Some of September

Fall sports started. Mackayla is playing soccer and Cody is playing flag football,

and Macey is doing gymnastics.

Mackayla is loving soccer. When they were choosing numbers she had her choice between 2 and 3. I told her I was number two when I played soccer, so that would be a really good choice - and so she chose number 3! haha.  

She scored a goal at her last game!!! Go Kayla!!

Macey has just been a couple times so far and has improved even in those few times. She Loves it, so it's a win!

Cody is loving football. He really is great at pulling flags. He made a touchdown at his first game! And last game he had some great catches, got a first down and had some great runs. His team is pretty good! 

It's really hard to tell who is who from the sidelines. I watched Cody make the touchdown and didn't even know it was him at first! 

Ben is helping coach, and Cody is loving that too.

There was a fire in Ladera. This is from our street. Luckily, fire travels downhill slower than uphill and the firefighters were quick to get it under control not long after this, but there are some homes at the bottom of that hill that were really nervous.  

This is the picture that was traveling around social media. I think it's been doctored up a good bit...

Beach Sunday afternoon. It was so hot in Ladera, but kind of cool with the marine layer there.

My TENTH Marathon!
 I couldn't leave my goal at 9 marathons. Luckily, there was a race in Huntington Beach this last weekend.

It was such a small race that I got second place for women, yay!!

It wasn't because I was so speedy though, it was almost my slowest race I have run. Oh well, I'm done! And I'm really not that sore this time around at all.

This was the view the entire race. Maybe my most favorite course ever. (Mountains are pretty, but they're so STEEP!)

Mackayla is loving swim lessons. She is getting better at freestyle and is learning the other 3 strokes. Her teacher swam at BYU and was a second grade teacher and is seriously the perfect person to teach swimming lessons. She just knows how and is so sweet! I jumped in and got lessons one day too:)!!

We missed a few days of school going to Utah. On the day the kids went back I got an email later saying this teacher was excited to be the kids' new teacher! Macey got a different teacher, surprise!

It is such a good fit for her and she loves her new fill in teacher. That teacher had one day to prepare a year's worth of stuff, and back to school night was the next night!

All the kids wrote about some water sport they did over the summer, so cute:)

 I was cracking up at Cody's cute info about himself. He said he's lived in four places, but it's actually five states, and he was really born in two thousand seven. He's so cute. He's also in the "Math Superstars" program in his class and gets extra math homework and challenges. I'm also doing well at brainwashing my kids to go to BYU it looks like.

The Swiss Day, New Van, Marathon Trip

Heading to Utah from Wednesday to Monday was multi-tasking at its best. 

I'm weird about multitasking. It's why I love audible.

Anyway. We got to see our families, returned my parents' car to them, got a new car, I ran a race, and got to go to Swiss Days.

The kids were babysat A LOT those few days. I am so appreciative of the willingness of my mom, dad, and my father in law and mother in law to stop what they're doing and take care of my kids, who were having way more fun with them than they would have with me:)

The kids and I drove in Wednesday. Thursday I went with my dad to look for a minivan. We had driven my parents' Sequoia to California when our AC went out heading to Kaysville from Lake Powell. It was a 100 degree drive home and fully miserable. We were heading to CA the next day and my parents graciously lent us their new car so we didn't have to drive home in the heat. We were stuck on the strip in Vegas for two hours, because of a freeway closure and reroute, in 115 degrees, and were praising their names for those two hours of diverted misery. They also sold our van in Utah (the land of minivans). It sold the same day it was listed! Really, so thankful for everything they did for us, which was heavily involved in every step of the process. 

The first stop we made was to a small dealership. On our way there a man pulled up behind us at the light and started honking at us. I couldn't see why. Then the light turned green and we both pulled into the car dealership. He worked there! We didn't find quite the right fit of car anyway, but it sure didn't start out right!

Ben had done a ton of research online before I went out looking and we finally found one that he had researched. Hopefully it works for our family. We're pretty excited!

So dumb, but this little tray is my new favorite thing - things don't slip off in the middle. haha!

The next day was Swiss Days. My mom and I headed up following the Crosland women. They are pretty much veterans of swiss days, so it was perfect following them up and navigating things with them. Bonnie got this sign for me for my birthday. I love it.

Jessi and The Wrapping Paper

My mom got Ben a belt for his birthday. It was the medicine man eye Navajo design. I thought it was perfect for him:) They custom made the belt right there.

While no one has heard of Swiss Days down here around me, every woman in Utah knows about it. And was there. And just a few brave men.

Living in California has made me love the mountains more than ever. I don't know why here as opposed to say Oklahoma, it just has. So I loved seeing Timpanogos and running by Mount Nebo.

The next day was my race. I decided I did about as good as I had trained. I got 3:53. But more than time, I finished, it didn't take over my life (or my families!), and it feels like a great accomplishment!

I had made a goal to run 10 marathons by 35.

I would say that was one of the reasons I decided to run this, but it is actually THE reason.

This was supposed to be my 10th race and then I would retire:)

Yesterday when I was listing them all in order I discovered I've only run 9. What the?!?!

Ben flew in Friday around 9. He has been so supportive of all this chaos. He even got up at 2 am with me the next day to take me to my race. That is love.

He went fishing while I began those hellish 26 miles and then came back to cheer me at the end.

It was so fun to see the sun rise over the mountains.

I have never run such a steep course and I certainly wasn't prepared for the constant steep pounding on my legs. I've never been that sore after a race either. (Ben thought I was being dramatic:) But he's not known for his sympathy! Luckily, I don't need a ton of sympathy, haha.) Probably though I'm just getting old!

I have an old hip flexor injury I was worried about and I taped it like this for the race with this KT tape. It was a non-issue. This stuff is amazing. 

Fun to finish my 10th 9th marathon by 35!

As always the kids loved having room to run and roam. Macey, and all the kids, went out and picked vegetables from the garden every single day. Mackayla got stung by a bee:( See that fat little middle finger? 

They also saw Pete's Dragon, went to parks, restaurants, went to the farm, went on a ride to the top of the mountain and saw a moose, had a sleepover with Micah, played games, ate candy, played with cousins, played with blocks, jumped on the tramp. I'm surprised they agreed to come home with us:)!

We got up the next morning at 4:30 to beat the Vegas traffic. We didn't, but were backed up for about 2 1/2 hours instead of 4 or 5! Lots of early mornings, lots of exciting things! Fun trip!

Love this Girl Five-Ever

The day of Mackayla's birthday party! Finally! 

(We only counted down for a month or two, or three.)

 FIVE
Quote of the day, borrowed from My Little Pony:
"I will love you five-ever, that's even longer than fourever."

She had a jump house (on what seemed like the hottest day of the year!) 

Decorating the cake is kind of a big deal to the girls, they were talking about it at least a month before. With their awesome (read: intense but cute) help, this is what came of their creation.  

This morning while we were doing hair we were talking about how you didn't think you looked any older than yesterday, and you weren't any taller. I asked you to flex your muscles and told you that you looked strong like a five year old. 

We talked a little bit about 'birthday present etiquette' and you listened so well and SO expertly thanked each friend and gave them giant hugs.

Mackayla wanted some My Little Pony party favors, so we made skittles rainbows with My Little Pony rings and tattoos. And football stickers for the boys. 

Two of her boy friends from last year's preschool coop came (the other one moved:( ). Bradley is the sweetest and happiest little boy. Mackayla told me the other day "If Bradley is at the wedding (hers) then I'll marry him." 

Five is so big now that her "not being a baby" is not a conversation we have daily anymore. We only did that when she was borderline little. She never naps in the car which is why I snapped this after van shopping. That was tough work and we wore her right out. It was also the first week of school for Cody and Macey and she had been getting up at the same time as them when she normally is the sleep in queen. 

Her first day of preschool came the week after and she was Ecstatic! 

I wasn't sure how it would play out, but I brought her in, got her name tag, took her in to the room and waited to see if she would melt down. She waved bye and didn't look back! Loved it! 

We love this sweet/spunky girl. She has a calm sweet spirit that also doesn't let anyone push her around. Macey says she is "super cute." Cody says she is "cute and aggressive." She loves her daddy. 

We love her!