Summer Time Nap

So I looked out the window and saw Bridger asleep on the porch swing. It was blazing hot but he had gone outside and eventually fell asleep. He looked so sweet sleeping on the swing. I just had to capture the moment.





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Happy Birthday Aliyah

Shantelle did an Elmo party to celebrate Aliyah's second birthday. She did so many cute things. She even made Elmo cupcakes. Aliyah loved her party. She loved opening her presents. I can't believe she's 2! She is such a happy little girl. Sometimes she is so full of spunk. I love being around her.



After the party, we tried to have a little firework show but a storm came in and made it too windy. Eventually it started to rain. Chase lit his first firework. He was so excited but nervous to light it all by himself. Dad brought the fireworks down.





















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Island Park 2011

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Play Ball!

The Davis' invited us to go to a baseball game with their family.  Their niece is engaged to a player on the River Cats who were against the Bee's.  His is name is Adam Rosales and he normally plays for the Oakland A's but he's injured and trying to rebuild his skills.  Any time they would call out his number, we would go crazy cheering for him.  There were about 20 of us.  A man that was sitting by us teased us saying he was a little confused because he thought it was a Bee's game not a River Cats game.  We had such  fun night! You can't go to a baseball game without eating a hot dog so we all ate hot dogs for dinner.  Later on, the boys had snowie drinks.  The boys brought their baseball mits and had Adam sign them after the game.  He's a really nice guy.  He was darling with the boys.  

Chase's Second Swim Meet

Grandpa and Grandma R, Marilyn, Maddy, Julie, Shantelle, and Aliyah came to watch Chase at his second swim meet.  Mylissa wanted to come but she is still so sick.  Grandpa, Marilyn and Shan took all the kids swimming.  Chase would jump out of the water and go and swim his event and then go back to playing with his cousins.  He swam the 25m butterfly and then the 25m freestyle.  He did GREAT!!! I'm so nervous watching him.  I'm amazed with his attitude and his wiliness to try.  He said that he gets nervous but he still jumps in and swims his little heart out!

Sweet Mom and Marilyn brought down food so we could eat dinner.  We didn't want to have to worry about going somewhere and then missing Chase's event.  So we brought our pop-up and sat in the shade and had a picnic.  I loved hanging out together.  The time went way to quickly!  

Water Park Fun

We bought a pass that included a water park and the boys have been begging me to take them. So we finally went to the water park for a couple of hours and the boys had a blast. It's been so hot that it was nice to cool down. It was really crowded so we were trying to stay more in the kiddie area because it wasn't as bad. So the boys found this tube slide and had a great time! They would go down it and then immediately go again. They played on this slide for over a half hour. They loved it!





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Echo Triathlon

Last year I did my first open water triathlon and it was a disaster. I was scared to death my entire swim and then I was struggling with some tendon issues so my bike and run were disappointing. My time was 1:36. I never wanted to do it again but Sarah convinced me to redeem myself and do it again. So Sarah, Pam, and I signed up to do the Echo triathlon. On Tuesday, we went out to the lake and practiced. Krista taught me a new way to spot and it helped so much. I'm getting used to keeping my head in the water and not being able to see anything. Pam told me that I was kicking my legs too much but it's because I just want to be done. So going into this triathlon, I was hoping to do better than last year. I told myself that all I had to do was swim for 20 minutes. I ended up feeling great during my swim. I was able to stay in a rhythm. I just kept telling myself to relax and enjoy the moment. I was surprised how quickly the swim went. I was just so happy to be done with the swimming part. I finished my swim in 18 minutes! Yea! I got 40 minutes on my bike ride. My legs started to feel tired towards the end and I had a hard time pushing it. My run started off a little too good. I pushed it too hard the first couple of miles. I was keeping a 7:45 pace. So by last mile my legs felt like concrete. So I ended up with a 8:11 pace which I was still happy with. When I crossed the finish line Sarah ran up to me and said "you made it in 1:30!" That was my dream time so I was ecstatic!!! A little bit later we went to look at the results and I was listed as third in my age group. I couldn't believe it!! (Overall 1:30, S 18:40, T1 3:44, B 40:44, RT2 27:40, Age 3/22, Overall women 19/102, Overall Men and Women 84/244) Sarah got fourth place in her age division by 15 seconds. She was a little disappointed but still felt really good about her race. Pam unfortunately felt the way I did last year. She really struggled through the swim. But I was so proud of her for completing the race and not giving up. We hung around for the medal ceremony. I had the biggest smile on my face when they called my name and I walked up to the podium. I got a medal for winning third place in my age group. I was on cloud nine. It was an incredible feeling to know that all my hard work payed off. I feel so grateful for my strong, healthy body. I also love my friends. They have been so supportive end encouraging. I love spending time with them. I feel so blessed to be surrounded by incredible friends!

Chase's First Swim Meet

Chase tried out in May for the summer swim team and made it. He practices Monday-Friday for 45 minutes. He has really enjoying his swimming lessons. He never complains and he's willing to try his hardest. He is a hard little worker. He had his first swim meet on July 6th.

Grandma and Grandpa A. came down to watch him. We didn't know what to expect so we learned a lot. The meet lasted a lot longer than we thought. While we were waiting, Bridger went over to the kiddie area and swam. He really just went on the slide over and over again. Grandpa and Grandma loved watching him.

Chase was really nervous so he only signed up for two events and they were towards the end. So he had a lot of waiting. His first event was the 25 meter butterfly. He loves to swim the butterfly. He thinks that the butterfly is easier than the breast stroke. There was a problem with the buzzer so all three boys were a little confused so they just took off swimming. The officials decided to have them start over but by the time we got the boys attention they were half way. So they gave them a couple of races to rest before doing it again. But when he finally raced, he did a great job! He got first place. I was so nervous just watching him. I'm so proud of him because I think it takes a lot of courage to try new things. About 20 minutes later he swam the 25 meter freestyle. There were four boys in his age group and he placed second. He is so funny. As soon as he gets out of the pool he wants to know who won and what was his time. I'm so focused on him that it's hard to look at anything else. I'm so proud of him for trying! He's turning into a little fish.

Water Fun with Aliyah

Shantelle watched the boys for me for a couple of hours so I could go practice my swim in open water.  She set up her little pool and slip and slide and the kids had a blast.  Even Koda played with them.  Chase and Bridger loved playing with their water guns.  Aliyah loves playing in the water.  They have such big smiles on their faces.