Blue Bird!

This is a tribute to Luke! My little Blue Bird(you'll understand why from the pictures)!

This is also the main reason why I have a hard time scrapbooking. He was so cute that it makes me so sad we didn't have anymore.

Finally an up-date!!

I know that I am a terrible personfor not updateing this sooner! Some of you know that I went back to school in September. I only had one class during the fall semester but it seemed like 50! I don't know what I was thinking when I registared for algebra 1050 without taking any classes to work up to it. DA!! Well actually it happened like this; 3 years ago when Luke started preschool, I thought that I would take advantage of my newly aquared freedom by furthering my education. So I went through the process of see what classes I needed to take to abtain an associates degree. I was informed that one must test into math. So I went and paid $30 to be told that I would have to take the dumbest class to get into the dumber class to eventually get in the dumb class before taking the class I needed for my degree (obviously math was never one of my storgest subjects!!)!! Needless to say I was a little discourage and decided that maybe it wasn't the best time for me to go back to school and that I would just stick with being a mom for now. (WOW! this has sure turned into a long story!!) Back to why I am in school now. During this last summer, I learned that there was an opening for a kindergarten at the school my boys go to. I really wanted that job! Unfortunately I didn;t have enough schooling to even apply. The time had come, I knew that I must bite the bullet and go back to school! I called a counselor to see what my options were and he said that he didn't usually recommend it but I might want to look into getting my math done through BYU's independent studies program. He told me that I could take their 1050 class and that is all the math I would need to get my degree. I could believe that they would let me skip all of the other classes leading up to the 1050 class. Well I soon learned why it was not something that they recommended very often. Let's just say besides having babies, I not have never done something that hard and painstaking!! I never thought that I could be so happy about squeaking by in a class with a C!! I cried for 20 mins after my final because I could believe it was over and I had passed! I took my final on December 23rd. This is why I have not had a chance to updated this blog. Besides that, I nearly ruined Christmas morning by dropping the camera before I captured one photo of that amazing day. As a blogger it is almost like losing a finger when you don't have a way of documenting life with pictures. Stan gave me new camera for my birthday earlier this month and I have yet to learn all of its tricks. I am hoping to use it soon to help with the visuals for the boys science projects and on our up-coming trip to the D.R. for Stan's 40th!

Finally an up-date!!

I know that I am a terrible personfor not updateing this sooner! Some of you know that I went back to school in September. I only had one class during the fall semester but it seemed like 50! I don't know what I was thinking when I registared for algebra 1050 without taking any classes to work up to it. DA!! Well actually it happened like this; 3 years ago when Luke started preschool, I thought that I would take advantage of my newly aquared freedom by furthering my education. So I went through the process of see what classes I needed to take to abtain an associates degree. I was informed that one must test into math. So I went and paid $30 to be told that I would have to take the dumbest class to get into the dumber class to eventually get in the dumb class before taking the class I needed for my degree (obviously math was never one of my strongest subjects!!)!! Needless to say I was a little discourage and decided that maybe it wasn't the best time for me to go back to school and that I would just stick with being a mom for now. (WOW! this has sure turned into a long story!!) Back to why I am in school now. During this last summer, I learned that there was an opening for a kindergarten teacher at the school my boys go to. I really wanted that job! Unfortunately I didn't have enough schooling to even apply. The time had come, I knew that I must bite the bullet and go back to school! I called a counselor to see what my options were and he said that he didn't usually recommend it but I might want to look into getting my math done through BYU's independent studies program. He told me that I could take their 1050 class and that is all the math I would need to get my degree. I couldn't believe that they would let me skip all of the other classes leading up to the 1050 class. Well, I soon learned why it was not something that they recommended very often. Let's just say besides having babies, I not have never done something that hard and painstaking!! I never thought that I could be so happy about squeaking by in a class with a C!! I cried for 20 mins after my final because I couldn't believe it was over and I had passed! I took my final on December 23rd. This is why I have not had a chance to updated this blog. Besides that, I nearly ruined Christmas morning by dropping the camera before I captured one photo of that amazing day. As a blogger it is almost like losing a finger when you don't have a way of documenting life with pictures. Stan gave me new camera for my birthday earlier this month and I have yet to learn all of its tricks. I am hoping to use it soon to help with the visuals for the boys science projects and on our up-coming trip to the D.R. for Stan's 40th!

Halloween 2008

Luke as his hero! Dad's little "mini-me". The camera really picks up on the reflectors with the flash on.

Eli as a "life flight guy".

Samuel as Indiana Jones. I can't believe how much older he looks with facial hair!

Porter as an old man. I wonder if he will look like this in 50 years?

My growing up years.

It is truly sad how ugly the stages were for me growing up! The need one feels to try and fit in by following certain trends, is quite hilarious! If the hair and teeth weren't bad enough, what the heck was I thinking on the mornings of the all important picture day?! These are the pictures that would define who I was and obviously my sense of fashion is not something I am real proud. Please, what is up with the bandanna?! And I know that I never saw a doctor about needing glasses (still don't)! I am pretty sure that my mom gave me most of my hair cuts in those early years and would like to thank her for that, NOT!! I hope that you will enjoy this rather awkward trip down memory lane. It was pretty fun for me!

Races 2008

This year Stan and I branched out from our usual Summer races of just running. Stan bought me a bike for Christmas because we had both made it into the 13 minute registration window for the Spudman Triathalon in July. Had you asked me a year ago if I would consider myself a cyclist I would have said "No way! I don't bike." But once we made it into the tri, I knew that I would have to at least learn how to get on and off my bike. I also have learned a few other things since that first day (Yes, I fell twice that day!) You must be moving in order to balance, you must not reach down to check your tire pressure if your bike is rolling (DAH!!) and it is good to always have lots and lots and lots of water!!

So because I had such a fear of biking, I thought that I would push myself right from the start of the biking season and just to get on and go. I signed up to do the Little Red Ridinghood ride. It is an all women ride that goes from Logan to Preston Wyoming and back. Total of 104 miles. (Unfortunately, I have no pictures to document my first big ride!) I guess when I want a challenge I really go for it! (Thanks for the never ending supply of drive dad!) It was so much fun that I knew right away that I was addicted to riding for life!

The Spudman was a BLAST! My goal was to finish in under 3 hours. My final time was 2:45. Stan of coarse was faster and finished in 2:28. The best part of the whole thing is that my mom and dad were there to watch! For years my dad ran around the track at BYU and he never participated in any organized events. Last year he and my mom weren't able to come to St George for the marathon , so I was just trilled that they made it to see us compete in this event. Dad, that race was for you!! For all the miles you ran without getting the chance to cross a single finish line!!

This is a picture of what the Spudman looked like from a 4th story balcony, that my parents got to watch the race on. (Although my dad spent a lot of his time walking around down by the racers.) If you look real close, you can see that the grass is matted down from over 2000 runners pounding it.

Can you tell which swim capped head is mine? After all of the people of my heat jumped into the water, I swam up a bit and tried to find my dad watching on the sidelines. I saw him and started to yell and wave to get his attention. The sun was so bright that he wasn't sure if it was me, but he took a shot anyway!


Post race photos. I don't know how my mom could stand to get this close to me! She must have been more proud than I thought. Stan was just as stinky as I was or he wouldn't have gotten this close to me, proud or not!! The photo in the middle is our trophy! We each got a medal with a potato with muscles running. How cool is that?!

Two weeks after the Spudman, I was able to participate in a ride call the ULCER. No it is not name that because doing it will give you an ulcer. It is the acronym for Utah Lake Century Epic Ride. It was an 111 mile coarse around Utah Lake.

The picture at the top is of my friend Jocelyn, her daughter Cassie, Cassie's friend Millie, and me. This is just before we started. Don't we all look excited and well rested? Just me and my trusty bike in the middle. After 6 hours it still looked just the same. Thank heaven I didn't crash or get a flat!! Last is Jocelyn and I after the 111 mile event. We look pretty good I'd say! At about mile 102 I hit the wall. I have done a lot of races both running and riding and never had I experienced something quite like that before! I guess I am not as invisible as I thought! (Lots more water next time!!

Base Ball Season 2008

This Spring was pretty crazy once ball season hit!! All 4 boys played in different leagues this year. As you can see by the photos that Samuel didn't quite make it through the whole season because of a minor injury at school and a total loss of interest. (Mom was pretty OK with that since it helped make it so she didn't have to spread herself so thin.)

Eli's team took 3rd place in the city league and went on to play at state. They only took 4th at state, but had a blast!!

Luke played coach pitch this year and loved it!! After the 2nd game, Luke asked me why the coach hadn't let any of the players pitch the ball. I told him that the coach is supposed to pitch the ball. He said "Oh is that why they call it 'Coach Pitch'?" I just had to chuckle!