Thank You Mia Love

Mia Love and her people were part of the parade for Santaquin Orchard Days.  Her marketing was brilliant, she handed out a flyer with information about her as a candidate on one side and a few of her favorite summer recipes on the other.  Normally I would have tossed the paper, but the recipes looked great so I hung onto it.  Tonight I finally got around to trying the recipes.  I'm not sure about her politics, but her cooking is fantastic.  I made the Grilled Garlic Shrimp and the Sweet and Tangy Coleslaw, added some roasted potatoes and we had a meal.  Tim couldn't stop raving about how amazing the meal was - he said one of the best he has ever had.  He started eating too quickly to take any pics.  If you are interested, here you go:

Grilled Garlic Shrimp
2-3 lbs jumbo shrimp, deveined and shell on
3 tbs. olive oil
2 limes
2 tbs minced garlic
1 tbs sugar
chopped cilantro
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.  I let mine sit for about an hour.  Grill on medium heat until pink.  Peel and eat.

Sweet and Tangy Coleslaw
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 tbs vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
1/4 tsp celery seed
1/4 tsp pepper
1 large green cabbage cored and shredded
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp table salt
1 large carrot, peeled and grated
2 tbs chopped fresh parsley leaves
Combine vinegar, oil, celery seed and pepper, place in freezer until it is well chilled.  Toss cabbage with sugar and salt.  Cover and cook in the microwave for one minute, stir then cook for another minute until the cabbage is beginning to wilt.  Spin the cabbage until the excess water is removed.  Toss with the oil and vinegar.  Refrigerate until chilled.

Enjoy

Bear Lake Weekend

We have had a busy weekend but so much fun with family and friends.  It started with a long run,  Luke hung with us for 13 miles and then I finished 3 on the treadmill.  Then we quickly got ready, loaded up the car and headed North.  We stopped in Logan for a little bit and hung out with the kids then went on to Bear Lake to cheer on several of my co-workers who were competing in a triathlon.  I was a little nervous to take Luke, he hasn't had many sleepovers and there were going to be a lot of people.  I was worried that he would cry and disturb people.  No reason to worry with this kid.  He fell asleep with everyone playing air hockey and Foosball, and slept through the night like he does at home.  Whew.

I got up early enough to wish everyone good luck, then headed out on a ride of my own.  I had tired legs, but this is one of my favorite places to ride so I couldn't let that stop me.   A few shots from the morning ride.

 

I ran home for a quick change then headed down to the lake to watch my friends rock the Bear Lake Brawl.

Amy, Steve and Shae

Go Ashley!

So proud of my Tracie

Shae was the superstar of the group,
First in her age group, third woman overall.

And we were just happy to be there.

After the triathlon, we headed back to Logan for more kid time.  We went and saw E at her cheer open house, then I dropped off the boys at the fun park and went to visit my friend Elizabeth Larsen Hansen.  Liz and I were roommates several years ago and she was definitely one of my favorites.  We got married close to the same time and then she just had baby Caleb.  He is such a sweet baby, it was so fun to see Liz as a new mama.  It was wild though, I can't believe that Luke was ever that small - he seemed so big next to a newborn.

We finally made it home late tonight and now I am up being an insomniac.  Hopefully my mind will catch up with my body soon and decide it is time to sleep.

Growing Boy

Yesterday Luke had his four month check up with the doctor.  First the good news, he is doing great and growing like a weed.  He dropped a little on the weight chart and is in the 61st percentile for boys.  His head is still in the 99th percentile - all those smarts need a lot of room.  The most exciting part is his length.  I keep saying that it feels like he is taller every day and it turns out, he is.  He went from the 58th percentile to the 90th.  Thank goodness for Tim's genes to bring a little height into the family.  He officially weighs 16.1 pounds, what a big boy.  At this point he was still all smiles, but it went downhill quickly.

The doctor had to clean out his ears and show us some stretching exercises for his neck muscles.  For a kid who never cries he has a serious set of lungs.  He isn't a binkie baby, but the fist sure helps to sooth him.

By this point he was calming down and starting to like us again...

And then came the shots.

Seeing him so upset hurt my heart in a way that 

I didn't know was possible.

Poor baby has been so sad today

Hobble Creek Half

Saturday we (me, Tim, dad) ran the Hobble Creek Half Marathon.  When we registered I was pregnant and thought that a half marathon four months post baby would be no big deal.  Sometimes reality is a bummer.  I am slowly working on getting my running mojo back, but it is amazing to me how hard it is some days.  For a brief second I considered not running, then I snapped out of that quickly.  I would rather be slow, walk, whatever, than to not race.  As I ran I thought about the years I have had running and what a difference it has made in my life.  When I started running, I didn't know anyone else who ran - I just figured it out as I went.  This was my first half marathon and after making it through, decided to do a full marathon the next year.  That was 12 years ago and now many, many races later, I love where it has taken me.
So, the race this year...it was hard and it hurt.  The first half is almost all downhill and pretty fast.  I knew when I started that I didn't feel good and was amazed that I could be working that hard and still going so slow on a downhill.  I took a few walk breaks and kept skipping to my best power songs and steadily kept moving.  By the second half I actually started to feel a little better, we hit the flat parts and I didn't slow down too much.  A little before mile 10 my brother Jarin appeared to run with me.  I knew he was going to be at the race somewhere but didn't want to expect him and be disappointed.  It was so great to have him to run with me - he was a great pacer and motivated me to keep moving.  Before I knew it, we were at the end.  My goal had been to be under an 11:00  minute average.  Normally I would be upset with that kind of time, but based on how I have been running lately, I felt like it was a good goal.  My garmin was a little off because I stopped to stretch a few times, but my official time was 2:19, a 10:39 average.  For this year, I will consider that a victory!

Both Tim and my dad ran well
And were happy with their times.

Gavin just realized he was late for the pic

We celebrated with Carrabas for dinner.
Lasagna for Tim

Shrimp and zucchini for me.

Four Months

I wake up every morning grateful for the blessing of Luke in our lives.  He makes me laugh every day and I love the chance to watch him grow and develop.  Tim is lucky to spend most of the day with him and I love seeing what a good time the two of them have together.  Since he is so much bigger, and definitely sturdier, it makes it easier to take him places and let him experience life with us.  So, here are the official "four month pics" and a few of my other favorites for the past month:

And here are the highlights:
*Not sure of his weight, but at least 16 pounds and growing daily
*Moved into size 3 diapers
*Still struggling with a little cradle cap and a lot of eczema, we have to be very diligent with his baths and medication
*Becoming more of a ham everyday.  He will start laughing and babbling and then looks around to make sure someone is watching.
*Went on his first boating trip, hated the life jacket
*Likes to sleep more than eat, when he gets hungry enough to wake up, he keeps his eyes closed and tries to eat fast so he can go back to sleep - reminds me of myself
*Was blessed by Tim
*Tried cereal but wasn't interested
*First time being baby sat by someone other than family, thank you Kammy
*Starting to be interested in some toys his ball shaped rattle and his taggie
*No interest in a binky - not necessary when you have a hand (see above)
*Continues to amaze us every day

These Is My Words

Several months ago my friend Kimi talked about this on my blog.  I went and checked out a couple of reviews and immediately asked my good friend Mrs. Amazon to send the book my way.

This novel in diary format parallels the early history of the Arizona Territories as Sarah and her family travel from the New Mexico Territory and settle down to carve out a new life on a ranch near Tucson in the 1880s. Sarah's diary, based on the author's family memoirs, is a heartwarming and heartbreaking fictional account of a vibrant and gifted young woman. Sarah starts out as an illiterate, fiery 17 year old. Eventually, her writing becomes as smooth and polished as Sarah herself as she becomes a tenacious, literate, and loving wife and mother. A treasure trove of discovered books becomes the source of her self-education. Turner describes the trip in such detail that one has a sense of having traveled with Sarah, experiencing all of its heartache and sadness, its backbreaking exertion and struggles, its danger and adventure, its gentle and lighter moments. Life in the new country brings the constant fear of Indian raids and the threat and reality of floods, fire, and rattlesnakes; bandits; rough men, and pretentious women all have an effect on the protagonist but her strong marriage makes the effort worthwhile. Sarah centers her world around her home and family but maintains an independent spirit that keeps her whole and alive throughout her many trials and heartaches. This is a beautifully written book that quickly captures readers' attention and holds it tightly and emotionally until the end.
Dottie Kraft 

I usually really like historical fiction.  While reading this book I kept having to remind myself that it was, indeed fiction, as it often felt like you really were reading a journal.  Sarah is a really endearing character, someone I would love to meet and spend time with.  She is spunky and strong and works hard to be a good person and successful in life.  I liked finding out that her character was based on the author's great grandmother and the stories of her life.  Most of the book takes place just outside of Tucson, Arizona.  I think Tucson still feels pretty desolate and remote, so I can only imagine what it would have been like in the early 1800's. Towards the end of the book, Sarah's journal entries were pretty sporadic and a few times, several years passed before the next entry.  This left me feeling a little unsatisfied but I guess it was pretty true to life, the busier you get, the less time you take to do things such as keeping up with a journal.  I did just find out that there is a sequel which makes me kind of excited - I wasn't ready to be finished with Sarah's story and the tales of the frontier.

A-

Never Looked Better

It's this guy's birthday today.  I'll try not to get too cheesy but I'm so grateful for the day he was born.  He's an amazing husband and father, and is truly my best friend.  Happy Birthday baby!  Here are a few of my favorite recent photos.

I

Ride'em Cowboy

As part of our last hurrah for the week, we showed our Santaquin spirit and went to the Orchard Days Rodeo.  I somehow neglected to get any pics of the cowboys, livestock, or anything related to the rodeo, but I got the people - the best part.

Ada got to be introduced as part of the Little Miss royalty
We loved meeting and hanging with Josh's friend Victoria.

Tad's boots make him look like a farming cowboy.

A few parent shots

 Clearly Calvin enjoyed the candy - we assume it was candy...

Tad caught a t-shirt thrown by the clown
Pink = Perfect

Luke's first chance to wear a hoodie
He loved hanging with Sean.

This was the only picture with Jami in it,
Wouldn't want her to feel left out.

Josh and I look like we are going to prom together,
Not our best, but I wanted a pic with Gavin and
Josh's sweet Joe Dirt shirt. 

Biking Buddy

Friday morning I was exhausted after spending the day on the water.  When my alarm went off early, I wanted to turn it off and go back to bed.  But, I didn't want to miss my one chance to ride with Sean.  I have been told we wakeboard the same and I think riding on a bike we are very similar.  It was such a great ride, 30 miles out around the back side of Utah Lake.  As he always does, Sean pushed me to bike a little faster than I normally do.  By the time we finished I think we were both feeling tired, but very accomplished.