

Saturday at the game Crew fell out of his walker and face planted in the gravel. I was right there but I couldn't save him this time. He came out of it with a hamburger chin, one cut finger, and a bruised elbow. When he falls I feel like its all my fault. It's hard finding a balance between giving him some freedom and making sure he's safe. Usually, I have my finger hooked in the collar of his shirt just in case he stumbles but not this time... unfortunately. I try to tell myself that most kids his age (developmentally) are getting their fair share of bumps and bruises too.

ALL STAR PLAYER

Our little Red team wrapped up the season with just ONE win. I'll tell you it was tough to sit there and watch and in fact I've probably chewed off a nail or two. I'm not proud to say I approached the coach during the last game and let him know I felt his "strategy" is what lost us the game. We were ahead until the last inning and he muffed it up. However, I did feel a little bit better when he admitted to the team afterwards that it was his fault that they lost.

Throughout the season I contemplated taking pictures of the various teams and posting here on the blog to show how poorly the teams were matched up. Our boys were clearly the smaller of the bunch but I have to admit that they were UNITED and seemed to have fun for the most part. If anything, they learned to work hard, give it all they got and still hold their heads up.

Monday was the end of season Banquet (Potluck). Today I realized, I really don't care for the word "potluck"... it just sounds like a gamble or something. Maybe it should be "pot yuck". Oh, and we have another one on Friday. Oh wow, I'm getting off topic here:) They gave out the awards, "MVP, Most-Improved, and Sportsmanship". Then at the end they announced the boys that were chosen to play on the All-Stars team.

S was one of the lucky ones. I gave him the choice as to whether or not he wants to continue playing and I think he is going to go for it. He will be competing in a 3 day tournament in a couple weeks with baseball teams from some of the communities in our neck of the woods. I look forward to watching S play another game or two. We'll see:)

PERSPECTIVE

I've posted about the "Everyone Can" program before. S took it upon himself to submit an entry for their art contest. I didn't give him any ideas... it's just something he decided to do on his own. The art was judged by several artists and not only was he picked as a WINNER for his age group but his picture was selected to be on the cover of a calendar.

I love the way this kid thinks:)

The Heel will Heal

We just found out today that S has Achilles Tendinitis also known as Sever's Disease. This is a boy that lives for sports and is in the middle of Baseball season. Treatment involves resting from anything active, ice, ibuprofen and stretching exercises. He is devastated!

However, if we take it easy and treat him well the recovery could be as short as two weeks. He's been looking forward to the 5th grade vs. faculty softball game next Tuesday. I really want to let him play as it seems to flare up mostly after his runs (5K and Triathlon). What to do?

So now it's time to change the Memorial Day Weekend plans. Our family was gearing up for a hike. Any suggestions?

Eleven

S is my May baby. We celebrated his Eleventh Birthday last week!

The family enjoyed dinner at Wingers and we surprised S with his very own Shuffle... which I will probably steal a time or two. LOL.














S took his friends to the driving range. Some of the boys hadn't ever been before but I was impressed with how quickly they caught on. After that they played basketball and ate cupcakes. Ten and Eleven year old boys are easy to please:)

WE did it!

S and I have been in this together since he was a WOLF. Tonight, he earned his Arrow of Light. As a Webelo, he also earned 19 out of 20 badges. I'm a little bit sad to have him move onto 11-Year Old Scouts. I will miss having him in Cubs.

Ah, but the truth of the matter is... Scouting has just begun:)

Bragging Rights

For those of you who have never met S, let me tell you that he is an amazing kid! I really can't take credit because he is just one of those blessed with some really neat traits.

His Sunday School teacher can't talk to me without mentioning how impressed she is with him and his classmates. They are excited about the Gospel and quite knowledgeable for such youngsters.

Last week was the school Pentathalon. S competed in the 40-yard dash, 400 meter, High-Jump, Long-Jump, and Shot Put. Overall, I think he was disappointed in his performance which is really quite silly if you ask me.

Grandma took it upon herself to let S drive their 4-wheeler. Um yah, whatever happened with asking the Mom. I'm not sure I'm ready to let him grow up like that. He seems to young to operate such things...

Tomorrow night, S will receive his "Arrow of Light" award which is Cub Scouts highest achievement. Yeah, for you S!

First Piano Recital

S had his first piano recital last week. He practiced really well and was able to pull it off without any mistakes. He has enjoyed taking lessons for the most part. Having a male teacher helps him want to succeed, I think because he is a great role model for the boys. His teacher is also a returned missionary and a student at the University which is another plus.

I love it that S and his friends will play around on the piano when they are bored. S has only been taking for 8 months and I'm actually quite impressed with his progress. Hopefully he will continue to enjoy it and improve.

Blessings, Opportunities... and my old back

For my own benefit I am recording that I ended the week with workout totals of 6 hours Cardio and 1 1/2 hours strength training. I feel pretty good... some sore muscles here and there except for a tender spot in my lower back. It feels bruised or like someone is poking a stick in my back and its in the same spot where my Chiropractor worked on last week. Maybe I'll be seeing him again soon.

I've been making more of an effort to recognize the blessings in my life. Earlier this week I was busy working on a project and I could hear Crew playing in the other room. S left a glass jar of marbles on the floor of his room and I could hear Crew playing with the marbles. I wasn't worried about it because I didn't think they would do him any harm... he doesn't put them in his mouth and I could tell he was just pulling marbles out of the jar and throwing them. I was just happy that he had something to entertain himself and it lasted over 20 minutes. Well, finally Crew came crawling into my room and we went on with other things.. making dinner and stuff. Hours later I walked back into the bedroom and found the marbles scattered everywhere. I bent over to pick them up and it was then that I realized the glass jar had shattered and there were pieces of glass mixed amongst the marbles. I have no idea how he managed to crawl out of that mess unharmed. Truly, a moment when we were blessed.

S played a basketball game again today. Last year he was on a winning team yet had very little opportunity to play. You know... it was mostly a one man show and when the "one boy" didn't do well he made a big deal of it and basically threw a fit. It was quite embarassing really! This year S is playing the majority of the game and doing quite well. Unfortunately, they have lost every game so far. The team deserves a medal for their sportsmanship. I've been so impressed with the boys and their attitudes and I'm thinking I'm grateful that S is on a team that works together.

S is a 5th grader and in his school they have the opportunity to be on the student council. The student council isn't voted in by the studentbody, rather selected by the teachers based on attitude and grades. One of the council members moved and S was asked to take his place on the council which is a great honor. I am pleased:)

School, Scouts and SignLanguage

Well H had his first day of school on Monday! H loves his new teacher and said she is the nicest teacher ever.... even more nice than his 1st and 2nd grade teachers and thats really saying something:) Unfortunately, he feels like he's in a class with all the mean boys in school. I asked him if he wanted me to move him to another class and he said, "No, because he loves his teacher!". Well hopefully he'll make some new friends and he plans to catch up with his old pals at recess.

It looks like my three kids will each have their own separate "FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL". S has missed the first two days because he is sick. He is so bummed. Nobody wants to miss the first day of class! He still has a cough but his fever is gone so I don't think he is contagious. We will try it tomorrow. Wednesday is our short day anyway!

Tomorrow night is back to school night for my little preschooler. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that this year will be a good experience for him.... AND FOR ME!

Tonight we had our first pack meeting in over 3 months. H earned his Bobcat and S earned his Webelos badge and his swimming and citizenship belt loops. I'm frustrated because some of the leaders don't consider Scouting a priority and don't plan to put their own boys through the program. WHAT???

At Pack Meeting the boys were shooting model helicopters up into the sky and Crew and I were watching and he looked up in the sky and signed "AIRPLANE". The Signing Time videos are paying off:)

Blind Date Saves a Life

Some of the strangest events are meant to happen. In April 1997, my big brother agreed to go on a "blind date". I’m quite sure he didn’t make it a habit of dating girls he didn’t know but for some unknown reason he agreed to go out with this particular girl, I’ll call her Sarah. Sarah was a student training to be an Ultrasound Technician. She was looking for pregnant women in their 3rd trimester to volunteer for a FREE ultrasound.

Several weeks after the date, my brother mentioned Sarah’s offer. Being 38 weeks pregnant, I was excited to have another ultrasound, another chance to peek at my little boy. Sarah worked me into her schedule and performed the ultrasound which measured my baby at 34 weeks. I wasn’t too worried about it. After all, Sarah was just a student and had probably made an error.

The next week I explained to my OB that I had an ultrasound which measured my baby 4 weeks too small. I remember clearly the look on his face. His eyes got big and he looked very concerned. Immediately he ordered another ultrasound. I walked across the parking lot to the hospital where a team of sonographers performed another ultrasound. The ultrasound showed that the cord was wrapped around the baby’s neck.

I was placed on the list to be induced that day. I went home and got ready to go to the hospital.
In the evening, I was called in. We arrived at the hospital at about 7:00 pm. Within a half hour they had started the pitocin and my labor began. The labor progressed steadily and they gave me an epidural which didn’t work! The contractions were really hard. Dr. Isaac broke my water and within an hour I was pushing. The fetal monitor showed that with each contraction the baby’s heartbeat significantly decreased. The medical staff turned on panic mode and after 15 minutes of pushing, suction cups and many prayers, S came into this world at 2:30 am! He looked great! 5 lbs. 15 oz, 18 inches!

It wasn’t until delivery was complete that the Dr. realized that not only was the cord wrapped around his neck.... it was also in a knot. Everytime I had a contraction, the knot would get tighter and tighter. Little S was starving!

Today, S is tall. He is smart, athletic, caring, thoughtful! He is so much more than I ever was at his age. I am a proud momma to say the least!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY S!

3 Active Gizmo's

I feel so blessed that Crew is responsive to physical therapy. We started with Shaun once again after our previous therapist moved. This week we talked about goals and decided to work on rolling. As strange as it seems, Crew skipped the whole rolling issue and now its time to go back and learn it. Rolling is a crucial step towards those necessary transitions such as pushing up into a crawling position.

The key to successful therapy isn't just a great therapist but also following through with the homework. That is the hard part for me. I'm trying to get Crew's brothers involved so that the responsibility doesn't fall solely on my shoulders. Yesterday we played a game where Crew lays on his back and rolls from side to side picking up dominoes from his left and placing them in a bowl on his right side. I wish you could see how hard he works. It takes major effort on his part and Crew is an inspiration to us all as we watch him work through it with a smile on his face. He laughs at himself as he struggles to pick up the dominoes. Just watching him work through it with such a positive attitude is really really neat!

H is loving soccer this year! Two years ago he really struggled with the game and its amazing how far he has come. I love watching him play and learn the game. These little kiddos are so cute.

Towards the end of the game I started feeling really bad for the Red team as our team was able to score goal after goal. I feel like these kids are young enough that its just to devastating for them to go home losing 0-8. Everybody should get a turn to score but that's not how it works and as they get older it becomes more and more competitive. Such is life!

S and I ran a 5K on saturday with very little training. I'm not a fan of posting pictures of myself and the sun is extremely bright (thus the squinting) but DS#1 deserves to have some recognition. He is a great runner and I'm thinking that this is the last year I will be able to keep up with him. I got 1st in my age group and S got 2nd! I guess that tells you there weren't many runners there! Ha! Right towards the end I let S go ahead of me to pass a boy about his size and just as S passed him this boy turned and took a shortcut across someones yard, barely jumping in front of S and beating him by 5 seconds. I was behind him and saw the whole thing. I was so mad! Big cheater!

The weather here is great and I'm looking forward to getting some gardening done. Yeah!

Weekend in Review

It's been a low-key weekend. DH and I caught a movie on Friday night and stayed home saturday listening to conference. H had his first soccer game. I have to say I was impressed. He has come a long way in the past two years. He had a lot of fun and even scored a goal.

Crew is getting stronger using his walker. He likes walking around the cul-de-sac and like any 3-year old usually throws a tantrum when its time to go back in the house. Three months ago he was still using a bottle and now he drinks from an open cup:)

The preschool teacher isn't very happy with me and I with her. I currently don't feel like repeating the story. I'm tired of being disappointed with this school district and the special education program. Sadly, Crew may be having Absence Seizures again. The bus aide has reported several and I think I witnessed one or two today:(

S is a kind hearted boy! On several occasions I've found him alone kneeling in prayer. I'm touched by his faith and yet I wonder what worries a boy of only 9 years.

My 3 boys are everything to me! I worry about each of them. I'm thankful for this General Conference weekend and the inspiring talks. I was deeply touched and motivated to be a better person.

Late Night Party

The weather has been so nice lately so when S asked if he could have a "late night" party I said why not! We've decided that Sleepovers are out which is a topic for a whole other post. So if the boys want to have friends over we call it a late night party and send them home at 10:00pm.

We didn't want H to feel left out so we told him to invite one friend.

I ordered pizza and we built a fire in our backyard firepit. We invited 4 boys and ended up with 9 extra kids. How does that happen? I think I've decided that If you plan a party you may as well invite the whole neighborhood or someone is going to get their feelings hurt.

The night was spent hanging out around the firepit, watching movies, and playing night games. The boys were all really well behaved and I think S had a good time.







S and his friends goofing off!












The neighbor girls who didn't have anything better to do.

SNOW DAY

Yesterday's storm dumped a ton of heavy snow. After the storm passed it was sunny and calm. DH and I took little man Crew for a walk. We bundled him up, pumped up the "always" flat tires on our jogger and headed out. The blazing sun along with the brilliant white snow was more than his gorgeous eyes could handle. For most of the walk Crew sat back with his eyes closed and a smile on his face.




















S loves the snow. His snowboarding days have been far and few between this year. We have a cool park close by where the neighborhood kids love to go sledding and boarding. The funny thing is the park is usually abandoned during hot summer months due to wasps.



















DH is great about pushing the stroller up the numerous hills found in our neck of the woods:)

Jealous or not?

S was upset tonight because he says that his classmates make fun of him because he likes math. S is in 4th grade and the teacher posts all the kids scores on a bulletin board with the high score at the top. Well, you guessed it. S is at the top! I'm so proud of him but he doesn't like being teased. S is very sensitive so I don't know what to think of it. My guess is that they other kids are probably just jealous.

Maybe its not cool to be smart in Elementary School. I don't know.

Spelling Bee

S spelled his way to the school spelling bee. This is his second year to participate. S is really smart and self-motivated. I've been so thankful for that because it is one less thing to worry about. For the past week or so we've been practicing the words and he has kind of struggled with some of them. I've been drilling the Beginning words with him and we didn't feel like he was ready to move on to the Intermediate words so we didn't study the Intermediate or Advanced words.

I've been so worried that S would get out on the first or second round and praying that he would do okay!

Well, on Friday I went to the school and watched as S outspelled over 25 kids. He came home with a 3rd Place trophy and a spot on the District level Spelling Bee.

I don't know who is more proud, S or myself!