These two pictures are my current favorites. I love my cuties!

Both taken with my phone of course because the camera is still broken. UGH!

Finally over a month late I am posting about my Ragnar race.

I ran 16.7 miles. It was an accomplishment! There was so much involved in this race that I will highlight just a few things.

My first leg of the race I ran up a freaking mountain! No joke. I remember thinking this isn’t running this is an extreme sport. I had been waiting so long to run (I was runner #5) and I wanted to unleash my legs. However it was impossible for me. There was nothing in Woodbridge, VA that could have trained me for that mountain. I kept up with a buff marine guy and felt pretty good about that. haha

I ran my friend Kami’s second leg with her and then she ran my second leg with me. Both of which were in the middle of the night. I was grateful for her company. We ran in fog that added to the spookiness and the danger and we ran past cemeteries and old bridges. We ran with huge headlamps, reflective vests, glow in the dark bracelets and a flash light.

My third leg was where I served my mission, Kensington, MD.  It was so exciting to be there and it was a tender mercy for me to be able to run there. Ben had been out of town all that week and came home while I was gone. He joined me with the kiddos for the last mile of my run. He scored some major husband points!

I did something I never thought possible. I became a runner!

Unfortunately my camera broke.

Fortunately my phone has a camera. Albeit not a very good one…it is nevertheless a camera.

I blame my lack of posting on the lack of camera. I figured even though the pictures aren’t great quality, I should still post them because lets be honest it doesn’t change the fact that my kids are stinkin’ adorable!

KYLE… is in my favorite stage. (I think I have been saying that since he starting sleeping though the night. lol) He is just so handsome and sweet and fun. He understands everything and I just want to kiss him all. the. time. Good thing he lets me. 🙂

HALLIE… is still her spunkie self. She has been pooping in the potty everyday now for at least a month. I love not having to change her nasty diapers. haha She rarely lets me do her hair because she “likes it in her face”. Our backyard has really given her the adventure and freedom she craves. She catches all kinds of bugs, worms, centipedes etc. She even came to us holding a frog the other day. When we first moved into this house she would always say, “mommy you hold it”. She is now brave! YAY!

BEN… is loving his new job. Hallelujah! He goes to work enjoying what he does and is told how wonderful he is while is there. I’m telling you I married a true STUD! The sky is the limit with him. Does he work a lot of hours-yes. Does he have to go out of town sometimes-yes. Do I feel like a single mom sometimes-yes. However, I will do it all because he is happy and I am so grateful he is happy.

ME… lets just say I run a lot. My race is next week and I am so excited. I have never been in better shape and I am loving it! I pray everyday to be a better and more patient mom. Sometimes I am and sometimes I fail. I guess that is the nature of it. At least I hope I’m not the only one. 🙂 I will start tutoring again this week and I am looking forward to that as well. Life is good!

Here are some pictures from my phone.

On my birthday we went out to the Hartland Orchard again to get more peaches and also raspberries this time. This has got to be one of my favorite things to do. It is beautiful scenery, the kids enjoy it, and we get fresh produce! Here are some pictures from our recent trip.

Hallie turned 3 on August 13th. It was a wonderful day and I hope she remembers it. We had 11 of her friends come over for a party. We played outside, ate pizza and cake and ice cream, colored an activity, and opened presents. It was pure craziness and awesomeness.  I love seeing the look of happiness on her face. It makes me smile!

I love my little Hallie more than she will ever know. She is bossy and demanding but she is also sweet, and oh so caring. She sincerely worries when someone is hurt or sick. She likes to cheer people up and she loves to laugh. She can write several letters now, including H (her fave because her name begins with it), A, O, T, X, B, C, L, I, Q. She loves playing pretend and demands I play it constantly with her. We live in a Cinderella and little people world. She says she likes the wind in her face and doesn’t ever want me to do her hair because of it. She dresses herself, opens her own car door and buckles herself in (all except the bottom buckle). She also pours her own cereal and milk in the morning. One of my friends commented that Hallie could live in an apartment all by herself and survive. While she can take care of herself (or so she thinks) she would not handle the alone factor. This girl needs people.  She may have only turned 3 but she acts like she is 15.

*Hallie asked me to teach her to drive one day and I told her not until she is 16. She responded “Well my dad is teaching me how to drive and I’m only 2!”

*Hallie picked a mosquito bite on her leg so we covered it with a band aid. The next day she told the babysitter she fell down the stairs.

*We have had to teach her about lying a lot lately. She will blame something on Kyle until she is blue in the face.

*Ben asked Hallie to do him a favor and she responded, “oh I don’t have enough energy” haha I guess she hears that one from me.

*She hurt herself on the kitchen table and in agony said “son of a beaver!”  haha I think that may be the funniest thing she has ever said.

What a wonderful little girl!

For the past 14 weeks I have been training for a Ragnar Race. A Ragnar is a race where you team up with friends and split up the miles. We have 12 women and we will run 200 total miles in 24 hours. Crazy I know! We begin in Cumberland Maryland and end in DC at the monuments. When I first started training I went from no exercise really at all (I hadn’t started after having Kyle-terrible I know) to running 4 times a week. It has taken over my life it seems. Most days I hate the time commitment but then after I run the feeling is such a high that it keeps me loving it. I am so proud and grateful for my body. So often I criticize and critique my body when really that is the last thing I should do. It is good and strong and can do amazing things. The summer after I had Hallie I did a couple 5k’s which were a big deal for me. Now I eat 5k’s for breakfast haha. I can comfortably run 6 miles at this point in training and I’m getting fast. I love it! I never thought I’d be able to do this and I feel proud after each run. That is a feeling I miss since leaving the world and becoming a stay at home mom. Feeling like I rock! lol I am so glad my friend Molly thought of doing this race and asked me to join her. I have learned a lot about myself and it has given me something to achieve. It is now safe to say that I am a runner. 🙂

p.s. I will be running about 16 miles divided up into 3 different legs.

Last Saturday while Ben had a Scout day camp the kids and I took our friends out to Hartland Orchard to pick peaches. We had so much fun. The kids loved picking the peaches and then eating them. So far we have made peach jam and a peach pie. I bought a pressure cooker so we plan on going back next week to get some more. Best peaches ever! Yum!!

I love little adventures like this!

We just can’t get enough. We would go everyday if given the opportunity. To say we love it is an understatement. 🙂

Eating corn on the cob.

Chaperoning at Youth Conference. I got mistaken for a youth several times by other leaders and some young men. haha (We went to Mount Vernon and had a Stake dance. It was wonderful!)

Shopping…

Shopping…

And more shopping.

Reading books at the library.

Coloring pictures.(And yes that is ALL Hallie. She did it during quiet time.)

Going to parks and riding on merri-go-rounds…

And trains.

This summer is going by way too fast!