Memory Post

I am so excited about this. (So don't let me down- no pressure!)

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.


This will be fun!

IV Real...

...my name is Kelly, and I have an almost 4 year old daughter who still isn't potty trained. Now that that's out of the way. I am a blogger who only blogs occasionally, mostly so my mom and mother in law can see pics of their grandkids and so I have some sort of journal! I have found when I only blog every few weeks, the only things that make it on the blog are the "cool" stuff. I decided I need to make sure I am also writing about my struggles. So, there you go.

Other than a few meltdowns (mostly by me, not the kids!), the last few weeks have been very enjoyable. This is the first summer where I have really stayed home most days. I have been very focused on getting my house in some sort of order and having the trampoline has helped entertain the little ones.

We only have one vacation planned this summer and we just got back! It was me and the 3 kiddos headed on a plane to CA. I was very anxious to see my family, and especially for my mom to see Bryce, since she hadn't seen him since he was 7 months old! He is at a very cute stage- the "toddling" stage. He walks about 10 steps and then resorts to crawling. Here is a recap of our week in the sun!

Pool- My aunt Marlynn's and her cute family. She has my dream backyard, and she is one of my favorite moms and a great example to me of the kind of mom I want to be.

Beach- First, I was able to see my awesome sis promoted to sergent! I am so proud of her! This was a very cool moment to be a part of. Then, we headed to the beach which is a mile from her house. The beach is my favorite place. It was also my dad's favorite place and reminds me of him, which I love. The kids played in the water, and Bryce really perfected his walking on the sand! My cool little brother taught the kids how to look for sand crabs. What a fun day.

Park- We love playing at the park next to my mom's work. We met up with a friend of mine and her kids, and Emily even met a new friend!

Fountains- Unfortunately we don't have pics from this day. I was able to meet up with 2 of my very best friends and their kids. The kids played in the fountains for hours while we chatted. It was wonderful catching up and being with friends who have known you forever. (And love you anyway!)

Lake- My mom was kind enough to take me and the kids to a lake near our home in the mountains. Dallin was able to go on his first real waterslide and Emily just played and played in the water. Bryce even took a little nap so I could go for a swim with a friend who is also training for a triathlon. Dallin had a blast hanging out with her boys. My brother's cute girlfriend ran into us and helped keep Emily happy. It was a very enjoyable day.

Beach- We went back to my sister's to hang out with the cousins. In the morning, I was able to go for a perfect 5 mile run along the beach. When I came back, the kids (and adults!) were still asleep, so I was able to take a shower. What an ideal way to start the day!

Legoland-I decided to brave taking 3 kids to Legoland! My friend Cherl was nice enough to join up with us for a few hours with her adorable children. After that we were on our own! The kids had a fabulous time. Dallin was just barely tall enough to not only ride by himself but also to take Emily with him as the "responsible" rider! My only complaint was that Bryce was not able to go on many rides, but he was a trooper and found ways to entertain himself! The splash park was a lot of fun and the Lego miniatures were incredible. Dallin was truly a daredevil on the roller coasters and Emily was thrilled to find princesses even at Legoland. This was a highlight of my motherhood memories, as there is nothing more precious to me than my children giggling out of sheer joy.

Visiting- I enjoyed the time I was able to spend with my mom, sister and brother and friends just talking and enjoying their company. I especially enjoyed the impromptu visit to my Grandma. I am embarrassed to say I hadn't really stopped to think about how much she must be hurting to have lost her son. It was wonderful talking with her about my dad and sharing some of those memories. It reminded me that I would really like to be closer to her in heart. I am going to really work on reaching out to her. (I love this pic of Emily- truly her!)


I had a wonderful time with my mom. I sure wish I could see her more often. I love you, Mom. Thanks for being such a great grandma. The trip went way too fast. Except for the plane ride home. I apologize to anyone who was on the plane with me. Yep, I had "that baby." You know, the one who screams nonstop.

We definitely missed Jeff while we were gone! He was able to take Dallin to a Red Sox game and they had a fabulous time. Jeff is so supportive of my visiting my family. If you need a reminder of just how supportive he is, check out my amazing birthday weekend. Love ya babe!
PS If you don't get the title of this blog, then you are not a true "So you think you can dance" fanatic like I am... (Crazy about Will getting voted off, isn't it?!)

School's Out for Summer!

We are (at least I am!) enjoying having no where that we "have" to be. This will be a long update, but hopefully you will enjoy the pictures!

First off, our trip to the beach was fantastic!

Good friends, beautiful weather, and a great marathon. What more can you ask for? I ran the race with SuziePetunia and our other good friend Smith, and my really good friends Melissa and Aaron came down to cheer me on.

I still have not qualified for Boston, but I am within 8 minutes!! My plans right now are to relax, train for a triathlon, and then maybe next year try for Boston again. A more detailed race report is on Marathon Mommies.

We built sand castles on the beach, watched baby seals, walked on the rocks and just enjoyed nature and being outside.





























































First on the list after finishing school- a family race! We ran in the Nike 5k for Kids, which gives the money back to the PE program of your school. I had planned to run the 5k, with Dallin, Jeff and Emily running the 1 mile kids race. Well, at the last minute Jeff was given the chance totake part in the "Blackberry Challenge" a kind of 1 day amazing race. So, we had a friend of ours come help with the kids while I ran in my 5k. Then I ran in the 1 mile with the kids, pushing Bryce! We had such a good time. It was so much fun to run with the kids. My race went really well also. Amazingly enough, my time was fast enough to get 3rd place in my age division. The best part was the look on Dallin's face when they called my name. I went up to get my plaque and Dallin yelled, "Yea Mommy!" When I asked Dallin his favorite part of the day, he said it was when I got my award. So sweet! And so you know, Jeff had a fun time in his race also.















Dallin graduated from Kindergarten! He had a great year, and I am so glad that he enjoys learning so much. His teacher was phenomenal, I just hope she is still there in 3 years when Emily is in Kindergarten. The bad news is my camera ran out of batteries, so the only picture I have is from the end of year party.






















Our first big adventure of the summer was a camping trip. It was raining and cold the weekend before, so we were a little nervous. It turned out to be beautiful weather. It was a little cold at night, and the water in the lake was freezing, but we had a great time!! What beats s'mores, waterskiing, bike riding, and just hanging out- no TV, internet, etc. I love watching the kids just be kids. Also a nice surprise was how happy Bryce was. It was a very enjoyable Father's Day Weekend with great friends! We also celebrated Suziepetunia's birthday! She was such a good sport. Camping has not been on the top of her list, but she was willing to give it a try. I think (hope) she had a great time. It was fun to spend her birthday with her and her cute family.


















































Finally, we are caught up to this weekend! Friday was spent at the park and then strawberry picking. Dallin was a man on a mission, picking only the biggest, reddest strawberries. Emily had a great time filling her bucket, and Bryce just enjoyed the fruits of their labor! I spent Saturday morning making jam, and we were given a freezer, so I finally have somewhere to store berries!Oregon is the best place for picking berries!

































Friday night, we ventured out to the drive-in. I was a little nervous, but I thought it was worth a try. We met up with 3 families, who actually live on our street, and we set out chairs and just hung out until 10pm when the movie started! (That's what we get for going on the longest day of the year!) We saw Kung Fu Panda, which everyone loved, and then the kids (and me!) fell asleep during Indiana Jones! We got home at 2am, but we had a great time. Bryce even slept through both movies!

































Yesterday, after making jam, we just cleaned up around the house, and then Suziepetunia and her family came over. It was an impromptu get together, that started with a little idea that we take turns going on a run. So, Taylor and Sarah went first and then Jeff and I went for a beautiful run through the country back roads. It was hillier than both of us are used to, and it was hot (which I am not used to!) but it was a great way to spend time together. When we got back Jeff grilled awesome burgers, and Taylor made this scrumptious strawberry shortcake! We also played a little guitar hero!





























Well, wow, I am tired and I am sure you are tired from reading this. I am ready to go back to relaxing. We are looking forward to a quiet, fun summer.