Tri Today

As I am soooo impatiently waiting the final results of today's sprint tri at Salem, Ut, I found these aeriel shots of the race, which I thought were very cool. I do remember seeing a funny little place hovering (like an toy plane). It was a very fun race and extra fun to be with the Park's on Ashley's birthday.

Madsen Hauler

I am all for a new bike, whatever kind it may be....and thanks to Snickerdoodles' post I think I am going to win it. You could try too. Click on the awesomely huge picture link and post it on your blog. You know, for fun, and for summer, and for grocery shopping, and hauling compost materials, whatever your fancy. And this just in...you really can haul your kiddos, it comes with 2 seatbelts. Okay, so AK gets a new mountain bike, then I get my new road bike, then AK gets a road bike, then I can get this Madsen (and then Penelope will be 7 and riding her own bike, but I can haul the compost with it right?).

Fun Memorial Day Weekend

Despite having no idea we had no school on Friday (until the office called to have my Kindergartner picked up from the office who had been out of school for 1/2 hour! P & I were cruising around on the bike, went to library time, I was hitting the shower in complete relaxation, non-hurrying mode), so we had an extra fun day to fill! We hit the neighbor's garage sale and for about $3.50 took home a SpeedRacer remote control car, an NFL helmet game, an aquarium tank, a "snowboard", and a new "too tall" regulation basketball standard (okay, we paid a little more for that). We hit the Creer pool to swim on Friday morning, the boys spent all afternoon alternating between their new toys, and Grammy & Grandpa Knight came to town that night. We played and visited. Saturday morning I did an early morning 16-miler to the Capitol and then played with the kids while the other adults moved Tia Dori into her new Farm-town digs. We played at the Bunches and their neighbors were having a garage sale, so we hit that with $4 and got plenty of junk for our kids and the Bunches, heck of a deal! We played at Tia Dori's for a minute, saw her cute new home, and scared away a duck by the stream. Empanadas for lunch at the Argentine restaurant in Farm-Town that who-knows-how-it- survives! but we are glad it does. I am sure we napped (or at least P & I napped). Blahbityblah dinner at Mac Grill, church on Sunday, naps, visit to Heber to Aunt Christie at Uncle Brent and D.O.D. (Grandpa Al). The weather was lovely and we had a great time running around finding critters, trying to get the horses to feed, getting shocked by the electric fence (Linny & I), and getting the neighbors to saddle up their horse "Rocket" for a jaunt. Our little P loves, loves, loves horses (Maama!). As you can see, I got to ride with her and was dreaming of a new generation at the ranch, and the boys hopped on like it was no big thing. That was definitely a highlight. Today we plan to visit the graves (at 3 cemeteries in Salt Lake and 2 in the D.C.). Happy Memorial Day!

AP Update

I have an addendum to a previous post...I erroneously listed that I went to Las Vegas "solo" (in my head at the time, meaning no kids, spouse involved), I meant to say I had a fantastic, fun, and non-snoring companion in my darling good friend Ashley Park. We had a blast and I can't wait to do many more trips and triathlons with this "sexy lady" (as her gorgeous 3 year old son called her the other day). Thanks for coming Ashley! I love your guts! And I will never forget running through "hell" with you...and that great calamare (or "donut hole pasta" I thought it was!), and our sweet hotel, and avocado eggrolls, seeing Pete Rose (on your every visit!), shopping, FAO Schwartz, the spa, H & M, yogurtland, and our non-musical forever chatty drives. Vegas baby!

Ready for Summer!

Since the last week, we've been doing our summer, afternoon swim session at the outdoor Steiner pool. P Jane gets the most excited and quickly gets her suit as soon as we say the word "pool" and then she repeatedly sings it (she has been talking a lot more lately, which gives us a sigh of relief not to call on the experts, we are just so lazy, but I got some good tips from the pro Liz, and the songs, music, and lots more reading seem to be doing the trick). I have been able to do some laps and then join in the fun (Andy soon will be doing the same, once he really gets into gear training for Spudman - just 10 more weeks!) catching ball with the kids, dunking P Jane and trying to make her float, and racing Holden. Today was perfect. It was a little too hot for anything else (90 degrees!) and the pool was really warmed up and there were other kids for the kids to play with (or stare at and consider playing with at a later date). We got home to make zucchini, quesadillas, brocolli, and amazing oatmeal white chocolate chip cookies (thank me very much!). I actually took an hour or so this morning and really cleaned up the upstairs...I think that's why I must be so incredibly chipper!

P.S. Music to my ears - Owen is reading Pinkalicious to Penelope - I will miss our afternoon reading sessions when he is in First Grade next year!

P.P.S. - Andy good call on adding the chocolate-chocolate chips, the combination is out of this world (but we still have a 50/50 that is quickly dwinding). AK is off on a mountain bike ride...it is SUMMER! WooooHooooo!

P.P.P.S. - You've got to read NieNie! I just want to hug her and tell her how amazing she is (along with millions of others)! What a testimony! I got teary and it reminded me of Anna Karenina (when Kitty and Levin...around page 500...fate, patience, destiny, forgiveness, etc. still plugging along by the way, cursing the Jackson's for the top 10 challenge a little bit! but figure it's all down hill (or at least not 1,000 pages!) from here.

May Update

The freckle man for Freckle Juice.

P Jane & Hannah

Basil & Parsley

The spinach & squash garden.

The tomato, lettuce, & corn garden.

Le Jardin dans les print temps. There was one yellow and one red tulip that I had to pull (to keep the blue/purple theme going people!)

PJ, Owen, Zach, Holden, Hannah

Healthy Lunch at Costco. Owen ate that whole piece of pizza too. Penelope kept asking for "coke" aka rootbeer.

Owen & Susie. And yes, he ate this sandwich before eating the pizza at Costco!

Owen

P Jane

I took a dream trip solo vacation to the Ritz Carlton Las Vegas for Mother's Day. It was selfish and indulgent and fabulous, thank you very much. Andy was home watching the kids, giving a talk on Sunday (with the EQ Presidency), and hosting the Kopayghora's (Liz' family) at home. The first half of May is a blur of park days, outdoors 50 meter pool swims, bike rides, a darling Kindergarten dance recital, soccer games, baseball games, zoo days, listening to Owen read me Amelia Bedelia books, reading Anna Karenina (halfway through and still going at it slowly), losing valuable ipod songs to ruthlessly endure AK's 80's music through training runs, spin classes, an all-women triathlon (in Vegas), oh, shopping there too, and going to a yogurt shop and dreaming of having Mojo's in Salt Lake soon (we've got the location Ryan!, well a couple of fantastic choices!), drawing blue freckles ala Freckle Juice for Holden's book report, AK going fishing and biking in the afternoons (I've got the morning training shift), hanging out with Liz and the gang, hanging out with Matt and the Yangs, celebrating Mom's birthday (today!) with breakfast with 4 siblings and their families, planting our flower and vegetable garden, watering the garden, mowing the lawn (I did it for the first time in like 10 years and probably 2nd time ever yesterday!), awaiting the Jaggi baby and totally slacking in going to see her, watching Owen draw amazing pictures, reading Holden's great writings, watching Penelope spaz out at me weening her off gum and coke (she had a rootbeer at Costco and calls it coke and is now obsessed!), getting all the night-time t.v. in (I vote for Kris Allen), getting into St. George marathon (I really didn't think I would get in), making a training schedule, signing up for summer triathlons and the Provo 1/2 marathon, getting into Spudman tri with Andy, and sleeping. Above are some random pics.