Spring Break 2013

We were so spoiled this year for Spring break and I couldn't be more grateful to have our friends the Dyers drive all the way down here to spend the week with us! The second the kids all saw each other it was as if nothing had changed. The best thing about the Dyers is they are easy to entertain! :) We mostly spent the week showing them the best AZ has to offer in food, chatting, trying to hit up a spring training game and swimming in whatever pool we could find! My goal was to hopefully try to convince them that AZ was the next big move they need to make. I am not sure I convinced them, but really the best part was just hanging out and I loved that my kids had their very best friends to play with.

I wish some of the picture were better and depicted the fun we had with them. We truly miss them more than they will ever know!  It was really tough when it was time to say goodbye. I felt like we were doing it for the first time all over again, but I am also grateful to know that our friendships are strong enough to handle a little distance and time apart. Friends like that are hard to come by and I am just grateful we have them not only for my kids, but for myself as well!

Farmer's Market and Petting Zoo

Gilbert has a unique smell. Actually Gilbert smells like cow poop most of the time! We decided one evening to venture out and figure out just exactly where that smell was coming from.  We stumbled upon the Gilbert farmer's market and a petting zoo. It was a fun little place that had several vendors selling yummy things and a food truck for dinner. We had a blast there. My mom grew up around this sort of thing so she bought some animal food and a bottle full of milk to show the kids how it was done. 

 They were a little bit timid at first, but after a little persuasion they got right in there and thought it was so fun to feed the sheep right out of their hands.

Addley wasn't sure about this big furry friend. I tried to get her to pet it but she wasn't having it. At one point the rabbit reached his nose right up into her face and she was not happy about that!

Feeding the calves was the very funnest part. My mom is a pro at this and took the slobbery job by storm. It was really fun for the kids to experience it, I think. They thought it was disgusting (or maybe that was just me) but we laughed our heads off at the forcefulness of those little calves and them wanting that milk. It was a fun night and maybe just maybe helped us appreciate that unpleasant smell early in the morning and late at night.

Peek A Boo

This is an everyday every-bathroom-break occurrence around here. She's not one to let me get too far from her site lines and she certainly isn't going to let me shower or use the bath in peace either. Good thing I love her and don't mind her company every where I go! 

Kylie's Obsession

Kylie has taken on the new hobby of motorcycle riding. She jumps at any opportunity to ride behind Grandpa with her helmet that fits her perfectly and even has a speaker and microphone so she can talk to him and listen to music along the ride. She can't wait for the day when she is old enough to go on an all day or even over night trip "where they have to pack a lunch before they go."  

Phoenix Half Marathon

People, this is crazy, but I can actually say I have ran a half marathon and more than that I can actually say I loved running a half marathon!! I would be the last person to ever think this is something I would ever do, but it was an absolute blast!! My sister caught me in a weak moment and I agreed to run it with her. I absolutely hated training for it, but I am so grateful for all the training I did because that is definitely what made it such an awesome run. Our goals in running this were to first and for most actually finish the race and second to run the entire thing. Mission accomplished on both!!

We had the absolute BEST support group all along the way! I'm not sure how they did it but Jeremy, Kylie, Jase, Addley, David, baby Drew, my mom, my dad and my little sister Lexie meet up with us several times along the way. In fact people all around us were starting to recognize them too. They even wore fun shirts for us too. At one point along the way Kylie and Jase were holding Krispy Kremes  in one hand and high fiving runners with the other, then every once in awhile Jase would lick his hand and then go back to handing out those high-fives!  

Ashley and I felt really good for most of the race. Our strategy was to take it slow and steady. We were warned by several people to make sure you stay at an extremely comfortable pace so we don't get worn out.  We took that advice and really did enjoy the race.  We had fun chatting and singing and pretty much doing whatever it took to distract us from what we were actually doing. I remember we got to mile 8 and we were so excited because we only had 5 more to go. That seemed to reenergize us until we got to about mile 11 and then I hit a wall!! I don't know what happened, but those last two miles were pure torture for me. We had driven the course the day before so we would kinda know what to expect and I knew the end would be near once we came upon a major decline in the road. It was torture anticipating that down hill part because I could have sworn it was just around the corner about 10 times.  FInally it came and it was sweet relief to head down the hill turn a corner run just a little ways farther and then see the finish line ahead. I had every intention of finishing the race the way I always finished a run with a sprint to the end, but I just couldn't do it. I'm not even sure I smiled, but man it was an amazing feeling to cross the finish line and know what I had just accomplished!! I can't believe I did it!!

 There is absolutely no one else I would have rather done this with. She got me into this mess, but she was also so fun to run with and a great motivator for me. She drug me through those last few miles and I am so grateful she did!

I am grateful for a supportive husband and kids that put up with all the training and complaining. I'm not sure this is something I will ever do again, but I am proud to say I have done it. It seemed like a crazy thing for this non-runner to do, but I'm glad I did it...just don't ever count me in for a full marathon, that will never happen!!

9 Months Old

This girl has 9 whole months old, which if I am being honest I feel like she has been with us forever. She just fits seemlessly in our lives and I really can't imagine what it was like without her, as cliche as that is. She continues to be the baby with the biggest smile in the world. Her whole face lights up and she can make anyone around her so happy.  She's still the worlds best army crawler, but has recently tried her hand at crawling on all fours. She's smart though and knows she can get where she wants much faster being flat on her belly resulting in extremely filthy clothing by the end of the day. We call her the hoarder because she always has a death grip of random things in her hands that she'll carry around with her and if you even attempt to take it away she has a major come apart. She is still a great eater and is more than willing to try just about anything.  Her favorite of course is real people food. Sleeping though the night is still something to be desired by her parents, but she is much better at actually going to bed. Grandpa Hansen discovered her first two teeth coming though on the bottom. They aren't very visible, but they can be felt. She has started to pull herself up on things, but gets nervous after too long and wants to sit down. She's a handful during church, but can make friends with the best of them. We love her so much and are so grateful for her and her fun personality. She loves to cuddle and frequently will get shy and muzzle her little nose into my shoulder which I love.  There is no doubt she makes us so happy!

Oh, and did I mention she gives the BEST kisses ever?!?