Summer Sizzler Champions

Garrett's Caesars baseball team played in a tournament up in Cedar City this weekend.  They went 4 for 4 and won the championship game as well.  Good job boys.  Garrett fielded well.  He played 1st base, center field, and left field.  He did not have his best hitting tournament, although he did not hit bad either... just grounded out more than usual.  He had a few nice singles to left.
The boys had a ton of free time between their last game and the championship game.  So, to keep the boys entertained, they went to lunch at Costa Vida as a team.  Then they went to the park and played Frisbee football, leap frog, and some other goofy games.

Then they all went to the movies together and watched Madagascar III.  Unfortunately, they were pretty wiped out for the championship game.  They were able to pull off a win in the last inning of the game.
Baseball season is coming to an end.  We have the big Firecracker tournament and All-stars left.  I will be happy to be rid of the red dirt for a three whole months.  

The last of the single digits

Today is Gracie's 9th birthday.  As of next year, all of my children will be in the double digits and I will feel so old!  I don't know why, but nine still feels little.
Gracie was born in Henderson, Nevada on the first day of summer.  She was a few days over-due, which just shows she was quite stubborn from the very beginning.  In my 8th month of pregnancy, I was going 4 wheeling, running, eating strange foods that were supposed to induce labor, etc.  Nothing worked of course. I finally had a doctor's appointment on my due date.  He said I would just have to wait a while longer.  I burst into tears and made quite a spectacle of myself.  I told him my first baby was 8 lbs 2oz and I received a 4th degree tear during delivery.  My second baby, which came 10 days early was 8 lbs 3oz and I had to get a big episiotomy.  I cried that if he let me go over-due that I was probably going to rip in half.  Luckily, after he measured me and determined that the baby was probably already over 8 lbs, he had mercy on my crazy soul and called to hospital to schedule an induction.  They could not fit me in for 3 more days, but at least there was an end in sight.
I went to the hospital the evening of the 20th.  The staff began the process, inserting IV's, inserting gel packs to soften my cervix, etc.  By the next morning, I was progressing far enough along that they decided to break my water.  Then I quit progressing.  Soon they started me on "the pit" (pitossin).  After a short while, Gracie came.  When she decided to come, she came quickly.  She was born upside down and had a "true knot" in her umbilical cord.  The doctor looked at the knot and said, "You just gave birth to a miracle".  Although the knot was tight, it had never gotten tight enough to cut off her food or oxygen supply.  We felt very blessed.

Gracie has been a blessing in our lives ever since.  She is happy.  She is loving.  She is social.  She is feisty.  She is fun.  She is smart (too smart sometimes).  She is obedient.  She is stubborn.  She is aware.  She is opinionated.  She is athletic.  She is toothless.  She is cute.  She is spiritual.  She is skinny.  She is compassionate.  She is teased (relentlessly by her brothers).  She is tall.  She is sensitive.  She is independent.  She is talkative.  She is artistic.  She is expensive.  She is helpful.  She is focused.  She is AMAZING.  We are not sure what we would do without her.

We had her birthday party at Sand Hollow Aquatic Center again this year.  That was what she asked to do, and I happily obliged.  It is an easy party.  This year Russ and Grant were there to help me.  Last year all of the boys were on a scout camp out and I was really stressed doing it alone.  This year we had 12 of her friends come to her party, so I was happy to have the additional help and support from Russ and Grant.

Happy 9th Birthday Gracie!

I LOVE Summer

Yes, even when it is consistently over 100 degrees, I absolutely love the summer!  I love summer sports.  I love summer vacations.  I love summer evenings.  I love summer BBQ's.  I love summer morning runs.  And mostly, I love summer colors!
We decided to take some family pictures up in Pine Valley this weekend.  My family was so kind to oblige as I made them dress in the brightest summer color clothing we owned.

It was a beautiful night.  We had a family party up there to celebrate Father's day, Nana's birthday, the Lund's coming in town, etc.  We ate dinner.  Raleigh made awesome dutch oven apple cobbler that we all devoured.  We saw some deer.  We visited.  And we took a lot of pictures.

The Summer Hyde-lights

 Russ and I just celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary.  It is hard to believe that we have been married that long... it feels like an eternity!  Just kidding.  It has been wonderful.  It truly keeps getting better.  

Russ has been busy building bamboo fly-rods.  He is very skilled and it has been amazing to watch his talent develop.  Russ has also been fishing with his dad and the kids up at New Castle Reservoir.  He sure has enjoyed spending time with his dad.  Russ' big adventures for summer include Scout Camp (not looking too forward to that), his annual trip to Yellowstone (totally looking forward to that), completing his bamboo rods, and spending time with his family.

I am finally recovered from the marathon and my surgery (which took place 4 days after the marathon).  Between the two events, I have been a little low on iron- which means a little low on energy.  I feel as though  it is returning and I am ready for some fun.  My summer adventures will include going to Garrett's baseball tournaments in Cedar, Park City, and hopefully... California.  

Garrett is one busy boy this summer.  He just got back last Saturday from a week at Especially for Youth up at BYU.  He had a FANTASTIC time.  I will have him write a post about that.  This week he is going river rafting in Moab with his Scout group.  He has baseball 3-4 days each week with his club team, baseball 3-5 days each week with his All-Star team, and weight training with the football team 4 mornings each week.  This summer he will be going on the trek in Wyoming, playing a lot of baseball, hopefully finishing his Eagle Scout project (which was finally approved!), and doing a ton of required reading for school.

Grant is having a fun summer as well.  He is still in gymnastics and is preparing to be put on team.  He only has to complete one more requirement... climbing the rope without using his legs.  He is working out on the pull-up bar and getting stronger each day.  This summer, Grant has his first year of scout camp.  He will be going to Thunder Ridge.  One of their leaders told the boys that whoever got the most merit badges at scout camp would earn $100.  Grant is suddenly quite motivated to go to scout camp.  He, too, is looking forward to his trip to Yellowstone and Park City.

Gracie is becoming just as busy as the boys.  She is now in gymnastics 2 days each week for 2 1/2 hours.    She is looking forward to gymnastics camp in July.  She will attend for a week and will learn so many new skills.  This summer she will also have a birthday.  My baby is turning 9 this week.  Gracie is by far my most social child.  She is always playing with friends and will spend most of her summer with Sarah, Dylan a.k.a. "Dilly-Bopper", Rachel, Mia, Emma, and Triniti.    

A Memorable Memorial Day

What a great day it was today.  We woke up early and the boys (including Russ) put up flags throughout the neighborhood with their scout troop.  It is nice to wake up and see the streets lined with big, beautiful flags.  We truly are a blessed nation thanks to those who fought and continue fighting for our freedoms.

When the boys got home, we dressed in our swimsuits, gathered our sunblock and beach towels and headed for Sand Hollow Reservoir for some water-skiing, wake-boarding, knee-boarding, tubing, boating and some all round good times.  Dayna and Jeremy invited us to spend the morning with them on their boat.  We were so excited.  

When Russ and I first got married, we had a boat and spent so much time on Deer Creek, Utah Lake, Lake Powell, etc.  We miss those days.  Garrett had such a hard time sleeping (especially in the car) as a baby/toddler... however, he slept like a champ on the boat.   Sometimes we would go to the lake just so he could get a good nap in.  Russ was a beautiful water skier back in the day.  We would ski in the morning, fish in the afternoon, and ski again in the early evening.  It was a wonderful life.  Well that was 11 years ago.  We haven't been on a boat since then.  Our boys have no memories of those days, and Gracie was still a twinkle in her daddy's eye back then.

Today, Dayna started off the fun skiing.  She had to show the boys how it was done.  She made it look super easy and was showing off with some huge rooster tails.  However, this was my only picture not completely blown out...

Russ skied next.  I think he was nervous.  It had been 11 years since he had last skied.  After his first attempt to get up, we adjusted the weight in the boat.  At his next attempt he got up.  He made a few good cuts, and exhausted quickly.  I think I will be hearing about his sore muscles for the next 5 days.  I was pretty impressed that it all came back to him so quickly.  Good job Russ!

Next, it was Garrett's turn.  He has never attempted any type of water sport.  We decided to try him on the wake board.  Here is a video of his first attempt at wake-boarding...

Jeremy went next.  He showed us what wake-boarding was supposed to look like.  He was cutting hard,  jumping the wake, and finishing with some spin action.

Then, we finally talked Grant into trying the knee-board.  He figured out how to get himself up on his third attempt.  Once he was up, he was a pro.  I think he loved wake-boarding.  

Then Garrett tried the knee-board.  I think he had a much easier time with this.  He couldn't be shown up by his younger brother, so he tried to get a little fancy.  He did some little twists, went out of the wake, etc.

I think the kids were pretty impressed by the whole boating experience.  Thanks to Robinson's for a fantastic adventure.  The boys will be talking about this for weeks.  Grant is already talking like he is ready to coach others on how to do it.  Hahaha!  I had surgery this past week and am still on a few restrictions.  Although I didn't get to participate in the water sports, I loved being on a boat again.  It was a beautiful morning.  Couldn't have asked for better conditions.  

After the lake, I took Gracie to a swim party with her friend Rachel.  They swam in the pool and jumped on the trampoline for 4 hours.  Needless to say, I think she will sleep well tonight.

We topped the day off with a BBQ at Nana's and Papa's.  We ate great food, watched a little basketball, and enjoyed some good company.  Tonight we are exhausted, but quite happy.  

While dad was fishing...

We dropped dad off in Provo Canyon for a little fishing.  Grant, Gracie, and I went to a park nearby to play while dad fished.  I think the kids had a good time.  They loved looking for insects.  Here are some of the creatures they discovered...

Then I gave them the camera and let them explore.

They ended the day, of course, upside down.  This is what Grant and Gracie do all day long.  I hardly recognize them anymore if they are right side up.

It was an enjoyable day at the park.

the Ogden Runs

Last Halloween, my dear friend- Dayna- talked me into running the Ogden Marathon.  We signed up the next morning and the fun of training began.  We didn't really start doing any long runs until after the holidays were over.  I will be honest... I sucked when we first started... and I don't know that I ever got too much stronger.  I had a few good 15 mile runs, where I felt pretty good after.  But those were few and far between.  However, I stuck with it, and Dayna stuck with me.  She is by far a much more dedicated runner than I am.  She was so kind to get up extra early to make Saturday runs possible (working around work and baseball schedules).  She even made a trip up to Salt Lake so we could get a run in down Provo Canyon- before going to see conference in April.  I cannot say enough about how awesome Dayna is as a running partner.  I love training with her!

Marathon weekend rolled around and Kami and I left Friday morning to drive up north.  We stopped at the Lunds and met up with Nana, Papa, Raleigh, Kaci and the triplets.  We went to the new mall in Salt Lake... I think it is called City Creek or City Center... something like that.  I am not really the shopper type, believe it or not.  How could I not be growing up with my mom and Kami?  But for some reason, I have never just loved shopping.  However, I do love hanging out with my family... even though that usually entails some type of shopping.  I must admit I do enjoy shopping if I can find some great deal.

After shopping, Kami and I headed up to Ogden for the expo and to pick up my race packet.  The expo is always fun as there is a buzz of excitement in the air.  I got my race bib, time chip, and the coveted shirt.  We walked through the expo and met up with Dayna.  Dayna had just fallen in a hole outside the expo and messed up her knee.  It was swelling and hurting and she was about to cry.  I was about to cry too.  She was not sure she was going to able to run in the morning because she could hardly stand as it was.  Dayna left to go ice her knee and Kami and I left to do more shopping and get something to eat.  

We ate at Rumbi's, which is one of my favorite restaurants up north.  I had brown rice (my attempt at carb loading), chicken, and vegetables.  Something didn't seem right about my dinner.  The chicken seemed a little more chewy than normal.  I didn't think much about it until 3 am when my stomach began to churn.  I kept having throw-up burps and feeling queasy.  Kami woke up at 4:30 and we were off to the buses.  Dayna was there- thank heaven- and she and I loaded the bus about 5:20.  Her knee was still hurting, but felt better than the day before.  My stomach was settling down and I was feeling better about running.  

The start-line of the race was cold.  I didn't think it would be that cold and was certainly not prepared for it. I shivered for an hour waiting for the race to begin.  It finally started and we headed down Ogden Canyon.  Usually after 3 miles, I kinda find my groove/pace and I settle into running.  By mile 6, I still had not found that groove.  By mile 8, I understood why.  I had developed the runs.  I spent the next 10 miles in every porta-potty I passed.  It was very frustrating, not to mention gross.  I sprinted between aid stations just hoping to make it in time to the next bathroom.  Needless to say, it was not my best marathon run... but it was a marathon of runs.  The course was beautiful and I loved that there were so many people along the course cheering the runners.  That part was super fun.

My family was at the finish and Grant ran the last 3 blocks with me along Grant Ave.  Funny huh?  It was very fun to have him run along side me through the finish line.  He kept telling me I was doing good and that we were almost there.  He is a great kid!  

When the race was all over, I had a medal, and new shirt and this to show for running 26.2 miles....

Ahhhh... until the next one!

the Long Jumper

I received an e-mail from Gracie's school in April saying that all students that had qualified for the Hershey Track Meet would be traveling to the high school for district qualifying.  I asked Gracie if she had qualified at her school for the Hershey Track meet and she said "NO" and then proceeded to name every child in the 3rd grade who placed in each race.  I then sent her off to school in a skirt and high-heeled sandals.
Later that day when Gracie got home from school, she was talking about her field trip to Snow Canyon High School that day.  I asked her why she had gone to the high school.  She said, "For the Hershey Track Meet".  I said that it was fun that the school had all of the kids go to cheer on their classmates.  She then proceeded to tell me that only the participants got to go and that she had forgotten that she had qualified in the standing long jump.  I looked at what she was wearing and said, "Oh no, really?  How did you jump in those shoes?"  She said they let her jump barefoot.  I then asked her how she had done.  She said she didn't know.   I asked her if she had placed or qualified for district, but she didn't know the answer to that either.  I figured if she had won, we would have heard.
About 2 weeks later, she got a note home from school that she had qualified for the district Hershey Track Meet.  Good job Lou.  This time we were ready.  She picked out a cute, VERY BRIGHT, track outfit and wore some tennis shoes.  If anything, she looked darling!  She had to compete in the 9/10 year old group- even though she is only 8.  She did great considering she was one of the smallest ones there.  Look at those long, skinny legs... she is a natural.