Finally Blogging

BLOGGING: I started this blog months ago and haven't taken the time to add any posts or pictures. I've had great intentions but just haven't done it. I'm actually looking forward to finally spending some time on it. And since it is already June, I feel like I should sum up a little of what's happened this year.

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Pregnancy woes:
Up until a few weeks ago, this pregnancy actually went fast. I have no reason to complain -- the pregnancy has gone well without any complications and all the aches and pains I'm feeling are normal and felt by all pregnant women. I have to admit that this forth time around has taken more of a toll on me and I am happy it will be our last. I just hope time will start to speed up again.

The ultrasound showed that we will be having a girl and she is due on August 23rd. Poor Nathan will be "girl trapped" as Natalie so fittingly put it.

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THE NEXT AMERICAN IDOL: Nathan loves to sing. We have church choir practice in my basement on Sunday mornings so he has picked up on a few things. I think he has a lot of talent!

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IRONMAN: Jason is amazing! He completed an Ironman 70.3 in Boise on June 1st. He did great! The swim (1.2 miles) started at 7am. I went with Jason’s brother Scott and his wife Codi to cheer him on. We were really cold and were only spectators – we couldn’t imagine how it was like for all the swimmers. It was also windy and the water was choppy. He came in slower than he wanted but still had a good time. He did great on both the bike (56 miles) and the run (13.1 miles). The run is definetely his strongest event. Jason’s parents and the kids joined us later in the day. We were able to see him zoom by on his bike and saw him twice as he was running. He finished in about 5 hours and didn’t even seem very tired afterwards. His motivation and drive amaze me and I can only hope some of it will rub off on me!

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ARCHES: We took a family trip to Moab and Arches in May. Kudos to myself, the pregnant lady, who camped for two nights! The first night in the tent Nathan was a spaz and couldn't contain his excitement. He jumped and played in the tent until almost 11. Jason and I made a mental note not to take a kid camping until they are 3! The weather was a little hot but Arches is a great place for kids to play and climb around.

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BAPTISM:
Allison was baptized on April 26th. It was a wonderful day. We were so happy to have Jason's family come down from Boise, my family from Provo, and Allie's great grandmother attend. We also had great support from neighbors and were happy the Sorenson's could come and Allison could share her special day with her best friend, Madeleine. Her uncle Scott (Galloway) gave a talk and her grandpa Glen was the painist. We also really enjoyed everyone’s company at our home afterwards. Allison commented a few times throughout the day that she felt so clean.

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BOSTON MARATHON:
Jason ran in the Boston Marathon in April. We left the kids with grandma and had a wonderful time. It was great to be back in a big city again. We spent most of the first day at the marathon expo convention. They had thousands of booths handing out freebies, Olympic athletes signing autographs and special computers to measure which type of running shoe you should wear. We also watched the Olympic women trials. One highlight of the trip for me was the Red Sox baseball game. It was a sold out energetic crowd and the Red Sox came back from behind in the last innning to win the game.

The marathon was amazing. There were a million spectators and 26,000 runners. Jason said the entire 26 mile route was lined with people cheering. At one point the runners go by an all-girls college and all the coeds are out screaming and cheering them on. I got to the race about 2 ½ hours before Jason finished and was able to get a decent place a few blocks from the finish line. First the wheel-chair racers went flying by and then it was amazing to see the elite runner glide past. A Kenyan won the race at around 2:07 (that is a 5:35 mile pace for 26 miles – incredible!). The crowd was really into it. If anyone stopped running or looked hurt they would all start cheering them on extra loud and the runner would almost always start going again. One guy ran past in a pink leotard and full pink tutu – I guess he runs every year in that get-up. I also saw Lance Armstrong run by. There were so many runners that it was hard to spot Jason and I only caught a glimpse of him as he was running by. I cheered really loud but he didn’t hear me and at that point he was exhausted and had his eye only on the finish line. He passed too quickly for me to even get a picture.