There they are, the tools of my new trade. 3 simple things, that when combined, consume your "free time" and propell you to new hights.

I am a triathlete. I finished my first race, solo, and 6th of 11th in my age catagory. Not bad considering that I learned how to swim in May!

I've read that when it comes to triathlons, you either love 'em or hate 'em. Well, I've caught the bug, and will run, bike, and swim with it!!!

p.s. I'll be running in my first 1/2 marathon on

Halloween!!!

David, the kids, and my swim coach all came out to show their support and watch my grand finish, which by the way they all totally missed because they didn't see me race past them!!

Oh well, next year they'll know what to look for!

Of coarse, next year the kids want to participate so it will be David and Wesley keepin' their eyes peeled!

Trent, Rachel and their kids came down for the 24th of July festivities, and Rachel took this picture of the kids. It was really great to see them, and catch up on life. Rachel takes such great pictures.

Hannah stayed at their house for a couple of days and had a blast!! She loves been the center of attention, and she was!!! Thanks for letting her stay!!!!

So, to catch up on everything else......

The kids stared school: 6th, 5th, 3rd, 1st, and P-K! Sarah is super excited to play violin AND flute this year, and Xander is starting his viola career, thanks to his cousin Dylan who made it cool!

To get a viola his size, his teacher strung viola strings on a full size violin, that's blue!! So he's the ONLY kid in Arizona with a colored viola 'cause they don't make 'em! Xander is all about makin' a statement.

Elsie is not eligible for specialized music in school, but she has joined the Gila Valley horse club and will be VERY GOOD! She has a knack for horses, and hopefully will be participating in her first Gymkhana on Sept. 12th! *squeal and clap*

I'll try to take some pictures (eye roll). Hannah is learning how to read, and is excited for her first triathlon next year!. She's gonna ROCK!!! Little athlete, she is. And Wesley can run the length of our driveway, which happens to be 1/4 mile long!!! Impressive. He is only 3 after all. Tri in training!!

Summin' it all up!!

OK, here's the best way I could think to sum it all up. Man, my life's been crazy the past....forever it seems! Let me tell you the story....

The day of the wedding, Scott and Christy came to my hotel room to help me get ready...Scott fed the kids breakfast and Christy did my hair (awesome!!) and help me get into "the dress". I love the dress. I cropped the back view, but cut my head off.... I'm smiling really. I couldn't stop smiling! The top left pic was with David's family, well some of David's family, given he's youngest of 11! My brother Bruce and his son Bryan flew in just for the wedding, what a guy(s)! My dad took all the pictures, so he's only in the big family one third down.

My good friend Kara made the girls' dresses and boys vests. I let them choose whatever style and fabric they wanted since they are such a big part of it all. Style and fabric was the least of my concerns! I was happy, they were happy, everyone was happy.... don't we look HAPPY!!!!

I made my cake, which, thanks to Sharon's recipes turned out SOOOOOO good. I wrote around the side of the cake in frosting the words I feel describe David and I "love, hope, journey, peace, trust, faith, complete, passion, strong, endless, breathless, gentle" I repeated the words around all the cakes in the same color frosting so it was very subtle but really beautiful. I put my favorite flowers on it and thoroughly enjoyed eating it. And for those of you who know how much I love food......


Then, David and I honeymooned in Estes Park, Colorado. The mountains of CO are always breathtaking and we had a wonderful time! On the way there we swung by my brother Steve's house, and had dinner with his amazing family. They are so great! We ate the most amazing steak, and vegis, and dip....it was all so good!

When we got home, we jumped right into our crazy life on Cactus Rd! We live on 135 acres with a really large pond, at the foot of Mt. Graham. Get a load of the view!!! At one time there were acres and acres of fruit trees, and there will be again! I have a HUGE garden, and lots of trees, and weeds that look like grass when they're alive! David taught me how to drive a tractor, and I cleared the road to the pond (middle picture). That group of cottonwoods in the center is where I was proposed to btw! He also taught me how to use a chainsaw (sweet!) so I can trim the trees and get ready to plant another orchard. Eventually I want chickens and goats and horses and a milking cow. We have to ability to be totally self sustaining out here, it is so cool. Man, I'm livin' the dream. My life is so cool, and we are all so happy. The kids have tons of room to run and play, they have about 5 different forts around the property they play in. After I send my dear husband and kids off the in AM I go to my dear friends farm and learn to run one, so I can run ours. I trim trees, milk the goat, groom and ride the horses, slaughter the chickens, build/ repair/ maintain fences, replace the roof.... MY LIFE ROCKS!!!

The idea that shook the universe!

So, nobody have a heartattack or anything, I know I'm postng only 2 days after my last post!!

I was reading my Family Fun Magazine and there was an idea for kids and chores. Here's what you do, you take all of your daily chores plus a few *freebies* and write them on popsicle sticks:

Blurry, I know. These particular chores are 1) clear table 2) *freebie* 3) van

Then you put them in a cup, and everyday everyone, including mom, picks a number of sticks, we choose three. When it rotates daily, chores that don't get done very well by a small person gets redone the next day.

We have been dong this for a week now an just look at the results!

So Sarah is doing a load of laundry,

Xander is sweeping the kitchen, but I can't get the picture to load (sorry Xander)

Elsie is cleaning out the van,

and also did the coat closet (doesn't it look great!!!)

Hannah cleaned and swept off the front porch.

My house is in order, and all I drew was dishwasher and counters!!! Man, thank you lady for the idea!Here's the rules for us:

1) If you whine or complain about any job you choose, you trade in a freebie or choose a 4th job.

2) You have until 7:30pm to finish, and if you don't you go to bed an hour early the next day for every job undone. It really is working very well. I am absolved of any unfairness because it's totally random. I solved this problem with discipline also, but that's another blog...

OK, here's the update. Sorry it's taken so long.... We'll go in chronological order.

Hannah lost her bottom teeth within 3 days. Man, she worked those suckers loose super fast. She has been telling me they've been loose for two years now!! She must be psychic!

I ,for some CRAZY reason, thought that if Wesley could say poop, and present it to me for show, he must be ready for big boy pants. He is SOOOO not ready yet, but darn if he ain't cute in those little boxer briefs!! And yes I've cut his hair since the picture, but by the time I get a picture of it, it will be really long again! I'll try to remember the camera exsists...

The dress is the one I picked out to wear into the temple and take pictures of after the wedding. Mine will be an ivory color, bairly off white. I LOVE it. My favorite part is the tie up the back. It laces down the back, like a shoe lace and ties at the bottom. I so hope I look something like that in it!!

The kids came with us to get our announcement pictures taken this morning. They were the practice shots before our picture. The one of Wesley and Elsie alone on the bottom. It looks like Wesley wants YOU, like that Uncle Sam poster about the Army.

The black and white picture of David and me will be the announcement picture. The other one is us watcing the kids "swim" through the barley field. I can only imagine what he's thinking. I think we're so cute!!

So the plans are this: Sealing on May 23 @ 11:15 am, lunch at my FAVORITE joint "My Big Fat Greek Restaraunt" to follow (YUM), driving home at a relaxed pace, kissing our sweet little angels goodbye cause they sure as heck ain't coming home with us!!!, informal b'bque reception outside of the pima church building May 24 afternoon, driving to Phoenix to catch our flight to Colorado on Sunday the 25th where we will enjoy 4 days of peace and quiet at a resort in Estes Park!

I CANNOT WAIT!!!!!

Turnin' two on cold medication

Thank goodness for gluten free chocolate cake! It was finger licken' good! I can't believe my baby boy is two. He has grown so much the past year, including his hair. I can't bear to cut it, it took so long to grow in becasue of the food allergies, so I'm leavin' it!

Wesley woke up last Wednesday to a living room full of balloons, his favorite thing. I found out that when blowing up a 100 pack of balloons, using an air compressor, you might only end up with 75 because of that amount of force blows to tops right off!

Well, it was a great day. Despite the fever and sickness we had a great time. His cousins got him his favorite coloring books, coloring is in his top 3 favorite things to do, thanks Blake cousins!! I love my big boy and am so glad he is here and healthy and that they make really great chocolate cake for wheat-free babies!!!

Life is Art

Aahhh.... President's 4 Day weekend

So... recess consists of burying your baby brother in the sand. Let see what subject we can fit this into. Well digging is hard work so P.E., Art I suppose was in there somewhere, Critical Thinking, and definately the study of human behavior! Just so you don't think this is what the homeschool curriculum is made of, Sarah does so ACTUAL school work, I promise!

Hannah has been hard at work riding her bike around...... it took her all of 20 minutes from tricycle to two-wheeler!

So, did you catch a glimps of the red van in the background?!! Thaaar she is, our new van. 1997 Pontiac Transport with all new guts. Plus, I can control the music from the steering wheel! It's SSOOOO cool, we LOVE to drive around in it. Mana from heaven.

Well, art class is going well..... Being on this side of OCD, I admit I must keep myself very busy during art time and repeat quietly to myself "it's washable paint, it's washable paint, it's washable paint". Sad but true.