Getting ready for Ragnar

Okay so the first two pictures have nothing to do with the Ragnar, but they were sunsets from the beginning of July 2011.  This is looking out the front of our house.  So cool huh!  It looked so much better in person.

 For Ragnar it isn't uncommon to see crazy costumes and crazy decorated cars.  Robert was getting ready for his Ragnar race and he was looking for some good costume ideas.  He was looking for wigs and all that.  The girls were helping him with the wigs he found. 

 Robert got some cool pink sunglasses to go with the pink wig.  Then one of the girls tried out the crazy wild black hair.  She felt like a rock star!  I think Robert found some fun glasses to go with this one too. 

 Amber looks a little funny with this hat and wig combo.  You gotta love her poses.

After all that digging in the costume box, finding matching glasses at the store....  Robert forgot all about bringing it, so he didn't even use them.  Too bad, it was good stuff!  Maybe some other race time.

WA Ragnar July 2011

For the last few years Robert has been a part of the WA Ragnar team, Running on Fumes.  It is an Ultra team which means they have 6 people instead of 12 and they run basically 2x the amount.  The first year it was a huge challenge since one of the guys didn't ever show up so they were now a 5 man team running what 12 people typically run.  Most the years he enjoys it and looks forward to doing it again. 

This is at the starting line.  This is the team all ready to go.  Robert this year was runner #1, so he started the race from the start line. 

 Even though he looks all ready to go and all, he was super nervous, as he is with most of the start of his races.  I am not sure what he is ever nervous about... he always does better then he thinks he will do. 

 It kind of looks low key at the starting line compared to the starting line in Utah, so that is what I hear.  I haven't ever really been to the starting line of the one in Utah so I couldn't tell you for sure. 

He is quite a running machine! 

It's always kind of bitter sweet when he comes up for the race.  It means several things, a night usually alone with him, which is a nice little get away after a long vacation and a long time being gone/away from my hubby.  It also means that our time is just about over being in Washington with family which makes me sad and kind of lonely.  I usually also stay up North with my sisiter and brother until the race is over which is always fun.  We usually get together with our other sister that lives near by too. 

When the Ragnar is over, I have a few more days until we normally head back home.  Since we moved to the West side of the lake, it never felt like I was coming home.  This year it did feel like I was coming home.  It only took nearly 3 years to feel like it is home.  That is a nice feeling, even if I am leaving my "home" with the family I grew up with, I take my own little family back to our own home. 

Last bit of July 2011 stuff

The weather wasn't the greatest while we were in Washington, last year in July 2011.  The kids didn't complain much about it really.  There was not much pool time for some.  Others just swam in the rain.  We also rode horses in the rain one time too.  Toward the end of our trip, it warmed up a bit and was nice enough to float the river.  Robert was able to go too.  It was our first float of the year and it was late July.  Unfortanetly I didn't get any pictures of that, or I don't remember taking pictures.  The kids do love the teeter totter or as Amber calls it, the "up and down."

They couldn't find the battery charger for this little 4-wheeler, so instead they got a rope and pulled it around from place to place.  Sometimes someone had to push from behind too. 

One day my mom's sister, Aunt Linda invited the girls and I up for a weenie roast and to also do ceramics.  She has all sorts of cool stuff to do ceramics with.  Great ideas and patterns and all.  The girls had a lot of fun doing it.  They also got to take home some Christmas ornaments that my Aunt Cleo had.  Linda got all that stuff after Aunt Cleo passed away.  It is pretty special having a little bit of Aunt Cleo hanging on our tree.  The girls still need to paint them.  I accidently misplaced them until just recently.  We will get them ready for this years tree.

These are the things the girls made, Lindsey did a bird dish kind of thing and Lauren made an elephant.  The little girls made several christmas tree decorations too. 

 Emily made a dish and a plate.  I made a bowl I think, but I didn't get a picture of it. 

 The girls decided that Aunt Linda was pretty cool, that is the same opinion I have of her too.  My girls also had a fun time with Linda's dog, Abbie.  She would run around and fetch the things the girls would throw for her. 

 It was kind of cold, but we roasted hot dogs anyway.  Aunt Linda made a few salads I think too.  My parents came up and we all had a great time.  It seems like lots of times when I come to Washington, I don't get to see my mom's side of the family that much.  It seems silly since they are all so close, but for whatever reason we don't plan or make plans to get together.  We really should, it is always fun when we do.

Poor Abbie, all worn out!

 Aunt Linda also told the girls to go pick some strawberries.  The girls picked lots and then came up and whispered to me that they would like to make her a deseret to say thank you and use her strawberries.  They were so cute giving her this little cake they made with strawberries. 

 Aunt Linda said that if the girls didn't pick them, the birds just come and eat them.  The girls took advantage of that and picked them and ate them right there too. 

After the day was over, my girls asked if they could invite Aunt Linda to come to our house.  There was talk of her bringing my mom's piano to our house, which the girls loved the whole idea... having the piano and having Linda come too.  Linda said she would be bringing her dog, and the girls were totally okay with that too!  I think that Marley and Abbie would be good friends. 

I am sure glad that the girls and I were able to visit so many people and to also do so many things.  Even just sitting at the house with my parents is so enjoyable, most the time my siblings come spend time there too so it is a perfect situation. 

For the Love of Cousins

Going back in time... back of course to the popular July 2011 time frame, while we were visiting our family in Washington, my mom had a retirement party.  She started working at the school as long as I can remember.  I remember in kindergarten, she would come in to play the piano for music time.  I think she was hired on the year after that maybe when my younger brother started kindergarten.  She has gone through the whole circle of having kids of the kids she taught in kindergarten.  She will be missed, and she will miss doing it too. 

The kids kind of got bored greeting people they didn't know, or at least my kids did.  When it was clean up time, my kids or should I say Amber went crazy.  She wouldn't leave poor Thomas alone.  She kept hugging him and hanging on him and following him around.  I think it was okay with it for the most part.  He was a good sport.  Amber sure loves him!

 It was hard to get a normal picture of Amber not choking or squeezing Thomas.  Emily and Thomas are about the same age, just 2 or 3 weeks difference in age.

 Lindsey and Lauren where loved by Destiny.  It seemed natural that Destiny wanted to play with the older girls than the younger ones (Samantha and Amber).

 Parker really liked Amber too.  It was funny to see him pull her down and try to love on her.  Amber was good with it and she enjoyed playing with Parker too.... when Thomas wasn't available.

July 2011 PPF Stuff

While we were in Washington, visiting family, the girls got ahold of my camera (they did ask me) and took a bunch of pictures all over the place.  I at first thought they were just a bunch of pictures to delete, and some are... such as the picture looking up the horses dripping nose.  But as I was sifting through these pictures, I thought they mean something to the girls.  I think my pictures would be of different things, but these are my girls memories or things that they enjoy or wanted to remember about Grandma and Grandpa's place also known as Pony Poop Farm (PPF).

 This is the pond that is behind the house, right outside the window in the family room.  I am pretty sure there were little tadpoles in there, so my Mom forbid my dad to clean it out in fear of killing those little baby frogs.  The bamboo grows crazy too back there.

 This is the "Creepy Tree" and it is across the road from the house.  It is on the horse trail.  Isn't it a crazy tree?  It is what the kids call the creepy tree and you can see why!

 This is a little playhouse, it has gone through many stages and phases... it use to have a zipline at the top, that was before the trees were logged.  It sits at the back of all the playground equipment.  The kids have spent many hours in and out of that little house.  It was used mostly for the older grandkids, it was more ran down by the time my little ones were old enough to use it.

 Of course since the horses are a favorite of the girls, it is understandable that the tack room would make an impression and needing a picture.  This is the tack room that has all the horse supplies, from saddles to food to brushes to medicine.

 This is the BAD DOG doghouse.  The poor little dog is still chained up on top of the dog house.  I think he has been there since like 2009 or maybe even before. 

 My mom LOVES, loves, LOVES, roses!  She has some that are just gorgeous and others that smell soooo good!  My girls love to look at them and pick out the ones they like the best.  Each year they decide which one is their favorites.

 These are the swinging bars, They have been used to swing in to the pool, to get on or off the horses, and also just to go around on.  My upper body strength never allowed me to do much swinging on them. 

 Of course this is a favorite sign on Grandpa's barn, uh-- Grandpa's shop.

Pony Poop Farm wouldn't be complete without the peacocks.  They have resided there along time, not always the same ones, but usually there has been one residing there over the last decade or so.