Princesses to pirates and everything in between...

A few years ago Mat and I decided to sneak away to Maui. The kids were completely jealous and wanted to go to Hawaii as well. Of course Maui was fun but we kept catching ourselves thinking of how much fun the kids would have in Hawaii.  When we got home we started a fund and a few months later had the best vacation we had been on with the kids soaking up the tropical rays.

This past April/May Mat and I of course took Bailey on a Caribbean cruise and of course kept thinking how much the boys would enjoy it. Periodically I would glance over different cruise lines sights in hopes of finding a good deal on a cruise.  Of course the one cruise line I really wanted to use was Disney but sadly every time I looked at the prices I talked myself out of it. Mat and I talked about trying to find another family or two to take the kids on a cheap Carnival cruise for Spring Break 2012. We were planning on booking the cheapest possible cruise and figured when all was said and done if we kept it under $2,000 we could do it.

In August as I was on my way to Las Vegas to go school shopping with the girls I got a phone call from my mom saying that Disney had super rates for travel agents.  I called Mat and asked him to look into it.  After many back and forth conversations he said we would be able to sail on a seven day Disney Cruise for $1,800 with everything like tips and port charges included!  I told him to book it!  My only hesitation was that the weekend we were booking was most likely going to be the same time as Bailey's first cheer competition of the season. To book a different weekend would have been $1,000 more.  So I bit my over-competitive tongue and we booked. One of my friends shopping with me wanted to go also and we were able to secure her family cabins on the trip for the same price.  With her kids being close in age to mine I was ecstatic.  When we came back home we had another friend wanting to go and after some fancy room reworking we were all booked on board the Disney Wonder ready to sail on Nov. 27, 2011.

What we didn't know at the time was that A'mee and her friends as well as my parents, and Monica had all booked their families to sail on the exact same date.

 Of course I had all the crazy motherly thoughts of the kids falling overboard and getting kid-napped in Mexico but after 5 minutes on board I had no control over where they were or what they did anyhow.  The older kids scampered off with their friends and luckily we were able to locate them every night for dinner.

 Peyton could have cared less to hang out with mom and dad as well.  With the many friends and cousins her age on board she wanted to be off playing princess in the kids club or swimming with friends.  She LOVED dressing up like Cinderella and getting her "fancy" dresses on for dinner.

 The boys did not enjoy dressing up in their Sunday clothes but did as we asked anyways.

 Bailey and her friends spent the majority of the time on board looking out for hot guys yet said they weren't able to find even one.

 It was super hard for me to let the kids roam the ship unattended.  There were so many kids there wasn't much  any of the parents could do but sit back and enjoy the excitement from the little ones.

 Every morning Peyton needed to look out the window and watch the waves.  The happiness in her eyes the entire time makes me wish we could afford it more often.

 Of course there were also the days off the ship at the Mexico ports.  Our first stop was Puerto Vallarta.  We didn't start our first excursion off on the best foot.  We decided to save the taxi fare for the 14 of us going and walk the to meeting point. That in itself was quite the adventure.  The road we were walking along wasn't exactly a calm slow moving road.  At one point we ran out of sidewalk and had to cross the street.  The street was quite wide and had several medians separating sections of it. We all lined up 9 kids and 5 adults in one big wall of white people and ran to one medium stopped, the next stopped, and so on.  Of course the meeting point was on the other side of the road once we got there so we got to cross again. So fun. Of course once we arrived at the meeting point we were told the time we were going off wasn't the correct local time and that instead of being 15 minutes early we were indeed 45 minutes late and had missed our ride to the jungle. After some phone calls in Spanish we figured that we could take a taxi and still do our excursions.  Of course as we waited we realized the "disco" we were waiting at was indeed a strip club.  Once again 9 kids and 5 adults all white sitting in front of a Mexican strip club.  Why oh why didn't I take pictures?

Luckily the excursion of zip-lining through the forest more than made up for our rough start and the kids loved every minute of it.  We ate lunch at the restaurant there and the kids swam in the river, tried out water slides, held tarantulas, and even did service. There were three locals taking cement blocks two at a time across the river to build a house on the other side.  There wasn't a road or a bridge so they just found the shallowest spot and spent all day walking the blocks across. We were waiting for our bus to go back to the ship so half of the kids picked up the cement blocks and started trucking them across the river as well.

Our next stop was Cabo San Lucas.  The ship was docked there for two days.  We rented a boat the first day with our friends and while the dads went scuba diving the moms relaxed on the beach with the kids snorkeling to their hearts content.  The second day we took the older kids para sailing and they got to shop for their souvenirs.

The trip could only have been improved by the ride home. The kids were all completely exhausted from their adventures that they bordered just slightly on the ornery side. So much that they lost out on their next family vacation. 

The staff of the Disney Wonder were incredible!  The activites and shows on board were wonderful. It made it so much more enjoyable to have the other families aboard.  It was certainly hard to come home and not have our chocolates waiting on our pillow...

Life is busy and worth it.

Fall is finally coming to an end at our house and we are able to feel a slight amount of breathing room amongst all of the activities our kids are involved in. Just a quick recap of all of the activities that have kept us running around like crazy people for the last few months.

 Bailey ran her second half marathon with a time of 1:51:15. That's about a 8:30 minute mile. Yep, she's fast. Caleb ran the 5k and took first with a time of 23:30 and Easton ran the mile with a time of 6:20!

 Bailey's cheer competition season is about to begin.  Each year the local cheer teams gather together to raise money and canned goods for Dixie Care and Share and show off their routines. We are going to miss her competition this weekend so I'm so happy I at least got a preview of the routine.

 All three older kids participated in the Turkey Tri at Sand Hollow.  Caleb and Bailey each took first in their divisions with Easton taking a close second in his.  If he hadn't been afraid of the deep end we have no doubt he would had taken first.

Of course mixed in with each holiday season is the Jubilee of Trees.  I finally stopped decorating one of the main trees and only choose to help the school's with theirs. The kids still needed a visit from Santa however.

 Bailey competed in her school's annual Tri. There was some FIERCE competition this year. She was about the 8th person out of the water but must've pulled some sort of superman change in the dressing room because she was the 2nd girl to come out!  She quickly made up the difference on the bike and passed the lead girl.  Beginning the run she had a decent lead over the 2nd place girl but I worried knowing 2nd place's legs were about double the length Bailey's was.  She was able to pull of the win coming in only 5 seconds before the 2nd place girl!  She was more than 6 minutes quicker than her time last year and was only a minute behind the winning boy's time. Like I said, fast.

 Easton and Caleb have each been playing competitive soccer.  It's taken a lot of time and effort on both theirs and my parts.  I was the team manager for both teams and it wore me out!

 They finished their fall season like the champions they are!  Both teams competed in the Dixie Invitational Thanksgiving tournament and both teams went undefeated for gold!

 Bailey provided us with the turkey for an upcoming Christmas dinner with her geck-a-thon efforts.

 Knowing we were going to be out of town the first week of December I insisted the Christmas lights and decor were put up before we left.  Of course it was warm then...

So much to do, so little time, so much to enjoy.

Been there, done that, got the t-shirt (& shorts).

In 2010 Bailey came home from school excited that she had run a 8:10 minute mile.  I was pretty impressed seeing as I've never been able to run that fast.  She came home a few weeks later even more excited that she had run a 7:40 minute mile. At that point we thought it would be fun to enter her in the Swiss Days 5k run. She did well.  She took second and we were thrilled.  However, we wanted to see what she could do if she actually ran a little before trying a race. Caleb and Easton wanted to try it as well.  We didn't think Easton was quite ready for a 5k but signed Caleb, Bailey and Mat up for a 5k in January of 2011.  Easton ran the mile for that race and surprised us with a time of 8:09.  The kids were excited with how well they each did.  Bailey noticed that there was a half marathon going on at the same time as the 5k and asked if she could run the half next time. That's when the gears started turning...

It had been a rough morning getting the kids wanting to actually race and truthfully they had only run once or twice with Mat before it. They loved it though and wanted to run more.  Mat and I asked them if it really was something they would like to pursue and they said yes. It was with some hesitation I will admit.  That's when we initiated a challenge for the kids.  They each needed to run one race each month for a year and work up to a long distance and they would receive and ipod or something comparable in value.  The minimum they could run was a 5k. We went home and looked up local races in the internet and found that they would easily be able to participate in a race of some sort each month.

Easton backed out pretty quick. He wanted the reward but did NOT want to keep running. We said ok.  He continued to run a few 5k and mile races throughout the year but only if he asked to participate as well.  Bailey and Caleb both completed their goals. With Bailey completing (and taking first in the 14 and under divisions) two half marathons and Caleb EASLIY finishing a 10k.

Races our family has completed this year include:

St. George 5k in January

Race for Jace 5K & Dogtown 9k in February

Run for Kids 5k in March

Spectrum 10k & SHAC Tri in April

Midnight 5k in May

Mud run & Summer games 5k in June

Bryce Canyon half marathon and 5k in July

Pine Valley 15 miler and 5K in August

Swiss Days 5k in September

St. George marathon & Save a sister 5k, 10k, and mile in October

Snow Canyon half marathon, Turkey Tri and Lava Ridge geckathon in November

We took the month of December off since the only races we could find were during the weekend that we would be on our cruise.  Plus, the kids had completed more than one each month so we figured it was ok ;).  Placing first or top three in almost every race completed I was admittedly proud of my little gazelles.  What made my heart soar was the early mornings during the summer where Bailey met up with the high school cross country team at 6:00am to train or the many hours each kid spent with their dad training at nights.  It was a big commitment by everyone.  Everyone met and exceeded their goals.  I can't believe the kids that I have been blessed with.  Yes, there were plenty of arguments about running and there were certainly "off" race days.  They pressed on.  I wish running came as naturally to me as to my kids but they still worked their tails off training and deserve every medal hanging in their rooms.  Most of all I hope they continue with running.  As much as I LOVE playing soccer I haven't since college.  Running is plain and simple something they can always have.  The memory of running beside their dad I can only imagine will be a highlight.

Halloween 2011

This year Halloween was pretty awesome I must admit. Peyton wanted to be Strawberry Shortcake and I found an adorable costume online.  The only problem being that it was way more than anyone should spend on a three year old's costume.  A'mee said that Peyton could borrow her daughter's from last year. We told Peyton she was Stawberry Shortcake.  She was happy and so were we! We felt so thrifty we convinced Caleb to go as a Bombers soccer player and Easton as a Raglan cheerleader.  Costumes solved.

 Of course the kids had a blast with all of their school parties and spent the Sunday afternoon before Halloween carving their pumpkins.

 You have to love St. George weather that allows you to wear summer attire on Oct. 30.

 Bailey and her friends all had matching shirts and went as nerds. Seriously I could get used to going the easy route!

 Easton was (again) the show stopper with his ability to do an awesome toe-touch and the middle splits.  He came home with twice as much candy as the rest of the kids.  Apparently at each home he told them he would do his tricks for two pieces of candy and it worked rather well.

Tricky Tricky Me

So I may not have realized from the time I first met Mat, and even though I was crushing pretty hard on him Memorial Day weekend in 1994 when he asked me to dance for the first time, February 24, 1995 when he first held my hand... 

I KNEW!  I was head over heels in love with MAT HOLT!  Yes, we'd known each other basically since tee ball (see proof below), and while he may have been looking over at me on the tee ball bench, I'm pretty sure it was because my pants were undone.  Despite the uproar we caused as we became an "item", two COMPLETE opposites joining forces, we both were smitten. Awww....

 So here we are today.  After dating a year and a half, waiting two years while he served a mission, 4 kids and a snake later, I've still got the poor schmuck fooled into loving me!

 Thirteen years ago I made the smartest, and happiest decision I could ever make! I sealed the deal with an amazing man! 

Warning: It's getting pretty sappy.

 Why anyone ever questioned our union is beyond me! Here's a man who's clearly a stud (see picture above) not only can he knock a HUGE animal down with a single arrow (once again see picture above) he is the PERFECT match for me.  Last weekend Mat ROCKED the marathon, running a time of 3:11:45.  Most men I would imagine (and rightfully so) would take the weekend to recover, relax and let their spouse spoil them.  After we finally came home after a LONG day of cheering him on, and then cheering others on for another hour, and then watching the boys soccer games, he gave ME a foot rub to thank me for my support in his goal!  Yeah, I've definitely got him fooled!

Love him, love our family, love our happy life we have together. 13 years down, eternity to go!

Our kids are amazing!

It's been a full year since Bailey ran her first race.  Last year for Swiss Days we didn't know if the boys could handle it so we didn't let them run. We should have.  Mat, Bailey and Caleb have all taken to running this year.  While it's not Bailey's favorite thing and Caleb doesn't train near as much as he should (he doesn't train at all) and Mat working a ton AND training for this weekend's marathon, the three have impressed me as well as many others over the past year with their ability to run FAST!

 This was Caleb and Easton's first year running in the Swiss Day's 5k but not their first race.  Caleb has been running a race each month since January while Easton has only ran a few.  We didn't know what to expect with his run but he killed it!  He ran around 27 minutes and we were super proud.

 Caleb took 1st in his division beating out 14 other boys (including his younger brother) to take the win.

 Mat took first in his division with a fantastic time of 18:50.  He was still beat out by his younger sister Amber.  What can you do?

 Easton and Caleb have both been playing comp soccer with the Bombers (separate age groups) and while it isn't Caleb's passion they are both playing awesome.  Easton wanted to also play flag football and since it didn't conflict with soccer we signed him up for Ivin's league.  It is a perfect fit for him.  Most people know that I can tip the scales on the competitive side, however, I want my kids to be able to be kids and not worry about being the best at everything (which seems to be an epidemic with some parents). 

 We all love how laid back the games are. ZERO pressure to excel and frankly it's a nice change.  He's scored a hand full of touchdowns in the first few games and just plain has fun.

 Between raising kids, school, athletics, work, church callings, etc.  We don't always get the quiet alone time we cherish.  One thing is for certain, we spend a LOT of time with eachother.  All the running around counts right?

Lovin' this time of year!

Although the fall usually brings on the cooler temps we have yet to feel too much of a temp drop yet.  It is however fall and I love it!

 Easton drew out to go mutton bustin' in the rodeo this year.  He was visibly excited and thought all week of ways to be able to hold on.  He did awesome!  If he hadn't have gotten a stipud sheep that stop mid run and laid down he would have clung to the animal all night. 

 We were thrilled he was able to finally have a try at it.

 Despite the 100 degree temps we've been having I've still getting requests for soup.  Of course soup is one of my favortie things so I am more than happy to comply. I loved how cute Peyton was eating her chicken noodle soup.  I have to make a double batch of noodles for my kids or there would be no way they'd get their fill.  They love homemade noodles.

 Along with fall comes Bailey's cheer team prepping for comp season.  I'm not much of a football fan but I do love attending games my daughter performs at.

 She makes it all look effortless and I hope one day to be to every highschool football game cheering on the cheerleaders. ;)

Pretty Princess

Peyton is growing up far too fast.  She is such a joy to be around.  If you could get girlier than this I would like to see it.  From her voice to the way she walks, she is ALL girl! 

 Peyton seems to be all bout her friends lately and cannot get enough play time with all of the fun kids in the circle.  It melts my hear to see the little girls all cram into the barbie cars and take off carefree and giggling like crazy.

 We had an amazing mom that moved in recently who paints the neighborhood kid's faces and the kids LOVE it!  Who wouldn't?  She is AWESOME!

 Peyton seems to suprise us with every turn.  She is not only crazy smart but has THE sweetest spirit.  She is so full of life it's infectious. She loves everyone and everything and the smallest things keep her happy and smiling.  She thanks us constantly and will even ask permission to use our restroom. Haha.

 The years it took to make the decision to have another child and then when we actually decided losing two babies and the heartache that came with believing that our family would most likely be a party of five, make every smile that come from our baby girl's face that much sweeter.  She is loved by every member of our house much more than we could have ever known or there would not have been a bit of hesitation on whether or not we should have had another.  We ADORE our baby girl.