Sofa, Pioneer Day and Broken Bones.

I have been saving some birthday money since February (my birthday month) for just the right thing to buy.  I was wavering between a buffet and hutch for the dining room or a sofa.  Well, a sofa popped up at Costco of all places and I didn't hesitate (much) and dropped the cash for it.  So our old blue sofa (remember this guy) has moved on...as in moved to my parents basement down the street.  Old blue may be used again, only with new upholstery some day...we'll see.  Anyway, here's our new addition to our family room.

 July 24 Utah celebrates Pioneer Day to honor and remember all the pioneers that made the trek across the country to Salt Lake City.

 Right after this picture of the girls in the handcart was taken, Ryan and I were thinking we needed to leave (I had the mountain bike series that night we had to get to).  But the girls really wanted to play on the playground for a bit, so we decided to let them for just a couple minutes.  Big mistake!  Within a minute of being on the playground Haley fell off...which I didn't see...in fact a parent had to find me and ask, "Is that you child on the ground over there screaming in agony?!"  Okay, I added the "screaming in agony" part...they didn't really say that to me...but they might as well have as she was screaming in agony!!  So I run over there and immediately I know...it's broken.  I help her up and take her to the grass.  And then a parent says to me, "It's okay...I've called 911, an ambulance is on it's way!"  WHAT?!!!

Now, let's rewind here to Feb.2012 when Rory has RSV in CA and had to be transferred to another hospital via ambulance (they absolutely refused to let me drive her...like they would have locked me up if I tried to take her myself!)...it took us a year to pay off that damn ambulance bill...it was in the thousands of dollars people!!! And that's with insurance!!  So, when this lady said ambulance I admit I freaked out a little bit...I mean this isn't life or death, and there are no bones sticking out anywhere, no bent arm, nothing gory...because you know if there was something gory I would have been laying in the grass where I ultimately fainted.  Haley was absolutely fine to be driven to an urgent care by us.  So I frantically said to this "good Samaritan", "CANCEL that ambulance!!!  I've been down that road already, and I don't want to do it again!!!

So we get her to an Urgent Care and sure enough it's broken with a buckle fracture.  

Sitting with my Haley girl waiting for the X-Ray.

It was quite a traumatic experience...but then Haley is also a very dramatic girl so everything was magnified ten fold!  But fortunately, she was smiling again when we left.

And I never did make it to the mountain bike race.

The next day we celebrated my Morgan's 7th birthday!  I made her a chocolate sheet cake that she decorated herself.  Don't be fooled by the simplicity of this cake...it was divine!!!  I may have to share the recipe with you some day!  It's a chocolate lover's dream!

More birthday festivities to come next week in CA.  That's right, we headed out of town tomorrow.  So here's hoping they fit Haley with her (waterproof) cast this morning.  If you're going to CA, you have to be able to swim!!  I'm terrified they are going to tell me that her wrist is to swollen to cast...in which case, I may resort to begging them to cast it anyway.

Happy Weekend ya'll!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to my little Morga-Muffin!

Today you are 7!!

We love you!

Quick story about that little stuffed animal she's holding.  A few weeks ago Morgan and I were at Rite Aid picking up a couple things and she found that little Beanie Baby Prairie Dog on a shelf and of course fell in love with it.  I of course refused to buy it and we left.  She talked about that Prairie Dog just about every day after that!  Now, I have this thing with stuffed animals...I don't like to buy them because we have about a gazillion in our house already (I swear they multiply at night!).  But her heart was so set on that Beanie Baby!  So last night when the girls were in bed I went back to that same Rite Aid literally as they were closing (I'm surprised they even let me in!  Although, I would have begged if I had to.)  And what do you know?  They only had ONE left!!  I bought that darn thing and got out of there.  It was waiting for her this morning on the table...she was thrilled!  It's the little things that us moms live for!

Group shot.

 Here is my attempt to capture all four girls in a decent photograph.  I've been doing this for the past few years and would like to continue the tradition.  Easier said than done!  Can you tell they are looking at Ryan who is off to the side making funny faces to get them to smile (especially for that grumpy kid on the far right!)

New Mud Room....Finally.

 Okay, remember way back when I shared that I was converting one of my accordion door pantries into a "mud room"?!  Well, I finally finished!!  I admit that when my dad went back to Long Beach the project sat untouched for weeks and weeks!  All I had to do was sand, paint, and install the hooks...but for whatever reason I just never got to it.  Well, over the weekend I finally decided enough was enough and it needed to get done!  So while Ryan took the girls to the river Saturday afternoon I cranked out the last and final details!  Hallelujah!

Let's take a look back at where I started.  

We ripped out all the shelves and my dad built two boxes that became the bench and storage under.

We added bead board above the bench, molding, hooks and a new shelf for storage.

And then I painted everything a bright, crisp white...and ta da!!

Now I need to get some baskets for shoes and I want to have baskets for storage on the shelf and then it will be fully functional!

A before and after.

There is still a long way to go in the laundry room: painting the cabinets and the walls, but this is a big step!!   I'm so happy with the way it turned out!

Weekly Race Series: Sundance

We were back at Sundance last night for my weekly race!  Unfortunately, I crashed.  I was still able to get up and finish, but I felt real dumb considering it was the EXACT same spot I crashed when I went mountain biking with Ryan a month or so ago.  It's a downhill, straight single track section right under the lifts...I'm not sure what my problem is and why I have so much trouble there!  Anyway, just bruised my knee and shoulder a bit...no biggie.  My teeth are fine...thank goodness.

Eagle Point

The condo we had for the weekend wasn't too bad...although there were a few glitches that needed to be resolved, like getting the stove and the heater to work.  There was a big thunderstorm complete with pouring ran our first evening, so it got pretty chilly when you're at 10,000 ft. (hence the need of a heater!).  But it turned out to be a circuit breaker and everything worked just fine.  Although, we were a bit bummed that not only was there no WiFi, but we didn't have cable either (no tour footage for Ryan)...oh, and our cell phones didn't have service.  It's sad how we rely on such things, but it's true...we do.  Had I known we wouldn't have access to any of these things, I would have brought some reading material!  

Like I said it was pouring rain our first evening, so our condo was feeling very cozy!  Did I tell you that this was the weekend we were thinking about camping?  HA!

Can you spot little Rory way at the end of the table?

Saturday morning.  I love that Morgan is in the middle of a bite in this picture.

 The girls exploring.

The view from our balcony...you can see the ski runs.

There was a boy staying in one of the condos near ours and the girls and him became quick friends!

 On Sunday before we headed home we decided to explore the area a little more and check out Puffer Lake nearby.  We packed a picnic and were prepared to stay the afternoon there.  But unfortunately, it started to pour rain.

That's Ryan walking the girls back to the car in the pouring rain.

So our plan B was to drive toward home and stop for our picnic at Cove Fort.  Now, I can't even count how many times we stopped at the Cove Fort exit on all of our many drives to CA, but we have NEVER been to the actual Cove Fort before!  So we finally remedied that!  The fort was used as a safe haven for pioneers that traveled through the area.  We ate our picnic and took the complete tour with the missionaries that live there.  It was a really neat place and I can't believe we took so long to see it!

The girls playing a hoop and stick game.

What a fun weekend!!

Until next year??

The Crusher

 We spent the weekend about 30 minutes up the canyon outside Beaver at a ski resort called Eagle Point.  It was beautiful there!!  We arrived Friday late afternoon and Ryan raced first thing Saturday morning in The Crusher.  This race is insane!!  It's half on the road and half on the dirt so cross or mountain bikes are used and the elevation is over 10,000 feet at the finish.  It's a really, really tough race!  I'm so proud of Ryan for doing it!  And I might add, he didn't do too shabby for a first timer!

Coming in to the finish.  This is Ryan's hurtin' face.

Dang, he looks good!  Am I right or am I right?

As the racers were coming in Haley took it upon herself to pass out the water, sodas and some food.  She would go up them and ask them what their "order" was and then she would run and get it.

 The entire time we were at the finish line Morgan and a group of kids made a bridge over a little ditch.  Pretty impressive...although, I wouldn't walk on it if I were you!

 And Piper found a mud puddle of course.

It's a pretty spectacular race and who knows, this may be a new tradition for us!

I'll post more pictures of our weekend tomorrow!
Happy Monday!

Weekly Race Series: Sorensen Trail

I raced last night at the Weekly Race Series again...this time it was Sorensen Trail which is right outside of Heber.  It was HOT!  I was sweating buckets!  But, this is the first race that I felt somewhat competitive in.  I was actually ahead of some people by the time we entered the single track and I was holding them back pretty good until I had a little mishap when I was trying to maneuver around some rocks...I ended up falling over letting someone pass.  In fact, as he past me I heard him say, "Yes!".  No joke.  So I was determined to catch him the rest of the race!  There is a long uphill section and I was gaining on him...he kept looking back at me to see where I was.  That alone made me feel good...like I was making him sweat a little more.  Unfortunately, I didn't catch him and he got away from me in the single track.  But, like I said, I felt competitive this time, which is a good feeling when I'm used to being alone the entire race.

I have a lot of improvements still to make... like getting over my fear of falling and smashing my face on a rock knocking out all my teeth...or being able to make sharp right hand turns...but, I'm getting there.

In other news, we're off to Beaver tomorrow...Ryan is racing the Crusher.  Should be good fun for us all!
Happy Weekend!

What we're watching.

First up:  Hell on Wheels...we're watching season 1.

My little brother, Jeffy, gifted Ryan this for his birthday...really he introduces us to most of the shows we watch.  This show is from the same writers as Mad Men, and we all know what big fans we are of that!  So far we've seen the first three episodes and it's pretty darn good!  Basically, Hell on Wheels is the name of the traveling town that follows the construction of the first transcontinental railroad.  And that bad a$$ dude in the picture works for the railroad as he searches for the men responsible for murdering his wife.  He's out for blood and you certainly don't want to be on his bad side, but he's got a soft side too which makes us ladies love him!

I know I'm behind, as I think they're on season 3 now.  But you know...better late than never.


Okay...has anyone seen this show on the Discovery channel??

The premise is absolutely ridiculous!  But I must say it's so very entertaining!  Basically, they throw one man and one woman (complete strangers) NAKED, with nothing, and they have to survive for 21 days.  They drop them off completely alone and they have to walk (NAKED) to find their partner (who, like I said, is a complete stranger to them).  Their introduction to each other has got to be one of the best parts of the show as you can see how hard they are trying to keep their eyes focused on the other persons eyes and not glancing down.  It's just so awkward!  So if you're not scared to see a bit of bare butt (butts are not censored) than you might want to check it out.  Three episodes have aired so far...and yep, we've seen all three already!

Everyday Life

Rory playing out back.

She was giving a Barbie a bath in a Tupperware and drying her with a washcloth...mimicking exactly what the older girls were doing 5 minutes earlier in that very spot.  

 The other week Haley went to her Activity Days camp.  It's for all the girls ages 8-11 in our church.  They meet weekly during the school year and then for the summer they held a day camp.  She left about 1:30 and didn't come home until 8:30 that evening!  Watching her walk down the sidewalk on her way to the house all the girls were meeting at, she looked so grown up with her dinner sack in hand and a baseball cap.  Some days I have moments like that...where I notice all of a sudden how grown up one of my kids are.  It takes me off guard every time!  But anyway...we sure did miss out little Haley that afternoon/evening.  It was so weird having her gone so long, and to be gone during our dinner time.  But she had a ball!

Last week we went out to ice cream at the Creamery and then walked down to the  pond after...one of favorites things to do in the summer.  Unfortunately, Morgan's flip flop was lost under the bridge during this outing.

Haley and Morgan love making picnics!  For this picnic they picked raspberries in our yard, then Haley mashed them up and added some sugar to create her own raspberry "preserves" (an Anne of Green Gables reference).  So for this picnic they packed some slices of pound cake with raspberry preserves, applesauce, watermelon and some trail mix.

The American Girl catalog came in yesterday.  The girls were quick to grab their dolls and look through it.

Their birthdays are coming up (they remind me daily) and they are excited to pick out some new things for their dolls.

4th of July Wrap-up

Our fourth was very low key.  After we gorged ourselves with danishes, bacon and eggs, Ryan took Haley and the little ones on a ride.  We need to get Haley her own bike so we can all go!  

 

Later Haley spent the entire afternoon with a friend at a fourth of July event in the park.  She met this new friend at the mountain bike series and they have been attached at the hip ever since!  

One of my mom's favorite meals is tri-tip on the grill, and she wanted to celebrate her fourth of July being cancer free with just that!  So, in her honor we also had tri-tip, 600 miles away.  Little things like having the same meal even when we can't be together makes me feel a bit closer to my family.  Of course my brother (who was celebrating with my folks) and I texted pictures of our meals.

Our meal.

My family's meal in CA.

And since we were on a roll...I threw in a picture of our dessert.

At about 9:00 we walked down to the school/park to watch the fireworks from the stadium.  The show didn't start until about 10:30 so we had some waiting to do.  But all around us people we lighting off their own fireworks so the girls had plenty of entertainment while we waited.  

Piper spent much of the evening like this:

But I am happy to report that she made it through the entire evening.  I think she even warmed up to fireworks by the end.  And Rory...well, she was scared at first then decided to just go to sleep.

We all crashed as soon as we got home...it was close to midnight so everyone was pretty beat!  Of course that still doesn't stop Haley from getting up before 7...ouch.

Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday weekend!

It's the 4th already?!

Tomorrow is the Fourth of July...it really came quick, don't you think?  I'm actually really looking forward to a nice relaxing morning with no where to go.  With Haley's swim practices every morning, meets on Saturday and early church on Sundays we don't have many mornings to have a leisurely breakfast.  Most days the kids scarf down a bagel or a bowl of cereal before they're out the door.  Tomorrow we're feasting on danishes, bacon and eggs!  

We're having a quiet (well, as quiet as a family of 6 can be...which is not very quiet at all actually) BBQ at home.  We'll walk down to the park to watch the fireworks from the stadium but I'm really not sure how it will go as Piper is pretty terrified of fireworks.  Although perhaps she's she won't be this year??  We'll find out.

This weeks also marks a very important milestone!  My mom hit the five year mark...she is officially cancer free!!  When we all get together again I think a celebration is in order!  Love you mom!

Happy Fourth!!