I Did It!

I ran the July 24th Enterprise Fun Run 10K!  Last year I ran the 5K, and didn't think I could do it.  This year I stepped it up and ran 6.2 miles.  My time was 1:06, which was good enough to be the winner of the losers.  Next year I move up an age bracket.  Watch out old ladies, here I come!  I think my next step will be a half marathon. 

Anniversary

One of my very best friends growing up (Kim Wallin Palmer) moved to Enterprise last year.  I have had so much fun having her around.  She recently celebrated her 14th wedding anniversary, and invited Royd and me to help celebrate.  Royd was the travel agent and set us up on a great get away weekend.

We started out staying at a cute little retreat called the Homestead Resort near Park City.  When we got there the boys got right to golfing, and sent us girls shopping at the outlet mall.  Royd gave us directions to the mall, but somewhere we made a wrong turn.  We ended up on steep switchback up a mountain, in the rain and fog.  We were so lost but we kept going.  We drove up to the top of the mountain before we finally came down into old town Park City.  It took us over an hour to make the what was supposed to be 20 minute trip.  After shopping we met the boys for dinner.

The next day we traveled up Ogden Canyon to the Alaskan Inn.  It was so nice.  We each had our own little cabin.  We went to dinner at a very interesting restaurant, the Timbermine.  The food was super delicious! The atmosphere was incredibly strange.  The waiting area was full of all sorts of trinkets, some antique, some junk.  They had about 6 old bath tubs with Plexiglas lids.  When you looked inside it was filled with Christmas lights and old Pez dispensers.  One had Christmas lights and key chains.  When we were seated we were taken down a very dark hallway to a booth.  The booth had a light with a dimmer that we could adjust.  Everything else was pitch black.  It seemed like we were the only people there.  The waitress popped up out of nowhere occasionally.  It was a lot of fun, and a little creepy.

The final day we spent at Lagoon.  The boys got a little sick on the rides so Kim and I spent a lot of time together spinning around.  I enjoyed myself.  It was a little strange being at an amusement park with out the kids.  I was really happy to get home and hug and kiss my kiddos.

Reese's Trip to Idaho

The annual trip to Idaho is Reese's highlight of the year.  He gets to be outside, with his favorite cousin Clance, without shoes everyday.  He said he basically did the same thing every day: wake up, eat Popsicles, go swimming, play around, and work at the inn.  He loves to work at the Deer Cliff Inn.  This year he said he go to really work.  He was paid in scones and ice cream. 

 Reese and Clance always find interesting ways to spend their days.  This year they hid stuffed animals in the trees and shot at them with blow dart guns. 

The only part of his trip he didn't like was leaving.

Money Bags

Dace has been bugging us to take him to the bank to get a savings account ever since his Kindergarten class took a field trip to a bank.  He is a avid penny pincher.  He really knows how to save.  When he heard we were making a trip to St. George he was in the car with his penny bank in hand.  I know that the teller that was helping us was very annoyed.  It took us about 25 minutes to count out his collection of $86.  His penny bank was empty when we left, but he has already got another good collection going.

4th of July

The week of the Fourth of July was one of the few weeks that we all could be together as a family.  It was free of scout camps, school for mom and dad, football camps, baseball, and teaching for mom.  We really wanted to plan a great big family vacation.  We thought about going on a road trip to some of the highlights in America.  We could not talk are kids into it.  The idea of sitting in a car for days was not their idea of a vacation.  We ended up loading all into the car and visiting family in Toquerville.  It wasn't great and wonderful, but we all had a terrific time.  We went to Zion and hiked the river walk, and played in the river.  It was soooo cold in the water.  It was awesome!  When the kids (Dace) are older we are totally going to hike the narrows. 

Maridee was gracious enough to let us stay at their house.  She even took us to a pool in East Zion (which was also very cold).  We ate and swam the day away.  We had a nice barbecue that evening before travelling to St. George for fireworks.  They were beautiful.  The best fireworks I have seen in a long time.  If you turned the radio on they were set to the music.  We were down town and fireworks were going off all around us.  Dace was getting whiplash.  He didn't know which way to look.  He was pretty sure he missed out on a lot of the show.

It wasn't as grand as we were hoping, but we had a really grand time together as a family.

Summer Haircuts

Every summer Dace looks forward to his mohawk haircut. I think that he looks so cute with his hair cut that way. This year quade wanted in on the action. He ahs been dying to get lightening blots in the side of his head. I told him I would never do it, because it will look stupid. He talked his dad into doing it for him. Royd used a magic marker to make his first bolt, and free handed the other side. Needless to say, one side looked much better than the other. Quade was super excited, he love it. A few days later he cam and asked if I would shave his head so the bolts wouldn't show. He was going to do baptisims for the dead, and didn't feel that lightening bolt were appropriate for the temple. We had to shave the sides of his hair very short, Bic short. But the poor kid had been tot he lake the day before, so the bolts were sunburned into his head. I persoanlly think his new haircut was super cool!

The School Year is Over! WAHOO!

I was laughing at my self as I was reading some of my previous posts.  I am always saying how busy things are.  We were busy as school started.  We were busy in the fall. We were busy during the holidays.  We were busy in the spring.  So, not to break with tradition, I am going to explain how busy we have been as the school year wraps up.

Dace graduated from kindergarten.  He has learned so much this year, and in his own words he learns so much because "I have a really good teacher." (I wish you could have seen his eyes when he said it. So precious!)  Mrs. Carmel Randall took really good care of my baby.  He learned how to read, count money, tell time to the minute, and be a good student.  He takes after his brother Quade and didn't really care for the art projects, but he did them anyway. The graduation program was one of the best I have ever seen.  The kids put on a full production.  Dace made heads turn as he announced what he wanted to be when he grows up, a weed killer.  What can I say the kid hates dandelions.  Royd was trying to convince him that a doctor would be better profession. "Dace you know that doctors can go to Disneyland every month, and a weed killer gets to go to Disneyland only one time in their entire life."  tears started to cascade down Dace's face.  "I really just want to be a weed killer."  Royd said it would be okay if he was a doctor and killed weeds on the weekends.

Taya just finished up 4th grade in Mr. Kirby Schimbecks class.  She also had a very successful year.  She made huge strides in her learning, and hopes to keep it up next year.  She earned the Utah This is The Place Award, as well as the Academic Presidential Award.  Everyone always tells me how approachable Taya is.  She is so good with little kids, and can turn around and have an intelligent conversation with adults.  Her teacher said he loved having her in class because she had a a good sense of humor.  She could take his teasing and dish out a little as well.

Reese is no longer in elementary school.  He completed his 6th grade year in Mrs. Nancy Porters class.  He also earned the Presidential Academic Award.  His teacher said the key to his success was allowing him to lay on the floor and take off his shoes to get his work done.  One of his final assignments was to write a bout a school rule that didn't make a lot of sense.  His paper was on how he felt that wearing shirts and shoes to school was unnecessary.

Quade is going to be a Freshman next year.  He has establish a lot of good student habits.  He has managed to maintain a 4.0 average, play in the jazz band, participate in football, basketball, baseball, FCCLA, and earn his Eagle.  He is going to be the Freshman Class President next year.  He also has some very high aspirations for high school.  He wants to be Valedictorian, a sterling scholar, receive scholarships, A.P. and concurrent enrollment classes.  I have confidence he can do it all and more.

Royd is still working on his doctorate.  One year down and two more to go.  I was able to meet one of his professors.  He ahs been very impressed with Royd, and the work he has done.  Royd is currently working on his dissertation, and preparing to present at a national teachers conference.

I am currently working on my masters.  I will be finished by next year at this time, if all goes as planned.  I have been super busy and really enjoying it.  I am super nervous to teach teachers around the state this summer.  I hope they are not disappointed.  I had a great Mother's Day.  For my gift Dace got himself ready for church all by himself (see picture.)  I was so proud.  He even combed his hair and was wearing his suit jacket (which he hates.)  I discovered why he chose to wear the jacket during sacrament meeting.  He took it off to reveal that his shirt was nasty dirty.  It was covered in chocolate, pen, marker, and plain old dirt.

Grandma Darrington has lived with us for just over a year now.  It has been such a good experience for may children.  When I was young my Grandma Cox came to live with us.  She was very ill, and eventually died of cancer while in our care.  The time I spent with her have become some of my most precious memories.  I hope that my children will have some precious memories of their own, because Grandma is with us.

Dace took 1st place in the PTA Reflections this year!

We have had a ton of little birds learning to fly at our house.

Dance Review 2012

Dance is over until fall.  To celebrate Taya participated in the annual dance review.  The girls were escorted to the dance floor by their fathers and introduced.  Royd was at BYU this weekend, so Quade stepped up to take his place.  I was so proud of the both of them (even if they don't like to get their pictures taken.)  Taya danced beautifully.  She is turning into a delightful young woman. 

I love you Taya!