Tin Foil Dinners

Make a Smilebox slideshow

After church we drove up the canyon with some friends. We'd decided to make tin foil dinners - something I'd never done before. It was so much fun. We opted for BBQ Chicken. After dinner we roasted marshmallows and made S'mores. We made them BJ's way - with PB Cups instead of plain chocolate. They are so good that way. Yumm! I could have ate them all night.

Most of the time we just sat around the fire (that is after we actually got the fire going) and visited. The kids went exploring.

It was a fun night!

A Birthday Day!

Summer Fun with Friends

A Little Attitude

Dakota's Birthday Pool Party

My little boy is turning 7. Wow. His actual birthday is this Thursday, but Greg will be out of town. So, we celebrated with some of his best friends last night. We kept it simple - real simple. Mom (me) ordered pizza from Pier 49, and Em made the cake. Dakota wanted the cake to be a surprise. She made him a golf cake. As you can see she made an awesome big golf ball. What you can't see is the "hole" where it reads "Happy Birthday Dakota". Golf is by far his favorite sport. It doesn't hurt that he is so good at it. He makes golf look easy which is so unfair to the rest of us.

After pizza, cake, and ice cream, we let him open his presents (as if he needed any more toys). More noise of the house - thanks to whoever gave him the sword that's super loud. Kris? j/k

We headed up to the Poelmans' pool after our bellies were full and played. They've recently added another waterslide, so we had options!! The kids and the grown-ups all loved it.

It was a fun birthday party! Thanks to all our amazing friends for making it extra special for our little boy! We love you!!

Clips - What Have I Done?

Seriously though...what was I thinking? And why did I ever go into that store?

I've now converted my bike from an "easy to use anyone can do it" bike to a road bike with "clips". I now have to "clip" into my pedal so that my body and bike are basically one. It's similar to stepping into ski bindings - at least that's what I am telling myself. I've yet to go out and actually try it. However those I've talked to who "clip in" swear by it.

There's no going back now. Hopefully it wil be easier than what I'm making it out to be. I really am nervous about it. I do want to bike though and I know there are many biking excursions in my future...

Now I just need to get my sweet husband biking, so that we can do this together. It would be another great family pasttime. If only he'd bite the bullet. I'll have to work on him a bit more.

Canyon Dinner

Last night we drove up the canyon after church for a relaxed dinner with the Clydes. Dakota had an incredible time. He followed Cyd and Hunter all over the rocks and trails. I don't think I've ever seen Dakota that dirty. It was really great for him. I enjoyed seeing him being a full-on boy - the dirtier the better. He found a walking stick which he insisted on bringing home too.

This morning he was already asking if he could invite Hunter over. I think he's officially made a "new" friend.

Looking for a Sponsor

We need a sponsor for next year's Wasatch Back Relay which extends from Logan to Park City (just shy of 200 miles). 12 runners will gladly display your logo on our jerseys if you want to sponsor us! It's a huge 2-day event and will be covered by KSL.

Here's the link to learn more about the event: http://www.ragnarrelay.com/ (then click on Utah).

We (meaning me and a bunch of my friends) really want to do this!

Fun in the Sun at 7 Peaks

This year the whole family got a pass to 7 Peaks. Today we we met Greg after work and enjoyed a few hours leisurely laying around and playing in the water. The lines were long (I wouldn't personally know because I just soaked up the sun), but Greg and Dakota still got a few slides in. They went down one of the slides using the double tube and another one of the big slides where Dakota was able to go by himself. They hit the lazy river, and of course Dakota got in as many runs down the smaller slide as he possibly could. He had a great time. I'd packed a dinner and snacks for all of us so we wouldn't be tempted to buy the greasy food there. It worked. As it got later in the day the crowds thinned out a little but not much. We learned Fridays aren't probably the best nights to go. It was a fun family night, and we hope to fit in 7 Peaks at least once a week for the rest of the summer. It beat watching tv!

Fishin' at Battlecreek Park

Pleasant Grove's Strawberry Days is this week. We got a late start this morning and didn't get to Battlecreek Park until 11. The fishing was over. I guess they let kids fish along the side of the manmade pond/fishing hole from 9 - 11 a.m. That would have been fun to see. At 11 a.m. they had to put the poles away, and the kids were able to run around in the pond and try to catch the remaining fish with their hands or with nets. Dakota and Rylan worked together - patiently trying to find a fish. No luck. That didn't stop them from trying though. Next year we'll see if Daddy can take off the morning and take Kota fishing and catch a real live fish!

Happy Fathers Day!

Hey handsome - Happy Fathers Day. Greg, you are such an amazing man. I feel so blessed to be married to you. I know I don't always deserve you, but I'm glad you stick with me. Your faith has never faultered, and you've only gotten more loving, attentive, and committed over the years.

I love watching you with Dakota. He loves you so much! He admires his big daddy (even without the beard) and wants to be just like you. As he gets bigger you'll have so much fun on your Daddy-Son days. We need to continue to treasure every minute we have with him. It will be over before we know it, and we have so many memories still to make.

Thank you for everything that you do and for the wonderful man that you are. I love you so very much. Thanks for being my man.

I love you babe!

P.S. Don't ever grow that hairy beard back. I love the new you. You are hot!

A Flat "Tri"

And here we "tri" again. Today Sara, Emily, and I (along with Kim, Janan, Rebecca, and Chrie) participated in the PG Tri which was hosted by the Provo High Swim Team. It was more casual than the Women of Steel Tri we did last month. We didn't have time-chips this time. We didn't even take time to get familiar with the course. We went into this tri completely blind.

I had a great experience in spite of a couple of mishaps. Today when loading my bike, I realized my tire was flat. I couldn't figure out how to pump the dumb thing up, so I took my bike and tire pump the race. Luckily Sara insisted that we take her 2nd bike with us too - just in case I needed it. I found a guy at the tri who helped me pump tire back up, and I was set...or so I thought. I neatly placed it in the transition area along with all my other essentials - helmet, towel, earplugs, goggles, swim cap, etc. I was ready. We jogged down to the starting line just in time to start our run (us girls had to make a quick potty break before the race started). The run was great. We had to climb a hill, but it wasn't bad. Em and I stayed together the entire time. She's my running buddy, and it's always nice to have someone to share the pace with. Toward the end of our run we could tell we were doing pretty well. I'd say we were in the front 1/3 of the group. In the transition area I went for my bike. After fumbling with my helmet (stupid thing), I got on my bike. Then I noticed my tire had gone flat...again! Grr, after hesitating for a moment, I laid it back and ran over to where we'd stored Sara's 2nd bike. I brought it back into the transition area, walked it out, and off I was. I lost so much time during my transition and then even more on the bike route. The route was shorter this time - only 8 miles instead of 11, but Sara's bike handled the road a lot differently from mine, so I was slower. It made me appreciate my sweet baby-blue Trek road bike all the more. My bike practically climbs hills by itself. Sara's older bike didn't. I went from the front 1/3 to probably the back 1/3 with one event. I'm not kidding. Oh-well.

It's time for me to get serious about my swim too. Thank you Tim Clyde for bringing that to my attention - as if I didn't already know. (just kidding). I did the side-stroke the ENTIRE time. Though Em had spent time with me a couple of weeks prior in the pool helping me with my swim, I gravitated to what I knew best. When I wasn't side-stroking, I was walking in the shallow end. By the next tri I plan to have spent more time in the pool. I feel 100% confident on the run and on the bike (assuming I'm on MY bike), but I need help with my swim.

Then I'll be a real competitor! Bring it on!