Justin and Kristin

Half In Vermont

Justin got some wild idea and decided to run a half marathon just a week before another big race we had coming up. It was a fun excuse to get away to Vermont. Man it is beautiful up there! I wish that we hadn't been so tired 'cause we really could have enjoyed our time a bit better. But with kids acting up and all that comes with traveling for hours, sleeping in a hotel, and watching a half marathon we didn't have much left in the tank. But it did inspire me to make another special trip again to Shelburne, Vermont sometime when we REALLY can enjoy it (and when the farm is open so my kids can actually milk the cow).

But the real purpose was to see Justin rock his half marathon; which he did!

It was a VERY chilly and windy day. The course was a bit hillier than expected but Justin went out hard and hung in there!

Nice "action" shot of Justin. I don't have any idea what he is saying here, but I think it's a cool photo! It's like he's saying "I got this!" :)

 

It was an incredibly beautiful course, part of which went through Shelburne Farms.

 

We had fun cheering for him and many called us the "ultimate cheering section".....uh oh....am I raising cheerleaders? *pushing that thought out of my mind*

 

He was feeling really good and doing very well and around mile 10 started to hit a wall. But he pushed through like a champ.

Then with about two miles left the course ran through some wooded trail area and he thought he was lost so he turned around! Ah man! Trying to make up for his lost time he pushed his limits and came gruelingly through the finish line.

Does he or does he not have amazing legs?! So amazing. Kind of jealous.

 

I love how in just a matter of moments you can go from feeling like this:

 

To this:

Isn't racing/running weird? It's so cool though. It's such a test of physical and mental strength. After completing a race or just a hard training run there is such a sense of satisfaction in knowing that you gave it your all.

And to all you "sloggers" (slow-joggers) out there - If you're not giving it your all, you really should try it sometime! And I'm not just talking about running - I mean in all aspects of life. Pick something, anything - running, marriage, cooking, parenting, friendship, cleaning, spirituality, whatever; start by picking one and just giving it 100% for awhile. It's hard, but man does it feel good! 

I don't think that Justin was overly thrilled with his finishing time, but he still PR'ed (AGAIN) so it couldn't be that bad! He also placed THIRD in his age division!! Woot, WOOT!! He definitely gave it his all. There's no way you can look like that crossing the finish line and say you held anything back. Way to go Justin! You're making it harder and harder for me to keep my lead on you! ;)

Uninspired

February was an uninspiring month for me.

Not that February did anything in particular this year to piss me off, drain my creativity or stifle my spirit. It just...well...let's just say that February is like the scapegoat in the family. Everything bad gets blamed on February. And to be honest, it usually doesn't do a whole lot to prove otherwise. Most years February just plain sucks. For being the shortest month of the year it, more often than not, it seems to feel like the longest. This year though, February tried to redeem itself from last year (and to give credit where credit is due; actually did a mighty fine job). But for some odd reason I still found myself a bit hum drum this last month. Maybe I was just spending my energy preparing for the worst that February could potentially hand out, only to find that February was quite pleasant after all.

None the less, here I am having survived March coming in like a lion, and wishing I'd done more blogging in February. Because really, besides the one whole week of puke fest we had in February, the rest of the month offered some pretty great moments.

But onward I move, hoping that March doesn't throw us any weird surprises. But then again, March has kind of been known as a loose cannon, so anything is possible right?

The end of February Justin ran the half marathon he has been training for. He went into it a bit discourage and somewhat pessimistic. He'd caught the sick bug at the tail end of the rest of us, and February was a crazy month at work so his training suffered a bit. Essentially he threw most of his hopes and goals for this race out the window and basically ran it out of duty. Or principle. Or maybe just because I told him he didn't have my permission to woose out. He braved a frigid cold day (at least it was a sunny frigid day) with some strong winds and gave it the best he had. Apparently he hadn't fallen as far behind as he thought because he PR'ed as well as beat his original goal for this race. He left feeling very good about his time, his performance, and his efforts. What more can you ask for?

 A week later it was my turn. I had trained really hard, put in my time, made my sacrifices (i.e. early COLD mornings, pace runs with the double jogging stroller while still recovering from the flu, lots of miles, treadmill runs...you get the idea). But I was feeling pretty ambivalent about my race. I didn't know what to expect from the distance, nor what was a realistic goal. I wasn't feeling all that excited to race again either (to be honest I think that the marathon back in October and the 5k in January both have left me a bit traumatized). But I came up with what I thought was a reasonable goal for a 20 mile race. Then just to give me a little window to work with I used my pace calculator to give me bit more of an ambitious goal. I supposed somewhere between the two would be ideal.

I thought the crappiest thing about this race would be the fact that not only was it an out and back race, but it was a double out and back because of the 10 mile racers running at the same time. Ug. I was surprised that the only slightly discouraging part was hitting half way and realizing I had to do everything I'd just done all over again. But the out and back part actually broke the race down into smaller more attainable milestones. Plus Justin got to just pick a spot at mile 3 and stay there the entire race and I ran by there 4 times! It made spectating with three small children a lot easier than it normally is!

I was grateful that I didn't suffer with anything during this race besides just major fatigue and a small mental game around mile 17 to keep pushing harder all the way to the end. I came through the finish line WAY before both goals with a time that I would have thought unattainable for a 20 mile race! Oh and an age placement award as well! :)  I was proud of myself and my efforts to race the course and myself, giving it my all. I think though that soon again I need to run a race just "for fun." Is that possible any more? Would I really let myself hold back? Hmmm. Maybe it's worth the experiment!

 

Haitian Love

It's been a few months since our family was moved to the Haitian ward here in Boston (this brought on because both Justin and I speak french; but the story is actually a lot more complicated - but a bit too complicated, as well as spiritual, to write all down here).The past months in our new ward have presented us with a few challenges and yes, some major adjustments, but lately I have been overwhelmed by the "amazing" of our experience - or rather the AMAZING of the Haitian people. Of course we are all human. We are all imperfect people. We all have areas to improve upon and change. All we can really do is just daily try to be better, but despite the imperfectness of us all, these people show near perfection in the areas of life that I think truly matter most! Christ-like love.

I have been overwhelmed by the love and warmth of the Haitian people. Never before have I felt so accepted and welcomed completely by every single person in a ward. If there are divisions or cliques there, I am oblivious to them. They genuinely seem to care about each and every person. They are concerned truly about everyone's well being. There is no pretense, no "fashion-show" no popularity contest, no flaunting of "greater" sprituality or knowledge, no judgment. They are thoughtful, giving, selfless, forthright, and loving. They are the kind of people that when you miss a day of church 6 different people, some of whom you don't really even know their name yet, call you to make sure you are ok! Where near strangers buy Christmas gifts for your children! Where "random" people will just sit down and join your family in the chapel. Everyone greets you with a smile and truly wants to know how you are doing! They act as if we have been in their ward all along. We feel a part of the "family." This warmth and acceptance came at the perfect time in my life. What a welcome gift from God in our lives. Any of the challenges or struggles that we may face with this change of wards is made up every week by the true Christ-like love of the wonderful people!

I wish we all could be a little more like these new friends of mine and show true Christ-like love to everyone no matter who they are at all times, thinking not of ourselves but always of others. They are my example.

Bullet Points to End the Year

I'm not feeling inspired to post much or many details about all the festivities in December so I'm going to give it to you bullet point format.

"Crazy" Uncle Nick (as my kids call him) comes back into town, much to the joy of our household!

Intense - I mean INTENSE gingerbread house making endeavors which overtook our kitchen for two days! It was like a gingerbread house explosion in there! We were very proud of our results!

 

Delicious Christmas Eve tradition of Fondue with our friends. Olivia, whom I met on my mission in Belgium, can truly appreciate the fondue and brought a light and luscious buche de noel - one of my all time favorite Christmas traditions from my mission.

Christmas Eve snugglies with the cutest and smooshiest children alive!!!!

 

Christmas morning was relaxing and fun. Everyone enjoyed unwrapping their presents!

 

And we finally gave our kids the rocking Eeyore that Justin made when I was pregnant with SAGE! It has moved with us to be stored from CO to NC to UT and finally here in MA, just hiding and biding its time until the time was right! The original rocking horse was made by my dad before I was born. My mom redesigned it into Eeyore with her artistic perfection and Justin did all the cutting and assembling. The paint and embellishing was a team effort! (Somebody's toe is bound to get crushed under the thing I just know it.)

 

A relaxing Christmas afternoon with our dearest friends.

 

Another fun photo shoot with the bro. For more from this shoot click HERE.

 

Though we were far from the entire family even just having Nick here helped everything feel complete, along with friends who for all intents and purposes are our family here.

 

It was a fabulous Christmas holiday! We hope everyone else had a great season as well.

Now on to 2012...wait. I thought it was still 2010. I'm getting old.

From Us To You!

They certainly are! 

More on our fun Christmas festivities to come, once the excitment dies down! Hope everyone is having a great day! We miss our famiy and friends who are far away, but we are enjoying the ones we have here!

Merry Christmas!

Thankful for...

So many people have been doing this whole daily thankful thing this month. I knew that would only be setting me up for failure. There's no way I would have been able to post daily with all that has been going on this month. But don't worry, I've still been thinking about what I'm thankful for! Attitude of gratitude and all that...

Last week I was at a Thanksgiving themed church activity.  They took a moment to let individuals share what they are grateful for. As I listened, I agreed with many of the things that people shared and am also grateful for all those things - you know. The "normal" things - family, health, the savior, freedom, Nutella (particularly agree with that one! :) ) but as I sat there I contemplated a bit more, and asked myself deep down, what am I the most grateful for at this moment based on the past year that I've experienced?

I realized that I am most grateful that I know who I am. Truly who I am.

I am who I am no matter what happens to me, no matter what experience or person may let me down, no matter if health or even life fails me in some way. I'm ok through it all because I know who I am. I am not someone that is dependent on fleeting self-esteem, or outside sources to make me feel good about myself or worthwhile. No matter what comes my way I always have myself and who I am. I am grateful that this knowledge grounds me, sustains me, and brings peace to my life.  I know too many people that don't know who they truly are; who allow anything and everything outside of themselves and their control to decide how they feel about themselves. That can be a sad, confusing, chaotic and lonely place.

I'm so grateful for the teachings and experiences that have helped me to develop, recognize, and embrace who I am: A passionate, powerful, and loving woman. A child of God. A wife, mother, sister, daughter, friend.

I have worth, infinite and unchanging. Knowing this is what I am most grateful for in my life.

 May you know who you are and love who are! Happy Thanksgiving!

Halloween - The Best Holiday Ever

The Nor Easter storm got in the way of a few Halloween festivites this year. First off, they canceled the ward trunk-or-treat activity - Bahumbug!! If it were up to me I would have still had it, at least put us in the church. Come on! The snow didn't really start falling until the event would have been over anyway. But hey, I'm willing to go to much greater lengths, than most, for the sake of the best holiday ever!

We were going to be ghosts. That was the plan. All the way up to my trip to JoAnns for fabric, a week before Halloween. Walking into the store Sage decided to throw a fit and DEMAND that she be able to dress up like a witch. I thought Cadecne would have my back with the ghost thing, but alas I was betrayed! I succomb to the pressure, but only beacuse it could have been worse. She could have been demanding to be a princess - which we all know I would have NEVER given in to! :) 

So witches it was!

The storm and cold weather also got in the way of me taking some "official" photo documentation of our Halloween costumes this year. Ah shucks. We did layer up our clothes and go trick-or-treating and I snagged some in the dark while we were out at least.

The girls once again LOVED trick-or-treating! Who can blame them though right? We started the night with some friends,

and then ended up back at our neighborhood just to top us off! If it weren't for the cold I may have let them go all night! :) 

Sage said her favorite thing about Halloween was going trick-or-treating to new houses.

Cadence said her favorite thing was making pumpkins.

 

Nouvelle doesn't look happy in this picture, but it was just cause we were forcing her to wear this hat. Trust me. She was so into this it was ridiculous! I couldn't believe how she caught on to the whole run up to a door, knock, say "trick-or-treat" and getting candy thing! Maybe having two older examples helped, but I'm just going to tell myself it's because she is as into the greatest holiday as I am! :)

A Devil of a Chase

or more accurately The Devil's Chase 6.66

Two years ago we ran this race while I was pregnant with Nouvelle and we had a blast! We thought we would have a redo where she could fully enjoy the sights and sounds of this race. We figured this would be one of the last races that we could run with the girls in the jogging strollers since Sage is outgrowing ours! 

So following along with tradition we all got dressed up as devils and braved the 30 degree weather.

I have to say I was completely excited to have a race to run solely for enjoyment. And I did. I completely enjoyed every single second of this race. I think I smiled the entire time.

The only complaint I had was that we had to start in the VERY back (because of our strollers - which weren't "technically" allowed). It was rough getting through all the crowds of runners. The first year we ran it there were only something like 500 runners. This year there were over 1200! And boy do some of those people run a 10k slow! But none-the-less, it made for an adventurous run and girls loved the crazy dodging in and out of people, up on side walks, 4-wheeling onto the grass, the "competitive" banter between me and Justin, all the amazing devil costumes as well as a few random others.

I enjoyed the sights and scenery of Salem in the Fall, the quaint town, the cheering crowds out in front of their homes (watching the "crazy" runners make their way through the small streets in the freezing cold), running "just for fun", being with Justin and our girls, and cinnamon doughnuts waiting at the finish! I think this is one of my favorite races venues ever. I love the course, I love the sights, and the enthusiasm and vibe of this race.

I'm totally up for it again next year. I wonder if Sage could run it with me instead of pushing her the entire way!? Ok maybe not for a few more years.

What's the Big Deal About Maine?

Not that I didn't believe people when they told me how great Maine was, but I don't know; it's hard to believe until you've seen it for yourself. I mean it's this nondescript state that just sits up on its own, minding it's own business, and not usually demanding a lot of attention. But I'll tell you what, I get it now. Maine is pretty spectacular! Or at least the parts of it that we saw are! I'm sure it helped that we made our first experience with Maine at Arcadia National Park. Our main purpose for hitting Maine was the marathon I was planning on running - but I'm still working up the energy to talk about that so you'll have to wait a bit longer for my marathon update. For now let me share some of the more relaxing, enjoyable parts of our trip.

It always adds a bit more to a vacation when you can go with friends and stay in a beautiful house instead of cramming yourself into a hotel room. It was fun to have some extra time with our great friends the Kyle's (of whom, Amy would be running the maraton as well). With kids and life it always seems like most our visits with friends are short lived.This time they were stuck with us for two days! Yay!

We spent some time in Bar Harbor enjoying the quaint little town,

 

hanging out at the house

 

and my favorite part, walking along the sand bar as the tide went out. We tried to make it to the island on the other side, but just couldn't get our kids ourselves to hang on that long.

The girls absolutely loved it. Collecting sea shells, running along the sand, and stepping in puddles. It's kid paradise!

Nouvelle left with an overdose of her daily intake of sodium along with an extra helping of grit; but it was just too fun to watch her fascination with the salty sand.

 

Cadence LOVED finding cool and different shells and putting them in her bucket.

 

Sage just wanted to run and run and run.

 

 

It was a beautiful time in Bar Harbor. Wonderful enough to make me want to go back and tack on at least one extra day to the trip.

Snow shoeing in winter? Anyone up for it?

Friends and Family: Utah Part 4

Interspersed in all of our adventures was some time with dear friends. I wish I could have seen all of my friends out in Utah but it's amazing how quickly even two - three weeks of vacation time can get gobbled up! 

One of the things we looked forward to most was seeing our great friends the Hemmert's. It didn't seem long enough, but we were glad for the time we got and we hope we can have more visits soon!

Sage insists that she is marrying Isaac and that he is going to be her prince one day. I just think she likes bossing him around! :) It is fun to see them playing together better and better as they get older. We miss you guys!! And I'll leave it at that before I get too sad thinking about it!

 

We also got to see some friends from Boston who recently moved to Utah. The kids were very glad to see their old familiar playmates (though I think it took a bit to overcome the "out of context dilemma"). We look forward to meeting up with them - next time in Denver - right?

 

The hurricane delay allowed me extra time to reconnect with another friend who I haven't been in contact with for quite awhile. 

This is an example of the kind of rare friends in life where no matter the time, distance, separation, mistakes, hurts, offenses, or any of what life-experiences throw at you , that when reunited it's like you were never apart. That is true friendship. And thank goodness for a friend who appreciates my goofy, stupid side as well.

 

We also got spend a day with more cousins, which my kids absolutely gobbled up!

How dumb of me to not think to get a picture of all of them together (there are 9, yes NINE, in this brother's family!). Where were you on that one Mom? :)

(Seeing this picture is the first time I've ever seen Sage and thought, "Holy crap" she looks like me!" People tell me all the time that she does, but I just don't see it. Here I do. Thankfully, for her sake, she is the better version of me!)

They could have stayed and played all day, and I could have stayed and visited all day. I remember loving to play at my cousins house when I was a kid. I remember our parents sitting around and just talking (how boring!) and wondering what in the world was so fun about that. I get it now. It was weird being on the other side of things - the boring parents sitting around talking, and just fully enjoying watching the kids play and treasuring their time together! We sure wish we lived closer to cousins!

Sage's facial expression was completely unsolicited. What she was thinking I don't know, but I appreciate and love her dramatic flair!

,And yes, another picture of Nouvelle eating but it just is the time to best capture her intensity! I love how she has so much gusto in all that she does, and eating is one special moment of particular enthusiasm!

A New Take On a Old Love - Utah Part 3

Growing up I spent a lot of summers in Lake Powell with my dad. These are some of my favorite memories with him as a child. While I was on my mission he sold the boat and I swore I was going to disown him (mostly because he traded in Lake Powell for golf! Oh the travesty of it all!) After I was married he finally realized the errors of his ways and repented and has since been embracing the wonderful life of boating again (though still a bit overshadowed by golf - but we take what we can get! :) )

It was absolutely magnificent to be able to get down to Powell again.

Lake Powell basically takes my other favorite childhood memory (camping in southern Utah) and fills it up with water. What spectacular person decided to flood this area!? May I kiss you a million times over! The vibrant red rock with the bright blue sky, all reflected in the clear, soothing water below! Stunning!

The second we got onto the water my soul was calmed; That all encompassing peace that seems to make all right in the world.

15 years ago that peace could last for an entire weekend to week long trip. This time, it could last just a few moments before a child needed something, was crying, waking up from a nap, needed to be wiped, wanting to go and play, was hungry or tired, threw a tantrum, or was running around on a sugar high. But I took what I could get.

After the first night of virtually no sleep, due to one child waking another child, who woke another child, who then we would try, by any means possible, to keep from waking up the entire boat.... I knew I was in for it.... MAJOR SLEEP DEPRIVATION.

Was a week of lost sleep worth it? You tell me...

 

The first day or so the girls were a little unsure about the water and spent a lot of time on the beach making magnificent sand castles!

Okay, they had a little help.

 

And meet the master destroyer of all things castle!

I know she looks all cute and cuddly and super innocent, with her chubby little thighs, and her squishy cheeks - but trust me people - she not, she's not.

Soon though Sage and Cadence discovered the luxury of life-jackets and there was no getting them out of the water. 

They wanted to swim with Dad,

with mom,

with gramma,

with anyone and everyone, all day long, every single day!

 

Somehow in the midst of all this swimming we still were able to convince them to go on a few boat rides,

and a couple of fun hikes (or as I called them "adventures").

When I saw this picture of Cadence I about fainted. When did she start looking like a 14 year old, and where in the hell did she get those abs!

 

Who knew how tiring taking kids to Lake Powell was. Somehow we still found the energy for cliff jumping, wake-boarding (uh-hem), and skiing. The things no Lake Powell trip is complete without.

(*Superman IS the greatest super hero. You're fooling yourself if you seriously think you would choose to be any other super hero. Just a fact.)

This was the first time cliff jumping in Powell where I dove instead of jumped. Let's just say the first attempt was less than successful (I had a bruise up the entire outside of my left leg for weeks. Good for a great laugh at least.). This pic is my second attempt. A lot better result.

 

I've never been a big fan of wake-boarding. Let's just say I like to ski (both snow and water) like I take on life - straight forward and head on. My family knows I'm more than a little disappointed that most of them have given up on the TRUE sport of slalom skiing for wake-boarding - but I do have to admit some of them are pretty darn good at the thing!

Justin is even getting the hang of it pretty well himself!

Thank goodness for my bro Nick, who kept it real with me first thing each morning, as we headed for some sweet skiing.

Saaaa-weeeet! He rocks!

And for a light weight, I'm not so bad myself!

Definitely one of my favorite sports ever!

 

One afternoon the girls stayed back with gramma and "crazy uncle Nick" so we could go to Rainbow Bridge.

They played on him like this for about 10 or 15 minutes while he slept and he seriously didn't even wake up! Man, I wish I could sleep like that!

Yep, he's a crazy one, that's for sure. Just one of the many reasons we love him!

I hadn't been to Rainbow bridge in forever. We enjoyed the child-free afternoon taking in the rays with my dad, sister Amanda and our soon be be awesome bro-in-law Brandon.

 And what's the difference between a natural bridge and a natural arch boys and girls?

That's right; a bridge is made with water and an arch is made by wind. You get an A+

 

 

Breathtaking sunsets every night,

S'mores

and *fun* games every night (That's a big Twinkie) were just added pleasure to an already amazing trip.

 

Thanks to Dad and Mom(2) for putting together a fabulous trip to Lake Powell.

We know it's a lot of work. And we know, now, even more than ever how tiring it is to take of kids while you're there. So thanks for taking care of us!

And on a sentimental side note: About a year ago, my dad found himself literally at death's door. When he miraculously pulled through I told him I wanted him to be skiing by summer time. He seriously thought that would be impossible as he couldn't even stand and walk, let alone brush his teeth, or feed himself. I was thrilled to watch from the boat as he tried and tried and finally pulled himself up on that ski rope and showed us all how it's really done!n Thank heaven's for miracles.

I hope that we can have many more Lake Powell trips in the future; When our kids maybe don't have such high maintenance sleeping habits and especially when they will be able to hold onto the memories forever - just as I have!

 

Bye bye Lake Powell, hope to see you soon!

An Interlude of the 'Hart' - Utah Part 2

While we were in Utah we were lucky enough to have the opportunity to get together with my mission Presidents, the Harts, . They don't live in Utah, but due to some unfortunate trials they are dealing with they find themselves spending an enormous amount of time in Utah. Though I'm sad for their struggles, I was glad that it meant they were close enough to be able to see them in person! Though somewhat inconsistent (that dang distance thing again), I always cherish the time I get to spend with them. They have the most amazing ability to make you feel like you are the most important person in the world. Their love and warmth is addictive, and I just want to gobble it up by the spoonful! We had a great lunch were we did more talking than eating - just the way it should be with dear friends.

 

After lunch, President Hart introduced us to a wonderful place called Bruges.

Now some of you know that ever since living in Belgium and experiencing true Belgian waffles, nothing in the US can ever compare. Well, thank heaven's for this little place Bruges! It is owned and ran by a Belgian man who understands the importance of a genuine Belgian waffle, not to mention true fries (did you know that fries are actually from Belgium not France? Oh and so is fry sauce). 

Oh yes, even from the outside this waffle looks decedent, all decked out in strawberries and whip-cream, but trust me - it's what is inside that is truly spectacular! Little pearl sugars that caramelize as the waffle pastry is slowly cooked! Oh my..... I'm salivating just thinking about it.

 

Due to hurricane Irene hitting the east coast the day were were suppose to fly back, we missed the Joshua Radin and Sara Bareilles concert that I had wanted to surprise Justin with (truly the only reason I was disappointed to hear our flight was canceled and couldn't be rebooked for 5 days). We dealt with our "disappointment" by going to our favorite restaurant in the world: Franck's.

A quaint and charming restaurant with the most innovative and flavorful French food I've ever tasted! So, who better to share it with than the Hart's?! How special we felt that they would give up more of their time to be with us again! And as always, the conversation was magnificent, inspiring, and left me completely uplifted.

Can't you just see their sweetness, magnificence and love emanating from them!

Nous vous aimons Pres. and Soeur Hart! Can't wait to see you again!

Reliving the Dream: Utah Part 1

Nearly all of August was spent in Utah. It wasn't supposed to be this way, but when you get 5 extra days away from home due to a little hurricaine called Irene, that's how it ends up. No complaints here.

After 9 hours of flying and lay-overs, 3 melt downs, countless trantrums, and maybe about 1 hour of collabortive sleeeping on the plane

we arrived in SLC. Yippee!

Just to ensure full jet lag and fatigue Justin and I woke up at 5am to go on a long run (he 14; me 22 - mind you at altitude and up two different canyons!). It was great running together and enjoying humid free weather! 

Then we met up with two of my sisters and their kids at liberty park for bit of fun.

It has been, oh I don't even know how many years since my older sister and I have been together with every single member of our family present. Distance is a bummer. The time went too fast that afternoon and evening. I miss my sisters.

The next day Justin and I headed down to Zion National Park. Whenever we are in Utah we try our hardest to hike our favorite hike of all time - The Subway! Obviously I haven't done all the hikes in Utah, but I seriously doubt there are many that could contend with this hike.

To only elevate the experience we were able to hike with my other sister and her fiance, three of my brothers and some of my brother's kids!

The beatuy of the desert scapes in southern Utah is always breathtaking, no matter how many times I do this hike. A camera never quite captures what you see when you're there in person, but in my minds eye I remember the spectacular views perfectly!

So glad for Gramma, who made it possible to leave for a day or so and escape into nature!

"The Best. Day. Ever!"

5 years ago our first child came into the world. I wasn't prepared for the love that would soon consume my soul and the adoration I would hold for this little child. It was one of the best days of my life. I feel so lucky today to have Sage as my daughter. She is so kind, thoughtful, and has the most untainted, unsoiled, perspective on life (yes even more than most "normal" 4-5 year olds). She is amazingly positive and happy about nearly anything and everything, and this positive exuberance is completely  infectious. She just believes the best in everything and everyone. Believe me, I have given her many reasons to think I may just not be the most amazing mother ever; but day after day she always runs to me with open arms, expressing her undying love for me and her pure belief that I am the best ever! "Mom, you're my best!" It never gets old! I know this can't last forever, but I gobble it up each and every day that I can! She is quick to laugh, easy to love, and always fun to be around. Each year gets more and more exciting. I can't wait to see what the next one brings!

For her birthday she really wanted a "Tangled" birthday cake. Though I resisted at first, I caved and gave in to making yet another princess themed cake this year. But after the final pieces of fondant were placed, the last of the frosting was pipped, and the layers of caked successfully stacked and stable....I have to admit, I'm glad I gave in. This was a fun cake to work on, and I think it was one of my best yet (if I do say so myself!) and more importantly Sage LOVED it!

Quite the cake to make on a "non party" year.

Thankfully we had some good friends who were willing to come over for a low key celebration and help us eat some of this massive tower!

And if you can't tell, the "Rapunzel" theme was embraced fully.

Happy Birthday to my amazing Sage, the time is going too quickly!

Lapping Up a Good Time

Within about 10 minutes of us arriving at the beach Cadence (who has a slight obsession with drinking ocean water) had influenced Nouvelle to do the same!

Great... (Sense my excitement?)

Thanks to Rachel's great idea to head out to the beach,we were able to fully enjoy the perfect weather of the day. I was also able to successfully avoid being consumed by my increasingly distracting excitement for my upcoming trip to Utah.

The beach makes for a self entertaining day for the kids, a bit of relaxation for us, and fabulous memories!

The kids put together a mighty fine hermit crap, snail, and shell collection all on their own,

and after many fun hours of running, building castles, "bathing" in tide pools, making "cakes" climbing on rocks, and "swimming" were COMPLETELY tuckered out!

And now that the day has passed, I'll go back to dreaming about mountain landscapes, slot canyons, red rock, and (heaven willing) some smooth skiing water!

A Satisfying Substitute

Yes....yet another beach post.

But as I told my dad today, "We don't have mountains so we have to make due by going to the beach."

Maybe going to the beach so often softens my longing for the beautiful, magnificent Rocky Mountains.

Almost...but not quite.

We're making the most of the beach while we can, one thing is for sure, the girls adore it!

Here a few of my fav pics from the day.

I am in love with Nouvelle's belly. How can you not want to just munch it all up!?

 

 

 

1 Great Solution to 103 Degrees of Heat

Head to the beach again, sans hubbies, just to survive the day!

It took me twice as long to get all my kids and everything ready for the trip by myself, and a lot more effort to get all of us safely from the car to the beach; but it was worth the time and energy - to have another fun summer beach trip before our chances slip away into autumn leaves and falling slow.

I think Sage was secretly happy when the lifeguard told us no flotation devices were allowed (yeah 'cause that's safer). Thankfully high tide was so late that day she could easily play in the water without giving me a heart-attack. Cadence spent most of the day pushing her dump truck around on the sand, in the water, and 4-wheeling over the rocks. Nouvelle was mostly content to just sit and dig in the sand. I was glad that the kids were entertained for the day, somewhere outside of the house and where I didn't feel like melting!

I'm so glad Amy and Beck wanted to come along! It makes for even more fun for the kids and some great adult interaction for myself!

Do pictures of my cute kids at the beach ever get old? I don't think so!

 

 

And the Award for Least Favorite Bacteria Goes To:

Escherichia coli O157:H7

Mr. E. Coli approaches the stage, recieves his award, turns to the audience, gathers his thoughts for a slight moment and says:

"I would like to thank the Marshall girls for allowing me to take complete control over their bodies, family, and home for the past 2 and half weeks. I am much more powerful than any puny, measly stomach bug, or flu virus. I have the ability to kill toddlers at my very best, and drive parents to the brink of insanity at the very least. You WILL have to wash your hands all day - to the point of near rawness - to make sure I don't spread . But that is only minor compared to the GI symptoms that will devastate your bodies - leaving you trapped in your homes on beautiful, sunny summer days. I am so honored that your parents could spend hundreds of dollars on pediatrician visit co-pays, ER visits, urine, stool, and blood tests, and medicine; Not to mention the nights of lost sleep.

Oh and a little shout out to Lymphadenitis, who took over once I was gone, just to, you know, reek even more mania and misery to the Marshall family. "

 

Screw you Mr. E. Coli. Screw you.

 

Just to spite you we went to the beach as soon as everyone was feeling better, and had a marvelous time WITHOUT you!!!!

Really? You Want to Know What I Do All Day?

Awhile back a friend of mine made a comment that if he didn't know me and were just going by my photos on facebook he would think that all I do is run.

And though it does feel that way at times (especially while training for a marathon in a horrid Boston winter and a 50k immediately after that), I swear there is a lot more that I do than run..... or perhaps there isn't...

But it's just that documenting the daily in's and out's of my life is usually not very post worthy. I told him no one would want to see pictures of the things I do all day.

And just to prove my point I decided to document some of the daily things I deal with and do.

What a typical day/week is full of in my day to day life:

 

Crying

 

Dirty floors

 

Poopy diapers...so many that often times I can hardly keep up with the diaper pail that fills up so fast

Dishes

 Potty Assistance

 

More crying

 

Fighting

 

Laundry

 

Pouting

 

Unexpected, unimaginable, and unacceptable messes (yes that is poo in my bed)

 

Time-Outs

 

Picking up toys 100 times a day

Tired/Irritable children at the worst time of day - when I'm also tired/exhausted and trying to make dinner

Sick kids up all night; cleaning up throw up/diarrhea/boogers, stuffy noses, bringing water, bathroom trips/etc.

 

Did I mention crying?

This doesn't include HAIR BRUSHING BATTLES, BATH TIME, TEETHING TRAUMA, MEAL TIME MASSACRE, NAIL CLIPPING BRIBERY, POST-PLAYGROUND DIRTY HAND AND FEET CLEAN UP, SASSING, ETC. ETC. ETC.

I don't think my children enjoyed me running for a camera at the most in-opportune times. I guess we take pictures of mostly just the good stuff for a reason - and even some of those good moments are hard to always capture.

Some people think blogs are just for "bragging." Well maybe for some it is, but for me, I just want to remember the good times a bit more than some of the above. I love my kids but I really could do without some of the aforementioned - and I'm sure some of the images may leave you haunted for awhile yourself.

Guess I'll stick to running pictures and a few other fun events for the time being, if it's ok with you!

A Fun Fourth of July

.  FABULOUS  .  FOOD  .  FRIENDS  .  FIREWORKS  .  5K  . FUN  .

 

Sunday night was food and friends at a pot-luck party. The kids ran around crazy and had a marvelous time. 

That was followed up by watching the fireworks at the High School.

Our town always does fireworks the night before the 4th so as to not compete with arguably one of the best firework shows in the United States, in downtown Boston (though I have not dared brave that experience with children).

Our town turned 300 years old this year (yes people, older than the United States itself. How cool is that!?) so it was quite the extravaganza this year!

It was a late night but the kids loved the fireworks (well Nouvelle not so much, but I'm sure her little ears will grow into it).

The next morning we dropped the kids off at my friends (Thanks Rachel) so Justin and I could run a local race without strollers!

It was my first official 5k race ever! Yeah. My mom says I'm working my way backwards.

I know, I know. A 5k should be breeze for me! It's shorter than any of my weekly training runs. But I do have to say this; Running a 5k race still had it's challenges for me. 1) It takes me usually more than a 5k to even warm up enough to a decent pace. 2) Pacing yourself on a 5k is very different than say, oh a 50k. You don't have 10 miles to make up for a mile that you ran slower than you'd like. 3) Though a 5k is technically not a sprint, it sure feels like it to a really long distance runner like me; and I haven't been a sprinter for oh, 20 years or so. 4) The weather that morning did not help either. I think it was something like 75-80 degrees with 88% humidity.

But despite all that, I actually did better than I was even expected to! Finishing in just over 21 minutes. I placed 2nd in my age division!

Hey I could get used to this awards ceremony thing! hahaha! It was fun to do another race with Justin and he did his very best to keep up! :)

We went straight from the race to another food and friends pot luck while we watched the local parade!

Though we live only about 15 miles from downtown Boston I do have to say our town genuinely feels like a smaller town: quaint, full of character, with a tight knit family and community feel. It was cool to see people just hanging out on their front lawns all day. The whole town just celebrated all together!

 

 

 

Next we headed back to the High School for some children's races.

We had high hopes that Cadence would be able to complete the 25 yard dash without crying this time. She was all ready to go, so excited and...well....

I'll just blame it on the heat, humidity, and lack of sleep.... She didn't make it this year either. Shucks.

But look at Sage go! Nice form Sage!

We thought it would be funny to see what Nouvelle did given the opportunity. As you can see, WAY back there, she is trudging' along! She was all for it! 

She "ran" a pretty straight line all the way to the finish! It was hilarious!!

Here she is running through the line to the end!

I think it's safe to say she came in first in her age division! I guess what else could you expect from the gal? After all, she was running races before she was even born!

 

 And then the mom's raced....100 yard dash....um yeah.

Close...but yes I got beat by a lady in flip-flops! Man she was ripped! From head to toe! Where does she find the time? She had amazing sprinter form and it was all my long-distance runner body could do to keep up! It looks as if she's barely trying! I doubt she even got out of breath!

 

After a much needed nap for all of us, we had more food and friends mixed with some pool time fun and a refreshing slurpee! Does it get any better than that?

Now that's a girl who just GOES for it!

This picture is worth a million bucks! HAAHA!

Fun 4th of July. I'm so tired now I need another weekend to make up for the last few days!