Ragnar and Recitals

Both of the stressful things in June are now finished -- Ragnar and recital time -- finished!  Wahoo!

Ragnar was super fun.  Here is how it went in picture form (and a few words -- after all, this is me we're talking about).

First of all, the Hansen's are amazing runners.  They totally rocked our van and made it possible for us to be ahead of our estimated time.  Way to go Jon and Amber!!

 

 

Now, for the Hansen who did not rock her runs.  It is quite obvious I married into this athletically skilled family.

First run -- does this picture not say it all?  It was awful.  When I got to 2 miles I felt like I had been running for a million miles.  By the time I hit my 4th (and last) mile I couldn't even run anymore.  I walked the entire last mile at a ridiculously slow pace.  Then, once I crossed the exchange point, I was so sick I couldn't even talk to anyone.  Lame.

 

2nd run -- I was feeling so much better, plus I got to run with cool night time gear, which was pretty fun.  I made the run in good time and felt great the whole time!

3rd run -- this was my longest and easiest run.  The first half was all down hill (and freezing cold) which was a dream come true (the downhill part, not the freezing part).  It makes it so much easier to keep running when your legs are being propelled for you.  

I finished in good time (at least for me) and felt fantastic knowing I wasn't going to have to run again.

 

So, that was Ragnar.  It was really fun spending the time with Jon and Amber between runs, and it was fun getting to know the other runners.  Overall, I say Ragnar is a great experience and I loved being a part of it.

Ragnar was done, and only the recital was left looming.  Anita, Bree, and Rob came to watch -- it was so nice of them.

  The girls were so super psyched that they could make it.  The kids did a great job and their ensemble pieces were so fun.  

 

 

The girls got up there so confidently and played their memorized pieces (2 each).  Then it was my turn and, true to form, my hands were shaking so badly I could hardly play it.  I didn't forget my piece like last year because I brought my book and had it there just in case, but it really did not go well at all.  Oh well, it's over now and I don't have to worry about it again for another year.

After the recital we decided to take the kids to see "The Croods".  This was our 2nd attempt at getting into the dollar theater.  We tried the night before, but it was sold out by the time we got there.  So, we got there super early this time, got awesome seats, and then the power went out half-way through and we had to go home.  If it's still playing at the dollar theater we'll try it again in a few weeks.

We had a super fun weekend with Jon.  He surprised us by coming home early on Friday -- he actually snuck up on us while we were shopping for Father's Day.  What a sneak!  We were so excited to see him.  Since he was home a day earlier than planned, he wanted to do something different than usual.

 

That turned out to be a trip to Antelope Island.  I haven't been there since high school, but I do remember that you stay away from the beaches because of all the nasty bugs.  Unfortunately, the kids still wanted to run down to the water's edge.  At first everyone was totally freaked out by the "ground" that actually turned out to be a sheet of bugs, but then the girls got over it -- Kale never did.

  And quite frankly, neither did I.  Once the bugs were disturbed, they were flying all over the place.  Gross!

We went to the visitors center and watched a movie about antelope island being a bird preserve.  During the movie, Hallie turns to me and says, "Aren't we going to see any animals that aren't birds or bugs?"  It made me laugh.

Aside from the bugs, the kids had a great time hiking around and spying out the buffalo.

Jon was being his usual funny self and told the kids that he had spotted some humans up at the top of the trail.  He kept talking about what kind of things they ate, what they would look like, etc. as though they were wild animals.  Well, we decided to turn around before getting to the top, and Sky was pretty put out because we hadn't gotten to see any humans!  Super funny.

 

Sky had her music class program on Saturday, and she loved it so much!  I love watching her in class because she is definitely one of the most animated and she always sings all the solfege right when she's supposed to.  What a smart little girl she is!

Father's Day was a fun day of hanging out with Jon and the Hansen's.  They're so great to always let us come and hang out for as long as we can.

Well, the time has come for Ragnar.  We're bringing the kids to Becky's house tonight and then sleeping at the Hansen's so we'll be closer for the guy who's driving.  Thanks Becky for watching the kids one extra night.  Wish us luck.  We start running tomorrow morning!

More Summer Time Fun

This week has been jam-packed with fun-filled activities.  To start off, here are a few pictures from the splash pad on Tuesday.

Yesterday we spent the day with the Snarr's (yet again).  Ryan left yesterday for the Tabernacle Choir's tour, so Becky and I decided to hang out for the next couple of days.  We started off the day by taking the kids to the theater to watch Despicable Me.  The theater by Becky's house has a special dollar movie once a week during the summer.  The kids all sat next to each other, and Becky and I sat at the end of the row.  Not only did we go to the movies, but everyone had their little stash of treats, thereby making the whole experience that much better.

After the movie we spent the rest of the day at the Snarr's.  The kids played outside and practiced for a show that they made up -- they even designed special posters for it.  After some time at the park we came back to our house for a sleepover.  We made strawberry smoothies and then sent the kids downstairs for movies and bed.  They had so much fun!  We had the Snarr's borrow pajamas from my kids, which they thought was so cool!  I always love when Ryan goes out of town in the summer because then me and Becky get to hang out as much as humanly possible.  These last few days have been pretty fantastic!  Wahoo for summer!

 

School's Out For Summer!!

It's our first week of summer vacation, and so far, it's been one of our best.  Yesterday I took the kids to the library and we maxed out every one of our library cards (like they're credit cards).  Luckily, we only have 3 cards between the 5 of us, so I think we have a manageable amount of books.  I love that my kids love reading as much as I do.  Whether it's from true love or just because they know it's what I love, it matters not to me, so long as they're reading.

After the library we met up with Becky at the pool and the kids swam for a while.  It was actually kind of freezing because it was windy.  So, it was really ninety degrees, but once you got wet, that wind made it feel much colder.

This picture isn't from yesterday, but it is from our neighborhood pool.

We went to the store after swimming and everyone got to choose what they wanted for dinner that night.  We ended up with lunchables, muffins, cinnamon rolls, strawberries, and string cheese.  Was this our healthiest meal ever?  Definitely not, but the kids were ecstatic about being able to choose whatever they wanted.  We ate our unhealthy meal, and then the kids were allowed to watch movies until they fell asleep (or until 11 -- whichever came first).  Even Sky was included in the festivities, which she absolutely loved.

Today was spent in the company of the Snarr's.  They came and hung out here in the morning, and then we spent the afternoon at a splash pad.  For those who don't know, this is basically a park except, instead of a playground there is a big area where water shoots out of the ground and out of pipes and stuff.  Sort of like sprinklers in your backyard times 50.  It is such a fun idea -- and it's free!  Whoever thought of it was so smart.  Sorry no pictures -- I'll do better next time.

Here are a few pictures of what went on before school was out.

First, Hallie had her Kindergarten program/graduation.  Hallie had Mrs. Graham, just like Rachel, and she loved her just as much.  The Snarr's came to watch and Hallie was so delighted.  She couldn't believe that they came just for her.

That same night Jon and Rachel went to a Sock Hop for activity days.  Rachel was so excited.  All the girls had sewn little poodle skirts, and Rachel could not wait to put hers on.  She even wore it for a while on Sunday night, just to try it out.

And one last thing.  Tonight I was urging the kids to go and get ready for bed.  Sky was moving ridiculously slow, in fact she was hanging upside down off one of the couches.  Here is the conversation that followed.

Me: Sky, what are you supposed to be doing right now?

Sky:  I'm fine Mom!

Me:  Sky, get moving.

Sky:  I am moving!

Me:  You definitely are not moving.

Sky:  Can't you see me Mom?  My legs are moving.

And sure enough, she was kicking her little legs around in the air.  What a sassy little miss.  I certainly love Sky and her spunk.