Happy Father's Day, 2012

Happy Father's Day to my hubs and my daddy, two of the coolest men I know. We just enjoyed a manly breakfast of pancakes, sausage, bacon, grits and eggs.

 I wonder how many griddles are working overtime this morning in honor of all of the dads out there...

I wish my dad (in Idaho) and Josh's dad (in heaven) could have enjoyed it with us.

Charles Holloway, thank you for showing me through your example what kind of man I should look for.

You set the standards pretty high! (I found a great one, by the way.) I miss you!

Spencer Hutchinson, if you can feel my vibes, thank you for raising up such an awesome man for me to enjoy my life with. I wish you could be here to see how amazing he is to me and your grandkids! You would be so proud. I know I am.

The classy family photo above can be explained in the link below:
We did yet another crazy video from across the globe.
Who knew how swampy Idaho and England can be?

http://vimeo.com/44173691

Mother's Day 2012

This is a little belated, but I have to share this video with you. For Mother's Day this video was filmed separately in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Twin Falls, Idaho, Knoxville, Tennessee, and East Grinstead, England. Then my sis, Dixie, edited all of the videos and compiled them into this masterpiece for our mother. Mom has been battling cancer with all of her might for the past 4 years. It has been a difficult time for her and all of us who love her so dearly. I don't wish this experience on anyone, but I also know that we aren't the only family dealing with such a frustrating struggle. I am so grateful that Dixie thought of this excellent idea and put it all together. We love you, Mom!! You truly are the best around;)

http://vimeo.com/42071616

This Is A Big Deal!

Woo-hoo! I finally figured out how to post videos on the bloggity!

Here is a very important milestone for Ian caught on camera.

When we got home from the RocketKidz race last week, he decided that he wanted his training wheels off.

Going, going, GONE!

His cheerleader!

 Go, Ian, GO!!

Later on in the day he learned how to start on his own too!

He is now a pro!

Rocket Kids Triathlon, 2012

We decided to register both of the boys in the Rocketkidz Triathlon this year. They both did great and were so determined! Dakota raced again too, as did a couple of their friends. The weather was perfect and the event this year was a lot more organized-thank goodness because last year was a little chaotic and stressful. The location was changed to a new waterpark here in town. The swimming portion was in the park's lazy river (with the current turned off, of course). 

Ian swam 25 yards, biked 0.5 miles, and ran 0.25 miles

Ayden swam 25 yards-mistake made by the coordinators b/c it was supposed to be 50 yards, 

biked 0.5 miles and ran 0.5 miles

 I helped Ian with his swimming.

Then he was on his own for the bike part. Look closely to see how focused he is!

He was getting tired toward the end, so I tried some motivation. 

First I told him he was a rocket, but that didn't get a reaction.

Then I said, "IAN! YOU ARE A STEAM ENGINE!" 

He smiled so big and started chugging faster.

Coming in for the finish.

Victory spin on dad's shoulders.

Ayden was next. He was ready to go, like an old pro.

You can just see his head and black suit. He swam strong.

Getting started on his bike. 

Run, Ayden, RUN!!

The boys were so proud of themselves and so are the parents, of course!

They were so tough and stuck with it, even though they were tiring out toward the end.

We will definitely make this a yearly event for them. Afton can join in next year if she wants to.

Kliebert's Alligator and Turtle Farm

Travis and his family were in Louisiana during Memorial Day weekend, so we got to spend a day with them and Aunt Videt, Uncle David and Court. First we hung out at Aunt Videt's for a little while.

Then our bunch and Travis and Raegan's bunch ate lunch at Trey Yuen.

DELICIOUS!!! Seriously, unless you are actually in China, you can't get better than this place.

After lunch we headed to my home town, Ponchatoula, for a tour of the alligator farm.

Here the kids are with Mike Kliebert, one of the original "Swamp People."

The kids all got to feed this kid. He was so adorable.

All of the cousins, watching the turtles.

The highlight of the tour-our guide, Mikey, teasing "Crush" a 17 foot gator. It looked like they were dancing.  It was so amazing and terrifying at the same time. These Kliebert boys know their gators so well. It's pretty amazing to watch how brave (or crazy) they are.

Crush is going to get Mikey one of these days!

The majority of us took turns holding the 5 footer below.

Ian wasn't going to until Aunt Videt bribed him with #1 cash, then he jumped right on!

 

 The kids loved the little baby turtles! Some of us held the little gators.

 We had such a great time with everyone! We can't wait to get together again. 

Our van load couldn't leave Ponchatoula without having Bootsy's burgers for dinner. Holy gluttony! 

Stacy's Adventures Sans Hubby And Children

Hey Kids! Do you want to know what your Mom is up to while she's away? Here's a sneak peek into her recent adventures...

 A few weeks ago, I went with a group of friends to an Ugly Bride's Maid party.

The idea was to get creative and be the most hideous bride's maid possible.

There were prizes for the most cheesy,  most tacky, most ghetto, ugliest shoes, and ugliest dress. 

Here's our crew. I was a runaway bride, Robin, Lindsay, and Helen were my bride's maids. Amy (the one trying to stop me from running away) was my mother. Sarah (in white) was a poser, and Paige (in red) was the wedding crasher. Other than the hostess, we didn't know a single person, and we were the only sober ones there. Let's just say we had some great entertainment!

BTW, that is my actual wedding dress.

The whole group...

The winners...

I took my second trip to a Chick-Fil-A grand opening. This time it was in New Orleans and it was HOT! 

My friend, Helen, camped with me. We were there from 6am to 6am. A full 24 hours! Along the way, we snagged some more crazy peeps-her Uncle Craig and a new couple in our ward who had some free time  and thought, "Why not?!" 

 I was the only adult female willing to have ice water poured on my head repeatedly. 

I won a banana shake for my troubles. But really, I enjoyed cooling off. I was back to heat exhaustion after only 20 minutes. In the end, was it all worth the suffering? Oh yes. For 52 more free meals, I'd do it again.

 Here we are in front of our tent after surviving the full 24 hours! 

Global Wildlife

We took yet another field trip (and most certainly not the last) to Global Wildlife in Folsom during Ayden's last week of school. 

This trip was the most fun, though because Aunt Videt joined us! Also, the giraffes are very shy, so one should feel super privileged to have the rare opportunity to feed them.

 Please do not feed the zebras your children's ears!

 Majestic moment

 Aunt Videt was our own personal safari guide. 

She probably knew more about the animals than our actual guide.

We had a great time!