Bye Bye Birdies :(

Lit the grill for dinner tonight.  When I went to put the pork chops on, this is what I found.  Sorry birdies :(

Math and Science Olympiad

Tyler (on the left) and Wes

Tyler got to go to the Math and Science Olympiad.  This year he participated in Logical Fact Fun.  I'm not sure how to play this game, but he explained that it's similiar to Connect 4, only with math equations.  He and his partner, Wes, got second place!  Way to go boys!

Half Marathon

I did it!!!!! I finished in 2:13! I am really proud of myself and so happy that I chose to run today! It was a beautiful morning and I met some really great people along the way. I got up at 3:30 this morning and picked up my friend, Kiersten Peterson, at 4:15. My bus wasn't going to leave until 5:30 a.m., but when I got there at 5:00, they loaded us up, and took us away! We had a long time to wait at the starting line, but it was kind of fun standing around the the fire pits and watching all the people.

There were 3,500 runners running the half. There were people everywhere! We started over towards the finish line a little before the race and I was off! I crossed the start line at 7:05. It felt really good to be running again! I caught up to one of my mom and dad's old friends, Tom Jensen, in the canyon. I stuck with him for 9 miles! It was so great to see him and catch up, it's been a lot of years. He also kept pushing me to keep running! There's no doubt in my mind that I would have stopped and walked had he not been there. At one point I was falling a little behind and he turned to me and said, "Steff, are you coming?" Most people would be embarrassed to be out run by a 65+ year old man, but I felt privileged to be running with such a good guy!

I went into this race with no expectations. I hadn't run since April 14 and even then, it was only 10 miles. I had been seriously sick this week and even tried to sell my bib four days before the race. I have been in a little bit of a rut lately, and kind of saw the light this week. I felt like I was ready to stop feeling whatever it was I had been feeling, I'm not even sure what I was feeling, and start living my life again. I expected to run/walk this race. It was to be a new beginning and a fresh start for me. It felt really good when I ran across that finish line!

Here's to a fresh start!

I'm Pretty

Kate just came to me to show me her new hairdo....

"Mom.  Look, I'm pretty."

I couldn't agree more, Kate! 

I hope we don't have to go anywhere important today ;)

Man or a Woman?

Kate is such a sweet little girl, however, she is a bit of a drama queen.  She does her fair share of whining throughout the day.  Especially when she's tired.  Yesterday she must have been SUPER tired.  She blames everything on her sore canker in her mouth.  She started to cry, really for no reason at all, and Emily had had enough.  She firmly asked her, "KATE.  Are you a man or a woman?"  It made me laugh because I'm sure that's not what she really meant to say.  After I thought about it for a little longer, it REALLY made me laugh.  Because it's kind of true ;)

HAHAHA!!!  LOVE ALL YOU BOYS!!!

Gavin's Birthday

I know I always say that I can't believe how fast the kids are growing, but I CAN'T believe that this kid is six.  It's like he went from a baby to a big boy overnight. 

I usually make them wait until after school to open presents, but I was convinced to let him open them before school.  He was SO excited!

Emily chose a green ball

Tyler gave him a "squishy" dinosaur and a Caramello

One of his favorites.  A 5' Darth Maul lightsaber!

We had so much fun on his birthday.  He loved Toad's so much last year, that he chose to go there again this year.  It had rained pretty hard the night before his birthday so they wouldn't let him use the batting cages.  He was a bit disappointed, but still had a great time spending all his money on video games.

She was so proud of the tickets she earned

Look at that concentration!

He scored a glowstick, glow in the dark teeth, plenty of treats and a princess crown for his little sister!

After Toad's, we had a little bit of time to play at McDonald's before going to school.  What a perfect day for this boy!

While he was at school, Kate and I decorated the cake.  She enjoyed herself!

The celebration continuted after school when family came for dinner, cake and ice cream. He chose spaghetti, french bread and salad for his birthday dinner.

So proud of my little man!  Gavin is such a fun, friendly and outgoing kid!  He is full of love and always has a smile on his face!  Love you, boy!

Tyler's Birthday

Tyler turned 12 on Saturday, May 5.  He is our Cinco De Mayo Baby :) 

He had a great (and long) celebration this year.  It all started on Friday.  It was Dare day at Boondock's so he and a bunch of his friends spent a few hours bowling, golfing, riding go carts, bumper boats, arcading and eating pizza.  It was a great afternoon for these boys, spreading their wings without their mamas ;)  It kind of made me laugh that Tyler wasn't tall enough to drive the go carts by himself, so he had to ride with one of his buddies.  It didn't phase him at all! 

After Boondocks, a bunch of them came over for a little party.  All Tyler wanted was chips, salsa and chili cheese dip.  I added a few other treats and it was seriously the easiest party ever!  They played soccer outside and capture the flag once it got dark.  No party games, treat bags, nothing!!!  He had a great time with some great friends.

Tyler is not a cake fan.  He opted for mint chocolate chip oreo ice cream pie

Saturday was a little bit hectic.  Soccer games kept us busy until 5:00.  After his game he chose to go to Menchies for a little treat.  We tried to get him to go to dinner.  We tried to get him to go to the movie.  We tried to get him to do something fun.  He chose to have Travis cook a pasta dinner and just hang out with the family for the evening.  He doesn't like to go to movies.  He just can't see the logic in spending $7 on popcorn when you can buy a whole box of microwave popcorn for $5. Travis did talk him into going to Krispy Kreme.   I felt a little bit bad that we didn't do anything exciting, but he often prefers it that way. 

Gavin and Emily pooled their resources (with a little additional help) and got him a PS Madden game

An iHome was at the top of his wish list.

Sunday, he received the priesthood.  I am so proud of him and hope that he always stays as enthusiastic as he is now.  His three YM leaders, Ron Hill, Mike Palmer and Brady Moline, stood in the circle with Travis and Grandpa Paul.  What a great example these men are for him to follow!  You couldn't ask for better leaders for Tyler.

After church, we had the grandparents over for dinner, and then the aunts, uncles and cousins came for treats!  It was a great evening just hanging out with the family!

Vanilla ice cream pie topped with Twix, caramel sauce and whipped cream = YUM!!!

I am so proud of the young man Tyler is becoming.  He is smart, hard working, helpful at home and has a great sense of humor.  He is a friend to all and is such a great example to his younger siblings.  Thanks, Tyler, for everything you do for your family!

Happy birthday!  We sure love you!

Birds

Emily has been telling us that there are birds in our attic. We thought she was dreaming. She proceeded to show me a little "hole" in the roof.

I was curious and started watching the "hole". Sure enough. Birds were coming and going. How on earth they got in there is beyond me, but they have built a nest in this tiny little hole. Now there are babies. What to do? We surely can't trap these sweet little birds in. We'll have to wait until they leave the nest and act quick!!!

Gavin had a great solution. Let's make bird feeders! The birds will leave the nest and build one in the tree instead. So this morning that's what we did!

So proud of the finished product!

They each picked the perfect branch!

  Kate spotted some birds on the neighbor's lawn and went to invite them to breakfast :)

I hope we can come up with a peaceful solution for everyone!  They sure are making a mess :/