Summertime!

Oh the blog. I have so many pictures from this summer that I thought I would just try to condense and give a summer overview.

We enjoyed a lot of sun!

Purchased some new fun scooters.

This is a common outfit for Syd these days.

Some days we got a little bored.

Had a wonderful 4th of July. We went to the Freedom Parade. Not sure why but that is what we did:)

"I thought you said they were going to throw candy at us."

Lot's of yummy food at a BBQ later that evening up Payson canyon with family and friends.

Syd and her essentials for the parade.

This summer Syd decided that she didn't my help getting dressed anymore, that has sure been a fun thing.

A lot of lawn mowing by our studly daddy:)

Can I please have another otterpop?

This is our Dog King Lewis or Lewy that we had for 3 days. I paid $400.00 for him and then sold him back to the same family I bought him for for $200.00. I am a very good business women.

We have had a really safe fun summer, hope all of you had the same.

Nana Loo's Birthday Bash

I am way behind on my posting my mother-in-laws birthday was June 14.  We had such a fun party.  This first picture is of Sydney asking Uncle Scotty if Nana's surprise is here.

Nana and her Sydney

 Aunt Chelsey made all of these yummy snacks and party favors.

Hope didn't waste anytime getting to the party favors:)

  We had a lot of fun and we also had some time to just hang out.  This is Syd and Nana on the hammock.

All 3 of them are enjoying the yummy bubbles that were shaped like ice cream cones and even smelled like yummy bubble gum.  

The back porch was decorated so cute.  

The surprise that Syd was asking Uncle Scotty about was this darling beach cruiser.  Nana was so surprised and just loved it.

She is such a babe!!!

Nana makes these darling birthday crowns for everyone to wear on their birthdays.  I am glad she got to wear one as well.

Instead of candles her cake had two sparklers on it.  It was such a fun and enjoyable day!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY NANA!!

The Olympic Tri

My wonderful parents and brother Joel came along with me on my journey to St. George to do this tri I have been training for.  My brother Joel took a bunch more pictures but I haven't gotten them yet so I thought I would just post the iphone pics.  

My thoughts going into this event were.  The swim is going to be easy, the bike is going to be a blast, and the run is probably going to kick my trash.  

We are all happily sitting in the water when the dude with the mega phone without any warning yells GO!!!!  We all take off and it took me about 30 seconds to realize that I couldn't breathe.  It was awful!  I totally panicked and could not get my breathing to slow down.  I was 2 seconds from swimming over to the boat and calling it quits when this darling girl next to me asked if I was ok.  I answered between pantings that I thought I was having some kind of panick attack.  She said I am too and I never do, anyway she talked to me long enough for me to realize that I didn't need to be rescued and that I could do this.  I proceeded to try swimming mostly flailing for the rest of the swim.  I tried the breast stroke and felt like I was going backwards then I tried some side swim thing that worked ok but I decided that the back stroke was my best bet.  At one point I heard this kind gentlemen say ma'm ma'm your a little off course.  I look up and find that I am a lot off course.  Any way what I thought would take me about 30 min took me 51 min.  I was so exhausted and grateful to be alive by the time I got out of the water.  

I look like I got a nice face lift thanks to my cap.  
I was so happy to get on my beloved bike.  I was able to pass a couple of people but for the most part was all by myself.  There were only 32 girls out of 300 people that did the Olympic distance.  So there weren't a lot of girls to ride with.  Any way it was actually really cool to just be all alone and push myself to the limit.

The bike ride went really fast and then came the run.  The run was actually 100% easier then I thought it was.  Thanks to the swim of death.
I was grateful that there were still people at the end of the race.  I figured they would have all packed up and gone home.  
Here I am looking out at the water thinking what the crap was that all about?

I started at 7:30 and finished at 10:50.  1 mile swim, 24 mile bike ride, and a six mile run.  It was an awesome accomplishment for me.  I felt like it helped me realize that there really isn't anything I can't do if I just put my mind to it.  I know that anyone reading this can do it too.  So get your bum out there and start getting ready, you and me same time same place next year!!!!!!!

A century what?

This is my awesome friend Kim who I owe my bike riding obsession to.  We were on a ride last tuesday and she mentioned that she needed to take it easy because she was going to do a century on Sat.  For those of you who are not obsessed with biking a century is 100 miles.  Kim did a few centuries last year and I remember thinking that is something on the list of not worth it will never do right next to a marathon.  But for some reason it all of a sudden sounded like a really fun idea.  All I did was mention it and it took Kim about thirty seconds to say will you go if I pay for it?  Hmmmmmm You betcha, so off we went saturday morning starting at 7:30 a.m.  I honestly can say that it was one of the greatest times I have ever had.  It is amazing to push your body to the limits like that.  

This picture was taken at the end.  I think we look like we could go at least 100 more.

Along the way I was too prideful to ask them to take a rest so I just started trying to hit stuff so I could pop my tires.  Just kidding you would have thought that was what I was doing but no.  The first time I hit some sheet metal and slaughtered my tire.  We had to back track 4 miles to the previous rest stop, on a tire that Macgyver Layne and Kim jimmy rigged for me with a plastic wet wipe wrapper.  Scored big time by getting a free new tire and a new spare tube.  Off we went again and about 7 miles away from the next stop guess who gets another flat.  Me, I was a little afraid that Layne and Kim were just going to keep riding and leave me to fend for myself, which I wouldn't have blamed them, they both bloodied their fingers trying to get my new tire off while I watched on.  Layne and Kim never let me change my own tire.  (Maybe it is because I never volunteer who knows.) About 40 miles, 3,000 bugs and a lake that smells like the worst Hopey diaper ever I got another one:)  Luckily this one wasn't totally flat, Layne was sitting on the grass holding my tire and I swear he had to be saying a few unpleasant words in his head, I know I would have, when he yells at these two riders going by asking if they had a pump and low and behold they did.  So after a 10 min bicep burning pumping session Layne put my tire back on and off we went to finish without any more incidents.     
The above picture was taken at Flat #3 I think.  Layne and Kim you two are so freaking awesome.  I love riding with the two of you.  You take such good care of me when we go on rides and I just think you are two of the greatest friends a person could ever have.  Thanks for an awesome ride!!!!!! 

Lot's of fun in the Arizona Sun

More pictures from our very short but very fun filled trip to Az.  Hope has been not very nice to her cousin Chloe in the past.  In fact they needed constant supervision.  This trip we had a few rough moments but mostly just fun moments.

Charee and Tanner have this killer park just a few miles away from where they are staying.  They have ducks and fountains and lots of grass with a fun play ground as well.
People told me how fun it would be to have more children to see how different they are from eachother.  Sydney and Hope couldn't be more different when it comes to doing adrenaline rushing type of activities.  I would try to swing Syd when she was younger and she hated it she would just cry the whole time.  She still doesn't really like it.  Hope on the other hand likes it a lot.  Her aunt Rebee who is kind of a dare devil adrenaline junky herself is the one pushing her, encouraging her to embrace the adrenaline rush feeling.  I think they might be  two pea's in a pod when it comes to this kind of thing.

Catch me if you can Aunt Rebee I am headed straight for the water.
Then there is my little Sydney bean who is as cautious as they come when it comes to everything except animals that is.  Her Nana confessed to me that she was much the same way.  No wonder they are such good buddies. 

Sweet running pose I had to share.  
This is Sydney in her element, feeding the darling baby ducks.
This is Sydney not so much in her element.  I think she went around one time and then she was done.
Hopey, Hopey, Hopey.  That is a little bit of dirt in her mouth which the later pictures will explain.  

Please let me go!

Thank you Uncle Tanner.

Seriously her face says it all.  I guess this is how Hopey decided to let out all of her energy after a very long car ride.  
She was picking up the sand and just squeezing it so hard between her fingers.
No she did not fall over, she jumped onto the sand and started rolling around and giving it loves.
It was so dang funny to watch her.  She went nuts.  

That is some of the sand she decided to rub all over her head.
Aunt Charee and cousin Chloe enjoying the sling
Hope enjoyed the sling herself. I am not sure how much Aunt Charee's shoulder enjoyed it.
Thank you so much Brown family for such a fun trip.  We can't wait to do it again.