milestone

I've been watching it coming for the past couple weeks, but my run this morning OFFICIALLY put me above 300 miles since the middle of February.

Goal of the summer... SURVIVE the Provo River Trail 1/2 marathon on my anniversary (of all days): August 8.

Officially Self-Employed

As of last Friday, my husband achieved the status he has been working HARD for the past 5 years to achieve: Small Business Owner/Self-employed. Craftsman Hardwood Flooring is now his little business.

Our floor (part new oak and part original 1948 floor) was his first project, and just this week he completed his first official job.

So if you are in the market for a floor refinish, new installation, or repair of your current wood floor, let me tell you why you should contact MY HUSBAND Hayden:

He's a perfectionist... if he doesn't like how something looks, he fixes it til he does (even if I think it looks "just fine")

He has worked for one of Utah's PREMIER hardwood companies for the past 2 years (he worked on Michael Jordan's home in Park City this past year, along with several other multi-million dollar homes).

He is just getting his clientele built up, so his prices are AMAZING.

He travels to wherever he needs to in order to get the job done.

I put his brochure picture on (click on it for the enlarged version)... it has all his prices, contact information, and services on it.

I'm pretty proud of Hayden.

Give him a call 801 440 4372...(tell him I sent you)

"daddy"

dear daddy...

~thanks so much for spoiling me and feeding me chocolate milk on a regular basis.

~thanks for taking me to the park (or in the TRUCK) when mom won't

~thanks for letting me take baths with you. I love it!

~thanks for cuddling with me on the couch.

~thanks for loving me SO much

love

Aspen

My Dad

What can I say about my dad that just ONE of these pictures doesn't cover?

*My kids love him... even if he is a relentless tease!

*Hard work & I are good friends because of what my dad taught me.

*I have many memories that have stuck with me over the years:
~horseback fishing trip into the Uintah's
~riding club meets in Heber, and the accompanying car trouble that seemed to come with trying to pull the horse trailer in our good old Dodge truck.
~watching dad try calf roping for the first (and last) time ever.
~having him at my ball games, and getting tips after the games.
~help with moving, rewiring lights, painting, and general fix-it man on the several houses we've lived in.
~trip to Louisiana, and getting to stop by the National Cowboy museum.
~singing TWANG TWANG TWANG to his music on the car stereo (my sarcastic ode to country music... which now I LOVE the old stuff he listened to then).
~driving through Denver and getting to eat at Casa Bonita.

Thanks Dad for all the memories, and for the love you have shown us.
Happy FATHER'S DAY!

3 sons???

Somehow the neighbor kid has adopted us. Not sure how we lucked out, but more often than not, by the time we have pulled in the drive way after picking up the boys, he is there and waiting for Brenden, so he can chill and hang out with him for the weekend.

How did this happen? Not exactly sure. I can only speculate. Perhaps it is the meals that we have on a regular basis, whereas his mom has apparently taken "a year off from cooking" (not kidding... that's his exact phrase) and the KID CAN EAT!!!! Perhaps it is the nice clean house we have here (which is contrast to his house).

Well, lucky me... it is now summer vacation, and we have somehow acquired a 3rd son. The following transcript is how to tell when the neighbor kid needs to GO HOME:

me: "Brenden, you need to shower... you're hair smells"

Brend: "I showered yesterday"

me: "no. that was two days ago"

Brend: (to the neighbor kid) "Hey, I don't remember... did I shower today?"

**met with ROARS of laughter by all of us**

Grandma Toni SKILLS

Me, being the list maker that I am, did a little backwards planning and this is what I came up with:

If Hayden is redoing the floor next week, and I want a new vent put in our bedroom, then I will have to replace it before then. AND... if I am doing the vent, I might as well replace the old base boards as well. AND... if I am doing the base boards, then I might as well just patch the wall and ceiling where the water leak left damage. AND... if I do that, I might as well just paint the bedroom and ceiling. And all of this done by Sunday because I leave Monday morning for a workshop in Park City (oh and did I mention we have to move all the furniture before the floors can be started?).

YEAH... I make my list/day harder than it needs to be. Yesterday I ripped everything out. Today I TRIED (tried being the key word) to make the hole in the bedroom wall look like a wall again. Where is my Grandma Toni and her skills when I need her?

Anyone who knows my Grandma Toni knows the magic she can work on any project. Magic is an understatement... she has SKILLS. I just fake it. As long as I fake it well enough to make Hayden think I did a great job :) Thank heavens I have a little Grandma Toni blood running through my veins.

Tomorrow's job is the sanding down all of the patch work, touch it up... and then PAINT and put in the new vents.

I think I did pretty good. The before and during pictures don't show much... but I impressed myself.

my little claim to "fame"

The Sunday paper (Salt Lake Tribune) had an article on Zion National Park. I knew my great grandfather had surveyed the park in the early 1900's, so I thought I'd look at the article out of curiosity and SURE ENOUGH... there it was. A mark on their timeline with Leo A. Snow's name on it. If you click on the picture, it blows it up so it is readable. The original link to the article is here.

Pretty cool.

Lake Powell

what a FUN vacation we had at Lake Powell.  Even though it was June, the water was GREAT (75*), the days were warm and beautiful... and best of all, we got to SHARE our little piece of heaven with Hayden (and Aspen).

Hayden says his favorite parts were the exploring.  We went to a couple different canyons up the channel from Bullfrog, Hole in the Rock, and hiked up some hills and rocks.  Anything in the little boat was Hayden's thing.   

Aspen was just in heaven, in general. Water... sand... and a BOAT???  Oh baby.  It was actually pretty funny to watch.  She is so OCD about making sure everything is CLEAN on her body, that getting sand on her feet when she would walk, just about sent her into a fit.  She eventually found the water bucket at the front of the houseboat, and entertained herself by dipping her hand in the sand, walking up the ramp, washing off the sand.  Rinse and repeat... and repeat... and repeat.

The houseboat has a slide on it, which Aspen took to be part of a PARK.  We accommodated her little "park" idea for awhile... putting her at the top of the slide and then catching her before it dropped into the water.  When we caught her climbing the stairs to the top, we figured it was time for a "reality check".  One drop down the slide... and INTO the water was all it took.  I have never heard her scream quite like that.  Needless to say, she didn't want anything to do with the slide again for the rest of the trip.

We were able to get out on the water a couple days.  Brenden is our wake-boarder, and I have long since given up on getting up on slalom, so I settled for the tube.  Got Hayden onto the tube... and even got some pictures to prove it to his grandchildren someday.

The day before we headed home was a windy day (understatement) so we ended up inside the houseboat playing games and watching movies.  We LOVE Lake Powell!

THANKS DAD & MOM for a great trip!!  

Now if I can just get all the sand out of my house... and clothes... and truck.

welcome

Did anyone else double check the calendar when they realized that yesterday was June 1st ?

June is like a big content sigh. 

June is birthday's, visits from family not seen in a long time. June is about cook-outs, big slices of cake, running in sprinklers and watching the popsicle juice drip down toddlers' arm. 

June is staying up late and drive-in movies. June is sitting outside first thing in the morning and reading the paper before everyone else is awake. 

June is about running in the grass with bare feet, giggling, letting your hair grow long, and getting sun-glass face tan lines. 

June is about drinking a cold homemade drink, smelling the rain on the pavement, and wearing nothing but flip-flops.

June is about telling Dad how much you love him, watching the plants grow and throwing the ball for the dog. June is writing with chalk and the smell of hot pavement. 

June is riding bikes until your legs start to ache. June is fresh strawberries and a slice of rhubarb pie.

The groan of the lawn mower. 

The greasiness of the sunscreen. 

The dirty feet.

The afternoon naps.

The tank tops.

The late afternoon sun hitting your book.

The music.

The freedom of not doing anything at all.

The open windows.

The drinking from the hose.

The quietness from being content.

The slap of the screen door behind you.

I have needed you June. I am so glad that you are finally here.

coke rewards

$3.05

That's it.  $3.05 is what I paid for MY portion of this SWEET jacket from nikestore.com.  I needed a new jacket since my other favorite one went for a trip after our last run together.  It was carelessly put into the bed of the truck, without thinking about the possibility of having it go for a flying adventure without me.  Some hobo that scrounges the side of the freeway for s

tuff will find a way to stay warm on his run.

The OTHER portion of the jacket was paid for with my coke rewards.  Well, ok... maybe not MY coke rewards.  I have had my students collecting their coke lids and box ends and bringing them in to me for about a month.

When I got my jacket in the mail today (I love getting treats in the mail), I opened it and on the inside tag hung the price tag:

  

$110.

SCHWING!!

That qualifies as my deal of the week, I do believe

nature boy

Next week... for 3 days... Hayden gets his first dose of "nature" for the summer in the form of his first trip to Lake Powell with my family.  Having been before, I know that it is MY version of what heaven must be.  My kids agree.  Brenden called today asking if I can pick him up next week early so we can get down to Lake Powell sooner.  Hayden is not familiar with L.P. so therefore doesn't share the love like we do.  Why?  Well... it's a long story.

My husband is no Davy Crockett.  The "wild frontier" has never been his thing.  At the ripe old age of 7, he went for a picnic with the family up Daniel's Canyon.  He stayed in the car, refusing to come out.  When further questioned as to WHY he wouldn't join them at the picnic table, he stuck his head out of the car and declared "I 

HATE NATURE", and proceeded to spend the rest of the lunch time in the car.  Al-righty then.  (now I am beginning to see where Aspen's little stubborn streak comes from).  Several years later when asked if he wanted to join family members swimming in a lake, he asked, "Is it a heated lake?"  (Ummm... I promise that my husband IS CURRENTLY a very intelligent man... CURRENTLY)

Since then he has managed to avoid just such NATURE-istic adventures.   With Hayden's last days of working for someone else quickly approaching (June 12), we have BIG plans to change ALL of that.  Sorry Hayd.  You will be initiated this summer. You will be BLESSED enough to sleep on the ground, in a tent!!!  You will be Fortunate enough to dine on stick roasted hot dogs and S'mores with more ash in them than chocolate.  You will be Amazed to see how much fun and adventure a day of kayaking on the lake can be.  And we will all be there to witness it.

Better bring some bug spray  :)

crazy ~ busy

Long weekend was a productive weekend.  

6 mile run, while pushing the baby jogger.  Followed by 5 hours in the garden: FINALLY getting everything in just in time for the 2 days of RAIN!  yay!  Hopefully the ants don't eat ALL of my garden before it has a chance to start.

Aspen left on Monday for Ephraim... and her TONKA truck she left on the lawn makes me miss her every time I go outside.

It looks lonely.

I miss her (however, she probably doesn't even know I'm gone)

This week... in a nutshell

Been a bit of a crazy week.  Aspen's last day with her regular sitter was Tuesday (because they went on vacation).  Wednesday I got to sneak her to school for an hour or so until her Grandma Deb picked her up.  She was a hit at school!  The girls doted, teachers took pictures of her (it's gotta be the hair!), and she LOVED all the attention.

Wednesday she and Grandma went to the Salt Lake city library,Thursday was the Tracy Aviary, where she got to feed the pelicans some fish, and Friday they met Morgan for lunch.  Spoiled little Aspen.

I had meetings on Thursday along with an awards assembly, but Friday brought the annual FRESHER TAG for all my classes.  It has been an yearly tradition since I taught PE back even before I taught full time.  The kids loved it then, and it just kinda stuck.  So that's what we will be doing on Tuesday and Wednesday next week.  Rough life of a teacher :)

THANKS to Sneb for taking such great care of our baby this week.  LOVE YOU!

playground EQUATION

A little math equation (since we are rapidly approaching the end of the school year).

Transitive property says:

if a=b and b=c then A=C.

The FRASER version of this equation is:

if We (love) Aspen and Aspen (loves) parks... then WE (love) parks.

The weather was sweet, there were a few little boys on the playground... and Aspen made sure she got her flirt on a few times before we left.

playin'

THE best part of the day is when I get home from work and Aspen and I get to hang out and play for awhile.  We read, lay on the couch and read books, PUSH PUSH her stroller everywhere... and occasionally she figures out strange things for us to do.  This past week, she came out of the bathroom with Q-tips in her ears and 2 more in her hand for me to put in my ears.  
Silly SILLY girl.  Easily entertained.

what it's all about

Nothing like spending time with loved ones doing something you love... especially when they love it too!

Brenden loves running... and I was super glad to have him along for the race today.  Especially since he WON!!  Thats right... THAT"S MY SON... the one at the front.

Hayden brought Aspen along and she thought the doves that were in the cages before the race were much cooler and more interesting than anyone running.  

I did however put my shirt on after the race, and she looked at the front of it and said "RUN RUN" to the picture of the 3 runners on the front of it.  hmmm... makes me think they just might have to have a running category for 3 year olds by next year.  We could have her trained by then.

letter

ok... so I think I have figured out that my "love language" is words of affirmation, and Brenden hit the nail on the head with his little poem he wrote me for mothers day.

One little background note: Brend has always had the job to sit behind me at football games, sporting events, or watching tv and pull my grey hairs out.  He informed me last month that there are too many to have to try to keep up with anymore.  

Thanks buddy... 

out of her element

For being my clean freak, spending an hour in the garden helping put in some squash was VERY out of her comfort zone.  Bare foot in the dirt, with rocks and dirt... and with BUGS (ants) all over the place she wasn't sure how to deal with it at first.  After putting in seeds, and using her little rake to put dirt on top she starting thinking differently about the whole ordeal.

The end result was 5 rows put into the garden, and a VERY messy girl.  Wet pants caked with dirt and mud... and mud on face and hands.

At least I'm training her early.  She should be able to put the entire garden in for me by the time she is 5.

Old Mother Hubbard lives @ our house!

Shopping + Tonia = NO fun.

Shopping + Tonia + ASPEN = HAHAHA... NOT going to happen.

Needless to say, it is way past time to go grocery shopping.

MAMMA!!!

What a great mother's day weekend!  Saturday was FULL of fun stuff.  During the morning, I got to go pick up a trunk load of perennials from Slick & Dave.  I planted most of them this weekend, and most look like they are going to make it!  YAY!  Brenden went with me to SLC and rode his long-board around the campus of the U.  I am surprised he could stomach it, considering he is an avid BYU fan.

We went to a BBQ at a neighbors house Saturday afternoon.  Hayden is out of his element when it comes to these things, but he was a GREAT sport.  It was fun, and Aspen loved sitting at a table like a "big girl".

Sunday I had to give the lesson in Relief Society... and I survived!  Not sure why teaching 13 year olds seems alot easier than teaching a class with adults.  

My mothers day gifts were actually pretty hilarious.  From Aspen (or TO Aspen... depending on how you look at it), was WALL-E.  From/to Wade was a Playstation 3 remote, and from/to Brenden was X-Men boxed set.  Made me wonder what I had "got for Hayden" for mothers day when he handed me the last package: Really cool running headphones.  I love my family... they make me laugh!

We eeked out a picture or two before the boys left... which, as the pictures show, are always Brenden's favorite things to endure.  I'll let him get away with it this time... he wrote me a cool mother's day poem that I LOVED!

Thanks guys... You spoil me!