Mona 5K

Ran my first 5K. Running is really NOT my thing but in May my sweet friend Melissa invited me to start "power walking" with her. This turned into run/walking with the emphasis on walking. Then we moved up to a little more running and then before we knew it, we were running the whole way! So we decided to try the 5K in Mona, Utah in July where you run on dirt roads through the lavender. It was a beatiful morning, they were a little slow getting the race started, but we got going and our goal was not to be last...we did it! Our sweet husbands ran the race to and did awesome! We would have loved to have ran with them, but we are slower and our legs are not that long :) So Melis & I plugged away, finding neighbors and friends along the race. We finished & we were thrilled & it was so wonderful to do it together. So way to go my friend and we did it even earlier than we thought we could - next race - Onion Days 5K.

Stewart Falls

We did a couple of fun hikes this summer and one we did was to Stewart Falls above Sundance.
It took us about 2 hours to go up and back and the girls actually enjoyed it. The best part was to be together as a family - it's nice to be away from all the stuff going on in life and just be together. We have such sweet girls and we love them so much. We appreciate them coming with us and we know, in the not to distant future, we won't be "cool" to hike with or really do anything with for that matter! So we did it, we made it and together as a family...such a sweet memory!!

welcome izzy!

We've got a new lil' girl in our home...Isabella or "Izzy". Our family has never owned a dog before so this is a whole new experience for our girls. (for the parents too!!) She was 6 weeks old when we brought her home & after a couple of sleepless nights she's finally settled in & likes her new home. We really love her and we have adjusted pretty good with having a new little one.

Silly Kids!!

Many times when cousins get together...major sillyness comes out. There's really not much to say - I think the photos do the talking :) (yes, there are panties on mercedes & kel's heads)

Girls Camp 2010

This year our stake was able to attend Heber Valley Camp - what a beautiful area & beautiful camp! We had an amazing time & I personally enjoyed my own bed when we got home :) Best part of girls camp...being with my sweet daughter, Aspen. We had so much fun together & loved being able to share a wonderful week together!!

Singing around the lake. This is just another beautiful part of Heber Valley Camp that was amazing. The whole time I just loved this beautiful camp that has been built for the youth. What a more wonderful way to feel the spirit and enjoy this wonderful earth that we have been blessed with! This night each ward picked a hymn & sang it around the lake as the sun was going down...beautiful.

We were able to go canoeing and the girls were able to get all the girls in our ward together to make one ginormous boat. It was fun to see them work together and make sure not one girl was left out.

We hiked around the lake & we saw a mama duck with her baby duckies, moose tracks and a tree a bear had scratched!

Getting ready for the challenge coarse. The girls were divided into teams where they were able to do different challenges where they had to work together as a team. They were also able to climb pole, walk across & go down a zip line - most of the girls tried it...it was harder to get up there & not be scared, but several girls did it & it was fun to cheer them on!!

White Board

Kel got an idea that she needed a white board. She found one at the store and quickly brought it home so she could draw pictures and erase them over and over again. One morning I came into the kitchen to find her white board on the fridge and this is what it read...

We've got one funny kid on our hands - keeps us on our toes - we'll brace for the future :)

Our Teenager

MMMMM Brick Oven! We had the silliest waiter - Patrick - He kept the girls laughing, I guess that's really not hard with a group of giggly teenagers!!
Aspen invited some cute friends, her cousin & silly sister to dinner.

Then off to the mall to shop!!

The girls had a blast trying on a bunch of dresses in one store. I was worried that they would kick us out, but they let the girls try whatever on and they had so much fun.

We got some classic shots of them modeling & it's a good thing they wore t-shirts with most of the dresses...they don't have much to hold them up yet :)

Our sweet daughter Aspen had a fun birthday and we loved the girls that came to celebrate her day with her. We think the world of our oldest kid - she's one amazing gal!
Some of the stuff she likes to do is...reading, reading, reading, drawing & designing new outfits, playing the violin, wathing t.v., making cookies, playing with friends & cousins, shopping & eating out. She's such a sweet kid and we are so thankful to have her in our family! We love her so much and can't believe how quickly she's grown into an amazing young women!