Wasatch Back 2009

For those of you who don't know, the Wasatch Back Ragnar Relay is the coolest race there is. What happens is 12 runners take turns running (three legs each), starting in Logan and finishing in Park City. You run through the Wasatch mountains, up and down large hills (which is why it's called the Wasatch Back) straight through the night. This is my second time doing this relay--it took us around 27 hours to finish. It is definitely challenging, tiring, and TONS of fun. Especially when you're with 12 girls that you totally adore!
Here is Kristi (my sister-in-law) and I--although she wasn't on my team, she ran with another group and kicked some butt. I finally met up with her for about 20 seconds at the finish line and snapped a quick picture. It is fun hearing about all of her team's adventures--someday we're going to be on the same team and do this relay together!

This is me finishing up my last leg, handing the wristband off to Leah. This is where the rain started to come down and those 6 troopers in Car 2 ran right through it, straight to the finish line. You guys were awesome!

I never knew what real hills are until I ran the Ragnar Relay--there are some pretty big mountains to be climbed between Logan and Park City.....The look on Jeri's face says exactly how I felt after all three of my legs! ("I'm so glad to be done with that!") It's such a good feeling! And in this race, you get to feel that THREE times. What a good idea, Ragnar, whoever you are!

Here are the other four cute girls that were in my vehicle, besides Jeri in the last picture. Suzanne and the three sisters--Kelli, Katie, and Karlee. It was so fun being with all of them! Thanks to the Christiansen's parents (who spoiled us rotten as they followed their daughters along the course) we got to ride in a nice big truck with a shell (so our stuff didn't get soaked during the downpour) and take a shower at their hotel after we had finished our running. Suzanne and I live in the same neigborhood and run together a lot. I just love her to death. She also cuts my hair. Katie and Jeri and I were friends back in high school, so it was a fun reunion for us! I got to know Kelli when I was pregnant with Madison--we were in the same child-birth class, and then we both ended up delivering our babies on the same day so we were in the hospital together. I didn't know Karlee until we ran this race together, but what cute girl she is! We all got along so well (even through the sleepless night) and just had an awesome time.

Here is the team....."Buns, Cheeks, or Bust!" The only sad thing about this relay is that you don't get to be with all 12 of your teammates. Becky, Natalie (Becky's sister-in-law), Shanna, Leah, Amy, and Treva were in car two. I really wish I could have been in both vehicles. We had the most awesome team on Earth! I can't wait to do it all over again!

Emma's 5th Birthday!

Happy Birthday to Emma! She turned five on June 2nd. What a cute and smart five-year-old she is. Here she is with dad and her Oreo Ice Cream Cake during the family party we had. She was very excited about her brand new brightly colored bike. (Not a hand-me-down, this time!) It is pretty big for her, but she was getting on and off and riding around all by herself within two days! She rides like a pro by now!



Emma got to have a Swimming Party with her friends this year to celebrate her birthday. There were eight of the cutest 5-year-olds on earth at our house. They swam, slipped and slided, ran through sprinklers, played in the big sandbox, decorated cupcakes, and had a great time. Thanks to Bryce Larsen, Sarah Olsen, Austin Hansen, Kayla Etherington, Hayden Sadler, Gracie Davis, and Abby Smith for making Emma's birthday such a fun one!

Springtime Fun

Madison had her first experience with soccer this year. Her and Sydney (connected at the hip) were on the same team, which made it so much more fun for Madison. They both played very well! Madison took the less aggressive approach.....when we could get a little fire under her, she really chased that ball! She scored one goal during the season--which was very exciting for her parents, but apparently not so much for her. I asked her after the game, "What are you going to tell Grandma that you did today during your game?" She looked at me with a puzzled look on her face, and I said, "Remember, you scored a GOAL?!" Madison just shrugged her shoulders and said, "Oh, yeah." This next shot is Madison playing Goalie--her favorite position (because she didn't have to run so much). Soccer might be a required sport for her, just to teach her a little bit of work ethic. It shouldn't take much arm twisting if I remind her how much she loved the post-game treats. Thanks for the fun times, Madison!

Emma's Preschool Graduation

Emma showed off her many talents at her preschool Graduation Ceremony last month. She had been singing her songs constantly--all 26 of them (1 for each letter of the alphabet)--so I knew that she had them all down pat. During the program, however, a brand new baby happened to be sitting right in front of her.....that cute little thing stole every ounce of Emma's attention! Every once in awhile Emma would surface and sing along, but most of the time, she was pretty wrapped up with that baby. We were so proud of her anyway. She has learned so much this year! She can write her letters, knows their sounds and is getting ready to start reading soon. She had the cutest group of classmates ever--I think Emma agrees. She is constantly asking to invite one of her friends over to play. What a great Preschool year she has had--thank you Miss Hollie! Good job Emma--Kindergarten is right around the bend!