What is Happening Here?

Poor Ian.  What happened here?

a)  He was abducted by aliens who inserted metal balls to alter his brain waves.
b)  He ate some bad hamburger that had been injected with metallic steroids.
c)  He fell asleep on the floor in the front room and this is what his drool looks like.
d)  His younger brother and sister were bored and decided to decorate his face with magnetic metal balls.

**No trips to the ER were necessary after this photo was taken.

We Tricked Ya!

On Father's Day it is a tradition to make something indescribably delicious for breakfast.  This year, we decided to see how Aaron would react if we served him generic Rice Krispies instead of the usual yumminess!

Here is Aaron coming up the stairs to see what deliciousness awaits him this year!

Here is the fakeout breakfast we had set up on the counter!

Dad has his disappointed face on.  The kids thought they were hilarious!

We had the REAL breakfast set up outside on the patio.

French toast casserole and 2 lbs. of bacon.

Later that afternoon, we had yet another meal.  All the mens' favorites:  grilled meats, homemade mac&cheese, 2 desserts . . .  Father's Day is all about the food . . .

and the FAMILY!!

Spanx Me!

If you are a woman, you know what Spanx are:  thigh trimming, tummy taming skin-tight underwear that suck everything in.  Let's just say, they help get rid of any bumps and lumps -- without plastic surgery.  The only problem is, Spanx sometimes make breathing difficult.  Imagine a corset from the Victorian period, but wrapped around your thighs, butt, and tummy.

Saturday night, there was a Spanx "incident" in the Provo area.  My dear Mum was attending a play somewhere near University Avenue.  She was on a date and dressed to the nines.  She had on a coral-colored floor length skirt that hugged her body in all the right places.  And yes . . . she wore Spanx underneath.

Mom had to use the potty after the lengthy play and then proceeded to walk through the playhouse and out onto University Avenue, passing at least 50 people along the way.

Suddenly, a young female college student ran up to her shouting,  "Excuse me.  Ma'am!"  Then in a hushed tone the college student whispered, "Your skirt is caught up in your waistband . . ."

"Oh, Sweetheart, thank you so very much!" my mom exclaimed as she hurriedly pulled her floor length skirt out of her Spanx.  "You are a lifesaver!"

Unfortunately, 1/2 of Provo had already seen Mom prancing about shaking her thing.

I checked YouTube to see if anyone has posted a video of mom's skirtless bottom . . . but so far, she seems to be safe.

I told Mom we should take a photo of her in just her Spanx from behind . . . with me slapping her on the rear.  We could send it into the company and get paid millions for giving them a new marketing slogan . . . "Spanx Me!"

Utah Valley Marathon 2012

 So, I've had this bum foot.  I had to take a month off of running.  I was really depressed because I put in a whole winter of training in order to run the Salt Lake Marathon, the Ogden Marathon, and Utah Valley Marathon.  The races were expensive.  I only got to run 7 miles of Salt Lake (and got no medal since I didn't finish) and 0 miles of Ogden (and got no medal since I didn't even start the race!)  My foot started to feel a bit better, so I started running a few days a week with Jill, in hopes that I could be ready for Utah Valley.  My foot was sore each day I ran.  So . . . the Utah Valley Marathon rolls around.  Should I or shouldn't I?  I decided to run the first 1/2 so I wouldn't miss out on the "fun"!  But then . . . I went to the Expo and saw THE MEDAL.  It was a very cool medal.  If I didn't cross the starting line and the finish line I wouldn't get one.  What's a girl to do?  I picked Jill up at 3:15 a.m. and saw this ADORABLE sign that her daughter had made for us.  I was feeling pumped!

 We took a picture of ourselves on the front stoop, got in the car and headed towards Provo.  I ate 2 pancakes with peanut butter in the parking lot, found Marisa, Sarah, Sterling, and Joel, and hopped on the bus.  I ate a bowl of Cinnamon Chex cereal on the bus.  Lots of pre-race food.  I really had to go potty.  It was a long bus ride!

We rotated 3 times through the porta-potty line.  I was feeling very lethargic with only 2 hours of sleep under my belt.  I decided to take a swig of DayQuil, put in a tampon, went potty one last time . . . I was ready.  I wasn't going to poo, cough, or bleed out during the race.  (I know.  Too much information.  But who else says stuff like this!)

The race was insane.  A headwind followed us through the entire course, whether we were running North, South, East, or West.  I know.  Sounds crazy.  But true!  Actually, I don't know my directions very well.  I just know the wind was in front of us the whole time.

I made it to Mile 13 and kept on truckin'!  The medal was on my mind.

At Mile 21 I saw my AMAZING brother, Caleb, cheering me on in jeans and a t-shirt.  He had his IPad in his hands to keep him company.  Nonetheless, I did not feel guilty in the least gasping, "Caleb.  Please.  Come run with me.  I need help!"  

He ran the rest of the race with me, all the time saying things like, "Great form, Ness!" even though I looked like a 3 legged stumbling elephant at this point.  

At Mile 24 I yelled something like, "I'm a Mormon from Utah with an Afro!"  I thought this was very funny.  I'm not sure why.  I also yelled at the bystanders.  "Cheer me on, People!"  I don't think tired runners are very likeable.

I FINALLY crossed the finish line.  I got the cool medal.  I cannot walk now.  I will probably be out for another month.  Was it worth it?  Oh, yeah.  Am I certifiably insane?  Hubby totally thinks so.

Family Night at the Pool Hall

Family Night at the Billiard Hall.  There was a little bit of dancing, a little bit of laughter, and a little bit of frustration.  I don't think this activity will be repeated for at least a couple of years.

Live WElle - Nyah's 1st 5K

Nyah ran her 1st 5K a couple of weekends ago.  

Nyah and Ady both did an AMAZING job!  I am so proud of them!

Nestle 5K

I did it!  I finally convinced the ENTIRE family to run a race!!  Actually I didn't convince them.  I signed them all up and told them we were going to do it.  Friday night, I reminded Aaron that the race was the next morning.  "What?!  Seriously?!"  SERIOUSLY.

Carson and I ran the race together the whole way.  In fact, we held hands the whole way.  It was the best!!  He never stopped running once -- even up the big hill.  Some comments during the race from fellow runners to Carson:  "Good job, little guy!" and "Way to go BLUE!"  I think it made him feel really good, but he refused to look at those that spoke to him.  He just kept on truckin'!
I tried to motivate Carson at the 2 mile mark by saying, "Carson, they have ice cream bars for us at the end of the race.  Just one more mile to go!"
Carson's reply was, "That's not much motivation.  I'm burning all these calories running, and you just want me to eat those calories at the end of the race?!"  I think I've created a monster!!  Time:  31:40

Aaron and Ian stuck together during the race.  They motivated each other every step of the way.  In fact, I found out later that Aaron REALLY motivated Ian.  "If you run this 5K in under 30 minutes, I'll take you to Tucanos "(the all-you-can-eat Brazilian grill).  Time:  29:10.

Nyah and Cali did an AMAZING job too!!  They decided to run their own race.  For some reason, neither of them wanted to hold my hand during the race!  I am so proud of my family.  

Nyah's 6th grade graduation

Nyah graduated from Elementary School!  She is officially a junior high preteen sensation!

Proud, proud parents!

Proud, proud grandparents!

Nyah and many of these girls have been in the same classes every year throughout their elementary school years.   She is so lucky to have such a great group of friends.

Nyah's teacher, Mrs. Waite, won Teacher of the Year!  We are so lucky that Nyah was in her class.  She is  AMAZING!!

Nyah's best bud, Ady.  It has been so nice that  such a great friend is also a backyard neighbor!

Carson's 2nd grade graduation

Carson graduated from the 2nd grade!  Unfortunately, the power in the school was out all day.  I had to squint to see Carson in the crowd.

During the blackout the kids got a little wired.  It looks like the children may have been given something to subdue them during the performance.  Check out Carson's eyes!

Carson had the most wonderful teacher this year!  Mrs. Diede was amazing!!  She made Carson feel brilliant!